First things first: this guide is absurdly complicated for what you get, but if you're the kind who thinks the journey is half the fun, you'll likely be in nerd heaven. In an attempt to make an easily accessible hidden storage disk, one Doppelgangergang hacked up an unused phone jack, a 4GB flash drive and a USB / phone cable. After a good bit of splicing, cutting and soldering, a custom phone line-to-USB cable emerged, enabling him to discreetly access the data with mum and dad assuming he was simply doing research over that trusty 56k connection. Really, MacGyver would give mad props here -- tap the read link to see if you're up for the challenge.

Now that Blu-ray has emerged as the lone HDM victor, that aging VCR is likely looking for a new home (if it wasn't already). Thankfully, we've found the perfect excuse to rip it wide open versus hauling it off to the local thrift store. In one of the more elaborate how-to guides that we've seen, Charles Palen explains how to create a wind-powered LED by using scrap parts within a VCR, one your youngster's pinwheels and a varied array of power tools, wiring and calm nerves. Notably, an unwanted CD-ROM drive can be used if you're dead set on watching those Disney classics on VHS one last time, but regardless of which apparatus you destroy, be sure and hit the read link for the step-by-step.

[Via instructables]

Are you a CEO hoping to "step it up," "knock it out of the park," and generally "take it to the bridge" -- old-school style -- but you can't seem to work the magic? Well, BusinessWeek has got just the thing for you: a ten-point plan on how to deliver a presentation like our main man, Steve Jobs. Breaking it down from "set a theme" all the way to "rehearse, rehearse, rehearse," the cats at BW lay out everything you need to know to shatter sales records, hike your stock, and innovate the hell out of a keynote. Of course, they don't advise you on choice of outfits (we suggest jeans, sneakers, and a turtleneck), products to launch (how does iPhone 2 sound to you?), or how to properly execute a "Boom!" ("Boom!") -- but we're pretty sure you can suss those details out on your own. If you want the full breakdown of tips and tricks, including how to properly appear excited about your own products, hit the read link ASAP. To help you along, we've included a clip of Jobs doing his thing after the break. Boom!

So to be clear right off the bat, this is not the type of hovercraft that you might commute to work or class in, but rather a small RC version more suitable for transporting babies or adorable pets. That being said, Instructables user bradpowers has posted step-by-step guide for the ambitious modder to build his or her very own remotely-controlled or autonomous 'craft, from constructing the frame to assembling the lift and propulsion systems to setting up the onboard PIC. Definitely not a project for the easily distracted, however, a successful build will surely make you the delight of neighborhood children for blocks in every direction. Check out a video of the little guy in action after the break.

One of our gripes with the iPhone are those ill fitting earbuds shipped in the box. Unfortunately, you don't have many options at the moment unless you're willing to live without the convenience of the mic / music toggle built into Apple's headphone cable. Even then, there's a good chance that your third party audio-only headphones won't fit the non-standard, standard jack. No worries, assuming you're not afraid of a wee bit (promise!) of soldering, you can fit the Apple cable with another set of buds of your choosing. Really, it doesn't look too difficult and James Papadopoulos even worked up a video tutorial which you can peep after the break.

If you're still using terms like "bling" and "pimp your [insert consumable]" to show how down you are with the kids, then perhaps you're also interested in wearing your new iPhone as a belt buckle in support of your poser persona. In fact, why not strap on a set of speakers too and show everyone just how ghetto you really are. Ok, ok, we'll admit, the design (bottom picture) shows some promise and the cats at Maya are only in the early stages (as in, the iPhone's only been out for 13 fargin hours) of their how-to. Besides, we know how desperate you are to show off your new gadget. Believe us, we know. Peep some early samples of the speaker-less version of the belts after the break.

Ever wish you could use that friggin eSATA port TiVo taunts you with on the back of your Series3? If so your moment has finally arrived -- and not a moment too soon for many a DVR-loving TV fans whose drives are filled to the brim with HD programming. Best of all: you don't even have to crack open your box or nothin'. Ready to get it going on? Let's upgrade that TiVo.

