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56-594: Roughly resembling a small clock radio , the original Chumby features a small resistive touch-screen housed in a leather-and-plastic exterior with six color options. Power to the original Chumby and the Chumby 8 is supplied through an AC adapter. A later model, the Chumby One, also offered the option of a 9 v backup battery. Related devices, the Infocast 3.5 and Infocast 8, devices manufactured by Best Buy based on

112-642: A First 50 was released to 50 random applicants, who received the next generation of Chumbys. This was followed, in September, with an Insiders Release . Interested parties could send e-mail to Chumby requesting release information, and were given the opportunity to join in the Insiders Release . Finally, in February 2008, the commercial release was made public on the Chumby Store. In May 2008,

168-594: A Web-based camera, online RSS feeds, and physical user interface features, such as gesture recognition by squeezing the soft housing. The software for the Chumby automatically updated when something new became available. The updates came from the free access to the Chumby network, and a modified BitTorrent client was used to upgrade the open-source portions of its firmware . Although the prototypes did not support video playback, all versions since May 2007 use Flash Lite 3 which allows for Sorenson , FLV, H.264, VP6 and On2 video playback. Clock radio This

224-898: A broad range of customization by personal-computer enthusiasts , especially in gaming PCs , including: custom and homemade hard- and soft-line liquid cooling loops; installation of LED strips and other lighting effects; replacement of stock cooling fans with high-performance ones (on CPU coolers, power supplies, cases, drive bays, and other components); " delidding " of CPUs and GPUs to replace their stock thermal paste and pads with high- thermal-conductivity ones; addition of individually sleeved (and often color-coordinated) cabling; replacement of various heat sinks with custom liquid-cooling water blocks on components normally air-cooled (e.g. RAM , GPUs, and SSDs ); addition of new components not usually found in PCs, such as electronic timers or temperature and humidity alarms; custom soldering to replace or change

280-403: A car for enhanced performance, in engine power output, handling, aerodynamics, or cosmetic purposes. See also Category:Vehicle modification . Factories get rather expensive machines that are used to mass-produce specialized parts. These machines can be altered to make parts other than how the manufacturers of the machines designed or intended them. The legality of doing this depends on who owns

336-480: A complex public striking clock in his home town Gaza which featured an hourly gong and figures moving mechanically day and night. In China, a striking clock was devised by the Buddhist monk and inventor Yi Xing (683–727). The Chinese engineers Zhang Sixun and Su Song integrated striking clock mechanisms in astronomical clocks in the 10th and 11th centuries, respectively. A striking clock outside of China

392-556: A feature which sets the time automatically using signals from atomic clock -synced time signal radio stations such as WWV , making the clock accurate and immune to time reset due to power interruptions. Alarm clock software programs have been developed for personal computers . There are Web-based alarm clocks, some of which may allow a virtually unlimited number of alarm times (i.e. Personal information manager ) and personalized tones. However, unlike mobile phone alarms, online alarm clocks have some limitations. They do not work when

448-662: A game console. One is through soft modding (modifying software, normally using a softmod ) to allow the user to change data contained on its hard drive in the case of the Xbox. Another type of modding, known as hard modding , is done by modifying the hardware, such as components connected to the Hypervisor in order to run exploits to the BIOS of the console or to run unsigned code and games. This form of 'modding' (more correctly termed as hacking ), while not as popular as softmodding,

504-416: A gong, or blow trumpets (by forcing bell-jars down into water and taking the compressed air through a beating reed) at pre-set times" ( Vitruv 11.11). The late Roman statesman Cassiodorus (c. 485–585) advocated in his rulebook for monastic life the water clock as a useful alarm for the "soldiers of Christ " (Cassiod. Inst. 30.4 f.). The Christian rhetorician Procopius described in detail prior to 529

560-516: A hammer. User-settable mechanical alarm clocks date back at least to 15th-century Europe. These early alarm clocks had a ring of holes in the clock dial and were set by placing a pin in the appropriate hole. The first American alarm clock was created in 1787 by Levi Hutchins in Concord, New Hampshire . This device he made only for himself, however, and it only rang at 4 am, in order to wake him for his job. The French inventor Antoine Redier

