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  12. <title>Blog &#8211; Hackaday</title>
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  24. <title>A GEM Of A Desktop Environment</title>
  25. <link>https://hackaday.com/2025/09/18/a-gem-of-a-desktop-environment/</link>
  26. <comments>https://hackaday.com/2025/09/18/a-gem-of-a-desktop-environment/#respond</comments>
  28. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Jenny List]]></dc:creator>
  29. <pubDate>Fri, 19 Sep 2025 05:00:08 +0000</pubDate>
  30. <category><![CDATA[Retrocomputing]]></category>
  31. <category><![CDATA[atari st]]></category>
  32. <category><![CDATA[digital research]]></category>
  33. <category><![CDATA[GEM]]></category>
  34. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://hackaday.com/?p=831506</guid>
  35.  
  36. <description><![CDATA[<div><img width="800" height="450" src="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/gem-featured_26f1c9.jpg?w=800" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="" style="margin: 0 auto; margin-bottom: 15px;" decoding="async" fetchpriority="high" srcset="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/gem-featured_26f1c9.jpg 800w, https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/gem-featured_26f1c9.jpg?resize=250,141 250w, https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/gem-featured_26f1c9.jpg?resize=400,225 400w" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" data-attachment-id="831517" data-permalink="https://hackaday.com/2025/09/18/a-gem-of-a-desktop-environment/gem-featured_26f1c9/" data-orig-file="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/gem-featured_26f1c9.jpg" data-orig-size="800,450" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}" data-image-title="gem-featured_26f1c9" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/gem-featured_26f1c9.jpg?w=400" data-large-file="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/gem-featured_26f1c9.jpg?w=800" /></div>Desktop environments are the norm as computer interfaces these days, but there was once a time when they were a futuristic novelty whose mere presence on a computer marked it <a href="https://hackaday.com/2025/09/18/a-gem-of-a-desktop-environment/" class="read-more">&#8230;read more</a>]]></description>
  37. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<div><img width="800" height="450" src="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/gem-featured_26f1c9.jpg?w=800" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="" style="margin: 0 auto; margin-bottom: 15px;" decoding="async" srcset="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/gem-featured_26f1c9.jpg 800w, https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/gem-featured_26f1c9.jpg?resize=250,141 250w, https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/gem-featured_26f1c9.jpg?resize=400,225 400w" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" data-attachment-id="831517" data-permalink="https://hackaday.com/2025/09/18/a-gem-of-a-desktop-environment/gem-featured_26f1c9/" data-orig-file="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/gem-featured_26f1c9.jpg" data-orig-size="800,450" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}" data-image-title="gem-featured_26f1c9" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/gem-featured_26f1c9.jpg?w=400" data-large-file="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/gem-featured_26f1c9.jpg?w=800" /></div><p>Desktop environments are the norm as computer interfaces these days, but there was once a time when they were a futuristic novelty whose mere presence on a computer marked it out as something special. In the early 1980s you could buy an expensive but very fancy Mac from Apple, while on the PC there were early Windows versions, and GEM from Digital Research. It&#8217;s something of a footnote here in 2025, and some insight as to why comes from [Programming at the right level] <a href="https://nemanjatrifunovic.substack.com/p/history-of-the-gem-desktop-environment" target="_blank">with a retrospective on the software</a>.</p>
  38. <p>Coming from the perspective of an Atari user whose ST shipped with a version of GEM, it tracks the projects from its earliest roots with a Xerox employee, through development to launch on the PC and Atari ST. We learn about an Apple legal threat that resulted in the hobbled interface many of us remember from later GEM versions, and about the twists and turns in its path before the final dissolution of DR in the early 1990s.</p>
  39. <p>From 2025 it&#8217;s clear that Windows won the PC desktop battle not by being special but by being the default; when GEM was an add-on extra it would have been a tough sell. The software was eventually made open-source by the eventual owner of the DR assets, Caldera (when they weren&#8217;t trying to torpedo Linux, presumably), and can be run today on <a href="https://hackaday.com/2025/08/06/jennys-daily-drivers-freedos-1-4/">FreeDOS</a>.</p>
  40. <hr />
  41. <p>GEM header image: Rolf Hartmann, <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:IBM_PC_GEM.jpg" target="_blank">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>.</p>
  42. ]]></content:encoded>
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  54. <item>
  55. <title>Think You Need a New PC for Windows 11? Think Again</title>
  56. <link>https://hackaday.com/2025/09/18/think-you-need-a-new-pc-for-windows-11-think-again/</link>
  57. <comments>https://hackaday.com/2025/09/18/think-you-need-a-new-pc-for-windows-11-think-again/#comments</comments>
  59. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Tyler August]]></dc:creator>
  60. <pubDate>Fri, 19 Sep 2025 02:00:07 +0000</pubDate>
  61. <category><![CDATA[Software Hacks]]></category>
  62. <category><![CDATA[operating system]]></category>
  63. <category><![CDATA[Windows 11]]></category>
  64. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://hackaday.com/?p=831522</guid>
  65.  
