Jake Ludington - Mediablab

Cascading Cubes

Fri, 09 May 2008 00:12:09 -0700

Blob and weave! Dodge the deluge of cubes while collecting powerful gems in this exciting action arcade game! The red gems will grant you points, but also make you bigger. The bigger you are the harder it becomes to avoid the cubes. Put your reflexes to the test in the limitless gauntlet of survival mode! Race against the clock for the highest score in a time trial, or battle a friend in multiplyaer mode! Fall into the fast-paced thrills of Cascading Cubes!

The Gadgeteer Publicity Stunt Contest

Jake — Thu, 08 May 2008 22:11:17 -0700

Gadgeteer Giveaway Entrys
Originally uploaded by thegadgeteer

The Gadgeteer has my favorite contest so far in the 31 Days of the Dragon. To enter, you have to take a picture of something with the-gadgeteer.com plastered on it. No photoshopping allowed - you must do a real project. While Julie isn’t expecting anyone to break out the John Deere Green and paint the local water tower (although you never know), this is a fun way to get creative and have a real shot at getting your hands on one of the 31 HP HDX Dragon computers being given away. Read the full details of The Gadgeteer giveaway to make sure your entry qualifies.

Pairix Puzzle

Thu, 08 May 2008 00:10:35 -0700

Find 'em and match 'em! Match massive combinations of multicolored tokens in this intriguing puzzle game! Start simple swapping tokens to make pairs and work your way up to huge, board-clearing combination matches! Keep your eye on the timer, and make sure you meet or beat your combo quota to advance to the next level!

BostonPocketPC asks What’s in Your Gear Bag?

Jake — Wed, 07 May 2008 12:10:48 -0700

BostonPocketPC is today’s HP HDX Dragon featured contest. To get entered into their giveaway, you just need to drop them an email telling about all the gear you carry regularly, along with a photo of your gear bag and stuff. I love when sites accept submissions of this type because there’s something interesting about comparing the junk in my bag to the stuff other people carry around on a daily basis. It frequently gives me ideas for paring down my own gear. The contest starts today, 2008 May 7 with all entries required by Saturday May 10th 2008 11:59PM Eastern Daylight Savings Time US.

Full details of the BostonPocketPC giveaway are here.

Mad Shark

Wed, 07 May 2008 00:10:47 -0700

Sink your teeth into an escape game with a twist! Turn the tables on your nutritious captors in this carnivorous arcade game! Fuel your emancipation by eating anything and everything around you. But be careful of the SCUBA scientists, some of them are quite handy with a knife and a perforated shark is a useless shark.

How can I get an HP HDX Dragon for free?

Tue, 06 May 2008 13:11:18 -0700

"How can I get an HP HDX Dragon for free?"

I haven't actually received that question from any readers (yet), but I'm offering a preemptive answer here because I'm sure you'd love to find out how you could get one of these sweet machines. If you've been following along on my blog, I've posted updates on each of the participants in the 31 Days of the Dragon giveaway to date. Today's the day I'm going to share the rules for my giveaway.

I'm keeping it simple, you simply need to share your opinion on the best Windows freeware in a series of categories, as well as provide a valid name and email address. A random winner shall be picked from everyone who submits valid answers to the survey. Your pick in each of the categories must be a verifiable spyware-free no-cost software application, so be sure you spell the software's name correctly. The winner will be posted to my blog at approximately 11 pm Pacific on 2008 May 22. You are welcome to enter from any country HP is legally allowed to ship to. All fields in the survey are required.

Barbara Bowman’s HP HDX Dragon Treasure Hunt

Jake — Tue, 06 May 2008 11:11:21 -0700

You’ll have to dig around on Barbara Bowman’s Digitalmediaphile blog in order to make a sucessful entry in her HP HDX Dragon giveaway. In addition to knowing a few details about the HDX Dragon being given away, you also need to dig up info on the type of digital SLR camera Barbara uses, locate a hidden blog post, find the model of the first HP Pavilion entertainment PC she blogged about, and locate details on a problem laptop she wrote about in a past post. Assuming you’re up to the challenge of a little surfing and searching, official details on the Digitalmediaphile HP HDX Dragon giveaway are here.

Absolute Zero

Tue, 06 May 2008 00:11:20 -0700

Save and destroy! Rescue stranded astronauts and obliterate prowling enemy aliens in this thrilling arcade shooter! Cut your teeth in training mode before undertaking a series of deadly missions with the Akia Space Protection Agency! Mind your radar and be careful with your lasers, stray blasts can easily find hapless astronauts and quickly end your mission.

