Apartment Therapy Unplugged - Archive for the week of 2008-10-26

Final Frame: Have a High Tech Halloween

Get out there and terminate. [image via maddoxcomputersystems.com] ...

Upcoming Technology: Double Pane LCD Screens

Soon, you'll be able to see on both sides of an LCD panel. What's the use? Well, there are a bunch of uses, like computer screens, cell phones and display screens. These types of screens permit the ov...

Make BIG Posters From Little Images for Free

You can have instant monster wall art for free! Caveat Emptor: The quality of the finished product is only as good as your printer specifications and your patience with the assembly. If your style is ...

DIY: Spooky Swann Security System, Part 3

What better way to be prepared for those Halloween hooligans than to have a security system installed? Forget the candy, you can just hang back and watch the little childrens' frustration as they fru...

iLamp: Using An Old iBook As Lighting

What can you do with your old laptop? Well, if you have an old iBook, then you could use it for lighting. German T did so by using an old iBook of his. The result is pretty impressive, making the iBoo...

Best. Costume. Ever.

Hope your Halloween trick-or-treaters coming to your home tonight are as cool as this tech-mech getup, a DIY affair created by parent 2wicky (he mentions plans will be uploaded soon so you can follow...

Microsoft SideSight Could Make Touching More Feasible on Small Screens

Touchscreens are all the rage these days -- iPhone, Blackberry Storm, Motorola's Krave -- but the problem with touchscreens is that they bulk up your phone considerably. When you're going to touch, y...

Onkyo: Cheap, Yet Excellent THX 7.1 Home Theater In A Box

What's in a good sound system? A decent receiver? A powerful subwoofer? Crisp and clear satellites? My neighbor just recently bought a new Onkyo system and we decided to demo the system together and m...

Researchers Find that Hole Punched Walls May Be Better Soundproofing

Who knew that having swiss cheese walls would actually help with noise reduction. A story published in New Scientist reports that researchers at the Polytechnic University of Valencia have discovered...

Crafty Netbook Sleeves from House of Adeline

If you're looking for a more crafty, handmade looking laptop sleeve for your Asus Eee, MSI Wind, Dell Inspiron Mini, Lenovo Ideapad, Acer Aspire One or HP 2133 (phew, that was a lot of models), you mi...

Look! Fire Extinguisher Speakers

Whoa! You have to check out this set of DIY speakers. We are definitely big on the DIY projects here at unplggd, speakers included, but these rusty old fire extinguishers are certainly on another le...

Free Gamer's Cross-Stitch Pattern

Got a diehard gamer or two in our household? Why not spruce of their gaming den with a bit of old fashioned cross stitch pattern decoration with a free cross-stitch pattern download from The Domestic ...

AT wants to fund these classrooms! LAST DAY!

Can you give $5? This is it. We're in the home stretch of AT's Donors Choose Challenge. AT is currently in 2nd place in our division with $4,140 total raised! We still want to raise $2,060 to fully...

Blogging... Wired Magazine's 2008 Fall Gadgets Review

Just thought we'd pass this one along to those looking with gadgets and technology on their wishlists this coming holiday season. The smartest consumer is one that's well-informed, right? Wired just r...

The Mac-O-Lantern: Now in a Throw Pillow

If you missed our post on how to create your own Mac-O-Lantern, you should definitely check it out. Turning an old Mac computer into a Halloween decoration is a cool and creative way to show your geek...

Final Frame: The Outdoor Office

Looking out the window of the office today at the cold, beating rain, I think to myself how nice this would be.... -via cake.group's flickr (Photo by Sebastian Meyer/Getty Images) ...

OneLessDesk: Sleek, Svelte, Strong Computer Workspace

A little while ago Range wrote about 5 aesthetically compatible desk and computer combinations. We'd like to add the Heckler Design OneLessDesk as another great space saving workspace solution for tho...

DIY Wood Flash Drive: Make You Own Great Looking Cheap Wooden USB Drive

USB flash drives almost all look the same. Unless you tinker with them, or try to hide them inside a pink eraser, it's hard to find them in something else but a nondescript plastic enclosure. It's pos...

Blogging the NY Times: A DIY Home Security System Install

Over the past little while, I have been doing a lot of renovation work on my house. Even though I am comfortable tearing down a wall or two and rebuilding from scratch, I have always thought that thin...

3D Laser Printed Quin Lamp

We eagerly await the day when laser printing 3D items will become as common as your everyday inkjet printer and we too can create immensely beautiful items like this dodecahedron lamp made by Californ...

What Do You Want In A Netbook?

Okay, so we may have been a little harsh on the netbooks lately. There has to be plenty of room for growth in the field and computers such as the Asus Eee have done a great job paving the way for the ...

