ingenuity

Windows that close automatically when trains go by

Sometimes you have to live with discomforts.

These can be human--lovers who snore, lovers who wear far too many clothes in bed, or merely lovers who turn over and go to sleep without remembering your name. They can also be uncontrollable annoyances, like foghorns, barking dogs, or trains.

Ed Rogers happens to endure the latter. He doesn't want to have to endure it, though.

So he decided to rig his windows with a remote control, an Arduino linear actuator, a Webcam, and some other fine pieces of electronica in order to get his windows to close automatically whenever a … Read more

Robots meet solar at Solyndra Fab 2

Robotics manufacturing tends to evoke visions of a John Henry-esque scenario in which competent women and men lose jobs to hunks of automated metal.

But in the case of Solyndra it may be robots that help American workers compete more effectively against China's low-cost labor force.

Consider the video that solar manufacturer Solyndra released this week illustrating how thin-film CIGS (copper, indium, gallium, and selenide) solar modules are produced.

In reality, the video (see below) is a showcase for the company's new state-of-the-art solar manufacturing plant, built with a $535 million federal loan guarantee from the Department of Energy, … Read more

Broken mouse as fashion statement

There's more than one way to show your inner (or outer) geek. You can always go the store-bought route, but the more creative among us have found more original ways to trumpet their faith.

A graphic artist named Courtney, who had already found some interesting uses for iPod cases, discovered a unique way to make a techo-fashion statement using an Apple Pro Mouse that stopped working: a DIY belt buckle, with complete directions on Instructables. The design is even interchangeable to match your moods.

New ATM break-in device: MP3 player

If there's a sudden surge in the number of iPods seen in ATM lines, this may explain it.

A criminal gang in the U.K. was able to steal confidential banking data by bugging ATMs with an MP3 player, The Times of London reported in its online edition Thursday. The gang reportedly targeted freestanding cash dispensers and would tap the phone line between the ATM and a wall socket by placing a two-way adaptor on it and connecting an MP3 player.

The digital music device would record the data traffic, which sounds like the noise a traditional computer modem … Read more