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If you need a quick and dirty light tent but you don’t want to shell out for a commercial model or spend time building a DIY version, this light tent can be built in a matter of minutes from office supplies.

Over at the blog Mostly Color—a blog focused on color theory, design, and photography—they have instructions for a simple-to-make light tent. The components are nothing more than folded paper and binder clips. It doesn’t have the same versatile diffusing qualities as a commercial model made out of ripstop nylon and paired with a set of studio flashes but for simple product-style photography with natural light or a diffused overhead flash (the paper walls of the light tent are a bit thick for traditional through-the-side diffusion) you can’t beat it for price and ease of construction.

Check out the link below for instructions or if you’re in the mood to take a bigger DIY project make sure to check out how to make a light tent out of cardboard and tissue paper or K’Nex building toys. Have a favorite photography-related DIY hack? Let’s hear about it in the comments.

We certainly love cheap around Lifehacker HQ, and this hack is about as cheap as it gets: instead of buying a drawer organizer, you could just cut up that old Lucky Charms box and let it organize your office supplies instead.

Blogger Patricia Zapata, who does a lot of recycling projects, cooked up this repurposing hack with a cereal box and some craft paper to cover the outside pictures (it doesn’t need to be that pretty, but the least you could do is hide that giant picture of Tony the Tiger). She even used some of the cardboard to create a divider, with which she could separate smaller objects (pens, paper clips) from larger ones (scissors, tape, stationary). It fit perfectly in her IKEA drawer, though you might have to make some adjustments—keep in mind there are many sized cereal boxes out there. Got any other cheap drawer-organizing tips? Share them in the comments!

Filed under: iPod Family, Odds and ends, Other Events, Developer, iPhone, App Store, SDK

When iTunes Connect returned after its Christmas break, developers noticed that things had changed quite a bit on the App Store approval front. Applications that had formerly taken ten to fourteen days to work through review were now getting processed in a couple of days or less. The upshot? Happier developers, better bug releases for users, and a healthier App Store ecosystem.

There’s another consequence of the new, speedier approvals: the tablet. With the device due to ship March/April (late Q1, early Q2), and no announced 4.0 SDK, developers were left wondering how they’d have the time to bring their software up to date. Under the old review process even a single procedural rejection, which are quite common for small GUI details, would have exhausted nearly all of February in non-productive “wait mode”.

With the enhanced review system in place, it’s likely that developers will be able to spend those extra weeks refactoring their software, allowing it to ship in a timely fashion once the actual device appears on-scene. Apple is expected to push their SDK to developers within two weeks of their late January product announcement, probably by 15 February. Assuming a 2 April product launch, that leaves nearly six weeks to update and test software.

Not that developers are waiting. Many devs are already working on resolution independent versions of their applications. They are tasking their designers to re-imagine screens, to test hand-held cardboard prototypes, and otherwise start the process of scaling their products to new dimensions.

It should be noted that some of the App Store heavyweights have suddenly become quite tight-lipped in recent days, refusing to talk in any specifics about how their upgrade process is proceeding. The rest of us will have to get by on guess work, at least until the product announcement at the end of this month.

Without specific leaks regarding hardware changes (for example, will there really be a front facing video camera? and if so, will expanded Image Picker/Media Player classes support access?), it’s hard to pin down exactly what new features can be leveraged in third party software. But it’s a fairly safe bet that nearly all features available on the current iPod touch line will be in play on the new tablet. And that alone is enough to hedge some safe business bets about pushing forward with large screen development.

It’s still too early for most of us to start playing — those tight-lipped folk have a bit of the wild “Apple will kill me if I speak” look around their eyes — but it’s not too early to begin planning and working. Even without specifics, there are ways to move forward on the development front. Carpe diem. There’s not much time left before the yet-unannounced tablet ships.

TUAWApp Store approvals and the tablet: why it matters originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 12 Jan 2010 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If you’ve ever looked a photo with dramatic lighting in the style of old detective movies, you’re likely seeing the effect of a snoot—a flash-modifier that directs light in a tight pattern. You can mimic the effect with straws.

The appropriately named blog LightingMods has a tutorial for turning a box of drinking straws, cardboard, and tape into a snoot for your camera flash. A snoot is essentially the opposite of diffusion—we showed you how to diffuse your flash with an old film canister and a cigarette pack—you use a snoot to tightly focus the flash into an intense area, instead of diffusing it softly around the room.

The raw materials are nearly free they’re so cheap; the biggest investment you’ll make is the time it takes to cut up the straws and glue/tape the whole thing together (which really shouldn’t take that long). Check out the tutorial at the link below for sample pictures and a step-by-step build guide. Have a photograph-related hack of your own to share? Let’s hear about it in the comments.

3D is set to be the next big thing in home cinema this year, as the multitude of three-dimensional television launches at CES have shown.

While many of you may have caught a high profile 3D flick in cinemas over the last year with Up, Monsters vs Aliens, and of course, Avatar, it’s another thing to get ready to view 3D content on the small screen.

To help ease you into the prospect of things jumping out at you in your own living room, we’ve picked five great YouTube videos that demo 3D well.

So, grab your glasses, make your own, or if you want to watch sans comic eyewear, then chose YouTube’s cross-eyed option from the drop-down menu on its recently organized 3D offerings.

You’ll need to watch the videos below on YouTube directly for the full 3D experience (double click on any video below to view it on YouTube.com), but you can begin your journey here.

