I really like POV because of the way it tricks your brain into seeing images. I had a toy when I was younger that looked a lot like a flat “bat” that had a small keyboard on it. I typed in messages and then would wave it back and forth and it would “print” the message with red LEDs.
That toy is long gone– here to replace it is this is a kit that you can purcahse and assemble to give the wheels of your bike POV images. Bonus points for the Pac Man reference!
Link. Thanks, Micah!
Classic video games meets ultra portability. MAME (or at least a small portion of MAME) has been ported to the 5G iPod (includes the video and nano). Currently it has no sound support yet and about 70% of original speed but those are small issues they plan to work out. Support for 4G iPods should be around the corner. Should play any game that was based on the original Pac Man hardware (Z80 based, most Pac Man variants, Crush Roller, Pengo, etc.). I'm pleased!
Link. Thanks, Ben!
I originally discovered this by casually clicking through Google Video and found it through the “popular” items. (Why are there so man duplicates??) Anyway, I came across a video that I've been mesmerized by since.
What happens when a 500kv switch attempts to open and fails? A terrific light show– in the daytime.
A search revealed someone that could explain what was happening (not that I really understand what a shunt reactor is) with subsequent remarks by the one who shot the video.
Link to Google Video. Link to Description.
BONUS ROUND
350kv switch opening
A power substation bursting into flames.
With the winter solstice (Dec 22, 2005) now past us, we look forward to the ever so slightly increasing amount of daylight. It's always tough to go to work mostly in the dark, only to emerge 8 hours later– also in the dark.
The winter solstice reminds me of an elementary science class topic. Can you stand an egg on it's end during the solstices (or equinoxes)? This is supposedly due to the distance of the moon and the earth. Well, yes, but you can do it anytime of the year as well– they're not related. It only takes patience. But it makes for good eating afterwards.
It's that time of the year again, when you realize you have too much stuff in the house and you fear you're becoming one of THOSE people that have small pathways in the midst of their belongings in all of the rooms.
A Flickr pool of bad DVD covers of bootleg movies. This one of “Miatchstick Men” especially made me laugh out loud paired with the first comment. Pictured in the inset is the “critic” review of the movie– a mug falling on your keyboard.
The juxtoposition that David Lachapelle was able to capture with this series of photos is amazing. Look around while you're there, he was also responsible for the highly stylized Burger King commercial featuring Hootie as a cowboy singing the praises of a Whopper.
Link. Thanks, James!
An obsessive collection of moist towelettes from around the world. Be sure to play the game of memroy while there.
Link Thanks, Button Monkey!
Amazon has begun a service called the Mechanical Turk. What is a mechanical turk you may ask? See an answer here.
Many problems that seem easy for humans to solve are sometimes extremely costly in terms of computing time or even worse difficult or impossible to solve, such as transcription of audio or translation of text. Sure, those tasks can be done automatically at the moment but usually with a high error rate, especially if the software hasn't been “trained” first. Amazon is taking a different approach by paying you to solve these problems that are easy to solve. For example, Amazon offers you 2 cents for identifying the artist or band name from an album cover image. It's easy, mostly. You can convert the earnings into a deposit or Amazon.com store credit.
Link. Thanks, Russ!
After the successful building of our first MAME cocktail cabinet, we've decided to build another one. The first cabinet was built to look as close as possible to a Ms. Pac-Man cocktail table. The next one will be the same style, but we're loosening up on the graphics, creating a custom underlay and control panels and artwork to allow other games to be played. I have reserved a PowerMac 7100/120 mobo for the task.
The underlay has been designed and needs to be printed and laminated. It's a combination of Ms. Pac-Man, Pac-Man, Galaga and Q*Bert. The control panels will have a set of three fire buttons on both sides of the stick (since I'm opposite handed).
Some useful links for you if you're interested in building one yourself.
Arcade Depot, precut real wood cabinets and control panel hardware.
Two Bit Score, good source for cocktail table glass and other authentic replacement parts.
Kyle Lindstrom, source for really good do-it-yourself cabinet plans.
Happ Controls, good source for SVGA 19″ shelf mount monitors, coin mechs, doors, joysticks and buttons.