Hot or Not? Soft Refrigerator Concept

No, that's not an expandable closet...it's actually a soft form fridge concept. Here's a description from the designer himself: Folding configuration offers convenient portability and deformable sto...

Survey: Do You Take Advantage of Credit Card Reward Programs?

Today we discovered we had a ton of points via our credit card reward program. We automatically thought, "OMG! We can go shopping!!!" We've been holding off on purchases for a while now, what with th...

Conference Space Loaded with Téchor Ideas

The other day we were at the megaplex getting ready to watch the horror flick Quarantine when an advertisement for the theater came up on the big screen selling the use of the space as an offsite conf...

Crashing Economy Means HDTV Buying Opportunities Ahead

While the stock markets continue downwards in a very depressing manner, you may enjoy hearing this teensy bit of good news. If you're in the market for a flat panel TV, there's no better time to buy o...

Caps Lock Trainer Key: Never Shout Online Again

NOW HERE'S A FUNNY LITTLE CONTRAPTION. TWO 14 GAGUE 10 MILLIMETER SPIKES ON THE SURFACE OF A CAPS LOCK KEY. Whoops, was I shouting? We have all seen it before. In blog comments, on forums. Either some...

Why Should You Use VOIP Instead of a Landline

A lot of people might be wondering why you need to use VOIP instead of a traditional landline. VOIP has become extremely popular, thanks to Skype, a service that lets you use your computer to talk to ...

DIY Kit Shows You What Life Would Be Like If House Plants Could Type

Here at Unplggd, we're all about talking in first person plural how technology can help you manage and enjoy a beautiful and welcoming home. And if you read the post about the creepy Plantbot that m...

Final Frame: Art From Browser Loading Glitches

When Myspace goes awry, all that is left is amusing Technicolorific digital art. Makes us want to crash our browsers more often. [photo via fffound!]...

Ooma: One Time Fee VOIP Service

There are a multitude of VOIP systems out there. It's hard to make a choice. Ooma was launched last year and is a one-time fee VOIP service that actually has a really good looking handset. Plus there ...

Re(al)view: Oral-B Pulsonic Power Toothbrush

When it comes to dental hygiene, we've become big proponents of electric toothbrushes for a variety of reasons. Though there have been studies showing that when used properly, both traditional manual ...

Online: 8 Cool Organizer Tools to Print For Free

Every Geek's Dream: The No Exercise, Calorie Burning Hobart I-Cool Chair

Somewhere between "WTF?" and "OMFG!" lives the concept of the Hobart I-Cool seat. Looking like a rejected extra from the Transformers flick, this concept from Padwa Design claims calorie burning abil...

Roundup: Stylish and Functional Flashlights

We have all been there, well at least I have. The power goes out, it's dark and you can't remember where you put the flashlight. The next few minutes are then spent fumbling around in the dark and hop...

Survey: How Do You Backup Your Files?

As the terabyte gradually drops to the magical $100 by the end of the year, there's little room for excuses to not have a backup plan in case your machine decides to suddenly go *kablow* (believe me, ...

Sanyo ALBO: A Digital Picture Frame With Retro Looks

Modern televisions look better when they are housed in retro styled cases. Forget the black or silver shiny plastic frames, they all just end up looking the same. When you see something like the Brio...

In Case You Missed It: AT:Chicago's Media Stand Roundup

Searching for that perfect media stand sometimes feels as difficult as finding the perfect television. That's why we're here to help! Just yesterday, Sarah from AT:Chicago blogged about a collection o...

Screen2: A Great Way To Extend The Life Of Your Mobile Phone

Haven't you always wanted a bigger screen on your mobile phone? Most cell phones need to find a balance between size and portability. It's not always best to have big screens on them. There are also t...

Look! Floor to Ceiling Audiophile Wet Dream

We saw this on Flickr and didn't even know what the majority of the stereo equipment was in the photo. Naturally we had to know so we emailed Thomas and found out what he's got going on in his living...

Homethinking Finds You A Familiar Neighborhood In a New City

Moving to a new city, especially if you're being relocated because of work or another situation where you feel like you're lacking total control of where to go, is a tough situation full of plenty of ...

Final Frame: R2D2 Gets Squashed!

As Halloween approaches we're finding more and more geeky pumpkin ideas, whether it's the Xbox 360 red ring of death, digital jack-o-lanterns made out of old Macs, or this masterful carving of R2D2. ...

Wireless iPod iPhone Dock: Freeing Your Speakers of Wires

Usually most iPod and iPhone docks incorporate some form of attached speakers. They are either built into the dock or tethered to it with wires. American designer Victor Vetterlein decided that our iP...

aud-o-matic's DIY Media Center

Check out that entertainment center up above. Looks like something you'd find offered at one of numerous stylish furnishing retailers...except this one was created in DIY fashion! AT reader aud-o-mati...