  66. <description><![CDATA[<div><img width="800" height="450" src="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Sun_Win11.jpg?w=800" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="" style="margin: 0 auto; margin-bottom: 15px;" decoding="async" srcset="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Sun_Win11.jpg 1920w, https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Sun_Win11.jpg?resize=250,141 250w, https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Sun_Win11.jpg?resize=400,225 400w, https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Sun_Win11.jpg?resize=800,450 800w, https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Sun_Win11.jpg?resize=1536,864 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" data-attachment-id="831523" data-permalink="https://hackaday.com/2025/09/18/think-you-need-a-new-pc-for-windows-11-think-again/sun_win11/" data-orig-file="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Sun_Win11.jpg" data-orig-size="1920,1080" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}" data-image-title="Sun_Win11" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Sun_Win11.jpg?w=400" data-large-file="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Sun_Win11.jpg?w=800" /></div>As the sun sets on Windows 10 support, many venues online decry the tsunami of e-waste Windows 11&#8217;s nonsensical hardware requirements are expected to create. Still more will offer advice: <a href="https://hackaday.com/2025/09/18/think-you-need-a-new-pc-for-windows-11-think-again/" class="read-more">&#8230;read more</a>]]></description>
  67. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<div><img width="800" height="450" src="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Sun_Win11.jpg?w=800" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="" style="margin: 0 auto; margin-bottom: 15px;" decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Sun_Win11.jpg 1920w, https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Sun_Win11.jpg?resize=250,141 250w, https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Sun_Win11.jpg?resize=400,225 400w, https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Sun_Win11.jpg?resize=800,450 800w, https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Sun_Win11.jpg?resize=1536,864 1536w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" data-attachment-id="831523" data-permalink="https://hackaday.com/2025/09/18/think-you-need-a-new-pc-for-windows-11-think-again/sun_win11/" data-orig-file="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Sun_Win11.jpg" data-orig-size="1920,1080" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}" data-image-title="Sun_Win11" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Sun_Win11.jpg?w=400" data-large-file="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Sun_Win11.jpg?w=800" /></div><p>As the sun sets on Windows 10 support, many venues online decry the tsunami of e-waste Windows 11&#8217;s nonsensical hardware requirements are expected to create. Still more will offer advice: which Linux distribution is best for your aging PC? [Sean] from Action Retro has an alternate solution: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LuyC0y7Ahfg" target="_blank">get a 20 year old Sun Workstation, and run Windows 11 on that. </a></p>
  68. <p>The Workstation in question from 2005 is apparently among the first Sun made using AMD&#8217;s shiny new 64-bit Opteron processor. Since Windows has no legacy 32-bit support&#8211; something it shares with certain Linux distributions&#8211; this is amongst the oldest hardware that could conceivably install and run Redmond&#8217;s latest.</p>
  69. <p>And it can! Not in unaltered form, of course&#8211; the real hack here is courtesy of [ntdevlabs], whose &#8220;Tiny11&#8221; project strips all the cruft from Windows 11, including its hardware compatibility checker. [ntdevlabs] has produced a Tiny11Builder script <a href="https://github.com/ntdevlabs/tiny11builder" target="_blank">that is available on GitHub</a>, but the specific version [Sean] used is<a href="https://archive.org/details/tiny-11-NTDEV/" target="_blank"> available on Archive.org.</a></p>
  70. <p>[Sean] needed the archived version of Tiny11 because Windows 11 builds newer than 22H2 use the POPCNT operation, which was not present in AMD&#8217;s first revision of the x86_64 instruction set. POPCNT is part of Intel&#8217;s SSE4 extension from 2007, a couple years after this workstation shipped.</p>
  71. <p>If you&#8217;re sick of being told to switch to Linux, but can&#8217;t stomach staying with Windows either, maybe check out Haiku, <a href="https://hackaday.com/2024/01/15/haiku-os-the-open-source-beos-you-can-daily-drive-in-2024/">which we reported as ready for daily driving early last year</a>.</p>
  72. <p><span id="more-831522"></span></p>
  73. <p><iframe loading="lazy" title="System Requirements are a SCAM" width="800" height="450" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/LuyC0y7Ahfg?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe></p>
  74. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  75. ]]></content:encoded>
  77. <wfw:commentRss>https://hackaday.com/2025/09/18/think-you-need-a-new-pc-for-windows-11-think-again/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
  78. <slash:comments>3</slash:comments>
  81. <post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">831522</post-id>
  82. <media:thumbnail url="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Sun_Win11.jpg" />
  83. <media:content url="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Sun_Win11.jpg" medium="image">
  84. <media:title type="html">Sun_Win11</media:title>
  85. </media:content>
  86. </item>
  87. <item>
  88. <title>A Deep Dive on Creepy Cameras</title>
  89. <link>https://hackaday.com/2025/09/18/a-deep-dive-on-creepy-cameras/</link>
  90. <comments>https://hackaday.com/2025/09/18/a-deep-dive-on-creepy-cameras/#comments</comments>
  92. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Navarre Bartz]]></dc:creator>
  93. <pubDate>Thu, 18 Sep 2025 23:00:26 +0000</pubDate>
  94. <category><![CDATA[Artificial Intelligence]]></category>
  95. <category><![CDATA[digital cameras hacks]]></category>
  96. <category><![CDATA[ai]]></category>
  97. <category><![CDATA[AI countermeasure]]></category>
  98. <category><![CDATA[AI poison]]></category>
  99. <category><![CDATA[ALPR]]></category>
  100. <category><![CDATA[automated license plate reader]]></category>
  101. <category><![CDATA[computer vision]]></category>
  102. <category><![CDATA[law enforcement]]></category>
  103. <category><![CDATA[raspberry pi]]></category>
  104. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://hackaday.com/?p=812163</guid>
  105.  