1. 3D Waltz of the Flowers

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We’re easing you in to the 3D experience gently. This is a great clip to start with as it’s so very genteel. Enjoy this footage of hot house flowers set to Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker Suite. Take a moment to adjust those glasses or cross your eyes in the most civilized way.

2. 3DigitalVision Demo Reel

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Next up is a demo reel of various locations and activities, offered up in three dimensions that will gradually introduce you to more 3D action. Continue here so as not to induce any sudden nausea.

3. 3D Wide Angle Night Drive

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Easy-peasy so far, yes? Well, how about some driving footage to get your brain ticking and your stomach ready for bigger and better things? This user-generated video gives you an idea of what real life looks like shot in 3D. The wide-angle aspect and HD quality make it an immersive experience.

4. Roller Coaster Simulation

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Now, always an IMAX classic, and for good reason, we have some old school roller coaster footage. Strap those cardboard glasses on and press play. If you can stand up while watching, it’s even better, as you may find yourself swaying with the motion. We dare your stomach not to lurch during this 3D clip.

5. Jaws 3D

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Duh-dun, duh-dun… Jaws 3-D was made during a revival of interest in 3D in the 80s. As we’re due such a revival now, and because the horror genre is particularly suited to the 3D format, it seems an appropriate clip to end with. If you’re of a nervous disposition, then look away just before the end. Nah, not really, it’s pretty tame, but hopefully it’s enough to whet your appetite for the 3D-fest to come in 2010.

More video resources from Mashable:

- YouTube Is the Top Social Media Innovation of the Decade
– 8 Companies That Are Reinventing TV Online
– 5 Best YouTube Sports Moments of 2009
– The 10 Most Innovative Viral Video Ads of 2009
– 7 of the Most Inspiring Videos on the Web

Image courtesy of iStockphoto, bluestocking

Tags: 3D, List, Lists, video, web video, youtube

Looking for a laptop stand and pretty sure you don’t want to make one out of cardboard? You can score this sleek laptop stand from Logitech for a mere $5 for a limited time.

Normally $29.99 the stand is currently on sale for $4.99 + shipping. It’s lightweight, clear—begging for an LED mod if you ask us—and sports a rubberized lip to keep the stand from sliding and your laptop help fast. The middle of the stand is slightly convex to provide extra space for air circulation and cord management.

If you want a closer peek at the stand before purchasing it, you can check out this video of it’s US-market introduction:

You can take advantage of the sale by visiting the Amazon link below—strangely the item is offered by TigerDirect but isn’t for sale on their actual website.

The purpose of refrigerator coils is to dissipate heat, not suck up electricity—or cash—out of your wallet. But that’s what happens if you don’t clean off those bad boys once in a while. Here’s how.

Photo by M0les.

Some fridge coils are located underneath the appliance, others are on the back of it, but they all need a good scrubbing at least once a year. When they’re gunked up with pet hair, cooking grease, and other flotsam, they won’t operate efficiently. At best, your refrigerator will use extra electricity as it runs more often to keep things cool. At worst, it will run so often that your compressor burns out—a big expense that will leave a significant dent in your wallet.

Cleaning your fridge coils isn’t as much of a pain as it sounds, and the folks at home improvement web site Home Envy walk you through it. The first step, of course, is unplug the fridge so you don’t zap yourself. Depending on where the coils are, you may need to move the appliance away from the wall.

Putting the fridge on rollers makes the job a lot less irritating, although the act of putting the rollers under the fridge takes two people and is VERY irritating, especially if the fridge comes down hard and busts one of the rollers because the person holding it had sweaty hands. If you have to move the fridge out from the wall and you don’t have rollers, put some cardboard or a heavy drop-cloth down to protect the floor or the fridge may mar it.

Once you can reach the coils without assuming an uncomfortable yoga position, grab your vacuum, a bucket of warm, soapy water, and get to work. Admittedly, cleaning your fridge coils isn’t a fun job, but it’s only once a year so it’s not that big of a deal. What once-a-year jobs around the house do you dread? How do you make it easier? Talk about it in the comments.

After we featured how to make an emergency fire starter out of a t-shirt, we’ve gotten a few other tips on other useful flammables. With a few common household items, though, you can also create a pretty handy stove.

The t-shirt and Vaseline ideas are both great in an emergency, but if you’re, say, out camping and have a few more items with you (namely a can, cardboard, and some wax) or you’ve done a little preparation ahead of time, you can make a pretty handy emergency candle or even a nice little heater. The “Buddy Burner,” as it’s called, is especially nice because it is pretty immune to moisture and, unlike propane, will light at fairly low temperatures. Plus, they should burn for about 2-3 hours, which isn’t bad considering its size and weight. Thanks, Bob!

Filed under: Cellphones

November 6: stores open at 6AM for DROID, Droid Eris? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 30 Oct 2009 15:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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You know what’s magical? Magnets. They’re so magical, in fact, that Motorola decided to use them in its new DROID car and “multimedia station” docks. Based on the positioning of a couple of magnets, the phone auto-loads the pertinent application — the multimedia station at least offers a charging plug, but the car dock is all stand. Lucky for us it’s not hard to figure out where to place a couple of magnets (we used some nerd-approved “Buckyballs“) and spoof the phone into acting like it’s docked. We’re sure with some additional craftmanship we could have a dock that actually holds the DROID upright, but we won’t get ahead of ourselves. For now check out our very own multipurpose homebrew DROID dock after the break.

Continue reading How-to: hack your own DROID dock with magnets and cardboard

Filed under: Cellphones, Peripherals

How-to: hack your own DROID dock with magnets and cardboard originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 28 Oct 2009 19:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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