Today I've got a really neat project. For Valentine's Day, I created a matching set of controllers. Well, almost matching -- One's wireless and one's wired. But both are red and have LED-backlit buttons, improved D-pads, and different analog sticks. Wonderful!
New vids: A double-update for a double-snowy Monday!
Holy cow everyone! Two new videos on this snowy Monday evening. Enjoy!
The first one is about the MiniPOV3. I received a few questions about programming the POV toy, so I decided to put together a little step-by-step tutorial on adding custom messages to the flash. If you've had any problems programming the ATTiny in the POV3 unit, this tutorial should help to straighten you out a bit...especially if you are using a Mac.
This next video is something special. I use a projector to play the Nintendo Wii, and while it's fun, I've needed to keep the console in an odd place due to the wired sensor bar. In this tutorial, I build a new wireless sensor bar that has its own separate plug for the outlet. I will go through the process of building the circuit, soldering everything together, and finally, attaching it to the projector screen. If you are looking to build a sensor bar for yourself, take a gander at this:
New vid: The MiniPOV kit from Adafruit Industries!
Hello everyone. I hope you are having a wonderful near year thus far. A new video for a new year, the MiniPOV kit from Adafruit Industries is an interesting little thing. It flashes LEDs in sequence to trick your eyes into seeing a complete image. You can display anything that will fit on the matrix, as long as the phrase or symbols are under 8 pixels high.
New vid: WRT54G Hacking.
Truth be told, this is more of a show and tell than an actual tutorial, but it's still interesting. I hope you enjoy it too! Have a happy, safe, and wonderful New Year!
Happy Holidays everyone!
Sometimes, I paint. I am certainly not the best artist, but there is a streak of creativity in me that must be answered with action. This painting is an example of that.
This time of year is wonderful, because everyone attempts to be civil and loving with everyone else. Regardless of your religion, your job, or your social status, you attempt to be kind and elevate the mood of those around you. That is the beauty of this season and the true meaning of the holidays. So with that in mind, I wish everyone a safe and wonderful holiday season!
The Velleman pong tutorial is up.
Ah, hello and good evening fello tinkerers! I have a tutorial for the velleman "Classic TV Game" (pong) kit, finally up for your enjoyment. The tutorial goes in hand with the video posted last time, so I suppose you could consider this Pong, Part II.
A few weeks ago, I bought a Velleman TV Game kit from ThinkGeek for $19.99. I finally put it together and got someone to play some pong with me!
After playing for a while, we decided that a "review" of just the unit itself wasn't enough -- we actually had to compare it to the real thing. After some experimenting, I got the Magnavox Odyssey 300 to work on my television. See the whole adventure right here! I will be putting together the tutorial on the kit within the next few weeks, so hopefully the video whets your appetite for something new. :) If you feel like seeing the video right here, right now, it should appear below. Enjoy!
A small update.
So I figured I would finally take the time and post a stupid pet trick!
This is Brownie. He's an African fat-tailed gecko who is about 3 years old. More tranquil than leopard geckos, they love to hide in dark places that are damp or humid. Typical food for him includes crickets, meal worms, and occasionally a pinky mouse.
New! The TV-B-Gone kit tutorial!
I saw Gran Torino a few days ago, and it was a powerful movie. It's the sort of cinema that profoundly shocks and effects you even when you're outside of the theater. I have to say, it was a great film and I loved it.
With that in mind, this tutorial contains horrible Clint Eastwood puns, so be forewarned. The rest is the usual though, and I tried to make it as simple as possible without getting too boring. So with that, take the plunge and I'll see you on the inside!
And in case you are wondering what was going on during the video (including me yelling at someone), it was my roommate's cat, eating the microphone cord.
Limited Time offer: Make your own Sekrit Muslim Birth Certificate!