Archos: TV+ Is Part Set-Top Box, Part WiFi DVR

Apple may have been a little early with the introduction of their Apple TV unit, but that doesn't mean the entire industry could grow into that niche a few years later. In comes the Archos TV+, an all...

Donut Shaped Power Strip: A Better Way of Charging Your Gadgets

Power strips are usually near the heart of our gadget-centered lives. All our gizmos need power in order to work. Most of them need to be recharged. Most power strips are cumbersome and problematic, e...

The Neat Freak's Dream: Out of Sight Out of Mind Desk

We think we're in love with something not (yet) real: the “Out of Sight Out of Mind” (OSOM) table concept. The task desk is an organizing, neat freak's dream of a workspace, offering storage for j...

North Face E-Tip Gloves: Use Your iPhone in the Cold While Keeping Your Fingers Warm

It's getting chilly, and judging by the number of times the iPhone comes up around here it's pretty clear that gloves and iPhones are going to start meeting. Problem is that you need to take your glo...

A House With Legs -- And It Knows How to Use Them!

Sometimes we get tired of looking out the window and seeing the same concrete landscape, but we can't afford a weekend home to change things up. That said, if we lived in this concept we wouldn't h...

Survey: Do You Still Use a Typewriter?

This one caught us by surprise. A recent article in the LA Times actually talked about US Office Machine Co., a family run repair shop, having a small resurgence....in repairing typewriters. Is it no...

Roundup: Top 5 Ultraportable Powerhouse Notebooks

We've been keeping a keen eye on this whole "netbook" trend. Tiny computers with no optical drives and only 2 USB slots for less than half a grand - perfect for typing, right? Well, word to the wise, ...

DIY: Make Free iPhone Stands with Recycled Packaging

Our cell phones really are taking over our lives. When we posted about taking your laptop on travels, we got feedback that many people leave their notebook at home and use their phone for impromptu We...

Final Frame: Old School Retro Calculators

Remember those old calculators? Almost all of us have had contact with these old machines. Through our fathers, mothers, brothers or even ourselves. Don't they just look good? Large buttons and displa...

Green Ideas: A Cork Covered Power Strip To Save Electricity

We think that everyone is starting to realize that leaving your gadgets plugged in when they aren't in use isn't good. It costs you money. Here at Unplggd, we want you to unplug your gadgets to save m...

8 Tips to Keep Your Laptop Safe On Holiday Travels

We're all sliding into the end of the year and making plans to drive, fly and ride on trains to visit family for Thanksgiving and the holidays. But before you pack your last scarf, make sure that you'...

LED Illuminated Clock: Clock Simulates Pixels With 300 LEDs

There are no two ways about it. Using LEDs in modern clocks just makes them look better and brighter. But what about if you like the look and feel of old clocks and you don't care much for those large...

Green Idea: Automatic Switch Means You Will Never Leave the Lights On Again

Not the prettiest light switch we have ever seen, but we can definitely get behind the idea of saving electricity while minimizing the effort to do so. Targeted for homeowners that are not comfortable...

Survey: Apple vs Dell Display Showdown

Well, well. Looks like Apple decided to finally update their Cinema line, eh? Dell doesn't seem too impressed. Heck, they're probably laughing about how it took Apple 3 years to add an integrated webc...

Ford Designs Car Key for Strict Parents

If you currently drive, we're sure you remember what it was like when you were young and first got your license. Speed limits were for old fogies and the volume knob on the stereo couldn't go high en...

Henry Desktop Vacuum: World Cutest Desktop Vacuum

We're trying very, very hard to beat a bad habit of eating while working on the new computer. Although it was manageable and fairly easy to clean an external keyboard with the desktop, keeping the lap...

How To: Make Your Digital Photos Look Like Polaroids

Who said that Polaroid is dead? Ok, we did, but even though you can't get the film or the cameras anymore doesn't mean you can't replicate the unique polaroid look. If you are looking for another opti...

Look! X-Ray Lamp Sans The Radiation

While most of us don't really dream of going back to the ER for x-rays, those looking to add a more industrious look to their homes will surely enjoy these lovely looking twists on lampshades by desig...

New (Free!) iPhone App Lets You Beam Photos and Contacts to Other iUsers

Remember when business types got all excited when they could beam contact information to each other via their phones using infrared. It was the digital version of giving someone your bidness card. So...

Hanger Skype Phone: Great Design Helps Tech Stick

We have a friend living in London temporarily, but long enough that she got a new London cell and a new London phone number. Both of those things make it a pain (an expensive pain) to call her up in t...

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