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Linux Toys
Things changed in 21st century, so what's a geek to do? As for the household products, you can probably always get stuff cheaper at Wal-Mart than build it yourself. Radio-related projects just don't seem that much fun anymore, since there's little sense of discovery.
Linux Toys is just the book that fills that void.
What's covered Chris Negus (author of the Red Hat Linux Bible) and Chuck Wolber (from Tacoma LUG) came up with 13 different projects that one can do at home. All of them require a PC running Linux (the authors use and recommend Red Hat Linux 9, since that's the environment where the projects have been tested) and a variety of hardware (including none besides the PC), depending on which project you decide to go with. What are the projects? The entire listing is at the book's Web site, but here's a list of all thirteen with short descriptions of what's accomplished in the end (not necessarily in the same order as the chapters):
- Digital Picture Frame: excellent endeavor if you have an old useless laptop with nice LCD screen lying around. The book has detailed step-by-step guide with pictures on how to turn an old laptop into a fancy picture frame playing a slideshow of digital images stored on the hard drive locally or uploaded from network (in case the old laptop has a network card and you decide to keep it when assembling the picture frame). By the way, these things do cost a lot commercially, while P200 and lower laptops are virtually free.
- Arcade Game Player: how to turn an old computer with a good monitor into the arcade game player running XMame. Your house guests can then use joystick to play Donkey Kong, Pac-Man, Asteroids at your next Blast from the Past party.
- Digital Answering Machine: using the Red Hat Linux box as an answering machine that listens for incoming telephone calls (via vgetty), converts the voice messages into digitally compressed sound files and notifies the receiver about new voice message via e-mail.
- Home Music System: have an old PC with fairly large hard drive and some good home entertainment speakers? This project allows the reader to build a jukebox used to play Ogg Vorbis files. The authors use ltJukebox and freedb for music management and information retrieval. The ltJukebox software (which comes with the book's CD) automatically rips the music CDs into .ogg files, though digitizing your collection (if you haven't done it yet) might take a while. After that, however, a standalone computer nicely tucked somewhere in the room behind the speaker system can provide for hours of music. And if you plug it into the network, you'll have the ability to change settings and playlists via telnet.
- Home Video Archive: ever wanted to digitize your VHS collection? This chapter uses ffmpeg and nvrec for capturing and xawtv for adjusting television input. The authors then use Hauppauge WinTV Go and WinTV Theater TV capture card and then record the videos off the TV input into an AVI file. The resulting file is then burned to a CD/DVD (still using Linux tools) as well as into the VCD format that's recognized by most DVD players.
- Personal Video Recorder: ever dreamed of cutting TiVo's market share with your own devices? Well, perhaps, maybe within just one market -- your house. The authors use the same nvrec utility to record the TV input, XmlTV and WebVCPlus for downloading the data on television shows and using Web interface to choose the ones you would like to record. Unlike TiVo though, this home-built digital PVR can only play the recorded shows on a Linux PC in AVI format, but if you followed the previous project, you can burn the resulting file into VCD format.
- Providing dial-up access: this basic project is perhaps familiar to all those who bear the title Network Administrator or used to work for an ISP, but for beginners in the field (and especially for beginners with Linux) it provides a detailed step-by-step plan on how to setup your own dial-up server and become a small ISP. A computer permanently connected to the Internet with a static IP is required for this project.
- Web hosting business: assuming that a computer with static IP address from the previous project and a domain name are available, this project takes the reader through the details of becoming a Linux hoster. This project is especially interesting, since it's applicable to those who have pretty good knowledge of the OS. Numerous online how-to's and manuals take you through separate processes, like adding user accounts, configuring Apache, setting up disk quotas, but few are "turnkey" solutions, where after closing up the book on the last page you can start the hosting business right away.
- Home network with a Linux box: rather detailed description of properly configuring iptables, NAT, as well as DHCP and Samba servers to run the home network with a Red Hat Linux 9 box as a server with the firewall and various Linux/Windows clients connecting to it.
- Video streaming server: set up a camcorder, Web cam or security camera to broadcast the video to the Internet. The authors use a camcorder and ffserver software to stream the video.
- Temperature Monitor: here a temperature sensor kit from DigiTemp needs to be purchased and connected to the telephone cable, which, in turn, will connect to the parallel port. Apparently the ordering page is down as of writing this review, but DigiTemp developer uses Dallas Semiconductors temperature sensors. Then the software provided with the book (ltweather) allows you to look at the current temperature, log it consistently and display it on a Web page if needed.
- Linux and some games on a single floppy: re-using that 3.5'' drive for something practical is the purpose of this project. Although the result - single-floppy with some essential Linux and character-based games on it, can be hardly practical in the modern world, perhaps it's worth playing with just to see how little you need to get the whole OS going from scratch.
- Controlling RC cars from Linux: if you have a large collection of RC cars (and according to the spam messages I am getting, they're the hottest trend this Christmas), there's a variety of things you can do when suddenly instead of using the remote control you engage a Linux PC. Unattended races, testing your AI algorithms for entering DARPA autonomous vehicle challenge, writing some complex artificial life, where species of all sorts can see how well they can survive in a crowded world. The authors use a LynX-PORT board, a fairly expensive, but according to the authors, quite useful I/O board that could be re-used for all sorts of projects.
The Book With 274 pages of useful information (excluding the cover pages), the book creates a very favorable impression. The writing is clear and succinct; each chapter follows the same structure with an overview of the project first, the list of things needed for the project second, a step-by-step guide third, some additional information for those willing to go further fourth, and summary of the project fifth. Each step that requires interaction with a Linux box has the exact command-line instructions spelled out, no matter how basic. (On page 44, for example, the authors provide the mount /mnt/cdrom command, even though knowledge of this step is expected of a Linux user at the command line). Where interaction with the GUI is required, a screenshot is provided. The Troubleshooting section explains what might go wrong with a Red Hat Linux 9 box and how to react to it.
