Hardware Hacking In The WSJ

NaDrew writes "The Wall Street Journal has an interesting piece called "So Your Roomba Vacuums ... Does It Also Take Pictures?" (No reg. req.), profiling a couple of hardware hackers. Phillip Torrone has modified a laptop-brained robot to follow his Segway, which he is modifying to follow a pink ball. He's also modded his Roomba with a built-in Webcam. The article goes into a bit of the history of hardware hacking, from the CueCat to Andrew 'Bunnie' Huang's Xbox hacks."

Comments

What. The. Frig.

[Paulrothrock]

Phillip Torrone and his wife share their Seattle house with five Sony Aibo dog robots, two Segway motorized scooters, a suitcase-size robot whose brain is a laptop computer, and dozens of other gadgets.

Man, I can't wait till I'm rich enough to blow my money on useless, expensive crap so I can waste my time breaking them.

Re:What. The. Frig.

[David Horn]

Phillip Torrone has modified a laptop-brained robot to follow his Segway, which he is modifying to follow a pink ball.

I'm sorry, but anyone who modifies a Segway scooter to follow a pink ball has way too much time on their hands. On the other hand, it would be pretty funny to see the reactions on people's faces if a Segway trundled by, riderless, on the pavement.

Re:What. The. Frig.

[John_Allen_Mohammed]

A riderless segway with the handlebars turned backwards @ steve jobs funeral procession? Seems appropriate.

Re:What. The. Frig.

[plover]

Right. Only someone who modifies their Segway scooter to follow a RED ball is making progress. Following pink balls is frivolous.

Come on, the guy is hacking for the joy of it. So he comes up with a cool toy. What if in his hacking he comes up with an idea that can be turned into a prosthetic arm control for the handicapped? Or a bomb-disposal robot, or a street sweeper, or perhaps even a Roomba with enough suction to actually clean a part of the house instead of rearranging the dust?

And you even admit it would be funny to watch. Cut him some slack, he's not hurting anyone, and it's his time to spend how he wants.

Re:What. The. Frig.

[David M. Sweeney]

Man, I can't wait till I'm rich enough to blow my money on useless, expensive crap so I can waste my time breaking them.

Then finish up that Computer Science degree, my young friend! The IT industry is a vast expanse of opportunity these days!

My Roomba doesn't take pictures

[Dancin_Santa]

And I can safely assume that it doesn't because I trust that no hackers have entered my home (except myself, of course) and altered the hardware to such an extent that paranoia regarding the hardware is necessary.

I think that every time stories like this appear in the mainstream press, that hackers in general become more and more externalized from society. You start to change things such that you end up being your own 'Little Brother' with your prying eyes everywhere and soon enough you will have people suspicious of your every move.

Hacking is cool when it serves some greater purpose but when the "greater purpose" seems to be nothing more than sophomoric pranks that were perfected 20 years ago and displayed in Porky's and Revenge of the Nerds, the outcome can only be detrimental to the geek community.

I'm not going to tell you to stop it. But please think about how your juvenile actions reflect on the hacker community (present and accounted for!) at large.

Re:My Roomba doesn't take pictures

[Sc00ter]

It's also funny that the people that are wearing tinfoil hats because they're afraid of being monitored spend all their time monitoring themselves/frieds/others and putting cameras in everything.

Re:My Roomba doesn't take pictures

[Jeff DeMaagd]

I do a search on the article, and it doesn't mention spying, big brother or anything like that. Paranoia, paranoid and such aren't mentioned either. So where do you get this stuff?

So you haven't read the article. Not that I expect slashdotters to do that. Don't dismiss the article because of what articles might have gone before. It is actually a pretty positive article, not that you'd know, because you didn't read it.

The article even has a nice picture of a wok skimmer operating as a parabolic antenna.

Re:My Roomba doesn't take pictures

[kahei]

These people do not act on behalf of a 'hacker community', they do stuff because they want to. Are you seriously suggesting that someone somewhere should stop their hobby because you are afraid it will somehow, lord knows how, reflect indirectly on _you_?

To be honest, to the extent that there _is_ a 'hacker community' to which you belong, it's more likely to be given a bad image by Slashdot postings from tinfoil hatted eccentrics with extreme self-image issues.

