Hack your UPS and get more run time in the data center.

Although power outages may occur only once or twice a year, when they occur, the modern office generally comes to a halt. Without internet access, email, or phone, your entire team can be left disconnected from the rest of the world. Depending on your business, this downtime can cost thousands of dollars in lost profits. One way to circumvent this problem is to create a backup power system. In this post, we will explore an 'inexpensive' option that will provide uninterrupted power while you switch over to a generator. We're talking about hacking UPS systems with larger batteries in order to extend their run time. Stay tuned for more details on locating the right parts, safety issues, and how to assemble the units.

Here is a good video giving a rough idea of what we plan to do:

Skype now support 720p HD video!

Skype users can now make high-definition video calls as long as they have an HD webcam and sufficient bandwidth and processing power. The feature is only available in the beta version of Skype.

Download the latest developer’s version here.

Ostendo CRVD - 2880x900 DLP 43" Curved LCD - $6499

The Ostendo CRVD features LED powered DLP technology to generate a 2880x900 resolution image on a 43" curved surface. 

Augmented Reality: MIT's sixth sense

'SixthSense' is a wearable gestural interface that augments the physical world around us with digital information and lets us use natural hand gestures to interact with that information.

The SixthSense prototype is comprised of a pocket projector, a mirror and a camera. The hardware components are coupled in a pendant like mobile wearable device. Both the projector and the camera are connected to the mobile computing device in the user’s pocket. The projector projects visual information enabling surfaces, walls and physical objects around us to be used as interfaces; while the camera recognizes and tracks user's hand gestures and physical objects using computer-vision based techniques. The software program processes the video stream data captured by the camera and tracks the locations of the colored markers (visual tracking fiducials) at the tip of the user’s fingers using simple computer-vision techniques. The movements and arrangements of these fiducials are interpreted into gestures that act as interaction instructions for the projected application interfaces. The maximum number of tracked fingers is only constrained by the number of unique fiducials, thus SixthSense also supports multi-touch and multi-user interaction.

The SixthSense prototype implements several applications that demonstrate the usefulness, viability and flexibility of the system. The map application lets the user navigate a map displayed on a nearby surface using hand gestures, similar to gestures supported by Multi-Touch based systems, letting the user zoom in, zoom out or pan using intuitive hand movements. The drawing application lets the user draw on any surface by tracking the fingertip movements of the user’s index finger. SixthSense also recognizes user’s freehand gestures (postures). For example, the SixthSense system implements a gestural camera that takes photos of the scene the user is looking at by detecting the ‘framing’ gesture. The user can stop by any surface or wall and flick through the photos he/she has taken. SixthSense also lets the user draw icons or symbols in the air using the movement of the index finger and recognizes those symbols as interaction instructions. For example, drawing a magnifying glass symbol takes the user to the map application or drawing an ‘@’ symbol lets the user check his mail. The SixthSense system also augments physical objects the user is interacting with by projecting more information about these objects projected on them. For example, a newspaper can show live video news or dynamic information can be provided on a regular piece of paper. The gesture of drawing a circle on the user’s wrist projects an analog watch.

The current prototype system costs approximate $350 to build.

More information can be found at the project website:
http://www.pranavmistry.com/projects/sixthsense/

Google Maps Navigation edition. (beta)

This is great! This application promises to provide GPS navigation capabilities for everyone with an Android phone.

Take a look at the video and tell me what you think:

A demonstration of Google Maps Navigation (Beta), an internet-connected GPS navigation system that provides turn-by-turn voice guidance as a free feature of Google Maps on Android 2.0 phones.

Screenshots

• 3D Navigation
• Search along route
• Traffic view
• Street View
• Navigation voice shortcut
• Navigation during call
  
• 
  3D Navigation
  
  
  Street View
• 
  
• Satellite view
• Satellite view

More information can be seen at the Google Maps Navigation homepage.

iPhone - Google App

If you want to see some impressive voice recognition software, try out the Google search app on the iPhone...

Find local businesses, directions, and other information by just speaking into your phone!

Check it out:

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RocketDock - www.rocketdock.com

This is a great tool that gives you a Mac OS-like dock for Windows. I use it to quickly access critical folders and documents.

Get it at www.rocketdock.com

Description from www.rocketdock.com:

What is it?

RocketDock is a smoothly animated, alpha blended application launcher. It provides a nice clean interface to drop shortcuts on for easy access and organization. With each item completely customizable there is no end to what you can add and launch from the dock.

Now with added Taskbar support your minimized windows can appear as icons on the dock. This allows for better productivity and accessibility.

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Please leave me comments. Let me know if this worked for you, or if you notice something that needs to be changed. Use the Tell&Share icon under the title of the post to share it with your friends or digg it!