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Alek's Christmas Lights: Humbug

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the so-whaddya-do? dept.

g00set writes "Alek's Christmas lights story was previously covered on Slashdot here, however the Denver Channel is now reporting that it was all a hoax: 'The Lafayette man said he accomplished the trickery by taking 12 "base" photographs of the house with lights on and off and then constructed a Web page that appeared to show lights going on and off when the Web visitor clicked.'"

36 of 327 comments (clear)

  1. Season's greetings! by NormalVisual · · Score: 4, Funny

    Ho ho hoax!

    --
    Please stand clear of the doors, por favor mantenganse alejado de las puertas
  2. Oh, the humanity by CodeWanker · · Score: 5, Funny

    Thank God the rest of the internet is hoax-free. Now I can get back to my penis enlargement pill popping and free ipod winning in peace.

    --


    "Wow. Now THAT'S a lot of angry Indians." - Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer
  3. Well... by tekiegreg · · Score: 4, Interesting

    How many times can you piss off the neighbors before the homeowner's association punishes you, coupled with the desire to please your audience?

    Still though, oh the humanity Alek, couldn't you just leave one string of lights internet controlled next year? Wouldn't be too bad...

    --
    ...in bed
    1. Re:Well... by plover · · Score: 4, Interesting
      We formed an HOA. It turned out that our cul-de-sac was owned by the property developer who built our housing development, and was never turned over to the city as an official street. He went belly up, and then went delinquent on the property taxes.

      Then the snow stopped getting plowed. Nothing like incentive.

      The seven of us homeowners purchased the lot for back taxes, and then we paid for snow plowing, garbage collection, insurance, maintenance and property taxes out of the dues we collect. We were able to strike a multi-family deal with a garbage hauler so that we actually pay less in dues for all of the above services than we did for single family garbage collection! Also, we haven't raised dues once in the 11 years since we formed the association.

      When I wrote the association by-laws, I purposely omitted everything related to exterior appearance or maintenance. Sure, I wish the guy across the street would mow his lawn more often, but BFD. It sure beats having a committee decide on your house color, or painting your house then billing you.

      --
      John
    2. Re:Well... by einTier · · Score: 4, Insightful
      You might as well say, "why do we have zoning laws."

      I hate my HOA, but do I understand why it's there. When I was 12, someone was given the land next to my parents' house and they immediately plopped a trailer home down on it. Never mind the fact there were no hookups or anything, they just cleared some of the brush, put up an outhouse, and plopped their shitty trailer home on their new land.

      Needless to say, property values plummeted overnight. It took a determined group of neighbors to buy out the guy and return our neighborhood to normalicy.

      HOA's just take that and zoning laws a little further. Basically, no one can do anything that might devalue your property. Many people see their home as an investment, not just a place to live, and they welcome this. Of course, it means that you have to give up a bit of your freedom as well. Good HOA's aren't that restrictive, and just make sure that you don't put a car up on blocks in your front lawn and never cut the yard. More restrictive ones might tell you how often you're going to paint your house.

      The main problem with HOA's is that they tend to get populated with exactly the wrong kind of people. Who runs for the HOA offices? People with too much free time that like to stick their noses in other people's business. This thought pattern is really hard to overcome and root out once it gets in there, and most people don't realize who's running until it's too late. The busybodies will form a voting block, and the rest of the neighborhood will be just disorganized enough to not be able to get them out. That's when things go to shit. Not really, because the neighborhood looks nice, but neighbors start hating neighbors, and those (like me) who get disgusted with it simply move it. The busybodies like it too much to move, and the new blood takes too long to figure out the HOA isn't their friends.

      Christ. I'm ranting. Look, I hate my HOA. However, I understand that it's a great idea corrupted by misguided people. As much as I hate it, I would have serious reservations about moving into a neighborhood without one.

      --
      -------------------------------------------------- $665.95 -- retail price of the beast.
  4. Allright, you know the drill by Scrameustache · · Score: 4, Funny

    You grab the pitchforks, I grab the torches.

    And by pitchorks and torches I meant: Let's find this guy's adress and BURY HIM IN SPAM!

    'tis the season of giving, after all ;-)

    --

    You can't take the sky from me...

  5. Big Deal by Bob+McCown · · Score: 5, Insightful

    So the guy said he did something on the web, and turned out he didnt. Isnt this the way most of the dot-com bubble companies operated?

  6. Too funny! by DoraLives · · Score: 4, Insightful
    The whole christmas lights thing is out of hand anyway. WAY out of hand. Maybe this will serve to put a damper on some of the more retarded exploits?

    NAH!

    --
    Is it fascism yet?
  7. Heh... by Pantero+Blanco · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I'm more amused than anything else. It wouldn't make sense to be indignant over an April Fools-style joke.

  8. Hoax or not.... by i_want_you_to_throw_ · · Score: 5, Insightful

    You really HAVE to give it anyone that can pull this off, especially to /.ers.

