Author Topic: Gadget WEEKENDS (Read 625932 times)

superboyac · « **Reply #250 on:** July 07, 2013, 01:26 AM »

^^^ just btw,
the green lasers have been getting very popular in Egypt.
-tomos (July 06, 2013, 04:19 PM)

Oh wow! That is really kind of cool!

Deozaan · « **Reply #251 on:** July 07, 2013, 05:41 PM »

So the first step, in my opinion, is to get a pointing device so I can point it out to others.
-Deozaan (July 06, 2013, 03:20 PM)

Uhm, I don't think that laser pointer is going to be powerful enough to mark a star. Plus it would take the laser months to years before it reached the star in question, depending on the distance in light years. If you did get a laser that powerful, it would be military grade and illegal to own. Like, you could shoot down aircraft with it.
-Tinman57 (July 06, 2013, 09:36 PM)

The purpose of pointing at something is that you don't need to be able to actually touch it. :-P You just need to single it out from the other options.

the green lasers have been getting very popular in Egypt.
-tomos (July 06, 2013, 04:19 PM)

Very interesting. I wonder why pointing (green) lasers at aircraft is illegal in the USA, but doesn't seem to cause any problems in Egypt. . .

40hz · « **Reply #252 on:** July 07, 2013, 07:19 PM »

Very interesting. I wonder why pointing (green) lasers at aircraft is illegal in the USA, but doesn't seem to cause any problems in Egypt. . .
-Deozaan (July 07, 2013, 05:41 PM)

Most likely because it freaks most people out because they assume the laser is attached to a gun?

In the case of that Hollywood guy, I think the judge wanted to send a very strong message that you don't ever beam aircraft - and you especially don't beam a police chopper - which is probably what mostly accounted for the severity of the sentence handed down.

I'm also guessing the guy's attitude in court had something to do with it.

Judge Stephen Wilson rejected Adam Gardenhire's arguments that aiming a laser at an aircraft in flight was not really very dangerous...

When you're up on federal charges, and you've already admitted you did it, it's best to at least appear to be contrite when standing before the federal judge presiding at your trial.

Otherwise you just might get made the "horrifying example of what can happen" if you do something like this.

Tinman57 · « **Reply #253 on:** July 07, 2013, 07:56 PM »

Very interesting. I wonder why pointing (green) lasers at aircraft is illegal in the USA, but doesn't seem to cause any problems in Egypt. . .
-Deozaan (July 07, 2013, 05:41 PM)

It's illegal because lasers, like any other bright light, will temporarily blind the pilot. Even with the headlights of a vehicle shining directly into a pilots eye will reduce his/her night vision up to 30 minutes, the time it takes a humans eye to re-adjust to the dark conditions. This is why any flight-line vehicle MUST turn off their headlights when approaching an aircraft in the dark, with the exception of emergency vehicles. A laser only has to contact the retina for a fraction of a second to hinder night vision. Depending on the power and distance from the laser, you can even be permanently blinded by laser light.

As a pilot, when taxing at night and encountering another aircraft's lights along the taxiway/runways, I always close one eye to prevent it from being affected, which was taught in ground school and my flight instructor.

4wd · « **Reply #254 on:** July 07, 2013, 08:49 PM »

Very interesting. I wonder why pointing (green) lasers at aircraft is illegal in the USA, but doesn't seem to cause any problems in Egypt. . .
-Deozaan (July 07, 2013, 05:41 PM)

They've been made a restricted import in Australia due to the mentally deficient pointing them at aircraft approaching Sydney International.

Prohibited and restricted imports

Laser pointers (restricted import)

Description:
Hand-held devices commonly known as laser pointers with an accessible emission level of greater than 1mW.

tomos · « **Reply #255 on:** July 08, 2013, 07:42 AM »

Depending on the power and distance from the laser, you can even be permanently blinded by laser light.
-Tinman57 (July 07, 2013, 07:56 PM)

I presume they use led lights(?) - they come with a warning that they will damage your sight if shined directly in the eyes. A lot of cyclists dont realise their power - I've had to flash my lights at a few that were blinding me with a lamp at the wrong angle.

4wd · « **Reply #256 on:** July 08, 2013, 09:30 PM »

I presume they use led lights(?)
-tomos (July 08, 2013, 07:42 AM)

Solid State Lasers, (eg. the majority of Laser pointers), use Laser diodes, slightly different to LEDs in the method they use to generate light.

Renegade · « **Reply #257 on:** July 12, 2013, 06:59 AM »

Thermomix. Totally insane. Just crazy what you can do with it. Off the hook. No words to describe it. I'd heard about it and thought, "Meh, whatever." No... It's simply mind-blowing.

