Fail of the Week: Thermostat Almost Causes a House Fire
https://hackaday.com/2020/01/08/fail-of-the-week-thermostat-almost-causes-a-house-fire/
Fair warning: any homeowners who have thermostats similar to the one that nearly burned down [Kerry Wong]’s house might be in store for a sleepless night or two, at least until they inspect and perhaps replace any units that are even remotely as sketchy as what he found when he …read more (https://hackaday.com/2020/01/08/fail-of-the-week-thermostat-almost-causes-a-house-fire/)
https://hackaday.com/2020/01/08/fail-of-the-week-thermostat-almost-causes-a-house-fire/
Fair warning: any homeowners who have thermostats similar to the one that nearly burned down [Kerry Wong]’s house might be in store for a sleepless night or two, at least until they inspect and perhaps replace any units that are even remotely as sketchy as what he found when he …read more (https://hackaday.com/2020/01/08/fail-of-the-week-thermostat-almost-causes-a-house-fire/)
It Turns Out, Robots Need Tough Love Too
https://hackaday.com/2020/01/08/it-turns-out-robots-need-tough-love-too/
Showing robots adversarial behavior may be the key to improving their performance, according to a study conducted by the University of Southern California. While a generative adversarial network (GAN), where two neural networks compete in a game, has been demonstrated, this is the first time adversarial human users have been …read more (https://hackaday.com/2020/01/08/it-turns-out-robots-need-tough-love-too/)
https://hackaday.com/2020/01/08/it-turns-out-robots-need-tough-love-too/
Showing robots adversarial behavior may be the key to improving their performance, according to a study conducted by the University of Southern California. While a generative adversarial network (GAN), where two neural networks compete in a game, has been demonstrated, this is the first time adversarial human users have been …read more (https://hackaday.com/2020/01/08/it-turns-out-robots-need-tough-love-too/)
3D Printable Stick Shift For Your Racing Simulator
https://hackaday.com/2020/01/08/3d-printable-stick-shift-for-your-racing-simulator/
If you don’t get enough driving in your real life, you can top it off with some virtual driving and even build yourself a cockpit. To this end [Noctiluxx] created a very nice 3D printable stick shifter you can build yourself.
The design is adapted for 3D printing from an …read more (https://hackaday.com/2020/01/08/3d-printable-stick-shift-for-your-racing-simulator/)
https://hackaday.com/2020/01/08/3d-printable-stick-shift-for-your-racing-simulator/
If you don’t get enough driving in your real life, you can top it off with some virtual driving and even build yourself a cockpit. To this end [Noctiluxx] created a very nice 3D printable stick shifter you can build yourself.
The design is adapted for 3D printing from an …read more (https://hackaday.com/2020/01/08/3d-printable-stick-shift-for-your-racing-simulator/)
Engineering Overkill Motorizes the Daily Grind
https://hackaday.com/2020/01/09/engineering-overkill-motorizes-the-daily-grind/
You don’t tug on Superman’s cape, and you don’t come between an engineer and his coffee. And really, if all your office has for coffee is a big old BUNN that makes caffeinated trash, you don’t discourage your coworkers from the pursuit of a better brew.
[George] is over at …read more (https://hackaday.com/2020/01/09/engineering-overkill-motorizes-the-daily-grind/)
https://hackaday.com/2020/01/09/engineering-overkill-motorizes-the-daily-grind/
You don’t tug on Superman’s cape, and you don’t come between an engineer and his coffee. And really, if all your office has for coffee is a big old BUNN that makes caffeinated trash, you don’t discourage your coworkers from the pursuit of a better brew.
