While most of the devices found here on Engadget have
digital displays, there's something to be said for an elegant older-style analog dial readout. A clever fellow in Santa Monica,
California has just created "The Device: Patented Process Indicating Apparatus," a pair of dials (plus a liquid-like substance along with a big red dot on the top), that will keep track of several things that need metering. That includes anything from "CPU Usage" to eBay Auction Status" to our personal favorite, "The Current GDP of Uzbekistan." From what we can tell, "The Device" connects to your Windows machine (Mac / Linux support is coming soon, apparently) and displays some piece of data generated from your computer or culled from the internet. David Glickman, the Device's creator, hasn't listed a release date nor a retail price for his creation, but we're hoping that one of the dials on his prototype is ticking down to when he's shipping us one. Oh and Mr. Glickman, couldn't you have come up with a better name for this thing -- "The Device" just isn't doing it for us, thanks.
posted Oct 15th 2006 7:35PM
This should compliment the SteamPunk laptop very nicely.
http://www.engadget.com/2006/10/13/steampunk-laptop-comes-complete-with-morse-key/
All in all this kinda reminds me of the e-Helment on Aqua Teen Hunger Force with all the analog attachments:
http://www.aquateencentral.com/epguide/edork.php
this would be very awesome with one being download speed, one being upload speed, and the tube thingie getting brighter as the download progresses, and the red light turning on when its finished.
i'd buy one of it was under 100$.
"Oh and Mr. Glickman, couldn't you have come up with a better name for this thing -- 'The Device' just isn't doing it for us, thanks." -- I dunno; it has a certain mad scientist feel to it.
Been done already - Ambient Devices "Dashboard":
http://www.ambientdevices.com/cat/dashboard/index.html
Analog dials (3). Colored orbs. they even have a weather umbrella.
I'm sure you could get the "The Current GDP of Uzbekistan" if you wanted it. I've been using the weather beacon for over a year now and just love it.
It's actually "Glicksman" FYI :)
ambient devices dashboard doesn't have a liquid that changes colors! besides this thing looks FAR cooler!
also, from my glance over of the ambient device thing it doesnt plug directly into your computer, it updates wirelessly over the network, which seems to me would imply less control over the device, but that is just me.
Where can I get suggestions for building something like this?
Awesome for your Victorian high tech room a'la Diamond Age.
"Device: Patented Process Indicating Apparatus"
don't you guys get it? DPPIA
DaPaPaYa... "The Papaya"
the name is an anagram that actually refers to the mystery substance in the vial. Must I carry you all along? Come on folks think!
Nice device, but hopefully Microsoft isn't looking at the screenshots. Take a look at the tray. It's always nice to post full screencaps while using a pirated version of Windows.
'Scuse my ingnorance, but how can you tell? The "ZA"? The big M? All I'm seeing is a dude still running win98, or some win98 skin for xp, but I've never gotten the time to build my own machine and have thus never had occasion to gank a copy of windows. So I wouldn't know what the stigmata are.
Mind enlightening a brother?
Grimbus
The Star object is the Windows Genuine Advantage tool. It only appears when the copy of XP isn't genuine. He isn't running Win98, its XP in classic mode.