Worm Sojourn

Mon, 05 May 2008 00:11:20 -0700

Guide Winston the Worm through an infinite obstacle course of red blocks, collecting bombs and bonuses in this annelid arcade game! Slither hither and yon, concentrating on the helpful bonuses while avoiding the dangerous or dubious items! Gather and detonate powerful brick-blasting bombs as you help Winston cut a mucosal swath to fortune and glory!

Ars Modding Contest and OSNN Particpation Challenge

Jake — Sun, 04 May 2008 22:11:49 -0700

I got sidetracked in posting details about the HP HDX Dragon giveaway starting on May 3, so here’s a double Dragon update.

ArsTechnica.com has a fairly complex modding contest for those interested in getting their hands on that particular Dragon. You have to create something original that’s tied to the Ars brand in order to win. Or as they put it:

Create something that involves Ars Technica. It could be an Unreal Tournmant level or skin, an Ars Technica theme for the PS3 (or the web), a house in the Sims that’s based on our forums, with a funny-looking Peter Bright of course. If you’ve ever wanted to model Jacqui Cheng’s house, complete with 50 iPods under glass, you can do so. You can use any game, and create a level, skin, or anything else your heart desires. Points will be given for originality and ties to Ars, and will be judged by a panel of experts. Namely, us.

That’s potentially hard work to complete by the May 10 deadline, but a $5k computing package is certainly worth some effort. All the details are here.

OSNN offers a challenge that’s slightly easier. You need to know some OSNN history and you need to participate in their forums. 6 questions are part 1 of the OSNN challenge. Part 2 is the participation - you need to be active in their forums, with meaningful participation between now and May 11 in order to be considered. The rules are posted here.

Entropic Space

Sun, 04 May 2008 00:12:06 -0700

Take up the mantle of the Planetkiller! Smash planets for fuel while avoiding astral anamolies in this exciting arcade game! Use your thrusters and deflector wall to smash planets in your crusade to rid the universe of intelligent life! Watch out for black and white holes though, not even Astrocrash the Planetkiller can survive good, old-fashioned spaghettification!

Scribble

Sat, 03 May 2008 00:10:50 -0700

Scribble up a storm! Grab a crayon and connect the dots as quickly as possible in this whirlwind arcade game! Follow the numbers to create interesting shapes at supersonic speeds! Don't let your lines get too sloppy; a steady hand and nerves of steel will take you far in "Scribble!"

Virtual Villagers 3: The Secret City Tips, Tricks and Cheats

Fri, 02 May 2008 11:12:06 -0700

Last Day of Work is currently 99% done with Virtual Villagers 3: The Secret City, the long awaited third chapter of their popular sim game. Until the official launch you'll have to wait a little longer for my latest round of tips for solving the game. It's hard to discover any game cheats without a game to play. ;) In the meantime, you can either play the original Virtual Villagers game, or the even better follow-up Virtual Villagers 2: The Lost Children.

Tell Your Story to Win a Dragon

Jake — Fri, 02 May 2008 11:11:51 -0700

John Obeto from AbsoluteVista.com is the first of the 31 bloggers giving away one of the HP HDX Dragon computer bundles. You have until May 8 to participate in John’s giveaway, which simply requires you to write a short story about how the Dragon will change your computing experience. In John’s words:

Simple: I need a story.

Tell me how this elegant desktop-replacement system will enhance your entertainment options.

Inform the world how this fantastic and totally decked-out system will bring up your productivity, and mobile gaming.

Finally, reveal to all how HP and this game-changing device will make your world better!

While I like a well-written treatise as much as the other guy, please don’t write me a dissertation.

Be concise, be creative, be funny, can the sob stories, be funny!

More details at AbsoluteVista.com .

Confuse Box 2

Fri, 02 May 2008 10:10:32 -0700

Form challenging electrical circuits in this high-voltage sequel to the clever puzzle game "Confuse Box!" Start slowly with "ContinuityBox" before moving on to the brain-battering puzzles of "ConstructBox!" Or brush up on your circuitry skills with classic "Confusebox!" Enjoy three different, infinitely playable sizes of each game! Shed some light on your problem solving skills with "Confusebox 2!"

31 Free Notebook Computers in 31 days (valued at $5k+)

Jake — Thu, 01 May 2008 22:11:36 -0700

HP is making 31 laptops available to be given away by 31 different blogs on 31 separate days. I’m one of the bloggers charged with the responsibility of giving away a laptop. So maybe laptop isn’t quite the right way to describe the HP HDX Dragon - it’s more like a replacement for your entire desktop. And it could be yours if you participate in any of the 31 giveaways happening in May. Here are the specs for each of the computers being given away:

Each participating website will have its own competition with its own prize, each a HP HDX Dragon Entertainment Notebook loaded with features and software.

