LeHub

We’ve been looking into some new ways to generate funds to get the physical LeHub underway. Then it his us, why not ask the EU for a grant? It makes total sense! Oh other than the fact that I’m the only one who can apply for said Grant as I’m European… from Great Britain :/ 

Right, so obviously we’ll be waiting for around a week to see what happens but until then we have started looking into a bit of a business plan and a retune our ‘about’ section. Please take a read and let us know what you think. Oh, amongst other bits and bobs we think we’ve found a charity to plant our trees for us :) Anyway:

LeHub Over View

A bit of a new angle.

We knew what we were embarking on was ambitious, heck it still is, our original goals have not changed (You can find them below)! But, we have taken some time to think and have realised that to go from being purely online to a full blown physical museum may be a step too high and what we need is some stepping stones along the way…

What have we come up with?

Well clearly our retro theme is a must! So we thought back to the kinda things we liked as kids and of course what kids, young adults and us older folk like today. With all that in mind LeHubs first steps into the realms of reality will be in the form of a retro gaming social club. Consoles are to stretch from the early days back in the 1970s to todays ultra powerful machines and all playable!
The club is for all ages as LeHub always has been. We will open 5 days a week (Thur-Mon 10:00 - 22:00 for now) and hire 5 members of staff (Staff must be bi-lingual to aid tourism). We will serve soft drinks and snacks with a view to progress to serving cooked food such as fries and burgers in the future.

Here’s a rough overview of the figures in Euros:

3 Months rent 3X1200€ =3600€

3 Months utilities 3X600€ = 1800€ (This figure is subject to change depending on our renewable energy resources)

3 Months pay for 5 members of staff = 15,120€

Legal (staff contracts, deposits, licences, accountant and so on) = 10,000€

Units, Tills, Fridges, Consoles, Games, PCs And so on = 25,000€

Drink & Snack stock = 2500€

Unforeseen Expenses = 5000€

So that’s a Grand total of = 63,020€

The inclusion of renewable energy (ie: Solar and wind) is estimated at a cost of 15,000€ increasing the overall total to 78,020€

Our Original Plans

All points below can still be implemented in the above revised plan and are not just proposals for the full sized Museum.

Museum - LeHub - Martinique
An educational museum for all ages with a focus around the history of gaming, technology and the internet with a view to offer new opportunities to the community, including education and use of various social media platforms.

Aim:
Education, Environment, Charity, Resources, Opportunity, Community, Fun.

Tell me more…

Education - As complete a possible history of the gaming world in chronological order and ever growing, constantly collecting older consoles whilst purchasing new releases along side related games and peripherals. Written info on each item giving a brief overview along with tech stats, eventually this will have an audio tour. Each device where possible will have a display showing game play on various games for that system, the displays will include original screens from the era of the console it’s paired with.

Fun - The fun comes from the education element, though we’re being a bit sneaky about it ;) We’re talking gaming and social media here so what’s not fun?! Yet, at the same time patrons will see the humble beginnings of games like pong, how it worked and then travel through time to the modern era where technology is interlinked to our everyday lives, they’ll see how gaming and the Internet has changed everything, from how we communicate, to how we work, to how we shop, to how we relax.
Where possible we also intend to have playable consoles throughout the ages so children and adults alike can either learn and interact or just take a stroll down memory lane.
We also aim to provide facilities where patrons can learn to film and edit movies to upload to YouTube and alike offering more tech knowhow and opportunities that would otherwise be missed out on. We also plan to utilise ‘Twitch’ to advertise 'LeHub’ globaly and as a service to our patrons.

Environment – LeHub will endeavour to have display stands built here, on the island out of wood (a hark back to those vintage consoles) or plastic depending on cost and asthetics. Whilst a final design is yet to be decided we plan to plant a tree for every cabinet made.
Also depending on budget and gifts we’d like to run Le Hub on solar and wind power. Given the location of this Island it would be a fantastic opportunity to show that technology and progress does not need to come with a huge cost to the environment. This also only adds to the educational and the environmental value we have to offer.

Charity and Community - The charity and community element from this project comes in many forms. LeHub is for the community in the form of a community based busnisess and as word spreads we’d like to see visitors from across the globe visiting helping to increase local economy. But to begin: There is of course all the trees we’ll be planting, given all the consoles we need, their accessories, their games and screens you can assume that’s going to be a lot of trees!
Any excess power generated by our solar and wind generators will be given back to the local power grid, not sold! We hope this will help to reduce the cost of electricity somewhat in the immediate area. Schools on the Island will enjoy free school trips and we’d like to expand that internationally in the future. School trips may take the form of entire class visits to learn while LeHub is closed or simply and extracurricular class offered by local schools to their pupils.
Something else we’d like to do in the community is help out the poorer families/schools on the Island, for many a computer and the Internet is part of everyday life, however many others are being denied this incredible resource due to poverty or just down to the fact they are unaware. We want to change all of that!