616-415: A person is in a light stage of sleep, in order to avoid waking someone who is deeply asleep, which causes tiredness, even if the person has had adequate sleep. To turn off the sound or light, a button or handle on the clock is pressed; most clocks automatically turn off the alarm if left unattended long enough. A classic analog alarm clock has an extra hand or inset dial that is used to show the time at which

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672-414: Is an accepted version of this page An alarm clock or alarm is a clock that is designed to alert an individual or group of people at a specified time. The primary function of these clocks is to awaken people from their night's sleep or short naps; they can sometimes be used for other reminders as well. Most alarm clocks make sounds; some make light or vibration. Some have sensors to identify when

728-500: Is available for free that allows existing devices some of the functionality of the paid service at no cost, although this may violate the copyright of those who developed the Chumby widgets. Devices without a subscription still receive the Space Clock widget; they can be used as alarm clocks and to stream music. Andrew "bunnie" Huang was the lead hardware engineer at Chumby. The Chumby premiered on August 25, 2006 at Foo Camp and

784-502: Is designed to be modified by users, with schematics, printed circuit board layouts and packaging/outerware designs available. Hardware specifications are as follows The Original Chumby The Chumby One Comparison table Hacking the Chumby hardware was encouraged by the manufacturer. Schematics and other hardware information may be downloaded after the user agrees to the Chumby HDK License. For example, users on

840-422: Is mostly done as it is able to 'run' many different types of software. Soft modding is more popular because of its ease of installation and its relatively low price (it can even be done for free with the right tools). Another type of console modding is about appearances, much like computer case modification. Which includes, adding lights (most likely LEDS , cathodes or other electro-luminescent lighting). Cutting

896-401: Is the act of modifying hardware, software, or anything else to perform a function not originally intended by the designer , or to achieve bespoke specification or appearance. The term is often used in reference to video game modding , particularly in regard to creating new or altered content and sharing that via the web. It may be applied to the overclocking of computers in order to increase

952-499: Is the car adaptation (seats, pedals , etc.) to help drivers to prevent, correct and diminish light orthopedic and backbone / spine problems. Eco-modding is the reduction of drag, petroleum car adaptation to use renewable energy (generally, changing or adding a new engine or motor ), generally hydrogen or electricity . See hybrid car . Occasionally, it has been known to run a Diesel engine on plant and animal oils. See Biodiesel . Car and engine tuning are modification of

1008-414: The computer is shut off or in sleep mode . Native applications, however, can wake the computer up from sleep using the built-in real-time clock alarm chip or even power it back on after it had been shut down. Many modern mobile phones feature built-in alarm clocks that do not need the phone to be switched on for the alarm to ring off. Some of these mobile phones feature the ability for the user to set

1064-456: The frequency at which the CPU operates. Case modding is a popular activity amongst many computer enthusiasts which involves the customization of a computer case or the installation of water cooling technology. In connection with automobiles , modding can connote engine tuning , remapping of a vehicle's engine control unit or customization of the coachwork . Modding may sometimes infringe

1120-499: The Chumby Forums have experimented with and documented some battery hacks, allowing the Chumby to be operated without AC power for short periods of time. There also exists a Chumby Hacker Board that mostly resembles a Chumby One motherboard. There are some differences to hardware connectivity. Chumby Industries did not officially support the board. Chumby units run a modified Linux kernel . The software originally installed on

1176-428: The Chumby software, are also only AC powered. The device is designed to be customizable by users: after agreeing to the Chumby HDK License, users may download schematics and other hardware information. Wired magazine named Chumby one of its top gadgets for 2008. Its software is mostly open source, running on Linux . In 2012, Chumby ceased operation and was liquidated, with the assets being purchased by Duane Maxwell,

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1232-526: The EU copyright legislation. Modding may be an unauthorized change made to a software or hardware to a platform in gaming. Case mods are modifications to a device with the altering of certain styles. For example, people who mod a Microsoft Xbox 360 can alter the LED lights on the controller to glow different colors. On August 5, 2009, Matthew Crippen, a 27-year-old student at California State University, Fullerton ,

