We have talked about DIY project before; some of them quite astounding while others are just satisfactory. However, every once in a while you come across certain DIY projects which reflect genius minds so purely that you are amazed by it.

10. Invention
of Phone numbers

Before their invention, phone calls were made by dialing the phone service first and requesting a phone operator sitting on the other end with various lines used to connect us to the person we wanted to contact. This was all fine and dandy until the process was questioned by Alexander Bell’s (the inventor of the phone himself) friend Dr. Moses. Because the town was infected with an epidemic of measles, the doctor advised initiating a new system without involving these operators for if any one of them fell ill, the others would find it difficult to understand the system and keep it running. Hence, the system of names was replaced by numbers dialed directly by the callers themselves.

9. The very first
Area code

The very first area code to be established was in New Jersey in 1951, which was labeled 201. The area codes in use now are an advanced and evolved version of the “North American Numbering” plan, in which the areas were numbered according to the ratio of their population. The one having the largest was given the simplest dial code for a rotary phone and it started with codes for 90 areas. Urban areas like New York, Los Angeles and Chicago got the codes 212, 213, and 312, respectively, and whereas more rural areas were given codes like 915, 913, etc.

8. The Most Expensive
phone number

666-6666 holds the record for most expensive number after being sold in Qatar for $207 million to raise money for charity. This number blows away the previous record held by 888-8888 sold in China for $280,000.

7. Apple related
to 888-8888

It is said that Apple co-founder, Steve Wozniak, had a thing for repetitive digits. It was because of his fondness for such numbers that he sold the Apple I for $666.66. This fondness, as legend has it, also led him to buy the second most expensive number in the world. The only drawback to the fantastic phone number was the hundreds of prank calls it received every day. While most of them were not of a malicious nature, there some particularly spiteful ones that may taken a toll on any man.

6. Emergency
Numbers

Different countries have various emergency numbers, for example 911 is the standard emergency number used in U.S. It was first pronounced as “nine eleven”, however the confusion of many users who searched for the “11” key on the dialer, led to it being changed to “nine one one”. In U.K, the number is “nine nine nine”; whereas Europe, you would dial 112 in emergency.
Before the system of a single number for emergency calls was introduced, people used to call the operators to direct them to the relevant emergency service. There are still some fire services in the U.S which can also be reached by dialing “3 4 7 3”, which spells “F-I-R-E”.

5. Movies ignoring
the 555 trend

Usually, when you see a phone number in a movie it will begin with “555″ because no such number exists with that pattern. Although it is not recommended, some movie production companies have their own numbers that appear in their movies, like Universal Studio. If you were to call the number, it would just continually ring on the other end.
One such movie faced some trouble for using a real phone number, supposedly belonging to God, and they had to change the number in the DVD release in order to resolve this issue.

4. Numbers and codes set
aside for fictional purposes

Many of us would have tried to dial the numbers our favorite T.V or movie characters dial in various scenes, but to your surprise you would find that those numbers are specially generated for these fictional purposes. “KL” exchange was the very first phone exchange used to generate such numbers for American movies. Currently, the prefix “555” is being used in U.S to set aside numbers for purely fictional purposes. In the U.K, the code “01632″ is used the same way but it also provides non-working suggestions for some other cities.

3. Phone Numbers
in Music

Like movies, numbers are also used in songs but they haven’t been set aside for this purpose especially. The most famous of all is that of Glenn Miller’s Pennsylvania 6-5000, which is still in use by the hotel mentioned in the song. The Hotel Pennsylvania (whose number was used) still boasts to have the number of the longest continuous use. It annoys all those who have the same number with a different area code as it appeared in song; 867-5309 is the catchy musical number belonging to Tommy Tutone. A very recent addition to this list is the number Alicia Keys claimed to be hers in her song Diary; after which, many of her fans attempted to give her a call.

