I might make one of these myself with other bits of retro gear, it’s really clever. “These calendars showcase different classic computers on each page. It includes the Vic 20, Apple IIGS, CPC 464, TRS-80, Amiga, Atari 800XL, etc. It’s a perfect gift for any computer enthusiast or anyone who remembers those classic computers of the past.” Thanks Scotty! Link.
Excellent guide on procuring LEDs from a cheap and plentiful source – “They come disguised as “Christmas Lights” – the “Forever Bright” line is especially good. And they are the subject of this article. Why bother? Cost. A string of 75 BLUE LED lights costs $10 on sale – and up where I am there’s a $5 rebate per string for “Energy Saver” lights. So that’s five bucks for 75 LEDs – or about 7 cents per LED for the expensive BLUE ones. Cheap.” Link.
Great resource for wiring up your home for VoIP, in MAKE 03 we also have a guide “One obstacle to replacing traditional phone service with Voice over IP is that for your existing home phone jacks to work, it’s necessary to make a change to your inside telephone wiring. Fortunately, this change is very easy to make. In some cases it’s as simple as removing a plug from a jack. Still, a basic understanding of how telephone wiring works is useful before attempting to make such a switch.” Link.
You can boot off a flash drive with Linux, it’s super-handy but might not be your cup of geek, so here’s a way to do the same with Windows – “All it takes is a minor error in the Windows Registry or a virus infection, and your operating system can become unbootable. But with a properly configured USB flash drive on hand, you’ll always have a compatible replacement no further away than your pocket or keychain. In addition, the flash drive can also provide a secure browser and virus scanner, and lets you take your favorite DVD burning and Office software with you wherever you may go.” Link.
Why buy a Media Center PC when you can make your own – fun project for an old PC “MediaPortal turns your PC in a very advanced Multi-Media Center / HTPC. It allows you to listen to your favorite music, radio, watch your video’s and DVD’s, view, schedule and record live TV and much more. You get Media Portal for free/nothing/nada/nopes and best of all it is opensource. This means anyone can help developing Media Portal or tweak it for their own needs! “ [via] Link.
This is from earlier this year, but I didn’t see how it was done – so here it is. Ever want to make your own TRON lightcycle game? But not a video game, real life! Here’s a page that details how a group of racers hacked up gear and software to make a real life TRON racing game. Ingredients: “gps-receiver, backpack with laptop(Tatonka Serverpack with Gateway Solo 2500), keyboard, trackball (from old broken laptop), helmet (giro switchblade) with display (old viewfinder)” Link.
Here’s a really good example of what you could do with an old Apple Mac G4 cube – build an aquarium inside of it! This project was inspired by this one (one of the first cube aquariums) and has some good info on making your own. You can also make a great fish home from a Classic too! [via] Link.
