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Beyond Pringles: 802.11 Antenna From A Floppy Disk

Posted by timothy on from the but-who-has-floppies-anymore dept.

real gumby writes "Shades of E.E. "Doc" Smith! Thomas Gee has made an 802.11 antenna from an old floppy disk and a paper clip. He credits this site for the inspiration (featuring an antenna from an old ice cream spoon). As MacPlus comments: "It's stylish, effective, and doesn't detract from that `everything computing' ambience in your home."" Warning: French. Update: 06/07 18:27 GMT by T : (Not Fremch ;))

43 of 235 comments (clear)

  1. Alien language... by SpikyTux · · Score: 5, Funny

    ... No wonder I can't understand a word. It's in 'Fremch'.

  2. Warning: Fremch by DJPenguin · · Score: 4, Funny

    Warning: Fremch !! Beware!!

    Reminds me of the RH8.0 install, was doing one today and noticed a package that was apparently to support "Brisish English"...

    1. Re:Warning: Fremch by glenstar · · Score: 3, Funny
      Reminds me of the RH8.0 install, was doing one today and noticed a package that was apparently to support "Brisish English"...

      Which reminds me of a time when I helped a French guy install RedHat on his laptop. He had a French distro and I do not speak French. So, he's translating along and he suddenly looks confused, looks at me and says "The pit does not have the proper things". What the fuck? Turns out the "kernel did not have the proper options passed to it at boot time".

    2. Re:Warning: Fremch by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      The modified version of the language you yanks speak is rightly called "American English".

      Also known as Stump Jumpin' Jibber-speak.

    3. Re:Warning: Fremch by fishbowl · · Score: 2, Funny

      >I've never head a Chinese man say "Yee Ha".

      I have!! When I was growing up, my family had a farm, with horses. My family doctor, who had immigrated to Texas from China in 1954, frequently visited our farm. I've heard him say both "giddyap" and "yee-haw." Just thought I'd provide the exception that supports your rule, that's all.

      --
      -fb Everything not expressly forbidden is now mandatory.
  3. Now to find a floppy by nilepoc · · Score: 5, Funny

    I had a hard enough time finding one floppy to make into an Enterprise, and now I have to find another one to make an antanae. Where will the madness end?

    1. Re:Now to find a floppy by ihummel · · Score: 2, Funny

      Ooh! ooh! I have a brilliant idea for an environmentally sound way to light a charcoal grill. It involves using a quantity of punchcards, something that every self-respecting geek should have in abundance.

  4. Fremch. by saintlupus · · Score: 5, Funny

    Warning: Fremch

    I'm so sick of these misspellings. It's supposed to be "Freedom" you illiterate git.

    * This post brought to you by the 2003 "The Flag Sure Is Purty Act". *

    --saint

    1. Re:Fremch. by mattACK · · Score: 4, Funny

      Oh great: more Fremch bashing. Will the madness never end?

      --


      "My God, this must be a truly remarkable corn chip, to be so widely and confidently touted."
    2. Re:Fremch. by saintlupus · · Score: 2, Funny

      Oh great: more Fremch bashing. Will the madness never end?

      That is the first Slashdot post I've seen in months that made me laugh out loud. Thanks.

      --saint

    3. Re:Fremch. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

      Actually, its "freemom"

      Free??? That's not what she told me last night! Tell her I want my nickel back!

    4. Re:Fremch. by worst_name_ever · · Score: 2, Funny
      Oh great: more Fremch bashing. Will the madness never end?

      Remember, they're not Fremch Fries, they're Freedon Fries!

      --

      In Soviet Rush, today's Tom Sawyer gets high on you.
    5. Re:Fremch. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

      I still don't understand why the US wants to make the word french synonymous with freedom.

    6. Re:Fremch. by Saint+Stephen · · Score: 4, Funny

      Here's some more memes I'd like to start:

      "Freedom" fries and "freedom" toast is kinda stupid sounding. But how about "free" fries and "free" toast -- it rolls off the tongue easier and isn't so in-your-face. If you like free software, you can dig on this too. That's what I'm calling them -- cheeseburgers and free fries!

      The other meme I want to start is let's just call the next few years: 3, 4, 5. Since we can write the 00's but can't pronounce it sensibily, let's just knock off the whole 200x and call it 3. What year is it? It's Three! Next year, it's Four! Kind of like a new "A.D.", we don't need that old point of reference no more.

      Three: the year of Free Fries and Free Toast!

      Wonder who will be president in Twelve?

      -Living in his own world, Saint S.

    7. Re:Fremch. by GMontag · · Score: 2, Funny

      The phantom has struck without noting the change!

      How long until they change it, again, to read "Warming: french"?

      --
      Eve Fairbanks says I drive a hybrid!LOL
    8. Re:Fremch. by salimma · · Score: 2, Funny
      they're Freedon Fries!

      Did I hear someone say Freemod? Woohoo!

      :-p - Michel

      --
      Michel
      Fedora Project Contribut
    9. Re:Fremch. by JackJudge · · Score: 2, Funny

      I noticed this renaming to "Freedom" fries when I was in the states a couple of months ago. Nobody seemed to mind they were still using the word "menu" though...

  5. Awh geeze! by saskboy · · Score: 5, Funny

    Just when I throw all my old floppies away and start stocking up on Pringles Spicy Cajun cans I find out I didn't have to eat all those chips or throw away those disks. /. is just too slow at getting the news out ;-)

    --
    Saskboy's blog is good. 9 out of 10 dentists agree.
  6. Cool by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Makes me want to build my own 802.11 antenna out of an old phone, a Speak n spell, a record player, a bent fork, and some string.

