Sushi Plates, Chopsticks & Napkins... of the FUTURE!

    I designed and built it entirely from scratch, so with a mindset of "you'll never know if you don't try" I entered my Hellusion computer into the Microsoft / iDSA endorsed Next Gen PC Design Competition.  The 'Illusion PC' and thirty other finalist entries made it through an online email submission first round, hard copy mailed in entry packet second round and a public choice online voting round, the judges decisions and the final result announcements have finally posted - drum roll please...

    Designed in Google Sketchup (awesome software) and built on the dining room table, it was the only design entry that actually exist as a fully working computer, sadly my entry didn't win, place or show.  Two years running now the jurors have awarded top prize to dinner item/dining utensil based entries - since napkins and plates are good I'm calling shotgun for next year on "The BiB-puter", "CondimentPC",  "PlaceMat-Compu-Coaster", "PC Porta-Spork" and "Wet-Nap Cluster" as my entries.

    Seriously though, it's a fairly proud accomplishment just to have been selected as a finalist in the competition... also, I'm glad it's finally over.  The Illusion PC design has been displayed recently on a number of tech and gadget sites - click on to read what's been said about it - Gizmodo, TechEBlog, Techpin, UberGizmo, SlashGear, Softpedia, Digg, Crave, Shaktronics, BoingBoing, ForeverGeek & Engadget.

ThermoHawk 200 vs. Cen-Tech Non-Contact IR Thermometer

Read the comparative review

Surpass Hosting... Worst. Host. Ever.

    I want to let anyone that even remotely cares know the reason why CMG went MIA for a while, this article will serve to shine a little light on the whole ordeal.  I don't want to spoil the article for anyone but I really have to say right up front that Surpass Hosting sucks.  There's not much to the story (yet), but I'm sure that this will be an ongoing idiotic drama because they are morons.  I'll continually update the article as things play out... 

Read about the nightmare

    With so many 'Mod it Til it Bleeds!' guides on the site it is easy to overlook some of the information contained within them, but that's ok because we've got you covered.  The following how-to's have been lovingly hand plucked from their original articles to become stand alone independent guides that will hopefully serve to help in teaching a bit more about modding.

See all of CMG's guides here

The Modding Triad... Explaining The Obvious

    All mods are not created equal, nor are they all the same.  Believe it or not there are in fact three distinct schools of modding and this article will hopefully clarify the differences between each unique type while demystifying case mods on every level by including links to outstanding examples of modding in each category.

Read about it here

A Look Inside A Modders Toolbox:

    I have tried case modding both ways and the "do the best with what you've got" method will only get you so far, I have found having the right tool for the job makes all the difference and also makes for a more professional finished mod.  I hope that this guide gives those new to the hobby an idea of the tools available to make case modding easier and also a little insight into their use.

Read about it here

A CCFL Inverter Rant

    Cold Cathodes are arguably the most popular product used today for lighting the interior of a modded PC.  They are easy to install, inexpensive, bright and readily available in a wide range of color, lengths and shapes... but are they safe?  Short answer, not always.

Read about it here