Obstructions like walls, mountains and fat people; RF interference; weather; and your phone's antenna placement are all things than can dilute your signal to a tiny, staticky trickle. From there, using the power of deduction you can figure out what's hosing your reception and try a couple different fixes. Most obviously, you can actually move your ass, but if your whole house is in a virtual dead zone, there are a range of gizmos like external antennas and repeaters, but be wary of crap boxes promising miracles—they only exist in the X-Files.

Lastly, you can always call your provider to tell them they suck, and where exactly their suckiness is the suckiest, underlined with the vague threat you'll switch to the other guy, and pray that they'll fix it. If you've got other tips, lay 'em down in the comments. [Wired How To]

There are dozens of guides online that show you how to get custom firmware onto your PSP in as many different ways. This is the method I found to be the easiest, combining tips from sites like PSP Slim Hacks and Code Retard. Note that this is customized for the PSP Slim, which is the only PSP you can go out to stores and buy, but most of these steps will be the same for the older PSP. I started the process with a PSP running 3.71 firmware, but it should much the same on other versions.

1) Buy a PSP MAX Power TOOL SLIM battery. Trust me. Unless you have a friend who already hacked their PSP and has a service mode battery of their own, this is the easiest solution. There are ways of modifying your current battery to enable service mode on your PSP, but the time spent doing that is much better spent doing ANYTHING else. Buy this for $25 and wait for it to come in the mail.

Update: Reader Wrocky found this $10 version that supposedly does the same thing. Buy it here at Dealextreme. We haven't personally tested it, but if it works, it works! The only downside is that it's made for the original PSP so will stick out of your battery case if you have a PSP Slim. Since you'll only be using this once, that's not a big deal.

2) Make sure you have at least a 256MB Memory Stick and a USB to miniUSB cable to connect your PSP to your computer running a version of Windows XP. I tried this on Vista but it kept erroring out on various parts of the process.

3) Charge your current (normal) battery as well as the MAX Power to full.

4) Download this file here, as linked to from this guide here. Extract the file to your desktop (remember, Windows XP machine).

5) Connect your PSP to your computer via the USB cable and setting it in "USB mode". Use the standard battery for this. If you have any important files on your memory card, back that up to a folder on your computer first.

6) Run the "START.exe" file from the package you extracted. Follow the instructions there. Once this is done, you'll have what's called a "Magic Memory Card", which is used to replace the standard firmware with a customized one. You'll have to pop your memory card in and out as the program tells you during the process. Follow the instructions until it tells you that you're done, then disconnect your PSP and turn it off.

7) Take out your normal battery, but don't put in your MAX Power battery just yet. Hold the L button (the left shoulder button) while inserting in the MAX Power battery. Make sure it's secure and won't fall out fall out while you're putting the battery cover back on.

8) Once the PSP is on (you might have to flip the power toggle) you may see a black screen with white text, or you may see nothing at all—I saw a completely blank screen for some reason. Either way, the power light on your PSP should be green to show that the unit's powered on. To install the firmware, press the X button. You should see the Memory Stick light on the left of your PSP flash with activity. When this is done, the PSP will shut itself off. Congrats! Now you have version 3.71 m33. But you're not done.

9) To upgrade this to version 4.01 (the latest hacked release as of this writing), download these files. First, the official 4.01 firmware. Then, the hacked 4.01 m33 and also 4.01 m33-2. That not a typo, by the way: Those file names are actually backwards and m33 is actually m33-2. Keep this in mind.

10) Extract all 3 files into their own directories. The 401-m332 folder (which should actually be the m33 update and not the m33-2 update) should have a folder called UPDATE under it. The Now, place the 401.PBP file (the official 4.01 firmware file) into the 401-m33 UPDATE. All this is going on on your PC's hard drive, not the PSP.

11) Then connect your PSP to your PC again (put the normal battery back), enable USB mode and copy the entire UPDATE folder from your PC onto /PSP/GAME/ onto your PSP's memory card.

12) On your PSP, exit USB mode, go to the Game and then Memory Stick, and run the PSP Update. Follow the instructions on screen, and you should have a PSP running 4.01 m33.

