Tired of dealing with keys to get into his office, Valentin Heun hacked together this door unlocker with a laser-cutter, Arduino, and some bits n’ bobs from SparkFun.  Full design files and parts list can be found on the linked page.
from MAKE
From Engadget: Liquor stores will laugh in the Face.com at your fake ID
Okay, it’s only three months ’till your glorious twenty-first birthday, so near, yet technology has to come along and rain on your parade. You might think you look legal, but if claims by engineers at Face.com are to be believed, they’re not having it. Using the firm’s face recognition technology and a new API, they believe it can determine age based on a photo. The technology is open to all developers who might want to add age restriction into their apps, although it’s unlikely that you would want to rely on this as your sole method of verification. The algorithm takes a number of factors into account, such as face shape, and skin smoothness, so at the very least you’ll be able to find out if your t-zone routine is working. Hit up the more coverage link, where there’s a free iOS app to learn the harsh reality.
from Engadget
From Gizmodo: Optical Illusion Turns Simple Pendant Into an Elaborate Chandelier
When design shop Troika was called upon to create a series of unique chandeliers for the Royal Society of Arts‘ headquarters in London, instead of engineering some hanging crystal monstrosity, they created a subtle fixture that barely exists when the lights are off. More »
from Gizmodo
From Gizmodo: Watching Sad Movies Actually Makes You Happier
From bawling your eyes out over Bambi as a kid, to the slow, painful tug of the heart strings that was Beginners, most of us are suckers for a sad film. But a new study suggests that the reason for that might be incredibly simple: It turns out that sad films make us happy. More »
from Gizmodo
From The UberReview: Use a Cup of Coffee as a Crude Barometer
Did you know bubbles in a hot cup of coffee, tea or cocoa can give you an idea of what the weather is going to be like for the day? Instructables user stickmop shared this trick from Backpacker magazine: pour a cup and watch what happens to the bubbles: if they move to the edge quickly, then there should be clear skies for the next 12 hours; if they stay in the middle it means rain; if they move slowly then you might have some rain but things should clear up soon.
How does it work? Basically, your cup of coffee becomes a very inexpensive barometer – and the movement of the bubbles gives you a rough indication of the air pressure.
[Source]
from The UberReview
From Lifehacker: How Many Hours Do You Work Per Week? (Hint: If It’s Over 40, You May Have a Problem)
For years, the 40-hour work week was recognized as the sweet spot for workplace productivity and profits, a system, which AlterNet’s Sara Robinson points out, is backed by 150 years of research. Every hour you work beyond 40 actually makes you “less effective and productive over both the short and the long haul.” But you don’t have to be a social scientist to notice that this wisdom seems to be going by the wayside. In fact, most of us just need to take a glance at our own working hours. More »
from Lifehacker
From Lifehacker: Audacity 2.0 Adds Automatic Crash Recovery, Improved Keyboard Shortcuts, Stability, and Better Effects
Windows/Mac/Linux: The free, open source sound editing program Audacity has been updated with a few new features. The most notable include improved effects, a ton of new keyboard shortcuts, and a handy automatic crash recovery mode. More »
from Lifehacker