The MacQuarium is Not 8-bit Clean

Here we have day 2 of Making the MacQuarium 20. Those of you playing along at home know that it took a mere month to get these images online. And those of you in the bonus round know that there hasn't been any more work on the MacQuarium 20 since this video was taken. But fear not! The MacQuarium 20 has not been forsaken! Blame the mothers of the world, for putting Mother's Day in May, and derailing me. Yeah, that's it.

Those of you who are fans of The Amazing Squid Production Company will remember the basement as the backdrop for almost all of our movies. Note the swords, which were ignored by Nate in the Red-Butted Sock-Monkey of Death.

Here's the inside-plastics of the monitor, as I point out what parts will need to be cut off. Note the stylish safety glasses, previously worn by many mad-scientists.

Here I am, taking my life into my own hands, with the help of Cory's dremel. As I was about to learn, dremel bits aren't very robust...

By this time, I was on my 4th bit. With the left side, and half of the back ridge removed.

In a mere two minutes, I've made it another 1/5 of the way across the back, and used up one more bit. 5 and counting.

Finally, up to the right side of the case. And I still have all my fingers and eyes.

Bit 5! This one is probably lodged in the basement ceiling.

Almost done with the right side. While it may not be evident in this picture, there was a fair amount of smoke coming from that toasty plastic.

A mighty find piece of plastic I managed to pull off in one piece. If that doesn't prove my manhood, I don't know what does.

Bit 6 bites the big one. Look for the upcoming Fox special, "When Dremel Bits Attack!"

As with everything, Foobar has to come get in on the action. When asked if she liked the high-pitched whine of the dremel, her response was, "Not so much..."

Even more manly is this monster piece of plastic. By this time, two more bits have given their lives to the project, bringing us up to bit 9.

The inside knobby was an interesting part to get off, since it left little room to maneuver. And of course, it took a bit with it. But not before enough damage was done to make it removable. So, while the MacQuarium 20 is 10-bit clean, it doesn't quite make 8-bit clean status.

Mr. Pliers comes in handy to knock out the inside contrast/brightness knob bump.

About an hour and a half later, my cardboard mockup of the tank is made. This was to ensure that I could make the tank so it would fit totally enclosed in the MacQuarium 20. Note the high-quality craftsmanship.

The touchiest of the cutting came when I had to cut out a small hole to feed the fish/add water. Since this part will be externally visible, I wanted to minimize the melting damage.

If you look closely, you can see where I cut out the access panel. It turns out a razor works well for cutting through the plastic. A note for all you would-be MacQuarium 20 makers.

And here's the panel removed. This will be the fish's access-point to food, and this is where they will swim up and smile at me and tell me how wonderful I am.

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