Need another Mac inspired gadget/piece of furniture/custom electronic to really set the tone and prove to the world you’re no ordinary geek? Right, onward then. A few days back we mentioned the iBook G4 clock,a nifty little piece of custom work in that it made use of an old iBook for it’s parts. This “recycling” of sorts makes the planet a little less polluted and of course makes whomever owns an iBook G4 clock a lot nicer to look at. It’s a win win for everyone. But what if you want more geeky custom gadgets strewn about your home or office?
That’s where the iMac G4 lamp comes in. This lamp, made from a recycled iMac G4 (duh), features a minimalistic yet visually simulating form that begs to be included in your office front and center. Buying one pre-made from Etsy will set you back $125. It’s a little steep for a lamp. Though this isn’t your typical lamp nor are spare parts for building said lamp readily (or cheaply) available. I think it’s worth the price for a bit of added geek image, don’t you?
Frequent the digital underground of those ruthless and highly violent iPhone jailbreakers? It’s not nearly that dramatic or sinister, though Apple would like you to think otherwise. Truth be told, jailbreaking is a liberating experience. It gives back to you, the owner of the device, the reigns to do just about whatever you want. Nifty stuff.
With that said, obtaining such forbidden fruits came with several options. There is the ever infamous and stable Dev-Team’s “PwnageTool” which makes complete custom firmwares from scratch. Some people don’t want the bother of having to reload firmware and re-sync all of their content. Fair enough. For such people, Blackra1n was their poison of choice.
In case you were unfamiliar with BR, it is a project of a rather young hacker/developer who goes by “Geohot”. His work has spanned the generations of the iPhone and just recently moved into PS3 hacking — no small feat. With all of the accomplishments under his belt, it would seem like nothing could stop this kid. Unfortunately for us, Blackra1n’s users’ fears are materializing after the 3.1.3 iPhone update. The outlook isn’t too promising for now as a recent Twitter post by the young chap states:
“There is no solution for 3.1.3 on newer devices or 05.12.01 (baseband). There is no untethered jailbreak. I don’t know if/when these things will exist.
Disappointing stuff to say the least. But let’s be real, how many times have we heard these “jailbreak doomsday” tales? I seem to remember such comments following just about every iPhone update since day 1. With that in mind, don’t count out new devices/firmwares just yet.
**Important stuff: While the patch over a normal firmware method used by Blackra1n is not functioning on 3.1.3, the Dev-Team has in fact cracked 3.1.3 for all but there newest iPhone 3GS and most recent iPod Touches. Something to keep in mind if you really must have that ever so important and exciting 3.1.3 update.
The cat & mouse game between Apple and jailbreakers is nothing new. It will continue on forever as long as Apple maintains their asinine stance on jailbreaking in general, iron glove and all. The jailbreakers will feel increasingly pissed and frustrated with some even leaving to other, more inviting platforms. Yet life will go on.
Back in 1984, cellphones were at their most primitive stages. They weren’t cool looking, didn’t have fancy shmancy processors like Snapdragon, and most of all, wouldn’t even fit in a small to medium sized bag. In the current year of 2009, cellphones/smartphones are now taking over more aspects of our lives as they become miniature computers. Sometimes though it’s fun to recapture those “glory days” back when technology was ugly and unsightly.
The current high fashion gadget as most would consider it is the iPhone. It’s simple yet sophisticated. Easy to use yet powerful underneath. Why not give it a bit of retro customization to show off your geeky side? Searching for ideas? Rest assured I’ve got your back. Picking yourself up (or making your own) NES Zapper Gun iPhone Dock is a great way to show off your geeky side and charge your precious at the same time.
Purchasing a pre-made version will set you back $44.95. Building you own: considerably less. Whataya say?
Purchase the NES Zapper Gun iPhone dock from Geek Unique (Etsy)
Want to see a real modern genius in action? Guitar Hero may be on the back side of the popularity mountain, but one thing is for sure — Ric Turner, former Disney Imagineer, is a genius. The reason for his ingeniousness is for his creation, “Christmas Light Hero”. Obviously based off of Guitar Hero, Ric recorded a perfect run of Eric Johnson’s “Cliffs of Dover” for the base video material. The 21,268 lights and LEDs display the recorded video on the garage door while the audio is actual gameplay audio from a Wii. Essentially it’s a jumbo geek fest with lights and sounds. The icing on the cake is the fact that the audio is broadcast on local 99.1 FM so anyone in the area can tune in and listen to you play your heart out.
