Month: November 2014

Remember the 90s, when we had videos on VHS to teach us about this new thing called the internet? Lucky for us, Andy Baio (@waxpancake) has preserved those tapes for the YouTube generation.

Baio’s whole playlist is six hours long, but might we suggest you start with "Internet Power! Volume 1"? Discover The World of Online Entertainment!

Don’t worry, the thrilling conclusion of "Internet Power! Volume 2" is available too (below). Baio goes into a lot more detail about how he digitalized the tapes, a project he actually started years ago, over at his blog. And we’re while doing hyperlinks (a concept explained in Volume 1), here’s the whole six-hour playlist again. [via Kottke]

via Gizmodo
And Here’s a Treasure Trove of 90s Videos About the Internet 

Not every app has a Settings menu that’s easily accessible. Sometimes, developers hide away debug menus, secret settings, and more. With them, you can unlock additional features or just get some crazy stats. Let’s take a look at some of the most useful among them.

Netflix Menus Unlock Statistics and Streaming Info

Netflix is great but it’s not without it’s problems. The buffering might be off, the playback might be slow, or the you might just have problems loading movies in general sometimes. The good news is that you can access a secret menu to help you with the problem.

On Windows, you can tap Shift+Alt+Left-Click (Shift+Option+Click on Mac) to load up the stream manager. This allows you to change your buffering or fix any sync issues.

On PS3 and XBox 360, you can access a secret menu by tapping in "Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, Up, Up, Up, Up" on your controller. You’ll pull up the hidden diagnostics page where you can log out, enable special settings, and more.

Unlock Hidden Menu Options in Windows with a Shift+Right-Click

Windows has a ton of different hidden menus accessible by tapping the Shift key when you right-click. Holding down the shift key can reveal extra options in the Send To menu like sending over to Dropbox, moving to the Desktop, and more. You can also instantly pin an app to the Start menu and open in a command window.

Access Hyperlapse’s Hidden Settings for Advanced Video Options

Instagram’s Hyperlapse app is a great way to make time-lapse videos, but it’s pretty short on actual settings. However, if you tap the screen four times with four fingers you’ll open up a secret menu where you can record in 1080P video, edit frame rate, and more.

Get Special Debug Menus In Address Book, iCal and Disk Utility

Three of Apple’s stock apps have hidden debug menus where you can enable experimental options. Most of these don’t work on Mavericks or Yosemite, but if you’re running an older OS you should be able to enable them with some Terminal commands:

Enable the debug menu in Address Book (doesn’t work in Yosemite):

defaults write com.apple.addressbook ABShowDebugMenu -bool true

Enable the debug menu in iCal (Doesn’t work in Mavericks or Yosemite):

defaults write com.apple.iCal IncludeDebugMenu -bool true

Enable the debug menu in Disk Utility:

defaults write com.apple.DiskUtility DUDebugMenuEnabled -bool true

and

defaults write com.apple.DiskUtility advanced-image-options -bool true

The Disk Utility tricks work perfectly fine in Yosemite and Mavericks, but the rest won’t.

Access the Hidden USB Menu on a Windows Phone

By default, you can’t get into the USB options screen on a Windows Phone. However, Windows Phone Central shows off a super simple way to access the hidden menu:

1. Launch Bing or Cortana
2. Type in ‘USB’
3. Swipe left to ‘phone’
4. Tap Settings > USB

You won’t unlock a ton of options, but you can enable a handy "Notify me when I connect to slower charger" alert.

Access Secret Signal Strength Stats on iOS

If you don’t feel like the little dot indicators in iOS are useful in judging your cell signal, you can get to a hidden menu to get more information by simply dialing a phone number. Redmond Pie explains:

Step 1: Dial *3001#12345#* on your iPhone then press Call.

Step 2: You’ll now enter Field Test mode. You’ll notice a signal strength indicator on the upper left hand corner of your screen. You can toggle between signal strength bars and a number by simply taping on it. At this point, press the home button to exit the app or if you would like the feature to be permanent, continue on. Don’t worry, the process is completely reversible.

