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What To Do With Those First Generation Photo Frames?

Posted by Unknown on from the beowulf-cluster-of-course dept.

First time accepted submitter icepick3000 writes "There are probably many digital photoframes unused these days laying around. Mine is from the first generation meaning you can only insert a compact flash card and display photos. Newer models nowadays can display weather, news, and stocks. Anyone have some good idea's how to give these old frames a second life? I have been thinking about compact flash cards that support wifi... maybe someone has a better idea?"

11 of 146 comments (clear)

  1. Why choose to be unhappy? by MrLogic17 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Um, use them as designed? Why do you need all of those extra features for just a photo frame?

    If you're still on the upgrade treadmill, give the old frames to someone who will use it.

    1. Re:Why choose to be unhappy? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Bravo for saying what needed to be said so politely!

    2. Re:Why choose to be unhappy? by Scutter · · Score: 5, Insightful

      I thought this was Slashdot. This should be the home of people hacking devices and breathing new life into them.

      --

      "Tell me doctor, with all of your defenses, are there any provisions for an attack by killer bees?"
    3. Re:Why choose to be unhappy? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

      > give the old frames to someone who will use it.

      Like your local animal shelter - we use them at ours to display pictures of adoptable animals in local businesses, a volunteer drives around once a week with updated CF/SD cards. Much better than static posters.

    4. Re:Why choose to be unhappy? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Your first grade teacher was wrong, there are such things as stupid questions.

  2. New Year's Gift by guttentag · · Score: 4, Insightful
    1. 1. Open MSPaint or similar program
    2. 2. Create a horrendously-ugly pixelated painting
    3. 3. Superimpose large (not anti-aliased) text over the painting that reads "New Year's Resolution"
    4. 4. Create a second painting with the text "Stop buying 1st Gen Hardware"
    5. 5. Repeat step 4 with "?????" as the text, where ????? Equals your other new years resolutions (as many times as necessary)
    6. 6. Profit!
  3. Display information by Okian+Warrior · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Do you want a bigger house? Own your own business? Climb Kilimanjaro? Put frames that show those goals into it and let the photo frames remind you. This will make a powerful subconscious urge for you to achieve your goals.

    Do you want to learn rote things, such as another language? How about showing word - translation flashcards for the language, or whatever information you need to know. Put them on your desk and occasionally glance over and try to guess which translation will follow the shown word. (Or the times tables, or whatever info you want.)

    How about installing quick-reference sheets for work? (I personally have an ASCII chart hanging in my office since I can never remember the codes.) You can have a "perl quick reference sheet", "perl debugger sheet", "Cisco router quick reference sheet" and so on. Most of the frames have buttons to stop or flip through the images - find the reference sheet you need and freeze it.

    The photo frame can hold all sorts of static information within limitations.

  4. Re:Personal Telescreen by rwa2 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Heh, I like that!

    It's almost Halloween... I would just hook one up to a battery pack and make it part of my costume somehow. It could display the blue screen of Death! Or you could just get the t-shirt.

    Maybe load a few pictures of evil-looking eyes, and hang them out in a dark corner of the yard.

    Or load a few pictures of x-rays on it.. with a little rehearsal and good timing (or maybe it just has a "next photo" button). Then you can hold it in front of various 'ahem' parts of your body, and show off or something.

    There are so many crappy old laptops around with nicer displays and better functionality to waste time hacking a photo frame, though.

  5. A status display for your Linux device by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    e.g on openwrt

    https://forum.openwrt.org/viewtopic.php?id=34133

    Where are the nerds today?

  6. You mean second generation? by naranek · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I think you mean second generation photo frames. The first generation had superior DPI, didn't use any power and was a lot cheaper. It was also often made of wood.

    --
    Only dumb birds land downwind.
  7. Bring them to a senior center by bill_mcgonigle · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Help the new owner load some pics of the grandkids from their kids' Facebook page.

    --
    My God, it's Full of Source!
    OUTSIDE_IP=$(dig +short my.ip @outsideip.net)