So I built an arcade machine...

I built an arcade machine recently and thought it may be interesting to log the stages of building it.

I have been playing around with a program called Mame for a while.
It's an arcade emulator.

Going to the arcade was a big part of my life when I was young. I have fond memories of going to Felixtowe and spending all my pocket money on games machines. I never really got into fruit machines (or one armed bandits as some call them) as I would often lose my money. I was much more into video games - even though they were a rip off and I was not much good at them.
I particularly have fond memories of a 'Bubble Bobble' machine that was in a small arcade near where family owned a parked caravan. It was only 10p a go and the music was really catchy. I used to just watch it when I had no money left. I was quite young...

I was trying to introduce Solomon to the world of Pacman and Frogger and Solomon's Key - but using the keyboard to control the games was difficult for him. So I brought this joystick:

http://www.xgaming.com/

I then got the idea to build a machine. I mean - how hard could it be?
To buy one pre-built is very expensive and I could do it on the cheep.

I started with low expectations - maybe just mount an old monitor to a shelf and hook up my mac to it or something - but then I saw that other people were custom building actual arcade machines.
It looked like something I could do - so I started thinking I would just do the bare minimum to get something to look half decent. As I kept looking at other people's projects - I gathered ideas and just designed my own machine cabinet.

I wanted it to be 2ft deep so I could use a 4x8ft piece of plywood cut in half.
Home Depot do a cabinet grade plywood sheet which is just over 3/4 " thick. It was only about $26 per 4x8 sheet - so it seemed an economical option.

I was going to use an actual 17 or 19" CRT monitor for that authentic arcade feel - plus they would be cheep! - but I found a 19" LCD SVGA flat screen monitor at a Good-Will shop. It works and was $20!
It also meant I could keep to the 2ft depth.
I also picked up a fluorescent tube light for $3.50 - would be good for the back light.

I had some speakers that I got from a yard sale for $2. I have an old PC that is not used any more. I also had an receiver amp that I no longer used. All I needed was a marquee...

There is a company that does Marquee art.  Well they do all sorts of art for arcade machines...
http://www.gameongrafix.com/categories/marquees

In fact I saw quite a few companies that specialize in arcade machine parts. Metal strips for holding the marquee in place, joysticks, micro-switch fire buttons and even cash slot units.

I wanted to do a pacman theme - as this game was really significant and iconic of arcades. I don't think I ever played it in the arcade (it was released in 1980 - I was 4 years old) - but certainly had it at home on the spectrum Z80.

I searched all the marquees on the website and did not find anything suitable - but then went to the bargin bin and there it was! It was a pacman 'arcade classics' sign. I liked this as it was pacman - but not exclusively pacman (as there would be other games played on there). It was half price - but postage was $10 UPS...
arcade-classics

It was already printed at 25" by 7.5" - so this determined my width of 25" !

I experimented with the joystick box and worked out a comfortable height from my kitchen worktop. This gave me the joystick shelf height of 35"

I wanted the machine to be no taller than 6ft so worked back the monitor area from that. The monitor would occupy the upper part of this area. I was worried I would not have enough room for the speakers - but figured I could buy smaller ones if needed.

I spent a long time on the plans - but it was necessary if I wanted this to turn out any good.
I deviated slightly from these plans where it was easier and more practical to do something else.
There are limitations to my skills at wood work - so had to change plans 'on the fly'

Support Israel - they have cool guns!

I never thought I would ever pick up an Uzi and just let rip - but in America this is just normal. 

Some go bowling or do crazy golf - and some go to the shooting range...

I was with a work college at the time and we had tried some guns out already - then I picked up an Uzi... wow! It felt nice and heavy and solid.  In the world of tools - you know that a drill is good quality just by picking it up and holding it. Well it was like that with this gun. It used 9mm rounds - which we were shooting out of a Glock and experiencing a fair amount of recoil.

With the Uzi, I hardly felt like I was shooting at all. From the video it looks like I was getting some recoil though...  I was trying to shoot all over as my bullets were going fast. I mean - I spent ages loading that thing - and it was all over in a few seconds. 

Oh - and spot the unsafe moment... :-)

2012 - one man's view.

I have been following the information coming from Lindsey Williams for a while now (since 2006). His info seems quite accurate. This particular video is 3 hours long! It's worth $90 to buy - so it's worth watching. I would say the stuff about Jesus starting his ministry at 12 and hence we may see interesting acts of God in 2012 is a bit odd - but if this is what the elite believe then I guess it is worth knowing. 

If you have not seen this information then watch with an open mind. This will help you plan for 2012 and the things that may well take place in the financial world. 

