Smart Label Pro - something recognizable

OPEN "COM1:9600,N,8,1,CD0,CS0,DS0,OP0,RB65535" FOR RANDOM AS #1
SCREEN 12
LINE (0, 0)-(639, 199), , B


LOCATE 2, 2: PRINT "Smart Label Printer PRO"
LOCATE 4, 2: PRINT "0x04 print data"
LOCATE 6, 2: PRINT "0x09 tab"
LOCATE 8, 2: PRINT "0x0c formfeed"

FOR xpos = 0 TO 639 STEP 1

PRINT #1, CHR$(9); CHR$(90); ' need to tab to position 90
PRINT #1, CHR$(4); CHR$(200 / 8);
FOR ypos = 199 TO 0 STEP -8

nextbyte = 0
pixelnum = 7
FOR ypos2 = ypos TO ypos - 7 STEP -1
IF POINT(xpos, ypos2) <> 0 THEN nextbyte = nextbyte + 2 ^ pixelnum
pixelnum = pixelnum - 1
NEXT ypos2

PRINT #1, CHR$(nextbyte);

NEXT ypos
NEXT xpos
PRINT #1, CHR$(12); 'form feed

CLOSE #1

Smart Label Pro - first steps with QBasic

I'll just make a recognizable pattern of some bytes with gaps in between.

CHR$(9) sends the CMD_TAB followed by how many pixels to tab across.
CHR$(4) sends the CMD_PRINT followed by the number of bytes to follow.


OPEN "COM1:9600,N,8,1,CD0,CS0,DS0,OP0,RB65535" FOR RANDOM AS #1


FOR t = 80 TO 150 STEP 8
FOR k = 1 TO 10 'repeat this pattern 10 times, if just 1 line it's hard to see
PRINT #1, CHR$(9); CHR$(t); 'tab bytes
PRINT #1, CHR$(4); CHR$(8 * 3); 'do 24 bytes of data


FOR i = 0 TO 7:
mybyte = 0
FOR j = 0 TO i: mybyte = mybyte + 2 ^ j: NEXT j
PRINT #1, CHR$(mybyte); CHR$(0); CHR$(mybyte);
NEXT i
NEXT k
NEXT t

close #1


and this adds lines between the patterns.




OPEN "COM1:9600,N,8,1,CD0,CS0,DS0,OP0,RB65535" FOR RANDOM AS #1


FOR t = 80 TO 150 STEP 8
FOR k = 1 TO 10
PRINT #1, CHR$(9); CHR$(t); 'tab bytes
PRINT #1, CHR$(4); CHR$(8 * 3); 'do 24 bytes of data


FOR i = 0 TO 7:
mybyte = 0
FOR j = 0 TO i: mybyte = mybyte + 2 ^ j: NEXT j
PRINT #1, CHR$(mybyte); CHR$(0); CHR$(mybyte);
NEXT i
NEXT k
NEXT t

'make a horizontal line - use 254 so there's a one pixel gap in the line

PRINT #1, CHR$(9); CHR$(80);
PRINT #1, CHR$(4); CHR$(220 / 8);
FOR m = 0 TO (220 / 8)
PRINT #1, CHR$(254);
NEXT m


close #1

Smart Label Pro self test page

So if I hold down the feed button while turning it on I get the self test page.

I like the Macintosh Chicago font.



Here's the label a bit darker so you can see the borders of the label.

Hal Lasko pixel painter

So you thought pixel painting was just from kids of the 80s. Hal Lasko discovered Microsoft Paint upon retirement and was amazed at what a creative tool it was. It reminds me of me discovering DeluxePaint on the Amiga.

Welcome to the world of Hal Lasko.

Better known as Grandpa, he spent his entire working life as a graphic artist, back when everything was done by hand.

When he retired his family showed him the computer. He didn't find much use for it until he discovered Microsoft Paint. He was hooked. Since then, Grandpa spent ten hours a day placing pixels around his computer paintings. His work is like a collision of pointillism and 8-Bit art.

https://vimeo.com/108682589
https://vimeo.com/user19668988

http://hallasko.com/

knoppix 7.5 and testing memory

So I decided to put together a new system with 24gb ddr3 memory and I wanted to test the memory. Unfortunately, the knoppix 7.5 memtest boot option crashes on the AMD 760G motherboard.

