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Monday, August 11, 2008

iPhone 2.0 Jailbreak Apps You Can't Find in the iTunes Store


The iTunes' App Store offers iPhone and iPod touch users hundreds of applications to install on their devices, but power users who want functionality above and beyond what Apple's SDK allows still want to jailbreak their device. Now that jailbreak developers have had a full month to work on applications for jailbroken iPhone 2.0 users, there's a bigger selection than ever of jailbreak 2.0 software that lets you do things App Store offerings don't. Let's look at a few of the good ones.

Note: Most of the iPhone 2.0 jailbreak offerings are geared toward the developer and power user. If you're not sure whether or not you want to take the plunge and jailbreak, hopefully this post will give you an idea of whether or not it's worth it for you.


cydiainstaller.pngThis weekend I re-jailbroke my iPhone running the 2.0.1 software using PwnageTool. Here's how to jailbreak iPhone 2.0 with PwnageTool for Mac; Windows users, you can use WinPwn to jailbreak iPhone 2.0. PwnageTool added both Cydia and Installer.app to my device (pictured right). Cydia and Installer.app are the two gateways to software repositories for jailbroken devices. Next to each app below, I'll list the source (Cydia or Installer.app) and the app itself so you know where to find it.


MxTube Downloads YouTube Clips to Your Device (Cydia)

http://cache.lifehacker.com/assets/resources/2008/08/mxtube-thumb.PNGWhen you've got a favorite YouTube clip you want to show all your friends—but don't want to wait for it to download over the air—MxTube comes to the rescue. MxTube can download and save YouTube clips to your jailbroken device for watching when you're offline, out of Wi-Fi range, or just using the slow Edge network. Great especially for iPod touch users without a data connection. (Original post.)

Click to view MxTube's search interface, with options to stream the clip as usual, or download to your device.


BiteSMS Offers Cheaper Text Messaging (Cydia)

http://cache.lifehacker.com/assets/resources/2008/08/bitesms-thumb.PNG BiteSMS is a text messaging service that offers an alternative to AT&T or your iPhone's SMS carrier. Buy text messaging credits at BiteSMS.com (currently 10 cents per message, less if you buy more) and install the BiteSMS app via Cydia on your jailbroken device. Then, to send messages using BiteSMS instead of your plan, choose it near the Send button, as shown. (Click the image to see a full-sized version of what sending a text message with BiteSMS looks like.) The BiteSMS app keeps track of how many messages you send via your default carrier, and how many BiteSMS credits you have left, so you can decide which is the most economical way to send a message.


Here are detailed instructions for installing BiteSMS via Cydia; you'll have to purchase credits at BiteSMS.com to start using it as an alternative to your SMS carrier.

BossPrefs Removes Icons You Don't Want (Cydia)

http://cache.lifehacker.com/assets/resources/2008/08/bossprefspoof-thumb.PNG While you can remove bookmarks and other app icons from your device by just tapping and holding, then hitting the X icon on them, some icons are absolutely fixed on your iPhone or iPod touch—whether or not you use them. Install BossPrefs via Cydia to get extra options for configuring your device, including "Poof!" a section where you can disable icons—even fixed ones like iTunes or Stocks.

Click on the image to see a full-size view of Poof, inside BossPrefs.

WebSearch Customizable, One-Tap Search Launcher (Cydia)

http://cache.lifehacker.com/assets/resources/2008/08/WebSearh-in-action-thumb.jpg This is the app that got me to jailbreak my iPhone pre-2.0: a quick tap way to search common engines beyond Google, like Wikipedia, IMDB, and even Lifehacker. Adam named this an app worth jailbreaking for pre-iPhone 2.0, and it still ranks right there even now. (Not sure why this app isn't available via the App Store; let us know in the comments if you've found an equivalent there.)