13) Now, connect your PSP to your computer using USB mode, delete the UPDATE folder under /PSP/GAME from your PSP, and copy over the UPDATE folder that belongs to the 401m33-2 file from your PC onto the PSP. Then go to the Game section and run this update on your PSP. You don't need the official 4.01 firmware in your UPDATE folder for this. Woohoo, you're finished.

Are you ready to get some homebrew going? Hit up PSP Hacks for a big list of applications you can run, including web apps, radio apps, Sudoku and even emulators. For obvious reasons, we're not going to link you to actual ROMs to run on an SNES emulator, but you can find those in the usual places you get ROMs. There are several SNES emulators to choose from, but this SNES emulator runs particularly well on the PSP, lending itself to old school gaming on the go.

Although a side effect of homebrew is that you can run pirated PSP games on your PSP, that's being pretty naughty and isn't something we encourage. The fact that a lot of people are doing this is contributing to (according to Sony) the lack of good games for the platform, which hurts everybody. Try not do to this.

What you can do is rip your old PS1 games and play THOSE on your PSP without waiting for an official release and having to pay Sony again for something you already own. Another idea when you're going on vacation is to get a 16GB Memory Stick and load all the PSP games you own onto it so you don't have to carry around so many UMDs. In order to rip PS1 games, you'll need a program like ISOBuster (there are others as well) that can take your disc and create an "image" of it on your hard drive, which is just a file representing the contents of the CD. You then plug those files into a program called PSX eBoot Creator to make it suitable for your PSP. The file and instructions on how to use it can be found here. You don't need a separate emulator once you have the eBoot file, but you do need plenty of space on your Memory Stick (1GB is probably only enough to hold a couple small games or one large one).

Thanks: We wanted to thank all the hard work that the PSP community—which includes PSP Slim Hacks and Code Retard which we got much help installing this from.

Did you like this How To tutorial? The point was to give you the easiest path from start to finish, even if it required you to spend money on purchasing something. Your time is valuable, which means you don't want to spend hours solving something yourself when it can easily be bypassed with a few dollars. What do you want to see a How To on? Drop us a note at tips@gizmodo.com with the subject "How To Suggestion".

Follow the rough DIY instructions, match it up with the DIY arc reactor, and you'd have the start of your own iron suit...with just the rockets, weapons and other flim-flam to put together in your garage. [Carlito's Contraptions via Hacked Gadgets]

A week ago, Benny and I both made the decision to sell our 8GB iPhones. Even though the iPhone is now a year old, there is still huge demand for it. On a weekly basis, lines form inside and even outside Apple stores, specifically for the iPhone. This dwindling stock of iPhones on the web and in stores makes it a perfect item to sell on eBay, new or used.

Having sold items before on eBay, I knew to check how many iPhones were currently for sale. My search brought back 1,800 auctions. At first I thought, no way would I fetch decent money for my six-month-old phone. But after studying the eBay iPhone market, I noticed something strange. Of the 1,800 iPhones on eBay, a whopping 1,200 are unlocked. And of those 1,200 unlocked, 800 are basically brand new. These new unlocked iPhones will easily reach over $500 for 8GB models and $600 for 16GB models.

But current iPhone owners have, by definition, used iPhones. Turns out, that's OK. In my research, used 8GB iPhone auctions usually ended around $350, which is good money. But by following a few strategies, a used iPhone can easily sell for more than that.

What to Include
Since most of the auctions are for new iPhones, it's best to have the original box and accessories, This will allow the auction to compete with the new ones, and buyers pay much more for a complete set.

Unlocked = $$$
Even if it might be unauthorized, having an unlocked iPhone will bring much more attention. Used unlocked iPhone auctions usually end above $400 for 8GB models and above $500 for 16GB models. And these figures are on the low end of the results, and it's not uncommon for 8GB iphones to sell above $500, like these two, here and here, that sold for $560. So by simply selling a Pwned and unlocked iPhone, a much higher selling price can be expected.

Listing Duration
A week ago when I sold my iPhone, I had originally listed it with a 7-day auction. This was a mistake. 24-hours after my listing was posted, not a single person had looked at it. With over 33 pages of iPhones on eBay, it made sense that no one was going to search all the way to page 33 to see new listings.

