“…with a fairly simple circuit, he’s able to split a composite video signal into its constituent X and Y ramp signals for display on his trusty Tektronix 465m. A LM1881 IC does the bulk of the heavy lifting. After running the signal through a few passive components, the generated ramp signals are ready for consumption by his venerable ‘scope. All that’s needed past that is some additional glue logic to invert the levels so the image shows up properly. The end result is a display that has an almost ethereal quality … Read More → "Play a video on your oscilloscope"

Classical artist Craig Morris takes on the hallowed ground of the Bach cello suites on an electronic wind instrument (EWI).*

… Read More → "Can electronic instruments achieve the expressiveness of classical acoustic ones?"

On June 30, 1999, officers found the body of Ricky McCormick, 41, murdered and dumped in a field. The only clues to McCormick’s murder were two encrypted notes found in his pants pockets. FBI says breaking this code could help them solve the murder.

“Despite extensive work by our Cryptanalysis and Racketeering Records Unit (CRRU), as well as help from the American Cryptogram Association, the meanings of those two coded notes remain a mystery to this day, and Ricky McCormick’s murderer has yet to face justice,” Read More → "FBI asks public for help breaking encrypted notes tied to 1999 murder"

Great Q&A over at Wired: Open Source Electronics Pioneer Limor Fried on the DIY Revolution.

“This image is the first ever obtained from a spacecraft in orbit about the Solar System’s innermost planet.” (NASA)

Check out the great image gallery over at Dvice.

via Spaceflight Now
Image: NASA

The PiCycle Electric Bike ($5,000) is powered by a 48 volt brushless DC motor, can reach speeds of up to 30mph, and can take you 20 miles without the need to pedal. The PiCycle comes standard with an internal hub transmission that can shift on the fly. This transmission is coupled to the human power portion of the drive train via a belt (versus chain) that provides smooth, quiet, grease and maintenance-free operation.

Read More → "PiCycle electric bike gives you that extra boost in style"

“Dutch designer Dirk van der Kooij is obsessed with rapid prototyping. Best known for his Endless Chair, made from a continuous string of recycled plastic using a 3D printer, the design has grown into a range of products all with the goal of making the production process more visible. Speaking at Design Indaba recently, van der Kooij explained, “the best thing about recycled plastic is it has history.“

Read the whole interview at Cool … Read More → "Dutch designer Dirk van der Kooij’s rapid prototyping"

“As we’ve seen, this isn’t simply a 3D image. It’s a full color 360 degree high definition hologram, meaning that you can walk all the way around the display and view it from any angle you want. And not just view it, but actually see the scene from that perspective.” via Dvice

… Read More → "More on DARPA’s holographic display table"

Available October 2011. via Discover