[NTLK] Oddest use

From: DJ Vollkasko (DJ_Vollkasko_at_gmx.net)
Date: Thu Feb 17 2005 - 12:01:50 PST


Subject: [NTLK] Oddest use
From: Michael Grauer <linuxking () earthlink ! net>
Date: 2005-02-14 6:21:19
Message-ID: <A3FB43E4-7E50-11D9-894E-000A957A850A () earthlink ! net>
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> What has been the oddest use of a newton or emate you have seen?

As a museum exhibit. More details some time later in Spring, somebody
pls.
remind me off-list if interested.

My oddest personal uses haven't been so far out, courtesy of being very
short on sparetime to actually twiddle with things and try stuff
(that's why
I'd appreciate it if more people would post step-by-step walkthroughs
to the
Wiki, to make the cool stuff they do easy reproduceable even for
complete
morons(TM) ).
   But I use it at night to light my path in darkness, I use it as eBook
reader in bed and during train commutes (up to several hours of
reading per day w/ & w/o backlight on one charge cycle per week).
   Sometimes if my fellow commuters are especially moronic, I record
them; gotta find a way to use that stuff one day...
   My most public-meets-oddity Newton use was at a show last year, where
we're a bunch of people doing weird things, playing abstruse skits,
doing pointless performances and play miserable music, etc., all in my
favorite bar/live club, which means I get to enjoy some cheep gin
tonics that evening. As that's always taking place sometime before
Christmas, I pre-loaded my Newt with a bunch of Christmas Macintalk
songs, stood on stage, held a twig from a Christmas tree in the right
hand, the Newt in the left, and wore a russian-style santa hat (the
furry earflap-thing, but in red and white fake fur). Then the Newton
blared into the mic and blew everybody away. Ridiculous yeah!
(The year before, I'd tortured everybody ba playing a drinking
straw-saxophone duet with a friend. Crappy improv/No Wave-style,
hehe... ;=} ).

The oddest uses I'd like to apply my Newton to but can't because I'm
too stupid or the soft simply ain't there (in ascending order of
desireability) --

- Use Newton as LAN monitor (like Fluke, 2 Ethernet cards and
monitoring/diagnostic app, can't believe with all the network-savvy
folks
around the community nobody has ever tackled that)
- long-range learning IR remote control (hey - if a Gameboy can
http://www.heise.de/ct/machflott/projekte/55637, why can't we? What
hacks
would be required?)
- Programm Lego Mindstorms robots directly from the Newt, use Newton as
code vault and ultraportable development kit.
- measure data input through sensors on two serial ports, e.g.
temperature and rpm + pkg to display/track the values (as on-board
monitoring for car engines); maybe even track fuel consumption and
match against rpm to display current consumption to encourage more
efficient/economic driving (saw this in a Volkswagen Sharan, can't buy
it anywhere as addon...): Use the Newton to save fuel (= money) and
damage the environment less - how cool's that, man!?
- VPN my Powerbook via Bluetooth (trying as soon as Blunt 2 is there)
- play back .kar MIDI-files with text display + playlists (aka Newton
Karaoke -- if my crappy i486, 16 MB RAM, Win98-running heap-of-trash
laptop could do this brilliantly, the Newton should, too!)
- Run family planning app (see software wish the other day)
- synch my Powerbook's iCal and Addressbook with Newton via Bluetooth

Well, what's the oddest use *YOU* would like to use your Newton for but
haven't/can't/are too stupid? ;=}

Cheers,

DJV.

-- 
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Official Newton FAQ: http://www.chuma.org/newton/faq/
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