So the shorter the listing time the better, and the 1-day listing option was the best. Not only did it put the auction on the 9th page of the search, as opposed to the 33rd, it also provided instant gratification, since it only took 24 hours for the iPhone to sell.

Starting Price/No Reserve
Even if the listing has only 1 day, starting it off at a low amount is smart. By having an auction that starts at $1 with a no-reserve price, it attracts more watchers, and usually brings a higher selling price. Yes, having no reserve could mean that your precious auction item sells for 3 bucks, but it hasn't happened to any of the 8,000 completed iPhone sales on eBay, so why would it happen to yours?

Shipping
It's also smart to say you'll ship worldwide, especially for unlocked iPhones. Most of the unlocked iPhones that advertise worldwide shipping not only attracted more watchers and brought more money but, surprisingly or not, they also usually ended up selling within the US.

Title & Keywords
The most important part of selling an iPhone on eBay is the title, since it basically attracts the buyer. A good title it will bring more watchers, and using popular keywords is the way to go. Stuff like "No Reserve," "NR," "Unlocked," "Jailbroken," "Any GSM SIM," "Original Box" and "Accessories" are just a few. If the auction ships worldwide, then make sure the title advertises this. In this auction, simply stating "Ship Worldwide" brought in $610 for a used 8GB. The more keywords the better, so it's best to add a subtitle for an extra 50 cents. This allows for a whole extra line which will fit much more of the important keywords. Here's a solid, winning title and subtite:

UNLOCKED Apple iPhone 8GB Jailbroken Any GSM SIM
Original Box and Accessories SHIPS WORLDWIDE

For current iPhone owners who have been contemplating selling in anticipation for the new iPhone, you might want to act quickly while it's still a seller's market. Then again, the market may already be flooded.

Unfortunately, it's just papier-mâché with a great finish. What this guy fails to realize is that being Tony Stark is not a matter of arc reactors and metal suits. Tony Stark is a state of mind. One that requires cocktails—and yes, at last it's Friday. [Instructables and Instructables via Hack'n Mod]

[Instructables]

Before starting, you need the material. Grab the mandatory high-resolution image from Apple, and resize it to low resolution (like 600 pixels high) in Photoshop. Take a photo of any object in your hand, preferably of a size similar to the iPhone and black (not obligatory, as you can see in the samples.)

Now, follow these steps:

1. Copy the front of the iPhone minus the borders.
2. Paste the iPhone image on the photo of the object serving as the base of your fake.
3. Use the Distort or Warp tools (under the Edit menu) to adjust the image size and perspective to match the base object (optional: if necessary, add a mask to blend the borders of the pasted iPhone with the base surface).
4. Add noise to your image (under the Filter > Noise menu.) Choose Gaussian, color noise. Select a good amount but not excessive.
5. Apply Gaussian blur (under the Filter > Blur menu). Again, not a lot, just enough to make it craptastically rumor-worthy.

You are done. Now save to JPEG using a low quality setting—to add even more realism to the stolen nature of the image, and eliminate any errors caused by your lousy Photoshop skills—and you are done. Then, send to your least favorite blog. Yes. You know exactly where.

...four days later, I received an e-mail from my manager saying that Apple was at my service. Word of my problem initially made it's way to Apple not by way of my public profile, but by a technician receiving the report as they would anyone else's and passing it along internally until word reached my friends at the company.

Well, John, sorry to bust the bubble, but if you start your bug reports saying you are John Mayer, of course your manager is going to get a mail from Apple. The support guy who took care of Mayer had this to say:

"We take crash reports seriously on our side, because for us it's just like being able to talk directly with the customer while the problem is happening. The information that we get from the automated system is perfect for helping us solve the problem, and obviously the customers comments can take it one step further."

We bet that Apple takes reports seriously, but have you ever got anyone from Apple—or any other company—sending you an email from a bug report? [John Mayer —thanks Robbie]

Guest Editor's Answer: Mr. T has sent hundreds of bug reports about Safari breaking down and never got ANYTHING back from those Apple suckas! Here's my latest report:

Hello suckas! Mr. T here. I was trying to do some of editing today for this tech site and the crazy Safari crashed! I pity the fool who goes out tryin' a' take over da world with their browser, then runs home cryin' to his momma! So listen to me, suckas! You're going to fix this! Or I'm gonna kill that crazy Jobs! Sincerely, Mr. T

And then I added a picture of genitals drawn in ASCII code!