[George] is over at …read more (https://hackaday.com/2020/01/09/engineering-overkill-motorizes-the-daily-grind/)
Spyware Discovered on All Samsung Phones
https://hackaday.com/2020/01/09/spyware-discovered-on-all-samsung-phones/
Samsung may have the highest-end options for hardware if you want an Android smartphone, but that hasn’t stopped them from making some questionable decisions on the software they sometimes load on it. Often these phones come with “default” apps that can’t be removed through ordinary means, or can’t even be …read more (https://hackaday.com/2020/01/09/spyware-discovered-on-all-samsung-phones/)
https://hackaday.com/2020/01/09/spyware-discovered-on-all-samsung-phones/
Samsung may have the highest-end options for hardware if you want an Android smartphone, but that hasn’t stopped them from making some questionable decisions on the software they sometimes load on it. Often these phones come with “default” apps that can’t be removed through ordinary means, or can’t even be …read more (https://hackaday.com/2020/01/09/spyware-discovered-on-all-samsung-phones/)
BeOS: The Alternate Universe’s Mac OS X
https://hackaday.com/2020/01/09/beos-the-alternate-universes-mac-os-x/
You’re likely familiar with the old tale about how Steve Jobs was ousted from Apple and started his own company, NeXT. Apple then bought NeXT and their technologies and brought Jobs back as CEO once again. However, Jobs’ path wasn’t unique, and the history of computing since then could’ve gone …read more (https://hackaday.com/2020/01/09/beos-the-alternate-universes-mac-os-x/)
https://hackaday.com/2020/01/09/beos-the-alternate-universes-mac-os-x/
You’re likely familiar with the old tale about how Steve Jobs was ousted from Apple and started his own company, NeXT. Apple then bought NeXT and their technologies and brought Jobs back as CEO once again. However, Jobs’ path wasn’t unique, and the history of computing since then could’ve gone …read more (https://hackaday.com/2020/01/09/beos-the-alternate-universes-mac-os-x/)
Vintage Mini Inkjet Prints On-Demand ASCII Art
https://hackaday.com/2020/01/09/vintage-mini-inkjet-prints-on-demand-ascii-art/
Readers of a certain age may fondly remember ASCII art emerging from line printers in a long-gone era of computing; for others, it’s just wonderfully retro. Well, when [Emily Velasco] found a vintage Kodak Diconix 150 inkjet at a local thrift store for $4, she knew what she had to …read more (https://hackaday.com/2020/01/09/vintage-mini-inkjet-prints-on-demand-ascii-art/)
https://hackaday.com/2020/01/09/vintage-mini-inkjet-prints-on-demand-ascii-art/
Readers of a certain age may fondly remember ASCII art emerging from line printers in a long-gone era of computing; for others, it’s just wonderfully retro. Well, when [Emily Velasco] found a vintage Kodak Diconix 150 inkjet at a local thrift store for $4, she knew what she had to …read more (https://hackaday.com/2020/01/09/vintage-mini-inkjet-prints-on-demand-ascii-art/)
Living At The Close Of The Multiway Era
https://hackaday.com/2020/01/09/living-at-the-close-of-the-multiway-era/
After over a decade of laptop use, I made the move a couple of months ago back to a desktop computer. An ex-corporate compact PC and a large widescreen monitor on a stand, and alongside them a proper mouse and my trusty IBM Model M that has served me for …read more (https://hackaday.com/2020/01/09/living-at-the-close-of-the-multiway-era/)
https://hackaday.com/2020/01/09/living-at-the-close-of-the-multiway-era/
After over a decade of laptop use, I made the move a couple of months ago back to a desktop computer. An ex-corporate compact PC and a large widescreen monitor on a stand, and alongside them a proper mouse and my trusty IBM Model M that has served me for …read more (https://hackaday.com/2020/01/09/living-at-the-close-of-the-multiway-era/)
Mini Space Station Keeps Tabs on the Real One
