So you want to save a YouTube video?  You've probably used a search engine and found tools like KeepVid, Keep-Tube, and a plethora of browser extensions for Chome and Firefox.

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You probably thought twice  about using those tools because adding an extension to your browser or running a Java Applet inside it can be a security risk.  It makes you wonder why you can't simply obtain a link to the flash file to download.  It's saved (cached) on your computer when you watch a video anyway...

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Well, you can get a link to the flash file (.flv) on a YouTube video without needing anything but your browser if you are using Chrome.  If you are using Firefox, you can use the FireBug developer tool extension.

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Here's how you do it.  I'll keep it short and sweet, but keep in mind the method is similar for both Chrome and Firefox.

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Overview: Use developer tools to see which files are being sent from the server, identify the video flash file, then obtain a link to it.

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Steps to obtain a Flash link to a YouTube video:

1. Open your browser.
2. Open the appropriate developer tools (Chrome: CTRL+SHIFT+I,  Firefox*: F12).
3. Click on the Network or Net tab.
4. May need to enable Network Monitoring (obvious if you see an explanation in the Net tab).
5. Navigate to the YouTube video.
6. When the video loads monitor the file list and find the one that is the flash file.  On Chrome, the type will be "video/x-flv" and named something like videoplayback.  On Firefox, it can be named the same "GET videoplayback?....", but you will need to click on the file to see the type, "video/x-flv."  If you have trouble, just look for the file that has a long transfer time... the one that continuously transfers (See the image below).
7. Right click on the file and choose either "Copy link address" or "Copy location."
8. Now you have the link.  However, before you can use it, make sure you close the original YouTube video webpage.  YouTube has smart caching logic so that only one of your connections will be active at one time.
9. You now have two choices:
   1. Paste your link into your browser (after closing the previous playing video), then doing a "Save As" to save it to your computer.  This will download the video a second time, which is why I recommend...
   2. Create a link, right clicking it, and choosing "Save link as..."  How do you do this?  Use this tool to create an HTML Link for you.

Now you can get a link to the flash video on YouTube with only your browser.  Expect a later post on how to convert a flash video into another format like mpeg.

Pascal Prokop decided to install a wood burning stove inside his car where a passenger seat would normally be.

It works, it's up to code, and it's totally bad ass.

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via BoingBoing.

Relevant.

via boingboing.net

This looks perfectly dangerous and the class' reaction is priceless!

Here's a new wood working project (experiment) on my list.  I've never tried to warp wood like this and it looks like fun.

The steps appear to be:

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• Cut 3 slits in a block of wood (about 1 inch wide)
• Boil water and soak the end of the block so that one tooth is submerged.  For how long?  Probably 5 minutes...
• Take the block out of the water and squeeze the single tooth with a vice until it is flat.
• Let the block stay in the vice for 2 days to harden.
• Take the block out and drill a hole through the two middle teeth.
• Insert a long nail.
• Put the block back into boiling water (the smashed tooth side).
• Set the block aside for 2 days to harden back into the original position.
• Sand everything until it looks pretty.
• Step back and wonder why you did this.  Smile.

Geek dad over at Wired has a nice write up on how useful old battery cells are from laptops.  If only once cell dies, the whole battery pack is kaput.  So, why not use the cells that still retain charge?

Geek Dad explains

This video makes me want to be an apprentice to the person at Volpin Props that created this helmet.  The accuracy, precision, and attention to quality earns a substantial amount of respect.

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Knowing how to go from idea to holding a completed retail quality item in your hand is extremely valuable.

Check out Volpin Props photoshoot

In a newsletter from Jameco the Make guy Collin Cunningham explains how to assemble a DIY fiber optic kit that will transmit your voice with light.  Take a moment to consider how profound that is.

check out the fiber optics kit from Jameco

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via Jameco's newsletter

Mike Krumpus made a fun defusable alarm clock where you have to cut the correct wire to stop the bomb from exploding (making a loud noise).

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He used an Atmel ATmega328 with an Arduino bootloader.  So, if you've used the Arduino IDE you can make your own.

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Click the above picture to see a video of the clock in action.

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I've been fantasizing about doing this on the moon or mars.  I'm overjoyed to hear someone has created a working prototype that uses solar light to melt sand to create structures.

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Think of the possibilities. You plop this automated machine on the moon and it cranks out airtight sealed tunnels for lunar colonies to live in.  There would be no need to transport the living space, which is expensive, and the people living in the containers could wait until the automated construction has completed making the prospect safer.

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Not only that, thick glass and stone is effective radiation shielding.  On Mars, the containers wouldn't need to be super air tight if they were used for farms.  Just add a little heat to the room and plants should thrive since they don't depend upon oxygen like we do.

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The breakthrough would be when this device can create a quality lenses with the found materials.  Then it could concentrate even more sunlight or make duplicates of itself.  Beautiful!

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My hat is off to Markus Kayser of the Solar Sinter Project

Markus Kayser - Solar Sinter Project from Markus Kayser on Vimeo.