Viewing Category : hardware

Post thumbnail of Configuring Linux services on embedded devices is always a pain
26 February 2010
Continue reading Configuring Linux services on embedded devices is always a pain

Configuring Linux services on embedded devices is always a pain

I hate configuring things like GPS devices that run super restricted verisons of linux or some other OS. They never seem to deal with error handling very well. For example, here’s the oddball command for fetching ntp.conf and ntp.keys from a ntp server onto a Symmetricom GPS receiver. This is what you want to see, it just works. But in the many failures leading up to this configuration, it was finding problems fetching the files or having the correct access but it was happily coasting right along, overwriting its own configuration with jibberish and rebooting it self only to find the configuration was bollocks.

Post thumbnail of ATI eyefinity is limited but I still want
20 January 2010
Continue reading ATI eyefinity is limited but I still want

ATI eyefinity is limited but I still want

ATI eyefinity video cards support up to six displays and multiple cards can be used together in a single machine for a single virtual display. AMD says they’ll be able to chain together enough of their eyefinity cards to create a resolution that approaches eye-definition optical clarity at 12x 1080p.

Post thumbnail of Self-track Your Life: Change Your Future
20 January 2010
Continue reading Self-track Your Life: Change Your Future

Self-track Your Life: Change Your Future

Self tracking, or “personal informatics”, is a growing trend of keeping a log of data surrounding the events in your life, and the avenues are expansive. From monitoring weight, heart rate, and blood pressure, to geo-tracking using GPS receivers, to genome profiling and Internet meetup groups, there are a wide variety of people and interests involved in this new fad. I have a hard enough time tracking my fitness routine at the gym, so anything that takes the manual labor out of tracking my statistics is a plus to me.

Post thumbnail of Emotiv Headgear and the Future of Avatars
18 January 2010
Continue reading Emotiv Headgear and the Future of Avatars

Emotiv Headgear and the Future of Avatars

Maybe i’m one of those minorities, but just last year’s Surrogates movie showed the darker side of avatars. Think of the expectations you face when avatars integrate into your working life. Avatars interacting between two coworkers is one thing, but between the HR department or other organizations is another. Now I’ll have to worry about being mistreated or discriminated against if I don’t choose the proper look.

Post thumbnail of Google Nexus One Smartphone has arrived
5 January 2010
Continue reading Google Nexus One Smartphone has arrived

Google Nexus One Smartphone has arrived

The Nexus One was released today! Built by HTC, the unlocked version is $530 (the phone works with “nearly all” GSM SIM cards, according to Google) or you can pay $180 for the typical two-year contract with T-Mobile. if you already have tmob service, but don’t have a data plan, it will cost $280 for the phone. Google says there will be other carriers and plans coming sometime in the future. I think the arrival of the Google phone pretty much spells the end for the Droid.

Post thumbnail of Hardware Device Management in Linux using udev
28 December 2009
Continue reading Hardware Device Management in Linux using udev

Hardware Device Management in Linux using udev

Udev creates and removes device nodes in /dev, based on events the kernel sends out on device discovery or removal. In other words, Udev is the system that maps hardware devices to files you can interact with in the /dev directory. Udev runs in user space and creates points in /dev when the kernel detects and recognizes new hardware as it’s attached. It’s only been around since 2003/2004. All modern distributions use udev instead of the now depreciated hotplug.

Post thumbnail of Psystar issued permanent injunction from selling Apple compatible hardware
16 December 2009
Continue reading Psystar issued permanent injunction from selling Apple compatible hardware

Psystar issued permanent injunction from selling Apple compatible hardware

U.S. District Judge William Alsup banned Psystar from selling Apple compatible hardware. On Psystar’s website, all of the products including Mac, Windows, and Linux products are listed as “Out of stock” except for Rebel EFI. Apple and Psystar filed to protect materials considered sensitive before going to court almost a year ago, so this injunction has been in the works for some time.

Post thumbnail of Extend your router’s wifi range with a directional antenna
13 November 2009
Continue reading Extend your router’s wifi range with a directional antenna

Extend your router’s wifi range with a directional antenna

If you have two antennae, replace one with a direction antenna. Leaving the other as a omni-directional pole should give you a good area of coverage while the directional antenna serves to extend your wifi range to needed areas such as your backyard or that room down the hall and around the corner. If you only have one antenna, crack open the plastic casing on your router and look for a little socket for a second antenna. It’s cheaper for manufacturers to produce one hardware design and just downgrade the hardware to make more than one model than it is to have multiple, completely different designs.

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