Click on the image to see a WebSearch quickly query Wikipedia search in action full-size.

gTxtEdit is an Actual Text Editor (Installer.app)

http://cache.lifehacker.com/assets/resources/2008/08/gtxtedit-thumb.PNGIf you want to store your notes in actual plain text files—instead of the BS built-in Notes application—you want gTxtEdit. Granted, gTxtEdit doesn't offer a file browser for easy loading and saving of files, and to get your .txt files off the phone you need to SCP in (with OpenSSH, see more below), so it's not the most user-friendly of apps. But plain text lovers not afraid of the command line will dig it. (Also, the developer promises that an actual file browser is forthcoming.) Click on the image to see a text file in gTxtEdit.


Customize App Skins Your Device (Cydia)

http://cache.lifehacker.com/assets/resources/2008/08/customizethemebrowser-thumb.PNGUsers who really want to trick out their device want to put a good-looking skin on it. Using the Customize app, you can browse, preview, and download custom skins, and apply the whole skin to your device or just parts of it. Here are a few skins you can find there.

Click each image below to see it full-size.

http://cache.lifehacker.com/assets/resources/2008/08/skin-alienware-thumb.PNG http://cache.lifehacker.com/assets/resources/2008/08/skin-Leopard-thumb.PNG http://cache.lifehacker.com/assets/resources/2008/08/skins-sketchedout1-thumb.PNG http://cache.lifehacker.com/assets/resources/2008/08/skins-stickers-thumb.PNG

From left to right the skins shown above are: AlienwareTheme, Leopard, SketchedOut, and Stickers. (Be warned: I had some trouble applying some skins I tried out, like Alienware. To activate a skin, on the skin page, after you choose "Apply Theme to Device," head back to the Customize main menu and choose "Exit & Restart Springboard.")


quake4iphone (Cydia)

This one's pretty self-explanatory. It's Quake! On the iPhone!


quake4iphone.png


OpenSSH Gives You Full Root Access to Your Device

We've been over this a million times already, but an article like this can't go without saying: Getting SFTP (or SCP) access to your device means you can move files back and forth from it. This lets you copy voicemail or music files from the device to your computer, transfer NES emulator ROMs to play on your device, access the text files you're editing with gTxtEdit, and get your computer online using your iPhone's data connection. You can even do nutty stuff like transfer your Notes and SMS messages back to your computer for saving and archiving with OpenSSH installed.


Of course, the previously mentioned Mobile Terminal and the NES emulator are also top picks for jailbroken iPhone 2.0 apps. The very promising SynchStep—an app that purports to switch the song playing on your iPod to your pace using the device's motion detection—didn't do as well as we hoped in tests. (But the concept is super-cool, and we hope the developer will work out the screen lock kink soon.)


What are your favorite jailbreak 2.0 apps, skins, add-ons, and tweaks? Let us know in the comments.

14 Reasons Fast Food In Beijing Is A Little Different



First you must find a place to eat.

Then try Star Fish fried in Shark Oil.

On to Baby Sharks, Deep Fried Star Fish and Sea Urchins.

The appetizers continue with Turkey Vulture Schnitzels, Sea Snakes and Silk Worms.

Ohhh whats the smell? Could it be Grilled Snake? Yes, yes it could!

Theres more to this feast when we enjoy Dog Liver and veggies.

Ahhhh the feast de la resistance - Goat Lungs and Red Peppers.

With your choice of Cow Stew or Horse Stew!

Or perhaps a bowl or Dog Brain Soup for the canine lovers out there.

For dessert we’re enjoying Lizard Legs & Scorpion Brochettes.


Be sure to ask the Sous Chef to pack up a doggy bag of Black Scorpions, Silk Worms, Dung Beetles and Cicadas

Oh! I almost forgot how much grandma loves Grilled Snake. Two please.

Glaciers: Before and After (Photo Gallery)

BEFORE: Take a look at Agassiz Glacier, in this photograph taken in 1913, near Boulder Pass, Glacier National Park. NEXT IMAGE: Agassiz Glacier (2005) Click to enlarge.

read more | digg story

New Material Could Make Objects Invisible

By Robert Roy Britt, LiveScience Managing Editor

Scientists have taken another step toward the goal of rendering objects invisible using high-tech cloaks that redirect light.

Researchers for the first time demonstrated that a new material can bend visible light the wrong way in three dimensional tests. It builds on research that cloaks objects in the microwave wavelength.