A close friend of my wife gave us one.

You have to see it in action to believe that it can do. You'll read about it a bit, but it doesn't sink in until you SEE it done.

A few things you can do:

Make flour
Make butter
Make ginger ale

Speaking of... I think I'll crack a bottle of ginger ale that I made with it right now!

mouser · « **Reply #258 on:** July 12, 2013, 07:02 AM »

Now *THAT*, dear sir, is a GADGET!

mouser · « **Reply #259 on:** July 14, 2013, 04:40 PM »

As far as gadgets go, you can do a lot worse than a "weather station".

I've gone through a couple but here's my current favorite:

It's $55, looks great, and has the features I love:

Shows BOTH indoor and outdoor temperature and humidity (with highs and lows for both), at the same time (outdoor sensor included).
Shows current date and time, and has internal clock battery so won't lose time when losing power.
Powered by included ac adapter (warning: will *not* run purely off batteries for long)
It also tries to predict weather and shows moon phase but i think those are useless.

For some reason it's not for sale on amazon -- but is available at the maker's site: http://www.acurite.c...humidity-02038w.html

Note:
There are a million of these weather stations sold at all kinds of price points. Personally this one hits the sweet spot for me in terms of displaying nicely all the key information without lots of extra useless info.

x16wda · « **Reply #260 on:** July 14, 2013, 07:15 PM »

As far as gadgets go, you can do a lot worse than a "weather station".
-mouser (July 14, 2013, 04:40 PM)

How good is the range on the remote sensor? That's been a weak spot on the units I have tried. (Longevity is another weak spot, probably because I have always gone with the cheaper units.)

mouser · « **Reply #261 on:** July 14, 2013, 07:20 PM »

They say it has a 300ft range.
The previous brand I had was a colossal pain to get and keep the base and sensor "synchronized"; this one seems care free.

IainB · « **Reply #262 on:** July 22, 2013, 09:25 PM »

...They've been made a restricted import in Australia due to the mentally deficient pointing them at aircraft approaching Sydney International. ...
-4wd (July 07, 2013, 08:49 PM)

Really? Had they been shown to be mentally deficient?

Are these people also allowed to vote and drive cars?

Renegade · « **Reply #263 on:** July 22, 2013, 09:34 PM »

...They've been made a restricted import in Australia due to the mentally deficient pointing them at aircraft approaching Sydney International. ...
-4wd (July 07, 2013, 08:49 PM)
Really? Had they been shown to be mentally deficient?
Are these people also allowed to vote and drive cars?
-IainB (July 22, 2013, 09:25 PM)

It's actually worse than 4wd has described.

A couple weeks ago I had to get some photocopies certified as originals, which meant a trip to the local police station to have that done. Browsing around the counter, I saw a laminated sheet of "prohibited/illegal weapons". And yep - you guessed it... laser pointers are "weapons".

I suppose the millions of hollowed out carcasses of crashed airplanes serve as testament to the dangers of laser pointers.

Mark0 · « **Reply #264 on:** August 01, 2013, 08:58 PM »

Triggertrap Mobile

For about the price of a simple remote shutter + intervalometer, 30$, it makes for a far more flexible and powerful gadget.
There's a dongle that connect to the headphones out jack of a smartphone (or any device that can output audio), and then a collection of adapter cables for nearly any photocam around.
Features includes: remote shutter, timelapses, distance timelapses (a shot every x meters), multiple shots with different exposures for HDR, stars trails, sounds or vibrations triggers, etc.

Deozaan · « **Reply #265 on:** August 03, 2013, 01:44 PM »

5mW 532nm Green Light Laser Pointer - Deep Blue + Silver (2 x AAA)
-Deozaan (July 06, 2013, 03:20 PM)

My green laser came a couple of weeks ago and I love it! It is awesome! I was so giddy when it arrived (I didn't check my mail until past midnight that day) that I played with it for a while and then slept with it next to my pillow.

Wow, I'm such a geek!

4wd · « **Reply #266 on:** August 03, 2013, 10:02 PM »

As far as gadgets go, you can do a lot worse than a "weather station".
-mouser (July 14, 2013, 04:40 PM)

Gadget WEEKENDS

Spoiler

Displays nicely all the key information without lots of extra useless info.

TaoPhoenix · « **Reply #267 on:** August 04, 2013, 09:16 PM »

This is sorta not up to the strict rules of Gadget Weekend, but I'm dyin' to know if anyone tries this!

http://www.dumpaday....hacks-dumpaday-8.jpg
Printer whining that the cartridge is out of ink? Pop it open and press a reset button?!

soulwanderer · « **Reply #268 on:** August 09, 2013, 06:46 AM »

Here you can find it for 30 GBP

This gadget made my XBMC work like a charm. This allows my Zotac miniPC to receive the keystrokes on my TV remote control, allowing me to use my normal remote to manage my computer.

