The original wax seals were simply melted beeswax poured over the flap of a letter. The wax would range in color from nearly transparent to brown, depending on the quality of the wax. In the 11th century, artisans began adding colors to the waxes, such as red and black. These first seals were not tamper-proof, however, as the letter could be opened and then resealed with similar wax. For this reason, stamps or seals were created so people could impress their personal design or crest into the warm wax, making forgery difficult.

Today you can apply the same tradition to technology.  The Top Secret USB drive with wax seal is that device.  The USB flashdrive is made of high quality porcelain, finished off with a beautifull wax stamp containing the logo.

Besides the original white porcelain version there is also a black variant. Either one is available with red, orange, pink, blue or green wax seal. We also make Top Secret USB flashdrive for special occasions, like for a wedding: white with a silver wax seal. The top secret USB flashdrive in light blue or pink are designed as a gift for a newborn. All usb sticks are sealed standard with the original Top Secret ‘TS’ logo. There is the possibility of choosing your own design, letters or images. The Top Secret USB flashdrive are available with either 2, 4 or 8 gigabytes of memory.

USB devices and ports are now the most ubiquitous item one can related to a computer product other then maybe the VGA connector or Ethernet port.  With that said, it’s now the mainstream bus used to power and recharge most computer devices and gadgets.  However, just because it will charge of USB doesn’t mean it’s all that easy and efficient.  There is a lot more into charging via USB then you’d ever imagine.

With some devices you get a fast charge.  With other devices you get a slow charge.  So what’s the deal?

In most cases when you see a slow charging device it means the manufacturer made a digital signature that is compatible with the power charger which came with the device.  Any other USB port used to charge the product simply isn’t as efficient…and that’s by design!

This post is just an appetizer for all the dirty little secrets related to USB charging devices, to get a little deeper into the details click over to

Angry Birds is a great game for the first couple weeks.  New levels, new designs, new challenges.  However, the game gets a little stail for the 30+.  Today, we came across something which might re-kindle the fire for the 30-somethings who got burned out after a couple weeks.

How about taking the slingshot in the game and making it real life?  This is exactly what this DIY hacker did.

Over at MBed, the DIY tutorial for a USB slingshot gives step by step instructions, source code, design schematics and more for you to successfully remake a USB slingshot.

Source:  MBed.

Scientists are trying to break the boundaries of Moore’s law by taking a phosphorus atom and create a working transistor as the gate to control electrical flow.

Moore’s law describes a long-term trend in the history of computer manufacturing whereby the number of transistors that can be placed in the same amount of space doubles approximately every two years.

Michelle Simmons, director of ARC Center for Quantum Computation and Communication Technology at the University of New South Wales, Australia, took an atom and etched it into a silicon bed with “gates” to control electrical flow and metallic contacts to apply voltage to start/stop current.  It’s the first such device to be precisely positioned using

The tech world is changing for the better.  We are seeing longer lasting batteries, devices which require less juice and smarter power management.  Good example is the PowerUSB Bar.

This power bar will automatically shut down the devices it’s powering based on time of day or clock settings.  For example, why power that laser printer when everyone is away from work?  Better to power off the printer between 6pm and 7am, right?  The PowerUSB Bar can do just that.

The PowerUSB Basic empowers you to put your old devices on a diet by programming when to shut off power to them. It looks like a standard 4 port power strip but 3 of the for outlets are programmable. The last outlet is always on so it’s reserved for the PC. And there’s also a 6 ft USB cord coming out of the power strip. Attach printers, chargers, speakers or external drives and let the PowerUSB Bar govern their power consumption.

Instructables has a nice USB LED lantern DIY project.  I think the most important part about this project is getting a cool enough looking lantern.  Make sure it’s 50s-60s style with some wear on ti.

For the full instructions go to the Instructables page.

I just read this article from PC Magazine about watchdog group SumOf US taking on Apple for poor worker conditions in China.   I’m all for making the world a better place for mankind.  I also think some perspective is needed.

One of Apple’s biggest contract manufacturers [CMs] FoxConn has been under fire the last 12 months for employee suicides and a fire in a production facility.

It was reported the suicides are directly related to working conditions.  However, it’s important to keep some perspective.  FoxConn is an organization which employees well over 100,000 people.  I think it very likely a group of individuals from the 100K pool will find a common thread [depression] and lead their way to demise.  We’ve seen it before with other cult groups in the US.

I’m not giving Apple a free ticket, but I certainly don’t think Apple is to blame.  With the above situation, Time Cook, now CEO made the following statement [for the record I completely believe]

“We care about every worker in our worldwide supply chain,” reads his letter; “Any accident is deeply troubling, and any issue with working conditions is cause for concern. Any suggestion that we don’t care is patently false and offensive to us.”

As for the Foxconn fire in one of their production facilities, this type of accident happens all the time.  In the US, Europe, Australia and of course Asia.

I fully support the motion which SumOfUs has started,  but at the same time, I’m not holding Apple completely responsible for working conditions at FoxConn.  Sure they are one element, but not the entire picture.

For those of you who are not familiar with FoxConn, it’s a CM which supplies many major companies in the US, not just Apple.