https://hackaday.com/2020/01/09/mini-space-station-keeps-tabs-on-the-real-one/
Over the years, we’ve seen a number of projects that can blink an LED or otherwise notify you when the International Space Station is overhead. It’s a neat trick that brings space a little closer to home, but not exactly a groundbreaking achievement in 2020. That said, we think this …read more (https://hackaday.com/2020/01/09/mini-space-station-keeps-tabs-on-the-real-one/)
https://hackaday.com/2020/01/09/mini-space-station-keeps-tabs-on-the-real-one/
Over the years, we’ve seen a number of projects that can blink an LED or otherwise notify you when the International Space Station is overhead. It’s a neat trick that brings space a little closer to home, but not exactly a groundbreaking achievement in 2020. That said, we think this …read more (https://hackaday.com/2020/01/09/mini-space-station-keeps-tabs-on-the-real-one/)
Hiking Pole Turned Lightweight Yagi Antenna
https://hackaday.com/2020/01/09/hiking-pole-turned-lightweight-yagi-antenna/
Among amateur radio enthusiasts, there’s a subset of users who climb mountainous areas to use their gear from elevated positions. Anyone looking to take part in what’s known as Summits on the Air (SOTA) will obviously want to keep their equipment as light and small as possible. For [Stuart Thomas], …read more (https://hackaday.com/2020/01/09/hiking-pole-turned-lightweight-yagi-antenna/)
https://hackaday.com/2020/01/09/hiking-pole-turned-lightweight-yagi-antenna/
Among amateur radio enthusiasts, there’s a subset of users who climb mountainous areas to use their gear from elevated positions. Anyone looking to take part in what’s known as Summits on the Air (SOTA) will obviously want to keep their equipment as light and small as possible. For [Stuart Thomas], …read more (https://hackaday.com/2020/01/09/hiking-pole-turned-lightweight-yagi-antenna/)
Add-On Makes ESP32 Camera Board Easier To Program
https://hackaday.com/2020/01/09/add-on-board-makes-esp32-camera-board-easier-to-program/
Don’t you just hate it when dev boards have some annoying little quirk that makes them harder to use than they should be? Take the ESP32-CAM, a board that started appearing on the market in early 2019. On paper, the thing is amazing: an ESP32 with support for a camera …read more (https://hackaday.com/2020/01/09/add-on-board-makes-esp32-camera-board-easier-to-program/)
https://hackaday.com/2020/01/09/add-on-board-makes-esp32-camera-board-easier-to-program/
Don’t you just hate it when dev boards have some annoying little quirk that makes them harder to use than they should be? Take the ESP32-CAM, a board that started appearing on the market in early 2019. On paper, the thing is amazing: an ESP32 with support for a camera …read more (https://hackaday.com/2020/01/09/add-on-board-makes-esp32-camera-board-easier-to-program/)
Don’t DIY This Surgical Robot At Home
https://hackaday.com/2020/01/09/dont-diy-this-surgical-robot-at-home/
The LVL1 Hackerspace in Louisville hosted a hackathon for useless and impractical devices a couple of years ago and this makeshift Duh-Vinci Surgical Robot was one of the “successful” results. While it’s not necessarily a project that should ever be used for its intended purpose, its miniature setup is certainly …read more (https://hackaday.com/2020/01/09/dont-diy-this-surgical-robot-at-home/)
https://hackaday.com/2020/01/09/dont-diy-this-surgical-robot-at-home/
The LVL1 Hackerspace in Louisville hosted a hackathon for useless and impractical devices a couple of years ago and this makeshift Duh-Vinci Surgical Robot was one of the “successful” results. While it’s not necessarily a project that should ever be used for its intended purpose, its miniature setup is certainly …read more (https://hackaday.com/2020/01/09/dont-diy-this-surgical-robot-at-home/)
HiFi Audio On The Commodore 64 – 48KHz, Yo!
