Raphael of raphnet.net decided to take NES Super Mario Bros practice to a new level by dedicating a NES console to run the arcade version full time.

This is more than merely a MAME ROM loading exercise, there are several differences between the NES and it’s dedicated arcade sibling, the Unisys VS.

Memory was upgrade, several IO pins are tapped and brought out for manual access via the newly added controls up front.

Check out his detailed specifications and project notes of this geektastic hack.

Yes, I know that my post title is a little shocking but before you freak out thinking about possible criminal elements, read on. I’m a lock picking hobbyist.

There is a lot of math and physics involved with many locks and this is why it’s of interest to me. I see locks as puzzles and solving such a puzzle provides an enormous thrill.

Some people like jigsaw puzzles, I like locks. The thrill I receive from solving a lock motivates me to try an even more difficult lock.

To help in my continued education and learning to become better at my hobby and sport, I’ve taken a few professional locksmith courses, have read a ton of books and have also become a licensed locksmith.

So what exactly is the hobby of lock picking you might be asking yourself?

Lock picking is the art of opening a lock without damaging it or using a key. This “opening without damage” can be done in various ways but is generally done with special tools for that purpose.

Of course when you hear the term “lock picking” most people in the general public will immediately think about the criminal elements of this hobby and sport.

Let me clarify a few things about the “criminal elements” you might be thinking about.

If someone wanted to be able to break in to a building or car, then they should go buy a crowbar or a screwdriver; lock picking will be of little help to them.

Disclaimer: I’m not suggesting you go break into buildings or cars because that would be against the law.

With a crowbar, breaking in takes seconds. All you have to do is watch TV and see movies or shows about people breaking into buildings. A good example of this is a favorite movie of mine Oceans 11.

To be good at lock picking on the other hand requires years of practice and enormous amounts of patience. Again, I do this as a hobby and sport, not for ill will.

I open locks in my hands or fix them to a table with a clamp. This works quite differently than opening a lock in a door. In fact, that is an inconvenient placement and demands an entirely different position and technique.

So hopefully this post will answer a few questions that I received in emails this morning and if you’d like to learn more about the hobby and sport, check out TOOOL: The Open Organization Of Lockpickers website.

If there is enough interest, I could post some pictures of my practice locks and the tools I use in my hobby.

Earlier today Brain Slayer released DD-WRT version 23 Service Pack 2 with a ton of performance enhancements, added features and bug fixes.

I would say this is the most stable version of DD-WRT that I’ve run on my wireless router to date.

If you’re unfamiliar with DD-WRT, it’s a third party firmware for the Linksys WRT54G/GS/GL and various other 802.11g wireless routers based on a similar Broadcom reference design.

These routers run Linux from the factory, and as such, their source is released under the terms of the GPL.

So what is needed to run DD-WRT? Here’s a list of the basics to get you going:

1. A computer (Windows, Linux, Apple/Mac).
2. A broadband internet connection (DSL, Cable, or similar)
3. A Linksys version 1-4 WRT54G/GL/GS router or other supported router.
4. The DD-WRT firmware image from The DD-WRT Project.

For users with the WRT54G/GS version 5 or 6, you’ll need to use the micro build of DD-WRT, so if you’re going to be buying a new router be sure to try and find a version 1-4.

I suggest at least a version 2 because Linksys started using a faster processor in the version 2-4’s. The WRT54Gv7 is not supported by DD-WRT.

Where do I get a Linksys router you might be asking yourself? Well a Linksys router can be ordered directly from the internet via NewEgg, Amazon or even eBay.

Before you go flashing your router and turning it into a brick or door stop, be sure to read the included documentation with the DD-WRT distribution files.

If you need any help or advise, just ask me as I’ve flashed 100’s of these routers for myself, family, friends and clients without any issues.

From time to time people ask me what kind of computer equipment I use in my personal and work life and I always answer them with a detailed reply.

Well today I decided it was time to add a dedicated page to my site where I can list my hardware.

Why you ask? Well this way for all the people who are curious, they’ll have just one page to check and when I upgrade something, I can add it to the page. Simple, clean and nice.

You can get to my new hardware specifications page directly from my about page.

For good measure, here is a direct link to my computer hardware page as well.

A well known security lock specialist and lock picking hobbyist Barry “The Key” Wels recently joined the blog community by starting his own blog.

Barry is a Netherlands native, where he is the national lockpicking champion. It takes him about 10 seconds to open the kind of lock you might use to secure your luggage.

Bigger locks might take Barry a minute or two. He’s a master at the art of lockpicking.

Lockpicking competitions are rare and often underground in the United States, but are common in Europe, where Wels is a frequent contender. He is also president of a lockpicking club with about 75 members that meet weekly to test their skills against new locks.

I first posted about Barry on May 14, 2005 where he demonstrated how easy it is to open a Kensington laptop lock using a roll of toilet paper, gaffer tape, and a pen. It’s pretty amazing and I’ve tried it myself and it does work with a little practice.

Barry is the founder and president of Toool, a lockpick sportgroup in the Netherlands. Toool stands for “The Open Organisation Of Lockpickers“.

Besides picking locks Toool members also study locks, sometimes finding huge and previously unpublished flaws.

Needless to say that the lock industry is not always too happy, although Toool feels they should be.

Lately, some smarter lock companies have started asking Toool what they think of a lock before commencing mass-production.

To find out more about Barry, check out his blog or the Toool website.

If someone would have presented an XBOX 360 for me and my friends 20 years ago, I’m pretty sure we probably would have fainted.

When you compare similar games from the mid-eighties with today’s top notch video and computer games, the difference in graphics is quite amazing.

Here’s an interesting comparison of 5 games from the 80’s with todays killer games:

Double Dribble (Nintendo, 1987) vs. NBA Live’06 (XBOX 360, 2006)

Karate Champ (Nintendo, 1986) vs. DOA 4 (XBOX 360, 2006)

Tennis (Nintendo, 1983) vs. Top Spin 2 (XBOX 360, 2006)

Rad Racer (Nintendo, 1987) vs. PGR 3 (XBOX 360, 2005)

Punch Out (Nintendo, 1987) vs Fight Night round 3 (XBOX 360, 2006)

I still love the classics. Time to blow the dust off my Nintendo. Ah, 8 bit graphics. The good old days