• Robot band gives us so much to make fun of
[Pat Metheny] has a robot armada backing him up when he performs on stage. They’re going on tour and he’s done an interview explaining his mechanical band. Like the auto-drummer, this setup uses multitudes of solenoids to play the percussion instruments, each getting commands from a computer. It’s pretty wicked to see him use his [...]
• Ask a winner updates day 2: Answers
Not too long ago we asked our readers what they would like to hear about from the PUSH N900 winners and their hacks. We got some silly questions, and some serious, we asked both and now the PUSH teams have answered.
The Haptic Guide team took a moment of their time for us today. Their N900 [...]

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• Our thoughts on the iPad
The iPad, announced earlier this week,  has been a massive media extravaganza. Some people were elated, and some let down. We’ve been asked over and over what our thoughts on the device are. Join us after the break to find out.

[Caleb]–My grandma would love this. I really think that she is their target. It is [...]

• Another take on roasting those beans
[Andrew] takes his coffee very seriously and like any hardcore aficionado he wanted to do the roasting himself. The coffee roaster design uses a heat gun for the roasting and sources an old bread maker as a vessel. As part of the automatic bread making process there’s a little agitator arm inside which keeps the [...]

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• Contest: win Push Showcase tickets
Who is ready to win some tickets to the PUSH N900 Showcase?
The showcase is an event where all 5 teams from the Push N900 competition are going meet up in London and present their N900 hacks. Including N900s that fly, skate, Etch a Sketch(TM), and more. We also hear there is going to be a [...]
• Happy meal toy scavenging
We’re sometimes shocked at the electronics included in ‘disposable’ items. For some reason (our tech inclinations?) we’ve been getting those audio greeting cards from relatives and it kind of kills us to see the PCB, batteries, and speaker in what would have otherwise been a fully recyclable card. Now we’ve got several sets of those [...]

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Wow, long title! As the title emplies, you can get free beta keys to both of these games. Obtain a free beta key for Command & Conquer 4. You’ll need a Gamespot account (which you can get register for free). Obtain a free beta key for Battlefield Bad Company 2. You’ll need an EA Games account for that one. No problem at all! Enjoy your free beta keys.

Edit: A new method of obtaining beta keys for the game Battlefield Bad Company 2 is now available! Check out: New How to Get Free Battlefield Bad Company 2 PC Beta Keys!

• 5 legged locomotion
When designing legged robots, we generally see an even number of legs. Mainly, we think, it is due to us modelling things after nature. But with robotics, you’re free to do whatever you want. [Iketomu-san] has built this unsettling 5 legged robot out of parts he had lying around. The gait is fairly interesting. He [...]
• NES lovers grew up and now they’re coding for Palm
In case you missed it back in June, the Palm Pre was rooted by extracting the Root ROM from a Palm tool used to reset a device with damaged software. A lot has been learned from examining the code inside that ROM but we’re most amused by one thing in particular. If you grew up [...]

GoDaddy currently has a promotional coupon that allows for users to buy domains for $0.99! That’s right. 99 CENTS! This doesn’t include the $0.18 ICANN charge though, so the price is actually $1.17. I hope that isn’t a deal breaker for some of you…(ha!). Use the promotional coupon BOWL2010 during checkout to achieve this price. Awesome deal. Jawesome!

• Palm-sized Atari 2600
[The Longhorn Engineer] is working on a portable Atari 2600. Instead of taking the old gaming system and cramming it into a portable form factor he’s designed his own circuit board in a new-hardware initiative he calls Project Unity. The handheld will include everything you need to play, including video, audio, controller buttons, paddle control, [...]
• Why aren’t we building our own printers?
We’ll ask it again, why aren’t we building our own printers? We’re building 3d printers, CNC mills, and hacking the ink cartridges on commercial printers. What does it really take to build say a 300 dpi black and white printer? Something that lets you clean and service the print head rather than throwing it out [...]

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As some of you may have heard, Gearbox, the creators of the awesome First Person Shooter Role-playing Game (FPS RPG) Borderlands, will be releasing a 3rd Borderlands DLC/Addon pack. Unlike their second DLC/Addon (which was called “Mad Moxxi’s Underdome Riot”) this one will be MUCH MUCH better. In fact, it will be the largest DLC to be released yet! It’ll be so large that it even puts the celebrated DLC, Zombie Island of Dr.Ned, to shame! Want some even more good news? This third DLC will provide users with an increased level cap! That’s right! Gearbox took note of all the requests on their forum and are making wishes come true.

Expect hilarious missions, new monsters, and new weapons too! There’s no official name available for this new DLC yet or a release date for that matter. Don’t you worry though, I’ll be sure to post when this information becomes available Similar information can be obtained from Gamespot. Naturally, the DLC will be released for all systems that Borderlands is available on — PC, XBox 360, and Playstation 3 (PS3). Also expect variations on release dates for these three systems just like for the previous DLC’s/Addon Packs.

Edit: More information is now available about a NEW patch and the name of the new DLC. Look at my updated post New Borderlands Patch 1.21 and New Addon\DLC The Secret Armoury of General Knoxx

• Gorgeous portable N64 built to order
[Hailrazer] is at it again with a new portable N64 build. He’s done the impossible by improving upon his last design. The LCD screen is now mounted flush for a cleaner and smaller case. The controls draw from a lot of different sources; a gamecube stick for durability, a 3rd party N64 controller for buttons, [...]
• Unlocking multitouch for Droid and Nexus One
We’re fans of pinch-zooming and that means multitouch. Although the interface is natively supported by both the hardware and operating systems of the Nexus One and Droid phones, it is locked out of the stock installation. You can make multitouch work on both handsets if you’re willing to do a little firmware alteration.
The coding has [...]

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• PS3 hacked!
There is very little information out at the moment, but [geohot] has successfully hacked the PS3 to have full read and write access, bypassing the Hypervisor. At the moment he’s not revealing the exploit, but with this knowledge it wont be long before the PS3 finally gets whats coming. Keep track of [geohot's] progress on [...]
• Hackaday links: Sunday January 24
Everyone Remembers Free day right? [The Ideanator's] Bus Pirate came in such a nice red box – he decided to make it his permanent case.

[Chico] is in the middle of making a CNC, but decided to make some music with the steppers in the mean time.

What looks like an old wooden box is actually [Ludvig's] [...]

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