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Six gifts for your paranoid friends and family
It pays to be paranoid in a time of rampant breaches, social media account extortion, identity theft, fake security products, ransomware, and hack attacks on all. That's why we've put together a gift guide for those among us who don't want to find out they have a security issue the hard way. Typically that would include things like VPN subscriptions or password manager recommendations, but that's no fun when it comes time for everyone to open their presents. That's why we've selected six sweet gadgets that'll protect the privacy and security of those you care about. Carefully screened to keep out the "security snake oil" products flooding the gadget market, our picks have been selected with a keen eye on things that actually work to fight attacks that actually happen.
14 ingenious hacks for problems you didn't know you had
People can be crazy, yo. But where there's a will, there's a way that can lead to all sorts of fantastic oddities in the gadget world. Today's community of hackers, makers and DIY fanatics oftentimes work together to find solutions to problems we didn't know we had. They develop innovative products (without all that Kickstarter/Indiegogo hoopla) and often provide open-source instructions for anyone with more can-do attitude than cash. In honor of these ambitious gadget hackers, we've highlighted a few of the more interesting projects from over the years, ranging from the practical to the party starter. [Image: Ruiz Brothers via Adafruit]
This Arduino hackaphone was never going to be pretty, but it does the job
Okay, we'll admit that it looks a bit like a baby monitor. But in contrast to those over-engineered pieces of parenting paraphernalia, this DIY cellphone can actually make calls and send texts over GPRS. More importantly, Hackaday claims it was put together by a lone hacker ("Victorzie") from an assortment of off-the-shelf and modded parts, including a TFT touchscreen, lithium ion battery, charging circuit, GPRS module and shield. These components were hooked up to an Arduino Uno microcontroller running a barebones UI and then jammed into a 3D printed case, which makes the device look far more pocketable than some previous hackaphone efforts. The end result inspires big respect for the creator, but also, more grudgingly, for the pro engineers at places like Nokia, who can pull all this stuff together and even get it FCC-approved for just a few dollars.
Homebrew 8-bit computer packs in 16 cores, multitasks like a champ
It looks like Jack Eisenmann has done it again. A couple of years after the hobbyist hacker built his first 8-bit computer, he's cobbled together yet another one, but this time with a whopping 16 cores. Appropriately dubbed the DUO Mega, the multicore wonder is made with 16 ATMega328p microcontrollers, each connected to an 8-bit data bus and designed to interpret a custom bytecode that runs the software. Compiled inside a nondescript plastic bin, the machine is also comprised of 16MHz crystal oscillators attached to each of the aforementioned cores, three Arduino UNO boards, 32kb of SRAM, 512kb of flash memory, eight breadboards, an Ethernet shield, a VGA out port and a multitude of components that combine to look like that mess of wires seen above. Because of all that processing power, this relatively primitive machine multitasks beautifully and can perform complicated calculations at an impressive clip. To get a demo of what this marvelous feat of DIY computing can do, have a peek at Eisenmann's video, complete with an 8-bit soundtrack, after the break.
Hack a Day modder builds a custom controller for disabled gamers
Sure, when tinkerer Caleb Kraft found out that pressure switches marketed at the disabled were massively overpriced, he got mad like anybody else. But then he decided to get even the best way he knew how: by building his own, and posting the plans for all to follow on Hack a Day for free. The project came about via a kid with muscular dystrophy named Thomas, who enjoyed Minecraft but may eventually lose the ability to hold a controller or use a mouse and keyboard. Caleb's idea was to build low-pressure switches using a 3D printer and simply map them to the Minecraft keyboard and mouse commands using a $20 Teensy board. He posted his plans online, but since he feels they could be improved on, also created a site called the Controller Project (see the More Coverage link). From there, those in need of a custom device can make a request, other modders can post their own plans and builders can use them to make controllers for donation. Since more is always merrier for such things, if you have those skills or know someone who needs them, hit the source for more info.
Build your own 80,000 volt Thor hammer, what could possibly go wrong?
When someone says "The idea is extremely simple, a tiny tesla coil inside a fake hammer" we look up "simple in the dictionary just to check. This is Hack a day though, where simple can mean almost anything -- in this case a genuine electrified Mjölnir replica. All you need to make your own is the aforementioned tesla coil (you have one right?), some foam, a battery pack and, well... the ability to follow instructions. Fittingly, the first attempt at Thor's hammer went on a saga of its own, suffering damage at the hands of the delivery service en route to a studio. No bother for our resident hacksters though, who patched it back up in no time to the fully functioning -- if a little over-sized -- model you'll see in the video past the break.
