Windows Media Center remains one of Vista's most underrated features, offering a slick, couch-friendly interface for watching TV shows and movies, listening to music, enjoying photo slideshows, and more.

But it's also a hacker's delight, able to perform all kinds of nifty tricks with a tweak here or a download there. Let's take a look at seven free and easy things you never imagined Windows Media Center could do.

1. Copy recorded TV shows to your iPod
Why buy the iTunes cow when you can get the Windows Media Center milk free? In other words, instead of paying Apple for TV shows you've already recorded on your PC, copy those shows to your iPod for on-the-go viewing. Normally this is tricky: WMC saves video in the DVR-MS format, which neither iTunes nor iPods can recognize. But freeware utility iPodifier makes simple work of converting DVR-MS files to an iPod-friendly format.

The Texas Border Sheriff's Coalition has joined BlueServo in a public-private partnership to deploy the Virtual Community Watch, an innovative real-time surveillance program designed to empower the public to proactively participate in fighting border crime. The TBSC BlueServo Virtual Community Watch is a network of cameras and sensors along the Texas-Mexico border that feeds live streaming video to http://www.BlueServo.net. Users will log in to the BlueServo website and directly monitor suspicious criminal activity along the border via this virtual fence.

About a posside Aspire One A110 with SSD and want to mount a hard disk of the traditional type, is faced with several options, more or less complex and laborious: Use a 1.8-inch disk with ZIF interface (that of the IPod to understand) , install a 1.3-inch disk, or engage in the most fascinating and dangerous and mount a SATA disk from 2.5 inches in the case.

By leveraging the experience of a reader, Alfredo, we have prepared an article that explains precisely how to take the third option and mount a SATA disk from 2.5 inches on 'Aspire One A110.

He collapsed in his chair and stared blankly at the screen until my first wave of shock troops hit the enemy line. Then he said, "I've finally figured out why girls are so fucked up." Mind you, we were 16 and fond of worldly-sounding generalizations that concealed our lack of experience.

"How's that?" I asked, ordering the heavy infantry forward. The battle was on autopilot for the next few minutes.

"They don't play enough videogames."

Apple seems to have no interest in selling a mid-range expandable Mac. But Mac enthusiasts have interest in buying one — and now they have an option, if they're game to take on Apple's potential wrath. EFI-X USA's new kit is priced at $1599 for the PC components and $199 for the EFI-X USB Boot Module. You can assemble it yourself, or you can inquire with EFI-X USA to pre-assemble and tune the CPU to 3.8 GHz for an additional fee. You must provide your own retail-purchased copy of Mac OS X ($129 suggested retail, $110 at Amazon).

The EFI-X kit offers the ability to run Mac OS X Leopard without hacks, to run Windows without special Boot Camp drivers, and to run nearly any other personal computer operating system from Linux to Solaris to OpenVMS! It's not quite the seamless experience of Apple's Mac computers, but it comes darn close. Its quad-core 3.82-GHz Core 2 Quad, combined with a fast Nvidia 8800 GT video card and 10,000-RPM Western Digital Velociraptor hard drive, leaves even today's quad-core Mac Pro in the dust. For anyone but scientific and engineering users, the EFI-X kit offers even more real-world performance than Apple's high-end, eight-core Mac Pro costing over twice as much.

We had a chance to sit down with VIA's VP of sales and marketing, Richard Brown, earlier today to discuss the finer points of the company's position in the marketplace. While it was a intriguing conversation (mostly about the state of netbook and smartphone CPUs in 2009), our eye was caught by a prototype netbook he'd brought with him. The 'book in question is a Nano-driven model that will be sold under the "Dr. Mobile" brand name and dubbed the "FreeStyle." The system boasts a 1.3GHz CPU (which can be clocked to 1.6GHz), runs atop the VX800 chipset, features an 11.6-inch (1366 x 768) display, a proper trackpad with two real buttons, and sports 802.11b/g, Bluetooth, and optional onboard mobile broadband.

Natalie "Kommodore" Thompson just joined the rarified ranks of Zune Guy and the BlackBerry Storm Cankle Man with her very own Android tattoo. While obviously a fan of the brand new mobile OS, she says she did it mostly to show her support of open source in general, and ol' Tux lost out to the more-adorable little green bot (known affectionately around the Engadget HQ as "Marvin"). Add in that shutter shades t-shirt -- for a 100x multiplier -- and we're likely dealing with our very first fit-for-society tattoo nerd.

Fallout 3 was easily one of the most anticipated games of last year, if not the last decade, and I was one of the people counting down the days until its release. I hadn't played any of its predecessors (a fact which completely invalidates any opinion I have about the game for many of you out there, to which I say, stop being such exclusionary elitist twerps), but what I knew about it boded well. I marked my calendar. I preordered the limited edition, complete with lunch box and bobblehead. I wore my Vault 101 t-shirt with geeky pride. At E3, I took the game for a half-hour test drive and clapped with glee. Literally. Finally, the glorious day arrived when I could play the game in earnest and I found, much to my surprise, that I hated it.

BioWare has released the first trailer for its upcoming title Star Wars: The Old Republic, the Knights of the Old Republic-informed MMO.

The trailer provides an overview of the project, and includes a decent amount of in-game footage.

The Old Republic was announced in October, and currently has no expected release date. Platforms have also not been detailed, beyond the obvious PC release.

There are enough crappy Chinese MP3 players to fill a toxic Shenzhen waste dump many times over, but the Oppo Muse G11, with its traditional d-pad and promise of 8-bit glories emulated: I want.