The HP HDX Dragon comes with Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate (64-bit) and is powered by an Intel Core 2 Extreme Processor X9000 (2.80GHz, 6MB L2 Cache, 800MHz FSB). Other features include 20.1″ diagonal WUXGA High-Definition HP Ultra Brightview Widescreen (1920×1200) 1080p, 4GB DDR2 System Memory (2 Dimm), 512MB NVIDIA GeForce 8800M GTS, HP Imprint Finish (Dragon) + Fingerprint Reader + Webcam + Microphone, Intel PRO/Wireless 4965AGN Network Connection and Bluetooth, 500GB 5400RPM SATA Dual Hard Drive (250GB x 2), Blu-Ray ROM with SuperMulti DVD+/-R/RW Double Layer, Integrated HP HDTV Hybrid TV Tuner and 4 Altec Lansing speakers with HP Triple Bass Reflex subwoofer, and 9 Cell Lithium Ion Battery.

Productivity Software: Microsoft Office, Corel PaintShop Pro X2, Corel Painter Essentials, Corel Ulead Video Studio Plus 11.5, Symantec Norton Internet Security.

Games: Viva Piñata,Microsoft Flight Sim, Microsoft Flight Sim Expansion Pack, Gears of War.

Blu-ray movies: Pirates of the Caribbean - The Curse of the Black Pearl, Pirates of the Caribbean - Dead Man’s Chest, Pirates of the Caribbean - At World’s End.

If you had to pay for one of these monsters, it would set you back more than $5k.

My problem - I have to figure out what the challenge is for the giveaway. Do I ask for links as I’ve done with an Xbox giveaway in the past? Maybe I should collect tips on a specific topic and draw randomly from everyone who submits a tip. I have to announce the lucky recipient of the Dragon on May 22, so I have a few days to decide. What would be the perfect challenge for people wanting a $5k computer for free?

Four Second Fury

Thu, 01 May 2008 00:11:35 -0700

Grip the arrow keys and space bar and prepare for a barrage of high-velocity mini-challenges in this hyper-fun arcade game! Save cows and sheep, hunt treasure, dodge sharks, blast aliens, and best a number of other high-speed challenges for a chance to defeat the hovering overboss of the frenzy! Think fast and move faster in Four Second Fury!

5 Til

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 00:11:49 -0700

You have five minutes to find and disarm a heavily guarded, biological weapon before it explodes in this thrilling action game! Fly, run, sneak, rapel, and shoot your way across an urban cityscape and through a fortified skyscraper on your mission to locate and destroy a dangerous weapon of mass destruction! Each level offers new challenges and exciting obstacles! Spare five minutes to rescue humanity!

Squeezed

Tue, 29 Apr 2008 00:10:32 -0700

Everyone wants to be a star. Evade a growing multitude of stars while maintaining your own starry uniqueness in this thrilling arcade game! Give your solar competitors a wide berth though, the closer they get the more they grow and the more bent on overtaking you they become. Think quickly; move smartly, and leave the competition in the (star) dust.

Schmap Interactive Map Guides

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 11:11:33 -0700

Almost two years ago I wrote about the Schmap player, which enabled interactive map guides for about 30 major U.S. cities at the time. Schmap has since expanded, now offering 200 guides covering cities in Europe, Canada, and the United States. You can download the massive 388MB collection for local access on your computer, or you can selectively download cities as you need them. If you're planning a trip for business or leisure, Schmap offers an interesting way to find places you might otherwise miss, locate restaurants off the beaten path, or simply explore the city before you get there. After Schmap, you won't look at travel planning the same way again. [Windows 2k/XP/Vista Mac OS X $0.00]

Universal Laptop Power Supply?

Jake — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 10:11:33 -0700

Why don’t we have a universal power supply for all laptop and notebook computers? Most of them are spec’d to the point where they are fairly similar, as evidenced by the iGo Power Supply that works with over 100 laptops. The only major difference between a Dell power supply and a Toshiba power supply is the connection in the back of the laptop. That’s stupid. The power supply connector on a laptop is not a feature!