    Bravo, bravo...
    clap, clap, clap, clap

    1. Re:Hoax or not.... by Total_Wimp · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Score one for old media. Maybe we should keep them around after all.

      TW

    2. Re:Hoax or not.... by noidentity · · Score: 5, Funny
      Score one for old media. Maybe we should keep them around after all.

      And yet, most of us are reading this via the "new" media. For all I know,

      1. The site doesn't even exist (I've never browsed it),
      2. The site does exist and has web-controllable lights (and the apparent hoax is itself a hoax, perhaps no channel 7 either),
      3. The site does exist and doesn't have web-controllable lights,
      4. Slashdot is just a bunch of AI programs which mod each other up.
    3. Re:Hoax or not.... by MarcQuadra · · Score: 4, Funny

      How do you feel about Slashdot is just a bunch of AI programs which mod each other up?

      --
      "Sometimes, I think Trent just needs a cup of hot chocolate and a blankie." -Tori Amos on Nine Inch Nails
  9. Google ads on his page weren't a hoax tho by melted · · Score: 5, Funny

    So I think Google should pay him with Monopoly money or something.

  10. Sweet, Nice Hack by JonahDark1 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I think this guy deserves mad props for pulling this off.

  11. I am not amused by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny
    Let's just say that I AM NOT AMUSED.

    One would think that a tech/science-oriented site such as Slashdot would do a little bit of backround research before publishing articles that will eventually turn out to be hoaxes.

    I am very, very disappointed at the current level of professionalism shown by the Slashdot crew. I mailed the article to several friends of mine and now, thanks to Slashdot, MY integrity is in question.

    1. Re: I am not amused by Black+Parrot · · Score: 4, Funny


      > One would think that a tech/science-oriented site such as Slashdot would do a little bit of backround research before publishing articles that will eventually turn out to be hoaxes.

      I think they're going to hire Dan Rather, now that he's free.

      > I mailed the article to several friends of mine and now, thanks to Slashdot, MY integrity is in question.

      You're not supposed to let your friends know you read Slashdot.

      --
      Sheesh, evil *and* a jerk. -- Jade
  12. good point by pyrrho · · Score: 4, Funny

    also... there are protons decaying AS WE SPEAK!!!!

    what of the protons!?

    --

    -pyrrho

  13. Not really by jerometremblay · · Score: 5, Insightful

    It's already hard to find someone who RTFA, imagine someone checking REALITY.

  14. I did this... by Gordonjcp · · Score: 4, Funny

    ... but on a much smaller scale. The idea was that it was a webcam in my kitchen, which you could click on to turn the lights on and off. One guy I know was fooled by it for a week. No-one had the heart to tell him...

  15. Someone didn't read the whole article! (Not Hoax!) by ugmoe · · Score: 5, Funny
    Someone obviously didn't read the whole article before posting. (Not a rare occurrance at slashdot)

    http://www.thedenverchannel.com/holidays/4027215/d etail.html

    "I got a chuckle out of putting a clock up in the window and having the hands of the clock display the right time (it actually started out 3 minutes slow, but then gained a minute a day, until it was 4 minutes fast, and then reset itself) -- again, all computer trickery!" Komarnitsky said on his Web site Monday.

    The Lafayette man said he accomplished the trickery by taking 12 "base" photographs of the house with lights on and off and then constructed a Web page that appeared to show lights going on and off when the Web visitor clicked, but after performing web server stress testing, he replaced the test images with real-time camera generated images for the holiday season.

    Not everything on the internet is a forgery.

  16. Alek Comments by xmas2003 · · Score: 5, Informative

    Hey /.'ers ... it was all fun ... I'm SLAMMED ... will say more later ... but be SURE to read MY story of the events and also what Wall Street Journal guy wrote ... and then if you want, go to that Channel-7 site and cast your vote if I was naughty or nice!

    --
    Hulk SMASH Celiac Disease
    1. Re:Alek Comments by mrwonton · · Score: 4, Insightful

      It is indeed worth reading his version of the story, if not to pass judgment, then merely to see how he pulled it off. Its really quite interesting how much time he put into making the hoax believeable. With no less work, he probably could have made it actually work like it was supposed to...

      --
      Not more than you need, just more than you want
  17. I'm surprised nobody noticed by enosys · · Score: 5, Insightful
    I'm surprised nobody noticed. Camera images generally contain some noise. The noise changes even when nothing else changes. It can be especially pronounced in the dark.

    Plus what about weather conditions? Plenty of local people must have seen the site. What about when it was raining or snowing and the webcam wasn't showing that?

  18. Marketing/Management Material by MooseByte · · Score: 5, Funny


    Hmmm.

    - Faked a demo of a cool concept.

    - Lacked the geek talent and dedication required to pull it off.

    - Reaped the benefits (web hits and publicity) by duping the users.

    Yep, clearly the guy is made for marketing/management.

    1. Re:Marketing/Management Material by eddy+the+lip · · Score: 4, Insightful
      - Lacked the geek talent and dedication required to pull it off.