Why not make a huge file in the knoppix ramdisk and run a badblocks on it?

dd_rescue /dev/zero ~/gigafile -m 20G

to make a 20 gigabyte file, but it fills up the memory before it gets to 20GB.

badblocks -w -s ~/gigafile

to run a check on the big file.

Nota Bene: be careful with dd_rescue and badblocks. I remember this time I was a little careless with the parameters and wiped my hard drive...good thing I had a backup.

Man, do I love having lots of memory. I think it was processing at around 2.5 GB/sec.

My first attempt at making a huge file was in the temp directory /tmp/gigafile but it wouldn't let me make a file larger than about 2GB in /tmp.

Now if I can figure out how to put this thing in standby. "sudo pm-suspend" suspends it but it comes out of suspend immediately...

Seiko's drivers for the Smart Label Pro

With some detective work with web archive, I was able to find a page that gives me a good idea of the drivers that I want. How hard is it to just leave your old drivers up on the web?

This is what used to be at:

http://www.siibusinessproducts.com/usa/support/slpdiscsoft.asp

Talking to the Smart Label Pro with QBasic

So let's fire up a QBasic program to talk to the SLP Pro printer.

I open the serial port and then just do an nextbyte$=INPUT(1,#1) to fetch the next byte.

The thing about INPUT(1,#1) to get a byte is that it blocks until the next byte is received. So we need to check LOC(1) which tells you if there's bytes available if we don't really want to block.

IF LOC(1)>0 then we've got bytes, else there's no bytes yet so I'll set nextbyte="".

When I turn the printer off and then on, it sends 17 and 80. 17 is DC1 otherwise known as XON. 80 is the status byte indicating 64 (status byte base value) + 16 (STAT_IDLE).

When the printer starts printing it sends you an updated status code of 64 (STATUS_BYTE) with STAT_IDLE clear.

When it's done it will send you an 80 again (STATUS_BYTE+STAT_IDLE)

So far so good...

Smart Label Pro command codes

I managed to find a web page with a listing of the smart label pro command code protocol. It looks pretty simple, so the next step is to write a little QBasic program to pretend to be the smart label pro.

CMD_NOP 00 No operation

CMD_STATUS 01 Request printer status

CMD_VERSION 02 Request firmware version

CMD_BAUDRATE 03 nn Change baud rate to nn

CMD_PRINT 04 nn dd ... Print literal (binary) data

CMD_PRINTRLE 05 nn dd ... Print compressed (RLE) data

CMD_MARGIN 06 nn Image offset (in mm from left edge)

CMD_TAB 09 nn Tab nn dots to the right

CMD_LINEFEED 0A Feed label one line (one dot)

CMD_VERTTAB 0B nn Feed label nn lines (dots)

CMD_FORMFEED 0C Feed to top of next label

CMD_DENSITY 0E nn Set print density to nn

CMD_RESET 0F Reset printer

CMD_CHECK A5 Check for correct baud rate

CMD_CHECK (A5h) - check for proper baud rate

This command is used to detect if the printer and the host are communicating at the same baud rate. If the printer receives this command, it always responds with a response byte which has the value of C9h.


Status Byte Definitions

The status byte always has a base value of 40 hex. The following values may be added to the base value, as appropriate:


STAT_PAPER_OUT 01 Out of labels

STAT_PAPER_JAM 02 Label is jammed (feed error)

STAT_HARD_ERR 04 General hardware error

STAT_COMM_ERR 08 Invalid command or I/O error

STAT_IDLE 10 Printer is idle

STAT_UNUSED 20 (in later smart label printers, used for STAT_PLATEN_OPEN)

Seiko Smart Label Pro printer and support

The other day I got a new toy: a new-in-box Smart Label Pro (from circa 1992). Seiko's website didn't have any drivers for that model so I emailed their tech support.

This is what I got:

Hello,

Thank you for contacting the Seiko Instruments Technical Support Team.

I am sorry, that model has been discontinued for over 15 years. We generally offer software/driver development for 10 years after which such support often does not continue.

We are offering a 10% discount on a new printer (which is faster and easier to use) plus free, secure, and ethical recycling of your legacy printer.

http://sii-thermalprinters.com/email/slp600-recycle2save/email.html

Please note that these instructions assume you are in the USA as you are contacting tech support for the USA. If you are not in the USA, please let us know where you are located by replying to the email and telling us.

