Wet car update

I talked with the mechanics, and they said that fixing the leak can cost widely varying amounts of money, but it will be several hundred dollars at least.  I asked them what techniques they would use, and they weren't that far off from what I was going to try.  (They involve applying high pressures of water to different parts of the car at different angles to see when things start to leak).  I did this myself with a commercial car wash and identified two probable leak points.  One seemed to be an issue of a clogged drain -- there's a small side spout designed to catch water if the sunroof leaks, but the spout was clogged up.  

The sunroof is now sealed shut with tape, and the car smells fine now due to a liberal (hell, bleeding heart liberal) application of baking soda under the footwell.  Things seem stable in the short term. 

Meanwhile, I did some searching on Craigslist.  I must say... these new(er) cars are looking quite tempting.  For $4000 or so, I can get a millennial car, and for $9000 or so, I can get mid-to-late-2000s car.  I can't tell if the recession would drive prices up or down.  More people are likely to sell their cars if they really need the cash, but they're less likely to be selling their old car to trade in for something new.  The number of people wanting to buy used vs new is also likely higher. 

Augmented reality projector interface for gaming

Attaching a battery-operated microprojector to a video game fun controller is a clever idea.  That way, you can get the experience of looking around you in a dark room and seeing another world.  This likely is most interesting for first-person-shooter games that involve a lot of wandering around in the dark with a flashlight and a gun.  There are some practical isssues -- the projector is not very bright, and you need white walls, few windows, and an uncluttered room to be able to see clearly.

Read the full review here