Re:My Roomba doesn't take pictures

[AbbyNormal]

Did you read the article? How was that marked as "Insightful"? The article is about what makes the tech industry Great. Innovation. The article focused around people that had problems or issues with current technologies, and decided to invent something to better their lives (okay, so the Atari Gameboy, probably wasted more time). I think rather than externalize their actions, they bring a whimsical nature to technology that is often times unnapproachable by other people. Cmon, the computer inside of a beer case? Why not? How is that going to harm anything?

If we all accepted the norm and did things only as we've been told, the state of technology will never change. What about if some "search and rescue" company sees the roomba with the webcam and says: "Eureka! A way to make a cheaper disaster search vehicle".

You can have your high-brow ways. I am going to continue to innovate and play around with stuff ina "juvenile" way.

Re:My Roomba doesn't take pictures

[Dancin_Santa]

Wok's are Chinese, and therefore can't be trusted as antennas! Those crazy orientals are spying on us!

J/K... But I still stand by the premise that stories that highlight how the "geek" community is fitting gadgets with cameras and microphones only leads to a type of fear of geeks on the part of the general public.

This is the same type of thing as when you hear stories of how someone figured out how to turn the volume on their cellphone camera shutter way down or off so that they can take upskirt photos with impunity. Regardless of the hack-value, it is a bad thing for the entire geek community that these aberrations come out.

Hacks are good when they produce something good. They are bad when they give the impression that geeks are some sort of weird subculture trying to exploit the mainstream through covert surveillance and sneaky upskirt cameras.

Re:My Roomba doesn't take pictures

[g3head]

Juvenile? I can see the valid point, pretty much everyone wants privacy, but I think the hardware hackers have done a very good job of differenciating themselves from the negitive images of software hackers (specifically crackers) and the prankster images like revenge of the nerds.

People are facinated with hardware hacking, and that's the first step in preventing the legions of tin foil hats from marching. There's a string of books out there on the subject, a few magizines on modding, and its poping up on TV. Combine that with the intenet and you've got a new sensation.

The analogy is heavily used but todays electronics geeks and hardware hackers are a side step from the car tuners of previous generations. Just about anyone can associtate with that.

Re:My Roomba doesn't take pictures

[plover]

Hacking is cool when it serves some greater purpose

What do you define as a "greater purpose?" Can't someone hack a Big Mouth Billy Bob Bass Singing Fish just for fun? Do you not appreciate hacking for the sheer joy of it?

Consider some of the shows that are popular on TV these days. Shows like Orange County Choppers, This Old House or Curb Appeal. (OK, popular may be a strong term, but they do have a following.) Even Trading Spaces is about people modifying everyday objects for artistic or even frivolous reasons. Although though none of those shows are about "computer" hackers, they're all about hacking everyday objects into new and interesting forms. I'd say hardware hacking has gone mainstream, even though most people might not call it that.

I personally consider this form of hacking to be an art form. It may not be "art" in the "hang-on-the-wall-in-a-gallery" sense, but art has always been defined by the artist (and to a lesser degree the patron) and not necessarily by Webster. I think there's already plenty of greater purpose here, and I don't think this is as off-putting to as many people as you might think.

Re:My Roomba doesn't take pictures

[Dancin_Santa]

Not really. The power that geeks have nowadays, with the pervasiveness of computers, not to mention the power that computers provide, storing things as innocuous as love letters to things as vital as credit card numbers, the geeks of today have an infinitely greater amount of power than the "car geeks" of 20 years ago.

Just like how media can be swapped in the blink of an eye whereas it used to take a really long time to record an album, the rules have changed and what used to be borderline-acceptable is now quite threatening.

So the choice is to whether it is important that we continue to threaten the general public as geeks, or to show our beneficence. Personally, I'd like to be looked upon as a helper and hero rather than rat and criminal. Perhaps you think otherwise. I can't help that.

Re:My Roomba doesn't take pictures

[geekoid]

you read slashdot.
You read the article.

perhaps you shouldn't be so hasty as to catagorize all slashdotters?

Re:My Roomba doesn't take pictures

[Chrax]

I'm a bit confused. Why do people that mod their vacuums reflect negatively on you? Of course it's another thing if they're breaking into the IRS or something, because most people don't distinguish crackers from hackers.

"...altered the hardware to such an extent that paranoia regarding the hardware is necessary."

What extent would that be? You're modding it yourself. Why in the world should you be scared then? Only a scriptkiddie wouldn't know what's going on inside his own "creation".

