Brendon Walsh
There is probably no question more familiar to a geek than that of hardware specifications. Everyone wants to know how much juice something has or how fast it can fry an egg. Growing up with old computers salvaged from high schools, I’ve never really been too keen on that notion. I was always more interested in how far I could push the software on some outdated hardware. In the end, what really matters is what you can make it do.
Devices like the Teensy and Arduino absolutely fascinate me. They are incredibly small packages that wouldn’t wow anyone on a spec sheet. But in the hands of some motivated and highly creative hackers you get stuff like this.
As geeks, we often forget that it’s almost never the most powerful machine that gets us excited about possibilities. Take a look at the Nintendo Wii. There is nothing particularly special about any of the hardware components. Basic sensors and processors. But, with the right combination of software, it becomes one of the most successful gaming platforms in history.
It’s even more clear when looking at SixthSense. This is really mind-blowing technology. But again, the hardware is comprised of cheap scraps from the last several years. The software is what really makes things tick.