The research, announced today, will be detailed later this week in the journals Nature and Science.

The metamaterial, as it is called, produces what's known as negative refraction of visible light. That means light is made to travel in the opposite direction from how it normally should bend when passing through a material. A common example is how a pencil will appear to bend upward when half-submerged in a glass of water. In the new work, researchers make the light appear to bend the other way.

Metamaterials are artificially engineered structures that have "extraordinary optical properties that do not exist in nature," the researchers write in Science. "They can alter the propagation of electromagnetic waves, resulting in negative refraction, subwavelength imaging and cloaking."

Visible light is just one type of electromagnetic radiation, a spectrum that includes everything from radio waves to X-rays and more.

Until now, the effectiveness of the cloaking has been demonstrated only in thin, two-dimensional materials.

Now at a National Science Foundation lab at the University of California, Berkeley, Jason Valentine, Jie Yao, Xiang Zhang and others have create a multilayered, "fishnet structure" that "unambiguously exhibits negative refractive index," they write.

"This straightforward and elegant demonstration enhances our ability to mould and harness light at will," according to a statement from the journal Nature.

Other research has looked into using plasmons — tiny electronic excitations on the surfaces of some metals — to cancel out the visible light or other radiation coming from an object and effectively cloak it.

Sci-fi fans know that cloaking technology made Romulan spaceships disappear in Star Trek. Among the real applications pondered for the future of real-world cloaking technology: stealth military devices and new medical techniques.

Choosing the Right Sleep Medicines, or None at All

Insomniacs know all too well what it’s like to lie awake in a tangle of sheets, the day’s worries parading through the brain as the minutes tick past with agonizing slowness. With studies linking troubled sleep to a variety of health problems including heart attacks and obesity, it’s enough to keep anyone awake at night.

read more | digg story

Insane Roller Suit Man Flies Down Swiss Alps

This suit looks like it's covered in rollerblade wheels that allow the man to travel frighteningly fast down the Swiss Alps. The best thing about this whole operation is how obviously safe it is.

read more | digg story

Obama to Announce His VP Candidate through Text Msg & Email

Barack is about to choose a running mate, and he wants you to know first. You have helped build this movement from the bottom up, and Barack wants you to be part of this important moment. Sign up today and we'll send you an email announcing Barack's running mate. You can also text VP to 62262 to receive a text message on your mobile phone.

read more | digg story

A Lego Donkey Kong that Actually Moves

Lego. Mindstorms RCX. Donkey Kong. Rolling barrels. Donkey Kong throws rolling barrels. Mario jumps. And jumps. And jumps. All synchronized. Dan Kressin even generated the game start tune with Lego. After seeing it in action—and hearing the rattling noise it makes—I want this on the wall of my bedroom, as my alarm clock. Videos and high res pictures after the jump. Updated with comments by the author.

JD: How long did it take, total?
DK: Fudging the math here. About 3 months start to finish, working probably an average of an hour a day (more on the weekends, less during the week). 110-120 hours probably isn't too far off.

JD: Do you think, given enough time, you could use Mindstorms to recreate the arcade for real? I mean, controlling Mario travelling across the screen to the top. Too complicated?
DK: I've gotten this question a few times now.. It might be possible with some sort of magnet-behind-the-wall system, but it's not something I'll be able to attempt. I'd like to keep my wife.

JD: Any plans to do other games?
DK: I have some ideas for Ms Pacman, but it's still in the brainstorming stages. No promises..




mariogrip.jpgmario-sensor.jpgjumprearv1.jpgjumprear.jpgdonkeykong-poster.jpgdonkey_kong_screen.jpgdkarmrear.jpgdk-pauline.jpgbarrels.jpg





FIRST RADIO SIGNAL DETECTED FROM BEYOND SOLAR SYSTEM - DURBAN UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY

The Zulu phrase 'indlebe zikhayi langa' literally means those whose ears glow in the sun. This phrase gave rise to the project name Indlebe, which means ear.