"...hackers in general become more and more externalized from society."

Right, because only a hacker can look at a Roomba that takes pictures and think "Hey, that's pretty neat."

What pranks were discussed? In the article they talk about guys that bypassed intrusive marketing schemes, put a lock on a refrigerator (a very cool one at that), and made a profit undercutting prices on drives that a company was making a killing on. Where are the sophomoric pranks (also the cams in sororities)?

Re:My Roomba doesn't take pictures

[kahei]

I shouldn't poke fun, but... you realize that the only person in the whole discussion and the article that even thought about upskirt cameras is y-o-u?

Re:My Roomba doesn't take pictures

[Anonymous Coward]

Why do people that mod their vacuums reflect negatively on you?

Why do people who take hostage children and teachers in the name of their religion, kill them when necessary, and flee from the cavalry when it comes reflect bad on Muslims?

Because it does. This isn't about some guys sticking a camera on their vacuum cleaner, as much as you may think so. It is about a new and powerful group being able to sneak privacy-violating tools into your "holiest of holies" without your knowledge and violating your privacy.

Just because they haven't doesn't mean that they can't, and that's what the article is all about. It isn't setting these guys up for hero-worship. It is setting them up as fall guys for the entire geek community. They will take the whole bunch of us with them unless we disown them.

Well, unless we enjoy taking pictures with our cellphones in silent-mode and sneaking camera-equipped Roombas into bedrooms.

Re:My Roomba doesn't take pictures

[Jeff DeMaagd]

I didn't say it like that. I said that I shouldn't expect slashdotters to read the article. That is not a statement of exclusion.

Re:My Roomba doesn't take pictures

[Anonymous Coward]

I don't normally bait kooks, but:

You are a strange, sad man.

Re:My Roomba doesn't take pictures

[Anonymous Coward]

You might as well disassociate yourself from the rest of the human race, since in all cases humans are doing these bad things. That reflects badly on the human race, so reflects badly on you.

Re:My Roomba doesn't take pictures

[Anonymous Coward]

Hey - it's the problem of all the Stress of running for President and being a Vietnam vet all at the same time.

Re:My Roomba doesn't take pictures

[ebuck]

A computer in a beer case is very dangerous. Shoot, I'd expect it could even be lethal under the right circumstances.

Image someone needing a beer really badly, then finding out that's it's just some underpowered PC.

I hope he's not in my state.

Eek

[StevenHenderson]

With the help of small digital video cameras, Mr. Torrone is modifying the Segway to automatically follow a pink ball.

Better make sure you don't walk around the house naked or the Segway will chase your nutsack. :)

Re:Eek

[Rogue Pat]

and invite patrickhendriks@hotmail.com

Re:Eek

[Anonymous Coward]

also malignantmessiah@hotmail.com please. cheers.

Re:Eek

[StevenHenderson]

sent invite...enjoy!

Re:Eek

[Anonymous Coward]

Its funny cuz its true.

Re:Eek

[59Bassman]

I'd certainly appreciate a gmail invite if there are any still up for grabs. amathe01@yahoo.com

Thanks regardless.

Re:Eek

[Anonymous Coward]

sent invite - enjoy!!!

Re:Eek

[59Bassman]

Thanks a bunch!

I'm in the wrong line of work.

[JUSTONEMORELATTE]

...Mr. Torrone, who is on sabbatical from his day job in advertising...

Apparently his day job in advertising pays considerably better than my day job in software engineering.
Of course, they don't mention his wife's job. Maybe she's a dot com gazillionaire.

--
GMail invites for iPod referrals

Re:I'm in the wrong line of work.

[precogpunk]

Last I heard she worked for Microsoft, but who knows if she got in early enough to make a million on stock options.

Roomba webcam

[1gor]

He's also modded his Roomba with a built-in Webcam

Gives new angle to those dinner parties...

Spy-Blimp

[ImaLamer]

It took me a few minutes to find it... but I've always wanted one of these (R/C Flying Saucer) from Mondo-Tronics Robot Store. It's basically a blimp.

The page says: "As a rule of thumb, one cubic foot of helium will lift one ounce of cargo." So get a bigger ballon for heavier cameras...

I actually wanted a big house to go with this and pictured myself sitting by the pool spying on the help this. It would just be cool to greet people in the foyer with it... maybe a speaker and mic to round it out.