  106. <description><![CDATA[<div><img width="800" height="500" src="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Breaking-The-Creepy-AI-in-Police-Cameras-Wide.jpg?w=800" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="A man holds a license plate in front of a black pickup (F-150 Lightning) tailgate. It is a novelty Georgia plate with the designation P00-5000. There are specks of black superimposed over the plate with a transparent sticker, giving it the appearance of digital mud in black." style="margin: 0 auto; margin-bottom: 15px;" decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Breaking-The-Creepy-AI-in-Police-Cameras-Wide.jpg 1261w, https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Breaking-The-Creepy-AI-in-Police-Cameras-Wide.jpg?resize=250,156 250w, https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Breaking-The-Creepy-AI-in-Police-Cameras-Wide.jpg?resize=400,250 400w, https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Breaking-The-Creepy-AI-in-Police-Cameras-Wide.jpg?resize=800,500 800w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" data-attachment-id="831510" data-permalink="https://hackaday.com/2025/09/18/a-deep-dive-on-creepy-cameras/breaking-the-creepy-ai-in-police-cameras-wide/" data-orig-file="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Breaking-The-Creepy-AI-in-Police-Cameras-Wide.jpg" data-orig-size="1261,788" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}" data-image-title="Breaking The Creepy AI in Police Cameras Wide" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Breaking-The-Creepy-AI-in-Police-Cameras-Wide.jpg?w=400" data-large-file="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Breaking-The-Creepy-AI-in-Police-Cameras-Wide.jpg?w=800" /></div>George Orwell might&#8217;ve predicted the surveillance state, but it&#8217;s still surprising how many entities took 1984 as a how-to manual instead of a cautionary tale. [Benn Jordan] decided to take <a href="https://hackaday.com/2025/09/18/a-deep-dive-on-creepy-cameras/" class="read-more">&#8230;read more</a>]]></description>
  107. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<div><img width="800" height="500" src="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Breaking-The-Creepy-AI-in-Police-Cameras-Wide.jpg?w=800" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="A man holds a license plate in front of a black pickup (F-150 Lightning) tailgate. It is a novelty Georgia plate with the designation P00-5000. There are specks of black superimposed over the plate with a transparent sticker, giving it the appearance of digital mud in black." style="margin: 0 auto; margin-bottom: 15px;" decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Breaking-The-Creepy-AI-in-Police-Cameras-Wide.jpg 1261w, https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Breaking-The-Creepy-AI-in-Police-Cameras-Wide.jpg?resize=250,156 250w, https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Breaking-The-Creepy-AI-in-Police-Cameras-Wide.jpg?resize=400,250 400w, https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Breaking-The-Creepy-AI-in-Police-Cameras-Wide.jpg?resize=800,500 800w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" data-attachment-id="831510" data-permalink="https://hackaday.com/2025/09/18/a-deep-dive-on-creepy-cameras/breaking-the-creepy-ai-in-police-cameras-wide/" data-orig-file="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Breaking-The-Creepy-AI-in-Police-Cameras-Wide.jpg" data-orig-size="1261,788" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}" data-image-title="Breaking The Creepy AI in Police Cameras Wide" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Breaking-The-Creepy-AI-in-Police-Cameras-Wide.jpg?w=400" data-large-file="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Breaking-The-Creepy-AI-in-Police-Cameras-Wide.jpg?w=800" /></div><p>George Orwell might&#8217;ve predicted the surveillance state, but it&#8217;s still surprising how many entities took 1984 as a how-to manual instead of a cautionary tale. [Benn Jordan] decided to take a closer look at the creepy cameras invading our public spaces and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pp9MwZkHiMQ" target="_blank">how to circumvent them</a>.</p>
  108. <p>[Jordan] starts us off with an overview of how machine learning &#8220;AI&#8221; is used Automated License Plate Reader (ALPR) cameras and some of the history behind their usage in the United States. Basically, when you drive by one of these cameras, an &#8221; image segmentation model or something similar&#8221; detects the license plate and then runs optical character recognition (OCR) on the plate contents. It will also catalog any bumper stickers with the make and model of the car for a pretty good guess of it being your vehicle, even if the OCR isn&#8217;t 100% on the exact plate sequence.</p>
  109. <p>Where the video gets really interesting is when [Jordan] starts disassembling, building, and designing countermeasures to these systems. We get a teardown of a Motorola ALPR for in-vehicle use that is better at being closed hardware than it is at reading license plates, and [Jordan] uses a Raspberry Pi 5, a Halo AI board, and You Only Look Once (YOLO) recognition software to build a &#8220;computer vision system that&#8217;s much more accurate than anything on the market for law enforcement&#8221; for $250.</p>
  110. <p>[Jordan] was able to develop a transparent sticker that renders a license plate unreadable to the ALPR but still plainly visible to a human observer. What&#8217;s interesting is that depending on the pattern, the system could read it as either an incorrect alphanumeric sequence or miss detecting the license plate entirely. It turns out, filtering all the rectangles in the world to find just license plates is a tricky problem if you&#8217;re a computer. You can <a href="https://github.com/bennjordan" target="_blank">find the code on his Github</a>, if you want to take a gander.</p>
