[Jethomson] worked out a way to use a Nokia USB cable at a USB to Serial cable. He was able to pick up one of these cables for less than $3 delivered. A little probing worked out which conductors go with the appropriate signals and from there he developed a way to protect the 3.3v signal levels with a voltage divider.

It’s not surprising that this works, having seen [Will O’Brien’s] post covering serial communications on Nokia phones. In that post we learned that the Nokia phones are using TTL communications. Once you’ve completed [Jethomson’s] modifications to the cable you can follow his examples for using this in conjunction with an Arduino.

Remember all of those fantastically horrible handheld LCD games that hit the toy stores back in the ’90s. You know, the ones that had custom LCD screens to make for some fake animation. Here’s an example of what those should have been. It’s an LCD-based handheld with some soul.

The entire thing is roughly the size of a television remote, with a 3D printed case making it very presentable. But looking at the wiring which hides inside proves this is one-of-a-kind. The Arduino Pro Mini is probably the biggest difference in technology from back in the day compared to now. It has plenty of space for all of the different settings and games shown off in the clip below. The user interface itself is definitely a throw-back though. The Nokia 3310 screen boasts a whopping 84×48 pixel monochrome area. There are four buttons serving as a d-pad, and two as action buttons. Perhaps the greatest feature (besides the printed case we already mentioned) is the ability to recharge the internal battery via USB.

[Zippy314] built this with his son. What’s more fun: learning to program the games, or mastering them and discovering the bugs you missed along the way?

Continue practicing “Throwback Handheld Built With Modern Hobby Hardware” →

Mama Dopp always said, "If something is worth doing, it's worth doing right."

Yes, this is a fantasy football column, but I would like you to indulge me for a moment. Let's say you had an important test to take at school or work. This test will pit you against a number of your friends or colleagues and the one with the highest score will receive a special benefit, or a promotion ... let's just say, something of value. Kind of a big deal. So, in this scenario, wouldn't you study for that test? Write down a few notes, take a couple practice tests, maybe print off a study guide? Like, at least a little bit of effort, right?

Sorry for the sarcasm -- Mama Dopp raised me better than that -- but I think it's a pretty good analogy for why every fantasy football manager should mock draft (and more than once!) before the time comes to draft for real. And because anything worth doing is worth doing well, I have some tips for you on how to make the most of your practice rounds.

Get a feel for the battlefield

When you get into your first few mock drafts this year, there are a few main things to take notes on:

1. How did the first round shake out? Did anything surprise you? More RBs than you expected? If anything caught your eye, make a note of it.

2. When did Travis Kelce come off the board? And how long until the second TE was taken?

3. When did the top three QBs come off the board?

You don't need to remember everything, but understanding where players are being drafted is important. You can also look at our ADP page, which is continually updated and shows when a player is typically being drafted in ESPN leagues. We'll come back to ADP in a second.

Try different team construction strategies

Part of ending up with a team you like is knowing how to start. I love trying different draft strategies in mocks every year because the player pool is always evolving. I'll draft at least five teams with each strategy. Since you might not have the time get that many mocks in, keep your eyes peeled throughout August, as I try all of the mock draft strategies below and report my results!

1. WR early in the first round: Wide receiver will be the most popular position taken in the first round of many fantasy drafts this year, so why not start there to see how it works out? As a tip, grab your lead RB in the second or third round, unless you're going with a Zero-RB strategy, in which you bypass the position early on and load up elsewhere (mostly WR).

2. RB in the first round: Sometimes when everyone zigs, it's best to zag. With WRs potentially dominating the first round, being able to secure one of the top five RBs in this year's draft could be a nice pivot. Look at your roster at the end of the mock and compare it to your WR-in-the-first-round mock. Do you like one outcome more than the other?

3. Travis Kelce in the first round: Kelce is a surefire first-rounder this year. What he's done at the TE position in fantasy the past few years is borderline illegal. The advantage you get over the rest of your league is huge. If you take Kelce, you'll have to pay attention to finding values as the draft unveils itself, but supply it a shot and compare your final roster to the other two mock trials you've done.

