How to Disable Website Pinning in Windows 8

One of the new features in Windows 7 was the ability to “Pin” websites to the desktop. Microsoft carried this feature over to Windows 8, but it’s still contrary to how some people work. Fortunately, website “pinning” it’s easy to disable. Let’s take a look.

How to Repair a Broken Raspberry Pi SD Card Slot

The SD card slot on the Raspberry Pi is easy to break. A four foot drop, SD card first, on a hardwood floor turned my brand new Raspberry Pi into a doorstop. I had ideas of duct tape, hot glue, and bubble gum before deciding that replacing the SD card slot shouldn't be too hard if I could find the part.

We Are Makers

Another excellent little documentary.

What if everyone is creative, and the tools to shape our world are within reach? 

This is a central question of the Maker Movement, a title Dale Dougherty famously assigned the cultural shift sparked by new tools and communities that emphasize learning through the process of creation.

There’s no question new technologies like 3D printing, micro-computers and online social networks create a perfect storm for the movement. But beneath these platforms lies the human element—the one theme that emerged again and again in our conversations about the future of making.

We Are Makers visits the workshops, garages and studios that are bringing making into the realms of education, public policy, commerce and communities everywhere.

The film was produced by a four-person team from Abilene Christian University in West Texas. Campus conversations about the potential impact of the movement on education inspired a film we hope will spark broader discussion of the power of learning through making and the many contexts that have nurtured its growth

http://blogs.acu.edu/wearemakers/ via Adafruit

Goodbye Google Reader

It's official, Google Reader is dead. It didn't take Seal Team 6 to kill it just Google's apathy.

Windows 8.1 Preview

Microsoft released the public preview of Windows 8.1 at the BUILD 2013 developer conference today. Windows 8.1 brings an updated look and feel to good old Windows 8. The much discussed "Start" button and boot to desktop are here and many cosmetic and GUI functionality changes as well.

The bits can be had at http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-8/preview, but be forewarned, updating now will require a re-install of everything when the real Windows 8.1 is released. If you don't care or have another machine to experiment on, download it and have a look (I think it's a nice improvement), otherwise you'll have to wait until later this year when the update is released for real.

USB Breakout Board

A few months ago I anticipated the need to measure current and voltage on a few different USB chargers. I was going to cut up a USB cable, but I decided this might be a good opportunity to design a printed circuit board. Having never designed a PCB before, a simple USB breakout would be a good way to dip my toes into the PCB design waters. For some reason it's taken me months to get around to posting about it. Go figure.

Pebble Smart Watch [Review]

With glorious beginnings as one of the highest grossing Kickstarter campaigns of all time, the Pebble smart watch has a lot of expectations to live up to. I've lived with the Pebble for over three months now. Long enough to build some habits, form some opinions, and give developers a chance to come up with some compelling apps.