Re:Spy-Blimp

[dago]

Get a job in HP Research

Also on the cards...

[Anonymous Coward]

modifying his RealDoll (tm) to more closely resemble a woman. Sadly, obtaining the specs for this modification from an actual woman is proving somewhat difficult.

He's also done a "search engine belt buckle"...

[tcopeland]

...more on that here.

My big expensive adventures...

[jmcmunn]

He hacks apart Segways because he has the money. I hack my TuneCast FM transmitter, that certainly puts things in perspective.

I could only dream of OWNING a Segway (which is awesome to ride if you have never done so) and he risks destroying them.

Re:My big expensive adventures...

[e-gold]

That was my reaction, too. I'd have to own at least 3 of the things to risk destroying even one of them. And I'd want it to do something useful, like bring me a beer from the fridge, not chase some ball! Anyway,

http://www.pbase.com/wherley/first_2002

has pics of me riding on a somewhat-neutered Segway, it's a blast even when it's crippled...
JMR

Re:My big expensive adventures...

[daviddennis]

In what way was the Segway crippled? Is that the slow mode?

I went to an art expo a few weekends ago, and they had it available to try. It's pretty fun to use but I asked them to take photos of me riding it and GOSH I look dorky doing it.

That might be why it hasn't proved more popular. Well, that and the price.

D

Re:My big expensive adventures...

[e-gold]

Yes, apparently there's a "slow" mode, the normal mode is a lot more fun, both are safe as hell IMO (safer than walking, almost).

Everybody anticipates a lower price on them, and Segway has done not-the-best-job of marketing at times, but they'll survive. I want one, but not at this price.
JMR

Phillip Torrone is my "Jenna Dewan"

[Anonymous Coward]

I know and immediately recognize this guy's name because slashdot, and the tablet PC sites keep reporting on him and his activities. I don't see what's so great about putting a Tablet PC into the Laptop slot of a robot kit designed for laptops, but... whatever. It's a neat project, so I can't in good conscience criticize Phillip for his efforts. I just wish I didn't know his name.

Roomba pic site

[CodeWheeney]

Here.

Why pictures?

[iamdrscience]

Why bother with pictures when I can just use the 3D models it makes for me? Geez, pictures? What is this, 1994?

E-Helmet

[mtahrens]

It's the E-Helmet, it has text messaging, a player piano, and a cam-era.

a WSJ non hacker called a hacker

[Anonymous Coward]

This guy is a poser... the search engine belt buckle he did was a joke, sticking a wireless webcam on a roomba is a non hack and his over the counter laptop robot is a joke. I dare him to modify the segway... notice there is no details....

He;s a poser...

long done in car computers

[peter303]

Many hobbyists experiment with automobile computer settings to increase performance. Some manufactors have coded in inhibitors for emissions and safety which some people try to remove. The codes arent public domain, so there are various web sites with instructions.

Hardware Hacking In The WSJ

[Anonymous Coward]

All those who immediately thought "scissors?" please raise your hands.

Try the robosapien.

[Thinkit4]

Great little robot for around $40h. Geeks will be immediately disappointed by the six step limit on the program. IR codes are already available on the web though.

Re:Try the robosapien.

[simcop2387]

what i want to do is take that little guy replace all the IR hardware with RF, if its built well enough get rid of the damn remote and do it all with a strong RF signal and a laptop, hell, if you can get a PDA in there (which wouldn't be hard) get a wifi card on him and a low res camera that you can attach to the PDA make him follow a pink ball and pick it up when it stops

I want...

[dslmodem]

1) carry my wireless/cellular phone and follow me in the house. 2) come to me when I make a whistle.leave me along when I make another one. 3) bark when a stranger comes in. 4) ... 5) profit!!

Re:I want...

[cablepokerface]

4) Rip the stranger to pieces and steal his wallet.

Re:I want...

[Solder Fumes]

Sounds like all you need is a chihuahua and a roll of duct tape.

so he hasn a

[geekoid]

roomba with a view?

thank yiou, All be here all week!

Don't forget to tip your sysadmins.

Re:so he hasn a

[geekoid]

gah, I re-read that twice before submitting, and it still looks like it was typed by a man with hooks instead of hands.

stupid cold medicine

Re:so he hasn a

[Anonymous Coward]

I have hooks for hands you insensitive clod!

Re:so he hasn a

[Anonymous Coward]

yeah, but at least you type better than that other guy.

