The $2 computer: ultraconstrained devices do your bidding

While our family had H1N1, I prototyped a device for adjusting our television's volume during the furnace's on cycle. Microcontrollers are ridiculously cheap, beginning electronics tools are affordable, and open source tools, such as the Arduino IDE and the underlying avr-gcc toolchain, combine to make it remarkably simple to create custom gadgets to improve your life.

In a single session, I'll demonstrate how to plan your gadget, gather everything you need, then build and program a prototype device using open source tools. A complete description of all steps will be provided so that attendees may duplicate the device on their own.