We also announce the winners of our Frankengadget contest and give away the clothes from Tim’s back to the winner of our in-studio costume contest, courtesy of Halloweencostumes.com — oh, did we mention that Tim and Brian and dressed as Darth Vader and a storm trooper this whole episode? Because they are.

Intel’s staff futurist Brian David Johnson stops by to talk about the near future of the chipmaker and the role science fiction plays in his daily work. We pay tribute to Steve Jobs with the help of some eager Apple fans. And we take a look at the iPhone 4S, Amazon Kindle and the ASUS Zenbook UX31.

Hosts: Tim Stevens, Brian Heater
Special guests: Brian David Johnson
Producer: Guy Streit
Director: Alexander Vietmeier
Executive Producers: Joshua Fruhlinger, Brian Heater and Michael Rubens

Download the Show: The Engadget Show – 026 (HD) / The Engadget Show – 026 (iPod / iPhone / Zune formatted) / The Engadget Show – 026 (Small)

Subscribe to the Show:

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Gallery: HTC Mazaa

Tonight is a full moon. And whether you live in the country or the city, it’s as good a time as any for this week’s Shooting Challenge: You’ll take a picture at night, but you’ll make it look like day.

Take a photo at night. Make it look bright and colorful, like day.

Get a tripod and a chair, because you’re going to need to suck a lot of light out of that night sky to make this work, which requires a long exposure—like a few minutes. But a full moon can make it easier, as it can technically put out as much light as very dim sunlight.

The exact plan for exposure can be tough to pinpoint and may require some fiddling…and living in a city can only confound your calculations. I’d highly recommend reading through this flickr board. It won’t take long, and it was the inspiration for this contest.

One member claims “ISO 100, 1 hour @ f/8″ is the key. Of course, cranking your ISO will allow for a shorter exposure. And every step up in ISO essentially doubles your sensor’s light-gulping abilities.

At ISO 200, that same should take about 30 minutes. AT ISO 400, you’re at 15. At ISO 800 you’re down to about 7 minutes and at ISO 1600 you’re way down in 3-minute territory. Needless to say, results will vary!

But those who have experience in this technique should definitely share their wisdom in the comments, as even our lead shot doesn’t quite follow these guidelines.

Our top photo is by Lawrence Andrade. It’s a 150-second exposure, f/4, ISO 200 with a Nikon D70s. You can see more of his work here.

1. Submissions need to be your own.
2. Photos must be taken since this contest was announced.
3. Explain, briefly, the equipment, settings, technique and story behind shot.
4. Email submissions to contests@gizmodo.com, not me.
5. Include 930px wide image (200KB or less) AND a 2560×1600 sized in email. I know that your photo may not fall into those exact high rez dimensions, so whatever native resolution you’re using is fine.
6. One submission per person.
7. Use the proper SUBJECT line in your email (more info on that below)

Send your best photo by Monday, January 24th at 8AM Eastern to contests@gizmodo.com with “Day” in the subject line. Save your files as JPGs, and use a FirstnameLastnameDay.jpg (960px wide) and FirstnameLastnameDayWallpaper.jpg (2560px wide) naming conventions. Include your shooting summary (camera, lens, ISO, etc) in the body of the email along with a story of the shot in a few sentences. And don’t skip this story part because it’s often the most enjoyable part for us all beyond the shot itself!

For the last six months, I’ve been working on a very exciting project called Philanthroper, which is now accepting beta testers. Sign up to help us build something that could change everything.

Send an email to Mark Wilson, the author of this post, at mark@gizmodo.com.

Wanna win a pair of Beats by Dr. Dre Headphones and a Zune HD 16GB Video MP3 Player?

This week, and this week only, HP Play is giving away 20 Beats by Dr. Dre headphones. If you know headphones then you know these things deliver rock solid sound and are outfitted with premium parts, hence their hefty price tag ($300+). But that’s not all. We’re, as inGadgetReview are also giving away a Zune HD 16GB Video MP3 Player to one lucky winner.

Here’s how to enter:

1. Visit and “LIKE” HP Play’s Facebook page
2. Next enter the contest by inputting your age (must be over 18), first and last name, your email address and a day time phone number.
3. Then follow the instructions and track down this week’s answer using the online clues
4. Submit your answer to the FunctionB@hp.com and contests@gadgetreview.com
5. Lastly, “LIKE” our GadgetReview Facebook Fan Page

One winner, for the Zune HD 16GB, will be selected at RANDOM from our Facebook page that has submitted their answer to the above email addresses.  Note: you must like GadgetReview on Facebook as well as like and enter into the HP Play contest in order to win the Zune HD 16GB Video MP3 Player.  Please note that GadgetReview does NOT pick the winner for The HP Play contest.

