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Hack Things

A small indoor garden with basil plants sits on a table, possibly near a window.  A larger potted plant is visible in the background.. Text: CLICK & GROW

Hacking the Perfect Garden with Embeddable Technology

March 31, 2013 · 2 minutes · 2 photos

I just pledged $39 on Kickstarter towards the new Smart Herb Garden by Click & Grow. The technology is well-suited to indoor use. It centers around a special nanotech engineered soil, a computer-controlled watering system and a natural-light spectrum LED lighting system…

A white plastic casing houses two cameras, circuit boards, and LED lights. The word "DUO" is embossed on the front of the casing.

DUO: a DIY 3D Input Controller (Kickstarter)

March 27, 2013 · 2 minutes · 2 photos

In the coming onslaught of new connected devices, figuring out new and unobtrusive ways to interact with users will be key. Many devices will live in the real world and will require new ways of capturing input from users. After all, the…

A photo of a Nintendo Game Boy connected to a small keyboard and some electronics.. Text: Nintendo GAME BOY

Five Fabulous Retro Device Hacks

March 25, 2013 · 4 minutes · 12 photos

Here at Hack Things we feel a certain nostalgia for old-school vintage goods — many of which seem to be getting replaced by iOS apps on a daily basis. It’s refreshing to see projects that bring new life to vintage goods. Here…

A small, copper-colored container resembling a Jerry can is shown next to a US quarter for size comparison.. Text: LIBERTY IN GOD WE TRUST 1989

Kickstarter Hardware Roundup (3/21/13)

March 22, 2013 · 2 minutes · 2 photos

Here’s some of the more interesting hardware projects active on Kickstarter right now.

KADE – A open source arcade game controller with USB that allows personal computers, console gaming systems and DIY projects to easily add authentic retro-style arcade game controllers.

The…

A first-person perspective of someone riding a bicycle at night, seemingly using a heads-up display that projects the number 5.

Bike Speed Projector

March 21, 2013 · 2 minutes · 2 photos

Matt Richardson has created an interactive headlight projector for bikes that can be used to create a kind of unobtrusive heads-up display for cyclists. It works by measuring the rider’s speed using some custom electronics and a Raspberry Pi and a portable…

A group of people covered in mud pose for a photo after a mud run.

Fitness tracking companies: here’s what I REALLY want

February 22, 2013 · 3 minutes · 2 photos

I’ve counted more than 12 “activity tracker” device companies ala Fitbit, Nike Fuel Band, Jawbone Up, Mistfit, Basis, etc. It’s great that we have so many convenient options for quantifying and comparing our activity levels. After all, even moderate amounts of activity…

A group of people are sitting around a conference table, seemingly engaged in a discussion or meeting.  One person is gesturing while speaking.

Inaugural Hack Things Meetup in Seattle

February 21, 2013 · 2 minutes · 2 photos

Special thanks to the around 30 entrepreneurs, software, hardware and mechanical engineers, industrial designers, consultants and investors that showed up for our inaugural Hack Things Meetup today in Seattle, featuring guest speaker Jon WineBrenner (@jonwinebrenner) of OneOak Design, Inc. Also, a special…