SNEAKEY Reproduces Keys by Teleduplication

Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Cameras, Mods / Hacks, Science,

A team from UCSD came up with a way to steal keys without detection. Their SNEAKEY system used teleduplication to take an image of these keys from 195 feet away using imaging equipment, then managed to duplicate them with computer vision algorithms. You can read the details of the studies that were conducted in both laboratory and real settings on their site. The moral of the story is that even though these were the good guys, always keep your keys in your pocket when not needed.

Read More | UCSD

MIT Student Straps A Wii On His Guitar

Posted by Patrick Phelps Categories: Mods / Hacks, PC / Laptop, Video Games, Videos,

Tired of changing effects pedals with his feet while performing with his band Vivian Darkbloom, MIT graduate student Rob Morris attached a Nintendo Wii remote to his guitar with a strip of Velcro.  Mapping acceleration and button press values from the Wii, Morris set his Mac to translate the movement of his guitar into a variety of audio effects. The result: a new hybrid instrument that you’ll have to see to believe!

How does it work? The Wii controller sends data to a laptop, so the computer knows where the instrument is positioned, and it knows when he’s pressing buttons on the Wiimote. Morris takes this information and smooths it out a bit with some computer code (MIT grad student, hello…); the data is then sent out of the computer through a firewire cable. This firewire cable then sends the data to his stompboxes and other effects. So, essentially, he’s controlling guitar effects by pressing Wii buttons and gesturing with the instrument, rather than pressing a pedal on the floor.

Check out the above video for a demonstration.

T-Mobile G1 Unlock Now Available

Posted by Patrick Phelps Categories: Smartphones, Google, Handhelds, Mods / Hacks,

The T-Mobile G1 phone hit store shelves barely a week ago, and in the race to unlock it, the guys at Unlock-TMobileG1.com receive the first place trophy. Seriously, did you think they’d give it to you for free? If that was your plan, you’d better wait for a more charitable group to figure things out – or keep your T-Mobile account in good standing for 90-days, after which they’ll be happy to unlock it for you. If patience isn’t your virtue in this particular instance, fork over the $23 and enjoy your liberated G1 right now.

Check out the above video for a demonstration of the unlocking process.

Read More | Unlock T-Mobile G1 via Android Community

History Hacker debuts tonight on The History Channel

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Design, Home Entertainment, Mods / Hacks,

Yeah, we know that tonight many televisions are going to be tuned in to the first National Debate between Obama and McCain, but that’s what DVRs are for, right? We mention it because we know you’ll want to catch History Hacker, which makes its debut tonight at 9 PM on The History Channel. Why should you care? Well, it stars my pal Bre Pettis, and the dude is a serious, true, hardware hacker. In the show, Bre aims to teach us about big tech advances from the past, recreating them with materials in his own lab. According to him:

It’s an hour long, so I have time to get into some projects to break down some of the principles that Tesla pioneered and fought for in the war of the currents. I make a neon bulb, AC generator from a bike and muck about with an old telephone magneto. I also go check out the power plant in the basement of the New Yorker and the space systems lab at MIT to see how the principles that Tesla pioneered are being used today.

See? Told you, he is the real deal. Seriously, set your TiVos.

Read More | History Hacker - Day Of

Jailbreak iPhone 2.1 with PwnageTool and QuickPWN

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Smartphones, Mods / Hacks, Software,

Since everything and their mother has been writing in requesting follow-up on the iPod touch 2.1 jailbreak, we figured we’d better respond. Latest is that you can now jailbreak iPhone 2.1 as well, and the GUI version of the iPod touch 2.1 firmware is available as well (thanks for letting us know, QuickPWN!). The one thing that isn’t yet done is the jailbreak of the newer iPod touch 2G, but that is only because no one on the Dev Team has happened to pick one up yet. I’m sure we’ll be seeing it in the next few days. You just can’t keep these guys down.

Read More | iPhone 2.1 jailbreak info

iPod touch 2.1 jailbroken with the quickness

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Smartphones, Mods / Hacks, Software,

To say “That was fast” would be an understatement. Just three days after Apple unleashed the new iPod touch 2.1 firmware, alongside a newly updated iPod touch, the new firmware has already been jailbroken by the good folks at the QuickPwn project. Hey, I guess we should no longer be surprised anymore. If you are jonesing to jailbreak your touch, just know that you are gonna have to mess around with the command line, as the GUI version has yet to be completed (it’s coming though - as is an iPhone 2.1 jailbreak.) But, hey, getting comfy with the command line is right in line with the iPod touch being the “funnest iPod ever”, am I right?

Read More | QuickPwn

iPhone Pwnage Tool 2.0.3 now available

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Smartphones, Handhelds, Mods / Hacks, Software,

For those of you out there who can’t live without a jailbroken iPhone, we venture to guess that you’ll be happy to hear that PwnageTool 2.0.3 is now available, thanks to the continuing hard work of the iPhone Dev Team. This new version features a few new features:

• Updated Installer.app to beta 6
• Support for iPhone and iPod touch firmware 2.0.2 5C1
• Adds .de localization for those who read German

If you are already running an older version, you can update right from within PwnageTool, otherwise hit the link below to download the latest version.

Read More | PwnageTool 2.0.3

Beware of Hallmark Cards Bearing Viruses

Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Internet, Mods / Hacks, PC / Laptop,

Keep your eye out for phony Hallmark greeting cards sent to e-mails as they seem to be on the rise again. If the notice says you have to load a .zip file, you know you have a problem. The Trojan .zip releases a postcard.exe and a run key to Windows. When you restart your PC that key releases evilness upon you and the program adds you to an IRC botnet, accesses your contact list, and sends out even more attack e-mails. While we realize this is nothing new, we thought we would warn you on the chance that you believed someone actually remembered your birthday.

Read More | vnut

How to tether your iPhone 3G to your laptop

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Broadband, Smartphones, Internet, Mods / Hacks, PC / Laptop, Software, Wireless / WiFi,

With the launch of iPhone 3G, many have been waiting and hoping for a method that would allow tethering of the iPhone to a mobile computer like, say, a MacBook. Well, lucky for your mobile warriors, that time has finally come - it’s just takes a bit of work to get it functioning. Do remember, though, that AT&T isn’t offering any sort of tethering plan with the iPhone, so if you get caught, you may be forced to pay a bunch of money out of pocket. Or your service could be shut off. Still, if that isn’t something that matters to you, then click on through for the instructions, provided by my pal Nate True. He took a bunch of different pieces of software and solutions, and mixed them together into a powerful concoction that allows you to use your iPhone 3G as a modem by way of 3Proxy, Terminal, and WiFi. Now all we need are batteries for the iPhone 3G that don’t die in a matter of seconds.

Read More | Cre.ations.net

Pacmba Chomps Down

Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Smart Home, Mods / Hacks, Video Games, Videos, Wireless / WiFi,

What do you get when you cross a Roomba with Pac-man? In Ron Tajima’s case, you get a Pacmba (don’t ask us how to pronounce it.) He took his droid vacuum, tacked on a board with 448 LEDs, and added a Bluetooth remote with circuit driver. Of course, he had to have something for the little guy to chomp on. This is Ron’s second foray into hacking his Roomba. We cannot wait to see what he will come up with next.

Read More | BotJunkie