1288-454: The Office of Price Administration. The first radio alarm clock was invented by James F. Reynolds, in the 1940s and another design was also invented by Paul L. Schroth Sr. A clock radio is an alarm clock and radio receiver integrated in one device. The clock may turn on the radio at a designated time to wake the user, and usually includes a buzzer alarm. Typically, clock radios are placed on

1344-604: The Sony Dash after Sony discontinued support for it. and by August 2017, a patch was released for the Sony Dash HID-C10 models to allow them to connect to the Blue Octy Chumby servers, thus extending their useful life. In 2022 to early 2023, programmer Doug Brown added support for running a modern Linux 6.x kernel on the Chumby 8, with much of the support being accepted into upstream Linux. The Chumby

1400-445: The alarm is triggered, it can play a set radio station or the music from a selected music source to awaken the sleeper. Some models come with a dock for iPod/iPhone that also charges the device while it is docked. They can play AM/FM radio, iPod/iPhone or CD like a typical music player as well (without being triggered by the alarm function). A few popular models offer "nature sounds" like rain, forest, wind, sea, waterfall etc., in place of

1456-407: The alarm will ring. Alarm clock functions are also used in mobile phones, watches, and computers. Many alarm clocks have radio receivers that can be set to start playing at specified times, and are known as clock radios . Additionally, some alarm clocks can set multiple alarms. A progressive alarm clock can have different alarms for different times (see next-generation alarms ) and play music of

1512-554: The alarm's ringtone , and in some cases music can be downloaded to the phone and then chosen to play for waking. Scientific studies on sleep having shown that sleep stage at awakening is an important factor in amplifying sleep inertia . Alarm clocks involving sleep stage monitoring appeared on the market in 2005. The alarm clocks use sensing technologies such as EEG electrodes and accelerometers to wake people from sleep. Dawn simulators are another technology meant to mediate these effects. Sleepers can become accustomed to

1568-454: The bed) also exist. Time switches can be used to turn on anything that will awaken a sleeper, and can therefore be used as alarms. Lights, bells, and radio and TV sets can easily be used. More elaborate devices have also been used, such as machines that automatically prepare tea or coffee. A sound is produced when the drink is ready, so the sleeper awakes to find the freshly brewed drink waiting. Modding Modding (from modifying )

1624-517: The bedside stand. Some models offer dual alarm for awakening at different times and "snooze", usually a large button on the top that silences the alarm and sets it to resume sounding a few minutes later. Some clock radios also have a "sleep" timer, which turns the radio on for a set amount of time (usually around one hour). This is useful for people who like to fall asleep while listening to the radio. Newer clock radios are available with other music sources such as iPod , iPhone , and/or audio CD . When

1680-434: The behavior of components; expansion of the motherboard's capabilities with PCIe add-in cards and risers (the latter also used to mount graphics cards sideways to show them off better); addition of server hardware into a consumer-grade system; and extensive overclocking through detailed benchmarking that seeks to squeeze out every last percentage of performance improvement without the system becoming unstable. Ortho-modding

1736-504: The buzzer. Clock radios are powered by AC power from the wall socket. In the event of a power interruption, older electronic digital models used to reset the time to midnight (00:00) and lose alarm settings. This would cause failure to trigger the alarm even if the power is restored, such as in the event of a power outage . Many newer clock radios feature a battery backup to maintain the time and alarm settings. Some advanced radio clocks (not to be confused with clocks with AM/FM radios) have

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1792-426: The device was designed to play a set of user-customizable widgets, small Adobe Flash animations that deliver real-time information. This is possible because an embedded version of Adobe Flash Player is installed. The animations have the ability to control and interact with the low-level hardware, thereby enabling functionality such as smart alarm clocks that bring the hardware out of sleep, a Web-based picture viewer,

1848-735: The entrance hall of the Mustansiriya Madrasah in Baghdad . From the 14th century, some clock towers in Western Europe were also capable of chiming at a fixed time every day; the earliest of these was described by the Florentine writer Dante Alighieri in 1319. The most famous original striking clock tower still standing is possibly the one in St Mark's Clocktower in St Mark's Square , Venice . The St Mark's Clock

