Year: 2008

Lori Drew Not Guilty Of Felony Computer Hacking

November 26, 2008 by 27 Comments

Today, a Los Angeles jury acquitted [Lori Drew] of three felony computer hacking charges. She was convicted of three misdemeanor counts for accessing a computer without authorization. The 49-year-old Missouri resident posed as a teenage boy on MySpace and harassed her daughter’s estranged friend [Megan Meier], who then committed suicide. The case came to our attention in May because of it’s unorthodox use of the federal Computer Fraud and Abuse Act. Prosecutors charged that by violating MySpace’s Terms of Service, [Drew] had gained unlawful access to their computers for the purpose of harming others, an equivalent to computer hacking. While an interesting approach to cyberbullying, it would set a very dangerous precedent for anyone that had violated a TOS before (all of us). The case broke when [Drew]’s employee [Ashley Grills] testified that no one involved had read the TOS, that the hoax was all her idea, and that she sent the final message to [Meier].

USB Power From Your VGA Port

November 26, 2008 by 41 Comments

vga_usb

[gmgfarrand] needed an extra USB port to power some devices. Since he just needed power, and no data, he slapped together this quick adapter that pulls power from the vga port instead. While we’re not sure if this could possibly damage your video card if you pull too much power from it, we’re happy to see someone being original. That VGA port goes unused so often, this adapter might just make it a tad more useful.

[thanks Adam]

Build A Portable NES

November 26, 2008 by 5 Comments

portable_nes

[1up] has posted his portable NES as an entry for the Sanyo Eneloop contest. We’ve seen some really cool portable builds, but this one has a complete step by step writeup of the process too. Many of these projects start with the little all in one devices that contain 99 games already. [1up] wanted to use original hardware so you could play any cartridge you could get. He used a complete NES and a portable PS1 screen. The total project cost was roughly $130, if you don’t include all the stuff he broke in the process.

Not only does he make it portable, but also points out easy ways to improve your experience. One example is to disable the lockout chip. This was an anti piracy precaution from Nintendo. If the cartridge doesn’t pass this, it won’t play. Often, games won’t pass due to something as simple dirty contact. He explains all of this and takes you through the process of disabling the chip so everything can run smoother.

He has it all encased in a clear box. Some people prefer a more professional finish, but we have to admit that seeing the guts is pretty cool.

How-to: Read A FedEx Kinko’s Smart Card (SLE4442)

November 25, 2008 by 28 Comments

Our wallets are filling up with SIM and RFID cards that contain hidden information. Using our latest project, the Bus Pirate universal serial interface, we can dump the memory from many common smart cards. In today’s How-to, we show you how to interface common smart cards, and walk you through the data stored on a FedEx Kinko’s prepaid value card.

Continue reading “How-to: Read A FedEx Kinko’s Smart Card (SLE4442)” →

Fuzebox, Open Source Gaming

November 25, 2008 by 14 Comments

fuzebox

Adafruit has just put their Uzebox based console into production. The Fuzebox is an 8bit game console based around the ATmega644-20PU microcontroller. Full 256 color 240×224 resolution video output is provide by either a composite connection or svideo. There is an SD card slot on board for future expansion. The chip takes care of all the I/O, so you just need to write your game code in C on top of it.

The kit looks easy to assemble. Almost all of the components are through-hole. The video chip is SMD and comes presoldered to the board. The kit has two SNES controller ports included, but you can use NES ports too. There are three ways you can load your program onto the board: 6pin FTDI, ICSP10, and ICSP6.

Processing 1.0

November 25, 2008 by 18 Comments

Processing, the open source programming language designed for artists and other creative types, finally went 1.0. Processing inspired numerous outpourings of creativity and beauty, from interactive art installations to sound sculptures. Improvements to Processing include OpenGL anti-aliasing, an extensible Tools menu, and the XML library included by default. You can read up on the changes or download Processing and start playing with it yourself.

[via Create Digital Motion]

Xbox 360 Arcade Controller

November 25, 2008 by 18 Comments

360_arcade

[weirdo] sent in this sweet Xbox 360 arcade controller project(translated). He really wanted an arcade controller for the new Mortal Kombat game. After noticing that the expensive retail arcade controllers were missing the trigger buttons, he decided to hack his own together. After dissecting the controller, he soldered in some break out boxes. This will allow him pretty easy reconfiguration. Wanting some additional customization, he added LEDs to the buttons. Most people add LEDs to the buttons, so that’s not a huge deal, but he also added one to the ball on the end of the joystick. That added touch almost makes us forget that this thing is housed in a pizza box. To be fair, he wants to refine the button layout for a while before he makes a final enclosure.

We covered a very similar project last year, but it has since disappeared from its original site. You may also remember the slick Wireless PS2 arcade controller from back in June.