Resources and Opportunity - Resources and Opportunity come in the form of an Internet café. Out dated and old fashioned I hear you saying. Well here that is it not the case. The general Internet here is terrible and not viewed upon by the older generation as the modern utility that it is. It is seen as a toy as apposed to a key to knowledge and opportunity!
It goes down as and when it pleases some times for days or even weeks at a time all with no reason given. And when you do have that unreliable connection it feels more like dial up making uploading and streaming impossible. That’s fine if all you want to do is check your Twitter or Facebook… But what if you have a really great idea? What if it could be the next big thing on YouTube what if you want to open an e-shop on Ebay, produce income on twitch or own an Etsy store and such like? Having cheap reliable access to the Internet, cameras, lighting, good upload speeds, editing software are all a must! We want to provide all of that. We don’t want to see people young or old passing up on dreams or aspirations just because a computer is out of their budget or something as simple as an Internet connection won’t allow them to upload/stream at 1080p, access a list of their new shop orders or view their PayPal account. The idea of an Internet café is not so outdated when it can help so many and in such a diverse way. A diverse way that has the potential to pull in new money from anywhere in the world, not only benefiting the local economy but the entire islands economy! Even if it’s just used for homework that is as valuable as any other use or to video chat with friends and family abroad, the social element is just as important as the educational aspect to us.

So, are you a charity? I’m confused!
The short answer is no. The long answer is: We aim to be a community based business. Whilst charity is a huge priority for us we also wish to hire local staff (for cleaning, general up keep, cashiers, tour guides, ticket vending, management and so on) on a living wage. This ensures that we not only offer yet more opportunity to the island but we also help to stimulate the islands economy.
We also want the freedom to expand, improve and advertise, this is much easier to accomplish through making money rather than asking for it.
Whilst we aim to have as few outgoings as possible they will still exist in the form of aforementioned staffing, new exhibits, uniforms, repairs, stock, water bills, ablutions, training, Health and Safety, licenses and so on.

Why are you doing this?
Not only is this a massive passion, but after living here for almost 2 years it seems there is a massive generation gap when it comes to technology and the internet. The older generation don’t care much for it where as the younger generation want to learn and explore the potential that it has to offer. Unfortunately there are few out there to teach it (it seems), potentially creating an ongoing problem. The youth is eager and as far as I can see they have a right to learn.
There is also the question of poverty. Where people want to learn and some want to teach it is just simply not possible without the tools, resource and hands on time that we wish to offer.

What if you don’t make the money you need?
Either way, whether LeHub makes 20 Euros or the full amount, all funds will go towards making LeHub a reality. We have big ideas but have no problem with starting small and building up if we need to. All the money you donate/grant us will go towards making this project a reality.

If you have any queries please feel free to conact me and I will answer your questions to the fullest extent possible.

Thank you for taking the time to read this and I hope that together, as an online community we can make this happen!

Thank you!

SUPER MARIO BROS. 2 (NES) 1988: Regarded somewhat as the red headed step-child of the MARIO series, was met with little more than confusion when it was released in the US. MARIO 2 or MARIO MADNESS is so different from the original MARIO game that it seemed to be an almost completely different game, which in fact it was. The secret shame of MARIO 2 is that it actually began life as a completely separate game called DOKI DOKI PANIC. The true MARIO 2 was released in Japan, and was essentially just a MUCH harder version of the original MARIO game. Nintendo believed that the game was too difficult for the US market and instead decided to retrofit DOKI DOKI PANIC with MARIO characters and release that instead. Very little of the actual DOKI DOKI PANIC game was changed aside from the original 4 playable middle eastern themed characters being replaced by Mario, Luigi, Peach and Toad. You would think that a game like this would have no lasting effect on the future of the MARIO franchise, but a surprising number of components from MARIO 2 have become staples in the current MARIO universe. Shy Guys, Bomb-ombs, and Birdo are all enemy’s from the original DOKI DOKI PANIC game that carried over into MARIO 2 and we still see them in MARIO games today. It doesn’t end there however, Luigi’s flailing leg jump and Peach’s ability to float, which is used by them in the current Super Smash Brothers games, was originally designed for the DOKI DOKI characters, Peach and Luigi just inherited them. Though strange and under appreciated, just think of how different MARIO games would be today without MARIO 2. **What did you think of MARIO 2 when you first played it?**