2. Phone number
magic Trick

This trick is fairly self-explanatorys so give it try and impress your peers. The trick goes as follows: Take a seven-digit phone number, for example, 941-7990 and multiply the first three digits by 80. Then add one, multiply by 250 and add the last four digits of the original phone number. Finally add the last four digits again, subtract 250, and divide by two. Maths can be so miraculous at times, huh?

1. Personalized Phone
words: How to find one for you?

Just like the number spelling “F-I-R-E” is used to call fire brigades, chances are that your number might have a similar phone-word combination as well. In order to find out what it actually is, you can utilize the services of “PhoneSpell”. Along with just being interesting, they may be useful in making you remember a variety of different numbers. | GizmoCrazed #end.

In the ’80s, a lot of business types were worried about having their briefcases stolen right out of their hands. Though these security devices do actually exist today, they are far from in common use, especially not with the smoke-system that was part of the old setup.

Vibrating Sauna
This device from “Vibrosaun International” combines a home entertainment system with an air conditioner and massaging chair, all housed within a personal sauna pod. Maybe the fact that it cost nearly $6000 held it back from becoming a smash hit.

Do-All System
Yes, today we have our smartphones that do everything – music, radio, calculator, alarm clock. Still, this gadget that today is basically a digital clock with a calculator strapped to it never really took off.

Domed Homes

They require less building materials, meaning less surface area and in turn a more efficient surface-area-to-volume-ratio. Still, the dome-trend never caught on, possibly due to its awkward appearance.

Electric Doormat



Somehow, this turned from a very simple, easy-to-use object into something so complicated it committed commercial suicide. The key to the electric doormat’s anti-tripping technology were belts looped over separate pulleys, alternatively mounted on counter rotating drums on each side of the mat.


Gull-Wing Doors



First thing’s first: The term “gull-wing” comes from the doors’ resemblance to a seagull’s outstretched wings. Mercedes-Benz were the first to manufacture such cars in the 1950′s. A more serious attempt from a few companies in the 1980′s was made, but the trend never caught on. These doors make it impossible to tie down big and heavy objects to the roof, and in-case of the car rolling over, mean the passengers are stuck.

Speaker Vest

For some reason, this never caught on. Motorists prefer heated jackets and gloves, which work like electric blankets running off the vehicle’s battery.

The Everything Card

Instead of having two credit cards to go along with your driver’s license and half a dozen membership cards, you could have something that’s just a bit thicker than a credit card, battery powered two-line LCD screen with a 10-key alphanumeric keypad. It was supposed to fill the roles of a bank card and security access card while making it possible to also use it on payphones and parking meters. You could say that the Smartphones today fill all of these tasks.

For more “awesome” inventions and gadgets that never really stuck with the public, here are a few that simply came way ahead of their time.
| Walyou #end.

Old scenario. You’re getting ready to head out for a night on the town. Everything, for once, is going perfectly according to plan. You whip out your phone to let friends know you’re heading out, and that’s when you realize: whoops, forgot to charge the phone.

Inevitably, you’ll probably throw it on the charger for as many minutes as you can afford before heading out, but settle on the idea that you will be incommunicado during the latter portion of the night. That is, unless teenage innovator Eesha Khare’s creation sees the light of day. As told by SlashGear, the 18-year-old developed a means of fully charging a cellphone battery in — count ‘em — as little as 30 seconds.

The soon-to-be Harvard student entered her innovation into this year’s Intel International Science and Engineering Fair, in which she was named one of three winners, earning her a cash prize of $50,000. The technology that she created may even help power electric cars. It’s so sophisticated that, despite keeping tight lips on the ordeal, Khare has been approached by Google, which has shown some serious interest.

As of now, Khare says she plans to use her prize money to help fund her education at Harvard, where she hopes to continue researching her project. But she currently has no plans to sell her technology, though it seems like she is keeping her options open.