IMPORTANT NOTE: When you follow the link above and go to place an order, please be aware that the terms of the discount are for buying one 600 series printer AND one box of labels, any Seiko label part number from our website. If you do not have both one 600 series printer and one box of labels added to your cart, the code for the 10% discount will not work.

Also, please note that we are still in the process of testing with Windows 10. At this time, even for our 600 series printers, we have not confirmed Win x compatibility or developed new drivers for Win X.

Thank you,

Seiko Instruments Technical Support Team

========================================

No, thank you for not supporting your products. Brother still has drivers on their website for the PT-PC which has been around forever.

The box contained 720k floppies with drivers for Windows 3.0 (how's that for old) which installed under win98 but didn't actually install a proper printer driver. The label program talks directly to the printer via com port.

Now I'm still looking for drivers...

Michael Pollan talk "in defense of food"

Michael Pollan gave a talk at Google in 2008 titled "in defense of food." It's very interesting. He says to stay away from "food-like substances" and eat real food.



http://michaelpollan.com/books/in-defense-of-food/

Air New Zealand's Skycouch

This looks kinda cool. The legrests come up to make a flat area. Now all I need is an empty row...

http://www.businessinsider.com/how-are-airlines-making-economy-class-flights-more-comfortable-2015-6

https://player.vimeo.com/video/89352263

Family buys no stuff for a year

I thought this was interesting. It helps though when you already have a lot of stuff. I notice it didn't stop them from going to Disneyland.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3240832/The-family-decided-buy-year-two-young-children-didn-t-notice.html

The million mile Lexus LS400

"I get a call from Rob Ferretti of Super Speeders, who is also the devil when it comes to fun ideas."

"A quick note on the LS’s 1UZ-FE V8 engine: The 4.0L V8 has a six-bolt main and is the only automotive engine of the era to be FAA rated."

http://www.autoblog.com/2015/09/18/what-million-mile-cars-really-tell-us-opinion/

http://www.thesmokingtire.com/2014/matt-just-bought-a-900000-mile-lexus-ls400/

VW caught rigging emissions tests

Wow. This is really shocking that they would go to those lengths to fool the test.

"It totally goes against all of the marketing they have had of a clean diesel," Sullivan said in an interview. "That’s one of the biggest selling points for Volkswagen."

And I thought it was sneaky when video drivers would detect when benchmarks would run and behave differently.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/cars/2015/09/18/epa-accuses-volkswagen-audi-evading-emission-laws/72400018/

Star Trek the computer game

If you're really old school, you'd remember the Star Trek game where you typed in angles to shoot Klingons.

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/05/03/antique_code_show_star_trek/

Do your own passport pictures

Do your own passport pictures. Sure you can pay $13 but where's the fun in that?

Step #1: take a picture. It's best if you're in front of a white background.

Step #2: crop your head and upper torso. Most paint programs will allow you to select a square area by holding down the shift key while you drag the selection rectangle. If your head isn't centered, just make another selection.

Step #3: after cropping, resize to 2000x2000 pixels. That makes it 1000 pixels per inch for a 2" by 2" print.

Make sure that the head isn't smaller than 1000 pixels and isn't bigger than 1375 pixels. (Between 1 and 1 3/8" inch) If it's too large or small, recrop it.

Step #4: duplicate the picture 3 times horizontally and 2 times vertically. You may need to add some canvas area to the picture to do this. You should now have a 6000x4000 picture (3 pictures across and 2 down).

Step #5: go to the 1 hour photo place and print it as a 4x6.

Step #6: cut out the picture. I have a nice little mini "Creative Memories Personal Trimmer Paper Cutter" that works pretty well.

Some of the Kodak photo kiosk machines have a special function to do most of these steps, I remember using that a long time ago.

I'd like it if my digital camera could do this all "in the camera." It'll do all these other fancy things like panoramas etc, why not passport pictures? Have a mode with an overlay circle to frame your head in and then do an automatic crop.

One of these days I'm gonna figure out how to write a HTML5 canvas javascript application to do this.

Nick Saban's Signature Benz Sprinter Van

Got $200,000? Nick Saban's got just the van for you.