Another great piece from GameHistorian, so thank you to him! Go give him a follow on Instagram: @Gamehistorian or https://www.instagram.com/gamehistorian/

Basically we just want you to give us a follow and share our stuff please :)

On our IG you can find loads more photos like the one below and get your self a wee personal insight into the private life that is everything LeHub. If you prefer something a that is more or less 100% gamer related then our Twitter is the place for you, nothing but gamer related pics… i think. If you are part of that small group of people that have an FB account then you are in luck! You can follow us there too, the Facebook page is more like our Twitter than our IG but with the bonus (for me) that I get to rant and ramble on a bit. You can blame it on my age. So anyway, the links are below, come say “hi”, get involved, comment and enjoy. See you there folks!

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/lehubonline/?hl=en or @LeHubOnLine

Twitter - https://twitter.com/LeHubOnLine or @LeHubOnLine

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/LeHubOnLine/

ASSEMbler - http://assemblergames.com/l/members/lehub.102530/

Luckily for me I was an 80’s child, I only had to wait around 15/16 years for the internet to become day to day entertainment …Unless someone was on the bloody phone. So what did people do with their lives? I mean what is life unless information is being magically beamed into your eyeballs with the occasional break to play games via your wireless controller? Well well well boys and girls, what if I told you that back in the 1960/70s a system was developed in the UK where (almost) every TV had a built in games console and a doorway to things like the news, TV listings, gossip, horoscopes, lonely hearts ads, naughty chat lines (ask your dad) and much more all WITHOUT an internet connection. 

Welcome to the dazzling world that is Teletext, as it was broadly known. Okay, it’s not dazzling in the slightest and I’m not even going to go into much detail on this one it basically worked by sending a TV signal that your areal would pic up, I’ll link in the wiki page for those who want more. This is more of a nostalgic look back at a technology that was ahead of it’s time. It was the beginning of the end for the paper boy as readable news was now sent to you via an electrical device BOOM, welcome to the future! You could even get weather updates if you didn’t own a window and Teletext was the reason you have those 4 coloured keys on your remote. You would use them to navigate or answer multiple choice questions on mock TV quiz shows (hello precursor to online gaming and wireless controls, sneaky bugger). Failing that if you wanted to navigate around you just used a 3 digit code, I seem to remember “888” being the code for subtitles for whatever you were watching, oddly the only thing Teletext is now used for. The internet and digital era have blown any use for it straight into the history books, or Wikipedia anyhow. Teletext was the start of much of what we have today, it was the start of our need for interactive entertainment and information, I guess the big brother blogging in a sense. Heck, it was such a big deal that Philips even made a TV with a built in printer, I have no idea why other than maybe so you could show off but they did it either way. So cheers Teletext, Ceefax, Orical, Telidon, NAPLPS, Viewdata, Prestel and so on.

God could you imagine teletext and owning a Sharp C1 NES TV AND with a built in printer! All you need is a 3 in 1 breakfast station and you are set for the day! Did I mention the graphics? ;)

Wiki - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teletext
Bonus link - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OjWcctzq1Sk
And - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EEdF2K5BITI

Trivia Time: Of the all the Teletext pictures below, which is not original Teletext and why?

-Niall

If you like numbers, history and stats, this post is for you!
I’ve put together a nice little list in chronological order of some of the most well known consoles since the Atari 2600 in 1977 through to the current generation of consoles.
Not only does the list tell you when the consoles were released but it also displays the price on release and how much that would be in todays money. Why is that important? Am I sneakily trying to throw some math and education into all this?
Yes! But you’ll like this if your Mum or Dad had a brand new Atari 2600 back in 1977 but won’t get you the PS4, Xbox One or Wii U you’re after… Well, just take a look at the list to see how unfair they are being! Like, it’s really REALLY unfair!

Trivia Time: What was the main Characters official name in Doom?

