Ben Heck’s Latest Atari 800 Laptop Could Be His Best Yet [Atari]
My Clippings September 13th, 2009 by System
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With the help of a GameCube power supply and the malleable magic hands of master modder Ben Heck, one lucky client can now play Buck Rogers and other classics on a positively portable Atari 800 laptop.
As Ben notes in the video, it’s really the vintage Atari keyboard that sells this thing. The clickity clack is unmistakable, soothing and flashback inducing all in one—he even managed to get the thing to pop up at near the same angle as the original!
Some more specs, courtesy Ben’s web site:
- Base unit is Atari XEGS motherboard, as usual.
– XE 130 RAM expansion built-in.
– Uses MyIDE circuitry and custom OS ROM to use a 2.5? PATA hard drive. Very fast! You can check out Mr Atari’s site here.
– Large 15? screen, similar to the C64 laptop but this one is better looking and shinier (obviously important)
– Uses original, new-old-stock Atari 800 keyboard. This is probably the best keyboard in the history of computing, so it was worth including, despite the complications (see story)
– Flush-mount cartridge slot.
– Amazing old-school styling!
Oh, and there’s the classic Ballblazer too:
Tags: blockquote, flash, IO, video, XP
The Quick 10: 10 Secret Menu Items
My Clippings September 7th, 2009 by System
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_Flossers: Your mission, if you choose to accept it, is to seek out covert items at fast food chains around the country. Be warned, this mission includes very real dangers such as hardening arteries and skyrocketing cholesterol. But we know you won’t let us down. We’ve compiled a list to get you started.
1. In-N-Out Burger’s “secret menu” isn’t so secret these days – in fact, they’ve posted it on their website. But in case you’re not in the habit of surfing fast food sites, here’s the skinny on the rather un-skinny items: ordering something “Animal Style” at In-N-Out means you’re going to get it with lettuce, tomato, a mustard-cooked beef patty, pickles, extra spread (it’s sort of Thousand-Islandy) and grilled onions. You can even get your fries Animal Style. “Protein Style” is a burger wrapped in a lettuce leaf instead of a bun. A Grilled Cheese is two slices of American cheese, lettuce, tomato and spread on a bun (grilled onions if you so choose). And you can get just about any combo of meat and cheese that you want if you order it like you’re ordering lumber: 3×3 gets you three beef patties and three slices of cheese, 4×4 gets you four of each, and so on. It doesn’t stop there – one gluttonous patron requested a 100×100 at an Las Vegas store a couple of years ago. One item not listed on the website secret menu: the Flying Dutchman, which is two slices of cheese sandwiched between two patties, hold the bun.
2. If you’re at Starbucks and in need of just a little caffeine, don’t worry – there’s a tiny option for you. It’s the Short size, and they don’t advertise it. It’s like a little baby cup of coffee. It also comes in handy when you’re scrounging for change and don’t have enough for a tall… not that that has ever happened to me.
3. It’s a good thing we don’t have Jamba Juice here in Iowa, because I would be all over candy-based smoothies. Because it’s considered a health-food chain, Jamba Juice doesn’t officially list these on their in-store menus, but Mighty Foods assures us that the secret flavors exist. The ones they confirmed with the company’s headquarters include Strawberry Shortcake, White Gummy Bear, PB&J, Various flavors of Starbursts, Fruity Pebbles, Push-Up Pops, and Skittles. Other tantalizing flavors that are rumored to exist: Chocolate Gummi Bear, Apple Pie, Sourpatch Kid, Tootsie Roll, Chocolate-covered strawberries, and Now and Later.
Tags: Advent, Apple, blockquote, Food, IO, Photo, php, video, way, XP
Order Secret Menu Items at Fast Food Chains [Fast Food Hacks]
My Clippings September 7th, 2009 by System
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Is Starbucks’ “tall” is actually too large for you, and Chipotle’s minimalist menu too constraining? These chains and many more have secret menus, or at least margins for creativity, that can awesomely expand your cheap-eats repertoire.
