Build Your Own Arcade Machine

The question I have for you is not whether you want your own Street Fighter II arcade machine [1].  My question is when did you give up wanting a Street Fighter II arcade machine? 

If you never wanted one, well, I don't want to say anything ageist--maybe you at one time thought it would be hip to have your own Pac-Man table machine [2].  How you sat to play in your skinny jeans, I'll never know--I'm happily in the gap between skinny jean generations.  I did at one time wear parachute (or "Hammer") pants, but at least I was comfortable while looking silly.  Listen, let's not argue--at one point or another, each of us thought it would rock to have some kind of arcade game, regardless of our age, gender, race, or pants.

Years ago, I was in a class learning to (re)build computers and build networks, and I learned that one of the instructors was building his own arcade box and using a Linux PC to run the games.  How cool it would be to be one of those techie dorks who could do such a thing. 

Thanks to John St. Clair's Project Arcade: Build Your Own Arcade Machine [3], these geek techniques have been democratized for the literate.  This handy book covers everything: woodwork instructions, sources and suggestions for artwork, evaluations of different joysticks, info on gaming software, and a discussion of what is and isn't legal with respect to games and copyright.

This is much more than an afternoon project, but man what a way to creatively kill your free time.  And at the end, you'll be left with something that you can enjoy with your friends.  Also, you'll blast your basement with a serious feng shui hadouken. 

High Scores
1. Arcademuseum.com has some surprisingly interesting information on the Street Fighter II arcade game.

2. You've got to scroll down a bit for the pics of the Pac Man table, but the memories are worth it.

3. Check availability of Project Arcade in the library catalog.

Follow-ups!

Some new books came in this week, written by authors whose works I've previously enjoyed.  My to-read list grows by four more titles...

I think I'm most looking forward to Ape House, the new book by Water for Elephants author Sara Gruen.  The novel concerns bonobos involved in primate research, and was inspired in part by the author's visit to the Great Ape Trust.  The fictional Great Ape Lab is bombed by activists, and a reporter follows the story, even communicating with the apes via sign language to get their input.

Steven Saylor's Empire also has my interest.  It continues Roma, in which each chapter concerns a member of the Potitii family line in ancient Rome.  These characters are often from different generations with little or no connection to the previous one, but the effect of seeing the blood line's fortunes and travails over time is unique.  Empire takes us further down generations in, according to the cover, Imperial Rome. 

Clockwork Angel begins a new series by Mortal Instruments author Cassandra Clare.  More demons and Shadowhunters await Clare's fans, but this adventure takes place in Victorian-era London, rather than contemporary New York City.

The last is The Elephant's Journey, by the late Nobel-prize winner Jose Saramago.  Saramago drew on historical resources for his fictional tale of an elephant and his keeper traveling from Portugal to Vienna.  They travel along with Archduke Ferdinand and his entourage, as the elephant was a wedding gift to the Archduke from the King of Portugal in 1551.

Forget to recycle your electronics? We have the book for you!

Champaign County, Urbana, Champaign, Savoy and the News-Gazette have been sponsoring wildly successful recycling events where you can drop off your old, outdated household electronics, such as computers, scanners, cell phones and VHS players. If you missed the drop-off this past weekend, a couple more are planned for later this year--August 7th and November 6th.

In the meantime, what can you do with those old gizmos and gadgets you don't use anymore? Why, use 'em for craft and productivity projects! And we have just the brand new book that can help--

62 Projects to Make with a Dead Computer (and Other Discarded Electronics), by Randy Sarafan, (Workman, 2010).

This new guide is chock full of creative ideas for your old, cherished equipment that range from jewelry to toys to truly useful items.

Yeah, you do need to be handy with screwdrivers and similar tools, but the author provides excellent directions and pictures. Plus, the introductory chapter presents precautions about how to be careful around electronic equipment. Don't assume old electronics are immediately safe just because they're unplugged.

My favorite projects? A scanner compost box, power-strip bird feeder, laptop digital photo frame, and "Mouseracas"--maracas made from old mice. This book truly has something for everyone feeling overwhelmed by the ever-growing pile of outdated computer stuff that we all seem to be accumulating nowadays.

Hope to see ya around the library, especially if you bring your re-purposed cell phone flashlight to show us!