Here’s a new track I composed last night. Relaxing ambient soundscape the ‘Colors of the Fall’. This Collection of Ambient Music is Perfect for your daily Meditation and Relaxation. Enjoy
Category Archives: Projects
Spotify Your Music Collection Is This The End Of iTunes
Spotify is no longer content to just compete with radio, now they’re competing with the idea of even owning music. Spotify is one of the best web services going. With an awesome free plan and an even better paid one, Spotify has edged out rivals such as Rdio to become the dominant music streaming service. Listening to music with Spotify used to be a slightly strange experience. While you could create playlists, it was a poor method for building a proper music collection like your iTunes library. Also, while you had access to thousands of artists, there was no easy way…
Read the full article: Spotify Your Music Collection: The End Of iTunes
(Via MakeUseOf.com.)
How to Downgrade from iOS 8 to iOS 7.1.2
If you’ve downloaded the iOS 8 and found some compatibility issues in your device, here’s a tutorial on how to downgrade to iOS 7.1.2. Are you still in the iOS 7 ecosystem? I also wrote about the 8 Things You Should Know Before Upgrading to iOS 8 to help you decide whether to stick with your current iOS or upgrade.
Honestly, I love the new and improved features of iOS 8, but for a few hours of testing it, one of the biggest caveats I found is that it drains my battery faster. The solution? I scouted the Internet for sources to revert to iOS 7.
Downgrading to iOS 7.1.2 is still possible as of press time, unless Apple stops signing the firmware file. So, better hurry, and keep in mind that performing the downgrade is at your own risk.
How to Configure Your Mac to Work with Google DNS or OpenDNS
There are a number of reasons why you should be using a third-party DNS server instead of the one provided by your Internet Service Provider. One of the main reasons is it speeds up your Internet connection. Getting a third-party DNS server, like Google DNS or OpenDNS, set up is fairly easy, and if you are one of those who own a Mac, you will be up and running within no time. Here’s how you can go about configuring your Mac to work with a third-party DNS server.
Although there may be a number of DNS servers available for the public to use, the guide below illustrates how you can use two of the popular DNS servers – Google DNS and OpenDNS – on your Mac. If you plan to use a server other than these two, then you can easily do so by just adding the server addresses of your DNS instead of the ones mentioned in the following guide.
Musician On A Budget MIDI Bass Pedals
Organ pedal boards have been around forever — they’re an easy way to multitask while playing the piano, organ, or even the guitar. [Ville] plays the electric guitar and wanted to give bass pedals a shot — the only problem is, the commercial versions are pretty pricey. So he decided to make his own temporary solution using an old MIDI keyboard he had lying around.
The beauty of this hack is it’s completely non-destructive — although you might find you like it so much you won’t want to take it apart! [Ville] started by marking out spacer keys using green cardboard. He then grouped together other sets of keys using tape and polystyrene sheets, which he recycled from a plastic waste bin. He then marked off each set of keys with the range of notes to program into the MIDI receiver — on a 49 key keyboard you get just a bit more than an octave of bass pedal keys! It’ll certainly do until you get your hands on a proper organ pedal unit.
From there it was just a matter of re-mapping the keys on the software end of things, and disabling the other unused keys. He offers a few different methods of doing this, including using VST plugins, and Pure Data — to which he’s provided a patch he made to simplify the process.
To see it in action, stick around after the break and hear [Ville] play One Hour Backwards on electric guitar.
(Via Hack a Day.)
Supercharge Your Dropbox
Dropbox is a powerful cloud service but it is more than just a website for online storage. Dropbox has many apps that work together with it to enhance your Dropbox experience. Besides automatically backing up your website to Dropbox, some of these apps or third party services will allow you to create a simple website with Dropbox, help you automatically organize your Dropbox files, and even let you email file attachments directly to your Dropbox account.
(Image Source: Toby Negele)
Here are 20+ tools to help you make Dropbox even more useful to your everyday routine.
Recommended Reading: How To Share Dropbox Files On Your Facebook Group
Now Everyone Is Free to Join Pinterest, No Invite Needed
Folks, it looks like Pinterest has just opened its doors to the public. If you’ve ever used Pinterest before, then probably someone invited you to join in. Now, those who are planning to sign up but were previously discouraged by the waiting process, can opt to create an account using their Facebook or Twitter account, as well as their email address. The pinboard-style social photo sharing website that allows users to create and manage theme-based image collections based on their hobbies and interests, just hit 10 million unique monthly U.S. visitors way back in February.
Ben Silbermann, and his team are hoping that by finally opening the registration to the public after two years, more users will enjoy what Pinterest has to offer. ‘Today we’re thrilled to announce open registration! We’re really excited to have the capacity to offer Pinterest to more people and if you’re a Pinner with friends who’ve been waiting on the sidelines, we hope you’ll let them know. Happy pinning to everyone!’ the company said.
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(Via Tybee Guy.)
Raspberry Pi in demand
Just to get a brief idea on how much the Raspberry Pi computer was in demand, here is a statistic that you might be able to identify with – we are talking about 700 units per second. That amounts to 42,000 each minute, and it is no wonder that the demand for the Raspberry Pi during its recent launch actually led to the website crashing. This is truly a phenomenon, where a British-designed system that costs a mere £22 is in such high demand, at least according to one of its main distributors in the UK. Meant to make programming a snap as well as accessible for children, the Raspberry Pi also picked up plenty of envious glances over from a Middle East country that is outlining plans to furnish each schoolgirl with a Raspberry Pi. This is one unique case study that goes to show how the most powerful hardware necessarily “wins” in the long run, giving people what they want and need tend to ensure victory instead.
(Via Ubergizmo.)
How To Use Pinterest
I believe in the power of the internet to support communities, share information and learn about the universe. I submit Instructables, post how-to videos and mentor students around the globe. I use open source and creative commons just as much as I add to it.
Yet Pinterest makes me uncomfortable. This social media service assumes that any visual content is there for the taking. Their ‘pin it’ button seamlessly integrates copyrighted material into the Pinterest licensing system. It’s just a little too slick not to wonder what’s happening behind their closed doors.
I am not going to delve into the legality of Pinterest TOS nor how many users are pinning content without copyright approval. That will be played out over time by those far more qualified than myself.
What I want to share with you is the understanding that Pinterest is a tool. And just like any other tool you need to use it wisely to support your needs or it will use you. The following is a heirarchy of methods I employ when sharing information on the internet and specifically addresses the optimization of Pinterest.
Macro lens hack for under a dollar
Does your camera’s focal range not have the chops to take quality close-ups? Why make things complicated? Just tape on a lens from a pair of dollar store reading glasses. Sean Lee shared this hack on Make: Projects, and posted impressive before and after shots, especially for a paltry 50 cents.
(Via Hackszine.com.)
Ian Scott 
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