2014 Group Project
Requirements/desiderata
- Minimal explanation for the audience
- Easy to accomplish
Ideas
Humans versus zombies
Participants are issued badges that pin to clothing. Zombie badges broadcast an infrared signal (possibly only when a button is pushed). If a human badge receives that signal, the human is turned into a zombie.
Badges have to be visible. You never know if someone is a zombie. Maybe there should be an incentive not to avoid anyone with a badge - perhaps you get a point if you make contact with another human.
In zombie mythology, it's usually pretty obvious who's a zombie and who isn't. I'd say have a distinctive red blink pattern for zombies, and then require a zombie to e.g. press a button for 2 seconds to "attack" a human. If the human notices the attack, she/he can turn away and/or run and the attack is unsuccessful. Else that human's badge beeps loudly and starts blinking the zombie pattern. --rmd6502 (talk) 20:46, 5 February 2014 (UTC)
(mg) This could get ugly :) It's a good idea for trying to get the entire attendee community involved, like at Figment, but maybe a bit much for MakerFaire? Also, how many would we have to make??
(robby o) I like this idea as well...can we do diff projects for Makerfaire and Figment?
50 is probably a good number. At Maker Faire it is an added benefit that we could sell them. --Guan (talk) 20:33, 5 February 2014 (UTC)
This could be a cellular automaton game - the probability of converting a human to a zombie is proportional to the number of zombies attacking vs the number of humans in range. Both much simpler and much more complicated to implement. --rmd6502 (talk)
New take on old technology
Tin cans
Two high tech tin cans with microphones and speakers, that will only work if the string is taut.
I like it - we could hang these all over the island. In fact, if I can get my attiny85 sound project working, we could use that as the codec, and use either wireless or let the string be a wire. --rmd6502 (talk)
(mg) I like both suggestions.
(robby o): love it!
Typewriter ASCII art
A webcam takes a photo. A typewriter style printer renders it as ASCII art. Reference re: teleprinters: [1]
I like this idea, except that it would of necessity be slow - we want to get a lot of throughput through our booth.
Throughput is not as important as being simple to explain. A typewriter also provides something to look at. It's ok if there's a line.
IP over avian carriers implementation
Two nodes communicate with the full IP stack, using notes that are passed by something low tech. Pigeons will be too much hassle. Maybe toy cars?
(rmd) Drones!
(mg) Yeah, I think it's about time we built some of these. This would be a good group project. We could hack something like toy cars for bodies if you'd like.
Printing Press
A modern take on movable type. Slide in a sheet of paper, roll ink over an 8x8 (roughly) grid of 'pixels' made of rubber pads, and actuate the solenoids to reproduce a pixel pattern on the paper. With a satisfying 'clunk'.
(robby o.): support this idea!
I am strongly opposed to this idea because it would not only be very difficult to build, but it would take too much explanation to each person who walks up to it. --Guan (talk) 20:27, 5 February 2014 (UTC)
Clocks/timekeeping
An hourglass (or some other old school timekeeping technology) calibrated by GPS.
Cryptography/security/NSA
One time pads
A hardware random number generator (based on avalanche noise) prints one time pads for free on thermal paper, that also includes a guide for encrypting using the one time pad. Probably using Base36 and XOR.
(mg) Doesn't sound like as much fun as the others.
(robby o) I like this...maybe we can build an Enigma Machine replica?
Branding: "Unbreakable Crypto Stand" … That's broken in half --rmd6502 (talk)
