Linux Powered Christmas Tree 287
_xeno_ writes "Ever wondered what happens if you cross a Christmas tree with a Linux server? You get ChristmasTree.WPI.EDU. It's a Red Hat 7.2 server running on an artificial Christmas tree as a decoration. You can make the tree play different songs (no, not your browser, the tree's soundcard) by clicking on the pictures. Apparently, the ability to control the tree lights is coming soon."
Just when you think you've seen it all, someone changes what "It" is.
Brings new meaning (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Brings new meaning (Score:1)
Who are we kidding here, they are going to be in all weekend watching the Slashdot effect in real time in the logs.
/satterth
urk (Score:5, Funny)
Re:urk (Score:1)
/satterth
Re:urk (Score:1)
processor + tree ==bad (Score:1)
Re:processor + tree ==bad (Score:1)
Re:processor + tree ==bad (Score:2)
power supply is probably also a non-issue, it's being used under the base of the tree.
race conditions (Score:2)
Re:race conditions (Score:1)
Re:race conditions (Score:1)
But for how long...
Now with all the new found bandwidth after DOD got busted, I'm sure it will survive just a bit longer...
I give it just a bit longer
/satterth
World's first slashdotted Xmas tree... (Score:1)
They'll surely have their reason to postpone the ability to control its lights.
and... ? (Score:1)
move along now, nothing to see here.
- j
Re:and... ? (Score:1)
here is a clue on how not to get a christmas date (Score:5, Funny)
Re:here is a clue on how not to get a christmas da (Score:1)
I hope Santa... (Score:2, Funny)
And, amazingly, (Score:1)
Hmm... (Score:4, Funny)
Jingle Bells (Score:1)
Yeah, but does it run...
Oh, wait. I guess it does. Anyway, stand by for the incoming "imagine a Beowulf cluster..." jokes. I'm going to huddle in a corner now, trying to figure out how to get my outdoor Christmas lights up on my RH server.
Re:Jingle Bells (Score:1)
wow... (Score:1)
web fridge (Score:2, Interesting)
has a webfridge,
its the oldest running webpage I know of.
also has "Wave to the cats" and "check pauls hottub"
insanity (Score:2, Insightful)
This reminds me of a Jersey Mike's that got one of those stupid singing bass things. I couldn't help but notice the tremendously annoyed looks on their faces when customers would walk in and push the red "press me" button.
The next day the fish was gone.
Re:insanity (Score:1)
How do you know they're actually plugged in?
what music? (Score:1)
I'm also surprised it isn't slashdotted yet.
Re:what music? (Score:1)
Re:what music? (Score:1)
Just keep telling that to yourself, just like i will...
/satterth
Better check out the page quick.... (Score:5, Funny)
Lets count the seconds until the
4... 3... 2... 1...
Re:Better check out the page quick.... (Score:1)
Apparently evergreens are immune to the slashdot effect...
::::scrabbles off to buy 52U of potting soil::::
Yeah But (Score:1, Insightful)
This is a new one (Score:1)
Merry Christmas all!
Joe
Obligatory Beowulf cluster comment (Score:5, Funny)
Or would that be a Beowulf forest?
Re:Obligatory Beowulf cluster comment (Score:1)
Re:Obligatory Beowulf cluster comment (Score:2, Funny)
(Sorry)
Re:Obligatory Beowulf cluster comment (Score:1)
(Sorry. This is my last bad joke on the subject. At least until I think of another one...)
Re:Obligatory Beowulf cluster comment (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Obligatory Beowulf cluster comment (Score:1)
Re:Obligatory Beowulf cluster comment (Score:1)
Re:Obligatory Beowulf cluster comment (Score:2)
Re:Obligatory Beowulf cluster comment (Score:1)
Re:Obligatory Beowulf cluster comment (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Obligatory Beowulf cluster comment (Score:2)
I just hope someone wires the cluster in parallel. Otherwise, "Honey, everything just froze. Can you go outside and find the hung node?"
- Hung Node.
