Well we’ve finally done a podcast where we discuss Microsoft’s new OS which of course is called Vista. Also this podcast has the winning entry for our intro contest, so congratulations to Rich Brautman for giving us the idea.
We also have some side topics of the decline of arcade and forum / IM annoyances. Enjoy!
Listen to Benheck.com Podcast Episode 18
www.benheckpodcast.com – Official Site
As many of you don’t know I have been working with eDimensional, Inc. on a new gaming accessory. I’m pretty excited as this will be my first retail boxed product – yes I know my book was retail but it didn’t have a box now did it? They gave me a wide latitude on the design and the final product is very benheck – beyond the item itself I ended up doing all the box artwork and advertising items too. Everything is in line with my design aesthetic.
Never do a contest photo without your dial caliper.
Anyway there’s currently a contest running in which you can guess what we’ve cooked up and have a chance to win one, whatever it is. Go ahead and check it out! The tips I will give out is that it’s a gaming accessory (as mentioned) and the cost is under $100.
DISCLAIMER: Any real-life friends of Benjamin J Heckendorn, AKA “benheck”, who have possibly seen what the item is already should not enter because that would be pretty weak.
Parts 1 and 2 are now live on Engadget.com. Check them out!
There will be at least one more part, possibly up to 4. Also I should have an update on the VCSp Rev 5.1’s soon.
Every so often a movie comes along that’s right up my alley (or at least seems so based on the previews) – Grindhouse was one such film. I really enjoy bad movies, and also the double feature atmosphere of the drive in is fun as well. (Not sure if a Grindhouse is exactly like a drive-in, but I found the presentation to be very drive-in like, personally.)
So what follows is my review of both the movies found in Grindhouse – Planet Terror and Death Proof – and also my speculation as to why it bombed.
Continue reading Movie review – “Grindhouse” (and why it bombed)
I was going through some files on the computer when I came across an old crappy scan of a photo. I then realized I probably still had the original Polaroid, dug through the filing cabinet, sure enough found it and rescanned using my ultra modern 2001 model Scanjet so it’d look slightly less crappy.
This is the original prototype Atari VCSp Revision 1, dating from March of 2000. As you can sort of see it was routed from clear acrylic, I painted it black later. The deal was the rear half was correct but the front was not quite right. Still I slapped it together just to see what it would be like, and this is the result. Note the very professional electric tape holding it together – my hot glue gun musta been in the shop that day.
At the time I was writing the script for “The Lizard of Death” so it wasn’t until a month later that I rerouted the front piece and finished the unit as we all know it today. Still, ah… those were good times! You can check out the story of the original portable project I ever did by clicking here.
Well we’re on the new server now and after erasing and reuploading WordPress it seems to be working again with the original database. I’m sure you wanted that much detail. Anyway, we’ll continue to make sure everything is up and running smoothly, but for now it seems OK.
Behold my second and (unless someone gives me Miller Brewing company) last Xbox 360 Laptop!
Similar to the first model but redesigned in many ways. “Uses 60% Less Aluminum!”
For a full photo gallery and more info please see the article over on Engadget.com. The bonus with this project is that I’ve documented the construction in a fair amount of detail and will be doing a 3 part “How To” also on Engadget, as unsurprising as that may seem. It’ll include art files and diagrams, so you can take a crack at modding a 360 on your own!
Xbox 360 Laptop 2 – Article on Engadget.com
Enjoy the photos and imagine yourself playing 360 by the pool surrounded by supermodels, but don’t rush to send me emails offered to trade in 5 Game Gears for this thing as I do not plan to build any more of these on consignment. (I am selling Atari 2600 Rev 5.1’s though!) It just takes to darn long, and I don’t have enough limbs to build enough for the demand. Sometimes I wish I could fall prey to an experiment gone wrong and wake up with 4 extra, hopefully metallic, robotic arms, but that probably won’t happen anytime soon so I’m sorry… However if you are carrying out any dangerous experiments that might result in appendage appending let me know.
But fear not – I’ve got loads of other projects on my backburners so they’ll be plenty of new stuff to check out on benheck.com in the near future. As always, stay tuned!
Fun Xbox 360 Laptop 2 Videos:
Xbox Laptop 2 Video (iPod)
Xbox Laptop 2 Video (Large MP4)
Xbox Laptop 2 Video (Crummy vintage MPG)