https://hackaday.com/2020/01/09/hifi-audio-on-the-commodore-64-48khz-yo/
Prior to the development of CD-quality audio hardware in the mid-1990s, home computers and consoles typically made do with synthesized music. Due to the storage and RAM limitations of the time, there weren’t a whole lot of other practical options. If you’re willing to ignore practicality, however, you can do …read more (https://hackaday.com/2020/01/09/hifi-audio-on-the-commodore-64-48khz-yo/)
https://hackaday.com/2020/01/09/hifi-audio-on-the-commodore-64-48khz-yo/
Prior to the development of CD-quality audio hardware in the mid-1990s, home computers and consoles typically made do with synthesized music. Due to the storage and RAM limitations of the time, there weren’t a whole lot of other practical options. If you’re willing to ignore practicality, however, you can do …read more (https://hackaday.com/2020/01/09/hifi-audio-on-the-commodore-64-48khz-yo/)
A Luggable Computer for the Raspberry Pi Era
https://hackaday.com/2020/01/10/a-luggable-computer-for-the-raspberry-pi-era/
Today, computers are separated into basically two categories: desktops and laptops. But back in the early 1980s, when this ideological line in the sand was still a bit blurry, consumer’s had a third choice. Known as “portable computers” at the time, and often lovingly referred to as luggables by modern …read more (https://hackaday.com/2020/01/10/a-luggable-computer-for-the-raspberry-pi-era/)
https://hackaday.com/2020/01/10/a-luggable-computer-for-the-raspberry-pi-era/
Today, computers are separated into basically two categories: desktops and laptops. But back in the early 1980s, when this ideological line in the sand was still a bit blurry, consumer’s had a third choice. Known as “portable computers” at the time, and often lovingly referred to as luggables by modern …read more (https://hackaday.com/2020/01/10/a-luggable-computer-for-the-raspberry-pi-era/)
DIY Autonomous Mower In The Wild
https://hackaday.com/2020/01/10/diy-autonomous-mower-in-the-wild/
Mowing the lawn is one of those repetitive tasks most of us really wish we had a robot for. [Kenny Trussell] mowing needs are a bit more strenuous than most backyards, so he hacked a ride-on mower to handle multi-acre fields all on it’s own.
The mower started out life …read more (https://hackaday.com/2020/01/10/diy-autonomous-mower-in-the-wild/)
https://hackaday.com/2020/01/10/diy-autonomous-mower-in-the-wild/
Mowing the lawn is one of those repetitive tasks most of us really wish we had a robot for. [Kenny Trussell] mowing needs are a bit more strenuous than most backyards, so he hacked a ride-on mower to handle multi-acre fields all on it’s own.
The mower started out life …read more (https://hackaday.com/2020/01/10/diy-autonomous-mower-in-the-wild/)
Hardware Hack Makes Robocall Blocking Service Even Better
https://hackaday.com/2020/01/10/hardware-hack-makes-robocall-blocking-service-even-better/
Sorry to bear sad tidings, but your car’s extended warranty is about to expire. At least that’s what you’ll likely hear if you answer one of those robocalls that have descended like a plague upon us. We applaud any effort to control the flood of robocalls, even if it means …read more (https://hackaday.com/2020/01/10/hardware-hack-makes-robocall-blocking-service-even-better/)
https://hackaday.com/2020/01/10/hardware-hack-makes-robocall-blocking-service-even-better/
Sorry to bear sad tidings, but your car’s extended warranty is about to expire. At least that’s what you’ll likely hear if you answer one of those robocalls that have descended like a plague upon us. We applaud any effort to control the flood of robocalls, even if it means …read more (https://hackaday.com/2020/01/10/hardware-hack-makes-robocall-blocking-service-even-better/)
Hackaday Podcast 049: Tiny Machine Learning, Basement Battery Bonanza, and Does This Uranium Feel Hot?
