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Hack A Day (beta)

14/11/2004
Furtherfield

Welcome to Hack A Day (beta), a web-zine project that is feverishly “dedicated in cataloging all the best hacks and D.I.Y projects on the Internet”. This mischievous group do emphasize that it is in beta mode, although since Oct 7, 2004 there have been plenty of explorative hackers out there willing to contribute their everyday, creative hacking experiences with others via this very informative and useful web site. It is a non-art parallel to runme.org.

There are many inventive submissions on this site. An old 1940s phone is turned into a Bluetooth headset, an etch-a-sketch is turned into an electr-o-sketch, which attaches to a hacked mouse, a guide to hacking the ipod remote and how to control it in various other ways, like wiring up your jacket, or wrist watch. This site has all the info, connections, signals and protocols to pull it off.

Phillip Torrone, who set up the ‘Hack A Day (beta)’ site with some other enthusiastic friends, says, “i thought it was time to have one spot on the web with all the things you can do with iPods, digital cameras, consoles, portables, locks, macs, pcs, anything that can be changed, updated or hacked. A lot of the desire to do this is so i don’t have to hunt around as much for ideas. The goal is for anyone who has an old pda, a tivo, an atari, an ipod, xbox, or any device just sitting around, then hits hackaday.com, bang, sees all the things that folks can do with it to void the already expired warranty or get more out of it”.

Not only is this a great project with an accessible format and a refreshingly playful attitude, it successfully breaks down the tiresome barriers that specialists, geekdom sites and affiliated groups often inadvertently create. It is a geek’s paradise, yet simultaneously a welcoming forum for those who are truly interested in extending their electronic equipment but are usually put off by much of the usual mystifying jargonistic language. Anyone can use this site, regardless of their hacking experience. Just go to Hack A Day (beta), and I am sure you will find something that will improve or enhance your knowledge of hacking. It is straightforward and direct, communicating in a way that challenges the fetishism around the use of technology.