There were a whole bunch of projects on display ranging from arduino based thermometers, Lego NXT kits, steampunk nerf guns to hacked up television sets. As with other gatherings, we had a lockpicking island set up, complete with a visual guide to lockpicking for those willing to learn.
For those willing and brave enough, there was the option of riding a homebuilt hovercraft! Though it doesn’t have a built-in mode of propulsion, we managed to come up with a way to move it by pulling the rider along using the extension cord. If you haven’t signed the waiver yet, make sure you do before taking a ride!
Possibly because of the energy and excitement (and possibly because of the industrial-sized vat of coffee), conversations and project ideas were exchanged freely. I know that I picked up a whole bunch of new ideas, and as usual got to tap into the almost limitless knowledge found at SkullSpace. I can finish up a whole bunch of stuff I’ve been working on…and start on new projects I really don’t have the time and money for. But that seemed to be the general consensus in the space.
I managed to see Legary’s talk about vintage arcade machines and their security systems, and I have to admit it was riveting the whole way through. I didn’t think it was possible to learn that much about arcade machines in such a short span of time.
Speaking of arcade machines, both pinball machines were working, and as usual there was hardly a moment they weren’t being used. There’s nothing like hitting a big steel ball against electromechanical obstacles while the face of William Shatner stares back at you:
Someone brought down an NES, and we played a bunch of classic games including Tetris and everyone’s favourite platformer – Spiritual Warfare. For those select few of you unfamiliar with the title, it’s a Christian adventure game where you find various pieces of God’s armour, use doves as currency and bring holy justice upon unsuspecting minorities.
I’m not sure how the game ends, exactly, but I can only assume it’s the rapture. After the meeting we all went down to the King’s head and redeemed our entry tickets for a free beer! It was icing on the cake. Not only did we get to hang out at a renovated and bustling SkullSpace, but we got a free fine brew out of the deal. DJ symbiotix provided the freshest, fastest beats while we continued our conversations. There was a lot to talk about - a whole lot of ideas to share and angles to gain on new projects.
If we can get this kind of turnout at the next hackathon, who knows what we’ll be able to get done!
