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Experimenting With Light on Apple Laptops

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the the-joy-of-light dept.

venkatg writes "Soon after Apple introduced sudden motion sensors in their PowerBooks in early 2005, Amit Singh had shown how these sensors can be used for creative purposes (covered by Slashdot earlier as Having Fun With PowerBook Motion Sensors and PowerBook As A New Kind Of Human Interface Device). This time around Singh discusses 'Experimenting With Light' in a new article whereby by light he means the ambient light sensors and the illuminated backlight keyboard sensors in Apple's laptops. The article shows (source code is included) how one can measure ambient light and do things with it. It also shows things like how to get/set illuminated keyboard brightness and display brightness or do fade transitions of the keyboard lighting. So now that we have all these motion and light sensors under control, is there a MacBook discotheque in the works?"

10 of 120 comments (clear)

  1. So, it's official.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Funny

    MacBooks, computers for the disco generation.

  2. Great by dubmun · · Score: 3, Funny

    Now we can finally communicate with the aliens!

    --
    (end of post)
  3. Just wait 'till the blackhats get ahold of this! by JonTurner · · Score: 4, Funny

    (mumbles to self...) Let's see... motion sensors, ambient light sensors, lots of indicator LEDS, backlit keyboard. Yep, we've got everything we need!(/mumbles)

    Coming soon, from a black-hat hacker near you:
    Siezure-O-Rama 1.0 !! Now, with 38% more unconsciousness!

  4. In the year 2000... by MudButt · · Score: 4, Funny

    It would be pretty cool if someone wrote a program that makes your keyboard randomly blink a la The Original Star Trek (or many other 60's sci-fi shows). Am I the only one that's still impressed by random flashing lights on a computer? I know... I'm easily ammused...

    1. Re:In the year 2000... by Pollardito · · Score: 2, Funny

      or how about a typing tutor that worked like the Billy Jean video with your fingers doing the walking?

  5. Re:North Korea by JonTurner · · Score: 2, Funny

    >> But cannibalism is illegal in North Korea, so cannibals are summarily dragged into the street and shot in broad daylight in plain sight of everyone to serve as a lesson. And we're sitting here happily slapping our sausages over some blinky lights.

    Torrent?

  6. The killer app by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    As soon as the light dims, iTunes will automatically start the Barry White playlist and some soft porn starts to play via Front Row. All that is left for you to do is to hug yourself and cry yourself to sleep, feeling oh so lonely, lonely, lonely.

  7. Re:How does the keyboard backlight work? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    Everyone: "I belive it lights up the keyboard!"

  8. Re:Perhaps keyboard backlighting could flash by JonTurner · · Score: 3, Funny

    And don't forget the "Ouch!Hot!Ow!Damn!(tm)" overtemp detection system. In the rare/rumored/unprovable event a MacbookPro(tm) reaches 195 degrees Celcius (as reported by those scurrilous rumor sites) the second- and third-degree burns on your thighs serve as a gentle reminder to take a nice little computing break. Get up. Stretch. Walk around a bit. Bandage wounds. Enjoy!

    Rumoured upgrade for os 1.5 -- face recognition engine uses built-in camera to detect pain threshold. Automatically throttles back CPU if user faints, or collapses from blood loss.

  9. Re:Blackout Game by mgabrys_sf · · Score: 4, Funny

    20 bucks in shareware for anyone who can program me an etch-a-sketch plug in for photoshop that allows me to wipe a frustrating layout off the screen by me violently shaking the laptop. It would be far more cheaper than therapy.

    (of course one could surmise that anyone who wants this in leu of therapy might have issues - but I'd call those people just plain nuts)