4. Draft one of the top four QBs early: Having a cornerstone at the QB position gives you a nice weekly floor to start from. This approach entails using a second- to fourth-round pick on a position you're usually not addressing until later in your draft. Just like the other mock trials, compare this final roster to your other teams. Does one stand head and shoulders above the rest? Maybe that becomes your preferred draft strategy this year.

Improve draft vision

As my Dungeons & Dragons buddies would say, if you've done a few mock drafts, that means you'll have plus-3 draft vision when the genuine draft rolls around. Too nerdy? OK, I'll tone it back down. The more you mock, the more you start to identify trends that can help you find value during the draft when it counts. For example, in most of your mocks you've noticed that T.J. Hockenson is going in the early fifth round, but for some reason you're midway through the sixth and he's still on the board. Maybe you didn't plan on taking a tight end that early, but his value (based on ADP) is just too good to pass up. Plus, with all the mocks you did, it's easier to read the room when you want to pivot like this. All of these practice reps significantly lessen the chances of making a last-second panic pick because you couldn't decide who you wanted to grab.

Build your own draft board

Really, this is the biggest advantage of all. At the beginning of this mock draft process, you can start by visiting Cheat Sheet Central to print one that fits your league setup. We have a cheat sheet for all kinds of leagues.

But as you do these drafts, you'll notice trends, like which players are going higher than expected, those who are falling and those people are staying away from. You learn so much! Then you can adapt your cheat sheet, move some guys around and bingo-bango -- now you're walking into that test giving yourself the best chance to win. When everyone shows up with the same cheat sheet, it's not really a cheat sheet anymore. It's just a sheet. But you put in the effort to tweak your board, one built from intel you gathered! Now you can feel confident in crushing your draft.

The lists of available and protected players for the 2021 NHL Expansion Draft presented by Upper Deck, which takes place Wednesday (8 p.m. ET; ESPN2, SN1, SN NOW), were released by the NHL on Sunday, and Seattle has until 10 a.m. ET the day of the draft to submit its selections.

The Kraken must choose one player from each of the 30 participating teams (the Vegas Golden Knights are exempt), including at least 14 forwards, nine defensemen and three goalies. Additionally, at least 20 of their selections must already be under contract for next season with an aggregate value that is between 60 to 100 percent of the $81.5 million NHL salary cap.

[RELATED: NHL Expansion Draft protected list for Kraken released]

As the hockey world awaits Seattle's picks, NHL.com staff writers Dan Rosen, Tom Gulitti and Pete Jensen conducted their own mock expansion draft using all the rules the Kraken must follow. 

Here are their selections, which came in at approximately $71 million, followed by an explanation for each position:

GOALIES (4)

Dustin Tokarski, Buffalo Sabres; Malcolm Subban, Chicago Blackhawks; Kaapo Kahkonen, Minnesota Wild; Braden Holtby, Vancouver Canucks

Holtby would more than likely enter training camp as the No. 1 goalie, but the door would be open for Kahkonen to become the starter at some point in the season.

No matter who would emerge as the No. 1, the rotation would supply Seattle a veteran with Stanley Cup Playoff experience and an up-and-comer.

Holtby, who turns 32 on Sept. 16 and won the Cup with the Washington Capitals in 2018, had a tough first season with Vancouver, going 7-11-3 with a 3.67 goals-against average and an .889 save percentage. But the Canucks struggled defensively, allowing 3.34 goals per game (26th in NHL), so it's possible Holtby could regain his form.

Kahkonen, who turns 25 on Aug. 16, was 16-8-0 with a 2.88 goals-against average, a .902 save percentage and two shutouts as a rookie with Minnesota this season.

Either way, this would be quality goaltending for a little more than $5 million next season (Holtby at $4.3 million, Kahkonen at $750,000), which allows the Kraken to spend wisely elsewhere too. 