      Except that he didn't lack it - go read his web page. It explains how he pulled it off, generating the faked images on the fly from a few pre-shot photos and perl.

      Personally, I think it's a cool hack. Glad someone out there is still doing this stuff...

      --

      This is the voice of World Control. I bring you Peace.

    2. Re:Marketing/Management Material by John3 · · Score: 4, Insightful

      I agree....qualifies as a hack in my book. Required some techical skill, was harmless, and quite funny.

      --
      "We make our world significant by the courage of our questions and by the depth of our answers." Carl Sagan
  19. Would you like a tissue? by CarnivoreMan · · Score: 5, Informative
    did you read the FAQ?
    " How do you verify the accuracy of Slashdot stories? We don't. You do. :) If something seems outrageous, we might look for some corroboration, but as a rule, we regard this as the responsibility of the submitter and the audience. This is why it's important to read comments. You might find something that refutes, or supports, the story in the main."
  20. How can you be mad? by Specks · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Although it was a hoax. It's a clever one and very harmless. I just can't help but feel amused by this. Nice one Alex. Now I can't remember if he had any banners on the site but he could have made some good cash if he did.

    --
    Specks
    Batteries not included
  21. this is why... by 10000000000000000000 · · Score: 4, Funny

    you should always demand a girl be present in the webcast who will answer your live questions.

    that way you can verify that she is actually there with the christmas lights...

    in fact forget the lights... and the questions.

  22. new perspective on my attempted visit by morcheeba · · Score: 4, Informative

    I tried to visit his house when he had the haloween lights up, but found it was in a gated community that was closed to visitors after 7pm. His house is a bit out of my way & I was a bit annoyed that this heavily-promoted house wasn't on public display, so I never returned. I wanted to see how often people where flipping the lights -- the webcam didn't refresh often enough to show that.

    His response to my post was interesting.. it seemed legit and appropriately paranoid about strangers knocking on his door (which I would never do!!).

    --
    HIV Crosses Species Barrier... into Muppets
  23. IMHO... by Alioth · · Score: 4, Insightful

    IMHO, the hoax (and how he did the hoax) is actually more entertaining than if it had been the real thing. It's interesting to see his attention to detail (right down to fiddling with EXIF headers to make it look like it was generated by a webcam, rather than photos he took earlier).

    --
    Oolite: Elite-like game. For Mac, Linux and Windows
  24. His explanation... by josh3736 · · Score: 5, Informative
    Who actually read his explanation? (Yes, I know this is Slashdot, but you can try to RTFA)

    It seems like for all the trouble he went through to set up this hoax, it would actually have been easier to hook up the X10 to his computer and plop a real webcam outside.

    What it took for the hoax:

    • Taking 12 pictures for the various "on/off" states
    • Taking those 12 pictures in varying amounts of snowcover
    • Dynamically inserting airplanes overhead
    • Dynamically changing the position of the garage door by superimposing the garage on one of the 12 pics.
    • Dynamically adding stars in the sky that move over the course of the night
    • Occasionally Adding "cars" driving by
    • When the local news crew took him up in the helicopter, his wife stayed at home flipping the lights on and off.
    • Putting a real (but disconnected) webcam in the neighbor's tree so snoopers would see the webcam.
    For all that trouble, he might as well have just done it up real.

    I guess at least now we know who is really responsible for the moon landing video.

    1. Re:His explanation... by null+etc. · · Score: 5, Funny
      It seems like for all the trouble he went through to set up this hoax, it would actually have been easier to hook up the X10 to his computer and plop a real webcam outside.

      Haven't you ever seen any Hollywood movies? Doing something like that only requires a few typed commands on the keyboard! You don't even need a mouse!

      And, if he wanted to, he could zoom in on and "enhance" a single pixel until it looked like his christmas lights.

  25. Re:I bet the AdWords wasn't a hoax by xmas2003 · · Score: 5, Informative
    BOY - you'd wonder if anyone reads the FAQ - good for you. First, Google Adsense hasn't been around for 3 years ... and I just added this to my hoax explanation

    Several media folks are slamming me for running Google Adsense and saying I cleaned up on it. That is simply not true ... but unfortunately, I can not comment on this due to Google's Program Policies ... but let me just say that the Google Adsense Revenue for the month will just about pay for my wife's 40th birthday party and I would have made a LOT more if I had taken that Radio Station's $10,000 offer. I invite the media to contact Google for the actual numbers and they have my permission to release 'em.

    --
    Hulk SMASH Celiac Disease
  26. In other words by bluGill · · Score: 4, Insightful

    By restricting your neighbors freedom of expression so you can get a neighborhood of houses that all look exactly alike you think your life is better.

    Personally I'd like to live next door to someone who is creative enough to paint his house strange colors. I want nothing to do with the neighborhoods I've seen where every house looks the same, down to the flowers in the garden out front. To each his own I guess.