Thursday, March 28, 2013

Velleman MK121NTSC TV Tennis Game Kit [Review]


Video games enjoy a unique status. Few things are so beloved at one point in time and so ridiculously out of date within a few short years. Atari’s home version of Pong came out in 1975. Just 10 years later the Nintendo Entertainment System made it look like a joke. Comparing Pong to today’s video games like Call of Duty, Madden, or Skyrim would be a waste of time, but there is hope. Today you can build your own table tennis game in less than an hour with the Velleman TV Tennis Game Kit. Good luck trying to build your own Xbox.

Friday, March 15, 2013

Monoprice HDX(C)-301E 3-Port HDMI Switch [Review]


Monoprice is often associated with good quality but inexpensive audio/visual interconnect cables, switches, adapters and so on. I've had some experience with Monoprice products in the past and have been pleased with both the cost and the quality. I recently needed a HDMI switch and I picked up the Monoprice HDX(C)-301E. Let’s check it out.

Friday, March 8, 2013

Lise Meitner [Heroes of Science and Technology]



Who are your heroes? If you've ever been asked that question or asked yourself that question, you're likely to answer with examples of people to whom you can relate. People who are, or you might like to believe are, very much like yourself. Today is International Woman’s Day and it seems like a good time for me to ask myself, "What woman would I consider a hero?" A few names come instantly to mind, but it's certainly more difficult than choosing an example from my own gender. While a huge chunk of my brain is spent thinking about women, their names just don't jump into my head when I think about heroes.

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

Tempduino - Arduino Based Temp and Humidity Display


The temperature in my office at work varies quite a bit depending on the time of day, season, and the whims of the other people I share the floor with. When I’m sitting at my desk shaking uncontrollably or sweating profusely it would be nice to know if it’s due to the temperature or just work related stress. A simple $5.00 thermometer would suffice, but where’s the fun in that? Making my own thermometer might cost ten times as much, but I might learn something in the process and it would be way cooler than any cheap store bought thing? I’d rather make something myself even if I have to pay a “maker’s premium.”

Saturday, March 2, 2013

Arduino Clone Kit Shootout


The Arduino is arguably one of the most copied bits of open source hardware ever. Some of those copies are straight rip offs, but there are plenty of clones out there that take the design and improve or change it in some way. I've rounded up six, open source and commercially available, Arduino compatible devices to find out how they stack up to each other and the Arduino Uno.