OK Wait a Second

[Gudlyf]

"Phillip Torrone and his wife share their Seattle house with five Sony Aibo dog robots, two Segway motorized scooters, a suitcase-size robot whose brain is a laptop computer, and dozens of other gadgets."

Phil Torrone has an actual, flesh in blood wife?! Are we sure that's Phil Torrone's wife, or one of the robots he put together by beowulfing sixteen PocketPC's, a Garmin eTrex GPS, three Aibos, a Roomba and a Segway together?

Re:OK Wait a Second

[Overzeetop]

Of course he has a wife. Somebody in that house has to make money to afford all those toys!

Re:OK Wait a Second

[Ignignot]

Wait, we can make women out of robots put together from sixteen PocketPC's, a Garmin eTrex GPS, three Aibos, a Roomba and a Segway???

You're sitting on a goldmine right there! Finally /.'ers can speak the same language as women - C++!

Re:OK Wait a Second

[plover]

You should see that robot.

A GIRL robot...

It was the best prom ever.

Re:OK Wait a Second

[HokieJP]

It's 'flesh and blood'. How much flesh do you have in your blood?

Re:OK Wait a Second

[shigelojoe]

Does cholesterol count?

Re:OK Wait a Second

[mreed911]

Are we sure that's Phil Torrone's wife, or one of the robots he put together by beowulfing sixteen PocketPC's, a Garmin eTrex GPS, three Aibos, a Roomba and a Segway together?

Do you mount the Roomba at head level or waist level? Will the Segway auto-correct for your motions by gyrating against you? Are the Aibo's for doin' it doggy style?

I want it to...

[dslmodem]

1) carry my cellular phone or wireless handset and follow me 2) come to me when I make a whistle. leave me alone after another one. 3) bark when a stranger comes in... 4) ... 5) billion $$$ profit!!!

Careful.....

[HAL9OOO]

I notice that the device carries an "iRobot" logo I think the MPAA might have something to say about that you know (snicker!)

"Say it with Flowers" (send her a Triffid!)

Re:Careful.....

[Anonymous Coward]

I notice that the device carries an "iRobot" logo I think the MPAA might have something to say about that you know (snicker!)


Not likely, given that the company have been using that name since 1990...

Article missed the influence of the Internet

[xmas2003]

I was pretty surprised that no registration was required for the online one - nice job NaDrew - BTW, this article ran on the front page of the print edition.

For those that actually read the article (this is /. after all), I think the writer failed to mention the influence on the Internet of hacking. They talk about a "Hardware Hacking" book, but I'd argue that the easy/free exchange of information via the Internet has really caused hacking to increase. The picture next to the article is of a long-range wi-fi attenna ... and we've seen a bazillion of the "pringle can" options too, again, all abetted by the easy, quick sharing of lessons learned.

I also think they fail to point out this influence in other non-technical areas. For instance, I have a fairly decent web page about how to convert your BBQ Grill from LP to NG - based on Email I have gotten, lotsa folks have used this - I certainly will never write a book about it - ditto for my home made manometer - these are both "hacks" that are useful,

BTW, Blondie (from the comic strips) would love to use this device on Dagwood to curb his late night eating: While he was working at the computer-security company AtStake near Boston four years ago, Mr. Grand says too many colleagues were taking food that wasn't theirs from the office refrigerator. So he put the fridge into the cabinet of a big, unused Digital Equipment Corp. minicomputer. To the inside of the door, he bolted a custom-made circuit board that read employees' identification badges and unlocked for authorized eaters only. The setup was also rigged so Mr. Grand could log onto a Web site and monitor who was having late-night munchies.

Ultimate markettable gadget

[tod_miller]

"a Segway, which he is modifying to follow a pink ball"

If only Kamen knew of this, he could have sold so many more...

What is the point really? Although *penny drop* a segway robot is basically a unipedal/bipedal (how you define it) robot with self righting, low center of gravity, and a nice platform to place things.

So I guess if you could get it to follow you over any terrain, using GPS, that would be like...

The luggage!

(currently reading the light fantastic... ook!)

Only with less legs. Now if I scrawl wizzard onto my tinfoil hat I will feel complete!

What no I-Opener?

[gwizah]

No Gateway touchpad? No $10 disposable digital camera? No Linux-hacker.net?

Wow...I can think of alot of hardware hacking I've done that wasn't even mentioned in that article.