    1. Re:Cool by saskboy · · Score: 2, Funny
      "an old phone, a Speak n spell, a record player, a bent fork, and some string."

      How are you going to build anything without the handyman's secret weapon, Ducttape?

      --
      Saskboy's blog is good. 9 out of 10 dentists agree.
  7. It's clear. by WalterDGeranios · · Score: 5, Funny

    From reading Slashdot, I've come to understand that there are two kinds of people in this world: those who see everything as it might relate to 802.11 antennae, and those who don't.

    1. Re:It's clear. by brianosaurus · · Score: 5, Funny

      I'm still waiting for some hardcore body piercer to turn his penis into an 802.11 antenna.

      --
      blog
    2. Re:It's clear. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      > I'm still waiting for some hardcore body piercer to turn his penis into an 802.11 antenna.

      Homer Simpson voice:

      Signal goes up, signal goes down, signal goes up...

    3. Re:It's clear. by Telecommando · · Score: 3, Funny

      I always figured there were two kinds of people:
      those who got to read the linked article before it was Slashdotted and those who didn't.

      --
      Beta sux! Join the Slashcott! http://hardware.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=4760465&cid=46173047
    4. Re:It's clear. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      From reading Slashdot, I've come to understand that there are two kinds of people in this world: those who cam spell, and those who cannot.

  8. Re:Fremch? by ihummel · · Score: 1, Funny

    Perhaps the Slashdot crew have fallen for that, "Since France opposed the Iraq war, the word 'French' is obscene" stupidity. I suppose "Warning: Fremch" is better than the solution others would have used: "Warning: Freedom."

  9. OMG by Malfourmed · · Score: 5, Funny

    MacGyver is alive and well and living in Paris.

    --
    a world in progress...
  10. Obligatory bandwidth gag... by henele · · Score: 5, Funny

    With it already /.ed, it looks like he was serving the site with that thing...

    I can smell the smolding plastic and paperclips etc... :)

    1. Re:Obligatory bandwidth gag... by Soko · · Score: 4, Funny

      I can smell the smolding plastic and paperclips etc... :)

      Yeah. They've been Fremch Fried by "L' Effect de Slashdot".

      Soko

      --
      "Depression is merely anger without enthusiasm." - Anonymous
  11. But I used up all my floppies... by gspr · · Score: 3, Funny

    This thread made me use up all my floppies, sadly.

  12. for better reception by SweetAndSourJesus · · Score: 2, Funny

    just add porn.

    --

    --
    the strongest word is still the word "free"
  13. I dont understand by garrulous · · Score: 2, Funny

    why they dont just get it over with and just use paperclips.

    1. Re:I dont understand by YU+Nicks+NE+Way · · Score: 4, Funny

      Clippie: It looks to me like you're trying to turn my in to an 802.11b antenna.

      Would you like me:

      (a) to find you a different victim to work on?
      (b) to turn you in to the BSA?

    2. Re:I dont understand by brianosaurus · · Score: 3, Funny

      Boy Scouts of America?

      Have they made a badge for this yet?

      --
      blog
  14. Unloved Floppies Looking for a Loving Home by bj8rn · · Score: 5, Funny

    Each year, thousands and thousands of floppies get thrown away, as their owners switch to CD-R's and memorysticks. Most of them sadly end up in garbage dumps and incenerators, never to be seen again. We at the Floppy Disk Rescue Center care. Every day, we provide a new home and, quite often, a new life as a toy or a scinece project, for tens and hundreds of old floppies. This may be just a tiny drop of water in the sea, but with your help, we can make a difference. For more information about the locations of our Centers, just call 1-800-FLOP.

    --
    Hell is not other people; it is yourself. - Ludwig Wittgenstein
  15. Re:Fremch? by techturtle · · Score: 5, Funny

    Fremch is what you learn AFTER French, but you can only take it during Period 6 & 9...

    --
    If you don't have something nice to sig, then don't sig anything at all.
  16. Re:YOU = FREMCH-HATING BUSH FANBOY by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    Actually everyone hates the French, it's just the smart ones that also hate bush. :)

  17. So thats it.... by Nick+Fury · · Score: 3, Funny

    So thats how Macgyver gets his Centrino lappy to work anywhere in the world.

  18. A Floppy and a Paperclip??? by ProfessionalCookie · · Score: 5, Funny

    A floppy and a paperclip? That must mean it has to be a Mac floppy drive.

  19. Kinda like the Pringles can..... by Phantom_24 · · Score: 2, Funny

    That I used to make a Bong with back in High school.....back in my whacky weed days :-D

  20. Union slowdown by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    Uh oh! Looks like the Fremch webserver trade unions are demonstrating again today.

    (Hint to modders: It's about foreign current events. Try Googling +france +transportation +union +demonstrations.)

  21. GIVE YOUR PENIS +12dB NOW!!!! by hprotagonist0 · · Score: 2, Funny

    NEW!!!!
    YOUR DICK CAN GET THE RECEPTION OF A PRINGLES CAN!! ...and we have proof!

    These are real proven techniques for hightening your gain, and preventing premature packet drops.
    You won't believe the results!!
    All Natural Penis Enhancement, Add 1-4 dB to your penis now!
    Do you have a small antenna? We can help!

    Click Here For The Net's #1 Penis Antenna Site.

    --
    "A witty saying proves nothing." --Voltaire
  22. Next up on /. by MoreDruid · · Score: 2, Funny

    How to make your floppy drive into a WiFi Access Point. First, put in a linux floppy distro and load... oh wait, the antenna is stuck in there...
    Nevermind...

    --
    The best weapon of a dictatorship is secrecy, but the best weapon of a democracy should be the weapon of openness.