A Durban lecturer and his students have detected a radio source, possibly from an alien source, from beyond the solar system with the aid of their specially built radio telescope.

Before you read on, I'll remind everyone this ...Gliese 581 has planets in the habitable zone, which is also in the constellation Sagittarius, the very same constellation where this signal came from.


Last week, the Indlebe Radio Telescope, situated on the Steve Biko campus of the Durban University of Technology, successfully detected its first radio source.

The Indlebe Radio Telescope is a transit instrument that operates at the Hydrogen Line frequency of 1420 MHZ and uses a very sensitive radio receiver to detect extraterrestrial radio signals.

Stuart MacPherson, project leader in Electronic Engineering at the university, said he and his students were amazed when they realised the telescope had picked up a signal.

“We had made significant changes to the receiver to increase its sensitivity. When we went in that morning to check the data, we found that it had detected a source,” he said.


Schematic showing Sagittarius A crossing the beam of Indlebe on July 28, 2008

On whether there is alien life out there, MacPherson laughed and said there is hope and a possibility that the radio signal could be generated by an alien source.

He said a strong electro-magnetic source was detected in Sagittarius A, which lies in the center of the Milky Way.


Plot showing the detected output from Indlebe on 28 July 2008

“It’s unbelievable. It’s definitely a great relief for us because now we know that the radio telescope works. The students were excited and shocked at the same time,” he said.

MacPherson said there are plans to improve the telescope.

“It’s still early days, but we will move on to bigger things. We are going to increase the sensitivity of the system. The radio telescope will be used for years to come,” he added.

He said that the detection of the source is a significant step for the students, as all the hardware — the antenna and feed horn, the final analog and the digital converter providing a digital representation of the detected source to a PC — has been designed and constructed on campus.

“It is intended that the received data will shortly be made available in real time to interested persons who will be able to graph the data using freely available software,” he said.

MacPherson said that the Indlebe project was started in 2006 by the Department of Electronic Engineering to attract high school pupils to the department and to give undergraduate and postgraduate students an opportunity to work on a real-world, complex electronic system.


The following I just found in the Durban University website today

Durban University of Technology Indlebe Radio Telescope Sees First Light

On the evening of 28th July 2008, at 21h14 local time the Indlebe Radio Telescope, situated on the Steve Biko campus of the Durban University of Technology, successfully detected its first radio source from beyond the solar system. A strong source was detected from Sagittarius A, the centre of the Milky Way Galaxy, approximately 30 thousand light years away.

To put this achievement into perspective, the energy gained by a grain of rice falling 2 cm in the earth’s gravity to a plate is more than the total energy received by all the radio telescopes in the world operating since 1960.

The Indlebe project was initiated in 2006 by the Department of Electronic Engineering with the primary object of providing engineering projects and research opportunities to undergraduate and postgraduate students working on a real-world complex electronic system. A secondary objective was to provide a vehicle to increase awareness and interest of secondary school students in the fields of Science, Engineering and Technology (SET), and to promote local awareness of the celebration of the International Year of Astronomy in 2009 (IYA2009).



Indlebe is the Zulu word for ear, an appropriate name for the project when one views the 5 m diameter parabolic reflector antenna of the telescope from above. The telescope is a transit instrument which operates at the Hydrogen Line frequency of 1420 MHz and uses a very sensitive radio receiver to detect extra terrestrial radio sources. A remarkable aspect of the project is that all the hardware, from the antenna and feedhorn to the final analog to digital converter providing a digital representation of the detected source to a personal computer, has been designed by students and constructed on campus. It is intended that the received data will shortly be made available in real time to interested persons who will be able to graph the data using freely available software.

