CadSoft EAGLE development team developing XML format for schematic, layout and parts libraries!

CadSoft EAGLE development team developing XML format for schematic, layout and parts libraries!
CupCake CNC build, part 13: First print
Facebook launches one-time passwords, makes remote logout available to all
Iconfactory's Take Five iPhone app keeps you from listening to hours of silence
Toshiba's 13.3-inch Portégé R700 gets a pair of WiMAX models
Rock Band 3 DLC Opens With The Doors [Music]
Study Shows Brain Responds More To Close Friends
Technology Advances, But People Sitting Around the Tube Never Does [Television]
Make a knife from an old saw blade
Molecular Gastronomy: How to Use the Love Child of Cooking and Science [Video]

Posted: 13 Oct 2010 04:01 PM PDT

Pt 10435

There is a growing movement in the world of electronics called "Open-source hardware" - it has rapidly become very popular over the last 5 years or so, we're very close to defining what it is and what we need going forward. It's been a long road with hundreds of talented people working very hard releasing their projects and helping others. Today we just got some great news from the CadSoft EAGLE development team about the their long term commitment to text based file formats in the world of electronics development. With their permission I am posting this here. It's extremely exciting for those of us who wanted an XML format for files and we're thrilled CadSoft EAGLE has said they're committed to it!

Here's the overview of what we learned:

CadSoft EAGLE (our preferred schematic/layout software) has told us they are committed to a text based format in the long term.

The CadSoft EAGLE development team is developing a new format for schematic, layout and parts libraries that is XML, this means every object and line will be written out in text description.

You won't have to worry about binary file corruption, you will be able to hand-edit or generate schematics and layouts and of course the magic of version-control (such as github) will be easier than ever with real text 'diff's!

This will be a fully documented format and also of course a converter for old CadSoft EAGLE binary-type formats.

This is a great direction and I encourage you to support EAGLE as you decide which tools to use now and in the future. But that's not all, I've chatted with the element-14 folks and they're all set up for your feedback, if they're very interested in Maker voices their product development. So here's your chance folks - please stop by the element-14.com site and community.

I'll post up more as there are new developments. For the folks have asked for a "file format" anyone can read for schematics, layouts and parts libraries - we're now one step closer with a commitment from one of the most popular tool makers. Special thanks to Windel (EMSL) and Ladyada (Adafruit) and Drew from element-14!

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CupCake CNC build, part 13: First print

Posted: 13 Oct 2010 04:00 PM PDT

My first print! OK, this really isn't my first print, it's actually my second print. Not bad, huh? My first print was a "raft" that didn't stick. I did a little research online and found that my temperature was probably too cold. I increased the temperature by about 15 Degrees C and it worked ~~perfectly~~ better.

I didn't make it all the way through the second print since the plastic still seemed "cold" and brittle. Eventually it snapped, and I had to stop. For a second print, I'd call it a big success.

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Facebook launches one-time passwords, makes remote logout available to all

Posted: 13 Oct 2010 03:40 PM PDT

Filed under: Internet, Facebook

Facebook is gradually rolling out a feature that creates one-time passwords for use with public computers. The theory is that you won't expose your actual Facebook account password when you're logging in from airports, Internet cafes and the likes. This works if you are in the US and have associated a mobile number with your Facebook account. In order to get a one-time password, you need to text "otp" to 32665. You'll get back a text that contains a temporary password that can only be used once and expires after 20 minutes. This feature should become available to all Facebook users in the US in the coming weeks.

It all sounds safe enough, until you start to think about it. And realize that if you've tied your mobile number to your Facebook account, you'd better not lose your phone. Anyone that gets their hands on it can now request a one-time password to access your Facebook account. Sure, they also need to know the email address that you used to sign up for Facebook, but who doesn't have any reference of that on their phone these days? You should probably lock your phone with a password when it goes into standby to avoid any potential problems.

Facebook has also announced that the remote logout feature, which Jay covered last month, is now available to all Facebook users. The roll-out has taken a while, but this is a very useful security feature and it's good to finally see it in the hands of the masses.

Facebook launches one-time passwords, makes remote logout available to all originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 13 Oct 2010 17:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Iconfactory's Take Five iPhone app keeps you from listening to hours of silence

Posted: 13 Oct 2010 02:45 PM PDT

Filed under: Audio, Utilities, iPhone

The Iconfactory's Take Five app is designed for anyone who's ever paused the music while working, intending to turn it back on, and ended up listening to earbuds full of nothing for hours. Take Five lets you choose how long you want to pause, and turns the music back on when the time is up. It even supports playlists!

At 99 cents, you're paying for the Iconfactory's gorgeous design -- they're the company behind Twitterrific, among other pretty things -- but it might be worth that buck to you if you're chronically forgetful about unpausing. Plus, it just looks better than Apple's built-in iPod app.

Check out the gallery below to see for yourself.

Gallery: Iconfactory's Take Five App

Iconfactory's Take Five iPhone app keeps you from listening to hours of silence originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 13 Oct 2010 16:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Toshiba's 13.3-inch Portégé R700 gets a pair of WiMAX models

Posted: 13 Oct 2010 02:45 PM PDT

Integrated 3G is so 2009. These days, your laptop just ain't a mobile workhorse without a 4G module embedded under the hood, and Toshiba's making sure it keeps with the times by launching a pair of WiMAX-capable Portégé R700 models. The 13.3-inch ultraportable is relaunching with an integrated DVD drive, WiMAX support, the latest Core 2010 CPUs, an ExpressCard slot, eSATA / USB combo port, 4GB of DDR3 memory, inbuilt webcam and a six-cell battery. The Portégé R700-S1332W in particular ships with a Core i7 CPU and 128GB SSD, while the Portégé R700-S1322W steps down to a Core i5 and a 320GB (7200RPM) hard drive. Both units are shipping now from Tosh's preferred partners, with the high-end option going for $1,699 and the low(er)-end one selling for $1,349. It's on you to activate a Clear plan, though.

Continue reading Toshiba's 13.3-inch Portégé R700 gets a pair of WiMAX models

Toshiba's 13.3-inch Portégé R700 gets a pair of WiMAX models originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 13 Oct 2010 17:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rock Band 3 DLC Opens With The Doors [Music]

Posted: 13 Oct 2010 02:30 PM PDT

Click here to read Rock Band 3 DLC Opens With The Doors

Rock Band 3 launches October 26, bringing with it three free and nine paid tracks from classic rock band The Doors and a confusing new way to classify downloadable music. More »

Study Shows Brain Responds More To Close Friends

Posted: 13 Oct 2010 02:30 PM PDT

An anonymous reader writes "People's brains are more responsive to friends than to strangers, even if the stranger has more in common, according to a study in the Oct. 13 issue of The Journal of Neuroscience. Researchers examined a brain region known to be involved in processing social information, and the results suggest that social alliances outweigh shared interests. In a study led by graduate student Fenna Krienen and senior author Randy Buckner, PhD, of Harvard University, researchers investigated how the medial prefrontal cortex and associated brain regions signal someone's value in a social situation. Previous work has shown that perceptions of others' beliefs guide social interactions. Krienen and her colleagues wondered whether these brain regions respond more to those we know, or to those with whom we share similar interests."