ExtremeTech has a good guide on setting up a Linux based home theater PC. The article details many of the ups and downs of setting up a system like this- they got everything working mostly (KnoppMyth distro) CDs, video, TV, guide viewing and show recording, weather and media libraries. In the end they have some good ideas for additions to the current distribution. Link.
RoboCup soccer match results are in via Sportsdot.org- The American entry from CMDash from Carnegie Melon fell 2-0 in robot soccer to the powerhouse German squad, the MicroSoft HellHounds. After the match, the German robot dogs were programmed to flex their metal biceps. With the time to devote to development and the financial backing of a company like Microsoft, the German entries are much more polished than their American counterparts at the moment. Last month at the RoboCup German Open, the Germans dominated nearly every category. Link.
exogenous writes “A full-size working harpsichord made from Lego”. With the exception of the wire strings, this instrument is entirely constructed out of LEGO parts–the keyboard, jacks, jack rack, jack rail, plectra, soundboard, bridge, hitch pins, tuning pins, wrestplank, nut, case, legs, lid, lid stick, and music stand are all built out of interlocking ABS (Acrylonitrile-Butadiene-Styrene) plastic bricks and related pieces. There’s even a MP3 of it playing. Link.
Tom’s Hardware takes a look at the build-it-yourseld laptop systems. If you like building your own PC, this might appeal to you. It seems like it will always be a little more expensive, but you’ll get exactly what you want. The cool part is in the end you get to put it all together yourself, the article also includes a video. Thanks Spyder. Link.
I’m really interested in the Yahoo! Music Engine because of Ian Rogers who works for Yahoo! -he posted a list of reasons you should or shouldn’t use the new player and service. Napster taught us alll price matters, so $5/month is better, IM hooks (finally some does IM sharing), OGG and FLAC Encoding and plug ins for podcasting, as well as other roll your own type addons. I’m going to try it, looks different, looks like someone is listening…and that’s what it takes to get me to install something. Link.
Here’s a neat article on how to use keyboard LEDs to monitor the status of a linux server. MartyBug.net writes “I have a number of linux servers at home, and typically want to be able to monitor the status of them remotely. The servers are all located in a walk-in-cupboard in my office, and being able to see the status of some key parameters is very handy. In particular, I want to be able to see the status of my internet firewall, a Smoothwall box, ie, if my internet connection is up, and if traffic is being received and/or transmitted“. Link.
More intrigue, suspense and a roller-coaster ride on the PEZ MP3 project it seems. The PEZ MP3 is project started by a stay at home day with the dream of bringing a PEZ MP3 player to market- the latest: PEZ won’t let go for “Candy for your Ears” and PEZ won’t allow the player to use the same heads as the normal candy filled ones. This might all sound like bad news, but Pat has some new ideas and some solutions.Link.
