Use a Commodore disk drive on a PC

Not that the need to connect an antique floppy drive to you computer happens everyday but if it does, this is just the device you will be needing.

The xu1541 is the modern way to connect cbm iec bus devices to todays USB equipped PCs and it is meant to replace the printer port solutions based on the so-called original x1541 cable. The xu1541 interface allows you e.g. to attach a VC1541 disk drive to your desktop PC as depicted below. This allows for easy transfer of disk images from and to the old units and helps you preserve your ancient data.

If your looking for a nice Commodore 64 emulator I’d recommend CCS64. I’ve had good results with that myself.
MAKE: Blog: Use a Commodore disk drive on a PC

Apophysis Fractal Flame Editor

Oh cool, a fractal flame editor for Windows. What’s a fractal flame? Well it’s like a regular fractal except that it the colors can be moderated by the structure and not the density and a few other things that frankly I just don’t have the maths to explain. More info can be had here if your up for some heavy equations and stuff. I just know that they look darn cool and can be animated. They can also be edited and transformed via  a GUI  window.

Apophysis.org
Cosmic Recursive Fractal Flames

How to Create Professional HDR Images

The good doctor This is a very nice little tutorial on hoe to produce those nice high dynamic range photos that people like to go on about. This one uses Adobe Photoshop CS2, so if you have a copy your in luck. This tut even covers some basic work flow techniques that help when your trying to figure out how to start making your HDR masterpiece.

Backing Winds: How to Create Professional HDR Images

Best DIY 747 Flight Simulator Ever

Woooow! This is sooooo cool! Ok, I feel better now. I was scanning Neat-o-ramma tonight and saw this. This is the best DIY flight sim I have ever seen, even has multi axis movement simulation.

Australian amateur pilot and flight sim enthusiast Matthew Sheil spent 10 years and $230,000 to create a homemade flight simulator that precisely mimics the 747 cockpit down to the last dial, knob, and switch!
Link | Matthew’s website (tons more photos, but I can only see ‘em in IE, not Firefox)

[via neat-o-rama]
Matthew Sheil’s 747 Simulator