Here are some instructions on how to make a data cable for a Garmin eTrex GPS receiver. This is very useful to save yourself $50 by buying one from Garmins website. Plus, its a fun activity to do on a rainy day. We got it working correctly the first time, so this shouldn't be so hard to do!
Just in time for the holidays- We have a nice recipe to warm up your holiday shopping adventures! To complete this hack you will need the following (inexpensive) items:
One battery operated stereo or boom-box (the louder the better)
One blank cassette tape
One cage
One Padlock or other mechanism that will keep contents of the cage permanently inside
Batteries (to power the stereo)
With all the consumerism that goes on in our American shopping malls, we feel that people could better spend their time or money doing other things rather than waste it away in facilities that employ enticingly clever marketing schemes designed to steal your hard earned cash.
What ever happened to making someone a thoughtful gift? It seems as though the more money spent on an item, the happier someone is to receive it. We also wonder why people have been trampled within inches of their lives during a shopping craze over a “Tickle Me Elmo,” new Xbox 360, or whatever the season’s hot item may be. Shopping truly is the All-American pastime. We work so hard for our money to just give it away. And no one stops to ask if the things that they are buying are really necessary for existence.
Our objective is to make consumers aware that they should be questioning their roles and function within the shopping mall atmosphere by continuously looping the “The Star Spangled Banner”. To stop this hack, someone will have to commit an “unpatriotic” act against the device playing a “patriotic” theme. The end of this hack will comment on this relationship in what we believe to be a meaningful, playful, and fun way.
NOTE: This hack can take whatever form you like and can be configured to fit your own vision. Your version of this hack does not have to pertain to shopping in any way at all. You may use these steps to create your own voice of reason for whatever issue that needs attention in your area.
The Recipe: Now that you have all the materials listed above you can get going on this.
First, record your message onto a cassette tape. Make sure to leave 5 to 10 minutes of silence at the beginning of the tape. This will leave enough time for you to evacuate the area after installation. Your message should loop continuously front and back to ensure that it is heard. We decided to use the Star Spangled Banner (performed poorly by a high school band.)
Secondly, prepare your cage in whatever manner you see fit. You may paint additional messages on it or put some nifty Gothacked.org stickers on there! Make sure your cage can be securely locked up so that nothing can get in or out of it. Also make sure that your cage will fit the stereo you have chosen.
Third, place the batteries into the tape playing unit and throw the cassette tape into the stereo. By this time you should have tested your ability to lock the stereo into the cage so that it can never be opened unless it is smashed or cut. You're pretty much ready to roll at this point.
Pick a location that will best serve your purpose. To document this, we made sure to have someone (with a hidden camera) shopping inconspicuously for at least an hour before we arrived on the site.
Now, the fun part: Simply walk into the establishment as covertly and inconspicuously as possibly with the cage and the radio (not playing.) Go to wherever the space is densely populated, hit play on the radio, lock the radio in the cage, and then take off (you have roughly 5 minutes until this thing starts booming away!)
Another day, another five dollar cup of coffee from a homogenous corporate chain. Well, at least not today. With this action we set up a small table next to Starbucks on Buffalo's Elmwood Avenue. The table held fresh brewed coffee, cream, sugar, cups and spoons and was equipped with a sign that read "Free Coffee & Conversation."
For a few hours on a chilly day people walking down the busy Elmwood Avenue could have a free cup of joe and some decent conversation. With a simple gift of a cup of coffee people began to become open and willing to share their stories and ideas. Our invitation offered people a place to interact with each other in public unbound from the role of consumer.
All you have to do is get a couple nice pieces of cardboard. Cut them up to look like an Automatic Teller Machine.
Apply a lot of duct tape to make sure it stays together. Dont be shy, you don't want this thing falling apart.
Then apply paint in a liberal manner, making sure to let it splash wherever it wants to go. Make nice little buttons for the people to push. Try and make it look like an ATM machine as best as you can.
Another day, another five dollar cup of coffee from a homogenous corporate chain. Well, at least not today. With this action we set up a small table next to Starbucks on Buffalo's Elmwood Avenue. The table held fresh brewed coffee, cream, sugar, cups and spoons and was equipped with a sign that read "Free Coffee & Conversation."
