Hacks: The Craft Camera

The Craft Camera, a DIY Cardboard Camera!
Via: Ufunk

While you’ll find plenty of DIY guides for building film cameras, it’s not the same story for digital.

The Craft Camera aims to solve that issue. It’s a simple DIY digital camera built out of cardboard and a low-cost electronic system from Arduino. The camera stores the images on a memory card that plugs into your computer.

Hacks: DIY Bottle (Crystal) Radio

This simple video will teach you on how you can build a bottle radio, which requires no external power source and will let you hear nearby radio transmissions.

Crystal radio technology has been around for many years. This “bottle radio” take on a crystal radio requires no power source, operates on the power from radio waves, and receives signal from a long wire antenna. As radio stations slowly move away from the AM band, the “window of opportunity” to experience this remarkable technology is dwindling. The “crystal” in question is contained inside a germanium diode, and is used to rectify the radio signal so that our ears can hear it.

Video Distraction: 4-year-old Closes Out Apps

Do you know how to close an app on your iPhone, iPad, etc? Wait, do you really know? Because most people just think once they leave the app, it’s closed. But actually, it’s still running in the background, eating away at your battery. This kid on YouTube, who goes by the name Smark Aleck, shows you how to close out of your apps for real. Forget who’s smarter than a 5th grader! How about a pre-schooler?

Lecture: Militarizing Your Backyard

Militarizing your Backyard with Python: Computer Vision and the Squirrel Hordes

Has your garden been ravaged by the marauding squirrel hordes? Has your bird feeder been pillaged? Tired of shaking your fist at the neighbor children? Learn how to use Python to tap into computer vision libraries and build an automated sentry water cannon capable of soaking intruders.