LaserMAME

LaserMAME

W00t! These guys used a killer laser galvo system to play MAME arcade games not on your VGA monitor, not on your TV, but on your wall! Apparently there is an add on to the regular MAME32 that will output vector values for use with vector monitors. As I guess vector monitors were in short supply they used lasers. The laser control system was not scratch built (darn!) and they didn’t build the lasers either (crap!) so to do this yourself I’d guess that your going to have to spend some bucks. But hey, the final result is oh soooo sweeet!

LaserMAME – Vector games played in a new Light

lasers, mame, computer games

PVR Hardware Database

PVR Database

Looking to build yourself one of those nifty digital VCRs but don’t knnow what kind of card to get? Go have a look here and check out the reviews of the cards on the market.
I use a PVR-250 and love the thing. I use the stock software that camer with it and so far have had no problems. I tried MythTV but could not get it to install right (bad motherboard I think) and tried MediPortal but the scheduling setup was a pain. As titantv.com supports my PVR-250 recording a show is as easy as clicking on a link.

PVR Hardware Database

tivo, DVR, PVR

Got Ink?

Big ink tanks

Whenever I get asked about what kind of printer somone should buy, I ask whet they are going to do with it. If they even come close to mentioning something like photo printing I tell them not to blow their money on a inljet and just go to the local Wallgreens of Costco and have them printed there. Its a price you just can’t beat! Anyway, if they are dead set on getting a money sink, er… inkjet printer I mean, I normaly tell them to get an Epson. I’ve had two six ink photo printers (700, 785) and both have rocked. I also tell them to keep an eye out for ink refill kits as this will cut the cost of printing down quite a bit but can be a pain in the arse (ever try to get a blob of ink out of cloth? Forget it!).
This place however has quite the system. Big tanks and hoses. Thats the key to the whole thing. You get the kit, $250 and attach it to your printer where the carts go and then fill it up with 118 to 946ml (thats 4-32 oz from $49 to $270 US) of ink and your set. A normal cart has like 20ml of ink in them so you can see that your going to be pumping out the pigments for along time.
So for around $300 you can out fit your printer with enough ink to print all your vacation snaps for a few years.

[As my friend Greg reminded me, inkjet printers dry out and clog far too easly. I know that the monster printer my brother has will suck the ink back into the tanks so this isn’t a major problem. I’m not too sure if the Niagara system will do that. -John]
Niagara II Continuous Ink Flow System