Subban would be No. 3 on Seattle's depth chart and a tradeable commodity. Tokarski could start in the American Hockey League and be called up as needed.

FORWARDS (16)

Christian Fischer, Arizona Coyotes; Joonas Donskoi, Colorado Avalanche; Blake Comeau, Dallas Stars; Devin Shore, Edmonton Oilers; Frank Vatrano, Florida Panthers; Austin Wagner, Los Angeles Kings; Ryan Johansen, Nashville Predators; Nathan Bastian, New Jersey Devils; Josh Bailey, New York Islanders; Colin Blackwell, New York Rangers; Evgenii Dadonov, Ottawa Senators; Brandon Tanev, Pittsburgh Penguins; Dylan Gambrell, San Jose Sharks; Yanni Gourde, Tampa Bay Lightning; Alexander Kerfoot, Toronto Maple Leafs; Mason Appleton, Winnipeg Jets

Having depth at center is a good way for any team to start, and that will be a strength for the Kraken with Johansen, Gourde, Kerfoot and Gambrell.

Selecting Johansen means picking up the remaining four years on his contract ($8 million average annual value), but there is value in having a true No. 1 center in his prime (Johansen turns 29 on July 31) to build the offense around. Johansen also might benefit from a change of scenery. After scoring 64 points (14 goals, 50 assists) in 80 games in 2018-19, he dipped to 36 points (14 goals, 22 assists) in 68 games last season and 22 points (seven goals, 15 assists) in 48 games this season.

Gourde would thrive in a bigger role with Seattle after scoring 36 points (17 goals, 19 assists) in 56 games as Tampa Bay's third-line center this season, and he brings invaluable experience from winning the Stanley Cup in each of the past two seasons. Kerfoot and Gambrell slot in perfectly behind him.

Seattle isn't as deep at wing, but it has good options for its top two lines with Vatrano (18 goals this season), Donskoi (17 goals this season), Dadonov (three seasons with at least 25 goals) and Bailey (35 points this season). The Kraken will also have some forwards beginning to tap their potential such as Appleton (set NHL career highs with 12 goals, 13 assists and 25 points this season) and Blackwell (also set NHL career highs with 12 goals, 10 assists and 22 points), and grit and experience from Tanev and Comeau.

DEFENSEMEN (10)

Haydn Fleury, Anaheim Ducks; Connor Clifton, Boston Bruins; Mark Giordano, Calgary Flames; Jake Bean, Carolina Hurricanes; Gabriel Carlsson, Columbus Blue Jackets; Dennis Cholowski, Detroit Red Wings; Brett Kulak, Montreal Canadiens; Justin Braun, Philadelphia Flyers; Vince Dunn, St. Louis Blues; Brenden Dillon, Washington Capitals

Two potential gems for Seattle in this mock expansion draft are Dunn, a strong all-around defenseman who won the Stanley Cup with the Blues in 2019, and Bean, who has a much higher ceiling after scratching the surface this season for the Hurricanes. Dunn was limited to 43 games this season because of injury but averaged an NHL career-high 0.47 points per game. Bean scored 12 points (one goal, 11 assists) in 42 games as a rookie despite playing mostly on the third defense pair.

Video: Who are some top defensemen available to the Kraken?

Giordano, who has one season remaining on his contract ($6.75 million AAV), could bounce back with a change of scenery. He has scored 57 points (14 goals, 43 assists) the past two seasons after scoring an NHL career-high 74 (17 goals, 57 assists) in 2018-19, when he won the Norris Trophy voted as the best defenseman in the NHL. Not only that, as Flames captain the past eight seasons, he would provide instant leadership to the Kraken.

Braun (100 games) and Dillon (75) would add NHL playoff experience to Seattle's second and third pairs. Cholowski, the No. 20 pick in the 2016 NHL Draft, and Fleury, the No. 7 pick in the 2014 NHL Draft, would join Bean as potential long-term investments.