  111. <p>You&#8217;ve probably heard about using <a href="https://hackaday.com/2020/02/28/using-ir-leds-to-hide-in-plain-sight/">IR LEDs to confuse security cameras</a>, but <a href="https://hackaday.com/2023/04/16/circumvent-facial-recognition-with-yarn/">what about yarn</a>? If you&#8217;re looking for more artistic uses for AI image processing, how about this <a href="https://hackaday.com/2024/04/22/ai-camera-only-takes-nudes/">camera that only takes nudes</a> or this one that <a href="https://hackaday.com/2023/06/02/ai-camera-imagines-a-photo-of-what-you-point-it-at/">generates a picture based on geographic data</a>?</p>
  112. <p><span id="more-812163"></span></p>
  113. <p><iframe loading="lazy" title="Breaking The Creepy AI in Police Cameras" width="800" height="450" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Pp9MwZkHiMQ?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe></p>
  114. ]]></content:encoded>
  116. <wfw:commentRss>https://hackaday.com/2025/09/18/a-deep-dive-on-creepy-cameras/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
  117. <slash:comments>3</slash:comments>
  120. <post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">812163</post-id>
  121. <media:thumbnail url="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Breaking-The-Creepy-AI-in-Police-Cameras-Wide.jpg" />
  122. <media:content url="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Breaking-The-Creepy-AI-in-Police-Cameras-Wide.jpg" medium="image">
  123. <media:title type="html">Breaking The Creepy AI in Police Cameras Wide</media:title>
  124. </media:content>
  125. </item>
  126. <item>
  127. <title>Enhanced Definition TV: &#8220;A Poor Man&#8217;s High-Def&#8221;</title>
  128. <link>https://hackaday.com/2025/09/18/enhanced-definition-tv-a-poor-mans-high-def/</link>
  129. <comments>https://hackaday.com/2025/09/18/enhanced-definition-tv-a-poor-mans-high-def/#comments</comments>
  131. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Maya Posch]]></dc:creator>
  132. <pubDate>Thu, 18 Sep 2025 20:00:26 +0000</pubDate>
  133. <category><![CDATA[History]]></category>
  134. <category><![CDATA[EDTV]]></category>
  135. <category><![CDATA[hdtv]]></category>
  136. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://hackaday.com/?p=831489</guid>
  137.  
  138. <description><![CDATA[<div><img width="800" height="406" src="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/television_standard_enhanced_high_definition_television_vwestlife_youtube.jpg?w=800" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="" style="margin: 0 auto; margin-bottom: 15px;" decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/television_standard_enhanced_high_definition_television_vwestlife_youtube.jpg 1324w, https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/television_standard_enhanced_high_definition_television_vwestlife_youtube.jpg?resize=250,127 250w, https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/television_standard_enhanced_high_definition_television_vwestlife_youtube.jpg?resize=400,203 400w, https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/television_standard_enhanced_high_definition_television_vwestlife_youtube.jpg?resize=800,406 800w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" data-attachment-id="831495" data-permalink="https://hackaday.com/2025/09/18/enhanced-definition-tv-a-poor-mans-high-def/television_standard_enhanced_high_definition_television_vwestlife_youtube/" data-orig-file="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/television_standard_enhanced_high_definition_television_vwestlife_youtube.jpg" data-orig-size="1324,672" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}" data-image-title="television_standard_enhanced_high_definition_television_vwestlife_youtube" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/television_standard_enhanced_high_definition_television_vwestlife_youtube.jpg?w=400" data-large-file="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/television_standard_enhanced_high_definition_television_vwestlife_youtube.jpg?w=800" /></div>Although to many of us the progression from &#8216;standard definition&#8217; TV and various levels of high-definition at 720p or better seemed to happen smoothly around the turn of the new <a href="https://hackaday.com/2025/09/18/enhanced-definition-tv-a-poor-mans-high-def/" class="read-more">&#8230;read more</a>]]></description>
  139. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<div><img width="800" height="406" src="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/television_standard_enhanced_high_definition_television_vwestlife_youtube.jpg?w=800" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="" style="margin: 0 auto; margin-bottom: 15px;" decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/television_standard_enhanced_high_definition_television_vwestlife_youtube.jpg 1324w, https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/television_standard_enhanced_high_definition_television_vwestlife_youtube.jpg?resize=250,127 250w, https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/television_standard_enhanced_high_definition_television_vwestlife_youtube.jpg?resize=400,203 400w, https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/television_standard_enhanced_high_definition_television_vwestlife_youtube.jpg?resize=800,406 