Funny gadget -- the Elect-o-meter

Posted by Mark Frauenfelder, November 4, 2008 1:31 PM | permalink

Devon of NYC Resistor made this nifty ambient device that shows who is winning at a glance.

I recently updated my arduino ambient orb to use some boards I got cut at a boardhouse in Colorado, and handed off a few of the finished products off to various friends of mine. Well, my good friend John Erickson tossed together an awesome script for the election returns tonight. The orb starts off dark, and the script periodically checks the election results. As the results come in, the orb will gradually get brighter and brighter blue or red based on who is pulling in the EVs.
I grabbed his script and a spare board I had with me at the office, and used a plastic cup to whip up a quick electoral ‘orb.'

The Elect-o-meter (Via Makezine)

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Discussion

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#1 posted by js7a , November 4, 2008 2:08 PM

You need a fish-bowl or a drained snow-globe for an orb. What you have there is a truncated electoral cone.

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#2 posted by Anonymous , November 4, 2008 2:23 PM

What happens if Nader wins?

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#3 posted by jrucifer , November 4, 2008 2:31 PM

What happens if Nader wins?

Then the Hadron Collider sucked us into an alternative universe.

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#4 posted by certron , November 4, 2008 2:38 PM

I can verify that Devon is (or was) in possession of a functional and be-orbed ambient device. Knowing him, he probably threw this project together in about 10 minutes.

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#5 posted by jrucifer , November 4, 2008 2:40 PM

*alternate

Nickelback and Creed would play on repeat in an 'alternative' universe

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#6 posted by trr , November 4, 2008 2:42 PM

"What you have there is a truncated electoral cone."

Also known as an upside-down plastic cup.

"What happens if Nader wins?"

They don't make LEDs that smell like vanilla (LSD-induced synesthesia).

Take a look at this

#7 posted by Not a Doktor , November 5, 2008 1:18 AM

I took about five good minuets looking over the presidential section of the ballot trying to play PLACE THAT PERSON. That being said if I can get my crap running my next animation will have characters by the names of Cynthia and Clementine (they should of run under the flower party)

Also the pictures of McKinney on the first page of Image Search always crack me up.