Non-Tech City

New Link Image to New Site

2005-03-31T21:40:00.000+01:00

Shiny New Website!

2005-03-18T20:07:00.000Z

We have received such a lot of interest in the past two months that we have decided to move to a flashy new host. So, thank you to all you readers, thank you to positive fusion for helping me out even though I was a pain in the arse about the word press install, and check out the new site. This site will stay here as a pointer, and as a curiosity to future generations after I become a world famous tech writer.

New Site
New RSS Feed

Eye Controlled Camera

2005-03-17T00:15:00.000Z

This is a cool demo of eye tracking software, cameras follow the pupils. Apparently this could be used in market research, big brother will be following you around the supermarket, checking out what catches your eye.
Link

Weird Case Mod No. 2

2005-03-17T00:03:00.000Z

Link

Confused Flash Drive

2005-03-16T23:26:00.000Z

This is an odd product, i'm not really sure what it's trying to be. It's a normal flash drive with a built in mic, when it's plugged into a computer an icon appears which allows you to place VOIP calls. Now, give this thing wifi and make it a cell phone in wifi hotspots and I get it. But if you're at your PC, you can just use that to make VOIP calls, I don't see why you need to speak into your flash drive. Maybe i'm just upset that it doesn't work on Macs yet.
Link

Longhorn to Have No Passwords

2005-03-16T21:56:00.000Z

The new windows, Longhorn, is apparently knocking passwords on the head in favour of two factor authentication. Will this solve all our security problems, and make windows the most un-break-in-able OS? Not according to Bruce Schneier: "It solves the security problems we had ten years ago, not the security problems we have today". Oh well, I have a Mac.

Electric Cars Scrapped

2005-03-16T21:20:00.000Z

78 clean, efficient electric cars have been scrapped by GM. The EV-1's were being scrapped as the product line was no longer profitable. They could not be sold on due to the cars 2000 unique parts making them impossible to service by anyone other than GM. This would cause liability issues should anything go wrong. I think it's a travesty that these machines are being destroyed, and there were many protesters trying to stop the lorries. Surely you could just sign a form that would resign any possibility of legal comeback should the car die. They would still sell, and there would be 78 less petrol cars on the road. GM has donated some to universities and museums, places where they won't be used. The technology developed in the EV-1 has been used in hybrid cars, which are becoming more popular and can still be bought. So that's good news.
Link

DIY - Pimp my Shuffle

2005-03-16T21:16:00.000Z

This is an awesome hack, I would love one of these. You could even make it with a smaller set of earphones if you took the shuffle's inards out.
Link

DIY - Teleprompter

2005-03-16T21:07:00.000Z

Videoblogging is starting to take off, maybe you need this for that. Maybe your dumping your online girlfriend and you've written a little speech for your next video chat. Whatever the reason you need a homemade teleprompter, this is the site for you.

Weird Case Mod No. 1

2005-03-16T15:59:00.000Z

Link

Scariest Robot in the World

2005-03-16T13:46:00.000Z

The Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center has developed this, the ROBART 3. Which, I have to say is quite intimidating, it carries a gun that is capable of firing tranquilizer darts. Equipped with a host of sensors to track down baddies and shoot them in the arse with a dart this thing is bound to become popular as a security guard replacement eventually.
Link

Downhill Battle

2005-03-16T13:23:00.000Z

I just received a CD from the good folks over at downhill battle, now, just to cover myself here - I do not think you should steal music, it is wrong, and very very naughty.
Now, this awesome CD is being sent out to radio stations all over the world and contains several jingles explaining the state of the music industry today and how current copyright law is strangling creativity. Licensed to Ill by the Beastie Boys was almost entirely composed of samples, that album could not be made today, and it's an awesome album. That sucks. If you also think that that sucks, head over to their site and check it out. You could download one of their posters, print it out, stick it up. If you are a DJ then you could play it on the radio, like I will be on Livewire.

Thanks to Readers and Call for Help

2005-03-16T11:10:00.000Z

Thanks everyone, we've had over 12,000 unique hits now, and many more in total. Hopefully that means we have some readers. Due to this success I have been thinking of setting up a blog away from Blogger. What I need is advice, are any of you particularly happy with your hosting/blogging tool/domain seller? Leave a comment and let me know.
Also, we're looking for contributors, not necessarily on a permanent basis, but if you have just bought a new gadget then write a small review and send it in. You'll be labeled as the author and we can put a link to your site if you have one. You can get in touch by email (matt.sparkes(at)gmail.com), or on the forum.
Thanks again for reading everyone.

iPod Super

2005-03-16T00:09:00.000Z

A man dropped his iPod and broke the hard disk. He then dissasembled the connector and soldered it to a standard size hard disk (iPods use 2.5 inch hard disks), and now he's experimenting with making a 300GB iPod Super. This thing would be big, but not too big to lug around, and that is a hell of a lot of storage. I'm not too sure how you would make an enclosure for the new pod though.
Link

