Power Surge

This may not always be true, but you'll save money by buying an OEM hard drive and the casing for it separately. I bought a 500 GB 7200 RPM Western Digital HD from newegg.com and a Mad Dog aluminum case from Radio Shack a while back for a combined total of $120. A pre-built external HD cost $200 at the time. Putting it together is easy. Just unscrew the opening of the case, connect the wires that come with the case to the HD (one for power, one for data transfer), slip it into the case, close it, put the screws back in place, and you're done. For the drives, I'd go with either Seagate or Western Digital. Make sure the case works with the interface of the drive (SATA case with SATA drive, etc.) and that it's not too cheap ($20 - $30 or so). An aluminum case will do just fine. Some come with a fan, but it's a bonus, not a necessity. Also, avoid the Mad Dog case; The screws that keep it together are the most stubborn pieces of metal I've ever had to work with. At least I haven't had any problems with it once I put it together.

I added my BWii friend code and Wii number to the database. I also have Skype for co-op matches (username p0wersurge).

I'm worried that if I update my Wii (via the letter I just got) it will replace my photo channel with the newer version and then I wouldn't be able to play mp3s anymore. I've used that channel to play music off my 2GB card on occasion in the past (when friends come over, for example, and my laptop gives shitty sound compared to my TV); I wouldn't want to end up popping in Excite Truck to play mp3s from now on. Will I still have the option?

I ordered one just now. $6 for the whole thing; I pay more than that for a goddamn value meal.

I plan on getting BWii, too. Despite the flaws of the first one, I enjoyed it a lot, and the sequel will be improving upon it, so I'm looking forward to it. Also, will it support VoIP in any form? If not, I can keep my laptop nearby with Skype running for multiplayer co-op games, but for others without a PC nearby, that may be a problem for them.

Alright, it's working now, thanks.

Something's up with either my iPod or Windows (probably the latter). Other than playing music, I also use my iPod as a storage device, but for some reason it doesn't show up under My Computer as a USB device anymore, even though iTunes still sees it. In fact, I had that window open when I connected it just now and it appeared for a brief moment before it disappeared. As for the cable, it's the same one I used since I first got my iPod. Any help?

I ordered one just now, and when I submitted it I was taken to a blank screen. I have yet to get any e-mail confirmation yet. wtf, how do I find out if it went through or not?

"Joystiq" and "hilarious" in the same sentence? DOES NOT COMPUTE! Also, don't bother with Yoshi's Story. It's a meh game, imo. Years ago when I first got it, I played it long enough to gain access to every level in Trial mode and played each one a few times. I haven't touched it since then (although it was fun while it lasted, it just gets boring before long).

Quick question about Sonic 3 & Knuckles on the VC: Is it the original version with the Michael Jackson music or the later version in which the original music was replaced?

All game review sites are too biased for my liking, imo. IIRC, there was an article at GameDaily explaining the problems with video game reviews and journalism in general (lack of maturity, etc.) but I can't find it. Besides, why should a single elitist a-hole or group of a-holes decide which games are awesome and which suck, and to what degree, for all who play games? I'd just rent a game I'm interested in and form my own opinion on it based on experience. Although reviews give an idea how good a game is, you won't really know just how good until you try it for yourself.

I'm downloading the file as you read this. I love watching too-assisted speed runs, especially the ones from that site. Every SM64 run I've seen so far has been fun to watch, so I'm sure this won't disappoint. Also, there's a video of a 120-star run on Google Video (this one), but it's not of the current record. Still fun to watch, though. EDIT: just noticed the link Steben posted; thanks. I'll still download it in case YouTube goes down for whatever reason. EDIT2: I was amazed when I saw how he entered Dire Dire Docks, and yet I was almost expecting it. Considering how the stairs were used in previous runs, I believed (long before this video was made) that those stairs outside the star door in the basement could somehow be used to get past it. Sure enough, it's possible.

I don't care much for Harry Potter (never read the books, never watched the movies), but I did get some big lulz out of the launch night spoiler videos I watched. I liked these two in particular (SPOILER WARNING, obviously):

My apologies if this is already posted and/or no one gives a damn (though I'm sure this will interest many of you anyway). Remember that Daffy Duck cartoon in which an animator redraws him in different ways to piss him off? A game based on that cartoon is coming out for DS later this year. (link)

Ok, change of pace. http://www.infendo.com/wii/a-fresh-take-on-wii-shooter-controls/ Suggestion for an available means of controlling FPS games on the Wii without the controls sucking (as much), for experienced FPS players. This method looks to be practical, at least more so than FPS games on the Wii so far, like Red Steel.

bump for not having my pokemon d/p f/c on the list: 2535 0535 6555 name: Ocelot Also, I want those items that unlock the event pokemon (Drack, check your PM box). EDIT: I added my code to the database.

