Joy of Gadgets

Sometimes, simple is good. And in the ScreenPlay TV Link from iomega, that’s exactly what you have. A simple device that you can hook up to any TV–component, composite, and SCART connections included–and play video files off of a USB drive, be it flash or a portable hard drive. If you have a HDTV, you can also hook it up with HDMI, but the cable isn’t included in the package.

What I had been doing to watch videos on my TV was to bring my MacBook down to my living room, hook it up with a Mini-DVI to composite cable, and use Front Row or Boxee to navigate my way to my videos to play. Works, but it’s a bit bulky and the video quality wasn’t always great.

This device works better. I did have a little difficulty when I first hooked it up, most likely because I have a nearly 20 year old television, but the included quickstart manual tells you how to resolve this problem. Shortly, I had a screen showing me a list of some of the movies I had shoved onto a USB thumb drive and plugged into the back of the unit. I could easily navigate with the remote control and select a video for viewing.

Why didn’t I have all the movies listed on my screen? They all weren’t encoded properly. The ScreenPlay TV Link doesn’t support every video encoding format, but it does support several common ones, including DivX and directories straight from a DVD!

After reencoding the videos that weren’t displaying on the list, I tried again. They were all there and played on my ancient TV in excellent quality!

Certainly there are other, more capable devices out there, but for what I need, this is perfect for both my home use and when I travel. It even includes interchangeable power prongs for US, UK, and EU use! I just wish it came with a small travel bag, but beyond that, it’s a fantastic buy!

A few years ago, my wife and I bought an Eight Ball Deluxe Limited Edition pinball machine several years ago, shown here. (There’s just something about an electronic game that has a very physical element to it. It’s something today’s kids don’t entirely understand, given how rare pinball machines are these days. There used to be several manufacturers, but now Stern is the only company left making these things.

Here’s the thing about pinball machines: they’re like old cars. They are persnickety, can take a long time to get working when they break, and have parts that aren’t easy to get. And, it’s hard to find someone that will fix them, too, unless you want to dig in and do it yourself.

Opening the machine up is a bit like taking a trip back in time. The electronics inside were, of course, state of the art for the early 1980s. There is a lot of wires going every which way. The electronics are not tightly packed together like they would be today. There are several different boards for sound, the lights, the solenoids (playfield flippers and bumpers), and of course the power distribution itself. I bet most of that could be done with a single board today, though I haven’t opened up a more recent pinball machine to verify.

We got our machine when we lived in Spokane, WA and brought it with us when we migrated west. While we did get to play it after we moved, it eventually became non-functional. It was up in my office before where it was easily ignored by the rest of the family. It kept getting pushed down the priority list.

Now that the machine is sitting in the front room downstairs, it attracts a little more attention. There is a much stronger desire to get it fixed now that people actually see it and ask about it.

The guy working on mine works for one of the amusement machine companies nearby. He fixes people’s pinball machines on his off time. He’s been out a couple of times to work on mine and while it’s not fixed yet, we’re making progress and he feels confident it’s on it’s way back to health.

The first time he came out, the issue was believed to be related to a blown transformer. When he came out last week, we traced down a problem with the power cord then found several blown fuses, a burned out solenoid (for one of the bumpers), and what appears to be bad chips on the MPU board.

The good news is that he says the parts and labor to fix the MPU board will be fairly cheap. He has the my MPU board and can do the work when the parts come in and he has time. The new solenoid is also reasonable plus the labor, of course.

If for some reason the MPU board still doesn’t work,I can replace the MPU board with one of these guys, but that’s a $200 experience. However, it will add Freeplay to the machine, which allows people to play it without putting quarters in.

What actually amazes me about this replacement MPU board is that someone clearly took the time to redesign this part and make it smaller and better. Older pinball machines come with schematics for the major parts, which is a far cry from anything today. These schematics make it possible to make something 100% compatible, yet make it better, adding new functionality.

Maybe someday, when we have a little more room, we’ll consider getting an arcade machine in here. Or maybe we can get another air hockey table. My kids love air hockey. We’ll just be happy to get our beloved Eight Ball Deluxe machine functional once again so we can “Chalk up!”

While I’ve clearly had some sips of the Nokia cool-aid–comes with having worked there for as long as I have–I have to say, this latest announcement brings back memories of Tamagotchi. Because that’s what Creebies is: Tamagotchi on a Nokia phone.

Oh sure, unlike the original Tamagotchi games back in the mid 1990s, this will be networked through Bluetooth and the N-Gage arena. And I’m sure it will be insanely popular. However, I didn’t get it in the 1990s, and I still don’t get it today.

Seems like Pokemon on the Nintendo DS has an element of Tamagotchi to it, also. In the various iterations of Pokemon, you have to maintain your Pokemon by feeding them right and entering them in contests. I don’t mind playing the trading card game version of Pokemon with him, but I am just not into it on the DS, where my son is obsessed with it.

Anyone care to explain the appeal of these kinds of games to me? Because I just don’t get it.

This old intermission from a Drive In movie theater pretty much sums up my opinion on Daylight Saving Time (yes, it’s that time again in the US).

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wt1pRAT63×4[/video]

Meanwhile, here’s this week’s rundown of what I’ve written:

• Should Your Next Mobile Be WiFi Enabled? (From The Gadgets Weblog)
• Voxalot Launches Premium Service And Adds Advanced Calling Features (From The VoIP Weblog)
• SightSpeed Offers Free Service To Southern California Fire Victims (From The VoIP Weblog)
• The VPX System: One Battery To Rule Them All (From The Gadgets Weblog)
• SightSpeed Means Business (From The VoIP Weblog)
• Rock Paper Scissors…With A Robot? (From The Gadgets Weblog)
• Vinyl Making A Comeback? (From The Gadgets Weblog)
• onSIP: A Hosted PBX For Small Business (From The VoIP Weblog)
• USB Turntable (From The Gadgets Weblog)
• Vonage Service Can Be Hacked (From The VoIP Weblog)
• Solar Lasers: Mmm, Toasty! (From The Gadgets Weblog)
• FCC Says VoIP Carriers Must Offer Local Number Portability (From The VoIP Weblog)
• Google Explains Gmail’s Spam Filters (From I got Spam?!)
• CSIRO and IEEE In Conflict Over 802.11n Patents (From The Gadgets Weblog)
• Weird Comment Spam? (From I got Spam?!)
• New Solar Panels Cheaper, Easier To Install (From The Gadgets Weblog)

On a recent Air Canada flight, I got to experience their new in-flight entertainment system. It’s a touch screen with a number of different movies, TV shows, XM Radio (selected channels), and audio. All entertainment was available on-demand, meaning you could stop and start at any time, fast forward, rewind, etc. There were some “games” listed as well, however they were listed as “unavailable” when I tried to play them.

I took some other screenshots of the entertainment system, which I have posted on Twango. I have embedded the gallery below.

The main thing I used at my seat was the USB charger for my Nokia N800. My particular seat did not have the 110v charger there for whatever reason, but I could have easily used it if I wanted. With power, at least I didn’t need AirCanada’s entertainment system. I could easily use my own for as long as I wanted!