Why Would I Want An RGB LED Stuck To A USB Connector In A Case?

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By David Ponce

Well, if you’re the nerdy type, who likes his hacks, the blink(1) should make you smile. It plugs into any computer’s free USB ports and works as a fully programmable indicator of… anything you want.

Do you want to know if a friend has signed onto Skype, but don’t want a window popping up every time anyone has logged on? Do you want to be notified when a long download has finished? Do you want to know the snow conditions at Tahoe without checking every hour? Do you want to make a “busy” light for your office that glows red when your calendar says you’re in a meeting?

You can do all four at once: you can simultaneously control as many blink(1)s as you have USB ports. Have a 36-port USB hub? You can fill it with 36 blink(1)s, each of which is showing a different piece of information.

You could conceivably end up with one heck of a nerdy Christmas tree, with lights going on and off at anytime anything happens. It’s… kind of cool. And it’s $30 for one, on a fully funded Kickstarter project.

[ Project Page ] VIA [ BoingBoing ]

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