As presented at the science fair, her creation charges an LED, but she says that it is flexible. It can easily adapt so that it can be used in flexible displays and even in fabric. Right now, it can hold 10,000 recharging cycles, which is far better from the standard rechargeable battery, which can only withstand around 1,000. We’re eager to see the day that we can plug our phones in (or just rest them on a wireless charging dock), and less than a minute later, be good to head out the door, worry-free.
| digitaltrends #end.

Don Bailey and Matthew Solnik, researchers at iSEC Partners presented their work at the Black Hat 2011 security conference in Las Vegas, explaining how they can use an Android phone to carry out a technique they've dubbed "war-texting". The new technique relies on intercepting text messages, which many devices use to send commands or even firmware (permanent software programmed into a read-only memory) updates.

By setting up a local GSM network in the vicinity of a Subaru Outback, the team were able to intercept password authentication messages sent between the electronic key fob and the vehicle. What happens next is not exactly known, because the researchers haven't divulged all their secrets as a courtesy to the manufacturer.

However, what we do know is that intercepting those authentication messages allowed the team to understand the basic commands required to communicate with the security system of the car. Once they knew those details, they were able to send their own messages to the system in order to reverse-engineer the firmware - effectively learning how the entire device works.

From there, they could work out which commands were useful, and write their own messages to send that could unlock - and even start the engine of - the car. The whole process took them just a matter of hours. The team haven't gone into detail about which other cars might share these vulnerabilities, but the communication devices built into the vehicle are generic items - so the chances are that the problem could be widespread.

More worryingly, their technique could be used to attack other systems. Any device that routinely recieves firmware updates via text message, such as traffic control systems and security cameras, could be fair game. Perhaps worst of all, it could also attack SCADA sensors, which are used to monitor industrial systems such as the power grid and water supplies. "I could care less if I could unlock a car door," Don Bailey told CNN. "It's cool. It's sexy. But the same system is used to control phone, power, traffic systems. I think that's the real threat."

Though there has been no formal statement made by Subaru, Bailey has notified the manufacturer, and they are apparently taking steps to remedy the situation.

| newscientist #end.

The world's first 'invisible' skyscraper has received Permit approval for construction near Incheon International Airport just outside of Seoul, Korea

Most architects want everybody to see their buildings. But in South Korea, designers are working to achieve exactly the opposite: an invisible skyscraper.

At 1,476 feet tall, the Tower Infinity will rise out of the ground near the Incheon International Airport just outside of Seoul. And it will be invisible. To disappear into the background, the tower will be equipped with a system of optical cameras that projects what’s behind the building onto its glass sides. Karla Cripps at CNN has more details:

Cameras will be placed at three different heights on six different sides of the building to capture real-time images of the surroundings; three other sections, each filled with 500 rows of LED screens, will project the individual digital images.

Through digital processing, images will be scaled, rotated and merged to create a seamless panoramic image that appears on the LED rows to create the illusion of invisibility.

Unlike with an invisibility cloak that a human might want—where the image on the cloak would have to change constantly as they moved around—the tower will (hopefully) be staying in one place and require changes much more slowly.

The tower was designed by a U.S. company, GDS Architects, and funded by Korea Land & Housing Corporation. GDS Architects has some mock-ups on its website of what the inside and outside of the building will look like. The company writes that “Instead of symbolizing prominence as another of the world’s tallest and best towers, our solution aims to provide the world’s first invisible tower, showcasing innovative Korean technology while encouraging a more global narrative in the process.”
| Smithsonian.com #end.

The tools it uses are both internally and externally sourced, with some coming from the private sector. Hacking at the FBI under court order has gradually increased, as law enforcement officials try to find ways to circumvent new communication tech that’s more resistant to traditional surveillance methods like wiretapping. The specifics of its methods are not generally brought to light in public, but a warrant from earlier this year revealed that one request involved using a computer’s built-in camera to take photos of a suspect without their knowledge. The request in that case was denied.