For further information contact the project leader Stuart MacPherson via email on stuartm@dut.ac.za

Gliese 581 habitable zone-Constellation Sagittarius

Durban University of Technology
Source: Weekend Witness

2008 Olympics Opening Ceremony [PICS]

Beijing held its formal opening ceremony today for the 2008 Summer Olympics. The ceremony, held in the National Stadium known as the Bird's Nest, was attended by thousands, and watched by millions more on television. Below are some highlights of the nearly 4-hour performance. (24 photos total)

A dancer performs during the Opening Ceremony for the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics at the National Stadium on August 8, 2008 in Beijing, China. (Jeff Gross/Getty Images)

Drummers perform during the Opening Ceremony for the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics at the National Stadium on August 8, 2008 in Beijing. (Adam Pretty/Getty Images)

An artist in a space suit performs during the Opening Ceremony for the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics at the National Stadium on August 8, 2008 in Beijing. (Vladimir Rys/Bongarts/Getty Images)

Fireworks explode over the National Stadium during the Opening Ceremony for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games at the National Stadium on August 8 in Beijing. (Clive Rose/Getty Images)

Artists perform during the opening ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games at the National Stadium, also known as the "Bird's Nest", on August 8, 2008. The three-hour show at Beijing's iconic national stadium was set to see more than 15,000 performers showcase the nation's ancient history and its rise as a modern power. (AFP PHOTO / Olivier Morin)

Percussionists take part in the opening ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games in Beijing on August 8, 2008. (FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP/Getty Images)

Percussionists hit their Fou drums at the start of the opening ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games in Beijing on August 8, 2008. (AFP PHOTO / Joe Klamar )

Percussionists with their Fou drums stand prior to the opening ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games in Beijing on August 8, 2008. (AFP PHOTO / Jewel Samad)

Artists perform around an illuminated Globe during the Opening Ceremony for the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics at the National Stadium on August 8, 2008 in Beijing. (Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)

Artists perform during the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games opening ceremony on August 8, 2008 at the National Stadium in Beijing. Over 10,000 athletes from some 200 countries are going to compete in 38 differents disciplines during the event, between August 9 to 24. (WILLIAM WEST/AFP/Getty Images)

The Olympic rings are illuminated during the Opening Ceremony for the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics at the National Stadium on August 8, 2008 in Beijing. (Photo by Adam Pretty/Getty Images)

Artists underneath movable boxes perform during the Opening Ceremony for the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics at the National Stadium on August 8, 2008 in Beijing. (Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)

Martial arts dancers perform during the Opening Ceremony for the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics at the National Stadium on August 8, 2008 in Beijing. (Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)

Lighted dancers perform during the opening ceremony for the Beijing 2008 Olympics in Beijing, Friday, Aug. 8, 2008. (AP Photo/David Phillip)

Drummers perform during the Opening Ceremony for the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics at the National Stadium on August 8, 2008 in Beijing. (Vladimir Rys/Bongarts/Getty Images)

Artists perform during the Opening Ceremony for the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics at the National Stadium on August 8, 2008 in Beijing. (Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)

Performers cheer during the Opening Ceremony for the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics at the National Stadium on August 8, 2008 in Beijing. (Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)

Fireworks light the sky over the National Aquatics Center (L) and the National Stadium during the Opening Ceremony for the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics on August 8, 2008 in Beijing. (Lars Baron/Bongarts/Getty Images)

An artist performs, suspended by wires during the Opening Ceremony for the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics at the National Stadium on August 8, 2008 in Beijing. (Jeff Gross/Getty Images)

Drummers perform during the Opening Ceremony for the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics at the National Stadium on August 8, 2008 in Beijing. (Photo by Adam Pretty/Getty Images)

A musician performs during the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games opening ceremony on August 8, 2008 at the National Stadium in Beijing. (WILLIAM WEST/AFP/Getty Images)

Performers are pictured during the Opening Ceremony for the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics at the National Stadium on August 8, 2008 in Beijing. (Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)

A dancer is silhouetted as she performs during the Opening Ceremony for the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics at the National Stadium on August 8, 2008 in Beijing. (Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)

Children of migrant workers from outlying provinces look at themselves in the mirror as they use their hands to form the Olympic Rings after watching the TV live broadcast of the Olympic Games opening ceremony at their quarters August 8, 2008 on the outskirts of Beijing. (Andrew Wong/Getty Images)

more here:
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-080808-olympics-opening-photogallery,0,2843741.photogallery

Opening Ceremony: The Pyrotechnics