Systm (Large Quicktime)

Master Robot Builder David Calkins reveals the basics of putting together and programming your very own android. Plus find out what happens when we combine Patrick and non-dairy creamer.

If you're just itching for an excuse to reuse that retired desktop PC or laptop sitting in your closet there here's your chance. Today we'll be looking at the basics of installing FreeNAS, an open-source DIY NAS. So instead of spending money on off the shelf options why not save yourself some cash and make use of the stuff you already have and get a super customizable network storage device to boot.

Patrick takes you through the steps of adding Blu-Ray playback to your Home Theatre PC, and highlights the issues you need to be aware of before you take the plunge.

CNET's Tom Merritt answers the great VMWare vs. Parallels question. Which is best for running Windows applications inside of OS X? Watch the show and find out!

iPod? Camcorder? Notebook? Our Portable Power Pack will keep 'em running, plus we figure out if an AC Inverter or a DC/DC Converter is more efficient!

Not counting the motherboard we fried, dropping our CPU temp 10 degrees Celsius cost us $21.30 per degree in parts. I think we've got all your water cooling questions answered!

It's back to the PC parts store and a late delivery for this episode of Systm, thanks to a few well placed drops of coolant between our mobo and CPU.

Back in episode 48 we showed you how to water cool your PC. Perfect if you want to overclock your system. But what happens when we bolt on a car radiator to that very same water cooling system?

The diyMod skips the headphone amp in your iPod to get pure audio straight from the source... this is one of the toughest mods we've ever attempted!

We show you how to replace an expensive iPhone/iPod dock with a small, cheap and very portable cable.

You don't need yards of copper pipe to make liquor. Julia Nolan, a chemical engineer, shows us how to distill alcohol the easy way.

Adding thermal imaging to your car is a lot easier than you might think... think car stereo plus some light fabrication. Seeing further in the dark? That's priceles

Gas is over $4.00 a gallon all over San Francisco, so this episode is all about proven methods to get more MPG from your car, from changing the air filter to giving up on using your brakes.

On David Randolph's final episode we go deep inside the thermal management on a $5000 PC, install a watercooling kit on the $500 and fabricate a fan adapter with the VersaLASER.

Back in the day, only the foolhardy overclocked a PC. Today? It's practically expected for home builders. We walk you thru the basics of getting free performance from your processor.

Get an up close and personal view of the latest toy in our toolbox. Whether it's ceramic, wood or acrylic this thing can cut or etch near anything!

Cut and past your way to better WiFi reception? It costs pennies and takes the fabrication skills of a kindergartner... then bend a 6dBi Omni and a 10dBi directional out of copper wire!

3 clever hacks: save on gas, use Mentos and Mt. Dew to create an emergency light and a way to harness the power of photons to create free energy.

A fabulous mink wrapped notebook? Automotive paints, laser etching and water bubble finishes? It's one of our odder episodes of Systm.

300 yard tennis ball hucks? No problem. Your questions about calculating barrel to air chamber ratios, finding fittings and what exactly Schedule 40 is? No problem. David's new Versalaser? Problem: he's out sick!

There's nothing wrong with potato guns... we love sparking up Right Guard as much as the next geek. But compressed air, now that makes for a seriously fun cannon.

Command the respect and admiration of others and build a robot.... that destroys other robots!

Cheating At Guitar Hero: An introduction to show controllers, by David Randolph

Got five minutes? You can make any USB Thumbdrive waterproof with epoxy and a popsicle stick! Your USB Flash Drive need never fear the washing machine again if you waterproof it... if you've got ten minutes and a popsicle stick, you can do this!

If it's got a 386 processor and 32MB of RAM, and you can find a pair of Ethernet cards, you can turn that Junk PC into a serious Firewall to protect your network.

Whether it's the PC in our Wireless Access Truck, a massive 1000W amplifier or an extra power plug for a cell phone, the same rules apply... ignore 'em, and you could turn your car into a fire hazard... or just blow out its electrical system.

We've got half a day of wiring to build the Wireless Access Truck out of an EVDO modem, a Wilson Electronics Cell Phone Booster, a 12V Mini ITX PC and a WiFi adapter... Hit it.

Have we painted a notebook? Sure. PC Case? Absolutely. Various and sundry DIY projects? Yup. Ryan and Nik want some help painting laptops and PC cases... so we've got a collection of basic tricks to get the best quality when rattlecanning your project.

Live video broadcasts from a cell phone? On the flight home from CES 2008 we realized watching Robert Scoble walking and streaming live video with Qik was way cool... and something we wanted to play with on Systm.

Car + Hydrogen = Better Mileage? We're not quite ready to drop the cash on one of those under hood mileage boosters being sold all over the web.. but using water electrolysis to produce Hydrogen sounded like a good first step!