Some chains have actual secret items for devoted customers, as the mental_floss blog proves with its revealing of McDonald’s Neapolitan milkshake (just what it sounds like) and Taco Bell’s green chile sauce. In other cases, it’s just a simple request for the staff to do something creative with materials they already have on hand:
If you’re at Starbucks and in need of just a little caffeine, don’t worry – there’s a tiny option for you. It’s the Short size, and they don’t advertise it. It’s like a little baby cup of coffee. It also comes in handy when you’re scrounging for change and don’t have enough for a tall… not that that has ever happened to me.
Personally, I’m intrigued by the “store policy” that lets you order any combination of ingredients at Chipotle—hello, tomatillo-salsa-smothered enchiladas.
Have you found your own secret menus at chains, regional or national? Can you dream up your own great menu remix item? Make us hungry in the comments.
Tags: blockquote, Food, IO, Photo, XP
WordPress under attack, upgrade your blog now
My Clippings September 7th, 2009 by System
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Filed under: Security, News, Blogging
Several sites are reporting that a major attack on WordPress blogs started yesterday. The latest version of WordPress, 2.8.4, is not vulnerable to this particular worm, so upgrading now could save you a lot of headaches. The worm creates a new, hidden administrator account on your blog, allowing whoever’s behind this thing to access the guts of your blog, databases and all.
How do you know if your site has been affected? Lorelle on WordPress offers two possible ways to find out:
There are strange additions to the pretty permalinks, such as
example.com/category/post-title/%&(%7B$%7Beval(base64_decode($_SERVER%5BHTTP_REFERER%5D))%7D%7D|.+)&%/. The keywords are “eval” and “base64_decode.”The second clue is that a “back door” was created by a “hidden” Administrator. Check your site users for “Administrator (2)” or a name you do not recognize.
Wordpress has acknowledged the attacks and encouraged users to upgrade their sites. WordPress.com users aren’t affected, as the whole system has already been updated to 2.8.4. If you’ve already been afflicted by the attack, start on the steps in WordPress’ FAQ.
[via Mashable]
WordPress under attack, upgrade your blog now originally appeared on Download Squad on Sun, 06 Sep 2009 17:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Tags: blockquote, email, Google, Inc., IO, php, security, way, WordPress
Shoe Spy Camera Will Probably Get You Arrested [Wtf]
My Clippings September 5th, 2009 by System
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Wow. Omejo says its Wireless Shoe Covert Camera is specially designed for super-secret spy types, not upskirt perves. Riiight. The tiny camera hides in a shoe, and a tethered transmitter beams video to an included receiver with a 3-inch display.
The receiver is also a fully functioning tri-band GSM cell phone, and can record the wireless video signal from about 250 feet away (as MP4 files; 352 by 288 at 15fps). It has a TV-out connection, 1GB of built-in storage, and an SD Card reader.
The most important thing is that this handset is a normal handset, you can listen to music equally,and it can also receive the 2.4GHZ signal as a handset receiver, enables you to be possible a better hidden camera,it is engaged in the espionage activity, our shoes CAMERA is your best choice.
That’s their description, not mine, and my head hurts after reading it. Thankfully the shoe cam shenanigans will set you back an equally crazy $320, sorry frat boys. [Omejo via RedFerret]
Tags: blockquote, IO, script, video, way
Repair Damaged Drives With Linux
My Clippings September 4th, 2009 by System
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When you’re used to the world of Windows or OS X, Linux can seem a little unforgiving. Not only does command-line access hand over the complete keys to the manor to any unwitting user with access to the administrator’s account, there’s rarely a safety net should things go wrong. Despite advances in most Linux desktops (where the ubiquitous Trashcan safely buffers deleted files), you get no such protection from most system-specific configuration, installation and maintenance tools. And while it’s rare for anything to go wrong without your direct input, some accidents do happen, especially if you enjoy tinkering with the latest distro release each month. But this being Linux, there’s plenty you can do to dig yourself out of a hole, which is why it’s always a good idea to have a repair-worthy distribution close to hand when performing configuration and installation tasks.
One of the best developments in recent years has been the Live CD. These offer a fully functional Linux installation that runs from an optical drive. If you’ve got enough memory, you can even install new packages to the RAM disk just as you would when completing a standard installation. This makes a recent release of a Live CD-based installer like Ubuntu Jaunty the perfect system recovery tool. Not only does it include every package you might require, but because it runs from the optical drive rather than the hard drive, your data isn’t touched and there’s no chance files will be overwritten without direct input. It’s the obvious place to start when you get stuck.
