Get more sleep!

Studies have demonstrated that poor sleep and susceptibility to colds go hand in hand, and scientists think it could be a reflection of the role sleep plays in maintaining the body’s defenses.

The Claim: Lack of Sleep Increases the Risk of Catching a Cold.

Engadget uncovers some of the tech behind the NY Times Square billboards…

Posted by richardyoo on Natuba

Sugar pills for all!

Why are inert pills suddenly overwhelming promising new drugs and established medicines alike? The reasons are only just beginning to be understood. A network of independent researchers is doggedly uncovering the inner workings—and potential therapeutic applications—of the placebo effect. At the same time, drugmakers are realizing they need to fully understand the mechanisms behind it so they can design trials that differentiate more clearly between the beneficial effects of their products and the body’s innate ability to heal itself. A special task force of the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health is seeking to stem the crisis by quietly undertaking one of the most ambitious data-sharing efforts in the history of the drug industry. After decades in the jungles of fringe science, the placebo effect has become the elephant in the boardroom.

Placebos Are Getting More Effective. Drugmakers Are Desperate to Know Why.

If you need an SD card socket, and don’t want to go find one…

In this Instructable, you will learn how to make an SD card socket that plugs right into a breadboard for less than two dollars in parts (depending on how you get them of course). I show you how to use a simple straight pin header and modify it so you can plug in an SD card and attach it directly to a breadboard for data logging and prototyping. This is quick and easy so you don’t have to wait for a socket in the mail, or build/buy the SMD breakout board for it either.

Cheap DIY SD card breadboard socket

Car safety has come a long way in 50 years…

I’m not sure that I’m as optimistic about nano-tech, but I’ve heard this 20-year number thrown around a lot as of late.

Scientist Ray Kurzweil claims humans could become immortal in as little as 20 years’ time through nanotechnology and an increased understanding of how the body works.

Immortality only 20 years away says scientist

Posted by richardyoo on Natuba

Posted by richardyoo on Natuba

This guy is a bit of a bad-ass… watch how he makes vacuum tubes by hand from start to finish… impressive:

Make sure you have a drain in the datacenter… 🙂

Posted by richardyoo on Natuba

Think of this the next time your power goes out…

As you might remember, our first generator was built using a horizontal shaft engine. After many attempts, we have successfully completed the construction of a generator using a common lawn mower engine, the type that is sitting in your back yard right now.

Converting a lawn mower into a generator.

Posted by richardyoo on Natuba

This is a great tutorial:

I have seen several HowTos, tutorials, and forum posts about how to setup multiple (B)SSIDs using DD-WRT and although most of these write-ups indeed helped creating multiple SSIDs, none gave me an actual working virtual SSID. Most of the time I wasn’t even able to connect to the new virtual interface and in those rare occassions that it did connect, I never got an IP address. The reason none of these write-ups work, is because they are all based on the same base tutorial which, for one reason or the other, no longer works reliably.

I took all these write-ups and figured out what is needed to get it to work again. The following HowTo is what worked for me on my Linksys WRT54GL v1.1 and Linksys WRT310N. It created two BSSIDs, each with their own MAC address so any device is able to connect to either BSSID without getting utterly confused. The main BSSID has access to the internet and to your local network. The second (virtual) BSSID only has access to the internet.

http://www.pennock.nl/dd-wrt/Multiple_BSSIDs.html

Posted by richardyoo on Natuba

I don’t know about everyone else, but Firefox 3.5 has been much slower for me than 3.0…

I like Firefox but it’s not as fast as it used to be. This is a comprehensive, safe guide to optimizing Firefox 3.5 for speedy browsing. For each suggestion, your mileage may vary.

The Ultimate Guide To Speeding Up Firefox 3.5

Posted by richardyoo on Natuba

Maybe there’s some benefit to being a night owl…

Early birds may get the best worms—or at least the best garage sale deals—but they also tire out more quickly than night owls do.

Early Risers Crash Faster Than People Who Stay Up Late

It took SEVEN YEARS!

Hope people don’t have to replace all that pre-802.11n gear they bought. 🙁

The IEEE Standards Board has formally ratified the 802.11n standard (802.11n-2009, to be extraordinarily specific). It took seven years and involved 400 members from 20 countries. Somebody deserves a vacation.

IEEE Ratifies 802.11n

Poke, poke, poke… Poke, poke, poke… 😀

We don’t have Fios in Houston – but I’ll take 100meg Cable service!

Comcast has dropped us a line to note they’ve launched 100 Mbps broadband service in the Twin Cities market.

Comcast Offers 100Mbps

Posted by richardyoo on Natuba

Posted by richardyoo on Natuba

I keep telling everyone that the formula for the right sized HDTV for your room is – the viewing distance divided by two, and that number is the correct diagonal size of the TV…

Perhaps this video from the New York Times will help… 🙂