800w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" data-attachment-id="831495" data-permalink="https://hackaday.com/2025/09/18/enhanced-definition-tv-a-poor-mans-high-def/television_standard_enhanced_high_definition_television_vwestlife_youtube/" data-orig-file="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/television_standard_enhanced_high_definition_television_vwestlife_youtube.jpg" data-orig-size="1324,672" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}" data-image-title="television_standard_enhanced_high_definition_television_vwestlife_youtube" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/television_standard_enhanced_high_definition_television_vwestlife_youtube.jpg?w=400" data-large-file="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/television_standard_enhanced_high_definition_television_vwestlife_youtube.jpg?w=800" /></div><p>Although to many of us the progression from &#8216;standard definition&#8217; TV and various levels of high-definition at 720p or better seemed to happen smoothly around the turn of the new century, there was a far messier technological battle that led up to this. One of these contenders was Enhanced Definition TV (EDTV), which was 480p in either 4:3 or 16:9, as a step up from Standard Definition TV (SDTV) traditional TV quality. The convoluted history of EDTV and the long transition to proper HDTV is the subject of <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J0as4DiswGU" target="_blank">a recent video</a> by [VWestlife].</p>
  140. <p>One reason why many people aren&#8217;t aware of EDTV is because of marketing. With HDTV being the hot new bullet point to slap on a product, a TV being widescreen was often enough to market an EDTV with 480p as &#8216;HD&#8217;, not to mention the &#8216;HD-compatible&#8217; bullet point that you could see everywhere.</p>
  141. <p>That said, the support for digital 480p and &#8216;simplified 1080i&#8217; signals of EDTV makes these displays still quite usable today, more than SDTV CRTs and LCDs that are usually limited to analog signals-only at regular NTSC, PAL or SECAM. It may not be HD, but at least it&#8217;s enhanced.</p>
  142. <p><span id="more-831489"></span></p>
  143. <p><iframe loading="lazy" title="Enhanced Definition TV - &quot;A poor man&#039;s High-Def&quot;" width="800" height="450" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/J0as4DiswGU?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe></p>
  144. ]]></content:encoded>
  146. <wfw:commentRss>https://hackaday.com/2025/09/18/enhanced-definition-tv-a-poor-mans-high-def/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
  147. <slash:comments>4</slash:comments>
  150. <post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">831489</post-id>
  151. <media:thumbnail url="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/television_standard_enhanced_high_definition_television_vwestlife_youtube.jpg" />
  152. <media:content url="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/television_standard_enhanced_high_definition_television_vwestlife_youtube.jpg" medium="image">
  153. <media:title type="html">television_standard_enhanced_high_definition_television_vwestlife_youtube</media:title>
  154. </media:content>
  155. </item>
  156. <item>
  157. <title>Worst Clock Ever Teaches You QR Codes</title>
  158. <link>https://hackaday.com/2025/09/18/worst-clock-ever-teaches-you-qr-codes/</link>
  159. <comments>https://hackaday.com/2025/09/18/worst-clock-ever-teaches-you-qr-codes/#comments</comments>
  161. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Elliot Williams]]></dc:creator>
  162. <pubDate>Thu, 18 Sep 2025 18:30:27 +0000</pubDate>
  163. <category><![CDATA[Arduino Hacks]]></category>
  164. <category><![CDATA[Microcontrollers]]></category>
  165. <category><![CDATA[arduino]]></category>
  166. <category><![CDATA[library]]></category>
  167. <category><![CDATA[qr code]]></category>
  168. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://hackaday.com/?p=831259</guid>
  169.  
  170. <description><![CDATA[<div><img width="800" height="526" src="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/qrcode_clock.png?w=800" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="" style="margin: 0 auto; margin-bottom: 15px;" decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/qrcode_clock.png 1479w, https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/qrcode_clock.png?resize=250,164 250w, https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/qrcode_clock.png?resize=400,263 400w, https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/qrcode_clock.png?resize=800,526 800w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" data-attachment-id="831305" data-permalink="https://hackaday.com/2025/09/18/worst-clock-ever-teaches-you-qr-codes/qrcode_clock/" data-orig-file="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/qrcode_clock.png" data-orig-size="1479,972" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}" data-image-title="qrcode_clock" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/qrcode_clock.png?w=400" data-large-file="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/qrcode_clock.png?w=800" /></div>[WhiskeyTangoHotel] wrote in with his newest clock build &#8212; and he did warn us that it was minimalist and maybe less than useful. Indeed, it is nothing more than a <a href="https://hackaday.com/2025/09/18/worst-clock-ever-teaches-you-qr-codes/" class="read-more">&#8230;read more</a>]]></description>