Booting Linux
Probably the most common problem is when the Linux boot menu disappears or gets corrupted. The most likely reason for this is that a shared Windows installation has re-stamped its authority over your disk’s master boot record, overwriting the Grub boot loader with its own system-launching code. In these cases, you need to boot into a different Linux environment, either off a Live CD or from any other Linux booting media you can get hold of. The distribution you choose will also need to have Grub installed.
Tags: backup, blockquote, Build, flash, Information, IO, Linux, Microsoft, recovery, Sudo, Trash, Ubuntu, Vista, way, wind
Vital Tips For Effective Logo Design
My Clippings August 27th, 2009 by System
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There have been numerous creative logo design showcases, logo design resources and logo design tutorials posted across the Web. While these help you to create a powerful toolbox for your logo designs, first you need to gain a solid understanding of what makes a logo design good and what you need to consider before starting using this toobox.
In this article, we’ll get down to the nitty gritty of what makes an effective logo design and we’ll also guide you through the principles and best practices of how to create an iconic brand identity.
You may be interested in the following related posts:
- 10 Common Mistakes In Logo Design
- Do You Want Fries With That Logo?
- 60 Logo Design Tutorials and Resources
- Drawing Inspiration From Creative Logos
What Is A Logo?
To understand what a logo is, we first must understand what the main purpose of logos is. The design process must aim to make the logo immediately recognizable, inspiring trust, admiration, loyalty and an implied superiority. The logo is one aspect of a company’s commercial brand or economic entity, and its shapes, colors, fonts, and images usually are strikingly different from other logo in the same market niche. Logos are used to identify.
Paul Rand, one of the world’s greatest designers states that “a logo is a flag, a signature, an escutcheon, a street sign. A logo does not sell (directly), it identifies. A logo is rarely a description of a business. A logo derives meaning from the quality of the thing it symbolizes, not the other way around. A logo is less important than the product it signifies; what it represents is more important than what it looks like. The subject matter of a logo can be almost anything.”
For more on Paul Rand, consider reading the book Design, Form & Chaos.
What Makes A Good Logo?
A good logo is distinctive, appropriate, practical, graphic and simple in form, and it conveys the owner’s intended message. A concept or “meaning” is usually behind an effective logo, and it communicates the intended message. A logo should be able to be printed at any size and, in most cases, be effective without color. A great logo essentially boils down to two things: great concept and great execution.
Tags: advertising, amazon, Apple, blockquote, Build, email, Food, Google, IO, ISO, Photo, php, Printing, script, way, XP
Apple v. Psystar: Why Psystar Was Ordered to Pay $5,000.00 (USD) in Sanctions
My Clippings August 27th, 2009 by System
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I have obtained the transcript of the hearing that took place on August 20, 2009 resulting in the following Minute Entry in the Court docket:
08/24/2009 – 96 – Minute Entry: Discovery Hearing held on 8/20/2009 before William Alsup (Date Filed: 8/24/2009). Supplemental briefs due by 8/27/09. Deft shall pay pltf $5,000 in attys fees. (Court Reporter Sahar McVickar.) (dt, COURT STAFF) (Date Filed: 8/24/2009) (Entered: 08/24/2009)
However, before reporting on what transpired, a brief review of the filings that led to this hearing is in order. Rather than delaying the publication of this information so that I might digest this information down, I refer the reader to Groklaw’s excellent articles on the subject:
EULAs, Psystar, and the Reality Principle – Updated
Apple v. Psystar takes a darker turn in discovery – Updated
I have some additional thoughts that I would like to add to what Groklaw has reported, but I shall do so in subsequent articles during the “downtime” until the deadline for additional filings which is August 27, 2009 with another ruling no sooner than the end of August.
So What Happened at the Hearing?
Preamble
In this article, I am going to boil the proceedings down to the most basic facts so that the World of Apple readers can understand why Psystar was sanctioned and additional briefs were ordered to be filed. However, this transcript is dense with additional items of interest and areas in which I have some pretty strong editorial opinion. I will reserve that additional analysis for the coming days so that the information can be teased out in reasonable-sized portions. While I might derive some sick enjoyment from reading hundreds of pages of legalese, I realize that most peoples’ eyes will become Krispy-Kremeified long before mine.