1904-482: The former Chief Technology Officer of Chumby Industries, who formed Blue Octy, LLC ("Blue Octy"). The server needed to keep the devices running was kept online as a full service by Blue Octy until March 2013. At that point, the server went offline and all devices only displayed a single widget, referred to as the "Space Clock." Blue Octy relaunched the full Chumby service on July 1, 2014 as a paid subscription service, currently charging US$ 3 per month. An open source firmware

1960-578: The game system case, to fit hardware and/or expose the internal systems. Cooling is a large part of console hard 'modding', including: heat sink upgrades, more powerful or quieter fans, some even go so far as to abandon common heat exchange to air all together by liquid cooling a console (most notably in the Xbox 360 , which initially had some heat problems). On the other side, some companies actively encourage modding of their products. In cases such as TiVo and Google , there has been an informal agreement between

2016-671: The legal rights of the copyright owner. Some nations have laws prohibiting modding and accuse modders of attempting to overcome copy protection schemes. In the United States, the DMCA has set up stiff penalties for mods that violate the rights of intellectual property owners. In the European Union , member states have agreed the EU Copyright Directive and are transposing it into national law. A 22-year-old man

2072-405: The machines, and whether the agreement, that supplied the machines to the factories, said anything about this, and what the laws are in the nation where this is being done. For example, the machines might be leased from the manufacturer of the machines. If they are ever to be returned, they need to go back in the same kind of condition and engineering shape as when they were first delivered. There

2128-529: The metal cover at back of the clock itself also functions as the bell. In an electronically operated bell-type alarm clock, the bell is rung by an electromagnetic circuit with an armature that turns the circuit on and off repeatedly. Digital alarm clocks can make other noises. Simple battery -powered alarm clocks make a loud buzzing, ringing or beeping sound to wake a sleeper, while novelty alarm clocks can speak, laugh, sing, or play sounds from nature. The ancient Greek philosopher Plato (428–348 BCE)

2184-503: The modders and the company in which the modders agree not to do anything that destroys the company's business model and the company agrees to support the modding community by providing technical specifications and information. Some commercial video games thrive through a modding community. In the case of Half-Life and Warcraft III , mods called Counter-Strike and Defense of the Ancients (DotA) respectively , drove sales of

2240-466: The original software for years. Modded drivers are made for improved performance which official versions of drivers do not offer or in cases where there are no official versions of drivers for new hardware designed for older operating systems such as Windows 98 . Case modding may range from simple case (or chassis ) painting, to extensive case modifications with custom-fabricated pieces. The terms modding and modder have expanded to encompass

2296-626: The player to play personally recorded CD or DVD copies of video games . Modchips , in their current form, were first available for the Sony PlayStation (and later the PlayStation 2 ). Various other types of copyright circumvention systems also existed for the Nintendo 64 and the older Game Boy consoles (though neither include actual modding, but instead backup devices). There are two different ways of running unsigned code on

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2352-413: The price was $ 179.95 for any one of three colors, latte, basic black, and pearl. In Japan, Chumby was available through Zyyx, Inc. as www.chumby.jp since October 23, 2008. In Australia, the Chumby was available through ISP Internode . In November 2009 the Chumby One was released: a similar, all-plastic version of the original in white with blue trim. The major difference was the hard plastic case replacing

2408-428: The prosecutors dropped all charges against Crippen because of inadmissible evidence obtained through an audio-less video recording deemed illegal by California law. A common example of one kind of modding is video game console mod chips , which can allow users to play homemade games , games legitimately purchased in other regions , or legal backup copies, but can also allow illegal unauthorized copies by allowing

2464-450: The soft leather. Other changes include a slightly faster processor, only one USB port on the rear of the device, and inclusion of an FM tuner and physical volume knob. The hard plastic case allowed Chumby Industries to offer the Chumby One at a reduced price of $ 119.95. In April 2012, Chumby announced the cessation of hardware sales, having ceased manufacture of their own hardware the previous year and exhausted their inventory. On April 20 it

2520-596: The sound of their alarm clock if it has been used for a period of time, making it less effective. Due to progressive alarm clocks' complex waking procedure, they can deter this adaptation due to the body needing to adapt to more stimuli than just a simple sound alert. The deaf and hard of hearing are often unable to perceive auditory alarms when asleep. They may use specialized alarms, including alarms with flashing lights instead of or in addition to noise. Alarms which can connect to vibrating devices (small ones inserted into pillows, or larger ones placed under bedposts to shake

