Nilay from Engadget took a little road trip to visit Benjamin Heckendorn, gadget modder extraordinaire, in his natural habitat: Suburban Madison, Wisconsin.

Ben, a graphic designer by training, gives plenty of insight into his design philosophy—he calls the process "whoring it up"—and there's plenty of oddmod eye candy to longingly gaze at, but let's cut straight to it: this is kind of disappointing. Why? Because for every interesting new fact we learn about Ben Heck, a myth is shattered. Fantastic myths, these were! For example:

• He doesn't wear round bomber goggles at all times; in fact, I'm starting to think he barely wears them at all
• He—Herr Benjamin Heckendorn—doesn't have a German accent, at all
• He favors printed tees over stained labcoats.
• His house hasn't been modded into something unlikely (unless his house was originally much bigger? Obvious question, Nilay!)

At any rate, to quote the great [subject of any MTV Cribs episode], this is where the magic happens. [Engadget]