I must once again remind the readers that I am not a lawyer and legal opinion would have to be obtained from a properly licensed and qualified attorney. Also, the reader may wonder why I don’t provide a copy of the transcript but rather only excerpts. There are two reasons. First, typically the court docket will indicate that transcripts are not full public record until after a certain date at which point they may be assessed through the PACER database. This particular docket entry does not contain such a restriction though I believe that is an oversight. However, the second reason is one of professional courtesy to the Court Reporter who makes the majority of her income through the purchases of her transcripts, and I will not unfairly deprive her of any potential income.
Tags: Apple, blockquote, Extract, Information, IO, ISO, Mac, php, script, way, XP
Objective-C Tutorial: NSArray
My Clippings August 27th, 2009 by System
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Here at iCodeblog, we have been showing you guys how to create many different types of applications from the ground up. Well, today I decided to do something different and get down to some of the nitty gritty of a structure we rely heavily on in objective-C.
The NSArray is a huge workhorse that we use quite frequently without even thinking about it. The NSArray class isn’t just your ordinary array. Not only does it provide random access, but it also dynamically re-sizes when you add new objects to it and has many methods to make our lives easier. While I won’t go over every method in NSArray (there are quite a few), I will discuss some of the more important ones that are most commonly used. Let’s take a closer look at this class.
Factory Methods
Factory methods are static methods that build new instances of NSArrays from given parameters and return them. The table below details on all of the factory methods for the NSArray class.
| + (id)array | Creates and returns an empty array |
| + (id)arrayWithArray:(NSArray *)anArray | Creates and returns an array containing the objects in another given array. |
| + (id)arrayWithContentsOfFile:(NSString *)aPath | Creates and returns an array containing the contents of the file specified by a given path. * The file must be of type .plist for this method to work |
| + (id)arrayWithContentsOfURL:(NSURL *)aURL | Similar to arrayWithContentsOfFile except it will load the .plist remotely from a given website. This would be a very simple way to get data from a web service. |
| + (id)arrayWithObject:(id)anObject | Creates and returns an array containing a given object. This will just be a 1 element array |
| + (id)arrayWithObjects:(id)firstObj, … | This method is used when you have multiple objects on hand and want easily insert them into an array. Make sure the last element you add is nil or this method won’t work. |
| + (id)arrayWithObjects:(const id *)objects count:(NSUInteger)count | Creates and returns an array that includes a given number of objects from a given C array. |
Here is some example usage of building NSArrays with these factory methods…
Tags: Apple, blockquote, Build, Information, IO, php, script, way
Save Dollars and Calories with DIY Microwave Popcorn [DIY]
My Clippings August 25th, 2009 by System
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We’ve shown you how to get movie theater popcorn for pennies on the dollar, but this DIY microwave popcorn trick is perfect for lazy nights at home. Prepare a batch now and then to enjoy a healthy, cheap snack.
Instructables user Hoopajoo had a major issue with store-bought microwave popcorn:
Go to the supermarket and look at the boxes of microwave popping corn. $1.99 to $3.00 a box and the odds are you won’t find one seasoned to your individual taste. You just have to settle for what they offer.
So he did what any true DIYer would: found a way to make it at home. Now he’s shared his recipe with us.
What you’ll need:
- 1/4 cup of popping corn (Generally $0.99 for a pound bag. This is enough to make at least 50 bags of microwave corn.)
- 1 Teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
- To taste – popcorn salt (It has finer granules than table salt with the same taste.)
And these tools:
- A stapler
- A teaspoon
- A measuring cup
- A brown paper bag
- A microwave
We would suggest skipping the stapler and using this trick, though, because somehow we’re wary about sticking staples into our microwaves, even if there are no sparks in the video:
Check out the full instructions for this DIY recipe at Instructables, but before you go, tell us: Have you ever made a DIY version of microwave popcorn before? How’d it taste? (And did the staples spark up?) What other snacks do you prefer to make at home?
Tags: blockquote, IO, video, way
