Computer Planet Manta

Computer Planet’s Manta is one of a growing number of mini-ITX machines that challenge fullsized rigs for performance, and this one comes inside NZXT’s Manta chassis, which has an adventurous exterior. It isn’t the small, boxy unit normally associated with mini-ITX – its panels, roof and rear are made with subtle curves that look great.

Computer Planet has opted for the black and red version of this case, so its soft, attractive metal panels are bordered with red plastic. There’s a window on one side, a smart power button and no gaudy logos – it’s a great-looking machine.

Planning your video shoot

If you have an important video project coming up, planning is everything. Ben Pitt shares some strategies to prevent your shoot descending into chaos

The thing I love most about video production is how it draws together so many different skills and people. One minute I might be adjusting the white balance on my camera, the next I’m dancing on the edge of a roof wearing size 11 high heels. The medium of moving pictures is a melting pot of written words, acting, photography, costume design, makeup, architecture, interior design, carpentry, painting, computer-generated imagery, music and dance. Anything goes, and often it all has to come together at the same time while the camera is rolling.

Making videos with friends, family or colleagues on a low budget can be a wonderfully chaotic experience, but sometimes it’s worth applying some discipline. If you have a clear idea of what you want to see in your finished video, then you need a clear set of steps to get you there. A wise person learns from their mistakes, but an even wiser one learns from other people’s. This article brings together the things I wish I’d known when I started making videos.

The Digital YES Man

What happens to your PC if you agree to install everything you’re offered?

One word can change everything. That’s the premise of Danny Wallace’s 2006 book, Yes Man, where the protagonist spends a year of his life obeying a very simple dictum: say ‘yes’ to everything. He says ‘yes’ to every offer of a credit card, to meetings with people who believe the pyramids were built by aliens, to ‘random solicitations’ over the internet. And, for the most part, he has a bloody good time. So good, they made the book into a film starring Jim Carrey.

I decided to run a similar experiment of my own: say ‘yes’ to absolutely everything I’m offered on my PC. I would tick every box during software installations, accept every download suggested by website pop-ups, and OK every offer to change a default setting on my PC. I wanted to find out what would happen to my computer if I took every last morsel that was offered to me. How long would my over-positivity take to drag my PC to its knees, and what would it look like by the end of it?

The Rapid Rise Of eSports

Over the past five years, the phenomenon of eSports has exploded, becoming a multi-million pound industry and transforming the gaming spectrum. Rick Lane investigates

On 18 June 2015, Wembley Arena was packed out. Originally built for the 1934 Olympics, and host of the 1948 and 2012 Olympic swimming competitions, the Arena was now centre stage for an entirely new kind of sporting event. Tens of thousands of fans gathered to watch the quarter final of the League of Legends (LoL) World Championships, while millions more watched the showdown online via Twitch. Even the BBC streamed the event for UK audiences, the first time a mainstream broadcaster has done so for an eSports competition.

Pi-Top

David Briddock investigates an easy way to transform your Pi into a laptop or desktop

The Raspberry Pi family just keeps growing and growing. Today there’s the Pi Zero, the Pi 1 Model B+ and A+, the Pi Compute Module, the more powerful Pi 2 plus the recently launched and yet more powerful Pi 3 Model B.

But what if you’d like to transform your Pi into a self-contained desktop PC, or even build a portable Pi-powered laptop? One approach would be to buy a collection of Pi accessories and put them all together to create a custom all-in-one computing device. Here’s what you’d need to consider.