(Part 6of7)
PREMIERE DATE: 9/10/2004
Creating Atari 2600 Homebrew
Games

Who says the Atari 2600 is
dead? Not when you can create
your own games for this
classic console. We also show
you how to convert streaming
audio into local files on your
PC, use your cell phone's
minute plan with your regular
home phone, and t
more

(Part 6of7)
PREMIERE DATE: 9/10/2004
Creating Atari 2600 Homebrew
Games

Who says the Atari 2600 is
dead? Not when you can create
your own games for this
classic console. We also show
you how to convert streaming
audio into local files on your
PC, use your cell phone's
minute plan with your regular
home phone, and turn an
antique phone into a Bluetooth
Wireless headset.

Tech Topics
Well, the main topic to lead
off the show wasn't exactly
ripped from today's headlines,
but it was notable
nevertheless: Kevin got in
trouble with Google.com. Yes,
when he gave away 4,000 free
beta accounts to Google's new
Gmail on his Website (that's
kevinrose.com, by the way), it
apparently flooded Google's
servers. 'I have to say, 'I'm
sorry, Google,'' Kevin
declared.

'Wait a sec, isn't Google a
huge company?' demanded Alex.
'Couldn't they handle it?'
Alex therefore announced that
he would contribute his own
computer to aid Google's
servers the next time Kevin
gave away any Gmail accounts
-- whereupon Kevin accused him
of probably owning a
cutting-edge machine like a
Packard-Bell. 'A
Packard-Bell?' Alex asked,
brow furrowed. 'That name
sounds weird just coming out
of my mouth...'

Nevertheless, the guys promise
to alert Google before they
try any future Gmail
giveaways.

TSS Live Calls
Call #1: 'CT' of Leawood,
Kansas wants to replace the
old DVD drive in his Xbox. How
can he do it?

It's not difficult at all,
according to Kevin and Alex --
but if your Xbox is still
under warranty, you can kiss
your coverage good-bye. But if
your warranty's already run
out, then you have several new
DVD drive options that can
improve upon the speed of the
original Xbox unit. LG and
Samsung offer drives that will
fit, and you can even shop on
eBay for drives rigged
especially for the Xbox.
Putting them in is fairly
simple: Just remove the torque
screws under the rubber pads
on the bottom of the Xbox,
open the case, and unplug the
drive unit.

'You also have to remove this
warning label,' Alex said.

'Labels don't mean anything!'
scoffed Kevin.

'Remember: Don't do this at
home—it's bad!'
Alex added for good measure.

Call #2: Wade from Edmonton AB
keeps losing bandwidth on his
wi-fi connection when people
jump on his network. What can
he do about it?

The first place to start is by
turning on your security
measures, which may seem
obvious but some users aren't
always aware of them.
According to Kevin and Alex,
the basics include changing
the default administrator
passwords, using mandatory WEP
encryption (newer routers use
WPA encryption), and
registering your devices' MAC
addresses.

For detailed instructions on
securing your wi-fi network,
read these articles:
Windows IT Pro
Tom's Networking

Where It All Began: The Atari
2600
While many gamers are already
yearning for the Playstation 3
or Xbox Next, Paul Slocum
prefers to take a different
path -- a journey into the
primordial ooze of console
gaming, the Atari 2600. But he
isn't just a nostalgia-wracked
collector -- Paul is actually
a 2600 programmer, creating
new games for the nearly
30-year-old console. He
actually started designing
games for the system in
elementary school, and is now
part of a community of
programmers who homebrew their
own games.

'I really did love it as a
kid,' Slocum said. 'It's a
really interesting machine to
program for. It's really
flexible—it
doesn't have any video
hardware, so it's all done in
software.'

'Can you fix a game like
E.T.?' asked Alex.

'Somebody actually did -- they
made the holes not as deep so
you could get around easier,'
said Slocum.

Alex fired up one of Slocum's
creations, Marble Craze, which
he said was the first
two-player game for the 2600.
Slocum also demonstrated the
2600's abilities as a
video-effect machine while
inputting music from his own
band, Treewave.

For more info on Paul Slocum's
projects as well as the Atari
2600, visit these sites:
qotile.net
atariage.com
Treewave.com

Streamripping Made Easy
Although the guys made Dan
stay late at TSS HQ to rip
some radio streams overnight
(causing some rather erratic
behavior due to sleep
deprivation), streamripping is
actually an easy process these
days. According to Kevin, you
previously couldn't even
capture Internet radio streams
onto your hard drive. But now
there's software that can
automatically identify when
streamed songs start and stop,
thus creating individual MP3s
-- which means free music.
(Even if Dan has a
predilection for the songs of
Hillary Duff.)

'Believe it or not, this is
still legal to do!' said
Kevin.

Yoshi Mods His Bluetooth
Headset to Look Bulky and Old

Sarah's Review: Cell Socket

Category Autos & Vehicles

Tags TSS, The, Screen, Savers, Techtv, Tech, TV, zdnet, Kevin, Rose, Alex, Albrecht, Sarah, Lane, Yoshi, DeHerrera, Dan, Huard, Robert, Heron