Celebrating his first Christmas with his three-year-old daughter after separating with his wife, [Alec] decided to finally get a tree. He’s not religious or anything, but it’s a fun holiday for kids, so he decided to get in the spirit. But he had to make his own LED ornaments.
He started out buying a plastic Christmas tree and immediately regretted his decision. So he returned it and got a live Norfolk pine tree instead — one that if you keep it in a pot, will last year round as a houseplant. Didn’t have to deal with the plastic-vs-murder dilemma many people celebrating Christmas have to deal with.
His first step was wiring up the tree with DC power to allow him to connect his future ornaments. For now, he’s only made three — but the intention is as his daughter gets older (and hopefully likes tinkering), will make new ones with him in the years to come!
To start, he has a touch sensitive icicle, a glowing eyeball, and a robotic “ho ho ho” — the last one sounds rather creepy to be honest. Take a look at the video below, and maybe get some ideas for your next nerdy Christmas ornament!
While you’re at it, a moisture sensor hooked up to an IoT device will message you when the tree is thirsty!
“plastic-vs-murder dilemma”: If you’re worried about the environmental implications of “murdering” a tree, you shouldn’t be doing anything with electronics; they are far more disruptive to the environment.
“I didn’t murder the tree, he pulled a knife on me, it was self defence!”
Seriously, xmas trees are farmed to be cut down.
And you cant murder a tree or any other animal for that matter. Murder is specific to humans.
Animals can murder each other. It’s still murder; it’s just not punishable by our laws, and their laws usually allow it.
This thread is hilarious. I was joking in TFA.
“Celebrating his first Christmas with his three-year-old daughter after separating with his wife”
Wasn’t super necessary to put this in the article. He probably just wants to move past it all, hopefully he already has.
“He’s not religious or anything”
This wasn’t necessary either, but hey we’ve got to follow the script.
If he had a problem with the divorce being mentioned he probably wouldn’t put it into his own article on his blog that is the source of this had article :).
I’m pretty fond of my constructed from plastic reproduction of Charlie Brown’s Christmas tree. Christmas trees as a cash crop will leave us that much more petroleum to make cheesy ornaments with. To head off protests of not having any Christmas decorations I have rickety a table top nativity set I drag out of the closest and purchase a poinsettia plant for or two.