Hot Gadget Hacks How-Tos

How To: Use Flickr to share photos on the Internet

Flickr is the most known and dependable photo sharing website to date, so if you haven't made an account yet, you better now, if you want to share your precious photos with family, friends, and even the whole world! Flickr allows you to store digital photographs online and share them with other people.

How To: Embed your Ustream video feed in your WordPress blog

WordPress is a free, open source blog tool and publishing platform, popular for its customizability. This customizability, however, can be a double-edged sword for, while set up process is easy, intermediate users might get themselves into trouble when, looking to change particular setting, they seemingly find themselves lost in a veritable sea of tweakable parameters. In this video tutorial, you'll learn how to use the WP-Ustream WordPress plug-in, which will allow you to easily embed your U...

How To: Make an educational podcast

Many educators and institutions are already integrating podcasting successfully into their curricula — with great results. Podcasting enables educators to use music and recorded audio to enhance learning. The addition of photos and video to podcasting allows educators to add a wide range of visual content to their teaching and address even more learning styles.

How To: Run USB through the phone lines

Take a look at this instructional video and learn how to run a USB cable through existing phone cords. You'll need two phone jacks, a USB extender, and a phone cord. Although dual jacks are featured in this video tutorial, single jacks are preferred. The process is fairly simple, what you need to do is open up the jack and cut the USB extender in half. Strip to the multicolored wires and match up the the wires with the opened phone jack's, all except for the white wire which will go to the ye...

How To: Make a Guitar Hero clone

Everyone and their moms are into Guitar Hero nowadays. If you can't afford this great game, check out this tutorial and learn how to create your own Guitar Hero clone using free software and a controller that you can make using parts that total around $22. The free software used in this instructional video is called Frets on Fire.

How To: Make a pocket USB battery

Change a normal 9v battery into a life saver. If you have ever run out of juice on your phone and could really use a quick charge, then you need a USB battery. Take a look at this instructional video and learn how to create a pocket USB battery. Materials you will need for this process are one 5.1v zener diode, one 330-ohm resistor, a 9v battery connector, a 9v battery, a solder, and soldering iron.

How To: Create a podcast with Mac OS X

In this tutorial, Gary Rosenzweig of MacMost.com briefly goes through the steps to create a basic audio podcast. You must first set up a blog, then create the audio content, then link the audio to the blog posts, and then publicize your RSS feed.

How To: Block unwanted text messages on your Apple iPhone

If you're among the throng of Apple iPhone users to refuse to pay $5 for a monthly SMS allowance, then each text message you receive, whether you like it or not, will run you $0.20. In this how-to, Gary Rosenzweig shows you how to prevent unwanted text messages by turning off the ability for someone to send you a text message via email. Learn also how to request that text messaging be turned off completely in this video.

How To: Make a fire with batteries and a headphone

Take a look at this instructional video and learn how to make a light a toothpick on fire with just a few household items. The materials you will need for this process are a roll of tape, two AA batteries, any kind of headphone jack, and any type of aerosol spray. To start this process, you'll want to ducttape the headphone jack and tape it to a batter from the negative end. Take the other battery and tape the positive end to the headphone jack. Afterwards, take you toothpick and spray the en...

How To: Disassemble electronics w/o damaging tamper seal/parts

Take a look at this instructional video and learn how to completely disassemble electronics without damaging the tamper seal or the parts. This tutorial uses a brand new HP IPAQ 2410 for instructional purposes and you can apply these techniques to other electronic products that you wish to modify or repair. The materials used for this procedure are a #5 Torx driver (8

How To: Link to your podcast channel

To link to a podcast that’s registered with iTunes, whether it’s your podcast or produced by someone else, just find the podcast homepage in the iTunes store and then Control-click (or right-click) on the image. Copy the iTunes Store URL to your clipboard. Then, just open your webpage and create a simple link to this URL. This tutorial will walk you through the process.

How To: Storyboard a podcast episode

There are many ways you can structure your individual episodes. Consistency from one week to the next is important, but you shouldn’t be afraid to throw in something different. Podcasting can be a great place to try out new ideas, so its good to have a structure, but also good to build in flexibility. Learn best practices for storyboarding, or outlining, a podcast episode in this tutorial.

How To: Publish your podcast through iTunes

After you’ve uploaded your XML and audio files, then your podcast is, technically speaking, available for anyone to subscribe to. Just like if you had a URL for a web page, you could just type it in to your web browser to get there, you can use iTunes to get to your podcast with just a URL.

How To: Create a podcast channel with RSS

What sets a podcast apart from another MP3 file is that you enclose it in an RSS feed. RSS is Really Simple Syndication and it’s used to set up your channel so your listeners can subscribe to your content and have it automatically downloaded to their computer and portable MP3 players.

How To: Hack a bluetooth speakerphone mod for the cellphone

Blue tooth is slowly becoming more widely used for its hands off convenience. However, most people have a problem with the audio volume the bluetooth provides. Take a look at this instructional video and learn how to hack a bluetooth speakerphone mod for your cellphone. Speakerphones are louder, easier to understand and sport that retro-Charlie's Angel cool geek chic that no in-ear handsfree system can match.

How To: Glitch or circuit bend a Nintendo gaming console

By circuit bending low voltage electronic devices, you can transform your old unused toys into musical devices or to create visual manipulations. Take a look at this instructional video and learn how to bend an old classic Nintendo. In this tutorial, you'll learn how to circuit bend the NES in such a way that you'll be able to produce cool distortions while in gameplay. Remember to exercise caution when circuit bending.

How To: Turn a cheap MIDI keyboard into a custom audio control

Controllerism is a lot like turn table-ism, except through its exclusive use of controllers and music software. Take a look at this instructional video and learn how to turn a simple and inexpensive MIDI keyboard into a custom audio controller. First, you'll want to rearrange the keys to line up with the knobs. Then, cut up an old DVD case and a bicycle tube to glue the rubber onto the keys to make it more tactile. Lastly, you'll need to set up the software to assign the keys with controls on...

How To: Build a Drupal photo-sharing website

In this video tutorial, you'll learn to use CKK modules ImageCache and Imagefield to build a system for posting images on your Drupal website. Learn to create a robust and flexible system for handling images and has a bright future with more modules born every day that tap in. (This micro-lesson depends on prior understanding of the CCK module and the Views module.)

How To: Set up your internet on Sciphone I68

Do you have a Sciphone? With its internet capabilities, you can check your email or surf the web. Take a look at this instructional video and learn how to set up your internet on the Sciphone 168. In order to set it up you need to contact your service provider for information such as an IP address, etc.