All posts by benheck

Benheck.com Podcast Christmas Special Compilation

Unfortunately we did not have time to do a Christmas special intro this year. However, for your enjoyment, I’ve compiled the first 4 Christmas Special intros into one file, for your Yuletide listening pleasure!

They include “How the Jack Stole Christmas”, “Video Pirates Save Christmas”, “It’s a Wonderful Half-Life” and of course, “Mel Gibson’s The Nativity Story”.

Enjoy, and have a safe and happy holiday season!

Listen to Benheck.com Christmas Special Intro Compilation (26 minutes total)

Benheck.com Podcast Episode 75

Yes that’s correct – we haven’t given up on the podcast. Just been busy with the show.

In this belated episode we discuss:

1) The music industry, including the Hollywood Slutification Machine ™ that turns wholesome singers into trashy skanks.

2) Game we enjoyed in 2010, and our ‘Game of the Year’ picks. Gain insider knowledge into how many hours Ben has on Bad Company 2!

3) Jones’ disappointment with Gran Turismo 5. (Hey, at least it came out)

4) The anti-gaming law Arnold keep shoving through the courts. What a hypocrite.

Also includes impressions of Jar-Jar Binks, info on things we’re doing besides the show and much, much more!

Listen to Benheck.com Podcast Episode 75

Ruggedized PS3

Rugged PS3 in Pelican Storm casing

Here’s the project we built for The Ben Heck Show episode 9. It’s ruggedized PlayStation 3 for use in Afghanistan. It has a 22″ LCD screen, built-in speakers, TV tuner, network switch and storage compartment.

For all of the details on how this was done and to see the unit in action, be sure to check out the latest episode of my show. Enjoy!

Continue reading Ruggedized PS3

Begun, the Pinball Wars have

Ho, ho, ho, now I have a CNC machine.

Yes, after years of using other people’s CNC machines I finally bought one of my own. A big one. A 4’x8′ ShopBot to be exact. Now I can build more of everything and hopefully even sell kits / cases in the future.

In other news, after a shaky truce The Pinball Wars have begun anew. Pinball upstart “The Longhorn Engineer” is attempting to have his machine done by the Midwest Gaming Classic in March. It is called “Reset Vector” and is based off all of the tropes in crappy hacker movies.

Also everyone’s favorite ex-Roller Derby girl / engineer Jeri Ellworth hasn’t given up on her custom pinball either. It’s called “As Seen on TV” and celebrates the world of cheesy infomercials.

For myself, I am planning at least 2 new machines. “Tesla VS Edison” and “Lost“. “Lost” is an unlicensed one-off that I’m doing for a friend, similar to Paxton, but “Tesla” is something I’m hoping to build 2-3 of and sell to interested buyers. If you’re interested please let me know.

Be sure to check out the latest episode of The Ben Heck Show for an exclusive tour of my shop and home, as well as other hi-jinks.

Gran Turismo 5 History

Upon seeing the first prototype for a car in 1890, Polyphony Digital began production on Gran Turismo 5. First slated as a release title for the Analytical Engine, it was going to be “the finest racing sim ever – also the first!”

But problems arose immediately. Ada Lovelace’s code had to be “completely rewritten, almost from scratch” according to one insider. “Henry Ford really threw a monkey wrench into things too. It took us literally decades to get the paper tape geometry of his Model T working correctly.”

Production ground on for many years and was delayed by the Second World War. “That really took a byte out of us” lead designer Kazunori Yamauchi was quoted as saying, whilst also coining the term byte, “but the discover of Konrad Zuse’s Z3 was a shot in the arm. The team was also thrilled at the invention of the transistor, but it caused us to switch game engines once again.”

With the invention of the hard drive in the 1960’s, Polyphony Digital starting adding even more cars. Yet, “We’re confident the PDP-1 version will ship in time for Holiday ’68” an unnamed senior producer boosted at the World’s Fair.

Upon release of the PS3, Yamauchi finally saw a machine that could “realize his vision” from 120 years ago. “It’s not that we had to catch up with technology” he recently said at GDC “It’s that technology had to catch up with us.”

Gran Turismo 5 is now available for the PS3. Pre-orders from 1892 are still valid but you must pay the inflation difference. No chicken barters accepted.