Testing Ubuntu 10.04 Lucid Lynx Alpha 1

The latest version of the popular Ubuntu Linux distro, known as Lucid Lynx, was just released the other day and, though it is an early alpha release, I wanted to give it a shot in a virtual machine. Installation in VirtualBox was smooth and polished, but I ran into some problems with installing VBox's Guest Additions, which allow for higher resolutions and, more importantly, mouse pointer integration (the magic that lets you move your cursor from host to guest OSs without mucking around with capturing the mouse pointer).Here is a simple fix for the mouse pointer integration:Fire up a terminal...

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Using Gizmo5 with Google Voice to call landline and mobile phones

I, like many others, pay a lot for home phone service, which is becoming increasingly obsolete with the ubiquity of cellular phones. In an effort to cut out this mostly needless expense, I decided to try and combine two free services, Google Voice and Gizmo5, to make and receive free calls with actual landlines and cell phones via my existing internet connection.The concept works like this: when you sign up for a Gizmo5 account, they assign to you a free SIP number, which you can basically think...

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HandBrake Nightlies for Windows

Update (4/26/10): I will no longer provide these packages because the HandBrake devs are now providing real-deal official nightlies: http://build.handbrake.fr/**These are UNSUPPORTED, BLEEDING EDGE builds of HandBrake. DO NOT ask for help in the HandBrake forums if you run into any issues with them. If you have a problem, ask it here and I will try to help. Otherwise, YOU ARE ON YOUR OWN.**Additionally, these are not true nightlies because I won't be building them quite that often, but I plan to compile a new version each time a substantial update (such as an x264 bump) is checked into the SVN...

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Cross-compiling HandBrake for Windows on an Ubuntu Linux Host

I wanted to use an up-to-date build of HandBrake on my Windows machines, but I am not comfortable building from source in Windows. Thankfully, the HandBrake devs recently switched over to a cross-compile-compatible build chain using MinGW, so it's possible to build Windows executables from my Ubuntu box.To start, we'll download the standard HandBrake dependencies, which you would already have installed if you've built it on a Linux system before:sudo aptitude install subversion build-essential m4 wget autotools-dev yasm autoconf intltool libtool libbz2-dev zlib1g-devNext, we'll download the MinGW...

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Beginner's Guide to SF4 Model Editing

Model editing is still being perfected, but it's currently possible with a few caveats.First, download piecemontee's SF4 Assets Explorer. This is the cornerstone of model editing: http://sf4mods.pbworks.com/Utilities#piecemonteesSF4AssetsExplorerNext, you'll need a 3D modeling program. I use the open source Misfit Model 3D because it preserves some coordinates and whatnot that seem to get dropped from other, more capable programs, such as 3D Studio Max (from what I hear from other modders; I have...

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Test Drive of UbuntuOne Private Beta

I signed up for Canonical's UbuntuOne private beta last week and just got my invite today. The service lets you upload files to Canonical's servers where you can seamlessly sync directories and files across any number of computers. This is generally known as 'cloud storage.'When you sign up, you are directed to add their UbuntuOne repository and download/install a small gtk applet (only compatible with Jaunty and higher) that will integrate the service with your Ubuntu installation. On my Karmic...

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How To Hack Street Fighter 4 On PC To Unlock Everything

Update 7/01/11: If you're here looking for info on modding AEPC, hit up the AE modding wiki. All of the vanilla SF4 mods should work on AE with just a little bit of work (see this tutorial for instructions).Update 7/26/09: Go check out the modding wiki I helped set up with SRK forum user SeedyROM. We're going to try and collect as much information as we can related to SF4 modding and put it all in one convenient spot. SeedyROM has already collected tons of skins and we have a lot of tutorials and...

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Compiz Fusion works in Virtual Machine running Ubuntu Karmic Koala

Something new about Ubuntu 9.10 Karmic Koala that hasn't really been advertised as far as I've seen is that desktop compositing via Compiz Fusion is possible from inside of a virtual machine. I believe this is due to recent changes in the way the kernel handles video memory, though I'm not sure. I don't think it is particularly caused by the version of VirtualBox that I'm using because my Intrepid VM is still confined to a flat, ho-hum desktop. Regardless, it's big news for me because I am forced to work in Windows for the most part at my job, but I always have Ubuntu running in a VM for most...

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Conclusions and Helpful Links

Continued from Installing the HardwareThat's pretty much it. Just plug it up and give it a shot. If you find that any of your buttons are acting funny, e.g. nothing happens when you press the button until you let go, try swapping the locations of the wires around on the button (i.e., move the wire from the bent post to one of the straight ones and vice versa).Once again, here's what the final product looks like:I've presented my own experience here, but there are tons of others' experiences elsewhere...

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Installing the Hardware

Continued from Pad HackingAfter the Hell that is pad hacking, this part is a breeze and is pretty straigtforward. You just put the buttons into the holes you cut in your panel, then screw down the plastic nut to hold them in place. At this point, I wouldn't bother screwing them down too hard because you might need to rearrange/rotate them later.Next, attach your microswitches to the buttons. This picture shows a standard cherry microswitch that came with my arcade buttons.When you go to attach the...

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