Plantar Fasciitis

Well it's 2012 and I still have Plantar Fasciitis, I am still over weight and nothing much has changed.

As with most people my new year's resolution is to lose weight and be healthier and fitter.
I neet to get back to 'The Rack' - if you don't know what that is - then check it out:
http://www.rackworkout.com/

I actually got my 'pro model' rack for $130 delivered!

They are now doing it for 120!!

http://www.therackspecial.com/
Yes - they don't tell you about that site - I found it through 'word of mouth'

Anyway - it is a great workout - but it's like with anything - you get more out the more you put into it.
It's needs self motivation - which few are good at - especially me after a hard days work.
I do feel great after doing this though... then next day anyway.

I got a special sock for my plantar fasciitis -
the strassburg sock!

I got good relief right from day 1. It really makes a difference. Can't say I am healed or anything - but it is a major factor in my healing. It's not getting worse anyhow.
My new balance shoes don't seem as comfortable anymore - so I put my inserts in them now.

Was thinking of buying some Nike Shox - these really feel nice! Still thinking about it. They are not cheep!

I hope my health improves this year - especially my feet. Pain gets boring after a while.

2012

2012 - It's the end of the world as we know it!!

Plantar Fasciitis update.

I still have aching feet. I thought this would have gone by now - but I read recently that it can take many months - even a year to heal. And that is after you do every thing to heal it!


Thankfully there are sites out there to help.


This site is useful:


http://bestshoesforplantarfasciitis.com/




I was in a lot of pain - so went to Wall Mart and got some 'custom' inserts made by Dr Scholl's.
They cost a fair price - but did offer me relief. I can add them to any of my other shoes for arch support - so I don't have to stop wearing all my old shoes!


I wish I knew they did this product though:


Heal Support

It is much cheaper and may well have done the same thing... Maybe I will try this next...
Anything is cheeper than seeing a specialist though!


The first thing in treating Plantar Fasciitis is to get supportive shoes. I went to a local mall and tried on many types. I concentrated mainly on New Balance since they are commonly used by the Plantar Fasciitis community. 


I also tried Sketchers 'shape-ups'. Some have found relief using these - but some also claim it gave them Plantar Fasciitis. Some even complain about joint pains after wearing these (which the shoes are supposed to prevent). There are doubts over this shoe - but I wanted to try them anyway. 
I went to the Sketchers shop in Discovery Mall (5900 Sugarloaf Parkway, Lawrenceville, GA 30043).


I was hoping to get some advice on what shoe to buy for my condition. Also - what if I wanted to get a sport shoe for running or sports? The 'shape up' seemed only for walking - so is there a suitable shoe for Plantar Fasciitis sufferers that would be ok for sport?


Expecting to get any sort of help at this store was far too optimistic. I just got two teenager 'assistants' that seemed more concerned that I was in their way than actually helping. 


One of the 'assistants' walked passed and his ear bud from his phone fell off. He seemed most concerned about that. Not so concerned that I had cash in my pocket ready to buy shoes and had been desperately trying out shoes with little joy (and I needed advice). 
I started measuring my own foot with a device I found stashed under my seat. The lady came over and confirmed that I was a size 9.5 (US size). It was odd because the 9.5 shoe I tried on seemed too lose. She simply said I needed to try a smaller size and walked off. No offer to find it for me in the wall of shoes! Maybe there was stock out the back also?


There was a large step ladder in the way of the shoes I was interested in. Not once did any one offer to move it. I tried to move it - but it was pretty heavy. The staff kept getting caught by the steps as they walked passed - as I was probably a little in their way - but it was the nearest seat to the shoes I was trying!


I could not find a size 9 - so totally annoyed with the customer service I walked out. There is NO WAY Sketchers are getting a dollar out of me with customer service like that. 
I doubt the teens even knew what Plantar Fasciitis actually is - I mean I didn't at their age!
I felt like asking if a grown up was in the store - but you could imagine how well that would have gone down... 


I purchased a pair of New Balance MW576 shoes for work from a shop called 'Off Broadway Shoes' also in discovery mall. These guys have been more helpful in the past - but not this particular day. I was able to try on a LOT of shoes though. Even Sketchers ones. 


The MW576 was not recommended for Plantar Fasciitis as such (like the MW755 or the 'Motion Control' types) - but is a Walking Shoe (DSL-2) The SL-2 is a 'last type' (or mold type) which seems to be good for high arches. It has a narrow heal also. 


I felt great in these. I had no idea about 'last types' and the such - I just knew I felt better in these than any other shoe I tried that day. 


