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Hardware Hacking Guide — Citizen Engineer
Solderingfool writes "MAKE Magazine's Phil Torrone and open source hardware hacker Ladyada from Adafruit Industries have a new video series called 'Citizen Engineer.' In the first video they show how a SIM card works, then build a SIM card reader which could be used to clone a SIM card. They also show how to use an old payphone as a regular home phone, later with coins, and for their final hack — how to 'Redbox' it. They released all the projects as open source, and the video is well produced."
I understand that they are just exploiting holes in design and implementation of telco stuff (SIMs, payphones, telco billing system),
Maybe the fact that a hole is there doesn't mean you can expoit it.
And, finally, does FBI understand it?
Maybe Computers will never be as intelligent as Humans.
For sure they won't ever become so stupid. [VR-1988]
On their sister site - http://www.adafruit.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=27
$17 seems pretty reasonable to me.
wget 'http://bitcast.vimeo.com/vimeo/videos/84/62/96/84629686/84629686_31_d03558e354.flv?e=1217180189&h=e169159ce3e15b7756ed272eeea36c1b'
1981 called - it wants its meme back.
No mod points, no meta-moderating/Firehose/all the other free work Slashdot wants me to do.
really, it seems to be about making a payphone yourself and then hacking it. Quite of useless. In any case the video halts for me after a minute or so, maybe a server overload? Or crappy video flash format.
molmod.com - computing tips from a molecular modeling
Why would it be wrong for me to backup my own SIM?
Hacking in its purest form is not necessarily about being "useful," but about being interesting--an interesting hack may have no intrinsic utility whatsoever, but allows a person who is curious to do something that is new ... to them, at least.
If you haven't been down-modded lately, you aren't trying.
Sacred cows make the best hamburger.
Online video is a waste of time and bandwidth unless it's porn.
I can easily skim an article and review a diagram much quicker than watching a video. Text also provides an easier point of reference than fast forwarding and rewinding a video to find a pertinent bit of information.
When it comes to online media the best innovation is no innovation at all.
His hair is longer than hers! Maybe they are going for a modern RMS look? I never understand why people in positions like this refuse to dress professionally and look presentable...
I watched the entire (HD) video and I was all set to see the last part where she has the old payphone release the coin after a call is complete.
"Time to try it out..." at 23:40 the HD video ends but the non-HD version continues on for another seven minutes.
Other than that it's great, I've always been a fan of Ladyada since seeing her cellphone jammer project.
Fair cop. I hack and restore old tube-type radios myself.
No mod points, no meta-moderating/Firehose/all the other free work Slashdot wants me to do.
Could skip all this "build your own" stuff (ok, read it thoroughly) and buy one of those chinese-made SIM card duplicators for about 20 bucks. Or a USB reader for even less. :)
Because, you know, you don't always have to build stuff
Hyperom.com
Funny, back when I was redboxing fortress fones, we did it for one reason: because we had to. We would have mercilessly ridiculed any dilettante who said he was building a redbox just for the knowledge. What knowledge is there to be had by following instructions off some text phile you d/l'd off some pirate BBS, anyway?
Shutting down free speech with violence isn't fighting fascism. It IS fascism!
What knowledge is there to be had by following instructions off some text phile you d/l'd off some pirate BBS, anyway?
... Uhm. Plenty.
One way to archive practical experience is to practice.
Say I like to draw, if I want to get better at it I have to draw a lot. One way to get better is to get instructions; books, articles, videos and so on. By following instructions downloaded from the net, or listed in a book, you learn how to do it.
So without any great knowledge about this particular subject I can still see the benefit for someone interested in the field to thinker and tweak to increase their knowledge.
The Long Now Foundation
They released all the projects as open source, and the video is well produced.
You mean they release all their software code under open source.
The video and the articles still fall under old-fashioned, rights-restricted copyright.
Anyone else dial the numbers in the "last 10 phone calls"? One is from here in Atlanta!
2186813390 (80?)
4046296500
8003444539
6464653692
this is my sig, there are many like it, but this one is mine.
When they had an article about adding a PID controller to the heater on a home espresso machine. The so-called geek who wired it in used an off-the-shelf IC that did the whole thing for you, and admitted that he had no idea what it was or how it worked, just that it did.
Um, thats what Walmart shoppers do. Geeks and engineers UNDERSTAND things, how else do you think anything gets made? "Make" degenerated into the Mythbusters level after the first year.
I want to delete my account but Slashdot doesn't allow it.
What knowledge is there to be had by following instructions off some text phile you d/l'd off some pirate BBS, anyway?
... Uhm. Plenty.
TLDR: Documentation is a Good Thing.
I have to agree. If you didn't already know how to do it, then those instructions taught you how to do it. In fact, correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought that was the point of a tutorial: Teaching you how to do something.
The Linux Documentation Project, at least, seems to think so.
Normally I'm in favor of elitism, but when one goes to the extent of saying, "There's no point in this documentation because anyone worth anything already knows it." they're going a tad too far.
The wise follow a damned path, for to know is to be forsaken.
What a classic freetard comment. Even when you give something excellent for nothing, still they whine.
