The Hackaround

Is Windows Vista cutting it?

2007-08-12T15:30:00.000-07:00

I'll admit I don't own a copy of Windows Vista, but I have used it enough times and read up on it enough to make a legitiment argument. As many of you may have heard, Vista's fabled security was supposed to keep out everything we have encountered so far. once again, many of you may know that it didn't. A recent test shows that Windows XP running with normal internet security performed much better than Vista in all its grandeour. Some of us may not have had internet virus (etc.) problems, but lets talk a bout a practical stand point. Gamers that use Vista are the only ones that can use DirectX 10, and play most of Microsofts big game titles, including Halo 2. Any one else that has used Vista probably experienced their great user interface. For us XP users, there are a number of freeware programs that can imitate the same features. www.launchy.net is a great place for a live search software. For make converts, there are also dock applications for XP, including RockectDock and Object Dock.

The Anticipation

2007-08-12T15:21:00.000-07:00

The long awaited arrival of the legendary Halo 3 is in sight. I have never seen a game make so much impact before. Pontiac is releasing a car that coinsides with the game's appearance (the car is designed for teens through thirties, the demographics of Halo players). Mountain Dew is releasing a new soda, titled "Mountain Dew Game Fuel" and should hit stores this week. Mountain Dew says they will only be available for about three weeks, because they are trying to create a sense of scarcity. The sodas rarity runs with Halo's first week release amount of games. Even 7-up and Burger King are adding up to the hype with specialized Slurpee cups and french fry containers. Enthusiasts can only hope its worth it.

The Best of Custom

2007-07-27T11:56:00.000-07:00

Not yet released (but coming soon) is the list of what we have all been craving for: the best computer parts list. The list will soon be posted on this blog, along with the biggest disappointments. Keep in touch for the best of the best!

No more balckouts...for cell phones that is.

2007-07-26T13:54:00.000-07:00

Coming from someone that is actually building this box, it's rather pricey for the solution it was designed for, but there are some other possibilities with the components and the solar panel in this box. All this box does is save some juice via a solar panel and then distributes it through the handhelds you have plugged in. You can use this in the daytime, but it is much more practical in blackouts or at night when there isn't electricity. Oh Yeah!
http://www.popsci.com/popsci/how20/dea209e7eec93110vgnvcm1000004eecbccdrcrd.html

The 72$ Computer

2007-07-26T13:46:00.000-07:00

Before you get too excited, this computer isn't the solution to replacing your wonderful quad-core computer. This cheap, compact micro machine is, however, worth building. By a couple of jumps and comparisons from different computer part selling websites and looking for inexpensive parts and solutions, this computer pops a record for a very cheap computer. I know some of this rely's on salvaged parts, you can't jump over very much more. Its worth a look, even if it is only going to be for looking at internet sites in the kitchen!
http://www.popsci.com/popsci/how20/157a2ea4fc033110vgnvcm1000004eecbccdrcrd.html

How to hack any flash game, Part 2

2007-07-26T12:05:00.000-07:00

After reading part 1, it is fairly easy. First, you will need to acsess your flasm folder. Type in "cd desktop", hiot enter and proceed to "cd flasm" if it accepts it. Type inj flasm next. It should open you into a menu that will lead you through the decompiling process. If you do this all correctly, you will have a notepad document that has the code for the game you want to hack. Look for points and powerup code lines, and tweak the programming a bit. Then recompile it using the same process. you can open the file you saved in Firefox. Enjoy!!!

How to hack any flash game, Part 1

2007-07-26T10:59:00.000-07:00

Have you ever wished you could get a higher score in blasterball or shot the kitty farther in Kitty Cannon? Now you can! The first step is to download a software called flasm. You can download it at the following link :http://www.nowrap.de/flasm. You can read the instructions on the website, or I'll explain them later. When you download the software, install it. Flasm is a .SWF (Falsh) compiler/decompiler. Make sure you have a Flasm folder on your desktop. If you don't have Firefox, get it. Firefox is a web browser. Don't try to use Internet Explorer for the next step. no we need a game to hack! A good spot to get games is Newgrounds.com. When you are on a page that has a game you want to hack, pull down the "Tools" menu. Scroll down to page info. when you open that window, go to the media tab. You are looking for a embedded .SWF file. Save it in your Flasm folder. You cannot, however, hackit off the bat. Using this software requires a little bit of manual labor. To use it, we will have to use MS-DOS. This is aslo called the commands window. To open MS-DOS, click the "Start" Button, go up to "Run". When the Run menu opens, type in "command" (No parenteces). (continued in part 2)

No more mowing!

2007-07-26T08:51:00.000-07:00

Sounds to good to be true, doesn't it? Okay, Okay not entirely. This remote controlled Lawndillo (as it is called) is a relatively cheap (and not so dangerous, compared to some of the other Pop Sci experiments). In the following link there is a list of materials and instructions. No more hot days on the lawn!
http://www.popsci.com/popsci/how20/aa4f2c9363e0d010vgnvcm1000004eecbccdrcrd.html

Fire Breathing Rex?

2007-07-26T08:42:00.000-07:00

Of course! We all liked those Roboraptor toys, but lets face it: they were built to be hacked. In the link that follows this paragraph, you will find how to build your own, pyro happy raptor! While I have not actually built one myself (yet), wouldn't it be nice to roast some marshmallows that way? Smores, anybody?
http://www.popsci.com/popsci/how20/d41ae688997cd010vgnvcm1000004eecbccdrcrd.html

Windows Pinball: The Hack

2007-07-26T08:23:00.000-07:00

Windows Pinball is fairly easy to play, but doesn't it bug you that kid down the street can get like 50,000,000 points? Don't worry there is a solution. The hack is to make the ball your mouse. Before you try to slug through 5 million lines of code, open up Windows Pinball. When opened, type"hidden test" (no parentheses). Now hold down your left mouse button and get scoring to the Billions!!!

Welcome my new Blog

2007-07-25T13:52:00.000-07:00

The purpose of this blog is to share stories, tricks and cheats to hack and make better all of our everyday appliances and gadgets. I'll try to reach every aspect from toys to software, but the posts from my viewers will be the real core. I can only hope that this blog will become (after I have time to finish it) a great place to find ways to improve or hack up everything! Keep in touch!