"Saban told guests he didn't design the vehicle; he left that up to the experts."

http://www.campusrush.com/campus-clicks-draymond-green-nick-saban-1342424842.html

http://www.al.com/business/index.ssf/2015/09/nick_saban_collaborates_with_a.html

Drive Thru Robot Prank

I like the way it lights up red when it's angry.

"That's new technology right there y'all. We're about to have it driving and everything."

BlaBlaCar a French car sharing service

“If we can fill empty car seats when people are driving, then we can change transportation globally,” said Nicolas Brusson, a co-founder of BlaBlaCar, whose name is based on how chatty people are when sharing journeys.

If passengers do not want to talk during the trip, they can mark in their profiles that they are only “Bla,” to indicate that they are not looking for much conversation. Or they can go a full “BlaBlaBla” when they are happy to chatter throughout the trip.

http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/09/16/blablacar-a-french-ride-sharing-start-up-is-valued-at-1-4-billion/

The End of Absence by Michael Harris

"Harris notes that we are the last generation that will have known life both before and after the digital revolution, with its promise of instant connection with anyone and everything, anywhere."

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/book-review-the-end-of-absence-whats-lost-in-a-connected-world-by-michael-harris/2014/08/15/8ff0721c-05e7-11e4-bbf1-cc51275e7f8f_story.html

Atari Lynx Development System "Pinky and Mandy"

I love to see "digital archaeology": technology that was cutting edge at one time and is now largely forgotten. Here's a writeup about the Atari Lynx development system Pinky and Mandy and the Amiga software that worked with it.

https://atarilynxdeveloper.wordpress.com/2014/05/16/epyx-development-kit-part-2-pinky-and-mandy/

https://atarilynxdeveloper.wordpress.com/

Stealth B52 bomber electric bike

This electric bike is really fast, able to keep up with cars at 80km/h top speed (49.7 miles per hour.) I don't recommend copying how he rides the bike, sooner or later he's going to get into an accident. It sure looks like fun. (Warning: some bad language in the video)



http://www.stealthelectricbikes.com/stealth-b-52-bomber/

Smart Basketball for your smart phone

For only $200, you can have a smart basketball.

The ball has a Bluetooth radio, low-power processor, and three-axis accelerometer inside of it, and it uses machine learning and some proxy processing by the cloud and a connected phone to calculate shot percentage and the shooter’s distance from the hoop.

http://www.wired.com/2015/09/wilsons-new-smart-basketball-magically-tracks-stats/

It's ben modified - electric motorcyle with pedals

I guess you'd call it an electric moped. Pretty awesome. I'll bet it's the fastest moped ever.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r_RY1_ptw2E

Volvo Electric Bus - Route 55 in Gothenburg

I like the driver's cab where they sit in the center.

http://www.busandcoachbuyer.com/volvo-electricity/

http://www.gizmag.com/electricity-gothenburg-volvo-electric-bus/37406/

Museum of Obsolete Media

Pretty soon, everything's going to be obsolete...

http://www.obsoletemedia.org/galleries/rom-cartridges-and-cards/

http://www.obsoletemedia.org/welcome/about/

Electric Bus goes 258 miles

Electric bus made by ex-Tesla employee drives 258 miles on a single charge

“The purpose-driven Catalyst design affords the best efficiency rating ever for a 40-foot transit bus, at 22 MPG equivalent.”

http://www.treehugger.com/public-transportation/electric-bus-made-ex-tesla-employee-drives-258-miles-single-charge.html

Toroidion electric hypercar from Finland

A small Finnish automaker is producing an electric car that has so much horsepower that it makes a Tesla look like a go-cart.

The Toroidion 1MW, billed as a 100% electric "hypercar," boasts 1,341 horsepower, butterfly doors and a retro design.

http://money.cnn.com/2015/05/06/autos/toroidion-1mw-electric-car/

“A car cannot just sit in a garage or in a collection, then it’s like a caged animal,” states Pennanen. “It should be driven.”

http://www.goodnewsfinland.com/feature/finland-s-one-of-a-kind-electric-hyper-car/

Cars so unique there is only one

http://www.odometer.com/rides/3942/17-cars-so-unique-there-is-only-one

Star Wars Poetry

The symmetry of scenes in the Star Wars movies

http://www.theverge.com/2015/9/11/9309335/see-the-star-wars-scenes-shared-between-the-two-trilogies