So.. how do we change the traditions? (Score:1)
The Muslims already have a head start.. emacs can do the calendar conversions in its code to the lunar year, thus killing the debate on which day Ramadan starts on. exactly. (There as debate on whether it was the 16th or the 17th of Nov. when it started.) Oh, as long as everything is in
Zulu.
It would help out the Orthodox Jews, who are forbidden from the use of anything technologic on the Sabbath. After all, they did nothing; the system did it all by itself. The menorah would be lit at the right time every night of Hanukkah, and the best part is that there's a decreased risk of fire with LED lights.
Now, how to help the pagans... webcamming the ceremonies may increase their cash stock.. especially if their the dead sexy ones that celebrate nude..
Re:So.. how do we change the traditions? (Score:1)
but where is the monitor displaying xsnow? (Score:2)
I've been running that every December since 1994. Don't like the new Sanda art, though. Outta dig out my Sun SPARCstation IPC and see if I still have an ancient vesion of it installed.
Wow, a new low! (Score:2, Insightful)
It comes back every year... (Score:4, Funny)
better !pout !cry
better watchout
lpr why
santa claus town
cat
ncheck list
ncheck list
cat list | grep naughty > nogiftlist
cat list | grep nice > giftlist
santa claus town
who | grep sleeping
who | grep awake
who | grep bad || good
for (goodness sake) {
be good
}
Think this code is on the tree?
--Josh
On the first day of Christmas... (Score:1)
A linux-powered Christmas Tree
/. descends to a new low... (Score:5, Insightful)
I cannot believe the russian chappies freedom doesn't make the front page but this does, arrgh.
Re:/. descends to a new low... (Score:1)
U.S. To Drop Charges Against Sklyarov [slashdot.org]
Re:/. descends to a new low... (Score:2)
Heehee (Score:1)
How does the treeserver react to soooo many people picking songs? Does it make a playlist? Or does it simply switch?
What's next? (Score:1)
The origonal code used to run it (Score:3, Funny)
cam1.monitor(BOYS,GIRLS);
if (BOYS == "good")
{
give(presents, BOYS);
}
if (GIRLS == "good")
{
give(presents, GIRLS);
}
else
{
give(coal, BOTH);
}
Re:The origonal code used to run it (Score:1)
Re:The origonal code used to run it (Score:1)
Correction (Score:5, Insightful)
Nothing fancy here....move along.
Also, a "Christmas" tree has ornaments, lights, tinsel...christmasy things....this tree has styrofoam and other computer junk to decorate it.
It's just a tree with a computer in it.
Re:Correction (Score:1)
Which makes it an embedded system. Last year he probably could've gotten some sweet funding for that
Re:Correction (Score:4, Informative)
The tree is located in the CCC shop (CCC = College Computer Center), which is the place A) where WPI computers that break are repaired (I think student computers can be brought there if they were bought via a WPI sponsored vendor, but I'm not sure...) and B) where Network Operations [wpi.edu] is located (making this slightly funnier IMHO).
For the past couple of years, there has been a tree in the CCC shop which is decorated with computer parts. This year, Paul Reitchel and Chuck Anderson decided to make those parts actually work. So they powered up the board with a power supply at the bottom of the tree and set it up to play Christmas songs via a web interface (although the speakers were, while not off, turned down to inaudiable when I swung by the shop - it was already popular enough around campus to drive everyone nuts, which doesn't surprise me).
Also, a "Christmas" tree has ornaments, lights, tinsel...christmasy things...
It does have lights, and, again, it's in the CCC shop, so it's decorated with hardware mostly as a joke. (Plus, if Chuck gets around to X10-ing the tree lights, it'll really be "Linux powered" - I think the fact that it plays music via the board is makes it "powered" enough... How would you use Linux to power a tree? Make it rotate or something?)
And if you want to see something really funny, take a look at the I2 link upstream/downstream graphs [wpi.edu]. You can see when the story was posted on the daily graph at about 20:00 EST.