I don’t pick my laptop based on which style of power supply I use. All I need to know is that my laptop power cord will connect to a standard grounded power outlet in the United States (and possibly work internationally as well). When I lose my power supply or the cord gets damaged, I should be able to walk into any electronics store and pickup a new one, or borrow one from some kind soul who has a fully charged battery. Instead I have to buy something like the iGo, which is universal, but also requires me to get a bunch of extra tips that don’t connect with anything I own.

Jason Dunn takes power connector issues a step further, outlining his own power woes. Jason dreams of a world where add-on power solutions are more universally compatible, which would be easy if we could get everyone to agree on making power cords standardized on laptops across the board. Jason’s right that getting individual brands to remain consistent throughout their product line is a good first step. But unifying the Dell, HP, Toshiba, or Lenovo product lines doesn’t go far enough - the power cord should be universal on the laptop side, just like it is on the side that connects to the wall.

Western Shoot

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 00:10:32 -0700

Dust off your six gun and scratch your trigger finger! Collect bounties in a wild west shooting gallery with this fun arcade game! Gun down infamous pistoleers before they get the drop on you. Keep your eye out for rogue barrels and swopping ravens as well. Speed and accuracy are your greatest assets, but you'll find health bonuses as well, if your reflexes start to fail you. Draw out your inner gunfighter with Western Shooter!

Scribble States!

Sun, 27 Apr 2008 00:10:47 -0700

Put your geography skills to the test! Connect the dots and name the states in with this cartographic puzzle game! Select the correct state from a series of multiple choice questions after you've painted its outline! Draw 'em and name 'em as quickly as possible for the highest score! Make your 6th grade teacher proud!

Ellipsis

Sat, 26 Apr 2008 00:12:06 -0700

Never underestimate your enemy! Defend your elliptical base from an onslaught of powerful shapes in this thrilling arcade game! Blast enemies that will dodge, bounce, seek, hide, and attempt to tow your ellipse into danger! Your base is not without shielding of course, but it can only handle so many collisions before it reaches critical mass.

Editing AVCHD on Mac OS X with iMovie or Final Cut

Fri, 25 Apr 2008 15:10:32 -0700

"I have a Sony AVCHD camcorder. iMovie doesn't recognize the camcorder files. How can I edit the files on my AVCHD camcorder with my Mac?"

AVCHD support has been inconsistent for both Mac and Windows users. The format varies slightly depending on whether your camera is from Sony, Panasonic, or Canon. For Mac users, software support varies depending on which versions of iMovie, Final Cut Express, or Final Cut Pro you happen to be running. I personally prefer Final Cut Express to iMovie for editing on a Mac, but the correct version of either will work.

Windows Secrets Lists Best Free Software

Fri, 25 Apr 2008 13:12:05 -0700

Scott Dunn over at Windows Secrets provides a list of the nine must-have freeware apps, based on the overlap in reviews from four respected publications. To make Scott's list, an application had to appear on the list of three out of four of publications. You can read Scott's methodology in picking the software, then download the apps. Most have been mentioned here before.

Avira AntiVir Personal is one of the most frequently updated free antivirus apps.

Comodo Firewall Pro is a solid upgrade to the Windows Firewall, providing protection for both inbound and outbound traffic.

TrueCrypt is my favorite disk encryption software. If you want to make sure files on your disk are locked down, use TrueCrypt with an external key on a USB drive.

CCleaner is a favorite registry cleaner and temp file remover.

Lightning for Thunderbird is a must-have because Thunderbird lacks a calendar.

Foxit Reader is a lightweight alternative to the slow-loading Adobe Reader for PDF browsing. It is free but the terms are confusing because Foxit tries hard to upgrade you to their "pro pack".

Audacity is the best free multi-track audio recorder period. I've written several tutorials for audio recording and podcasting based on Audacity.

Wavosaur is the audio editor I affectionately think of as "Sound Forge lite". It's a great two-track audio editor with most of the functions you'd need from a pro app like Sound Forge.

Pidgin is my favorite unified instant messaging client. Since Yahoo, Microsoft, AOL, Google, and numerous other messaging apps refuse to collectively play nice, Pidgin bridges the gap for you.

My own lists of best freeware solutions are much longer, but it's excellent to see Scott's distilled list of freeware featuring nine overlapping greats.

Shift 2

Fri, 25 Apr 2008 00:11:06 -0700

Black is white, down is up, and so are left and right! Return to the two-tone labyrinth in this exciting sequel to "Shift!" Collect keys, tilt rooms, and "shift" your way to freedom from the experiments of maniacal scientists! Relax and enjoy these puzzles, there's no timer in this sequel.

