Hack Job

Filed under: misc hacks, peripherals hacksResearchers at Georgia Tech are working on a Tongue Drive System, which transforms the tongue into a tool that can manipulate computers and manage appliances and wheelchairs. This project has huge implications for the disabled, especially for those with few motor skills and limited movement. Many disabled Americans are paralyzed from the neck down, and this system could be a literal lifesaver, providing them with a method of communication and control over their own lives. Scientists have been attracted to the tongue's potential for a long time. It provides several advantages over using other organs or appendages. It's very sensitive, tactile, is not connected to the spinal cord, and does not usually end up being harmed in accidents. By placing a tiny magnet underneath the tongue, it's transformed into a virtual keyboard. Sensors placed in the cheek track the magnet's movement and processes the commands into directions for electronics, be it a wheelchair or a home appliance. We're excited to see where this will go.Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Much like Lolcats, some überteens are up in the Internet, stealing your ... well, whatever they want. If you envision these kids as harmless nerds who hole themselves up in their rooms clicking away their adolescence, check out this list, which details the costly and frightening toll their computer “games” have exacted throughout recent history.

These computers are so fast that the lowest ranked super computer on this list is still over thousands of times as fast as your average desktop PC.

Keyboards come in all shapes and sizes, from the standard ten dollar gray board to something straight out of a science fiction movie. Here’s a list of some of the coolest and strangest keyboards out there.

Having the fastest, newest computer is a wonderful feeling. Even coming home with the fastest, newest computer you can possibly afford is a great feeling too. A lot of times, its also a pretty stupid thing to do.

These computer cases are amazing considering the high level of detail and the amount of work put into each one of these cases.If you are tired of seeing the same old black or beige standard computer cases, these 15 awe inspiring custom case mods might even drive you to change yours.

,The Mixa lets you design your own USB blank cassette just like the old mix tapes you used to make your girlfriend/boyfriend in high school. Combining an old audio tape (that most people now use as doorstops) with a USB flash drive, this seems like a good way to get nostalgic with your data.Make a Mixa - Link [via]

This is a nice way of taking your PC back to the 1930s Art Deco designed world. Maybe it will also make us think back to the time when consumer electronics weren't just pocket-sized gadgets that can be thrown away after a couple years of use.The Art Deco PC Mod - [via] - Link[

Ok, so the PS3 has this over the Wii... more @ Wired -Suffering from its exorbitant price point and a dearth of titles, Sony's PlayStation 3 isn't exactly the most popular gaming platform on the block. But while the console flounders in the commercial space, the PS3 may be finding a new calling in the realm of science and research.Right now, a cluster of eight interlinked PS3s is busy solving a celestial mystery involving gravitational waves and what happens when a super-massive black hole, about a million times the mass of our own sun, swallows up a star.Astrophysicist Replaces Supercomputer with a Cluster of Eight PlayStation 3s - Link.

Think the new iMacs are too big? You haven't seen anything smaller than the desktop MiniMac. Chunkier than an iPhone with all the nostalgia of late 90s iMacs.MiniMac project page Link[Read More] [

Shawn writes -Saw the TV Retro casemod... I made something similar and built a PC and monitor right into it.Retro stereo mod for a media center PC - Link.

Spikenzie writes -The USB to Serial project is a break-out board for the CP2103 from Silicon Labs. I was looking for an inexpensive Serial Port solution for my Mac, that I could build into my projects without external adapters. I have the KeySpan USA-19HS, which works very well, but it is too expensive to build into projects and you must use a level shifter to safely use TTL or 3.3 volt signals. For projects where adapters are not convenient you can use the CP2103. With this break-out board, you have pins for all of the RS-232 signals, four GPIO pins and 5 volts, 3.3 volts and ground. I made it with the intention of testing designs on a bread-board, but it may also be incorporated into another design by simply plugging it in like a DIP.USB to serial - [via] Link.

This hack shows how to add a compact flash memory card to an Apple Powerbook 150 using an adaptor board that allows the card to be plugged into a standard IDE bus. Pretty cool if you are nostalgic about breathing life back into your old laptop-turned-doorstop.Replacing the Internal Disk of a Powerbook 150 with a CompactFlash Card - Link[

While checking inbound links to his Steampunk Workshop, MAKE pal Jake von Slatt stumbled on this amazing steampunk casemod on a Polish modding forum. Really amazing, with needle guages, lots of lighting F/X, a porthole with clockworks inside, and lots of old school plumbing hardware. Not sure how much of it is functional and how much of it is decoration only, but it sure as hell looks impressive. Anybody speak Polish?

John sent in this Russin BBQ flip with the Macintosh Finder cut out, looks like a DIY'ed waterjet project .... Link.[Read More] [Comments]

At first it looked like it wasn't going to be possible to use the newer iPods with Linux, but 36 hours after the story made the rounds online there's now some code to get things working... Link.[Read More] [

Wow, here's how to install and boot 145 operating systems on a PC (3 Dos, 5 Windows, 137 Linux) - Link.[Read More] [Comments]

A retro-futuro casemod built inside of an antique phone box with the restored and retro-fit phone itself on top. The phone functions as both a landline phone and works with Skype, MSN Voice, and Google Talk.

Deciding what kind of printer you want to purchase -- inkjet, laser, or multifunction -- can be frustrating and confusing. There are so many types and brands of printers to choose from, at all prices, and just like computers, new models seem to be introduced on a monthly basis.read more

These guys in Munich built a mid-range PC, and powered it with nothing but solar power. This is the first part of the series, thanks amp2003! Link.[Read More] [