Step 3: Hold down on the Power button until you see the ‘slide to power off’ bar. Do not power off the device.

Step 4: Press down on the Home button until the app closes and you return to your home screen.

That’s it. Even when restarting the iPhone, the signal strength can be toggled between bars and numbers. The closer your number is to zero, the stronger your signal is.

Unless you’re a cellular wiz, then the menu itself probably isn’t that useful, but it’s still nice to know it’s there.

Load Up Apple’s Hidden Wi-Fi Diagnostics Tool

Tucked away inside OS X is hidden Wi-Fi Diagnostics Tool that can help you fix problems with your network. Loading it up is pretty easy:

1. Option-Click the Wi-Fi symbol in your menu bar.
2. Select "Open Wireless Diagnostics"

That’s it. The app will open up and you can check out a ton of stats about your network.

Access CrashPlan Logs

If you ever need to check out the error logs in CrashPlan, you can do so with their hidden menu. The process is pretty straightforward:

1. Open the CrashPlan app.
2. Double-click the CrashPlan logo in the upper-right.
3. Enter: getlogs

This is meant as a way to grab your logs to send to tech support, but you might find it useful if you’re ever troubleshooting yourself.

Unlock a Ton of Options with iTerm’s Secret Settings

iTerm is our favorite terminal emulator on Mac and it just so happens that you can enable a ton of new settings from the command line. There are way too many settings to list here, but here are a couple of our favorites:

To preserve whitespace in selections copied to the pasteboard:

defaults write com.googlecode.iterm2 TrimWhitespaceOnCopy -bool false

To change the number of paste history entries saved:

defaults write com.googlecode.iterm2 MaxPasteHistoryEntries -int 20

Head over to iTerm’s hidden settings page for a bunch more information.

Chrome’s Flags and Firefox’s About:Config

Both Chrome and Firefox have special settings where you can enable a ton of hidden features. In Chrome, you can access it by typing in chrome://flags to the URL bar to get to the experimental features screen and in Firefox you can type in about:config. Both of these have far too many features to list here, but it’s worth poking around in the browser of your choice to unlock some cool hidden settings and menus.

Photos by Venimo, OpenClips.

via Gizmodo
How to Unlock Hidden Settings In Your Favorite Software

Last Friday you saw the SR-71 Blackbird cockpit in glorious ultra-HD. Veteran Blackbird pilot Richard Graham explains how the cockpit actually works in this fascinating video filmed inside the cockpit. Lots of technical words, but seeing him moving around inside that tight cockpit is really cool.

Top image: Lockheed Martin photo of Brian Shul flying the Blackbird.

Thanks to reader Ztex for the heads up.

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via Gizmodo
SR-71 Blackbird pilot explains how the cockpit works from the inside

The oldest lightbulb in continuous use was installed before the Wright Brothers took flight, is 110 years old, and is still as beautiful as the day she was born. In fact, it’s likely the oldest electrical device in continuous use period. Take a moment and consider just how much the world has changed around this one, singular device.

It was a hot summer evening in Livermore, California in 1901 and the band concert across the street was just about to conclude, but the fire captain had an announcement. The Fire Department Hose Cart House on L Street had just installed a new modern technological marvel, one of the first electric carbon lightbulbs in town and invited anyone curious to stop by and witness this new invention. This was the "Improved Incandescent Lamp" was the lightbulb of choice and it was an incredible design. In many cities the Fire Departments were motivating people to consider using this relatively new invention for safety. And of course this came by years of heartbreaking experience.

A lost era when companies had so much pride about who they were, where they were and what they built.

Genius Inventor

This amazing light bulb was invented by Adolphe A. Chaillet and manufactured by the Shelby Electric Company. The beautiful handblown glass bulb with a uniquely shaped carbon filament beamed a consistent ~10 watts (perhaps more). This light bulb has been turned on ever since, over 40,150 days. The only rest she took was for about 7 days during a renovation and the random power outages over the decades. She always woke up.