Normally, I don't post a lot of my political leanings here for some obvious and some not obvious reasons. Mostly, because I want to keep this site professional on some level. When it comes right down to it though, I know a good laugh when I see one, and there's definitely something odd when the BBC is reporting on the president's birth certificate being authentic. With all of this madness floating around about whether or not the President of the United States is a US citizen or not, I finally caved.
With that out of the way, I also have some other news...I've finished assembling the TV-B-Gone kit from LadyAda's web site, and have everything all shot. I just have to write the tutorial and I'll get that up. I'm thinking the ETA will be within the next week or two, depending on how busy things are at my real life job.
So yes, have fun!
Apache Mod_security and mod_evasive, plus a couple other tricks!
Just a quick little shorty -- I wrote a small tutorial on securing a web server with mod_security and mod_evasive. These two Apache modules are wonderful and will help to keep some of the more common exploits from getting to your boxes. While it certainly isn't the most extensive server configuration tutorial by any stretch, I hope it helps you to get started! So, grab your fresh Redhat/CentOS server with Apache and PHP installed, we're going in!
Happy Birthday America!
My vacation thus far has been amazing! I've been all over New York City, from Midtown, to 30 Rock, to the Nintendo World Store. There is nothing quite as good as eating barbeque with friends on a holiday.
I've gotten some email wondering about where I was going last week and what I was up to. I have posted all of my photos up to this point in the online gallery on this site. Just click this link to see the wonderful things I've done thus far!
The Nintendo World store was a nerd's paradise, if I do say so myself! ;)
A late night double feature creature show! Mintyboost in a DS case and a Nintendo DS to USB charger!
Well hello everyone and welcome back! I'm going on vacation in a couple of weeks, so today's update is a doozy...a massive two-post juggernaut of Nintendo DS updates. First, we have the Nintendo DS USB cable that allows you to charge your DS or Gameboy Advance at any USB port. The other update which is slightly more in-depth, is a Mintyboost adapter I built and hacked into a DS case. This way, not only do I have power for my Nintendo DS when I'm on the road and need a fix, but I also have USB power for any device needing charged, such as a cell phone, MP3 player, or GPS. Check them out by clicking on the links. As always, tell me what you think by dropping a comment if you want to!
The Super Genitari!
If you've been wondering where I've been for the past week, this is it! I got a broken laptop out of a junk pile at work. It had a broken screen, a bad hard drive, and bad RAM. I gutted the motherboard and part of the case, then hollowed out a Sega Genesis...
Heatsink upgrade for the Blade CX 2!
There is nothing more fun than flying RC planes and choppers. My favorite flyer thus far is the Blade CX 2. It's quick, nimble, and moddable. There are light kits, new blades, new bodies, new skids, and performance upgrades for the helicopter at reasonable prices. The absolutely essential one though is definitely the heatsink upgrade for the engines. This mod gives your motors a bit more life by cooling them off and can even make them peform better by keeping them cool. This week's tutorial shows you how to put the heatsink into place and get into the air! Check it out inside...
Hi Everyone! So in addition to the latest tutorial (On the drawdio below! Hooray!) I've also done a little Spring cleaning around here. The page layout is a little different, with the nav bar on top doing most of the navigation instead of the sidebar. Also, the news section has been truncated and you'll find that I've also changed the banner to something a little more...well...me! So with those changes in place, I think the site will be better for people to navigate and experience without the headaches provided by the old stuff. With that out of the way...On to the tutorials!
Drawdio - the Pencil that thinks it's a musical instrument!
The Drawdio is arguably one of the funnest things you can build for under $20. It's a pencil that draws music! Sound confusing? Well, fear not, because I'll walk you through making one of these beauties! Check it out inside...
Penn Circle South High Rise Building Implosion
I filmed this from the rooftop of Miller Frame in East Liberty. When I heard that they were imploding these buildings, I absolutely had to film it. Imploded by Titan Wrecking of Buffalo, NY, the building was cleared to make room for a new Target store.
While watching the building fall, we drank mimosas and celebrated. It's a big deal for a neighborhood that has seen it's luck slip for the past few decades.
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