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Modder adds Twitter / IRC / email LED to Eee PC, lives to tell the tale


You know, we were cruisin' the blogosphere the other day on our tricked out Eee PC, rocking our newly installed trackball, when we realized that we were enjoying ourselves so much that we had completely lost track of the time -- and the way that news moves around here, that's a very dangerous thing. Like, what if @spencerpratt got to the bottom of the moon landing hoax or the conspiracy to fluoridate our water and we totally missed the tweet? Well, we can thank our lucky stars that a certain Justblair has already given this some thought. With little more than an AtMel AtTiny45 microprocessor, a red / green / blue LED, and some programming chops, this guy has rigged a netbook with a little light that notifies the user when they get a new message in Thunderbird, Pidgin or Twitter. This is definitely not a project for beginners, but if you'd like to take a crack at it hit the read link for the whole low down. As for us, it's back to Loose Change: the Blooper Reel on Google Video.

[Via Liliputing]

Modder places USB flash drive in Atari 2600 cart, amuses geeks world o'er


Well, kids, if you like your USB drives with a little style, a little kitsch, and far too large to be carried conveniently, a gentleman named Robotic Evil, Inc. has just the thing for you. The evil one is hard at work as we speak, taking 2GB thumb drives and placing them in the artifacts of genuine geek nostalgia. Really, who wouldn't want to receive a hand-assembled computer peripheral in the shape of an Atari game cartridge or an NES controller? These things cost $29.99 (add another $5 for shipping and handling) and they're available at this dude's Etsy store. Check out the NES controller / drive yourself after the break.

[Via BoingBoing]

Stand-up console plays Nintendo DS and Sony PSP games, somewhat defeats the purpose


Depending in your level of geekness, an extravagant mod can be pretty cool. And arcade consoles are damn near always really cool. But making a stand-up console game out of your beloved Nintendo DS? That is pretty amazing. And throwing in a Sony PSP for good measure -- well, that might just elevate your project to a work of art. We don't have too many technical details on this bad boy (after all, the hacker is in Japan -- and there is a bit of a language barrier) but you we think the video of the thing really says it all -- if not in so many words. Peep it for yourself after the break.

[Via Technabob]

Ben Heck's latest portable Xbox 360 adds sleek white finish, Jasper motherboard

Even after five iterations, Ben Heck's portable Xbox 360 models are still a spectacle to behold -- he seems to keep outdoing himself every time, both in functionality and style. This latest model has the appearance of an oversized plastic polycarbonate Macbook when closed, and packs a 17-inch Gateway LCD panel. The big improvements here include the Jasper motherboard, a flush-mount DVD door and side panels, digital potentiometer / button volume controls, and an ethernet port in addition to WiFi. Not everything's been kept, as Heck says he ditched the camera, not seeing a point for it -- but hey, there's still two USB ports if any of his (already spoken for) customers want to add it. Impressive work, indeed. See it for yourself in the video after the break.

[Via TechEBlog]

Shadowy modder gives Eee PC a risky back alley trackball implant


Remember that guy who uber-hacked his Eee PC with a GPS, Bluetooth, draft-n WiFi, FM transmitter, SDHC card reader, modem, USB hub, 2GB RAM? Well, we got one more for him. This enterprising gentleman, fed up with suffering through the three-finger scroll of his Eee PC 901, integrated the trackball of his Apple Mighty Mouse into the netbook's palm rest. Of course, this took some time and effort: in the end, the trackball leads had to be unsoldered from the mainboard, the trackball itself soldered to the mainboard, and the whole shebang installed under the surface of the netbook itself. But you know what? It works. That is, until the Mighty Mouse itself craps out -- as they have been known to do. Still, it's all in a day's work for a heroic modder. Right? Hit that read link for the step-by-step, but not before you peep the vid after the break.

SUPERTENDO portable SNES hack elevates an artform to something impressively commercial


Yeah, we're all been-there-done-that with portable SNESs these days, but we've never seen it done like this. Marshall posted his creation, dubbed the "SUPERTENDO," to Ben Heck's forums, which seems to imply (along with the looks) that he took some queues from similar designs already floating around those parts. What really sets this one apart, however, is the vacuum-formed chassis and the instant "make me an offer" move to a sale -- being owned by a major faceless media conglomerate ourselves, we like to see a guy who's out for a buck. A quick hands-on Video is after the break.

[Via benheck.com]

Video: Grocery cart morphs into electric go-kart, insanity ensues


We won't bother detailing just how sophisticated the system is that's powering the wild whip you're peering at above. We won't bother mentioning just how many A123Systems batteries are installed, nor how intelligent the creator is. We won't bother wearing our jealously on our sleeves. What we will do, however, is point you after the break in order to have a look at just how exhilarating a ride in the LOLrio Cart (otherwise known as an electric go-kart) is. Harris Teeter, you getting all this?

[Via AutoblogGreen]

Homebrew apps come to the Palm Pre


According to Dieter over at PreCentral, real, honest-to-goodness usable apps are starting to "trickle out" for the Pre / webOS. Apparently utilizing a loophole in the operating system which allows unsigned apps to be sideloaded through email, homebrewers have taken to the interwebs with small utilities like the tip calculator (pictured above). This comes just a day after a group of DIY'ers figured out a workable solution for getting software onto the phone without rooting, so obviously Pre hacking is moving along at a healthy clip. These are -- of course -- very early applications, so don't expect perfection, and there seems to be some concern that Palm might want to patch up this hole, as it leaves the phone vulnerable to less altruistic endeavors. While the latter point is reasonable to consider, we do have a piece of advice for the folks at the front of this movement: don't wait and worry on how Palm will react to this stuff. It's important to push platforms like webOS, and the Pre needs all the love it can get on the development side right now.