According to the WSJ’s source, the FBI resorts to these tactics when they’re out of options, and “don’t have any other choice.” The tools used to gather the data are often installed remotely, using essentially phishing style links that injects essentially Trojan software when clicked by a suspect under surveillance. They can also be installed via physical access and a USB drive, the report says, and in all cases the FBI tries to ensure only “relevant data” are gathered by its hacking efforts, through the use of a screening team that checks for relevancy before handing information off to investigators working the case.

The news that the FBI employs hacker tactics on occasion to gather data about potential suspects is not new, but the specifics of how it goes about it, and how it might be able to employ a user’s own hardware to record conversations remotely is definitely going to raise some eyebrows, especially in light of the attention now focused on digital rights and privacy thanks to the leaks around the NSA’s PRISM and XKeyscore programs. In theory, the devices could even be activated to eavesdrop on an in-person conversation with a potential suspect who doesn’t even own an Android device, perhaps from the pocket of a friend who does. PRISM reportedly involves a number of prominent Internet companies, and Xkeyscore seems to allow the U.S. security agency unprecedented access to information about emails, chat history and more, according to information leaked by former U.S. government security contractor Edward Snowden.

In this case, it sounds like the FBI’s tools might involve Android and desktop PC malware, so Google wouldn’t need to be complicit for claims about using Android device mics remotely to be accurate. We’ve reached out to both the FBI and Google for comment, but have yet to hear back as of press time.
| TechCrunch/WSJ #end.

The equivalent of a head nod or wink, the 'poke' in its old form is rarely used today as the site has become more advanced, the 'Daily Mail' reported.

It has now been reinvented to be called 'Facebook Poke' and allows users to send fleeting messages, pokes, photos and 10-second videos to friends.

The messages expire after a set period of time, from 1 to 10 seconds, and cannot be retrieved by either party again, making it perfect for sending salacious images without leaving a trail.

"With the Poke app, you can poke or send a message, photo, or video to Facebook friends to share what you're up to in a lightweight way," said the site in a blog post announcing the new app.

When you open the app, you can choose from a set of icons at the bottom of the screen to send a poke, type a 120-character message, open the camera to snap a picture - you cannot choose an existing photo - or shoot a 10-second video.

You then decide how long you want the recipient to see the message for.

It is said the new facility is similar to Snapchat, an app which is popular with younger age users, and which has gained a reputation as a tool for sending risque images.

Facebook is encouraging users to report inappropriate messages.

"If you ever see something you're uncomfortable with, you can click the gear menu and report it," the paper quoted the company as saying.
| MB #end.

How do architects get their buildings into the ranks of the world's tallest? Stick an ornamental spire on top. A new study picked up by i09.com shows just how common the practice is: Of the world's 77 "supertall" buildings—those above 300 meters, or 984 feet—44 achieve the status through what's known as "vanity height." That's defined in the study from the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat as the distance from a building's "highest occupiable floor and its architectural top."

Greatest SupertallVanity Ratio With a vanity height of nearly 124 meters within its architectural height of 321 meters, the Burj Al Arab has the highest non-occupiable-to-occupiable height ratio among completed supertalls.39% of its height is non-occupiable.

Consider it "the architectural equivalent of wearing platform shoes," writes Gwynn Guilford at Quartz. The worst offender by percentage is the Burj al Arab hotel in Dubai, with 39% of its total height deemed useless. New York City will soon have three in the top 10, however: One World Trade Center will be at 30% when it's completed, behind the New York Times Tower (31%) and the Bank of America Tower (36%). | Newser, infographic: ctbuh #end.

Step 1: Most PCs have an S-Video port that can be linked to the S-Video input of your TV means of a same cheap S-Video wire (this chain is stout with 4 or 7 jots). If you need an older screen, you can usage the 15-pin VGA wire to link the PC to the TV set and it will deal improved image quality than the S-Video wire.

The fresher HDTVs and PC computers have DVI ports so a DVI Male to Male wire or DVI to HDMI Linker Wire can be recycled to knob the PC show and the TV set. The DVI to HDMI wire can be recycled when your HDTV doesn’t have a DVI port but does have an HDMI port.


