Navarre Bartz – Page 18 – WindowsTechs.com

Cooling Off the Bus Stop

Posted on August 18, 2023 by Navarre Bartz

A series of tubes wound up and down as modules in a metal-framed, free-standing wall. The wall is inside a climate-controlled test chamber with a series of differently-colored tubes running behind the free-standing wall.

If you’ve taken the bus in the summer, you know it can get hot while you wait on your ride, even if there is a roof over the stop. Researchers …read more Continue reading Cooling Off the Bus Stop→

Fluorescent Filament Makes Object Identification Easier

Posted on August 17, 2023 by Navarre Bartz

Four images in as many panes. Top left is a fuchsia bottle with a QR code that only shows up on the smartphone screen held above it. Top right image is A person holding a smartphone over a red wristband. The phone displays a QR code on its screen that it sees but is invisible in the visible wavelengths. Bottom left is a closeup of the red wristband in visible light and the bottom right image is the wristband in IR showing the three QR codes embedded in the object.

QR codes are a handy way to embed information, but they aren’t exactly pretty. New work from MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) have a new way to …read more Continue reading Fluorescent Filament Makes Object Identification Easier→

A DeLorean with an Electrifying Secret

Posted on August 16, 2023 by Navarre Bartz

A DeLorean sitting on patchy snow next to a driveway. It's angled away from the viewer to the left showing off the open engine compartment with bright orange high voltage lines coming out of a square metallic charger box.

There are few production cars with as much geek cred as the DMC DeLorean. If you want to kick the nerdiness up a notch without doing a full Back to …read more Continue reading A DeLorean with an Electrifying Secret→

Jailbreaking Tesla Infotainment Systems

Posted on August 6, 2023 by Navarre Bartz

With newer cars being computers on wheels, some manufacturers are using software to put features behind a paywall or thwarting DIY repairs. Industrious hackers security researchers have taken it upon …read more Continue reading Jailbreaking Tesla Infotainment Systems→

Fixing Some More of Apple’s Design Mistakes

Posted on August 2, 2023 by Navarre Bartz

An exploded view of an AirPods Pro case. The outer case consists of two long, capsule-shaped sections that enclose several smaller parts including the wireless charging cable, contacts for charging the AirPods themselves, and the top rounded protective piece for the buds that nestles into the top capsule. This version includes screws to fasten everything together instead of adhesives.

Love them or hate them, there’s no denying that Apple has strayed from the Woz’s original open platform ideal for the Apple II. [Ken Pillonel] is back for another round …read more Continue reading Fixing Some More of Apple’s Design Mistakes→

Supercon 2022: Bradley Gawthrop Wants You to Join the PEV Revolution

Posted on July 3, 2023 by Navarre Bartz

A man in a dark shirt stands at a podium in front of a projector screen with the text "50% OF US CAR TRIPS" in white above yellow text saying "1 HUMAN < 3 MILES". The screen is flanked by decor saying "Supercon" in white on a black background.

During the 20th Century, much of the western world decided that motor vehicles were the only desirable form of transportation. We built our cities to accommodate cars through parking, stop …read more Continue reading Supercon 2022: Bradley Gawthrop Wants You to Join the PEV Revolution→

A Different Approach to EV Conversions

Posted on June 28, 2023 by Navarre Bartz

An open engine bay for a small car. The wheels are off so the hubs and brakes are visible to the side and the electric motor mounted on top of the vehicle's original engine block is in the center of the image.

While there are a lot of exciting electric vehicles finally coming to market, many of us feel nostalgic for the fossil cars of our youth. [Mihir Vardhan] restored his grandfather’s …read more Continue reading A Different Approach to EV Conversions→

Hydrogels for Bioelectronic Interfaces

Posted on June 26, 2023 by Navarre Bartz

A glass plate holds a translucent set of silver electrodes. The plate appears to be suspended across two petri dishes, so the scale must be small.

Interfacing biological and electrical systems has traditionally been done with metal electrodes, but something flexible can be more biocompatible. One possible option is 3D-printed bioelectric hydrogels. Electrically conductive hydrogels based …read more Continue reading Hydrogels for Bioelectronic Interfaces→

Ecological System Dynamics for Computing

Posted on June 24, 2023 by Navarre Bartz

Some of you may remember that the ship’s computer on Star Trek: Voyager contained bioneural gel packs. Researchers have taken us one step closer to a biocomputing future with a …read more Continue reading Ecological System Dynamics for Computing→

IKEA Hack – Kvart into Mic Stand

Posted on June 23, 2023 by Navarre Bartz

A small black microphone in a black 3d printed mount. The mount is attached to an adjustable silver neck attached to a desk clamp from an IKEA lamp.

While audiophiles might spend gazillions of hours finely honing a microphone stand that isolates their equipment from the trials and perturbations of the world, most of us who use a …read more Continue reading IKEA Hack – Kvart into Mic Stand→