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Best Buy Does iPad Trade in Deal

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iPad4

You still have one day left (7-13-13) to head to Best Buy where they are offering $200 or more in trade-in value when you trade in your iPad 2 or 3rd generation iPad.  You can opt to receive the trade-in on a gift card or use it to buy a 4th generation iPad.If your tablet is in really good condition you can get even more money.

I would check online pricing for your iPad on Amazon and eBay just to be sure you’re getting your maximum value. You should also take the connivence of getting your cash immediately into consideration as well.

It’s likely that BestBuy is trying to clear out some of it’s inventory ahead of the release of the anticipated iPad 5 this fall.

Deus Ex: The Fall Doesn’t Like Jailbreaking

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DeusExJailbreakBlock
Screenshot of DeusEx: The Fall Jailbreak Block (Credit: Reddit User KipEnyan)

Square Enix has apparently decided that jailbroken phones are a no-go. According to a Reddit post, Deus Ex: The Fall doesn’t allow players with jailbroken phones to fire their weapon. It’s likely that the developers are trying to prevent software piracy, which usually happens on jailbroken devices. The biggest issue here is likely going to be with those players who do not use pirated software and have other reasons for jailbreaking their phones.

Given Apple’s willingness lately to open up iOS a bit more to developers, we can only hope that jailbreaking becomes less necessary for some users. I’ll be keeping tabs on this block to see if people actually find a work-around, otherwise you’ll have to have a fresh, un-jailbroken version of iOS installed to play this game.

 

NASA 2020 Focus is Life on Mars

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Mars2020RoverConcept
Mars 2020 Rover Concept (Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech)

On July 09, 2013 NASA discussed their outline for the 2020 Mars Rover. Their focus will be primarily on looking for signs of past life on the red planet as well as collecting samples to bring back to Earth for analysis.  The sample information could help with future manned missions to Mars as we would need to have a greater understanding of the resources available to us.

There are many hazards on the martian surface that must be better understood before we go sending our best to go walking around out there. Even the dust of Mars could be very dangerous to explorers, add into account the higher radiation levels and potential for wild weather and you could be in real trouble.

NASA’s 2020 mission aims to build on the tremendous success of Curiosity. The 2020 mission will not only look for signs of past life but also attempt to understand what it takes for life to take hold. NASA will also focus on how to use the resources on Mars to survive long periods of time on the planet. Creating oxygen, collecting carbon dioxide, and creating fuel are just a few examples of the engineering hurdles that the Mars 2020 mission could help us jump.

 The Mars 2020 mission concept does not presume that life ever existed on Mars, however, given the recent Curiosity findings, past Martian life seems possible, and we should begin the difficult endeavor of seeking the signs of life. No matter what we learn, we would make significant progress in understanding the circumstances of early life existing on Earth and the possibilities of extraterrestrial life.” – Jack Mustard, chairman of the Science Definition Team and a professor at the Geological Sciences at Brown University in Providence, R.I.

Want a more in-depth look at the future plans for Mars Rover missions? The Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) offers a rich experience with the latest updates and multimedia.

 

How To Make a Yellow SNES Look New

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Yellowing SNES

We all love our vintage electronics but the one inevitable part of collecting and using this stuff is that it starts to age. Sometimes we get lucky and things seem to hold up pretty well over the years, while others just look plain nasty. One of the most common issues is the yellowing of plastics on computers and other hardware like the Super Nintendo (SNES).

Ok, so the big question here is why is this happening at all? What’s causing my stuff to turn yellow?

Well, someone actually asked Nintendo this very question and this is the response that they got:

 

Hi!

Thank you for contacting us. That’s an interesting question! For the Super NES, this is a normal condition and no cause for alarm. Cleaning or handling the system will have minimal impact to change or revive the original color.

The Super NES, as well as our other systems, are made with a plastic containing flame-retardant chemicals to meet safety guidelines. Over time, the plastic will age and discolor both because of these chemicals as well as from the normal heat generated from the product or exposure to light. Because of the light color of the plastic of the SNES and NES, this discoloration is more easily seen than with other darker plastics such as on the N64 and the Nintendo GameCube.

Thanks for your email!
Nintendo of America Inc.
Casey Ludwig

That’s actually a fairly accurate answer as to what’s happening to our old electronics but it’s not just light and or heat that’s causing it, but also exposure to air itself. It’s pretty much unavoidable. The only time you may not have a yellowing piece of hardware is if you were lucky enough to get a balanced batch of plastic. To get a more detailed answer as to what’s going on you can get a Doctor’s official answer at VintageComputing.

Now that we know that’s causing it, let’s fix it!

There are many methods you can use to remove yellowing but the method that seems to be the most effective is the use of Hydrogen Peroxide. The big issue with using Hydrogen Peroxide is that it’s a liquid and it doesn’t stay in the area you apply it, it just runs off and makes a mess. Another problem is that the stuff you buy at the store is too diluted and therefore not strong enough to get the job done. The solution to this problem is to make a Hydrogen Peroxide gel that has a higher percentage of Hydrogen Peroxide (H2O2) in it. This will allow you to easily put the gel on the section of plastic that you’re trying to fix.

So how do you make the gel? Here’s the best part, you don’t need to. You can actually use hair developer cream, which you can get from SallyBeauty.

Here’s what you will need:

  • A clean workspace with adequate ventilation.
  • Plastic Gloves / Eye Protection
  • Plastic Wrap
  • Salon Care 40 Volume Cream Developer  (Read the safety precautions on the developer to protect yourself)
  • A UV Light Source
  • Lot’s of Time

Depending on what your trying to clean up you may need a lot of developer, so make sure you get a larger bottle.

If you can, carefully take off the plastic parts that you are trying to clean to avoid damaging the electronics inside. If you can’t take things apart or don’t want to, then just be careful and be smart about where you place the developer.

Once the parts have a good coating of developer on them, place a piece of plastic wrap over them to avoid any evaporation and to keep things in place.

Turn on your UV light source and make sure that the affected area is getting plenty of light. For best results, wait for 24 to 36 hours before cleaning off the developer.

*Tip:

Once you have finished the process you should find that much of the yellowing has gone away. This doesn’t mean it’s gone for good though, the plastics are still composed of the same chemicals as before and will eventually begin to yellow again. Your best bet, if you want to avoid cleaning them again, is to slow down the process by applying a spray-on UV protectant coating.

**This project is something you can do at home, but you do so at your own risk!

Ancient Underwater Forest Discovered

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Alabama Under ocean Forest
Sonar Map of the Ancient Underwater Forest of the Coast of Alabama (CREDIT: Grant Harley, Kristine DeLong)

Just off the coast of Alabama, divers have discovered and ancient forest beneath the waves of the Gulf of Mexico. This Bald Cypress forest was hidden under the sand for over 50,000 years and was likely uncovered by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. The undersea forest, which is about 60 feet below the ocean surface, was preserved amazingly well because of the lack of oxygen that exists under the ocean sediments. Now that the area is exposed it won’t be around for very long as it will soon be destroyed by living creatures.

Ben Raines was one of the first divers to see this amazing place. Ben is the executive director of the nonprofit Weeks Bay Foundation. He mentioned that a local dive shop owner had been trying to keep the place a secret because he feared that divers take things from the dive area and would eventually spoil the ancient underwater forest.

You can experience the underwater forest in the video above, which takes you down under the Gulf of Mexico and gets you up close and personal with these amazing ancient trees. You can read the complete article on this forest by LiveScience.