InfoWorld's top picks among open source games and geek time-wasters Now for something completely different For the first time, we went in search of games, time-wasters, and hobby tools to celebrate. While the open source world clearly has more to offer the data center and office than the living room and den, we like what we found. Tell us what we missed! XBMC Sure, you could buy a smart DVD player or something like Google TV, but what fun is a sealed box? XBMC turns your PC into a smart media center with plenty of flashy doohickeys to make it look cooler. Or if you don’t want a whirring PC with a loud fan, look around for some of the newer low-powered Android PCs that are ready to hack. If you’re not happy with what you get after unpacking the TAR file, there’s a robust community of plug-in developers who are revising and extending the tool to make it even better. You’ll have so much fun programming it that you won’t have any time for watching TV. — Peter Wayner Stella If you love the classic Atari 2600 games, then the Stella emulator is your open source tool for playing them again and again and again. Chopper Command, Space Invaders, Pitfall, and more are ready and waiting for you. Some people are even writing their own new games for the 2600 platform. It’s not refusing to grow up. It’s getting a self-taught Ph.D. in computer history. — Peter Wayner Arduino The Arduino is a small, open source, single-board computer that adds its numbers two at a time, much like every other computer. But the open source license has spurred plenty of experimentation and hardware hacking. If you want to, say, control the LEDs in your disco ball or build a security system for your garage, the Arduino board makes a great starting point. There’s also a burgeoning collection of add-on boards called “shields” that add even more functionality to the machines, making it possible to hack together any number of hardware projects in less time than ever before. — Peter Wayner Lightworks A professional-grade video editing and mastering platform with Hugo and many other films on its résumé, Lightworks would tempt even the most avid users of Apple Final Cut Pro. An advanced UI streamlines editing with powerful timeline and trimming tools, color correction, and a host of onboard creative effects. Lightworks is not actually open source software — yet. A free Windows version is available, and the company says it will release source code for all three platforms with the forthcoming Mac and Linux versions. A Pro version ($60 yearly license) unlocks a rich set of codecs and team support. — James R. Borck Open SourceTechnology Industry