Furthermore, there is no dependence on previous chapters, making each project independent. You will not be told to "start up the video capturing as you have learned in the previous chapter" or refer to "previously described procedures". Theoretically, you could rip out the pages for a single project and give them to someone with no previous knowledge of the project and expect them to complete it.
Pictures are indispensable. Granted, they wouldn't be very useful for the Linux on a Floppy project, but for something like a digital picture frame, where you're required to disassemble an old laptop and play with the parts, it's essential. The pictures are all black-and-white, and by "pictures" I mean real photographs, not diagrams explaining how things should be done in theory.
The authors' sense of humor permeates the book, which makes it an enjoyable read. For example, on page 255, when completing the Linux RC toy car project, the photo of the race has a caption about every Linux car crossing the "Finnish" line. (Tip: Linus didn't always live in California). The layout of the book also makes it convenient to read and follow. A bar across the top of the page always tells you which project you're on. When enumerating the things required for the project, the authors use bulleted lists with clear explanations.
Another thing worth mentioning is the book's integration with the Web. The book's Web forums allow you to post questions and impressions from each specific project. The authors are also accepting submissions for new Linux Toys from the readers. The Web site in this sense is remarkable, as with too many technical books the so called "companion Web site" is not truly a companion, but a marketing pitch followed by a bookstore link.
Overall, I think Chris Negus and Chuck Wolber have done a very nice job. If I had more time, I would explore more of the projects personally (so far I am started on rebuilding my home network, but I do want to try out the digital picture frame, being a proud owner of Compaq LTE P100 laptop). The book would be a good read for anyone looking for some cool hobby projects, and perhaps would be a good gift for technically inclined kids, who are interested in technology.
Speaking from a different perspective, Linux Toys is the book needed by the open source community. While the usual arguments of being able to look at the OS's source code and concepts of Free software only vaguely interest most individuals, a book like this would spark interest in Linux OS as providing the opportunities to create a variety of cool toys and have fun doing it.
Read more of Alex's reviews of technical and tech business books. You can purchase Linux Toys: 13 Cool Projects for Home, Office and Entertainment from bn.com. Slashdot welcomes readers' book reviews -- to submit a review for consideration, read the book review guidelines, then visit the submission page.
What I find most catching is the comparison between this book (more or less, toys for uber geeks), and books of last century that taught kids how to build things like birdhouses. Sure, they both let kids do fun things...but the former title encouraged kids to do something OTHER than sit on their asses. Yes, I'm a geek...but I'm comfortable with tools and physical labor; I owe that to my parents who FORCED me to go outside as a kid. I know too many guys and gals my age, who share my interests in computers, whose legs would have atrophied if the pizza delivery guy actually came IN the house. I bet the book is fun. But I'll also bet that it's no substitute for teaching "geeks" how to build birdhouses...
Chicks dig my good /. karma.
Damn this article for coming out AFTER my families' Christmas. Maybe I'll stock up for next year.
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The frame dials into the Cieva site and gets it photos from there based on the ID of the Frame. Charges for this are about $3.00-$8.00 per month or so. It's 5x7 frame, and works great for any of you that want your tech-unfriendly grandmother to see new photos of her grandkids.
Wow! I can spend hours beating my head against a computer screen trying to turn a Wintel box loaded with Linux and extra NICs into a router...OR I could do the cost-effective thing and go buy a cheap-assed LinkSys router for $40 ($60-$80 if I want wireless), and get everything up and running in 1/10th the time.
Note: I'm not trying to bash on Linux...I'm just trying to point out that there are better ways to skin a cat.
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$200 a month on toys? Just out of curiosity, how much credit card debt do you carry?
If it's over, say, $50, then I hate to be the one to break it to you, but you can't afford $200/month for toys, either.
which is, to do things *yourself*, no matter how long it takes. The book isn't '13 projects to make you rich quickly' or '13 projects to save you time'.
There is a very big difference between a system that can automatically recognize that someone said your name (versus the name of one of your co-workers) and being able to recognize arbitrary speech.
I was born in the 70s and still read such books. Older books of experiments and projects for kids are much much better than the modern stuff. I guess people are too afraid of being sued to publish anything exciting.
I've had enough abrasive sigs. Kittens are cute and fuzzy.
When I played with speech recognition software (YEARS ago), configuration to a specific person's voice pattern took quite a while. Is the current technology good enough to pick up and translate speech by a random person calling? Better still, is it good enough to recognize a telemarketer and hang up?
I remember that in the late 70s my HS had a book of experiments from Scientific American's "Amateur Scientist" columns from the 30s through 50s.
I had played with model rockets powered by Estes rockets. Model rocket engines that now fall under terrorism regulations even though they're pretty small. This book discussed turning a metal rocket engine bell on a lathe, mixing your own chemicals for the propellant and pouring it it into the metal fuselage, etc.
On the one hand that's madness. It's one thing to fling metal high in the sky in a rural area, it's a very different thing to do it in an urban or suburban environment.
On the other hand as I get older I find myself agreeing with authors just a few years older than me - people who never actually did stuff - build model rockets, hike and camp in the boy scouts, etc., have missed something important.
I know, gross generalization. And I would have killed to get my physics and math degrees with modern computers even if inverting large matrices by hand did teach me to be careful and double check each step of my calculations.
For every complex problem there is an answer that is clear, simple, and wrong. -- H L Mencken