Out of the box, it worked with no further config after installing the drivers provided. The default mapping of the remote was quite good (I did not find the need to customize it in a couple of months), but it can be fully customized to suit your need (here you have more information on this).

The best point of it? It has made my media center really simple to use... even my ganny know how to use it! No more need of other remote and (IMHO) much more elegant than having universal remotes...

Also, it is quite small and its powered by USB (image for reference, next to my wife's iPod and the included cables):

mouser · « **Reply #269 on:** August 16, 2013, 05:33 AM »

Got a KVM switch so I could switch between an old and new machine while using same monitor, keyboard, speakers:

http://www.amazon.co...S932UB/dp/B002TQYSN8

Screenshot - 8_16_2013 , 5_32_13 AM -.png

The darn thing actually works (surprised me)!

Renegade · « **Reply #270 on:** August 16, 2013, 09:57 AM »

Got a KVM switch so I could switch between an old and new machine while using same monitor, keyboard, speakers:

http://www.amazon.co...S932UB/dp/B002TQYSN8

(see attachment in previous post)

The darn thing actually works (surprised me)!
-mouser (August 16, 2013, 05:33 AM)

KVMs rock! I had a 2-port and a 4-port KVM that I used to use years ago, but I only use 1 or 2 and rarely 3 computers now, and use Synergy - a software KVM. Different use cases though. But they're not DVI... both VGA.

At the moment, my current plan for my next machine is a server running a virtual environment and then VMs running inside. A different way to get around the issue of multiple machines.

Vurbal · « **Reply #271 on:** August 16, 2013, 11:25 AM »

Got a KVM switch so I could switch between an old and new machine while using same monitor, keyboard, speakers:

http://www.amazon.co...S932UB/dp/B002TQYSN8

(see attachment in previous post)

The darn thing actually works (surprised me)!
-mouser (August 16, 2013, 05:33 AM)

KVMs rock! I had a 2-port and a 4-port KVM that I used to use years ago, but I only use 1 or 2 and rarely 3 computers now, and use Synergy - a software KVM. Different use cases though. But they're not DVI... both VGA.

At the moment, my current plan for my next machine is a server running a virtual environment and then VMs running inside. A different way to get around the issue of multiple machines.
-Renegade (August 16, 2013, 09:57 AM)

If I ever get around to it that's the plan for my Linux server - most likely using Turnkey Linux.

I really need to get an actual KVM for my workbench, though, which is actually an old microwave cart that sits next to my desk. Currently I have a sort of manual KVM setup. I have a second video cable running from the VGA port on my monitor, a USB sharing switch connected to my wireless keyboard receiver. The mouse is a lot clunkier. I have a pair of the USB extension cables from old Logitech wireless mice that have a base to plug the dongle into. When I switch between computers I have to physically unplug the dongle from one and plug it into the other or just stick with the keyboard.

It's kludgy but not bad for a bunch of pieces I just had laying around. Still annoying, though, especially since I have to unplug the second set of cables from my server to use it on the workbench. A 3 machine KVM would be so much more convenient.

fenixproductions · « **Reply #272 on:** August 17, 2013, 04:31 AM »

Got KVM about 8 months ago and this is one of the best accessories I ever bought. Luckily I found cheap 2-port Edimax.
It is simply great. Although there is one annoying behaviour: too much mouse moving.

I have 2 sets: laptop on left with big LCD in middle and PC with same middle screen and additional one on right side. So if mouse cursor is on right screen in desktop mode, after switching I always forget that laptop mouse was elsewhere and feel that I need to move it more and more…

Padlock6 · « **Reply #273 on:** September 02, 2013, 11:47 AM »

Just spent the morning going through this entire post.

There's some people here with real issues... including me

x16wda · « **Reply #274 on:** September 02, 2013, 05:04 PM »

My green laser came a couple of weeks ago and I love it! It is awesome!
-Deozaan (August 03, 2013, 01:44 PM)

Very cool stuff! I showed my five-year old Stellarium and then took him outside for a session with the "Star Pointer" and we have a blast! He knows where Betelgeuse and Rigel are, and he can point out Cassiopeia ("Eopeia"). We've recently watched Jupiter and Mars in the morning and Venus and Saturn in the evening. (But no, I don't let him hold it, even though he repeats to me we never ever point it towards planes, cars, houses or people!)