I've been working here at element14 for almost a month now. I'm still finding my way around (the office is a rabbit warren with fluorescent lighting and hand sanitiser on every burrow wall), but I reckon I'd have got twice as much work done if I wasn't getting caught up on the hundreds of Ben Heck Show episodes.
So maybe you could all save me some time (and potentially my job) by posting your top episodes right here? To kick things off, I thought I'd give you a Fluff-style Pick of the Pops run down of my all time top five Ben Heck Show episodes of all time. Alright pop pickers! Not 'arf!
5) Top Ben Heck Show Episodes: Hacking the Zombie Apocalypse
In at number five, it's gotta be the zombie hacks. I love me some zombies, and I personally can't wait until the undead uprising. No way you're catching me splitting up in the woods, or putting my gun down while I turn my back to an open door and investigate something seemingly inconspicuous.
Nope, I'm going to be all business and practicality, just like Ben and Felix. No sitting around being emotional and complicated together while there are survival gadgets to be made.
4) Top Ben Heck Show Episodes: Ben Heck's Apple 1 Replica
I loved that story circulating in the news the other week, about the woman who unknowingly dropped off an Apple I at a recycling centre, not knowing it was worth something in the region of a quarter mil! The shop is actively looking to find the woman so they can split the dosh with her, which I thought was a nice -- and somehow poignant -- ending to the story.
Also, I know Woz a little bit (name drop!), so I've a soft spot for this old computing beast. Check out parts two and three, as well.
3) Top Ben Heck Show Episodes: ZX Spectrum Mod
I had one of these rubber-keyed beauties back when they were new. Several, actually. They broke down a lot.
But the Speccy was made for tinkering, and it amuses me to see how a seasoned American hacker like Ben takes to this iconic piece of British computing, given that it went mostly unnoticed out there in the colonies. Also, I know Rick Dickinson a little bit as well, and he's the guy that actually designed the rubber keyboard and compact housing. So, double-name-drop!
But oi! benheck! It's a ZED-X Spectrum! Who ever heard of a ZEE-X Spectrum? Don't make me come over there...
2) Top Ben Heck Show Episodes: Steampunk Display
Hi everyone. My name's Spanner, and I'm a Steampunk. Phew! Feels good to get that out there.
Every year my wife and I go to the big steampunk festival in Lincoln, and every year we make something new to wear (I'm currently making my most awesome steampunk costume yet -- I'll post it up when the time is right. You're gonna freak, bub). So when I saw that Ben had embraced the goggles and gears, it made me happy. But reservedly happy, with no outwardly visible emotion, of course. I mean, one must remain civilised, mustn't one?
1) Top Ben Heck Show Episodes: Raspberry Pi Media Center
And in at number one, the RPi media centre!
I bet a lot of you guys, probably Ben too, feel the same as me. No matter what's available, I always want a feature or a function or a device that's not quite made it's way to retail yet. For years, one of those unfulfilled desires was for a media centre. I mean, it's built right into my TV now, but I've gone through firmware hacked DVD players, a modded Xbox (my personal fave), and a dozen butchered multimedia players in an effort to stream that delicious digital content the way I want it.
So I've a warm place in my heart for media centres, as odd as that might seem, and given that I also love me some Pi, this particular video gets all the right juices flowing.
So, give me your top five Ben Heck Show recommendations below, so I can waste even more time at work while chalking it all up to research. Alright! Stay bright!