Visit http://www.linux-hacker.net if you want to see some cool ass hardware hacking.

Make Magazine

[farmgeek]

This sort of thing is becoming so common that O'Reilly is coming out with a magazine targetting this audience. The currently sparse site is at http://make.oreilly.com/.

You can draw your own conclusions from the fact that I already know about it. ;-)

Re:OMG Grandparent doesn't succumb to groupthink!

[Anonymous Coward]

You must be new here.

Exactly

[Dancin_Santa]

Right. Me and every other right-thinking American.

The right-thinking Asians and Europeans will be joining me in a few hours.

Re:Exactly

[Anonymous Coward]

Actually... it was just you.

Freedom to tinker

[Jim Madison]

Shouldn't be news to those who care about hardware hacking, but Ed Felton has a good blog if you don't know about it already called www.freedom-to-tinker.com

Segway and Johnny Five

[tod_miller]

Compare

Johnny

Ginger

I wonder if someone has case modded thier segway to look like Johnny Five!

It's that Segway Hype guy

[Anonymous Coward]

Hey, that's the Segway Shill guy from days gone by. He was getting paid to hype the Segway constantly right up until they realized no-one actually wanted one. Then he hyped that idiotic excersize system after he got fat from never walking.

Ha, glad to see he's found new ways to hype more meaningless crap, as in: Hey look at me, I took apart my Roomba!

What a turd.

Webcam?

[Jozer99]

I met the designer of the Rhoomba, and had the pleasure of him explaining in detail the workings of that robotic vacuum cleaner. How one would put a webcam on it I do not know, because the device has only 256 BYTES of RAM. Thats right. The new models have more but I think that it is still too little. The only way he could get a webcam on one of those would be to velcro or duct tape a laptop with wireless card and webcam on top, which is not a hard engineering feat, plus it might make the device too heavy to do anything.

HP used this...

[ImaLamer]

If you notice, HP uses the same product from a different store...

"So your Roomba vacuums..."

[haggar]

What kind of a lame title is that!? Roomba is a vacuum cleaner, and as such, it sucks! Call spade a spade: "So your Rooomba sucks..." would have been both more appropriate and more catchy. To hell with political correctness.

Ignorants...

[beaviz]

When will they learn? It's 'cracking', not 'hacking'!

OT: I wonder if he is a good tipper

[bludstone]

"Phillip Torrone and his wife share their Seattle house with five Sony Aibo dog robots, two Segway motorized scooters, a suitcase-size robot whose brain is a laptop computer, and dozens of other gadgets."

Okay, so hes basking in wealth. I wonder if he tips well. Ive been asking that question a lot lately. Food service is utter hell, and many of the people involved make less then minimum wage. I try to tip well, or not eat out. Tip size is a good measure of person-type.

http://www.cleveland.com/living/plaindealer/inde x. ssf?/base/living/1094473800326240.xml
http://www. cleveland.com/living/plaindealer/index. ssf?/base/living/109455810053150.xml

Re:OT: I wonder if he is a good tipper

[Anonymous Coward]

Is your post a sly jab at the Bush twins?

And, yes, I'd like to jab them on the sly too. The one thing GW did right is raise a pair of genuine Girls Gone Wild.

Re:OT: I wonder if he is a good tipper

[bludstone]

actually no, i didnt even know about that until you linked it.

Modifying Wall Street Journal

[lcsjk]

I am modifying my Wall Street Journal with a camera to see the person on the other side of the table and present the picture on a PDA beside me. That way I don't miss any of the breakfast table action.

I'm modifying my coffee cup to signal my wife (if I ever get one) that it is nearly empty.

out of touch.

[mink]

Is it just me or is this article an example of how out of touch the "business world" is from the technical world.
People have been hacking consumer electronics for decades, and mechanical hacking has been going on well over a century.
If this is worthy of front page news (I submtted an article about this but it was rejected) on the WSJ that just now people are hacking hardware no onder techies are ignored int he marketplace.

roomba webcam?

[recharged95]

"He's also modded his Roomba with a built-in Webcam. "

Anyone know what the details of this creation? Cause I have to ask, "where's the innovation?" There are so many [2.4Ghz] wireless cameras out there that all you need is some bucks, 8 AA batteries, and velcro tape. Some cameras even offer wide angle views, pan and zoom. Of course you need a receiver and PC.