Read - Right now: Install a Homebrew App without Hacking
Read - Homebrew Apps Tricking Out, but be careful

DIY VR Game Gun packs built-in motion tracking, optional mullet


Homebuilt motion controllers may be a fairly common occurrence these days -- especially with the Wiimote simplifying things considerably -- but this so-called "PC VR Game Gun" takes a slightly different approach than most, and has the added benefit of a pitchman firmly committed to selling it as the greatest thing since ShamWow. As you can see above, the rig consists of a toy gun with an LCD screen attached to it, but the real secret is a Gyration Air Mouse mounted on top, which allows for some full, seemingly responsive motion-tracking in any PC game. To really finish things off, our fearless modder also ripped apart a gamepad and wired it up to the trigger in the gun, which turns out to be just the thing for playing F.E.A.R.... on the highest difficulty setting. Must-see video after the break.

Update: As helpfully pointed out in comments, there's now a wireless version of the Game Gun and, of course, a new video. Check it out after the break as well.

Johnny Chung Lee joins Project Natal team, puts Wii hacking experience to good use


In this time of economic hardship, it warms the heart just to hear that someone's found any job. But when our main man Johnny Chung Lee lands a position on Microsoft's Project Natal team, it's high fives and handshakes all around. And really, it's a perfect fit -- among the many hacks of his illustrious career, he's put together a VR head tracker (and utilized it in a first-person shooter) for the Wii game console. Apparently, Lee's part of the group that is taking the tech we saw at E3 and getting it ready for prime time. As you'd expect, the man is pretty stoked to have landed his dream job. "The 3D sensor itself is a pretty incredible piece of equipment, he says, "similar to very expensive laser range finding systems but at a tiny fraction of the cost." Congratulations, Johnny! If you should feel the need to leak any product pics, you have our email address.

[Via Joystiq]

Video: Wii Nunchuk controls motorized Beancat chair


Nintendo's Wiimote (and the Nunchuk, by extension) have certainly been wired up to control their fair share of oddities, but we honestly can't think of a more suitable use for a spare 'chuk than this right here. The so-called Beancat is nothing more than a motorized beanbag chair that takes direction from a wired Nunchuk, and while we can't exactly speak from experience, it certainly looks thrilling from afar. Have a glance yourself just past the break, and tap the read link if you're eager to see how it all came together.

[Via MAKE]

DIY WiFi radio built with ASUS WL-520gU router, sweat and tears


Are you just now coming to the stark realization that you've nothing whatsoever to do this weekend? Calm down, there's no need to freak out. Thanks to Jeff Keyzer over at mightyOhm, you can now get to work on your very own DIY WiFi radio. In one of the most elaborate how-to guides we've ever had the pleasure of gawking at, Jeff has detailed exactly how to turn an ASUS WL-520gU router, a few spare pieces of wood and a couple of unwanted knobs into an open source internet radio streamer. Sure, there's always Pandora for those who aren't inclined to get their elbows dirty, but seriously, what fun is that? Roll up those sleeves, grab whatever tools your pop gave you when you left for college and hit the read link. Pronto.

[Via Hacked Gadgets]

PSP and 360 Chatpad hacked into laptop (albeit for very small laps)


We've seen our share of PSP mods in the past -- it sure seems like everyone has an opinion on how to improve the thing. Acidmods.com member Folklord36's innovation has been to place the device in a clamshell scrounged from a Joytech Visor. But the pièce de résistance? The working keyboard, which once belonged to an Xbox 360 Chatpad. This is a hack in progress, so we can expect to see this guy become even more refined in the near future. That said, there's been lots of work done here: speakers moved, LEDs installed in speaker holes and triggers, and of course the case itself. Kudos, our man. Kudos.

[Thanks, Robin]

NVIDIA GPU resurrected after 10 minutes at 425°F


We've seen some pretty weird stuff in our years on this planet -- heck, we've revived our own drenched Sony DAP by burying it in rice for 48 hours -- but this is easily one of the most bizarre gizmo resurrections we've ever come across. As the tale goes, one valiant NVIDIA GPU owner apparently bit on a myth which suggested that a pinch of time in the oven (quite literally, might we add) would repair faulty GPUs that were throwing up oodles of vertical lines. After purchasing another GPU to replace his ailing 8800GTX, he figured he had zilch to lose and gave it a shot; lo and behold, the temporary warmth seemingly melted the solder points and healed micro-fractures that were causing the unwanted lines. We've yet to hear how his attempt at returning the new GPU went, but hey, there's always eBay. Give the read link a look if you're still in disbelief.

[Via Digg]

Nintendo handheld packs 76 old games behind one tiny screen


Ben Heck forum member Brian has built us a sweet little Nintendo-on-a-chip handheld that puts a Super Joy III KIRF TV game, a 2.5-inch display, a controller, and 4 AA batteries under the same roof. This bad boy not only allows you to play 76 games on the go (though, sadly, not at the same time), but it looks great doing it as well. Hit up that video after the read link and see for yourself.

[Via Nowhere Else]




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