First, get an HD DVD ripper—DVD Fab HD Decrypter is free—and rip them. Now it gets messy.

EVOdemux will "demultiplex" the files, after which you need H264Info or vc1conv (v0.2), depending on which one you ripped in. Then use eac3to to cram the audio enough to fit on a 25GB Blu-ray disc. TsRemux or tsMuxeR will get your video ready to burn. You can burn it onto Blu-ray discs with either IMGBurn 2.4 (free) or Nero 8 ($100, plz), but you obviously need a BR burner, which is a few hundred bucks, at least. Finally, punch yourself in the face. [Doom 9via Wired Wiki ]

Our wallets are far too bruised after Valentine's Day to actually buy a Lichtenberg figure, but as they look so cool, we'll give this a try. We totally understand that this sounds like a project your third grade science teacher may have tried to get you to pull off, but it's cool if you aren't forced to do it for homework—hurrah! Hit the link for the video, and be sure to let us know how you get on. [Popsci]

Just think, if every woman ditched her normal incandescent pasties just one day a year, we'd save enough power to abandon solar, wind an hydroelectric power sources altogether. Am I right? [instructables via boingboing]

All you've gotta do is rub some of it on the given blemish, let it dry, then wipe away with a damp cloth. Presto, it's pretty again. No word on how well it whites out those dark, sketchy stains that slowly grow like a cancer where you rest your palms—someone wanna check it out and report back? [Lifehacker]

The Search Page
The first step is knowing when and where to look. New FCC entries pop up every day of the week, but Thursdays seem to be the best day for new stuff. The page you want to search is the Electronic Authorization System. If you click the Search link on the top of the FCC home page, then choose FCC ID Search (or just click the link above), it will take you to the form that runs through the test files for all pending electronics. All the entry fields may look intimidating at first, but getting through this is surprisingly simple. Here are the fields you should pay attention to:

Grantee Code
Every company has a three-character code under which all their filings appear. While knowing this code is not mandatory, it is an easier way to bring up search results. Here's a quick list of codes for the hottest or most innovative companies:
• Apple – BCG
• Nokia – PYA
• Samsung – A3L
• Sony – AK8
• Sony Ericsson – PY7
• Nintendo – BKE
• LG – BEJ
• Microsoft – C3K

Applicant Name
This is where you list the company whose gadgets you're searching for. Generally, using a term such as Sony, Apple, Microsoft, etc..., will bring up the results you want. But if you feel like you aren't getting the gadgets you think should be there, try getting more specific (i.e. Sony Ericsson), or using the Grantee code. Sometimes a company will have its products listed under the name of another company. In 2006 Nintendo passed a pair of black and pink Wiimotes through the FCC using the company names Mitsumi Electric and Foxconn Technology, respectively. And if you aren't looking for a specific company, just leave it blank. In our example, we selected Samsung.

Grant Date Range
This field is arguably the most important. Without entering a date, your results will come back in a mess with dates spanning a decade or more. When I scour for products in general, I search across a date range of about a week. This will return about 150 to 250 results, many of which are the same gadget listed multiple times. If I'm searching for a company, I search across a time span of a month, which again gives me plenty of results to work with, without overwhelming the mind. Here, we're searching between 01/15/2008 and 01/22/2008.

Product Description
This is the last field worth paying attention to while searching the FCC. Here you can use terms like computer, phone, networking etc., to narrow down your search to a specific category of electronics. I found the colored Wiimotes mentioned earlier by entering "wii" in the product description and searching between a date range of 2003 and 2007.

Now you're ready to hit the search button (to prevent tedium, be sure to view more than 10 results at a time). You've got your results, but what do they all mean?

The Results
Things to pay attention to on the Search Results page are company name and FCC ID. Sometimes the FCC ID wlll contain a model number, sometimes it won't. But it helps to identify which entries are repeats on the results page (each gadget has a unique FCC ID). Once you find a result that piques your interest, hit the link that says details to bring up the product page. We're going to select the entry with the FCC ID "A3LSCX4300" (aka the SCX-4300 Printer).