"They released all the projects as open source" means that the project information - code, schematics and layout - are open source. See: http://ladyada.net/make/simreader/download.html (The payphone schematics will be up soon, also CC 2.5 BY-SA)
awesome vid, takes me right back to the 80ies, trying to hack a payphone in .nl. even succeeded with one of em ;)
too bad blueboxes don't work anymore...
the screw needed to be loosened before it could hold the clips for the phone (i edited this and cut it short). limor isn't an actor, she's an engineer - follow the links and you'll see all of her projects and work.
Uhm.. A WHOOOOSH might be necessary here.
a) Either look at that part of the video or stop commenting: All screws are prepared already (i.e. loosened) and the part I was mocking is the one connecting the third screw/last two wires. She has no problems attaching the wire (the screw doesn't need to be loosened anymore) and turns the screw in the wrong direction afterwards.
b) I know that this is "real". I was trying to be funny. You messed it up.
Well. Here I am trying to start fun. Yes, it's nitpicking and the video is nice. You're taking it too serious..
@DarKlajid - when women give examples of why they're not so interested in being part of a community like this, or even go in to the technical fields your comment about a "geek girl that doesn't know how to screw" pretty much symbolizes why. i realize it's a joke, it's just not that funny. to joke like that and then say it's fake to discount her ability as an engineer would make any person steer away from putting themselves out there to be made fun of. yes, it's a joke. i don't take it seriously, it's easier that way. something to think about, each one of us can be the change we want to see in the world...
That @ is not useful.
I don't want to use memes now, but I'm tempted to ask if "you are new here" and perhaps refer to your ID.
More seriously though, since you seem to take it seriously anyway: You DO realize that we've tons of "Nerds don't get laid" comments here? Lots of humor using the male nerd stereotype? I pull the following numbers out of my ass, you decide:
80 %of the jokes here involve young male nerds living in a basement, no pubic but lots of facial/* hair never getting out and never even getting in touch with the opposite sex.
20 % are an amalgam of different stuff, one if it is the "There are no female geeks".
Really, stop being tightassed like that. Without knowing here I hope SHE can laugh here. In fact, most girls that are into nerdstuff are quite resistant to all those jokes. You're overprotective and don't need to protect here in the first place.
yes i'm reading the comments here and i dont think its very funny either. the only reason girls seem to be 'resistant' to these sorts of comments is because those that dont like it leave or are shunned.
just because everyone is doing something like making jokes about women doesn't mean it's ok - why not be positive? if you want to see more diversity here, why not encourage it? why should someone need to be "resistant" to sexist jokes? i suppose any ethnic group or gender could get used to any amount of teasing, but why should it be that way? it's 2008 - maybe time to change?
Aw what is with this site? Are lesbians automatically modded down because they want to have a little fun with the subject matter who is female? You, mods, need to work on your tolerance certification.
@ptorrone
go back to DIGG
"1981 called - it wants its meme back."
1985 called - it wants its jokes back.
Cheers for the link, I was trying to catch a glimpse of the full schematic in the video but I didn't get to see it. Awesome stuff though - you're doing the hacking that I can't seem to find the time or resources to do anymore.
Out of curiosity, I've noticed the the I/O electronics for the SIM reader looks a bit like Dallas One Wire - but it has been years since I've designed anything for that so I'm not sure. Is it DOW?
Oddly enough, its TTL serial (9600 baud) with a shared RX and TX line. The TX half is open collector so you need a pullup.
In fact, most girls that are into nerdstuff are quite resistant to all those jokes.
You are Legend..-arily clueless. Are you so blind that you don't realize this belief is self-fulfilling? I've known quite a number of women that really just don't want to put up with this disrespectful boys' locker-room crap... and they find other things to do. Spelling it out: insensitive bozos like you keep repelling bright creative minds from all manner of disciplines. STOP IT!
I'm going to call you on that one. Would you have said the same thing if it had been a male who'd said it or would you have thought them to be sexist? The reality is that the gender of the person in the video really shouldn't matter one bit.
"So long and thanks for all the fish."
All that stuff has been easily learned by anyone with the ability to READ for a long time now. What's the big deal?
Now some lazy ass can sit on his couch and be entertained by the THOUGHT of actually hacking on something by some folks on the pretty flashy LCD panel across the room.
Wanna hack? Build a workbench, turn the TV off, and grab a good book.
+++OK ATH
This is analogous to script kiddies who don't even have to understand the damage they're doing, so there's no hacking involved.
To have a right to do a thing is not at all the same as to be right in doing it
Thank you for responding and sticking up for yourself. I wish that more women would do likewise instead of just quietly leaving, as you say.
We apologize for the inconvenience.
to get a used cheap nokia phone off ebay ($6.99), a nokia serial cable and just write software to access the sim contents? i.e. reusing an old phone as a sim reader?
though novel and educational, I don't see the reason for the effort when I can use existing h/w.
The pullup you had on your diagram is what made me wonder if it was Dallas one wire - it uses a very similar schema. Since you are using a serial port I did think it might be just plain old serial, but with a fast enough serial port you can emulate a 1-wire connection. A few years back I did a similar trick using a PIC micro and a 1-wire clock. We used these parts as size was a constraint - it was for the Key Phantom USB key logger.
Anyway, I'll keep an eye out for your next episode. Cheers!
I know, this is /. but if you don't mind... Just this once...
Sexist pig!!!!
I wanted, I even tried to resist after a preview, but I so have to send this as I may never get to do this again.
"So long and thanks for all the fish."