Oculight LED hack gives the Oculus Rift a hint of peripheral vision (video)
Although the Oculus Rift is one of the more ambitious attempts at making virtual reality accessible, its lack of peripheral version is all too familiar -- it's much like staring into a pair of portholes. Rather than let the disorientation persist unaltered, though, Hack A Day has taken matters into its own hands. Its Oculight hack puts an RGB LED strip inside the headpiece, with the colored lighting set to match the edge of the screen through Adalight code. The result is much like Philips' Ambilight, but arguably more useful: the virtual world's light "leaks" into the wearer's real peripheral view, adding to the immersion. Oculight clearly isn't for sale and needs a refined installation to create the ideal effect, but the readily available resources will let anyone with an Oculus Rift development kit build their own solution.
Simple wallet hack uses magnetic alarms to stave off pickpockets
We just wrapped up our tour of duty at MWC dodging the notorious pickpockets in Barcelona, so perhaps that's why we're particularly intrigued by Cabel Kraft's anti-snatch wallet hack over at Hackaday. Most billfold alarms rely on a light trigger, which can be problematic if the thief squirrels away his prize for a later reveal. Kraft solves that issue by using magnetic alarms -- the sort attached to windows for break-in alerts -- that set off when the wallet is removed from the victim's pocket. He did have to remove a lot of the alarm's bulk and alter the location of the reed switch, but the setup seems otherwise uncomplicated. If you'd like to prevent your wallet from getting picked and have some soldering chops to boot, have a peek at Kraft's handiwork at the source or just view the video after the break.
Wii Homebrew channel sneaks onto Wii U, sticks with what it knows
Back in 2010, Ninteno's waggle-riffic wonder would occasionally pulsate with a charming blue glow: update me, it said, I have hackers to fight. Although its efforts were quickly circumvented by Hackmii's LetterBomb installer, the Wii's 4.3 update was Nintendo's last stand against the homebrew community -- it hasn't offered an update since. That isn't to say Kyoto's game giant gave up, though; Wii U owners can find a tweaked version of the system menu hidden away in the system's backwards compatibility mode, featuring just enough updated code to block existing exploits. It didn't take the community long to catch up, though -- the homebrew channel was working its way onto select systems using tried and true methods since launch day. Now, the HackMii team has compiled an official installer, letting the average joe bypass the menu's IOS files with ease. Like the PlayStation Vita's PSP-based homebrew loader, this exploit is trapped in the sandbox of its original hardware, effectively blocking it from making the most of the Wii U's fancy internals. It's a modest start (and perhaps a little too easy), but its encouraging to see both Nintendo and the modding community sticking to their guns. Check out HackMii's fancywork at the source below, and give us a buzz if you manage to find your way outside of Nintendo's last-gen sandbox.
Your Portal gun isn't as cool as Hack-a-Day's Portal gun (which actually levitates a companion cube)
There you were, thinking your NECA-produced Portal gun replica was super neat all on its own. Well, okay -- it is -- but wouldn't it be even cooler if you could use it to make a baby companion cube levitate in mid-air with it? That question is exactly what lead to Hack a Day's creation of just such a device, as seen in the video below the break. By reappropriating a magnetic floating globe's parts and attaching said parts to both the gun and a homemade companion cube, Hack a Day were able to recreate at least part of the magic Chell experiences in her Aperture Science adventures. Of course, if you move the gun too much, the companion cube will fall out. Just think what that does to its psyche! You monster. [Image credit: Caleb Kraft, Hack a Day]
Bug-zapping lightsaber built in minutes, ready to fry pests
Simulated Jedi training not passing muster? Something more firmly grounded in reality might fit the bill. Hack a Day's bug zapping lightsaber, for instance, is suitably real -- and what it lacks in actual lasers it makes up for in insect annihilation. As the amalgamation of a Star Wars toy and an electrified bug racket, the zapper saber isn't exactly a looker -- two layers of metal mesh wrap awkwardly around the toy's telescoping blade, secured only by electrical tape and the sheer will of the force. All told, the contraption was constructed in roughly 20 minutes and Hack a Day reckons that more elaborate ones can be crafted with a tad more time and materials. Head past the break to catch the build process in motion.
Homemade electronic drum kit uses plastic bowls, serves battery-powered battery
Drums and parents go together like cheese and gravel, but if the little ones want to learn, the smart buy is a headphone friendly electric kit. Proud / sneaky parent Ian Cole, on the other hand, decided that a portable set of digital drums would be the ideal way to share his son's "talent" with the grand-folk. Using an ATmega168-based "Drum Kit - Kit Ai" from SpikenzieLabs, some piezos to register hits -- wired up via plastic plumbing tubes -- and a bit of imagination (ok, actually MIDI and Garage Band), he knocked up a fully whackable six-piece kit so Junior can get his Bonham on during those precious weekend visits. There's no word on whether pops will make a wearable version for added family fun, but if you want to see it in action check the video after the break.