You can check in on how she is doing, still proudly casting her light and reporting for duty for the last 110 years at this live webcam.

Bad For Business

Known as the Centennial Light, the Livermore Fire department is really quite proud of the bulb and the built to last American engineering and manufacturing that went into it. Sadly Adolphe’s superior lightbulb design and the Shelby Electric Company did not survive for a number of reasons.

One of the many reasons tweets would not work in 1901.

Some suggest that it was a plan of planned obsolescence that was taking over the industry that finally drew the end of Adolphe’s design. Some may suggest that the Shelby technology did not survive because in some way it was inefficient or high wattage or bright light was not possible. This is not the case at all. When the Shelby bulb was installed in 1901 it was brighter then a standard Edison bulb. Shelby also had bulbs of up to 60 watts in 1901 with color tonality of light orange to almost bright white this was far better then any other product.

Shelby was sold in a roll-up of a vast majority of Lightbulb companies in the United States. The National Electric Lamp Association a division of the General Electric Company purchased the Shelby Electric Company and with-in a year stopped all production on Adolphe A. Chaillet amazing design.

Still Here

The many advancements Adolphe made are lost to the sands of time. The exact processes may not have been saved, his knowledge is gone. Although there were three tantalizing patents issued in his life, they do not explain how he made his amazing carbon filament. What Adolphe really created was almost erased from popular history.

Yet this 110 year old light bulb is proof of what one person can achieve. It’s very existence proudly states, I am still here. It is proof that there is far more to all technologies then we can ever imagine. It is proof that true history matters. If only to pay tribute to the genius that got us so very far.

This proud 110 year old girl elegantly reminds us of all of the past, present and future Adolphe A. Chaillet’s of the world.

My deepest wish is that this light never goes out and can be contemplated perhaps a thousand years from now. May she serve as a living reminder of how we can make even the most simple useful things heroically beautiful.

The world may change and still she glows.

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What is the oldest lightbulb in continuous use? originally appeared on Quora. You can follow Quora onTwitter, Facebook, and Google+.

This answer has been lightly edited for grammar and clarity.

via Gizmodo
The 110 Year-Old Light Bulb That’s Never Been Turned Off

You have a beautiful business plan in your head. Find out how to get it out, and onto paper where you can execute it.
via Business Opportunities Weblog
50+ Business Plan Resources: Software, Templates, Tools

It’s no secret that Gizmodo loves Milky Way time-lapses. They’re an awe-inspiring fixture on the internet we can’t help but highlight. But astrophotographer (jealous of that job title) Ian Norman wants to transform us from just casual observers into active creators.

Published on his lovely website, Lonely Speck, Norman describes step-by-step what any aspiring astrophotographer must do to create the internet gold that us space geeks love. Norman lists several resources including websites that hunt down locations with little to no light pollution, mobile star guides to help locate the Milky Way, and specific camera settings to make sure you capture everything perfectly.

Norman also spends nearly half the video hand-holding you through post-production in Lightroom and After Effects, showing how to stitch hundreds (or maybe even thousands) of images together into one fluid video. This isn’t a tutorial for the slightly curious. You will, at the very least, need to make a serious equipment investment if you want professional results, but you can stem some cost by just going the fixed camera route instead of the motion time-lapse described by Norman. Either way, the end results seem satisfying, and it’s also a great excuse to get out in the wilderness, even if you’re not the hiking type (like me.) If you happen to be in the more amateur category and all this required equipment has you spooked, take a look at Norman’s detailed guide on how to snap your first pic of the galaxy.

And in case you needed more convincing, here’s a great, trippy example of a Milky Way time-lapse over Everest posted on Vimeo just yesterday. Pretty cool, right? [Lonely Speck via PetaPixel]

second video via Alex Rivest/Vimeo

via Gizmodo
Learn How to Make Milky Way Time-Lapses in About 20 Minutes

If you’re making a dish with lots of eggs (custard, quiche), cracking one at a time isn’t efficient. Crack two at a time with some smashing and bashing.