So what else is HP offering in the weeks to come? 10x HP Envy Beats Edition Laptops and a weekend trip to see a Lady Gaga Concert.

Now for some more good stuff.  If you want a double entry tweet “@gadgetreview Win A Free Zune HD & Beats Dr. Dre Headphones #hpplay”.

This contest ends 1/11/2011 at 11:59pm PST

Whether it’s to save money or just because you love that do-it-yourself feeling of accomplishment, we all love to make stuff. Here are our most popular DIY projects of 2010.

Photo remixed from an original by Matt Katzenberger

How to Build a Hackintosh Mac and Install OS X in Eight Easy Steps

You might like OS X, but not want to buy a Mac for any number of reasons: they’re too expensive, they don’t allow for enough customization, or you just plain love building a computer. Luckily, building a custom PC and installing Mac OS X on it has never been easier, and we’ve got a nice video walkthrough of the whole process.

How to Turn Your iPod touch into an iPhone: 4G Edition

It used to be that turning your iPod touch into an iPhone required jailbreaking and quite a few compromises along the way. If you’ve got a fourth generation iPod touch, though, all you need are a few simple apps and maybe a bit of extra hardware to turn it into a near-clone of the iPhone.

Turn Your Old Router into a Range-Boosting Wi-Fi Repeater

As with all technology, after some time, all routers just become outdated, slow, and it’s time to upgrade. But as with everything else, you don’t need to throw it away—with the same software you used to turn it from a $60 router into a $600 router, you can turn that old router into a Wi-Fi repeater that extends your signal anywhere you need it.

Binder Clips Keep Beverages Stacked in Your Fridge

We love to sing the praises of the endlessly versatile binder clip, but you guys really took to this particular hack. With just a few large binder clips, you can maximize your fridge space for beer (or, you know, Coca-Cola if you’re of the under-21 persuasion).

Learn the Science Behind Glow Sticks by Making Your Own

Whether it’s time for your weekly underground techno rave, or you’re just looking for a fun weekend science project, you can’t go wrong with making your own glow sticks. It isn’t the most cost effective method of obtaining them, but it’s a pretty neat project if you’re into chemistry.

Make a DIY No-Kill Mousetrap with a Toilet Paper Roll

Everyone has that time in their life when they’re forced to deal with a small rodent infestation. Thankfully, when that day comes, you don’t need to waste time searching for the perfect mouse trap—you can just grab an old toilet paper tube and a snack for your mousey foe. Then, just let gravity do its job.

Add a USB Power Outlet to Your Car

If you find you’ve got more USB devices that need charging on-the-go and fewer cigarette lighters, you can dig around in your car’s dashboard and find some unused electricity just waiting to charge your gadgets. Furthermore, depending on your car, you might actually double your number of outlets—so if you still need that cigarette lighter, it can live in harmony with your iPod on the road, no problem.

Learn to Pick Locks for Fun and an Increased Understanding of Security

It doesn’t matter how evil your intentions may or may not be, lockpicking can be pretty fun. Plus, you’ll learn a lot in the process—both about how locks work and how you can better protect yourself from those with evil in their hearts.

DIY Ultimate Note-Taking Notebook

We love technology, but sometimes pen and paper are just the best tools at your disposal. College is no exception to that rule, and instead of compromising on the utensils you use, you can make your own personalized, customized notebook for optimal studying.

>See a 10-Year-Old Fix an iPhone Screen for $22

Five Effective DIY Alternatives to Running Air Conditioner

The summer of 2010 was one of the hottest we’ve had in a while, and everyone was looking for ways to effectively beat the heat. One of our most popular posts on the subject contained five simple things you can do in your own home to cool off, whether it be creating a makeshift air conditioner or just making sure you don’t generate any extra heat through your daily chores.

How to Build a Hidden Home Theater PC Inside Your Entertainment Center

Home theater PCs are one of our favorite geek projects here at Lifehacker, but if the rest of your household isn’t big on the geekery, you don’t need a big PC cluttering up your living room. With some tough IKEA furniture and a the will to do some woodwork, you can hide your home theater PC inside the entertainment center with no problem.

