Using 21,268 lights and LEDs, ex-Disney imagineer and special effects specialist Ric Turner turned the front of his house into the perfect setting for a Guitar Hero Christmas lights spectacular.

As he explains:

Christmas Light Hero is using 7 light controllers from Light-O-Rama built from kits to control 21,268 lights and LEDs. Each controller has 16 outputs and 2-3 TTL level control inputs that are used by the game system to fire different programmed light sequences depending on what happens in the game. It relies on the fact that the game sequence is very consistent. If the game and the lighting sequences start together, they will stay in very good sync through the length of the song. The light program allows branching and overlays for fail, star power and "ready." I have some ideas to automate the initial show/game sync, but for now you have to push doorbell buttons at the right moments.

Rubberneckers watching in their cars can tune into the frequency 99.1 to hear the audio, or even partake in the fun if they dare. [YouTube via MAKE via Geekologie]

Man in a Chicken suit plays "What is Love" on Pianica from Ring Mod on Vimeo.

Man in a Chicken Suit Plays "What Is Love" on Melodica

If that headline isn't enough to make you watch this video, I'm really not sure if the internet is your cup of tea. Because this is exactly what the internet should be used for. [Boing Boing]

A Very Muppet Christmas YouTube Video

I am so, so glad that a lot of the first 1080p YouTube clips are Muppet-related. I am a Muppet freak. I can't count how many times I've seen The Muppet Movie and (my personal favorite) The Great Muppet Caper, and I've even seen Jim Henson's MuppetVision 3D, which is a real thing, believe it or not. So as my menorah's candles slowly burn down, marking the first night of Chanukah, I am watching this Christmas-themed YouTube video and giggling, over and over again. Enjoy. [YouTube]

Nao Robot Performs Star Wars Impersonations

Nao, a pint-sized robot from Aldebaran Robotics, does a pretty good impersonation of various Star Wars characters—Darth Vader, R2D2, and more. It's pretty adorable and physically it's actually one of the more nimble robots I've seen, although nobody can seem to think of anything to do with it other than make 50-second YouTube clips like this one. Still: Cute. [Engadget]

Evil Empire Google Wants Your Email

Okay, so maybe it's not so evil—Google just wants users of its Google Voice service to allow access to both original voicemails and the transcriptions Voice supplies. Right now, there's a rating system to measure how accurate the transcriptions are, but that doesn't help Google improve the system that much. With a healthy supply of voicemails, Google could figure out how to work around tricky roadblocks like external noise and accents. So, not as evil as it sounds. [Neowin]

iTunes App Pages Redesigned

Not that much to say, really—iTunes redesigned the app pages in the Store, and, well, they look better. Bigger pictures, shorter descriptions, slicker layout. Looks nice! [Twitter]

Severed Pancake Hand Grasps Waffle With Last Delicious Ounce of Strength

You guys, HELP. There is a man made of pancakes running around without a hand, bleeding jam, and he's probably hungry since he left his waffle with the hand. Why did this amazing work of art end up in Remainders? Because despite what noted breakfast-eater Rosa Golijan thinks, Gizmodo is not typically a pancake-themed site. Disappointing, I know, but true. [Serious Eats]

How badass is this? In all honesty, overpriced toy instruments cluttering up my living room is one of the big reasons I almost never play Rock Band or Guitar Hero games anymore. This looks to solve that problem while also bringing all of my air guitar fantasies to life. [Procrastineering via Make]

Well, at least I would consider 76% accuracy to be pretty great when you need to time kicking a ball and actually manage to hit the right sensor. That and it's better than I score on a regular round of the game to begin with. [YouTube via HacknMod]

This isn't to say the so-called Polk HitMaster doesn't have a bunch of extra features, which it does. There's 60 watts packed in the unit's 13-lb. frame; a pair of 2.2x5.5-inch horns; and two 1-in. tweeters. Top it all off with a 6.5-in. sub and you have yourself an impressive faux stage monitor. Oh, and there's also iPod support should you want to listen to some real musicians.

Arrives in early 2010 for $100. [Polk Hot Hardware via Engadget]

First things first: you can't plug your guitar into this. It's not a guitar amp, and it doesn't have a 1/4-inch input, and the 6.5-inch speaker simply isn't designed for it. It does have stereo analog inputs, meaning it'll hook right up to your game console, giving your rhythm game of choice more power, and more importantly better sound resolution.