The Details
Key links on the OET Exhibits page are Test Report, External Photos, and FCC Label ID. Test Report may include info about the model number and specific functions of the gadget in question. External Photos will offer up some "spy shots." And if all else fails, the FCC Label ID link might offer an outlined sketch of what a gadget looks like e.g. Sony Mylo 2).

FCC Label ID Example (taken from entry for Samsung SGH-L320)

But this is just a starting point. You may find more nuanced ways to glean the results you want from the FCC search page. We hope you do. And remember, if you find anything excellent, we hope you forward those findings to tips@gizmodo.com.

Jesus Diaz: Is this a real AK-47 or a replica? Where did you get it?
Donald: Oh heavens, no. It is not a real AK-47. It used to be an airsoft gun, made by CYMA I believe. It is a cheap toy that shoots little plastic projectiles at very low velocity, but it is the same size as a real rifle. And after removing the small electric gearbox and inner barrel, it's mostly hollow.

I don't recall exactly where I got it (it was on my shelf for some time from a past project) but it was from one of numerous mail-order vendors of
airsoft guns. It is available from any number of sources: a Google search for "CYMA AK-47" will turn up quite a few results, probably a bunch from
eBay, even. The going price seems to be about 30$. The real AK-47, among many other guns, is not possible to be owned by civilians due to the firearms laws here in Canada - just in case you were interested.

JD: How much did the whole project cost?
D: Including the Wiimote and cost of the AK it's probably around $80. That sounds expensive, but the Wiimote (+ the nunchuck) is the brunt of that
cost.

The AK was already on my shelf and unused from a previous project, so it was "free" in a way for me.

Not counting the Wiimote and the AK, the only cost was some time, wire, and a couple switches.

JD: How much time did it take?
D: About 10-15 hours total, including all the hemming and hawing about how what is going to fit where. This was in small batches of time over the
course of many evenings. It was a "because it's there" project.

JD: What's your tech background? I'm guessing that you must be have plenty of experience doing electronic mods, so how difficult do you
think this would be for a beginner?
D: I'm as comfortable as I'll get when it comes to working on expensive/fragile/small things. I do a lot of electronic modding and fiddling - some of it is professional development/prototype work (but unlike the Wii AK-47, that stuff isn't usually very interesting).

Electronically speaking this mod is straightforward - the only things being done are extending out the A and B buttons and the IR Camera on wires so that they can be relocated within the AK-47's plastic body. There isn't any swapping of components, or anything.

But it *does* involve desoldering a sensitive component (the camera) with lots of small pins, and then re-soldering it on the end of small wires. It's certainly possible to bugger up the Wiimote in that process.

If someone owns their own soldering station and feels comfortable tinning and soldering very small wires, and feels confident they can avoid solder bridges, they should be fine. If they even know what any of that means, they're probably be good to go!

JD: Any new Wiimote projects in sight? I have to say that the toilet plunger mode sounds amazing :-)
D: Well, once I complete a project and have it working I quickly bore of it -so it's only a matter of time before I pull the Wiimote's parts out of that AK to try something else.

I may put the Wiimote's IR camera on the brim of a hat to see what it's like to point by moving my head. My gut tells me that might not work so hot, but I'd like to try it out anyway.

[I Make Projects]

The exerciser can be used sitting, standing or lying down.

To use in a seated position: Sit on the edge of a chair and place the padded handles between your thighs with the plastic housing pointing down. Angle the vibrator upward so that it can be inserted or positioned for external stimulation. Squeeze thighs together and repeat.

To use lying down: Adjust the angle of the vibrator so it is pointing straight out and away from the curved handles. Lie on your back with your knees slightly bent and position the vibrator. Place the padded handles between your knees and squeeze. As the exerciser is compressed and released, the vibrator will move in an in-and-out movement.

To work out the upper body, stand holding the padded handles of the exerciser, with the plastic cap pointing down and the vibrator angled toward you and positioned between your legs. Squeeze the handles together and repeat.