One Good-to-Know Knot for All Occasions (and a Few Others for Good Measure)

Everyone could use some extra survival skills stored away in their brain, and our most popular this year was a primer on knots (specifically, the ever-useful Bowline knot). With a bit of practice, you can learn to tie this knot in under ten seconds with your eyes closed, and use it to sturdy up many a household hack.

Build a $3.50 DIY Micro TV-B-Gone

If you’re sick of the noisy TVs in bars, restaurants, or in your neighbors apartment, you can build a very tiny TV-B-Gone clone for quite cheap. With just a coin cell battery and a few miscellaneous electronics, you’ll be able to shut off nearly any TV who’s path you cross—just make sure be stealth about it before you get yourself in trouble with the bartender.

Seven DIY iPad Stands for Six Bucks or Less

One of the defining moments of 2010 technology-wise was Apple’s release of the long-fabled iPad. We took the opportunity to quickly round up seven great iPad stands that you can make on-the-cheap—whether out of Lego, wood, or your cat.

Make a Cheap Stylus for iPad and Other Touchscreen Devices

With the announcement of the iPad (and the exclusion of an official stylus), many took the opportunity to make their own styli for the now-popular large touchscreen device. The most popular model required some anti-static socks, though we’ve featured many, many other variations too.

Build a Custom Phone Car Mount for Under $10

As Android devices became more popular in 2010 (along with their built-in turn-by-turn navigation), many cried out for an easier way to mount their smartphone in their car. Luckily, it’s pretty easy to mod your old GPS mount for your smartphone by adding a hard case built for your phone.

And there you have it-one year of our best DIY projects in one fell swoop. Have a favorite that isn’t winning any popularity contests? Let’s hear about it in the comments. And if you’re still hungry for DIY, take a gander at the most popular how-to guides of 2009 and 2008.

Send an email to Whitson Gordon, the author of this post, at whitson@lifehacker.com.

A majority of us experience photography digitally—from taking the shot on a dSLR to viewing it through fiber optics, LCDs and social networking sites. For this week’s Shooting Challenge, we’re going to celebrate the digital through pixelmutations*.

* Pixelmutation isn’t a real term; I just made it up. So you might not want to use it around your photo snob friends.

Take a photo and manipulate certain elements to appear highly pixelated to achieve an effect that appears to mix the natural, or analog, with the digital.

Our lead shot is by professional artist Johan Rosenmunthe. His collections Off and Off II explore the relationship our lives have with digital content. They’re also the inspiration of this challenge. Take a peek at his work and then make the idea your own.

Even those of you who aren’t post production masters will almost laugh at how simple the basic technique is. In Photoshop, you simply select an area of the image (however you’d like to do that) and choose Filter->Pixelate->Mosaic. From there, Photoshop will average the color values within the selection. You can resize the “pixels” at will.

(For those of you who use Gimp or another program, please share how you might go about this in the comments.)

And as usual, if you are a photographer who doesn’t edit photos or a Photoshop guru who stays away from the camera, ask for help in the comments! There’s no reason two readers can’t combine forces.

1. Submissions need to be your own.
2. Photos must be taken since this contest was announced.
3. Explain, briefly, the equipment, settings, technique and story behind shot.
4. Email submissions to contests@gizmodo.com, not me.
5. Include 800px wide image (200KB or less) AND a 2560×1600 sized in email. I know that your photo may not fall into those exact high rez dimensions, so whatever native resolution you’re using is fine.
6. One submission per person.
7. Use the proper SUBJECT line in your email (more info on that below)

Send your best photo by Monday, December 13th at 8AM Eastern to contests@gizmodo.com with “Pixelmutation” in the subject line. Save your files as JPGs, and use a FirstnameLastnamePixelmutation.jpg (800px wide) and FirstnameLastnamePixelmutationWallpaper.jpg (2560px wide) naming conventions. Include your shooting summary (camera, lens, ISO, etc) in the body of the email along with a story of the shot in a few sentences. And don’t skip this story part because it’s often the most enjoyable part for us all beyond the shot itself!

My side-project Life, Panoramic: It’s the best site on the web, other than Giz, Kotaku, all of the remainder of Gawker Media, boingboing, flickr, deviantART, The Big Picture, pretty much any half-assed tumblr blog, all of those random messageboards that started in the 90s and are still lurking in dark corners of the internet…but look, it’s still gotta be like, 50th percentile. If you count the domain squatters.

Send an email to Mark Wilson, the author of this post, at mark@gizmodo.com.