(Plus the idea of NetOps taking up more than the maximum allowed bandwidth per system is a rather amusing idea to a WPI student...)
Re:Correction (Score:2)
The Grinch (Score:1)
All those Slashdot who-geeks perhaps, know the reason
feel free to continue...
Errr... (Score:5, Funny)
C'mon everyone, have a heart! (Score:5, Funny)
Pentium tree (Score:1)
-Evan.
Fake? (Score:1)
Re:Fake? (Score:1)
Re:Fake? (Score:1)
I took a picture of the insides of my computer whole running. There are two fans (one of the processor spinning at about 5000 RPM and one for the case spinning at about 6500 RPM) and when I took a photo using a digital camera, the fans looked still.
It is still possible that it is a fake, but it may not either.
Re:Fake? (Score:1)
Re:Fake? (Score:1)
I reckon Chuck's hair may be fake though...
Re:Fake? (Score:1)
After Christmas... (Score:1)
SSH exploit didn't give me tree /root (Score:3, Funny)
SOS
Rob.
Alma Mater (Score:4, Funny)
this should be quick (Score:1)
I wonder how long it takes this site to get slashdotted. Any bets? 10 minutes max.
-Vic
Lets hope it doesn't crash... (Score:1)
Running Linux, if it crashes it can climb back up on to the table itself without the administrator being there.
Hoops and monitor. (Score:1)
I hope Santa doesn't get any ideas seeing this. (Score:1)
What will the kids do for gifts when he crashes?
Are things better or worse???? (Score:1)
Re:Are things better or worse???? (Score:1)
Re:Are things better or worse???? (Score:1)
Wow. (Score:1)
And soon it will have light control? Like I did with my user port hack on a Commodore 64?
Wow, cutting edge here...
Netops is jizzin in their pants (Score:2, Funny)
Hear that? (Score:1, Funny)
How to get your website on /. (Score:1)
Tree falling down (Score:2, Insightful)
Slashdot effect (Score:1)
Well, I got a great Idea from this... (Score:1)
Now, I can decorate the tree so much that nobody will tell if it's artificial
HoHoHo!
The tree (Score:1)
Hey hang some more memory ornaments and maybe another CPU ornament you are looking a little bare.
old rhetoric revisited... (Score:1)
The Sound of Slashdot (Score:1)
Greg
Well, you can control MY xmas lights if you want. (Score:2)
see the lights draped around the room, controllable via the webpage, and viewed live via webcam.
http://206.54.177.105. The Xmas lights are in the living room. I'm sure you geeks can figure it out.
-Restil
Re:Well, you can control MY xmas lights if you wan (Score:2)
--
Evan
um (Score:5, Funny)
No.
Dear chuck (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Dear chuck (Score:2)
Seriously, WPI does this to people. I know somebody from there who turned a line printer into a railgun.
Alright... (Score:3, Funny)
So, here is a free project - do it this year (not much time left, but I bet somebody could do it), or next - or whenever...
Get a piece of plywood or cardboard, cut it out in the shape of a christmas tree. Paint it (green for the tree, brown trunk, maybe some ornaments, or not).
Arrange a buttload of LEDs - red, green, yellow (and maybe blue if you are rich) - on the tree, by drilling holes (or, if you cut out the tree from pegboard, it is pre-drilled!) - now, here is where you can go wild:
1. Arrange them in a dense grid - and hook them up to the server to play tetris, etc (you know the routine). Add a web-cam, plus MP3 xmas songs through the sound card. Or use a SBC running Linux - or something.
2. Arrange them randomly, and have strings pulsing and flashing to the music. Maybe do a double "tree" - with two pieces of pegboard at right angles, and careful wire arrangement (to make it look like decorations as well?), and have the tree spin on a turntable (power would have to be applied via batteries and and SBC, and a wireless NIC).
Remember the web cam!
Post it to
Come on, someone should build this...soon!
Insert Snide Fanboy Line Here (Score:2)
Rooted (Score:2)
Re:Come ON! (Score:1)
You rule
/satterth