The Mind of Mike: 2015

When I was young I told myself that when I was grown up I wanted to be able to do lots of things on my own, and never pay someone to do something that I could do myself. Which is pretty much the basis for 99% of all DIY projects.

Anyhow, here are some of the project's I've done in the past year:

THE RETRO PI

A Raspberry Pi is a miniature computer, the size of a pack of cards, that is very simply and cheaply built with basic components. People have taken them and created modifications of both software and hardware to create home theater hubs, security systems, programming teaching tools, and (my favorite) retro console machines.

Basically people have created software programs that mimic old video game systems like the NES, SNES, Sega Genesis, Atari, and pretty much anything and everything built before 2000. So with some birthday money I bought a Pi kit, put it together, and now I can enjoy Mega Man X, Super Mario World, Donkey Kong Country, many other wonderful games of my childhood.

All of the pieces.

The assembled gaming machine.

OPERATION HD EXCHANGE

Our home computer is a 2012 model mac mini. In 2010 Apple changed from this mac mini design to this slightly smaller configuration. Then in 2011 they decided to get rid of the CD drive and that's been the design ever since. The reason I tell you this is because while Apple got rid of the CD drive, they didn't do anything with the space that it previously took up, so every mac mini has room for an extra hard drive in that compact design.

My 2008 macbook has had a broken screen for a few years, and the power supply has seen it's last legs, but I've kept it around because it has all of my music and pictures from college and my mission. Well, it just so happens that the hard drive in a 2008 macbook fits perfectly into the open spot in the 2012 mac mini, so I got a mounting kit, and dismantled my computer to add this new drive inside so I could get rid of my laptop and add the additional storage to my desktop.