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Video: surviving Pleo loses remaining autonomy, gets controlled by Wii Nunchuk
Aw, how timely. Shortly after the Pleo lineage fell victim to economic pressures, an all-too-cute video has surfaced showing a remaining creature being controlled by a Wii Nunchuk. In reality, the underlying abuse here is quite sad -- for those unaware, Pleo was designed to be entirely autonomous, and the first step to regaining control over it is to implement a "Pleo Stunner" in order to shock him into silence. From there, an XBee-based solution is used to tap into his control system and override every single instinct the poor sap ever had. If you're into this type of sadistic torture (or you're just an aspiring dictator), check the read link for all the instructions you need to fulfill your own evil desires. For those just interested in a good chuckle, the vid's after the break. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Video: Solar-powered theremin shoved into Altoids can
Look out, modders -- the venerable Altoids tin is making a comeback. Shortly after the YBox2 rekindled our love for the immensely versatile box, along comes James G. Watt with yet another fantastical creation. The device you're gazing at above is a solar-powered theremin, which is good for making all sorts of cacophonic sounds anywhere that sunlight is abundant. For those unfamiliar with such gizmos, head on past the break for an admittedly strange sounding demonstration. [Via MAKE]
YBox2 DIY networked set-top box keeps the dream alive
The YBox was pretty much destined to become a hit with the DIY crowd just as soon as it was handed 15 spectacular minutes at last summer's Maker Faire. For those who reckoned the project would fade into the sunset as quickly as it arrived, we've got news proving your assumptions wrong... dead wrong. YBox2 has at long last arrived to the party, ready to serve up widgets and all sorts of pertinent information on your television screen. The new kit boasts an 80MHz Parallax Propeller chip and functions with any NTSC / PAL TV and any DHCP-compatible router -- and yes, it still all fits within a flashy Altoids tin. Score![Via MAKE]
The curiously strong homemade sensor bar
The Altoids tin is a handy enclosure for various electrical projects, as evidenced by this homemade wireless sensor bar, crafted by benheck.com forum user ghosstt (well-known in his community for his exceedingly fresh breath). It's a simple enough project -- just two Altoids tins with LEDs and switches attached, and batteries inside. It's a functional and cheap way for projector users to get the sensor bar across the room. You know, for all those projector owners who are keeping an eye on their budgets. The flexibility of the Wiimote's camera is the source of some of the most interesting hacks -- since it recognizes pretty much any infrared light source as a reference point for pointer movement, you can do things that vary from changing the function of the Wiimote (as in Johnny Lee's light-pen whiteboard) to swapping out the stationary light source with something made from Radio Shack parts and garbage (like this).[Via GoNintendo]
Ybox: the set-top internet box in an Altoids tin
The folks at Uncommon Projects have taken the venerable Altoids tin where no Altoids tin has gone before, turning the scarily-versatile mint case into an always-on Internet appliance that'll work with any old TV. Dubbed the Ybox, the device works a bit like an Atari 2600-era Konfabulator, delivering a constant stream of stock quotes, weather forecasts, and other customizable information in ultra low res-fashion, controllable with nothing more than your standard TV remote. Currently, the Ybox requires an ethernet cable to get that info, though the developers say WiFi's a possibility in the future. Unfortunately, this is only a proof-of-concept device, meaning that you can't get your hands on one, although its intrepid creators do tantalizingly say that it's ultra-cheap to make, yet fail to make any plans available. Let's hope that their second place finish at Yahoo's recent Hack Day event will spur them to crank these suckers out, bring-yo'-own-tin-style.
Hack gives Minty Boost to an iPod battery
Another hack in the grand tradition of Altoids tin usage, the Minty Boost hack from from Ladyada is a new external iPod battery pack that uses AA batteries and some design smarts to about double the battery life of your iPod. The last time we saw an Altoids-based charger for the iPod it was running off of some 9v batteries, making the hack a simple one, but not very efficient. By using cheap and available AAs, the Minty Boost should make quite the addition to your collection of iPod accessories -- as long as you can manage to follow along at home with Ladyada's detailed instructions. Luckily, she's quite thorough, and even has a kit available to make things even easier. Plus a little bit of fresh breath never hurt anybody.[Via Hack-A-Day]
Altoids case from an iPod Shuffle
Apple should pursue some sort of co-branding opportunities with the Altoid company. There was the Altoid Nano dock, the Altoids Shuffle case, the Altoids external battery, and the Altoids USB charger. Now we have an iPod Shuffle that has been converted into an Altoids case. The full instructions are here, if you happen to have a spare Shuffle and too many Altoids on your hands.[via Make]