https://hackaday.com/2020/01/10/hackaday-podcast-049-tiny-machine-learning-basement-battery-bonanza-and-does-this-uranium-feel-hot/
Hackaday editors Mike Szczys and Elliot Williams sort through all of the hacks to find the most interesting hardware projects you may have missed this week. Did you know you can use machine learning without a neural network? Here’s a project that does that on an ATtiny85. We also wrap …read more (https://hackaday.com/2020/01/10/hackaday-podcast-049-tiny-machine-learning-basement-battery-bonanza-and-does-this-uranium-feel-hot/)
https://hackaday.com/2020/01/10/hackaday-podcast-049-tiny-machine-learning-basement-battery-bonanza-and-does-this-uranium-feel-hot/
Hackaday editors Mike Szczys and Elliot Williams sort through all of the hacks to find the most interesting hardware projects you may have missed this week. Did you know you can use machine learning without a neural network? Here’s a project that does that on an ATtiny85. We also wrap …read more (https://hackaday.com/2020/01/10/hackaday-podcast-049-tiny-machine-learning-basement-battery-bonanza-and-does-this-uranium-feel-hot/)
This Week in Security: Camera Feeds, Python 2, FPGAs,
https://hackaday.com/2020/01/10/this-week-in-security-camera-feeds-python-2-fpgas/
Networked cameras keep making the news, and not in the best of ways. First it was compromised Ring accounts used for creepy pranks, and now it’s Xiaomi’s stale cache sending camera images to strangers! It’s not hard to imagine how such a flaw could happen: Xiaomi does some video feed …read more (https://hackaday.com/2020/01/10/this-week-in-security-camera-feeds-python-2-fpgas/)
https://hackaday.com/2020/01/10/this-week-in-security-camera-feeds-python-2-fpgas/
Networked cameras keep making the news, and not in the best of ways. First it was compromised Ring accounts used for creepy pranks, and now it’s Xiaomi’s stale cache sending camera images to strangers! It’s not hard to imagine how such a flaw could happen: Xiaomi does some video feed …read more (https://hackaday.com/2020/01/10/this-week-in-security-camera-feeds-python-2-fpgas/)
Hide Silent, Hide Deep: Submarine Tracking Technologies of the Cold War
https://hackaday.com/2020/01/10/hide-silent-hide-deep-submarine-tracking-technologies-of-the-cold-war/
All through the cold war, there was a high-stakes game of cat and mouse in play. Nuclear powers like the United States and the Soviet Union would hide submarines armed with nuclear missiles underwater. The other side would try to know where they were so they could be targeted in …read more (https://hackaday.com/2020/01/10/hide-silent-hide-deep-submarine-tracking-technologies-of-the-cold-war/)
https://hackaday.com/2020/01/10/hide-silent-hide-deep-submarine-tracking-technologies-of-the-cold-war/
All through the cold war, there was a high-stakes game of cat and mouse in play. Nuclear powers like the United States and the Soviet Union would hide submarines armed with nuclear missiles underwater. The other side would try to know where they were so they could be targeted in …read more (https://hackaday.com/2020/01/10/hide-silent-hide-deep-submarine-tracking-technologies-of-the-cold-war/)
Using Lookup Tables to Make the Impossible Possible
https://hackaday.com/2020/01/10/using-lookup-tables-to-make-the-impossible-possible/
Embarrassing confession time: I never learned my multiplication tables in grade school. Sure, I had the easy tables like the twos and the fives down, but if asked what 4 x 7 or 8 x 6 was, I’d draw a blank. As you can imagine, that made me a less …read more (https://hackaday.com/2020/01/10/using-lookup-tables-to-make-the-impossible-possible/)
https://hackaday.com/2020/01/10/using-lookup-tables-to-make-the-impossible-possible/
Embarrassing confession time: I never learned my multiplication tables in grade school. Sure, I had the easy tables like the twos and the fives down, but if asked what 4 x 7 or 8 x 6 was, I’d draw a blank. As you can imagine, that made me a less …read more (https://hackaday.com/2020/01/10/using-lookup-tables-to-make-the-impossible-possible/)
Retro PowerBook Gets a Mac Mini Transplant
https://hackaday.com/2020/01/10/retro-powerbook-gets-a-mac-mini-transplant/
Around these parts, seeing a classic laptop or desktop computer get revived with the Raspberry Pi is fairly common. While we’re not ones to turn down a well-executed Pi infusion, we know they can be controversial at times. There’s an impression that such projects are low-effort, and that the combination …read more (https://hackaday.com/2020/01/10/retro-powerbook-gets-a-mac-mini-transplant/)
https://hackaday.com/2020/01/10/retro-powerbook-gets-a-mac-mini-transplant/
Around these parts, seeing a classic laptop or desktop computer get revived with the Raspberry Pi is fairly common. While we’re not ones to turn down a well-executed Pi infusion, we know they can be controversial at times. There’s an impression that such projects are low-effort, and that the combination …read more (https://hackaday.com/2020/01/10/retro-powerbook-gets-a-mac-mini-transplant/)