Tag Archives: binary

Binary Watch with Bare PCB & Ribbon Cable Strap: Smarter Watch

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While the rest of the world is voicing their want, disgust or lack of an opinion on the Apple Watch, a nerdy watch made by one man has become so popular he quickly sold out of his initial stock and had to outsource the assembly of the succeeding batches. It doesn’t run apps or have fancy wrist tapping tech, but it may end up shocking you. Literally.

binary_watch_by_jordan_1zoom in

The simply named Binary Watch is the work of Texas-based engineer Jordan aka njneer. It has two rows of LEDs that display either the hour and minute or the month and day. The two buttons at the bottom let you toggle between the two modes.

binary_watch_by_jordan_2zoom in

As a nice touch, it comes with a 9″ multicolored or gray ribbon cable as its strap. You have to trim it to your desired length before attaching it to the clock’s headers. Speaking of which, you can use the top header to interface with the watch’s microcontroller and reprogram it.

binary_watch_by_jordan_3zoom in

If you can’t figure out how a binary clock works, check out this online version. If you still can’t figure out how it works, you’d best get something else. This is a watch made to flaunt one’s knowledge of electronics, practicality be damned. Its case-less construction means there’s an increased risk of it getting wrecked or shocking you if you’re not careful.

binary_watch_by_jordan_4zoom in

You can pre-order the Binary Watch from Jordan’s website for $45 (USD). Jordan also uploaded his code and schematics on GitHub for those who want to build the watch on their own.

[via Hack A Day]

 

Chromecast bootloader exploit surfaces, opens up plenty of possibilities (video)

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Chromecast bootloader exploit surfaces, opens up plenty of possibilities video

"Give it time." It's something many mums have uttered to their frustrated youth, and it's something that's also uttered amongst the hacker crowd each time a new device emerges. In the case of Google's $35 Chromecast, it took but a couple of days for the HDMI streaming stick to be exploited. Granted, Google's never been one to keep its biggest software projects under lock and key, but for those looking to tinker a bit with their new toy, GTVHacker has the goods. The exploit package has thus far been used to confirm that the software within is not Chrome OS -- it's described by the aforesaid site as "a modified Google TV release, but with all of the Bionic / Dalvik stripped out and replaced with a single binary for Chromecast." Those interested in giving it a go themselves can test their luck here, while the timid among us can hop on past the break for a video.

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Source: GTVHacker

Acoustic barcodes store data in sound, go on just about anything (video)

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Acoustic barcodes store data in sound, go on just about anything

Technologies like NFC, RFID and QR codes are quickly becoming a normal part of everyday life, and now a group from Carnegie Mellon University has a fresh take on close-quarters data it calls acoustic barcodes. It involves physically etching a barcode-like pattern onto almost any surface, so it produces sound when something's dragged across it -- a fingernail, for example. A computer is then fed that sound through a microphone, recognizes the waveform and executes a command based on it. By altering the space between the grooves, it's possible to create endless unique identifiers that are associated with different actions.

It's easy to see how smartphones could take advantage of this -- not that we recommend dragging your new iPhone over ridged surfaces -- but unlike the technologies mentioned earlier, not all potential applications envisage a personal reading device. Dot barcodes around an area, install the sound processing hardware on site, and you've got yourself an interactive space primed for breaking freshly manicured nails. We're pretty impressed by the simplicity of the concept, and the team does a good job of presenting scenarios for implementing it, which you can see in the video below. And, if you'd like to learn a little more about the idea or delve into the full academic paper, the source links await you.

[Thanks, Julia]

Continue reading Acoustic barcodes store data in sound, go on just about anything (video)

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Acoustic barcodes store data in sound, go on just about anything (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 13 Oct 2012 00:57:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Hack a Day  |  sourceChris Harrison (1), (2) (PDF)  | Email this | Comments

Tokyoflash Logo Watch Can Go Binary

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tokyoflash logo Tokyoflash Logo Watch Can Go Binary
Finally, a watch that tells time in binary! But don’t worry, the Tokyoflash Kisai Logo also tells time in standard easily readable numbers for the 99.999% of us who don’t know binary (or even know what it is exactly). To tell the time in non-binary mode, as shown above, just read the number in the middle- that’s your minutes- while a square rotates around the LCD display just like an analog clock in the hours position. So that’s 9:06 above.
tokyoflash logo watch Tokyoflash Logo Watch Can Go Binary
That one is showing 5:49. You’ll note that the minutes in the middle look like a jumbled logo at first glance but are actually easy to read if you know what you’re looking for. Now if you want to switch it to binary things get a little more complicated:
tokyoflash binary watch Tokyoflash Logo Watch Can Go Binary
That says 11:54, of course. Simple math, my geeky friends (clickthrough below if you want a basic graphic showing how to read the binary numbers). Basic stuff, it’s just 1′s and 0′s. NOT! Well you can have it your way. Comes in black, blue, or white; water resistant, unisex design. Nice one.

buy now Tokyoflash Logo Watch Can Go Binary

Tokyoflash Logo Watch Can Go Binary


Sony posts binaries to back Googler’s AOSP project for Xperia S

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Sony posts binaries to back Googler's AOSP project for Xperia S

When Google's Android Open Source Project lead Jean-Baptiste Queru promised an AOSP build for the Sony Xperia S, we didn't know just how much help he would get: Sony has been welcoming of the effort, but the lack of any immediate assistance didn't make for an auspicious start. Much to enthusiasts' delight, Sony says it wants to be more involved with the back-to-stock strategy than just well-wishing. The company is posting vital binaries like drivers to kickstart the process. It's also planning longer-term help by dedicating senior engineer Björn Andersson to monitoring and patching the project when needed. Sony is still wary enough not to get its hopes up, or ours -- it's not convinced that Queru's strategy will lead to a truly reliable build. All the same, the contribution is an important step towards expanding AOSP's scope beyond its usually Nexus-centric past.