Now, if he had hack the camera to pan/zoom [away from a wall] via say an R/C servo as the roomba detected an approaching wall (looking at a wall 2 ft away from it is not so exciting!) would be innovative. I do like the wok antenna though--very sic.

Sex

[eBayDoug]

Rhoomba man is merely quest for porn. (upskirts)

Fun video of people riding Segway at Disney....

[SuperKendall]

I'm not in this one (though I have done the tour), but it's a pretty well done video of some people riding the Segway around Epcot at DisneyWorld.

Video Link (Zip file containing movie, someone should tell them those things just don't compress...).

Reservoir Aibos

[Ohreally_factor]

<i>Okay, so hes basking in wealth. I wonder if he tips well. Ive been asking that question a lot lately. Food service is utter hell, and many of the people involved make less then minimum wage. I try to tip well, or not eat out. Tip size is a good measure of person-type.</i>

NICE GUY EDDIE: C'mon, throw in a buck.

MR. PINK: Uh-uh. I don't tip.

NICE GUY EDDIE: Whaddaya mean you don't tip?

MR. PINK: I don't believe in it.

NICE GUY EDDIE: You don't believe in tipping?

MR. BLONDE: (laughing) I love this kid, he's a madman, this guy.

MR. WHITE: Do you have any idea what these ladies make? They make shit.

MR. PINK: Don't give me that. She don't make enough money, she can quit.

<i>Everybody laughs.</i>

NICE GUY EDDIE: I don't even know a Jew who'd have the balls to say that. So let's get this straight. You never ever tip?

MR. PINK: I don't tip because society says I gotta. I tip when somebody deserves a tip. When somebody really puts forth an effort, they deserve a little something extra. But this tipping automatically, that shit's for the birds. As far as I'm concerned, they're just doin their job.

MR. BLUE: Our girl was nice.

MR. PINK: Our girl was okay. She didn't do anything special.

MR. BLUE: What's something special, take ya in the kitchen and suck your dick?

<i> They all laugh.</i>

NICE GUY EDDIE: I'd go over twelve percent for that.

MR. PINK: Look, I ordered coffee. Now we've been here a long fuckin time, and she's only filled my cup three times. When I order coffee, I want it filled six times.

MR. WHITE: What if she's too busy?

MR. PINK: The words "too busy" shouldn't be in a waitress's vocabulary.

NICE GUY EDDIE: Excuse me, Mr. White, but the last thing you need is another cup of coffee.

<i>They all laugh.</i>

MR. PINK: These ladies aren't starvin to death. They make minimum wage. When I worked for minimum wage, I wasn't lucky enough to have a job that society deemed tipworthy.

NICE GUY EDDIE: Ahh, now we're getting down to it. It's not just that he's a cheap bastard--

MR. ORANGE: --It is that too--

NICE GUY EDDIE: --It is that too. But it's also he couldn't get a waiter job. You talk like a pissed off dishwasher: "Fuck those cunts and their fucking tips."

MR. BLUE: So you don't care that they're counting on your tip to live?

Mr. Pink rubs two of his fingers together.

MR. PINK: Do you know what this is? It's the world's smallest violin, playing just for the waitresses.

MR. WHITE: You don't have any idea what you're talking about. These people bust their ass. This is a hard job.

MR. PINK: So's working at McDonald's, but you don't feel the need to tip them. They're servin ya food, you should tip em. But no, society says tip these guys over here, but not those guys over there. That's bullshit.

MR. ORANGE: They work harder than the kids at McDonald's.

MR. PINK: Oh yeah, I don't see them cleaning fryers.

MR. BROWN: These people are taxed on the tips they make. When you stiff 'em, you cost them money.

MR. WHITE: Waitressing is the number one occupation for female non-college graduates in this country. It's the one jab basically any woman can get, and make a living on. The reason is because of tips.

MR. PINK: Fuck all that.

<i>They all laugh.</i>

MR. PINK: Hey, I'm very sorry that thegovernment taxes their tips. That's fucked up. But that ain't my fault. it would appear that waitresses are just one of the many groups the government fucks in the ass on a regular basis. You show me a paper says the government shouldn't do that, I'll sign it. Put it to a vote, I'll vote for it. But what I won't do is play ball. And this non-college bullshit you're telling me, I got two words for that: "Learn to fuckin type." Cause if you're expecting me to help out with t