At first glance the concept is patently ridiculous—the line between an amp and a fake amp is much thinner than between a guitar and a fake guitar, and you can buy an amp for this much—but rhythm games are essentially social, and built-in TV speakers are uniformly terrible, so having a portable "amp" to bring to parties isn't actually such a terrible idea. [Altec Lansing]

He doesn't hit every note, sure, but he hits most of them, including the majority of those intense guitar solos. By the end he has a 77% rating and the hearts of geeky middle school gals the world over are his for the taking.

Money shot proof comes at the end, alongside a fade to black groan at about 6:15 that immediately destroys whatever geek cred this kid just spent six minutes of his life trying to create. [YouTube via Geekologie]

I'll grant this: it's pretty neat what the OpenChord does, plugging into the Wiimote and convincing the console that it's a controller, and converting your finger presses into button inputs. It's a funny concept, and it's executed well. But somewhere around 40 seconds in, something happens that vindicates every feeling of unease and confusion anyone has every had about concept of rhythm gaming. For perhaps the first time ever, we hear what these games' mechanical fret-bashing translates too, in real musical terms.

To be fair to the OpenChord crew, who sell V1 kits so you can reenact this whole wretched scene in your own basement, they regret leaving the guitar plugged into an amp:

If you unplug the guitar, you don't really hear it, and if the slight sound is still too much, you can just tap the pick against the strings instead of a full strum...Yeah, what an embarrassing mistake!

Too late guys, the damage is done. Activision: SHUT IT DOWN. [OpenChord via Joystiq]

Yep, the price for the drums exceeds the price for the game and full set of regular instruments. But these things are seriously solid for that price, feeling more like an electric drum kit you'd buy at a real music store rather than a big toy like the regular drums.

In addition, these use an RF-based signal with a USB dongle rather than Bluetooth, which cuts back on latency and offers backwards compatibility with the PS2. Look for these to hit stores later this month.

Feel the Beat: Logitech Unveils Premium Drum Controller for Guitar Hero

Logitech Wireless Drum Controller Licensed for the PLAYSTATION 3 Computer Entertainment System

FREMONT, Calif.—So you can really rock out to Guitar Hero® on the PLAYSTATION®3 (PS3) computer entertainment system, Logitech (SIX:LOGN) (NASDAQ:LOGI) today introduced the Logitech® Wireless Drum Controller for the PLAYSTATION 3 system. Licensed by Activision Publishing, Inc. (NASDAQ: ATVI), for the award-winning Guitar Hero franchise, the Wireless Drum Controller features premium drum heads with recessed rims – making it easy for you to play like a rock star.

"When you're ready to experience a new premium drum controller or expand your band, you'll want to rip on Logitech's new drum controller," said Ruben Mookerjee, Logitech's director of product marketing for gaming. "With the Wireless Drum Controller, you can mark time, keep the backbeat, color up your riffs and crash down on the cymbal pads. Joining the Logitech® Wireless Guitar Controller, the new Wireless Drum Controller lets you rock out to your favorite songs on the PS3 system."

The Logitech Wireless Drum Controller features three fully adjustable drum heads and two cymbal pads. Each piece can be positioned to fit your reach and suit your style. Offering a unique playing experience, the new Logitech Wireless Drum Controller provides quiet, responsive heads that deliver a lively feel, won't distract you from the music, and are designed to let you take advantage of all the latest features of Guitar Hero games.

But Logitech did not just replicate typical drum heads. The recessed rims help make it easier to score points and avoid accidental rim shots. The kick pedal uses a stainless steel surface and an adjustable spring – providing a highly durable, responsive drumming experience.

Delivering up to 50 hours of battery life on two AA batteries, the Wireless Drum Controller gives you enough juice to perform a concert's worth of hits, encores included.

Compatible with the PS3 system as well as the PlayStation®2 system, the Wireless Drum Controller uses a 2.4 GHz wireless USB receiver, so the connection is as steady as a drum beat. When you're ready to play, the Logitech Wireless Drum Controller sets up quickly and folds flat in seconds. You can start playing within minutes of opening the box and when the show is over, the set can be easily stowed away. (Roadies are not required.)

Pricing and Availability

The Logitech Wireless Drum Controller for the PS3 system is expected to be available in the U.S. beginning in July and Europe beginning in August for a suggested retail price of $229.99 (U.S.).

