GeekwithEnvy

How To

How To Use Emoji Icons On a Mac

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Emoji icons are a popular set of ideograms that became available on the iPhone with iOS 5 and are commonly used to when sending messages. But did you know you can use them on the Mac as well?

Whether your writing yourself a note or using Messages to talk to a friend, you can easily add Emoji icons to your text by following these easy steps.

(*Please note that will will need to have OS X Lion or later to access Emoji Icons.)

  • First, open the application that you want to use an Emoji Icon with. (In this case we’re using Messages.)
  • Head to the menu bar at the top of the screen and click “Edit”.
  • Select “Special Characters” or press Option+Command+T on your keyboard.

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  • Select an Emoji from the list.

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  • Drag and drop the Emoji wherever your text is and your done!

How To Connect Your PS3 Controller to Your PC

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There are many ways to control your favorite games on a PC including the old keyboard and mouse. Some gamers have become very comfortable with the Playstation controller, which is understandable because it has a great design and has been around for a long time. In fact the Playstation controller was originally released on December 3, 1994 and has very few changes to it’s design since.ps3Controller

So is it possible to use a console controller with a PC?

Yes, but you will need a Playstation 3 controller (DualShock 3 or Sixaxis), a third party driver from MotionJoy and preferably a bluetooth enabled computer or at least an adapter.

The easiest way to get things up and running after you obtain the latest driver from MotionJoy is to follow the great tutorial video above. If you need any additional help refer to the help section on the MotionJoy site as it will contain the most up-to-date information.

How To Make an LED Cube

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This is a great build video for an 8x8x8 LED cube by Kevin Darrah that I stumbled upon on the web. It goes over the basic build techniques  and shows you how to utilize a jig for assembling the LED arrays. As you watch the video you will quickly begin to realize that this project is not for the entry-level builder, clearly this is something that will consume a lot of your time and patience but the end result is awesome. Either way, it’s interesting to see how it all comes together.Blue LED in a cube

There are many Arduino builds out there that can be great for beginners. If you’re not familiar with Arduino then I highly recommend that you read this introduction to Arduino, it covers everything you will need to get up-to-speed on what it’s all about.

You can find many projects in the Arduino Playground, they include schematics and code to help you build cool stuff. If you want to make a much more novice-friendly 3×3 LED Cube you can use these schematics and code.

So what are you waiting for? Find a project and get building!

How to make Halloween potion bottles

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If you go into any craft store this time of year, they are starting to bring out all their Halloween decor. I came across some awesome potion and poison bottles (fake of course) but the price was a little high, so I thought I will just make my own.

Halloween potion bottles

For this project you will need:

  • Glass bottle(s)-  Any shape and size you want. I got mine at the craft store for very inexpensive, they also came with corks.
  • Paint– I used acrylics, they tend to dry fast.
  • Paper and Printer– To print out labels, for the tags I used a thicker paper, like scrapbook paper. You can also use card stock.
  • Double sided tape– For stick on labels
  • String/Yarn- To wrap around the bottle neck

 

Optional:

  • Hole punch- If you want to make a tag
  • Coffee or Tea- For “aging” the paper

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LABELS:

For the labels, you can either make your own or find them on the internet. You can search ” free Halloween potion labels”, or I found a bunch of pre-made potion bottle labels on flickr.

Print out your labels then take your cup of coffee or tea (I used herbal tea, so it didn’t come out as dark) place your label inside and soak for a few minutes, or dab on with a paper towel until desired darkness.

You can either let the paper air dry, or use a blow dryer on low heat (careful not to burn yourself or the paper). While still a little damp I crunched the paper in my hand, opened it back up and continued drying. This seemed to keep the crumpled look in tact. After that you can cut, rip, tear, bend, whatever you want to do to “age” the paper.

BOTTLES:

First, wash your bottles and let dry completely.

Next, you will take your paint and poor a small amount right inside the bottle, start by slowly tilting and turning it so the paint starts to coat all the way around. Be careful around the opening that you don’t get any paint on the outside. Depending on the color you choose, you may have to use two coats.

Set upside-down on a few layers of paper towels to get the excess out.

Turn over to air dry. Acrylics will usually dry pretty quickly.

Once dry add your corks.

For tags skip this step! Take your double sided tape and center it on the bottle. Carefully place your label because it probably won’t come off after it’s on there.

Cut your string whatever length you desire, if using tags take your hole punch and make a hole where you want the string to go through, wrap around bottle neck and thats it! You’re done!

Now you have an awesome DIY decoration that looks even better then the ones in the store!