And from the Mr. Plinkett reviews of Star Wars Episode 2 part 9 regarding similar scenes
(warning: Plinkett reviews are R-rated due to bad language and content)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iq0wv2ossJU

Smartphone controlled shoe inserts

Just what everyone needs: temperature controlled shoe inserts. Freezing cold? These will heat your toes up to 104 degrees.

http://www.cnet.com/news/smart-insole-promises-to-stop-stinky-feet/

Your very own Batcave

I don't know if Batman would wait 2 minutes for the garage to open...

http://www.digitaltrends.com/home/mansions-garage-is-basically-an-underground-batcave/

Smartphone autorefractor

An autorefractor based on a smartphone.

https://smartvisionlabs.com/

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/revolutionary-new-smartphone-based-autorefractor-expedites-optometry-practice-flow-and-expands-community-reach-300139571.html

2016 leaf now gets 107 miles per charge

The new 2016 Leaf can go 107 miles on a charge with a 30 kwh battery.


http://www.theverge.com/2015/9/10/9300693/2016-nissan-leaf-electric-range

http://www.forbes.com/sites/brookecrothers/2015/09/11/the-ev-evolved-2016-nissan-leafs-107-mile-range-vs-2016-chevy-volt/

The shifter on the Leaf is kind of interesting.

2016 prius

http://www.autoblog.com/2015/09/09/2016-toyota-prius-official-photos/

The new prius looks like it's squinting.

I swear I must live in the prius capital of the world. I see those things everywhere.

The rabbit who wants to fall asleep

"I can make anyone fall asleep."

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/science/science-news/11803484/Bedtime-phenomenon-scientist-develops-book-to-send-children-to-sleep-in-minutes.html

Moving sidewalk to replace train?

Architecture company NBBJ thinks it can replace the 17-mile Circle Line loop running beneath central London with a moving sidewalk that would have three lanes, with the slowest moving at around 3 miles per hour and the fastest track moving at about 15 miles per hour right in the middle.

I kind of like the moving walkway (or Travelator) at SFO.

At 15 mph, what could go wrong?

http://bgr.com/2015/09/08/london-subway-circle-line/

This scientist thinks that moving walkways actually slow you down.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/science/science-news/5836445/Using-the-airport-moving-walkways-actually-slows-you-down.html

Patriots and suspicions

Interesting read.

http://www.si.com/nfl/2015/09/08/patriots-cheating-suspicions-bill-belichick-tom-brady

Officer I.B. Gettin

Every time I think about the name "I.B. Gettin" it makes me laugh.

http://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/Officer-B-Gettin-a-new-job-after-buying-2128033.php

Awesome LED keyboard

I want it...

http://techreport.com/news/28996/quick-fire-xti-backlit-animated-keys-ensure-no-work-gets-done

Petcube

The petcube. A 2 way camera and speaker that allows you to monitor your pets from afar. It's even got a laser so they can chase a laser dot.

And even if you don't have a petcube camera, you can use the app to play with someone else's pets, all over the world.

"It's pretty much the best thing ever created."

"You are solving a real problem, because there are not enough cat videos on the Internet."

What's next? The people-cube?

https://petcube.com/

P2P car sharing service Getaround in Chicago

Most privately owned vehicles in the U.S. sit parked more than 90 percent of the day, according to a study by the Transportation Research Board. There are far better uses for the land occupied by idle vehicles, urban planners have long said.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/hilkevitch/ct-car-sharing-getting-around-met-0810-20150810-column.html

Nitrosomonas Eutropha instead of a shower

The chairman of the company’s board of directors, Jamie Heywood, lathers up once or twice a month and shampoos just three times a year. The most extreme case is David Whitlock, the M.I.T.-trained chemical engineer who invented AO+. He has not showered for the past 12 years.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/25/magazine/my-no-soap-no-shampoo-bacteria-rich-hygiene-experiment.html

Woman lives on train - modern day nomad

Leonie buys a £240 monthly season ticket to travel on any train, which is slightly cheaper than the £290-a-month rent she was paying.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-3208621/Woman-23-sick-landlords-gives-permanent-abode-live-TRAIN-says-s-like-vacation-time.html

Super tiny TV box

Incredibly small TV box. It looks more like a USB charger than a tiny computer.

