Ah, The Hacktory. Always throwing fun events that I don’t quite understand, but keep me curious and interested. Microchips? Processors? Hacking? Much like an old man trying to understand the Internet (bah! hmph!), I’ve never been able to grasp just what they do at these Arduino classes. What I do know is that it’s awesome, and probably magic. From the website…

This is the perfect intro class for anyone wanting to experiment with interactive art, or to make electronic projects using the popular open source physical computing platform called Arduino. You will learn to build your own development platform, connect a variety of sensors (light, touch, sound, etc.) and use them to control LEDs, sound and other devices.

No prior knowledge of electronics or programming is necessary, and all materials will be provided to you as a kit (including the DIY kit, programming cable, and a great selection of components for experimenting). You will need to bring a laptop since a host computer is needed to program the Arduino. Some computers are available in the classroom at NTR but it would be much better and more beneficial to you if you used your own computer.

The course costs $185, which may seem a bit steep, but remember, this is a six hour class and workshop. Plus, the Hacktory folks will give you your own microcontroller, cables, breadboard, and parts galore to keep.

Class takes place at NTR in Center City on November 14th, from 10AM to 4PM. Check it out.

Arduino Beginners Class @ the Hacktory
November 14th, 2009

I think one of my highlights last week at GameX was the chance to sit down for a quick face to face with one of my favorite Australian video game journalists Ben “Yahtzee” Croshaw, who does the video game review series Zero Punctuation on The Escapist.   Zero Punctuation which started as a couple of YouTube videos on Ben’s blog has turned into a web phenomena on The Escapist website.  Every Wednesday Ben reviews another game in his, it’s funny because it’s true colorful style. I am a huge fan of Zero Punctuation and really enjoyed getting some time to pick Ben’s brain about everything from what his workflow is like for creating an episode of Zero Punctuation, to his thoughts on the recent controversy surrounding Left 4 Dead 2 in Australia(The game was first banned, and when Valve agreed to edit the game it was reclassified for release.)

What inspired you to become a video game journalist?

Well, video games simple answer to that one. I guess I didn’t go out of my way to become a video game journalist; I just had an idea for the Zero Punctuation Style. The thing I wanted to talk about that first time happened to be a video game, and so I got into doing it entirely about video games, which isn’t a problem because I am very opinionated about them obviously.

Zero Punctuation is such a different approach to reviewing video games how did you come up with the concept?

Well I was very, very bitter and had recently broken up with someone, lost my job and I was sick of the game’s bullshit – that’s pretty much what it comes down to.  I also got some inspiration from an English TV critic called Charlie Brooker who does a lot of good stuff on YouTube that I like. As for the visual style, I guess I use to watch the Hitchhiker’s Guide TV series a lot with the whole… STUFF… the computerized STUFF so I guess it stemmed from there.

Do you do still do all the animation work on Zero Punctuation yourself?

Yeah I do everything myself, with the videos: the voices, the writing and the art.

How long does it take to produce an episode of Zero Punctuation?

Well to release the whole video, its like I put aside the week for it. It’s usually a day or two to write the script, a few days to do all the images and another day to put it all together.

More with Yahtzee after the jump!

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BarCamp Philly. It’s next week, Geekadelphia is getting involved, and me and the Geeks simply can’t wait. With the awesome list of attendees, sponsors (sup Indy Hall!), and events planned for Saturday, November 14th, it’s no surprise that the open-format conference is completely sold out. But that doesn’t mean you can’t join us, for the Geekadelphia sponsored after-party and fundraiser at National Mechanics.

We’ll be hosting an epic Rock Band party on National Mechanics’ large screen, awarding prizes for performance, score, and style. Forget just granting prizes for high scores. Can you do a sweet jump while playing that guitar? Can you twirl your drumsticks while drumming? Do you dress like David Bowie? Style and performance… that’ll earn you points with this crowd. Show us what you got.

We’re also hosting a raffle and silent auction, loaded with swag and valuable items we’ve generated over the past year. From electronics (iPod stereo docks, photo printers), to limited edition prints (Shepard Fairey) and autographed memorabilia (Bon Jovi, Ira Glass), I’ve got a lot of stuff hanging around the Geekadelphia office (my bedroom). Local folks are even helping out as well. We’ve got gift cards to Brave New Worlds in Old City, and some gift certificates to local restaurants.

Instead of lining our pockets with your sweet bling, 100% of all proceeds from the silent auction is going to Child’s Play, a charity that will help kids right here in Philadelphia, at the Childrens’ Hospital. They’ve got an enormous Amazon wishlist, and with the holidays around the corner… well, we’re going to help them out.

I’d like to thank HP and Showtime for donating some truly outstanding materials to the cause. Here’s hoping we can make the holidays a little brighter for some Philadelphia youth. So come out. Drink, eat, play video games, and be merry. But don’t forget to give.

Want to get involved? Please email us. The more the merrier.

After-Party & Fundraiser @ National Mechanics
November 14th, 2009
6PM – 9PM

First Friday at Brave New Worlds in Old City always brings us something fun. Whether we’re talking about the many Autumn Society shows that have gone down there or Brian’s tasteful burlesque shows in the backroom (wait, what?), the Old City comic shop never ceases to disappoint the first Friday of every month.

This month’s gallery features the talented folks of the Philadelphia Cartooning Society. Running the entire month of November in Brave New World’s lobby / gallery, the Cartooning Society will display dozens of works that interpret the definition of ‘creature’.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t find a website for the Philadelphia Cartooning Society. If anyone has any details on these guys, please, hook it up.

Creature Gallery @ Brave New Worlds
November 6th, 2009 (Opening!) – November 30th, 2009

Nintendo president Satoru Iwata recently evoked his interest in a 3G Nintendo DSi in an interview with the Financial Times. His inspiration is the Kindle approach to 3G, which is to include the price of the network technology in the initial cost of the handheld rather than charge a monthly fee. Pocket Gamer feels Iwata’s goal seems to be to compete with the always-on connection of the iPhone, which is steadily becoming a competitor in the handheld games market with hit titles like Rolando and Doom: Resurrection along with some titles having online play.

So, would this addition (while increasing the price of the DSi) be what puts you over the fence to finally purchase a DSi or soon a DSi XL? Would this be a smart move for Nintendo to remain a competitor? If Nintendo were to implement 3G tech into the DSi, what would you like to see done differently (i.e. no friend codes) or do you think Nintendo may simply add the tech and be done with it? Not to be overly optimistic, but this is a chance for Nintendo to upgrade its internet functionality. Let’s talk about the possibilities in the comments!

(Image Via Cnet News)

It’s no secret that most of the Geekadelphians are diehard BSG fans. Can you blame us? The from the pilot miniseries to the finale, the re-imagined series of Battlestar Galactica has been cited as the crown jewel in a new golden era for SF for our generation. Click the break to read a roundtable review from a few Geekadelphians on Battlestar Galactica: The Plan. Pun intended– Jump!

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Looking to check out what’s going on at Geekadelphia without having to fire-up Firefox on your Mac – there’s an app for that, or widget I mean.   The Geekadelphia widget for Mac OS X aggregates the Geekadelphia RSS feed right to your Mac OS dashboard! I do have to admit I had a somewhat selfish reason for coming up with this – so I could jump on Geekadelphia in between projects at work to see what all the other great writers on Geekadelphia are up to. You can download it over here at Apple.com!