Main source link: http://www.ign.com/…/the-real-cost-of-gaming-inflation-time…

Helpful link: http://inflation-calculator.com/…

Note: Please forgive the quality of the list, I could not find my original so the one above is a copy of a copy :/ 

Written by Niall - LeHub

Providing you haven’t been living under a rock you would have at least heard about the Nintendo Wii even if you have not had any personal experience with it. Especially if you consider that it was released in November 2006 in Japan and December 2006 for the rest of us. Yes, almost 10 years ago!
The Nintendo Wii is a console for everyone (Wii is similar to “we”, get it? Oui?). It uses a motion control interface which would appeal to non-gamers or casual gamers alike (as well as your more hardcore gamers depending on which titles you play) without having to familiarize yourself with a controller to the same degree as you would with most non motion control games. Through the use of Bluetooth technology up to four controllers can be used at a time within a 30-feet range of the console. Within each box you can find a console, motion sensor, nunchuck and control and of course the usual instructions, warnings and cables.
Now onto Wii sports, it was included with the console when bought new (except in Japan and South Korea), hence the reason why I did not include it with the package details.

Fun fact: Wii sports was the first game to be included in the launch of a Nintendo system since Mario’s tennis for the Virtual Boy over a decade earlier; in 1995 to be exact and before that it was the Mario/Duck Hunt cartridge for the NES in 1985.

Anyhow, Wii Sports is now available on its own as part of the Nintendo Selects collection, in other words, it is no longer a freebie. It is a sports game, obviously, developed by Nintendo as a launch title for the Wii console. Wii sports include games such as Boxing, Tennis, Bowling, Baseball and Golf. You, the player can have fun and move the remote in a similar manner to how each game is played in real life. An interesting feature of the game is the fitness age. This feature calculates a player’s fitness age within the ranges of 20 years to 80 years, 20 is the best you can achieve. The test measures the player’s performance in three randomly chosen challenges. The test can only be taken once a day. To calculate your fitness age, this test takes into account your balance, speed and endurance. The challenges change daily and are slightly different from training mode. So, if you are a real life 20 year old like myself, you can be as fit (ummm unfit) as a 68-year-old. Yes! That is possible! Or on the flip side and luckily for some, like our co-founder (Niall) you could have a fitness age, at least one year younger than your actual age, he’s an old man, 32 in real life. It is safe to say that I will be training to improve my fitness age. Yes, it is possible to improve your in-game fitness age by practicing daily. The great thing about this feature is that it records your results for up to 3 months meaning you can look at your progress which is charted. This great game feature also measures your strengths and weaknesses in a triangular chart. Fancy that. This great game improves your fitness but it will not improve your skills in real life, unfortunately! It helps a lot but don’t forget, nothing really beats getting out there and actually participating in some actual sport! Nothing like a healthy mix of real life sports and digital sports!

Trivia time: How many calories does Wii sports burn per hour on average?

Article by Jannell - 23 February 2016

I saw this last night and all but wet myself! 

Article ‘n’ stuff: 

http://www.retrogamescollector.com/sinclair-zx-spectrum-vega-first-thoughts/

Just the clip:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cqXhtTYj7Oc

Related:

http://www.express.co.uk/life-style/science-technology/644530/Sir-Clive-Sinclair-Sinclair-ZX-Spectrum-Console

…Well we’re open at least and here is our first ever product. Interested in knowing more? Just scoot over to our shop and have a wee peek o.O 

famiHere’s something worth putting up for discussion. “Is The Legend of Zelda” Nazi propaganda? First released in Japan in 1986 on the Famicom you can clearly see in the photo below that the levels on dungeon 3 are in a shape synonymous with war, atrocity, human misery and above all one of the worlds darkest times. The game was released in the U.S. in 1987, 42 years after the Americans ended the war in the Pacific by dropping the 1st ever Atomic Bombs used in anger. Oddly the number 42 makes another appearance in history, following the 1941 Pearl Harbour attacks launched by Japan, America first hits back in Japan in 1942 in Tokyo… So clearly this is Japan giving the U.S. the finger, subtle though it is.

Saying that, the more observant of you will see that the Swastika is the opposite way round from that used by the Nazi Party. Perhaps a mistake by the designers? Most likely the Swastika is that of Buddhist origin. Now that changes everything! Under Buddhist beliefs the symbol represents Buddha’s foot print and is a representation of plurality, eternity, abundance, prosperity and long life, or basically just peace and happiness, quite the opposite to the above. The idea that the game levels are more about peace as apposed to war is only backed up further when you consider that Nintendo HQ is in Kyoto, Japan: An area of the world known for it’s thousands of classical Buddhist temples, as well as gardens, imperial palaces and Shinto shrines.

I know what view I’m taking on this one, but what about you? In this case is the Swastika an ancient symbol of peace, or a more modern symbol of terror and tyranny?

Trivia Time: Why did Sega develop “Sonic The Hedgehog”?