If pretending to rock is so hard that you have to pretend to pretend to rock, you should just go and eat your way up to 800 pounds and give up on life. [eBay - Thanks Ben!]

Why orange? I'll be dammed if I know—but it does feature the same solid build as its predecessors (wood body, a wood neck, metal frets and a rosewood fingerboard), as well as the touch sensitive slider. It also has a comfortable range of 30 feet. Expect a August launch for a wallet-busting price of $200. [Logitech via Slashgear]

The touch strip on the neck used to be analog but now it's completely digital, so Activision says it's now "100 percent accurate." The strum bar has also been redesigned internally, so it's way more durable. I didn't actually get to hit it to see if you can feel how much more solid it is. But hopefully the DJ Hero turntable is a pretty nice indication of the quality of hardware we should expect this generation. The whammy bar has been subtly redesigned as well, and now you've got some fake chrome tuners instead of fake plastic tuners.

I've always preferred the Guitar Hero guitars to Rock Band's since I think the latter's strum bar is too squishy. What were you hoping would change with the new guitars?

Do we want tens of plastic guitars, skateboards, drums, balance boards and light guns cluttering up our living room space? No, of course not. But ponder these simple questions.

1) Would you rather be pushing buttons in time to music with your Xbox 360 controller, or strumming along with your fake guitar and hitting a drum pad?
2) Would you rather be pushing buttons to make your character do a 720, or actually tilt your body on a skateboard?
3) Would you rather be pushing buttons and tilting a stick to shoot something on the screen, or point a gun at the screen and physically shoot the screen?

It's simple; most everyone would rather be simulating the act because it gets them closer to the experience of actually playing the game and mimicking what the character is doing on screen. And that's just the way we're headed. The first controllers had a joystick and one button, and technology's progressed along until we're actually getting 1:1 motion detection.

But where is this all going? The endpoint, in our minds, is something like the Holodeck from Star Trek. A room that, although finite in reality, has the mechanical and optical abilities to simulate just about anything you can program. But we're a long way from that. What we can do is take steps toward that goal, by simulating the experience with plastic instruments. But there are many steps between here and there, and hopefully the next one won't cause us to fall down because there's a plastic guitar in the way.

The Price: $20

The Verdict: I like it more than the standard Rock Band (2) drum pedal, but probably not for the reasons you'd think. The Metal Pedal, for all of its hardcore skeleton styling, doesn't feel sturdier than the latest Rock Band stock pedal. Sure, it's called the Metal Pedal, but 80% or more of it is still made of plastic. The metal is in thin plating only.

But my size 12 feet appreciated the wider footbed, and the pedal's springs were looser than those you find in the Rock Band pedal—meaning it was easier to activate the bass drum which alleviated my puny shin muscles during quick passages.
Also, if you play both Rock Band and Guitar Hero, the cross-compatible hardware plugs into both drumsets and is toggled with a simple switch. I could see where using the same bass drum pedal for both games could be beneficial if you were a real score junkie.

Overall, the Nyko Metal Pedal isn't a must-buy. But if you're really into fake rocking and you find the options out there a little too stiff, it might be worth your $20.

Wide Footbed

Comfortable Resistance

It Has a Skeleton On It

Build Quality Not Noticeably Better Than Stock Pedal

[Nyko]

For about $250, designer Zivix will attempt to bridge the gap between these two warring factions by blending a real electric guitar with the button-mashing pseudo-music insanity that breaks out at my apartment after a few too many pints at the local pub. Ultimately, Zivix hopes that more than a few Guitar Hero/Rock Band masters will take the leap and actually make some real music with the Headliner.

No release date was given, but Zivix hopes to have this full size guitar on store shelves later this year. [Zivix via OhGizmo]

The game will be a port of Guitar Hero World Tour Mobile with touchscreen gameplay and 15 tracks (mostly classic rock). An exact date of the release has not been announced, but it is expected to hit the Android Market soon. [The Guardian via Kotaku]

It's just a concept piece for now, but the three metalheads behind the project seem like they're intent on selling some or all of it, some day. It uses an Arduino controller to process the input from the wigs accelerometers, then outputs it to a custom game written in the Processing language.

If some sort of jeweled headband controller doesn't find it's way into the next version of Rock Band, I will be disappointed. [Headbang Hero via Kotaku - Thanks, Mike]