I wore them today and got relief - and this is without orthopedic inserts!
The arch support seems good. They are light and built for work (non-slip / non-marking).  


I will see how things go.


I got them from Off Broadway thinking I got a bargain (not $72 but $59 - well $63 after tax)
and I found them sold on the New Balance site at a clearance price of $40!
MW576VK
After shipping and sales tax - it would probably come to around $50 - so it's not too bad. I will not rush into buying another pair from a shop though. Maybe try them in the shop - get the part number and see if there are deals on line :-)


So what have I learned about all this?


I have spent my whole life not worrying about the type I shoe I buy and what arch type I am etc. I mean - a shoe is a shoe right? I usually wear a shoe until it falls apart or whatever. Heal support is for wimps anyway...


Well I guess you never worry about a thing until it is a problem. In future I will go out of my way to get supportive shoes. The long term affects of poor shoes far out-ways the cost (pain). 
What is a supportive shoe anyway? 
I mean if it is spongy and does not bend - it's OK right?


It needs to support your arch type. Some have flat arches (lucky things) and some have high arches. If you have high arches you will have to look very closely at the shoe - or just get arch inserts. 
I think a nice rocking action is helpful. The Sketches shape-ups do feel great when walking I have to admit. The arch support was low - so could get an insert. 
I just wish I had more confidence that the shape-ups are good for Plantar Fasciitis...

Garden update

I admit it - I am a poor gardener indeed...
I just do not water things enough. 


Here is a picture of my harvest and then I will explain:

Those stubby little carrots are the result of my square foot gardening experiment. 
Though they are small, at least I did get them to grow! Sadly carrots did not do well in the Georgia clay last year (i.e. they all died in the hot summer). 
I have only just harvested them (now October). They have been in the soil since I planted back in March/April!!!
They did not really start to grow well until the summer cooled a little. I guess I could have watered them more...


The italian peppers are nice and the Banana peppers are good. The Bell peppers are a little small. 


The cantaloups are very small. They started growing well at the end of the summer - and then stopped since it got cooler. Not good. I made the decision to pull them off the plant, and hopefully I will get a few mouth-fulls of the fruit. They should not have killer bacteria disease...


Tomatoes... well you can see that there is one there in the pic. 
I had a really bad time with them this year. They did not really 'take off'. They seemed to do better in the Georgia clay than the boxes with "good" earth in there. I may buy many of the same type of plant next year and put one in the ground and one in the box and compare performance...


Probably need to get this book:
How-Grow-World-Record-Tomatoes
I will order next time I get stuff from Amazon. 




I got these 'tomato hornworms' on my tomatoes at one point. I had 3 of them!!! They are the size of a finger - but oddly they are hard to spot in tomatoes. They can eat most of a tomato plant in a day!
I found one and observed it for a while (boy can they eat!!) and then threw it in the garbage. The next day I spotted the 'grenade' shaped poo near some other tomato plants (which also looked badly attacked). After looking really close I found  two more! I cut these in half, but the damage was done. What a pain!
The tomato plants were just getting over the hot summer - when bam! a hornworm gets them. Should have used more Seven Dust I guess. 

As it is pretty much 'game over' in my garden - I will list what I have learnt this year with the new 'Square Foot Gardening Method'


1. This square foot gardening method would work so much better in the northern states that have more regular rain (maybe Washington state?). It would probably do well in Canada and Britain also. Basically if I don't sort out a constant supply of water - it is pretty much pointless. I am going to have to get a drip irrigation system on a timer or something to give a regular water supply (I forget too easily). I can always add my rain water when I remember. The soil is like a sponge, as it is supposed to be - but it takes A LOT of water to get to the roots. I watered one square for a while thinking it was ok. I went to plant my seed - and it was all dry underneath. The soil is supposed to be the perfect soil - but it really makes it difficult to keep moist. We are probably talking many gallons of water a day to keep things wet (especially in the HOT sumer). 


2. Georgia gets SO hot in the summer that it does something odd to the plants. It sort of stops some of them growing and kills some off (especially peas). Probably need to experiment with shade and more water. Some things actually seem to do better in the clay - so I need to identify those plants and just 'bung them in the ground' All this will come by experience...


3. Pests! I had Rabbits, small beetles, worms, ants, Squirrels, caterpillars, and I think I saw mice out there earlier. It really makes it difficult when you find your Squarefoot garden is now just a large ant nest. It did not seem to effect the growth of the plants - but we are talking thousands and thousands of ants in one of the tomato plant boxes. I did my best to kill them - but they may well have just moved somewhere else. Squirrels I could shoot with a pellet Gun (If I got the guts and the money for a gun). Rabbits are more tricky. I never see them - and when I do they are usually into the next doors garden and beyond. I probably need to look into protecting my garden a little more from pests - which is more expense and work and bother...
Probably means a wire fence all the way around. 