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Sony posts binaries to back Googler's AOSP project for Xperia S originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 04 Sep 2012 12:25:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink The Verge  |  sourceSony  | Email this | Comments

Google’s Turing doodle celebrates his genius, reminds us how dumb we are (video)

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Google's Turing doodle celebrates his genius, reminds us how dumb we are

This week sees many corners of the globe celebrating the 100th anniversary of the birth of Alan Turing. A man whose contribution to the worlds of tech and gadgets is immeasurable -- a sentiment not lost on Google. Today, geeks and norms worldwide will be waking up to possibly the most complex doodle to date. Can you set the machine and spell out "Google"? If you can, you'll be sent off to lots more information about the man himself. This isn't the only thing Mountain View's done to keep his legacy alive, having previously helped Bletchley Park raise funds to purchase (and display) Turing's papers, and more recently helping curators at London's Science Museum with its Codebreaker - Alan Turing's Life and Legacy exhibition. If you haven't already, head to Google.com and pop your logic hat on, and if you get stuck, head past the break for a helpful video.

Continue reading Google's Turing doodle celebrates his genius, reminds us how dumb we are (video)

Google's Turing doodle celebrates his genius, reminds us how dumb we are (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 23 Jun 2012 10:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink CNET  |  sourceThe Official Google Blog, Google  | Email this | Comments

Visualized: Swiss newspaper goes digital, prints front page in binary

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Visualized: Swiss newspaper goes digital, prints front page in binary

Those newspaper types, give them an idea and they don't half run with it. Swiss (Zurich) daily Neue Zürcher Zeitung just went digital, and to celebrate thought it'd go whole hog and print the entire front page (bar the essentials) in binary. Crazy. We've not had chance to decode it all just yet, but if there was a day to be breaking bad news to the city, today might be it.

Visualized: Swiss newspaper goes digital, prints front page in binary originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 09 Jun 2012 10:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink The Next Web  |  sourceNZZ  | Email this | Comments

Scientists develop rewritable digital storage built into DNA; biological binary exists

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Scientists develop rewritable digital storage built into DNA; biological binary exists

We've seen DNA flirt with computing and storage before, but a biological system that can record digital data? That's something different. Stanford researchers used natural enzymes to create rewritable data storage built directly into living cells' DNA. The enzymes can flip DNA sequences back and forth, enabling a programmable, binary-like system where the DNA section is a zero if it points in a particular direction and a one if it points the other way. (Color coding indicates which way a section of genetic code is facing.) The so-called recombinase addressable data (RAD) module can store one bit of information without consuming any power, and in addition to letting scientists switch DNA sequences, it allows them to count how many times a given cell has doubled. That capability could come in handy for studying how cancer spreads, and could even give scientists the ability to "turn off" affected cells. The next step for the scientists will be upping the storage capacity to a byte, which will reportedly take a good ten years. That gives you plenty of time to study up on that science -- for a start, check out a more detailed account of the research in the source link.

Scientists develop rewritable digital storage built into DNA; biological binary exists originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 22 May 2012 16:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink TG Daily  |  sourceStanford University School of Engineering  | Email this | Comments

Binary Burst LED Clock Won’t Blow up in Your Face, But Will Challenge Your Brain

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This LED clock was created by Mike Szczys and it’s pretty unusual. It tells time using binary numbers, so if you want to use something like this, better brush up on your binary.

binary burst led clock

The clock is controlled by an ATtiny44 and has a bare PCB board with LED spires that radiate out from its center, reminiscent of a traditional wall clock. Each spire has three digits, corresponding to 1, 2 and 4. When the inner and outer digits are lit up, it shows a binary five. Then the next spire will start the count. Confusing enough for you yet? The hours are displayed with a red LED, and they correspond to the positions of an analog clock, so at least those are easy to read.

If you want to build your own, you can check out Mike’s post on Jumptuck where he explains how he made the clock.

binary burst led clock off

[via Make:]


Custom clock pays homage to CPU, separates geeks from the squares (video)

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Custom clock pays homage to CPU, separates geeks from the squares (video)

Pop quiz: Can you tell what the device pictured above is? If you answered "a clock that represents the essential building blocks of a CPU while using binary and HEX numerals to display time," then you're certifiably crazy -- and correct. The brainchild of tinkerer extraordinaire Lior Elazary, the "CPU clock" mechanically emulates the application of computer concepts -- codes, instructions and checks -- to create a "simple" wall clock. To display the time, the middle register uses binary numbers to indicate the hour (a reading of "0010" indicates 2 o'clock, for example). For minutes, the clock uses the HEX numerals on the outer edge of the device, so "05" represents "5," "0A" indicates "10," and so forth. Keeping the clock up to date is a ball that goes around and activates the various levers to change the time. Given all its geeky goodness, this one easily takes the nerd cake from the wordy QLOCKTWO W and super flashy Sci-Fi watch. For a more clockwork-like explanation about its inner workings, check out the video after the break.

Continue reading Custom clock pays homage to CPU, separates geeks from the squares (video)

Custom clock pays homage to CPU, separates geeks from the squares (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 18 Apr 2012 04:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Hack a Day  |  sourceLior Elazary  | Email this | Comments