Matt shared this video with me, and though the mod itself is a few months old, I had to pass it on. It looks like a decent amount of work went into this Doom II mod, though I wish they would have tried recreating some of the maps as well. The mod is advertised as “MW2 for poor people” – I’m not sure about the “poor people” part, it just looks fun to me!
[MW2 Mod for Doom - Robbaz.com]
BoyGenius is reporting that there is code deep within iOS 4 that suggests the CDMA version of the iPhone and iPad is ready to be tested by carriers very soon.
This code allows certain units to bypass otherwise mandatory activation steps, allowing the use of the phone by partners and carriers for testing purposes without any hassles. The source cited in the article states that this sort of code always precedes the release of a new product and is promptly removed just before launch.
It should be noted that this is not a guarantee that this is the long-awaited Verizon iPhone, as Sprint’s network is also based on CDMA technology. Then again, who are we kidding?
Let’s just hope that this time around, Apple has a tighter grip on their testing units, so we don’t have a leak like the last time around…
[via BoyGeniusReport]
Thanks to a friend, I received 11 non-working Itona VXL thin clients. All exhibited the same symptom, no power. While disassembly is a little more involved than other thin clients, the repair only requires a soldering iron and ~$10 in parts.
Continue reading “Itona VXL Thin Client Repair” »
For this week’s build, I am going to piece together what I would likely buy if I were constructing a home media server. As a forewarning, I have been known to over-spec a machine from time to time, and this will likely be no exception. I like to ensure that my builds are future-resistant, as there is no such thing as future-proof, so you may feel that this machine has more power than you would want in your home media server. That’s totally fair – feel free to use my recommendations as a base on which to build, toning down my hardware choices to fit your needs.
For me, a home media server needs to fulfill several requirements. It must:
With these rules in mind, here is what I came up with, all for less than $1,200…
Continue reading “Weekly Build – A sub-$1,200 Home Media Server” »
While not the geekiest thing in the world, cleaning is something that has to be done.
One tool that I use to keep things tidy happens to be a Bissell SpotBot. I have a cat, and as cats are known to do, she enjoys leaving hairballs in all sorts of inconvenient places. The SpotBot is a miracle worker when it comes to cleaning up the aftermath. I fill it up, set it on the spot, hit “Surface Stain” and I walk away. The machine sprays, scrubs, and suctions off all the nasty stuff while I go about my other business. Anyone that has a pet or child under their care knows that stains on the carpet are inevitable, so I wholeheartedly recommend this machine to everyone.
Bissell SpotBot - The lazy man's steamer
That said, after 5 years of abuse, my SpotBot stopped spraying solution. I knew that something was up a while back when the manual attachment stopped spraying anything more than a trickle. The death knell came the other day after my cat spewed up what appeared to be a completely separate feline in various places throughout my house. The SpotBot stopped spraying altogether right as I started cleaning. The pump, it seemed, had given up the ghost.
Because I am a geek at heart, I will not let any electronically powered device I own hit the trash heap before I get a chance to take it apart. I thought that the pump was dead, but I wanted to ensure that it was not just a simple blockage or crimped hose.
A word of caution – This tutorial involves the disassembly of a consumer product that utilizes 120v A/C current. Taking this device apart not only voids your warranty, but it may also be dangerous. Exercise caution when working on this machine as it operates using water. As you may recall from childhood, electricity and water do not mix. For safety’s sake, at least unplug the SpotBot before working on it!
Taking the SpotBot apart is a pretty easy task. All you really need is a Phillips head screw driver and a few minutes. A pair of pliers will be useful later on when moving hose clamps.
Continue reading “Bissell SpotBot Pump Repair” »
In a fairly hefty Patch Tuesday, Microsoft put out fixes for 34 different Windows vulnerabilities as described in their monthly bulletin found here.
There are a total of 14 “critical” patches, 15 if you count this month’s Malicious Software Removal tool.
Many of these vulnerabilities can be exploited by opening specially crafted files, but some are as easy to exploit as using the preview pane in Outlook. It’s better to be safe than sorry, so take a few minutes and run Windows Update when you get a chance.
Check out this Call of Duty: Black Ops multiplayer video, released by Treyarch today. It’s a teaser, so it is only about a minute and a half long, but Treyarch shows off some cool new toys that they have been working on so diligently.
Here’s what Geek-Republic writer Matt, and I thought about the video:
Mike: Sweet!
Mike: I love it. The ballistic knife is great.
Mike: Though the RC car seems a bit too powerful for a simple 3-kill streak…
Mike: The graphics look solid. Theater is going to be an awesome feature.Matt: Yeah, it does look good.
Matt: A little Gears of War-like.Mike: Though for a game that is supposed to start in the Vietnam era, it looks quite modern.
Mike: I wonder how many years it is supposed to span…Matt: Yeah, MP looks modern.