Amlogic S805 quad-core ARM Cortex-a5 processor with Mali-450 graphics

http://liliputing.com/2015/09/cx-s500-is-an-incredibly-compact-tv-box-and-a-mi-box-mini-clone.html

FCA wants to merge with GM

Fiat-Chrysler would like to merge with GM. GM not so thrilled about the idea.

"There are varying degrees of hugs. I can hug you nicely, I can hug you tightly, I can hug you like a bear, I can really hug you."

http://www.autonews.com/article/20150830/INDUSTRY_ON_TRIAL/308319981/marchionne-puts-the-squeeze-on-gm;-gms-response:-why-bail-out-fca?

http://www.forbes.com/sites/joannmuller/2015/08/30/would-fcas-sergio-marchionne-really-try-to-force-gm-into-a-merger/

"Cool Dad" lets 15 year old drive - tragedy results

Prison for ‘cool dad’ who let 15-year-old daughter drive SUV in deadly crash


http://nypost.com/2015/08/20/prison-for-cool-dad-who-let-15-year-old-daughter-drive-suv-in-deadly-crash/

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2015/08/20/dad-sentenced-prison-unlicensed-daughters-crash/32070221/

Student loses license, gets a Barbie Jeep

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/students-new-ride-after-dwi-arrest-a-barbie-jeep/

How an insurance company is trying to craft eyewear of the future

How an insurance company is trying to craft eyewear of the future

He removed a small black panel, revealing to me what he said are the brains of the Genesis. This included an accelerometer, a Bluetooth chip, a gyroscope, a magnetometer, a CPU and a small 32mAh battery that's said to last about three days between charges. Right now, all it does is track your steps, calories burned, activity time and distance traveled, similar to what a Fitbit and other activity trackers already do.

http://www.engadget.com/2015/09/04/vsp-project-genesis/

Car stereo theft : a dying crime

Car Stereo theft: a dying crime

Washington, D.C., police officer Mark Lakomec has seen a dramatic difference on the street. For 10 years, his job has been to spot stolen cars, which he does two to three times a night. In the 1990s, he said, every stolen car was missing the stereo. These days, he says thieves will take just about anything — umbrellas, sunglasses, even motor oil — but they leave the radio.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=101998015

And how about this story about a guy who decided to steal his friend's VCR...

I like this comment from "Dr. Emmett Brown":

"This joker could have disrupted the whole timeline by going back to 1985 to steal that VCR."

http://wtvr.com/2014/01/01/va-man-arrested-for-stealing-friends-vcr-food/

World's biggest arcade machine

It makes me laugh seeing him try to reach the controls.


https://www.yahoo.com/tech/the-worlds-largest-arcade-machine-is-taller-than-128219514694.html

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/technology-video/11840502/Gaming-giants-huge-arcade-machine-and-highest-paid-gamer-feature-in-Guinness-World-Record.html

Mad Max Fury Road spray

Finally saw Mad Max Fury Road yesterday and was baffled by the part where the Warboys spray themselves with what looks like spray paint and yell "Witness!"

What is that stuff? It's some kind of food spray.

http://nerdist.com/mad-max-fury-road-fans-leave-the-best-reviews-for-wiltons-edible-silver-mist/

You can also see it in the Honest Trailer review of Fury Road.

Stop Drinking Thai Ads

Disney's Magicband

Disney’s $1 Billion Bet on a Magical Wristband

It’s amazing how much friction Disney has engineered away: There’s no need to rent a car or waste time at the baggage carousel. You don’t need to carry cash, because the MagicBand is linked to your credit card.

Everything's frictionless when your wallet is open...

http://www.wired.com/2015/03/disney-magicband/

Somehow, this makes me think of a dystopian future, where your location and activity is known at all times:

25 terrible design elements of great cars

http://uk.complex.com/sports/2013/05/25-terrible-design-elements-of-great-cars/

This list made me laugh. 10 points if you understand the reference to the "lollipop guild".

Remote Control Lawnmower

There's a cool remote control lawnmower on hackaday.



This reminded me of the movie "Maximum Overdrive."



According to wikipedia, the lawnmower in the movie went out of control and injured the Director of Photography. One of the comments on hackaday warns about RF interference from the gas mower ignition systems. So be careful with your remote control power tools!