It was one of those weeks, where Elliot and Dan found a bounty of interesting hacks to choose from for the podcast, making it hard to pick. But pick we did, and we found so many deep and important questions. What good is a leaky HDMI cable? Good for falling down a TEMPEST-like rabbit hole, that’s what. Why would you use a ton of clay to make a car? Because it’s cool, that’s why. What does an electron look like? A little like a wiggling wire, but mostly it looks like a standing wave… of waves.

Is artificial intelligence going to take over all the code and start suing us for copyright violations? Maybe yes, maybe no, but we’re definitely in a strange, new world. And when all our media is on demand, what is the spectrum that broadcasters currently use going to be good for?

It’s not all heavy questions, of course; we found a lot of fun hacks, like an extreme drill press makeover, a couple of low-power cyberdecks, the return of Norm Abram in glorious AI-generated HD, getting up close and personal with flip dot displays, and a sled that lets you go uphill as easily as going downhill.

Check out the links below if you want to follow along, and as always, tell us what you think about this episode in the comments!

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Episode 209 Show Notes:

News:

• Hackspaces that need some help
  • London Hackspace
  • xHain hack+makespace
• Stranded Motorist Effects Own Rescue Using A Drone And A Cell Phone

What’s that Sound?

• If you think you know what this week’s sound is, we have just the form for you!  Enter and you’ll have a chance to win.

Interesting Hacks of the Week:

• Pulling Data From HDMI RF Leakage
  • Tempest for Eliza
  • TEMPEST: A Tin Foil Hat For Your Electronics And Their Secrets
• Norm Abram Is Back, And Thanks To AI, Now In HD
• Yesterday’s Drill Press Packed With Tomorrow’s Upgrades
• What Does An Electron Look Like?
• Low Power Challenge: The PotatoP Runs Lisp For Months Without Recharging
• TRS-80 Model 100 Inspires Cool Cyberdeck Build, 40 Years Down The Line
• Will Carmakers Switch Clay For Computers?
  • The Adobe – Saturday Night Live – YouTube

Quick Hacks:

• Elliot’s Picks:
  • This Retro Game Console Puts Vacuum Fluorescent Display To Good Use
  • The Eyes Have It: Stare Down Your Lighting
  • FDM Printing With Resin Update
• Dan’s Picks:
  • Never Walk Uphill Again With This Motorized Sled
  • A Close Look At How Flip-Dot Displays Really Work
  • Defender Arcade Rebuilt To Settle A Childhood Memory

Can’t-Miss Articles:

• Will A.I. Steal All The Code And Take All The Jobs?
• What’s Going To Happen To Legacy Broadcast Bands When The Lights Go Out?