  171. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<div><img width="800" height="526" src="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/qrcode_clock.png?w=800" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="" style="margin: 0 auto; margin-bottom: 15px;" decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/qrcode_clock.png 1479w, https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/qrcode_clock.png?resize=250,164 250w, https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/qrcode_clock.png?resize=400,263 400w, https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/qrcode_clock.png?resize=800,526 800w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" data-attachment-id="831305" data-permalink="https://hackaday.com/2025/09/18/worst-clock-ever-teaches-you-qr-codes/qrcode_clock/" data-orig-file="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/qrcode_clock.png" data-orig-size="1479,972" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}" data-image-title="qrcode_clock" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/qrcode_clock.png?w=400" data-large-file="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/qrcode_clock.png?w=800" /></div><p>[WhiskeyTangoHotel] <a href="https://www.whiskeytangohotel.com/2025/09/qrcode-clock-with-esp32c3-dev-module.html" target="_blank">wrote in with his newest clock build</a> &#8212; and he did warn us that it was minimalist and maybe less than useful. Indeed, it is nothing more than a super-cheap ESP32-C3 breakout board with an OLED screen and some code. Worse, you can&#8217;t even tell the time on it without pointing your cell phone at the QR code it generates. Plot twist: you skip the QR code and check the time on your phone.</p>
  172. <p>But then we got to thinking, and there is actually a lot to learn from here on the software side. This thing pulls the time down from an NTP server, formats it into a nice human-readable string using <code>strftime</code>, throws that string into a QR code that&#8217;s generated on the fly, and then pushes the bits out to the screen. All in a handful of lines of code.</p>
  173. <p>As always, the secret is in the libraries and how you use them, and we wanted to check out the QR code generator, but we couldn&#8217;t find an exact match for <code>QRCodeGenerator.h</code>. Probably the most popular library is the <a href="https://docs.arduino.cc/libraries/qrcode/" target="_blank">Arduino QRCode library</a> by [ricmoo]. It&#8217;s bundled with Arduino, but labelled version 0.0.1, which we find a little bit modest given how widely it&#8217;s used. It also hasn&#8217;t been updated in eight years: proof that it just works?</p>
  174. <p>That library drew from [nayuki]&#8217;s fantastically documented multi-language <a href="https://www.nayuki.io/page/qr-code-generator-library" target="_blank">QR-Code-generator library</a>, which should have you covered on any platform you can imagine, with additional third-party ports to languages you haven&#8217;t even heard of. That&#8217;s where we&#8217;d go for a non-Arduino project.</p>
  175. <p>What library did [WTH] use? We hope to find out soon, but at least we found a couple good candidates, and it appears to be a version of one or the other.</p>
  176. <p>We&#8217;ve seen a lot of projects where the hacker generates a QR code using some online tool, packs the bits into a C header array, and displays that. That&#8217;s fine when you only need a single static QR code, but absolutely limiting when you want to make something dynamic. You know, like an unreadable clock.</p>
  177. <p>You will not be surprised to know that this isn&#8217;t the first <a href="https://hackaday.com/2020/10/06/clock-is-not-readable-by-humans/">unreadable QR-code clock</a> we&#8217;ve featured here. But it&#8217;s definitely the smallest and most instructive.</p>
  178. <p><span id="more-831259"></span></p>
  179. <p><iframe loading="lazy" title="QRCode Clock with  ESP32C3 Dev Module" width="640" height="480" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/rA7HXQxqpPA?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe></p>
  180. ]]></content:encoded>
  182. <wfw:commentRss>https://hackaday.com/2025/09/18/worst-clock-ever-teaches-you-qr-codes/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
  183. <slash:comments>3</slash:comments>
  186. <post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">831259</post-id>
  187. <media:thumbnail url="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/qrcode_clock.png" />
  188. <media:content url="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/qrcode_clock.png" medium="image">
  189. <media:title type="html">qrcode_clock</media:title>
  190. </media:content>
  191. </item>
  192. <item>
  193. <title>Radio Apocalypse: Clearing the Air with SCATANA</title>
  194. <link>https://hackaday.com/2025/09/18/radio-apocalypse-clearing-the-air-with-scatana/</link>
  195. <comments>https://hackaday.com/2025/09/18/radio-apocalypse-clearing-the-air-with-scatana/#comments</comments>
  197. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Dan Maloney]]></dc:creator>
  198. <pubDate>Thu, 18 Sep 2025 17:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
  199. <category><![CDATA[Hackaday Columns]]></category>
  200. <category><![CDATA[Radio Hacks]]></category>
  201. <category><![CDATA[aviation]]></category>
  202. <category><![CDATA[DME]]></category>
  203. <category><![CDATA[faa]]></category>
  204. <category><![CDATA[fcc]]></category>
  205. <category><![CDATA[navaids]]></category>
  206. <category><![CDATA[NORAD]]></category>
  207. <category><![CDATA[Radio Apocalypse]]></category>
  208. <category><![CDATA[radio navigation]]></category>
  209. <category><![CDATA[SCATANA]]></category>
  210. <category><![CDATA[TACAN]]></category>
  211. <category><![CDATA[VOR]]></category>
  212. <category><![CDATA[VORTAC]]></category>
  213. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://hackaday.com/?p=815035</guid>
  214.  
