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Alek Komarnitsky's Huge Christmas Light Display Still Going Strong (Video)
Alek Komarnitsky isn't the only one obsessed with Christmas lights. He's quick to point out that the display he assembles and improves each year at his Colorado home (in a "never-ending cycle") isn't the most elaborate in the country by a long shot, even among householders. But most of those other displays, no matter how complex, don't have the feature that's made Alek's an internet draw for many years running: visitors to the site not only get to see a live web-cam view of the system, but can flip the lights on and off themselves, making it a globally accessible interactive system. It's all based on home-grown scripts running on Linux (Alek says it's about as elegant as "duct tape and wire"), running old-school X10 controllers, and — surprisingly to me — the lights are mostly still conventional incandescents, rather than LED. This year, I finally caught up with Alek before Christmas; watch the video below to see our conversation. And even though Alek neither solicits nor wants money from people who like his Christmas display for himself, he does it partly as a benefit for Celiac Disease Research, and anything you give to this worthy cause is appreciated. Update: 12/23 21:21 GMT by T : NOTE: tune in starting around 4 PM Mountain time, and you'll get to see the system lit up.
No kidding. I feel like I've just been visited by the Ghost of GeoCities Past.
No kidding. I feel like I've just been visited by the Ghost of GeoCities Past.
Well he is using X10 modules. Actually I think you have the time period about right. I remember seeing this site back sometime in the mid to late 90' for the first time.
Not technically Denver. He's in the Boulder/Lafayette area. His address is 2510 Blue Heron Circle, Lafayette, CO. It's publicly available in several Boulder Daily Camera news articles, just in case anyone decides to nuke me for posting personal information. Article link where i found it is below. http://www.dailycamera.com/ci_13109068
In 2004 this was outed as a hoax, he admitted it didn't work. I assume it does now?
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A32286-2004Dec28.html
Since it is not in the summary, here's a direct link to the Controllable Christmas Lights for Celiac Disease.
And here's an overly long, but complete history of 'em: part1 and part2.
Hulk SMASH Celiac Disease
No kidding. I feel like I've just been visited by the Ghost of GeoCities Past.
Where's dancing Jesus and the Hamsters?
The shepherds did so well protecting the flock that the sheep no longer believed that wolves existed.