I see the price of these things going up on eBay. Fast. [Homemade Sex Toys]

(UPDATE 2 DEC 28 10:20 EDT: New information with all the answers about connectivity and supported networks after the jump)

JKK told us that the "signal is super," saying that it is amazing how good it works: "it was big suprise to discover that those antennas are so good." He added that the total cost of the hack is $291 (200 euros), not including your own time doing the soldering. Not bad at all for the features you gain.

JKK is the same genius who hacked his Asus Eee PC with a touchscreen. His mini-wonder is now $850, which includes the 3G modem and his touch panel display.

Be sure to check if your Asus Eee PC has an internal PCIe connector, however. According to site Eeeuser, there's a batch of the 4GB models (named 7B) that don't have this connector inside. UPDATE: JKK says that this hack works in every currently shipping Asus Eee PC 2G/4G/4G Surf models. No PCIe connector required. Awesome indeed. In fact, he told Gizmodo that it works in all models except the old 7A: "It works in all but the first ones... on those models (7A) you would have to desolder the PCIe connector away to make enough room for the 3G module. Either that or you have to cut 20 millimeters from the modded PCB [printed circuit board.]"

After talking again with JKK, he told us that the card used works with all networks. According to him, he typically achieves about "60kbps in GPRS, 200kbps in EDGE, 350kbps in 3G (UMTS) and 2,000kbps in 3.5G (HSDPA)" data transfer rates. Not bad at all. [jkkmobile]

We just got a big box of books from the publisher and proceeded to do to it what we've done to everything else we love—stick it down our pants. So yes, please buy the book and make both of our Christmases a happy one.

Oh, and thanks to everyone who pre-ordered. You should be getting your books very soon!Buy my book! [Amazon]

After a little experimentation, he realized that it the heads may have gotten misaligned or stuck, and if he could jar the heads loose, it might work again. Naturally, when you heat something up, it expands —so, in theory, if the drive was heated, it should have the same effect. Apparently, by double boiling your drive you can achieve the proper amount of heat without doing any further damage —and the guy claims that the drive worked perfectly after the procedure.

Would I do this? Hell no—but then again I'm not a lunatic and I'm not willing to screw around with important data. However, if your idea of troubleshooting is to bang on it with a hammer, or your are too cheap to pay someone to recover your data, this may be something to try. [Mandible Games via Spluch]

Let me go one step further and remind you that you can copy a key for like two bucks at the hardware store, and that combining scissors, a key, and the edge of a shiv of aluminum can, this tutorial might as well be titled "How to lose a finger." Also, entering someone's home with a key copy is probably still considered unlawful entry, regardless of the lack of shattered door frame. Having said that, I will try this later and let you know how it goes. [Instructables]

You can either go through these steps to have yourself this cut-rate spy device, or you could just use a stethoscope to listen through walls directly. Or how about this: You could just stop being such a nosy muthafucka and mind your own beeswax. [Instructables]

After your box is made, you trace your various cables and power strips through the appropriate places and voila — your floor is clean. Granted, this isn't the most revolutionary of inventions, but it's a great, cheap way to organize the horrible tangled mass that is your cable collection. [Instructables via Lifehacker]

Stick it to the carriers who overcharge for ringtones of songs you probably already own! Not only is iTunes sourcing the ringtones, but the 30-second clips are generally the best parts of the song for ringtone use. I hope Apple rewrites the way ringtone sales are done the same way they made paid online music a satisfying experience, but until then, it's going to be a repeat of the Napster scenario. [TUAW]

Procedure:

1.) Obtain 2 iPhones

2.) Plug in iPhone #1 In iTunes select "I am a new AT&T Wireless Customer" and "Activate 2 or more phones on an individual or FamilyTalk Plan."

3.) Follow the steps for the FamilyTalk plan and enter "Cell Number X" to port a number over from another provider (e.g. Sprint)

4.) When the you receive the "Activation Complete" e-mail, plug in iPhone #2.

5.) Select the option "I am an existing AT&T (Cingular) wireless customer" and "Replace a phone on my account with this iPhone"

6.) Fill in the information re-using "Cell Number X." Allow the iPhone #2 to activate using this number. This number will be legit.

7.) Plug in iPhone #2, it will unlock the phone for use, but without a cell phone number assigned or account from AT&T.

Thanks tipster!