Matt: Exploding crossbow, leaping…
Matt: You did see the leap/roll?Mike: I did miss the leap/roll, I will need to see that again
Matt: The roll is at 0:36.
Mike: I knew the exploding crossbow was in there from the first teaser, glad it made it into multiplayer.
Mike: I belive the crossbow can be outfitted with different attachments, since it is listed as “Crossbow Explosive Tip”.
Mike: It looks like there is a remote camera in the beginning too – the “hunter” looks to have planted it, and his “prey” is in the room showing up on his screen in camera.
Mike: So he comes in for the kill and picks up his camera.Matt: Kind of like a sentry gun but with a camera.
Mike: “Camera Spike”
Mike: Clearly, unlockable call sign titles and emblems are back.
Mike: If you look at about 0:56, you will see a remote controlled shoulder fired rocket when the RC car is driving.
Mike: It flies over the car, out the window, hangs a left.Matt: It looks great so far.
So that’s what we thought of the new video. Now that we have had our say, what do you think?
Now that Geek Republic is practically officially open, I’d like to take the chance to celebrate. I have a dozen or so gaming related items that I just don’t have a use for and I’d really like to give them away to some new readers of Geek Republic.
Up for grabs are:
Silver Xbox 360 Faceplate (Xbox 360)
Halo 2 PC Strategy Guide (pc)
Zoids Assault (Xbox 360)
College Hoops 2k6 (Xbox 360)
Dance Dance Revolution Universe (Xbox 360)
Pirates of the Caribbean At Worlds End (Xbox 360)
Shrek the Third (Xbox 360)
Call Of Duty 4 Modern Warfare (special “signed” cover) (Xbox 360)
Kameo Elements of Power (Xbox 360)
Scene It? (Xbox 360)
Dead or Alive Extreme 2 (Xbox 360)
Motorola X10 Headset (Xbox 360)
Perfect Dark (Xbox 360)
Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter Strategy Guide (Xbox 360)
Nyko Charge Base 360 (Xbox 360)
Nyko Charge Base 2 for PS3 (PS3)
Pacman plastic wall decoration
Sam and Max Season 1 (Wii)
Mercury Meltdown Revolution (Wii)
How to Win:
Live in the United States (Sorry new international readers, down the road when we have more of you we’ll see if we can do something)
Follow Geek Republic on Twitter and re-tweet the Twitter post regarding the contest “Re-tweet to win, I want to win stuff from Geek Republic and you can too! http://goo.gl/fb/PchPd“ found on the Geek Republic Twitter page.
Re-tweet the post every two weeks to gain more entries. (We’ll Twitter it when it’s time.)
At the end of the two weeks we’ll randomly draw names of two winners and randomly draw their prizes from the list above.
BONUS: In addition to our randomly drawn winners we are also giving a prizes to a few winners over at Marissa’s Bunny, an infantile spasms awareness blog. Marissa’s dad has copies of Madden 2011 to give away and more. (He is onto more stuff to giveaway now.)
After you sign up for the Geek Republic giveaway head over to Marissa’s Bunny and when you sign-up via e-mail, mention that you signed up for GR’s contest and mention your twitter name. He’ll let us know if one of his winner’s was signed up here and you’ll automatically win a prize from us as well.
Contest will keep going as long as I have prizes to give away. Once you win, you’re out of the contest to give everyone else a better chance.
Ahh, Grandma’s computer. You know the one I am talking about.
It’s the computer you loathe to work on. Adorned with CompuServe stickers and coffee stains, it is a relic that has far outlived its usefulness. The Celeron processor strains and groans as it tries to load Windows 98 into its single 64 MB memory SIMM. You know that if she asks you to look at her computer, you are guaranteed to spend a good 3 hours idling the time away in front of the 15″ monitor.
So, why not help Grandma out and upgrade her system instead of spending another afternoon toiling away in computer hell?
This week’s build consists of not one, but two budget-friendly computer options that will do everything Grandma needs and more, all while not breaking the bank.
Acer Aspire Revo with Intel Atom 330(1.60GHz) – 2GB DDR2 – 250 GB HDD – NVIDIA ION graphics – Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit (AR3610-U20020)
[$329.99 - Newegg]
This all-in-one system is only 7″ tall, but boasts a 1.6 GHz Dual-Core Atom processor, 2 GB of memory, a 250 GB hard drive and Windows 7 preloaded. It’s not the fastest machine in the world, but it can handle most anything Grandma can throw at it. The wireless keyboard and mouse make it easy for ergonomic positioning, and it even has Vesa mounts, so you can hide it behind a monitor for even less clutter.
Continue reading “Weekly Build – The $500 Email Machine for Grandma” »
Recently I acquired 17 non-working Termtek TK-3370 thin clients from a friend who works in the e-waste industry. All were in great physical shape but none of them would power on. The repair turned out being identical for all 17 units.
Continue reading “Termtek TK-3370 Thin Client Repair” »
