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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."
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.
I'm in the hole of the broadband donut.
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.
Free Mac Mini
...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.
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GMail invites for iPod referrals
He's also modded his Roomba with a built-in Webcam
Gives new angle to those dinner parties...
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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.
Get your Unix fortune now!
...more on that here.
The Army reading list
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.
Here.
C8H10N4O2 | Developer > Code
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.
Why bother with pictures when I can just use the 3D models it makes for me? Geez, pictures? What is this, 1994?
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.
Whence? Hence. Whither? Thither.
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.
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.
Sig it.
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.
All those who immediately thought "scissors?" please raise your hands.
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.
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.
-I am an elective eunuch.
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!!
^(oo)^pig~
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.
John
roomba with a view?
thank yiou, All be here all week!
Don't forget to tip your sysadmins.
The Kruger Dunning explains most post on
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?
Trolls lurk everywhere. Mod them down.
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!)
you read slashdot.
You read the article.
perhaps you shouldn't be so hasty as to catagorize all slashdotters?
The Kruger Dunning explains most post on
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.
Hulk SMASH Celiac Disease
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)?
"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!
#hostfile 0.0.0.0 primidi.com 0.0.0.0 www.primidi.com 0.0.0.0 radio.weblogs.com
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.
There is no spork.
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. ;-)
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?
Whence? Hence. Whither? Thither.
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.
Right. Me and every other right-thinking American.
The right-thinking Asians and Europeans will be joining me in a few hours.
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
Hey democracy lovers, add Quorum as a c
Compare
Johnny
Ginger
I wonder if someone has case modded thier segway to look like Johnny Five!
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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.
If you notice, HP uses the same product from a different store...
Get your Unix fortune now!
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.
Sigged!
When will they learn? It's 'cracking', not 'hacking'!
I'm modifying my coffee cup to signal my wife (if I ever get one) that it is nearly empty.
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.
Well I've wrestled with reality for thirty five years doctor, and I'm happy to say I finally won out over it.
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.
actually no, i didnt even know about that until you linked it.
no
Rhoomba man is merely quest for porn. (upskirts)
Learn About Outsourcing. http://www.pioutsource.com
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...).
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
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.
<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
It's not offtopic, dumbass. It's orthogonal.