Archive for February 2010

Web technologies for mobile applications

I visited yeasterday Mobile Dev Camp. Mobile Dev Camp is a one day event devoted to developing mobile applications on the latest mobile platforms such as iPhone, Android, Maemo. It is held in Helsinki Finland. The end result waht I got from the presentations I followed that web techniologies are coming more and more into

Walk and Code

Here is an interesting idea how you can walk and code at the same time. I just saw this at 8th light Walk and Code blog posting. The idea comes from WalkStation, an adjustable height desk with a treadmill underneath. The solution presented on the blog is cheaper is more DIY model based on treadmill

Olympics run on Windows XP

According to cnet News article The Olympics run on Windows (XP) all the 6000 Acer PCs powering the Olympics are running Windows XP. Olympics tends to be conservative and they do not want to try out the latest in new technology. Technology to use should work and best if technology is kept out of the

Most Dangerous Programming Errors

The 2010 CWE/SANS Top 25 Most Dangerous Programming Errors is a list of the most widespread and critical programming errors that can lead to serious software vulnerabilities. They are often easy to find, and easy to exploit. They are dangerous because they will frequently allow attackers to completely take over the software, steal data, or

Unbalanced to impedance balanced

Just about all professional equipment uses balanced audio lines, which, if properly executed, will eliminate the hum completely. They help especially with long interconnects where earth loops can be a real pain. Circuits driving balanced lines must themselves be balanced to maintain the benefits of balance. This may be achieved by differential signaling, transformer coupling

OLED display is not dead

Organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) are solid-state devices composed of thin films of organic molecules that create light with the application of electricity. OLEDs are a promising technology for flat panel displays. Compared to standard LCDs (including those with LED backlighting), OLED displays offer better contrast ratios (no trouble producing ‘true’ black’), require no backlighting at

Burn out: Weak links affect HB-LED lifetime

High-brightness LEDs for solid-state lighting can last 50,000 hours or more, but the components surrounding them generate heat that can cause early failures. The early failures can be seen on many LED products, especially the cheap ones. Lighting products have historically been reliable, but as electronics-rich CFLs (compact fluorescent lights) began to replace incandescent bulbs,

Measure speed of light with chocolate

Wired magazine have an answer what to do with all of those leftover Valentine’s Day chocolates (if you have any). A microwave and some chocolate can be used to measure the speed of light. It is a simple yet surprisingly accurate method that can be used to introduce the scientific method to children. The details

Mini Amiga

Minimig (short for Mini Amiga) is an open source re-implementation of an Amiga 500 using a field-programmable gate array (FPGA). The original Minimig prototype is based on the Xilinx Spartan-3 Starter Kit, the Original Amiga Chipset is synthesized in the FPGA. The prototype was shown at an Amiga meet and loads most Amiga programs although

Look inside Logitech Squeezebox Boom

White paper: Logitech Squeezebox Boom audio design is an interesting in-depth look behind the design of an all-in-one network music player from one of its lead designers. This device includes amplifier and speakers and other music player electronics in one box. One of its lead designers tells the story. Image source: http://www.logitechsqueezebox.com/product_matrix.html