  215. <description><![CDATA[<div><img width="800" height="484" src="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/radioapocalypse.jpg?w=800" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="" style="margin: 0 auto; margin-bottom: 15px;" decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/radioapocalypse.jpg 3000w, https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/radioapocalypse.jpg?resize=250,151 250w, https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/radioapocalypse.jpg?resize=400,242 400w, https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/radioapocalypse.jpg?resize=800,484 800w, https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/radioapocalypse.jpg?resize=1536,929 1536w, https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/radioapocalypse.jpg?resize=2048,1239 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" data-attachment-id="281680" data-permalink="https://hackaday.com/2017/11/16/radio-apocalypse-the-emergency-broadcast-system/radioapocalypse/" data-orig-file="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/radioapocalypse.jpg" data-orig-size="3000,1815" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}" data-image-title="RadioApocalypse" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/radioapocalypse.jpg?w=400" data-large-file="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/radioapocalypse.jpg?w=800" /></div>For the most part, the Radio Apocalypse series has focused on the radio systems developed during the early days of the atomic age to ensure that Armageddon would be as <a href="https://hackaday.com/2025/09/18/radio-apocalypse-clearing-the-air-with-scatana/" class="read-more">&#8230;read more</a>]]></description>
  216. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<div><img width="800" height="484" src="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/radioapocalypse.jpg?w=800" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="" style="margin: 0 auto; margin-bottom: 15px;" decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/radioapocalypse.jpg 3000w, https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/radioapocalypse.jpg?resize=250,151 250w, https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/radioapocalypse.jpg?resize=400,242 400w, https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/radioapocalypse.jpg?resize=800,484 800w, https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/radioapocalypse.jpg?resize=1536,929 1536w, https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/radioapocalypse.jpg?resize=2048,1239 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" data-attachment-id="281680" data-permalink="https://hackaday.com/2017/11/16/radio-apocalypse-the-emergency-broadcast-system/radioapocalypse/" data-orig-file="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/radioapocalypse.jpg" data-orig-size="3000,1815" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}" data-image-title="RadioApocalypse" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/radioapocalypse.jpg?w=400" data-large-file="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/radioapocalypse.jpg?w=800" /></div><p>For the most part, <a href="https://hackaday.com/series_of_posts/radio-apocalypse">the Radio Apocalypse series</a> has focused on the radio systems developed during the early days of the atomic age to ensure that Armageddon would be as orderly an affair as possible. From systems that provided <a href="https://hackaday.com/2025/08/25/radio-apocalypse-americas-doomsday-rocket-radios/">backup methods</a> to ensure that launch orders would reach the bombers and missiles, to providing <a href="https://hackaday.com/2023/06/06/radio-apocalypse-hardening-am-radio-against-disasters/">hardened communications systems</a> to allow survivors to coordinate relief and start rebuilding civilization from the ashes, a lot of effort went into getting messages sent.</p>
  217. <p>Strangely, though, the architects of the end of the world put just as much thought into making sure messages <em>didn&#8217;t</em> get sent. The electronic village of mid-century America was abuzz with signals, any of which could be abused by enemy forces. <a href="https://hackaday.com/2017/10/12/retrotechtacular-radio-to-listen-to-when-you-duck-and-cover/">CONELRAD</a>, which aimed to prevent enemy bombers from using civilian broadcast signals as navigation aids, is a perfect example of this. But the growth of civil aviation through the period presented a unique challenge, particularly with the radio navigation system built specifically to make air travel as safe and reliable as possible.</p>
  218. <p>Balancing the needs of civil aviation against the possibility that the very infrastructure making it possible could be used as a weapon against the U.S. homeland is the purpose of a plan called Security Control of Air Traffic and Air Navigation Aids, or SCATANA. It&#8217;s a plan that cuts across jurisdictions, bringing military, aviation, and communications authorities into the loop for decisions regarding when and how to shut down the entire air traffic system, to sort friend from foe, to give the military room to work, and, perhaps most importantly, to keep enemy aircraft as blind as possible.<span id="more-815035"></span></p>
  219. <h2>Highways in the Sky</h2>
  220. <p>As its name suggests, SCATANA has two primary objectives: to restrict the availability of radio navigation aids during emergencies and to clear the airspace over the United States of unauthorized traffic. For safety&#8217;s sake, the latter naturally follows the former. By the time the SCATANA rules were promulgated, commercial aviation had become almost entirely dependent on a complex array of beacons and other radio navigation aids. While shutting those aids down to deny their use to enemy bombers was obviously the priority, safety demanded that all the planes currently using those aids had to be grounded as quickly as possible.</p>
  221. <figure id="attachment_831019" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-831019" style="width: 382px" class="wp-caption alignright"><a href="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Table_Rock_VOR.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-attachment-id="831019" data-permalink="https://hackaday.com/2025/09/18/radio-apocalypse-clearing-the-air-with-scatana/table_rock_vor/" data-orig-file="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Table_Rock_VOR.jpg" data-orig-size="1842,986" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;4.5&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;Canon PowerShot A560&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;315532810&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;15.783&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;80&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.001&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}" data-image-title="Table_Rock_VOR" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="&lt;p&gt;The Rogue Valley VOR station in Table Rock, Oregon. According to the sectional charts, this is a VORTAC station. Source: &lt;a href=&quot;https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Table_Rock_VOR.jpg&quot;&gt;ZabMilenko&lt;/a&gt;, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.&lt;/p&gt;