How to Wipe Your Hard Disk

2005-03-16T00:03:00.000Z

Have old computers around, want to throw them away, sell them, or give them to me? (I need a firewall machine) Well i'm sure you've read about the horrible things that can happen when hard disks fall into the wrong hands. The good folks at Engadget have written a how-to on erasing your hard disk good and proper like.
Link

Commonwealth Baton

2005-03-15T23:39:00.000Z

The commonwealth games baton got started on it's long journey by the Queen last night, it will be run in relay until the start of the games in 2006. The twist is that it contains a GPS system and two cameras and you can track it's progress online.
Link

GMail Going Public

2005-03-15T23:15:00.000Z

It looks like GMail is going public, not that it's been hard to get an invite recently. Apparently every few google hits is offering an invite, at least on the American site. If anybody does still want an invite, then let me know in a comment, but it looks like this is it.
Link

Lego Mindstorms

2005-03-15T23:07:00.000Z

There is an exact copy of this in one of the labs at uni, so i've seen it in action. I always assumed it was someones dissertation, but this guy obviously did it first, maybe someone passed it off as their own work, anyway. This is a brilliant example of using lego midstorms to solve a comlex problem, i've used it a bit and it's pretty powerful. The RCX is the CPU etc and runs Not Quite C (NQC), which is almost C, allowing some real programming.
Link

Energy Producing Bag

2005-03-15T19:25:00.000Z

Isn't this cool? Walk to work, and charge your iPod as you go, or your phone. Or, if you're chilling out somewhere you could power some external speakers and plug them into your MP3 player. I think this is something I could use, if anyone wants to send me a review model before summer...?
Link

AK47 MP3

2005-03-15T19:12:00.000Z

Isn't it funny sometimes, when you see things that you were thinking of just a moment before? I was sitting there, thinking, 'what can I do with this old machine gun, and wouldn't it be nice to upgrade from my iPod?'. Then, all of a sudden I see this site and it all becomes clear. Seriously though, what sort of demographic can they aim this at? (no pun intended) Who in their right mind would want one of these? I would list the specs, but they're on the site, and none of you are thinking of buying one, are you? I hope this is a prank, here's a quote from one of the guys at the company:
"Hopefully, from now on many Militants and Terrorists will use their AK47s to listen to music and audio books…They need to chill out and take it easy."

Moon Sites Re-Visited Soon?

2005-03-15T19:09:00.000Z

If we take pictures of landing sites, then it will kill a major online industry: crackpot conspiracy theorists. It will be far more challenging to believe that no-one landed on the moon with that sort of proof. They would really have to bring their A game.
Link

Wooden Laptop

2005-03-15T19:07:00.000Z

It's a laptop, a wooden laptop. This must have taken so much work, it's a shame to see technology grow old and obselete already, but when this much work goes into it, it's going to be heartbreaking to get a new laptop. Personally I wouldn't like this, but it is interesting. Talking of old technology, I just bought a TV today, it's an old Sanyo, made in the UK where you have to turn a key to tune it in. I love the contrast of that on my desk with my iBook.
Link

Talking To/At Aliens

2005-03-15T19:06:00.000Z

A new service has been launched where you can call a premium rate number, and leave a message that will be broadcast into outer space. Recently, the Craigslist bigwig won an ebay auction to broadcast some material into space, but he paid $1225. With this new service you need only pay $3.99 per minute. Still, surely this is unnecasary, as all broadcasts will reach an indefinite distance, albeit at a reduced signal strength dependant upon distance. If an alien technology really wants to listen to my mobile phone calls, they'll have to filter out the fuzz, turn up the volume and decrypt it. But you get my drift, if you do have a legitimate reason for trying to get in touch with little green men, then just DIY.
Link

Worried About RFID?

2005-03-15T18:53:00.000Z

Worried about the privacy implications of RFID? I can see some scenarios where I would like to wipe the tags, perhaps marketing companies could drive around making logs of addresses and what products are in those houses. It looks like there will be a solution in time for the widespread adoption of the tags, a couple of companies are working on RFID wipers. Here and Here.
More on RFID Here.

Google Fired Him, Plaxo Hired Him

2005-03-13T22:50:00.000Z

This is the blog that got that guy fired by Google. It's quite a good read on it's own, despite the interesting background, detailing what he's been up to since the incident; being inundated with job offers and how he chose to work at Plaxo. Plaxo is one of those online contact books that I think can really work, but i've tried some terrible ones. The problem is that my contact book is mostly composed of non-geeks who have a very low tolerance for this sort of thing. They've signed up for a bad service before, it's not fair to ask them to try another. Anyway, this sort of thing doesn't work unless people keep them updated, something that non-geeks probably won't do. If it was tied in with IM then maybe it could work, as non-geeks would have to load the client up reguarly and would keep it updated. Still, I hope that this service takes off, because it seems to currently be the field leader in good design and features. Personally I give it 6 months before this sort of thing gets added to MSN and all the other services go under.
Add me at Plaxo, matt(dot)sparkes(at)gmail(dot)com.