Hacker builds allegedly pointless data network out of Lego train set
How can we appreciate bullet-quick SSDs and fiber networks without pausing -- at the year's end -- to appreciate where it all came from? We should think back to before the birth of modern computing, even before the telegraph, to a time when bits of data were forced to travel everywhere by train. A hacker named Maximilien has now recreated that locomotive golden era using Lego, Arduino and Linux, and what his system lacks in bandwidth it more than makes up for in historical relevance. A USB flash key is borne by miniature railway carriage from station to station, stopping at each one to unload or pickup information and thus creating its own barebones networking protocol. Click the source link to appreciate the full museum piece.
Arduino-powered modder recreates 'first PC'
Before the Altair 8800, before the SCElBI, there was the Kenbak-1 -- considered to be the first personal computer by the Computer History Museum. Designed in 1970, it used Transistor-Transistor logic instead of a microprocessor -- which is one of the reasons only 40 of the units were ever sold, of which 14 are known to still exist today. That's what prompted modder funnypolynomial to produce his own using an Arduino. It may look a little more functional than the gloriously retro hexagonal design of the original, but it wouldn't take much to copy that look, too. What are you waiting for? Get ordering your blinkenlights!
Hack your RPTV to double the screen size
Although we seldom find anything relative to HD on Hack A Day, we love to read about all the cool projects. But today is different as someone has devised a way to take a rear projection HDTV and buy a bigger screen for it. Although we question if this is any better/cheaper than just buying a projector, this might me a good way to go if you want to reuse your old HDTV. But aside from the questionable practicality, and possible loss in brightness from this hack, it's pretty cool -- and well documented.[Via Hack A Day]
Create your own Mac tablet
Many Mac users have wanted a tablet for years, but Apple has definitely failed to deliver such a device. But if you think that the ModBook is too expensive, or if you're the DIY type, then why not build your own Mac tablet? Hack-A-Day has posted a gallery of images showing some of the various types of DIY (Do-It-Yourself) Mac tablets. If you are too scared to start ripping apart a Mac notebook and blindly build your own tablet Mac, then why not take a peek at this Instructables project. If you have built your own Mac tablet before, be sure to tell us about it in the comments. Thanks, Victor!
Don't like your pre-amp? Build your own!
If you're big into do-it-yourself electronics, and feeling like your existing off-the-shelf pre-amplifier just isn't cutting it, Hack a day has the plans for you, with schematics and photos of a 7.1-channel pre-amp design sporting RCA, SPDIF, XLR, and USB inputs, and a VFD display to show you what's going on. The design is very professional-looking, and despite the glaring lack of analog tubes, it's sure to please any soldering audiophiles.
The comprehensive guide to pwn1ng your T-Mobile SDA
If your SDA is feeling a little long in the tooth, don't throw cash out the window on a new device -- give 'er a makeover! Besides overclocking the 195MHz OMAP to a more palatable 240MHz, we have here some tips on unlocking the phone yourself (at no cost) and throwing Skype on there for some do-it-yourself dual mode action. Like the article says, proceed at your own warranty-voiding risk, but honestly, what red-blooded Faraday or Wizard owner hasn't putzed around with ROM images at this point?[Via Hackaday]
Xbox 360 firmware hack boots copied discs
Remember back in February when some clever hackers figured out how to embed code into the firmware of the original Xbox's DVD drive, allowing it to bypass the security measures and boot copied discs without checking the veracity of that disc? Well, at the tail end of the console's life span, the impact wasn't nearly as devastating as it could have been; unfortunately, a nearly identical hack has been performed on the Xbox 360, as long as it uses the Toshiba-Samsung TS-H943 DVD drive.The hack allows your 360 to boot both Xbox and Xbox 360 "backups" while retaining the ability to boot original games. It also allows the drive to be run under Windows, streamlining the ripping process. As Eliot reminds us, the success of this bootlegging effort will take much of the steam out of the homebrew pursuit to run executable code on the console. Will Microsoft be able to remedy this remotely, or is a hardware change in order?[Via hack a day]
Floppy Disk Striped Raid on a Bondi Blue iMac
I have a little ditty for you dear TUAW reader:Oh how I love RAIDs, both useful and contrived!What beauty when my data is striped,Large or small, my data is safe with all.Take for example, this lovely Bondi Blue iMac with no less than five floppy disk drives (FDD's) "melded" into a " single super duper kalimazooper floppy drive." Pure poetry.[Thank you Hack-A-Day reader tutejszy!]