While some of the photos here clearly show a real device, you can see that modesty has inclined lil' Oppo to only be shown from the rear, save for in chaste rendering form. So hopefully the d-pad and traditional SNES/PlayStation four-button config makes it to the final stages of production. News today is pricing: 1099 yuan, or $160. That only appears to buy you a paltry 4GB, but throwing together a true emulation platform along with some pedestrian MP3 playing capabilities into decent-looking swivel-screen hardware doesn't sound like a bad idea to me.

I will show you how to build a net gun out of materials available at any big box home improvement store. This net gun is capable of firing a 90 square foot net 15 to 25 feet using 80-100 psi of compressed air. The net is reusable, assuming your prey doesn't destroy or run off with it. The launcher section is modular and can be removed in case you want to modify it or use a different design. You could thread on some 1" PVC pipe and have a Christmas Cannon.

The net gun is similar to many pneumatic launchers, but instead of launching a single projectile, it launches four tractors that pull the net through the air. The tractors are based on the fact that the neck of a standard soda bottle fits very well over the outside of 1/2" PVC pipe.

Tired of talks about nothing but its driver problems, Creative is preparing a big announcement at CES, one aimed at unveiling the company's first 'stemcell computing' products. Teased over at Zii.com, the Zii is a processing chips which is expected to give Creative a new direction and help it put its hardware in a wide range of devices.

No actual info about the Zii chip is available as of now but with CES 2009 so close, we're not going to worry. We can wait.

A young couple, Heath Blom (26) and his girlfriend, Randi Young (24) were attending Christmas festivities at their grandparent's house. Blom had asked his grandparents earlier that year for a $1000 RC Airplane (?!) which he did not receive. Instead, he became the proud owner of a Nintendo Wii. A pretty sweet gift, if I do say so myself.

"Heath Blom wanted a remote-controlled airplane for Christmas, and not the Wii," said Sgt. Kuffer Kaltenborn.

Not happy with his present, Blom proceeded to make disparaging remarks about the console. His girlfriend, unhappy with his attitude started calling him names for making his grandparents upset. Tempers flared and then things got out of control.

With the Diablo series, Blizzard took the dungeon-crawling formula of games like Rogue and Angband and redefined it into the loot-driven action-role-playing game that so many others have come to imitate. So you'd think that Blizzard would just chill. But no, they need to see if they can show up the imitators by developing a third Diablo game for a modern audience -- one that might consider 2001, when Diablo 2: Lord of Destruction came out, as "ancient history." We recently talked with game director Jay Wilson and covered all sorts of nitty-gritty Diablo 3 topics, like why the Barbarian class is the only holdover from Diablo 2, what makes a Witch Doctor different than a Necromancer, and just how far along the classes are (you'd be surprised!).

1UP: You've worked on Dawn of War and Company of Heroes for Relic -- how did it feel to go from real-time strategy games, where you control a force of units going up against another force of units, to an RPG, where it's one guy versus a force of guys?

Diablo: Well, before I started at Relic, my previous experience was with first-person shooters -- Blood, Blood 2, and a few games that didn't get released -- so I have a lot of experience with action games...especially with "one versus many." Blood was very much a "one person versus tons and tons of enemies" type of game, so it kind of feels like coming home. The nice thing is that a lot of the core principles by which RTS games run -- the statistical approach to how you create units, how you create weapons and their damage -- there are a lot of parallels here. Sure, there are some differences, but there's enough cross-pollination that it doesn't feel that different, well, from a "what do I do on a day-to-day" basis kind of thing. When I play the game, obviously, it plays quite differently.

Looking back and reflecting on work done is the key to future success. Now that Prince of Persia has shipped to stores and is in the hands of gamers everywhere, Ubisoft Montreal has taken a step back to reflect on the final product in an interview with IGN. Producer Ben Mattes answered frank questions that ranged in topic from risks taken, 20/20 hindsight, and plans for future downloadable content and continuing the franchise.

IGN: When you look back at the development process for Prince of Persia, do you do so with a smile? Is there anything you would have changed about the approach taken to reboot this franchise?

Prince of Persia: I consider Prince of Persia to be a success and look back at the last three years very fondly. We set out to do some very specific things with Prince of Persia, and while the decisions we took are not universally loved, there are enough very positive comments out there (reviews, forum posts, etc) to make me feel proud of what we accomplished.

Two of Australia's largest internet service providers Optus and iiNet have applied to take part in the pilot, due to start next Wednesday, but are still waiting to hear if they have been accepted into the program.

"The department is still evaluating applications that were put forward for participation in that pilot," said a spokesperson for Communications Minister Stephen Conroy's office.

The delay means customers have been left confused about whether or not they will be affected by the trial.

Make them forget the craptastic present inside by wrapping it with some Uncut U.S. Currency ($15-$900). Available in crisp $1, $2, $5, $10, $20 or $50 sheets. Just tell them to go easy on the opening.

Like millions of other Chinese, Li Zhanjun lives in a dwelling that is fireproof, noise proof, warm in winter, cool in summer and the epitome of an eco-friendly design. Moreover, it's cheap.

Li lives in a cave.

About 20 million Chinese still reside in caves and dirt-covered dwellings on the Loess Plateau that straddles the middle and upper reaches of the Yellow River in China's northwest.

Some of the caves have been passed down for generations, with hard-packed earthen walls, electrical wiring, piped-in plumbing and other modern conveniences, including cable television.

Longtime cave dwellers are often passionate about their way of life, saying they are shielded from the elements in a practical and efficient fashion, dwelling along hillsides and leaving valuable arable land in valleys for growing crops.