Ways to improve for next year: Bump up the displayed difficulty level from “Easy” to something a tad more difficult. Though the fact that Ric even attempted such an undertaking is impressive enough. Feast your eyes on the video below and be prepared to be amazed…
With the release of BlackBerries packing faster processors means faster navigation, better performance in applications, and for those with an eye towards design — cleaner, more premium themes. In the case of HedoneDesign’s new SnowTime BlackBerry theme, those who are absolutely infatuated with winter, snow, and everything that Christmas memories bring will find this new theme quite a treat. The main idea here is simple and elegant. You’ll notice the homescreen only features a couple of user customizable icons and the standard signal and battery meter. Other than that, a scenic winter wonderland background aims to make the most out of all those tiny pixels inhabiting your screen.
Even more stylish than the simple layout however is the animated falling snow in the background. Older models such as the 83xx series may notice a slight sluggishness from time to time (at least I always did with animated themes), but if that isn’t your concern or you have a newer BlackBerry with the faster muscle under the hood, then by all means give SnowTime a try. It really is something to see.
SnowTime is available for all BlackBerry devices 83xx and up (excluding 81xx and 88xx devices) for $6.99. If you purchase SnowTime before December 10th, you can walk away with a discount — sale price of $3.99. Remember, it’s only $3.99 until December 10th. Better get a move on it…
When trying to navigate the vast landscape of the internet, search engines are no doubt one of the easiest and most useful tools. Here in the states, there are two main players — Google and Microsoft’s “Bing”. Google holds a majority market share though Bing is holding their own, slowly inching up month by month. Bing isn’t Microsoft’s first attempt at search but is by far their most successful. Perhaps it’s the improved searching algorithms. Or maybe, just maybe it’s all of those pretty wallpapers that cycle through the background of Bing’s page. Maybe you don’t like Bing, use Google, and just want a prettier Google experience. Well, now you can with “Skinggle“.
What at first sounds like some sort of x-rated toy is in fact a nifty website that allows users to skin Google with user generated pictures. Each time you visit the page you’re greeted with a different background. I’ll give the creators credit, while it isn’t nearly as good as a solution straight from Google, it is a clever and ingenious way to give Google a more customizable and personal flare. So the question is, would you use Skinggle on a daily basis or is it more of a novelty thing that will fade away after awhile?
You know, I love seeing technology modded. Things like custom Xbox’s, tricked out PC cases, and mashups of the weirdest gadgets really get me going. Seeing as how I’m almost positive that you’re a nerd too, one who also likes custom gadget stuff, allow to share with you NecroMac. The heavily modified Power Mac G3 you see above has hieroglyphs inscribed all over it’s plastic canvas giving it that old Egyptian flare that is really impressive. Achieving this blend of old and new was accomplished by way of white linen paper, lemon juice, and several other products and techniques that bring out that “old as dirt” look. In case you wanted to see this beaut in a few more angles — and I know you do — hop on in for the full 360…
If you’re looking at the image above wondering if it’s plausible….or even fully working, I can honestly say yes, yes it is. The photo above shows the end result of an old Sega Genesis tear down by Wired’s Charlie Sorrel. According to Charlie, their was plenty of room to jam some small speakers inside and make this Japanese Genesis belt out tunes in line with some of the greater iPod docks. But in the end he choose to keep things nice and simple. Hey, I’m simply amazed in wonderment at the sheer geekery of everything before my eyes. This and a whole lot more can be seen back in Chris’s original post over at Wired. I don’t know about you, but every time I come across old antique gaming junk in the basement I’m going to try and think of all kinds of ways to give it a fresh albeit Frankenstein-ish take on life.
Yeeeeooop. It’s a slow news day. How about some light hearted reading. A picture is worth a thousand words, so I’ll just let it do the talking. Feeling crafty?
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