We're building an Xbox 360 laptop -- exciting, right? In part 1 of this series we covered removing ports from the Xbox 360, and rewiring both the DVD and hard drive. Now today in part 2 we'll get to the meat and potatoes of the case design, heat sink modification, the start of the case construction and the hacking of the LCD monitor and power supplies. Ready to rumble?

The making-of How-To for the Xbox 360 laptop will be in three parts. In today's segment we'll discuss the parts list, stripping down an Xbox 360 motherboard, and modding / reattaching the DVD and hard drives. The next installment will cover case design, construction and hacking the LCD display, as well as wiring the video. Part 3 will then describe wiring all the separate parts together, troubleshooting, and finishing up the unit. Full design files will be including along the way. Let's take a look and prep to get started!

While it's easy to appreciate an invention that makes all of our lives a touch easier, it takes something truly exceptional to be both impressive and completely useless simultaneously. Such is the case with the curious (and gigantic) smoke ring generator, which looks to crank out giant rings of slowly fading smoke while onlookers beg for "just one more." The hand-powered device starts by launching a ghostly orb, which hastily slows and forms the infamous circle that brings back all sorts of gangster flick-related memories. Now, where's the step-by-step instructions to build one of these bad boys? Oh, click on through for the must-see video.

[Via MAKE]

The two biggest Apple TV limitations are the lack of codec support (like XviD, DivX, etc.) and not even having the ability to do basic surround sound like Dolby Digital 5.1. These issues were resolved almost immediately after the Apple TV was released, although the hacks were somewhat less than practical. Something as simple as getting your Apple TV to, say, sync and recognize your XviD movies as playable was no simple feat. Thankfully, that's no longer the case, and we want to show you how to get the most out of your Apple TV. Who says you can't have your cake and eat it, too?

While millions thousands of people were enjoying their Apple TVs last night, we decided to take ours apart for some pictures and to upgrade the drive. Seriously, 40 GB is smaller than our iPod and we don't like to have to pick and choose what to sync. While there is little doubt that this will void our warranty, isn't it worth it? We have just updated our process, which is much much faster and no longer requires iPartition, thanks to some comments by Epomymous.

We've seen plenty of crazy ways to keep your precious data safe. Some people burn a few tons of DVDs, others make a montly habit of swapping hard drives into a safe location. In today's How-To we'll show you how to automatically keep your data backed up from your computer with ssh and rsync. Feel that? That's our warm comfy safe-data blankie. Check it out.

We know, there are (supposedly) folks out there with the ingrained ability to sense wireless networks without any mechanical assistance whatsoever, but considering that we can't all live next door to Kate Figes, the rest of us mere mortals need a bit of manmade aid. Enter the WiFi Heartbeat, a custom built sensor / vibration device that autonomously sniffs out WiFi signals, determines the signal strength, and sends a pulsing signal to you based on just how close the hotspot is. The creator states that all you'll need is a "microcontroller, some custom interface electronics, a small vibe motor, and an off-the-shelf WiFi detector," and if you've given mildly difficult DIY endeavors a go before, we can't imagine this one causing too much strife. For those of you still on the fence, be sure to hit the read link for all the details you'd need to craft your own, and click on through for the video demonstration.

[Via MAKE]

As you probably recall we recently had several articles on the Wii laptop which, of course, has Virtual Console game emulation. But what about people who'd prefer to have, say, every system they own hooked up all at once to one TV? Or a full-featured standalone DVD player and an Xbox 360, both using component video? This can become problematic input-wise, but not if you have a solid state A/V switcher!

While "solid state" may bring bring to mind electronics from the 60s (or, in some cases, yet-unreleased flash hard drives), but in this case it simply means the actual switching is done with circuitry, not mechanically. Ironically, the circuits are activated with a mechanical switch, but they could be controlled electronically if you were so inclined.

In this How-To we'll show you how to wire up your own A/V switcher which you can expand and use any way you'd like, for composite, S-Sideo, component, even VGA signals. Sure, you can buy a newer, really expensive TV's with multiple inputs (even component), but for those of us whose credit cards aren't quite up to that challenge, more inputs for less cash would be rather desirable. Let's get started!