Bill Detwiler

NASA steps toward handing the future of space flight to the private sector by funding development of two launch systems.

Test network security with the NetBrute Scanner suite. In this The Right Tool for the Job? blog post, Joshua Hoskins explains how NetBrute, PortScan, and WebBrute can help you find holes in your firewall, locate open ports, detect File & Print Sharing resources, and test password strength on Web directories protected with HTTP authentication. Here are several screenshots of NetBrute, PortScan, and WebBrute in action.

The company unveils the Sansa e280 and raises the memory ante in the flash-based MP3 player game.

Company plans to begin mass production of the new 70-inch LCD during the first half of 2007.

ZAP, which makes all-electric cars, thinks it’s well-positioned to catch the next revolution in transportation.

Software for changing files from PDF to Microsoft Word and other formats gets a new interface and features.

Joint Regional Intelligence Center joins federal, state and local law enforcement in one facility.

There is now a single machine, the Teac GF-350, that can turn your records into CDs.

Screenshots of what appears to be the new video store indicate it will provide support for Windows-enabled handheld devices.

For gamers like me who grew up with arcades, having a game cabinet the basement would have been the ultimate cool toy. Even as PC and console games met and eventually surpassed arcade machines, the mystique of owning an arcade cabinet still exists. Besides, a mouse button click just isn’t as viscerally satisfying and frantically smashing and arcade control panel’s buttons. Unfortunately, authentic arcade machines are still fairly expensive to buy and maintain and few people have the space to accommodate more than one or two machines.

With emulation software, a little wood working knowledge, and a bit of wiring skill, retro gaming enthusiasts can now experience arcade gaming in their dens without spending their 401K. Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator (MAME) software allows users to run ROMs of vintage computer games. Emulation software is available for Windows, Linux, DOS, Mac OS, Unix and even consoles like Microsoft’s Xbox. In the U.S., owning emulation software is currently legal. Owning or distributing the game ROMs is another story. Most arcade games are protected under copyright law. Despite the fact that most emulated games are no longer commercially available or the originally copyright holder no longer exists, it may still be illegal to own or distribute game ROMs. Legal issues aside, many retro gamers are still looking to put the arcade thrill in their own game room.

Here are a collection of MAME cabinets and consoles that any arcade enthusiast would love.

Compiled by Bill Dewtiler

CEO Peter Levine announces company’s first product based on Xen virtualization at LinuxWorld.

The Xserve server, which uses two dual-core Xeon processors, is due to ship in October.