Fuckin' event pokemon. :/ They remind me of those damn Mario items in Animal Crossing WW. I ended up getting the whole set + Pikmin + Blue Falcon from someone who hacked with an Action Replay. Regarding the event pokemon, I'd like to get the items that make them accessible, even if they're hacked, so I can catch them legitimately.

Most homemade pads I've seen (including the first one I made) are made mostly from plywood. It gets the job done, but I used a different material for my 2nd pad. I don't know what it's called, but it's more or less the same material as pegboard, but it's thicker (3/4") and there's no holes in it. It resists warping, it's easy to work with, and it's cheaper than plywood (4' x 8' piece goes for $20 at Home Depot). Other materials include sheet metal (26-gauge), high-impact plexy glass (1/4" thick), steel corner braces (16), a lot of screws, wooden beams for the frame, strong glue, hook-up wire (found at Radio Shack), electrical tape, etc, depending on how you build your pad, and the cost for a single pad ranges between $100 - $150, give or take. There's different methods to follow when building your pad. I'd recommend Riptide's design. It's easy to build, and the spaces where the buttons go leave enough space to add lights to your pad if you want the buttons to light up like the ones in the arcades (tutorial). One more thing...DO NOT USE DDRHOMEPAD'S DESIGN! (i.e. this one) I can't stress that enough. It's sure to give you migraines and there's a good chance it'll appear crooked or simply end in failure. I used that method with my first pad, and every time something went wrong I had to flip the damn thing over and unscrew the base to see what the problem was. Plus, I really had to stomp on the buttons to get them to recognize my steps; it just doesn't work the way it should. I used Riptide's design for my 2nd pad, which I've almost finished. Here's how it looks so far (sorry for the blurriness). I just need to put in the wires and the arrow graphics and it's done, but I'm having trouble with the former. At first I used screws and the buttons worked, but they weren't responsive enough. I then tried arranging the wires similar to how the buttons in a controller work, but then they became too sensitive. Any sure-fire way to make the buttons work properly would be greatly appreciated because I'm running out of wire. :/ Also, what would be a good means of cushioning the buttons? Don't say weather stripping because that stuff wears out too quickly. In fact, every cushion I've used so far wears out too quickly. Suggestions?

So I'm back home from a trip to NY that lasted for over a month and I had no internet access. During that time I got Pokemon Diamond (about 2 weeks ago) and I've been playing the hell out of it (129 hours clocked so far). Now that I have internet access, I can post my friend code. 2535 0535 6555 name: Ocelot I won't do battles, but I'll chat and do trades, starting tomorrow because I'm going to bed.

That reminds me. What's a good program used for finding the BPM of a song? Of the step patterns I've made so far, I've had to find the BPM through trial and error.

Another crazy song worth pointing out is Chik Habit.

Holy shit. TSUHSUIXAMUSH has the craziest step patterns I've ever seen.

Finals suck. I really want to go to Lowe's to get more materials to build a second pad, not to mention fix my first one, but I just don't have the time. :/ Anyway, has anyone tried any of the StepMix songs from the StepMania website? MaxX AttaxX and neoMAX are both awesome. Also, I noticed that bLiNd's Snowbound remix is one of the winners of the first StepMix contest.

I play StepMania on my keyboard, but I also played with a homemade pad before it broke. I used DDRhomepad's design at first, but it sucks so hard that all the troubleshooting, maintenance, and overall bad deign left me with migraines, so I took it apart and rebuilt it using Riptide's design, which I didn't know about until later. It worked significantly better, but it wasn't long before it crapped out on me. There's several reasons for that, including bad wires and a damaged controller. I can fix it, but what with school and all, I haven't had the time to work on it. I plan on building another one with lights added to it. The DDRfreak forums has a tutorial on it.

Even though I have a black DS lite, I still have my phat DS, which has a problem. Whenever I turn on my phat DS, the touch screen fades into a thick gray color after a few minutes, making it all but impossible to see anything on it; it happens every time. Is there a way to fix it? I'd like to keep it because games that use the D-pad, especially Metroid Prime Hunters, handle like ass on the lite because of its shitty D-pad.