Duck Hunt pinball machine unites analog and PC in a nostalgia singularity (video)

We like pinball. We like classic NES games. Accordingly, it doesn't take much deduction to know that we really, really like Skit-B Pinball's Duck Hunt pinball machine. It has a fully mechanical, themed pinball machine below, but there's also a PC up top that replicates the images and sounds of Nintendo's light gun video game in sync with the analog action. The conversion of a Williams Valiant took about a year of off-hours work to finish, and it shows -- the attention to detail is what we'd expect if Gunpei Yokoi had put all his energy into pinball instead. Our only lament is that the Duck Hunt machine is a side project, and it likely won't escape into the wild. At least there's a video (after the break) to sate our curiosity.

Via: Arcade Heroes, Destructoid

Source: Skit-B Pinball

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By: Unknown On 8:58 PM

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Inhabitat's Week in Green: invisibility cloak, a Hobbit House and a portable washing machine

Each week our friends at Inhabitat recap the week's most interesting green developments and clean tech news for us -- it's the Week in Green.

Christmas is right around the corner, and for all of you procrastinators out there, we recently shared our handy guide to last-minute gifts that can be whipped up in the 11th hour. We also have some great suggestions for non-consumerist gifts of time and if you're crafty, don't forget to check out our DIY guide for cool make-it-yourself gift ideas like these useful texting gloves and this curiously strong solar charger upcycled from an old Altoids tin. For a fun activity to do with the whole family, check out our homemade holiday greeting card and DIY Christmas cracker tutorials, and before putting your gifts under the tree, don't miss our guide to eco-friendly gift wrap alternatives.

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Filed under: Misc, Science

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By: Dilusha On 10:20 PM

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Tutorial: Turn your Linux PC into a gaming machine

You don't need a cutting edge card for Linux gaming

Linux-based operating systems have long been the alternative OS for us PC users, but there are several reasons why they haven't garnered the mainstream following they perhaps deserve.

Most of the issues stem from the unfamiliar way they work compared with the operating system we've all used a million times before: Windows.

For most of its life it's demanded that its users get elbow deep into command lines - something most of us forgot when Windows 95 happened. It's also had very patchy support for different components, and gaming on a Linux box was generally an exercise in needless frustration.

Things are changing quickly though, and the latest versions of Linux stalwart Ubuntu have been increasingly familiar and functional, and more importantly, easier for the general public to use and get their heads around.

With Windows 8 radically changing the way you interact with your operating system, demanding that you learn these new ways before you can feel comfortable in the new Windows' new surroundings, it's never been a better time to pick up a Linux distribution and learn the ropes on something that's a lot more customisable.

When it comes to gaming though, things are still a little tricky. Gaming through WINE is still rather hit and miss, but the good news is there's a version of steam built specifically for Linux setups that could ensure Linux gaming becomes a viable alternative to the Microsoft-dominated PC scene.

Component compatibility is something the manufacturers will have to become more au fait with though, and we're going to investigate just how well the big players are doing right now.

We've picked some of the most vital parts for penguin-based systems - the processor, graphics card and solid state drives - to see how they fair in the alternative operating system.

We'll see how they get on with the latest manufacturers' drivers and, where we can, with any open source drivers that might be available.

Can you still be a gaming, component-swapping guru running a Linux-based PC? We say hell yes, but you're going to have to be picky with the parts for penguins.

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By: Dilusha On 9:26 PM

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Meet the Bibliomat: a homemade vending machine for old books (video)

By Daniel Cooper posted Nov 19th 2012 4:19AM

If you're mooching around for second-hand books, you probably give the bargain bin a very wide berth. Toronto bookseller The Monkey's Paw, however, wanted to jazz up the experience of selling unwanted literature, so it hired effects whizz Craig Small to design the Bibliomat. With the use of a few levers, pulleys and a telephone bell, he built a vending machine that offers up a random title when you feed it $2. If you're not in the area, you can watch how it works in the video after the break, and if you are, we advise you don't go with pockets full of cash -- you might wind up with fifty copies of something you need to donate to goodwill.

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By: Dilusha On 5:08 PM

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MR-808 recreates Roland drum machine with robot instruments, puts them in an 808 State (video)

Music lovers will often tell you that Roland's TR-808 gave birth to modern music. Acid house, rap, techno and other genres owe some of their original (and even current) sounds to that synthetic beat. Moritz Simon Geist appreciates the effort, but has built a solution for those who think the drum machine is a little too perfect: his MR-808 installation has robot limbs playing all the equivalent real-world instruments, right down to the cowbell.

By: Dilusha On 10:22 AM

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