We’ve covered how to crack an egg with one hand, but over at food blog Serious Eats they’ve added another cracking tip. Take an egg in each hand and crack them on the side of the bowl at the same time. It takes some getting used to. If you crack too hard, you’ll get eggshell in the bowl (we’ve got a fix for that, though). A sharp focused tap is what you need to get the job done.

How to Crack Eggs Like a Badass | Serious Eats

via Lifehacker
Double Down on Egg Cracking with the “Smash and Bash” Method

I still get the chills when I re-read Brian Shul’s account of his flight against enemy SAM batteries over Lybia. Imagine yourself tightly packed inside that amazing retro-futuristic SR-71 Blackbird cockpit with the alarms sounding off. This cool 360-degree virtual reality view will help.

Expand and pinch to zoom the images (only works on desktop browsers.)

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via Gizmodo
Amazing ultra-high definition photo of the SR-71 Blackbird cockpit

Want to know how all the complex systems work in your car? Turn to these fantastic videos made by the carmakers themselves.

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10.) How Drum Brakes Work, From Chevy

Chevrolet produced many of these great instructional films in the 1930s. This one explains how drum brakes work with fantastic visual aids.

Suggested By: ranwhenparked

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9.) Jeep Explains When And How 4WD Works

This video is specific to Jeep’s Selec-Trac system on the Liberty, but is still a great explainer for how four-wheel drive works and when to use it.

Suggested By: Boombayadda

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8.) How Differentials Work, From Chevy

Want to know why your car needs a differential and how that differential works? Once again, we turn to the great videos from Chevrolet produced by the Jam Handy Organization back in the 1930s.

Suggested By: Raphael Orlove

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7.) How To Heel-Toe With Ayrton Senna & Honda

I don’t believe this video was intended to be instructional but any serious driver can certainly learn a thing or two watching Ayrton Senna thrash an NSX-R around Suzuka. Whoever decided to mount a foot camera to the NSX deserves a trophy.

Suggested By: Chris_K_F

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6.) How Suspension Works, From Chevy

This list has been heavy on 1930s Chevrolet videos, but there’s a very good reason for that. As always, great visuals are employed in showing how the springs and shocks in your car absorb the bumps in the road.

Suggested By: Jonee

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5.) How Automatic Transmissions Work

This video was produced by the Department of Defense which, I know, isn’t really what you’d call a carmaker. They were, however, a major driving force in the development of automatic transmissions. I simply couldn’t not include this video that explains the mystery of how they work. Spoiler alert: it’s not wizardry!

Suggested By: The Transporter

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4.) How Dual Clutch Transmissions Work, From Volvo

Dual clutch transmissions are becoming an increasingly large part of the automotive world, so this short, sweet video from Volvo Trucks is both excellent and timely. I’d imagine Porsche’s PDK explanation video would be 4 hours, not 40 seconds like this one.

Suggested By: Lumpy44

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3.) Studebaker Tells You Why Disc Brakes Are Better

Don’t know the difference between drum and disc brakes? You will within 7 seconds of this excellent video from Studebaker. As if you needed any more reason to want a Lark.

Suggested By: My X-type is too a real Jaguar

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2.) How Rotary Engines Work, From Mazda

Who else but Mazda to tell you how a Wankel Rotary engine works? Even if a Rotary isn’t really better than internal combustion as Mazda says, this is video is well worth your time.

Suggested By: DartzIRL

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1.) Carroll Shelby & Co. Teach You How To Race

Is there any better instructional video than Carroll Shelby, Ken Miles, Pete Brock, and Dan Gurney teaching you how to race? Add in Willow Springs Raceway as well as a Cobra, a Mustang GT350, and an early GT40 and you’ve got the best instructional video a carmaker has ever made.

Suggested By: schrodingers

Welcome back to Answers of the Day – our daily Jalopnik feature where we take the best ten responses from the previous day’s Question of the Day and shine it up to show off. It’s by you and for you, the Jalopnik readers. Enjoy!

Top Photo Credit: Volvo Trucks via YouTube

via Gizmodo
Ten Videos That Explain How Cars Work