Luminara

Thu, 24 Apr 2008 02:10:48 -0700

Dodge and destroy! Keep pernicious polygons at bay with an incredible assortment of weapons in this thrilling arcade game! Zip around color-shifting boards blasting shapes with the occasional assistance of a mini wingman. Stay sharp though; don't lose your enemies in the explosions of prismatic pixels. Light upon one of the greatest casual shooters ever created with "Luminara!"

Convert HDMI to VGA with HDCP

Wed, 23 Apr 2008 13:10:47 -0700

"I want to connect my Blu-ray player (PS3) to my monitor. The monitor only has a VGA input. What would I need to convert the HDMI out on my PS3 to a VGA connection?"

One of the key challenges in converting HDMI to VGA is maintaining support for HDCP, which creates a protected signal path from Blu-ray players to a monitor as a means of preventing copying. There are a number of converters that will connect an HDMI cable to a VGA port, but anytime HDCP is present, instead of rendering the video signal, you get a black screen on the monitor. To avoid the black screen, you need a converter that includes support for HDCP.

Read Jake Ludington on the Kindle

Jake — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 11:11:18 -0700

I don’t own a Kindle yet because they’re never in stock and I hate waiting lists. If you’re lucky enough to already have a Kindle, you can read my blog on the Kindle via their blog subscription service. At this point, I’ll likely hold out for whatever the v2 of the Kindle is, because I’m hopeful Amazon is improving on the existing design. Nobody gets a first generation device perfect and there are a number of features I’d like to see, including support for full color images, better audio integration, and some slight variation on the design. And if we can get the FAA to let us read Kindle devices during takeoff and landing, all the better.

Drive to Park

Wed, 23 Apr 2008 00:11:03 -0700

Ten and two, ten and two! Navigate a busy parking lot collecting tokens and avoiding myopic motorists in this fun arcade game! Time bonus tokens will extend your game experience and allow you the tim eyou need to carefully maneuver into your final parking spot. Other motorists and police don't seem to mind the occasional collision, but take enough damage and your car is totaled.

Turbo Spirit

Tue, 22 Apr 2008 01:12:04 -0700

Compete with the world's best. Climb aboard your motorcycle and blaze through four countries in this thrilling racing game! Successfully maneuver the treacherous tracks and other two-wheeling speed demons to become the world's greatest motorcyclist!

Diamond Den

Mon, 21 Apr 2008 00:11:49 -0700

Collect sparkling jewels while battling cursed creatures and pernicious perils in this action-packed arcade game! Keep an eye on your ammunition, there's plenty packed away in the den, but there's even more irate monsters. Run, jump, and shoot your way to fortune and glory in the Den of Diamonds!

M.I.L.O.

Sun, 20 Apr 2008 00:10:48 -0700

Power up and puzzle on! Guide MILO through a labyrinth of intriguing and dangerous puzzles in this exciting arcade game! Collect and upgrade mechanical minions to bend lasers and blast enemies as MILO seeks out his creator Bob. But be economical with your movement, fewer moves means higher bonuses. And have a heart when handling your robot counterparts; machines are people too.

Scoregamites

Sat, 19 Apr 2008 00:11:50 -0700

Scoregamites Unite! Help Joel free his friends from The Royal Tyrant in this brain-teasing adventure-laced puzzle game! Discover ways to make your burgeoning Scoregamite army work together to overcome innumerable, devious obstacles! Get by with a little help from your friends in "Scoregamites!"

Flying Cat

Fri, 18 Apr 2008 00:10:32 -0700

Shoot the mewn! Reach for the ionosphere with the help of explosive stars in this high-flying, cat-powered arcade game! Use your powerful cat ups to save yourself from tyrannical gravity; but use them wisely, even cats get tired. And watch out for devious bumpers, which are all too happy to send you back to terra firma! Look before and after you leap to avoid catastrophy in "Flying Cat!"

Installing Vida Grandis Eucalyptus Hardwood Flooring

Jake — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 13:11:19 -0700

One of the things we’re doing before we move into the house on Bainbridge Island is installing hardwood flooring in the bedrooms and some of the living area. I’ve had some experience installing hardwood floors about 12 years ago working for a company that specialized in gym flooring, so I’ve got thousands of square feet of experience. For the floors at the house, we opted to go with Vida Grandis Eucalyptus hardwood flooring, in part because we like the way it looks, and also because we liked that it met a number of excellent criteria for sustainable and responsible produced wood. The flooring manufacturer is FSC certified and participates in a number of community initiatives in Argentina where the wood comes from to help with disease prevention and community sustainability, along with responsible forest management.

More home remodeling pictures to come as I remember to take them.