Utilizing an array of infrared LEDs around the table, the guts of a PS3 Eye camera, a projector and some acrylic for the multitouch setup—along with a homemade wood cabinet and an old PC they had lying around (Core 2 Duo, 2 gigabytes RAM)—they fashioned together a multitouch beast for $350 that more or less mimics the surface experience.

The video runs through some of the demos available, which includes an ambient light/finger paint type program that can track all 10 fingers, a Pong-like game, and the usual photo shuffling, it's evident this was no half-baked project.

The project took a total of two weeks, and utilizes all open source software (Touchlib, AMCap, FlashOSC) to power the machine. For the entire lowdown (and tons more pics) on how this was constructed, definitely check out the post over on [Maximum PC].

Overall, the guide's pretty similar to what I do every couple of years with a new Windows install to keep performance snappy. A biggie is to start with fresh hard drives—read/write speed is faster than whatever you bought two years ago, and the closer to full a drive, the worst it performs, so a bigger drives helps. I'd also check out a 10,000RPM or faster drive, if you're got cash to burn, though they were pretty cheap earlier this year.

For prep, there are a few steps that I should start following myself: Collect all of your application license keys (they recommend Magic Jelly Bean 2.0 to do the dirty work), deactivate and deauthorize apps, back up data from apps like iTunes, get your drivers together (especially video card and motherboard).

Then you just install Windows on your new hard drive (make sure you install to the right one), and once you're up and running you can copy files over from the old one. The other major pro tip is to buy a second new drive once you're all setup, and use that as a disk image and file back location, using a program like Acronis True Image. Overall, a solid, detailed guide you should check out if you're doing a new Windows installation, 'cause there's probably some tip you didn't know. BTW, here's Lifehacker's guide to building a new computer to slap it on. [Maximum PC]