2576-417: The user's choice. Most modern televisions, computers, mobile phones and digital watches have alarm functions that automatically turn on or sound alerts at a specific time. Traditional mechanical alarm clocks have one or two bells that ring by means of a mainspring that powers a gear to quickly move a hammer back and forth between the two bells, or between the internal sides of a single bell. In some models,

2632-480: The war effort. In a pooling arrangement overseen by the Office of Price Administration , several clock companies were allowed to start producing new clocks, some of which were continuations of pre-war designs, and some of which were new designs, thus becoming among the first "postwar" consumer goods to be made, before the war had even ended. The price of these "emergency" clocks was, however, still strictly regulated by

2688-459: Was arrested for modifying game consoles including the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Nintendo Wii for profit. Crippen testified that it was so owners could play their backup discs of DRM-laden gaming software that they legally own. However, the DMCA states that it is illegal to circumvent copyright protection software, even for non-infringing uses such as backing up legally owned games. In December 2010

2744-467: Was assembled in 1493, by the famous clockmaker Gian Carlo Rainieri from Reggio Emilia , where his father Gian Paolo Rainieri had already constructed another famous device in 1481. In 1497, Simone Campanato moulded the great bell (h. 1,56 m., diameter m. 1,27), which was put on the top of the tower where it was alternatively beaten by the Due Mori ( Two Moors ), two bronze statues (h. 2,60) handling

2800-555: Was confirmed that the company itself was being broken up. Dedicated fans managed to keep the service running for a period following the company's demise, but on 20 February 2013 Chumby shut down its servers, leaving users with a simple clock that shows time, calendar, and date. A brief message appears on the Chumby Web site, explaining the suspension of service. Alternative open source firmware prepared for such an eventuality became available at this point. As of January 2013, Blue Octy

2856-606: Was convicted by Caerphilly Magistrates' Court in the United Kingdom in July 2005 for selling a modded Xbox with built in software and games. However it is also worthy of note that some other European countries have not interpreted the legal issues in the same way. In Italy a judge threw out a Sony case saying it was up to owners of a console what they did with it. Similarly in Spain, mod chips have been ruled as legal despite

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2912-423: Was in the process of reviving the chumby technology, with one of the original chumby developers working on the project. Visiting www.chumby.com shows details. Towards the end of March 2014, Blue Octy began beta testing the soon to be revived chumby service. On July 1, 2014, Blue Octy relaunched the Chumby service as a sustainable, subscription-based platform. In July 2017, Blue Octy undertook an effort to rescue

2968-438: Was released to around 100 alpha release testers at the event. Shortly after Foo Camp, Chumby announced a free offer, where applicants would receive the same alpha-level Chumby as those previously given away. Applicants submitted ideas for software applications or hardware modifications. One of the goals for the free offer was to have Chumbys in the hands of developers who were willing to begin building applications. In July 2007,

3024-436: Was said to possess a large water clock with an unspecified alarm signal similar to the sound of a water organ ; he used it at night, possibly for signaling the beginning of his lectures at dawn ( Athenaeus 4.174c). The Hellenistic engineer and inventor Ctesibius ( fl. 285–222 BCE) fitted his clepsydras with dial and pointer for indicating the time, and added elaborate "alarm systems, which could be made to drop pebbles on

3080-639: Was the first to patent an adjustable mechanical alarm clock, in 1847. Alarm clocks, like almost all other consumer goods in the United States, ceased production in the spring of 1942, as the factories which made them were converted over to war work during World War II , but they were one of the first consumer items to resume manufacture for civilian use, in November 1944. By that time, a critical shortage of alarm clocks had developed due to older clocks wearing out or breaking down. Workers were late for, or missed completely, their scheduled shifts in jobs critical to

3136-584: Was the water-powered clock tower near the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus , Syria , which struck once every hour. It is the subject of a book, On the Construction of Clocks and their Use (1203), by Riḍwān ibn al-Sāʿātī , the son of clockmaker. In 1235, an early monumental water-powered alarm clock that "announced the appointed hours of prayer and the time both by day and by night" was completed in

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