Here is a list of the plants I started back in April and since - and how they did:


Broccoli: Terrible. Didn't even see one good head. Got attacked by something and then it got hot and it went to seed right away. Not sure if I will bother again - maybe as an experiment I will plant seeds in Feb/March to see what happens. They need to be full sized before the summer kicks in and kills them. 


Cabbage: Same as Broccoli.


Bush Beans: Now these are something that grew well (see pic below). They needed no special treatment - they just grew well. When they wilted I just watered them. The sad thing was that when they really got going the beans came all at once and we could not eat them all in time. Some went moldy in the fridge...
Need to do better at eating them next year... Maybe plant them in two week intervals so it 'staggers' the harvest by a couple of weeks. 

Pole beans: Bad! I especially made a new trellis for these things and the rabbits (or something) ate the vine at the bottom. This killed the plant on the trellis. Total disaster. Need to fence these off next year. 


Peas: These did really well - when suddenly we went on vacation in New York. We came back and summer had kicked in and killed the plants. The peas were ruined also - kinda went hard and tasted bad. Real shame as the peas were so nice - you could eat them raw off the plant. I need to plant these earlier to avoid the 'summer blast' killing them too early. 


Cucumber: One plant died (probably due to lack of water) and the other plant done really well. We had so much cucumber that we could not keep up with it and some went moldy in the fridge. How sad! You cannot freeze them either. 


Coriander: This was doing quite well (for the first time in my gardening history) - but then as soon as the summer came early - the plant went to seed right away. Hardly any leaves - just seeds. Tried another batch - but the summer was too hot and dry. 


Water Mellon: A plant grew - but I got no melons. Poor performance. Will try again next year - hopefully with a water system...


Strawberries: These did OK. I got quite a few strawberries off the four plants I had initially - but again the summer sun scorched the leaves and they struggled to produce any more fruit - or leaves as a matter of fact. They started a growth spurt recently with the cooler weather and the plants have been sending out runners and planting more plants all over the place. Once established I will put these new plants in other squares. Probably need to protect these plants in the winter. 


Sweet Corn: I obviously did not water these plants enough. They did not even grow above my waist. Much more water and fertilizer needed. Not sure if I will bother next year. Rabbits or mice chewed the bottoms - so some of the plants fell over. Even the ones that survived this died eventually anyway - so not a good crop... needs more work...


Onions: These were VERY small. I went for the red type. In the square foot method you are supposed to put 16 in a square foot. It seems a little cramped. The onions did not grow much either. They were nice still. The hot summer seemed to have baked some of them - so started to go moldy. I need to make sure they are covered properly. 
This is one I would like to compare to 'standard' clay soil method gardening. 


Carrots: Took a long time to grow - and even then they were stubby. Not sure what to do here. Will try again as a main crop and make sure they are watered!


Echinacea: Some of these plants are still alive I think. Maybe they will last the winter and grow next year. 


Lavenda: I put some seeds in a hanging basket as I did not have much success in the clay. They did pretty good - then the summer dryness killed the plants. 


Tomato: See above. I need to experiment further. I will buy heirloom plants this time as they did really well when I first started this gardening malarky.  


The Kiwi plants: I really wanted these to grow. I have been trying to take special care of these. The summer seems to have burnt the leaves off. One plant made it to the top and then all the leaves fell off. It may have been attacked. Not sure really. It came back and the same thing happened! It has now recovered and is about a few feet high. Doh!
The other plant (at the front) was scorched - then it started to grow back. It made it to the top - but the leaves look withered. Some leaves have fallen off. Not sure what is going on here - but it did make it!
I hope these will do better next year (and survive the winter!!). 


I did not try sweet potato or Peanuts. I bet these crops do well down in the south... (Jimmy Carter did well out of the Peanuts anyway..). 


It is time to plant garlic for a summer harvest. 


We may even get our first frost soon (maybe around the 20th of Oct). 


So - is it worth the hassle? Not sure yet. I guess if I get good at it then it will be worth while. At the moment it seems cheeper and less work to just go to the shops and buy the stuff! The stuff in the shops are usually bigger also...


It certainly teaches patience (my fruit trees will not produce fruit for another year or two!!). 


It also teaches you that you have a lot of pests and disease out there ready to kill everything you worked so hard to get growing...