Link the Audio RCA Wire for Sound

Step 2:Currently that you have linked the PC to the TV set by means of a corporeal wire, you necessity added wire to transfer the sound as all the beyond wires only transfer the video nevertheless not the audio chunk. You necessity a 3.5MMSmallSocket to RCA Wire Stereo to link the audio link out from a pad to your TV set. The red wire linker goes into the red hole of your TV set, black linker into the black hole while the black linker goes into the 3.5mm earphone jack of your PC

Mini to RCA Audio Wire

Step 3:Open the screen sceneries on your Windows PC and stimulate the output to the TV display. You can either glass contented of your PC on the TV set or encompass the show just similar a twin monitor display.

Step 4: Choice up your TV isolated and control to Exterior Inputs from the menu. You will necessity to alternate the evasion “Video 1″ to a diverse choice which may be “HDMI 1″ or “Video 2″ liable on how you have ended the linking.

Note: Make sure that you link the corporeal wire to the TV set before turning on the PC as sometimes it might miscarry to identify exterior show. You might also necessity to change the display determination of your TV set by means of the Show sceneries in your Control Panel else the image may at times seem one-sided.

Pros and Cons of Linking PCs and TVs

Interacting your PCs and TVs affords the greatest expedient partaking of multimedia pictures:
- does not need linking a digital camcorder
- can generate the needed links with any Windows, Mac or Linux PCs
- through Media Focus Extender or alike ability, can direct relaxed from any home PC to the TV set
end.

Only, this 1,700 gigaton bomb has not been accounted for in prediction models. That a huge concentration of latent ice-age old carbon poses potential danger not just to humanity and to other species but to the roads, pipelines and buildings lying above it has been neglected, said UN Under-Secretary General and UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner. A suggested three-pronged course of action will hopefully change that.

A Thawing Bomb

“Permafrost is one of the keys to the planet’s future because it contains large stores of frozen organic matter that, if thawed and released into the atmosphere, would amplify current global warming and propel us to a warmer world,” said Steiner.

“Its potential impact on the climate, ecosystems and infrastructure has been neglected for too long,” he added.

The UNEP report, Policy Implications of Warming Permafrost was designed to spur dialogue among climate-treaty negotiators, policy makers and the general public as they prepare to create a successor to the Kyoto Protocol that expires this year. It also hacks a path to the way forward, instead of dropping concerned parties in an alarmist cloud.

Three proactive steps

First, the report’s authors recommend that the IPCC – the official voice of climate change – commission a special report that reveals the potential impact that carbon released from 30-85% of the permafrost might have on the environment, which would in turn support emergent (and enormously important) policy decisions.

Then, northern countries, especially Russia, Canada, China and the United States, should assume responsibility for permafrost monitoring stations that share data across a network. “The International Permafrost Association should continue to coordinate development and the national networks should remain part of the Global Terrestrial Network for Permafrost,” UNEP urges.

And finally, it behooves these nations to prepare for the worst. Structural damages, habitat destruction, migration, longer growing seasons, and increased risk of fire are just a few potential consequences.

Infrastructure collapse

But the biggest fear for those of us shy of oil spills, we already have an idea of what will happen if pipelines laid over this territory are destabilized as a result of the shifting ground.

“Infrastructure failure can have dramatic environmental consequences, as seen in the 1994 breakdown of the pipeline to the Vozei oilfield in Northern Russia, which resulted in a spill of 160,000 tonnes of oil, the world’s largest terrestrial oil spill,” UNEP reports.

These events are always financially crippling, politically disastrous, and environmentally criminal, which is powerful ammunition for the likes of Bill McKibben and the 350.org (global) crowd, as well as other activists, moviemakers and indigenous people who are determined to fell the Keystone XL Pipeline project.

For a much more detailed and scientific analysis of the permafrost bomb, we beg you to visit the UNEP website.

| Green Prophet / Shutterstock#end.