If you want to keep your workshop extra tidy (and keep dust and debris out away from your electronics if your shop is mixed-use), this DIY “Dust Sniper” dust extractor is a great way to keep things tidy and safe.

Instructables user BongoDrummer wanted a way to keep his workshop clean and keep all the dust from his woodworking projects away from his electronics projects. By aggressively reusing everything from scrap wood to plastic canisters to old vacuums he was able to build an amazing little extractor for around $30. Check out the video above to see it in action or visit the link below for the detailed build guide at Instructables.com.

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/vip/~3/HWkXc-bMdz0/

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Does a more realistic robot face look less creepy? You be the judge

This robot head, which is supposed to represent a 1- to 2-year-old child, is meant to help researchers study caregiver-child interactions. It is not meant to make you run screaming from a room.

Hisashi Ishihara, Yuichiro Yoshikawa, and Prof. Minoru Asada of Osaka University in Japan have been working on robots to study cognitive development. They say it’s hard for humans to interact with robots in a natural way, so they wanted to create a robot that can mimic the facial expressions of a real kid.

Asada’s team came up with Affetto, which can produce a wide range of facial expressions by moving actuators in its face. It can look inquisitive, happy, surprised, upset and more, by tilting its eyebrows, moving its jaw, panning its eyes and tilting its head. Its eyeballs are equipped with cameras and it has microphones and tactile sensors embedded in its silicone skin, lending it a pretty realistic appearance.

Affetto is part of a project to develop a full-bodied robot that’s as similar to a human being as possible, reports IEEE.

Maybe Japanese hospital patients will be less inclined to shun these ‘bots. Or much, much more so inclined.

Baby Bot In Progress:  Hisashi Ishihara

[via New Scientist]

Source: http://www.popsci.com/technology/article/2011-02/affetto-disembodied-baby-head-takes-uncanny-valley-new-depths

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If you’re looking for a slick stand to showcase some of your electronics gear this DIY project turns an IKEA table into a modern looking stand with integrated wire-concealment.

IKEAHackers reader Pete wanted a cheap but attractive stand for his amplifier. With a little elbow grease (and a keyhole drill bit) he hacked together a stand that includes cable concealment in the table’s leg. Hit up the link below for step by step photos of his build process.

Source: http://lifehacker.com/#!5758176/hack-an-ikea-lack-table-into-a-hifi-rack

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Plug-ins can open vulnerabilities in even relatively secure browsers like Chrome. Even coders, like Jeff Atwood, can fall victim. Here’s how to reign in plug-ins like Java, or disable them entirely, in Google Chrome.

At question-and-answer site Super User, Atwood explains how a Java plug-in left him vulnerable to fake antivirus software installing without permission—even after he tried to shut down an installation request. Users pointed out Chrome’s ability to either set plug-ins as “click to play,” or having certain plug-ins disabled entirely.

First off, enter about:flags into Chrome’s address bar, then look for the option for “Click to play.” Click the link below it to enable the feature. You’ll need to click the “Restart now” button at the bottom of this page before moving forward. So, go ahead, and your tabs should come back, too.

Back? Hit the wrench button in your Chrome toolbar, click Options, then head to the Under the Hood section. Click the Content settings button, move over to Plug-ins, and set the “When I encounter plug-ins …” option to “Click to play.” Now you’ll need to expressly click on a Java-powered section of a web site to allow Java to do anything on a page.

Super User has other sound suggestions on what one can do to minimize or eliminate plug-in vulnerabilities, like disabling Java entirely (done from the chrome://plugins page), or installing a 64-bit plug-in that your system doesn’t actually know is available. What have you seen as a proper level of security when it comes to browser plug-ins?

Source: http://lifehacker.com/#!5757551/disable-or-restrict-plug+ins-in-chrome-to-prevent-malware-installs

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TWITF: Feb 7-11, 2011 Baarbarian

Source: http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2011-02/week-future-february-7-11-2011

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Earlier today I tried installing the popular tethering application PDAnet on my AT&T Android phone; then I found out that AT&T doesn’t allow me to do that. In fact, PDAnet doesn’t even show up when I search the Android Market on my phone, because AT&T doesn’t want me to install it. If I try to install it from the new web-based Android Market, I receive a message telling me that my carrier won’t allow me to install it on my phone.

As it turns out, circumventing this block is extremely easy.

Here’s how:

1. Turn off your phone.
2. Pop out the SIM card.
3. Turn your phone back on and connect to a Wi-Fi network.
4. Open the Android Market, search for, and install the previously carrier-blocked app.
5. Turn off your phone.
6. Pop the SIM card back in.
7. Turn your phone back on.
8. Enjoy!

Your mileage may vary depending on your carrier and device. I’m using a Samsung Captivate on AT&T—a phone I’d suggest no one ever buys—and this method worked perfectly on that. If you’ve installed carrier-blocked apps before with your carrier, let’s hear how you went about it in the comments. (Hat tip to a user in the ATTDroids forum.)

Update: As many people have pointed out in the options, you’ve got countless other alternatives for installing apps once you’ve rooted your phone. The nice thing about this method is that you don’t have to root to do it.

Source: http://lifehacker.com/#!5758134/how-to-easily-install-carrier+blocked-apps-like-pdanet-from-the-android-market

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Uncanny Baby via YouTube

Source: http://www.popsci.com/technology/article/2011-02/affetto-disembodied-baby-head-takes-uncanny-valley-new-depths

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Windows Phone 7: What motivates you to knock things off your task list? Sure, “Progress toward accomplishments” is a valid answer. But maybe “Advancing to the next level and upgrading my character” might work better. Noborizaka offers that role-playing-game-like experience.

It’s a lot like the similarly RPG-inspired EpicWin for iPhone, only with the Windows Phone 7 aesthetic, and a different set of rules and parameters. You can “start” an action you’re undertaking to time it and remind yourself, as so often is needed, of just what, exactly, you’re supposed to be doing. When you accomplish things, you’re rewarded with experience points, and level-ups you can spread around to improve your character. It’s a novel way of motivating yourself to, you know, reply to long-overdue emails and buy that outlet cover you keep forgetting at Home Depot.

Noborizaka is a free download for Windows Phone 7 devices.

Source: http://lifehacker.com/5738772/noborizaka-turns-your-to+do-list-into-an-epic-game-quest

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