  222. " data-medium-file="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Table_Rock_VOR.jpg?w=400" data-large-file="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Table_Rock_VOR.jpg?w=800" class=" wp-image-831019" src="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Table_Rock_VOR.jpg?w=800" alt="" width="382" height="205" srcset="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Table_Rock_VOR.jpg 1842w, https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Table_Rock_VOR.jpg?resize=250,134 250w, https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Table_Rock_VOR.jpg?resize=400,214 400w, https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Table_Rock_VOR.jpg?resize=800,428 800w, https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Table_Rock_VOR.jpg?resize=1536,822 1536w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 382px) 100vw, 382px" /></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-831019" class="wp-caption-text">The Rogue Valley VOR station in Table Rock, Oregon. According to the sectional charts, this is a VORTAC station. Source: <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Table_Rock_VOR.jpg" target="_blank">ZabMilenko</a>, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.</figcaption></figure>
  223. <p>Understanding the logic behind SCATANA requires at least a basic insight into these radio navigation aids. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has jurisdiction over these aids, listing &#8220;VOR/DME, ILS, MLS, LF and HF non-directional beacons&#8221; as subject to shutdown in times of emergency. That&#8217;s quite a list, and while the technical details of the others are interesting, particularly the <a href="https://hackaday.com/2021/08/19/wheres-that-radio-a-brief-history-of-direction-finding/">Adcock LF beacon system</a> used by pilots to maneuver onto a course until alternating &#8220;A&#8221; and &#8220;N&#8221; Morse characters merged into a single tone, but for practical purposes, the one with the most impact on wartime security is the VOR system.</p>
  224. <p>VOR, which stands for &#8220;VHF omnidirectional range,&#8221; is a global system of short-range beacons used by aircraft to determine their direction of travel. The system dates back to the late 1940s and was extensively built out during the post-war boom in commercial aviation. VOR stations define the &#8220;highways in the air&#8221; that criss-cross the country; if you&#8217;ve ever wondered why the contrails of jet airliners all follow similar paths and why the planes make turns at more or less the same seemingly random point in the sky, it&#8217;s because they&#8217;re using VOR beacons as waypoints.</p>
  225. <p>In its simplest form, a VOR station consists of an omnidirectional antenna transmitting at an assigned frequency between 108 MHz and 117.95 MHz, hence the &#8220;VHF&#8221; designation. The frequency of each VOR station is noted on the sectional charts pilots use for navigation, along with the three-letter station identifier, which is transmitted by the station in Morse so pilots can verify which station their cockpit VOR equipment is tuned to.</p>
  226. <p>Each VOR station encodes azimuth information by the phase difference between two synchronized 30 Hz signals modulated onto the carrier, a reference signal and a variable signal. In conventional VOR, the amplitude-modulated variable signal is generated by a rotating directional antenna transmitting a signal in-phase with the reference signal. By aligning the reference signal with magnetic north, the phase angle between the FM reference and AM variable signals corresponds to the compass angle of the aircraft relative to the VOR station.</p>
  227. <p><iframe loading="lazy" title="Understanding VOR" width="800" height="450" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/R0Vzaf14SKQ?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe></p>
  228. <p>More modern Doppler VORs, or DVORs, use a ring of antennas to electronically create the reference and variable signals, rather than mechanically rotating the antenna. VOR stations are often colocated with other radio navigation aids, such as distance measuring equipment (DME), which measures the propagation delay between the ground station and the aircraft to determine the distance between them, or TACAN, a tactical air navigation system first developed by the military to provide bearing and distance information. When a VOR and TACAN stations are colocated, the station is referred to as a VORTAC.</p>
  229. <h2>Shutting It All Down</h2>
  230. <p>At its peak, the VOR network around the United States numbered almost 1,000 stations. That number is on the decrease now, thanks to the FAA&#8217;s Minimum Operational Network plan, which seeks to retire all but 580 VOR stations in favor of cockpit GPS receivers. But any number of stations sweeping out fully analog, unencrypted signals on well-known frequencies would be a bonanza of navigational information to enemy airplanes, which is why the SCATANA plan provides specific procedures to be followed to shut the whole thing down.</p>
  231. <figure id="attachment_831016" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-831016" style="width: 361px" class="wp-caption alignright"><a href="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/AirTraffic-8.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-attachment-id="831016" data-permalink="https://hackaday.com/2025/09/18/radio-apocalypse-clearing-the-air-with-scatana/airtraffic-8/" data-orig-file="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/AirTraffic-8.jpg" data-orig-size="3008,1960" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}" data-image-title="AirTraffic-8" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="&lt;p&gt;Inside the FAA&#8217;s Washington DC ARTCC, which played a majopor role in implementing SCATANA on 9/11. Source: &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.faa.gov&quot;&gt;Federal Aviation Administration&lt;/a&gt;, public domain.&lt;/p&gt;
  232. " data-medium-file="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/AirTraffic-8.jpg?w=400" data-large-file="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/AirTraffic-8.jpg?w=800" class=" wp-image-831016" src="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/AirTraffic-8.jpg?w=800" alt="" width="361" height="235" srcset="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/AirTraffic-8.jpg 3008w, https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/AirTraffic-8.jpg?resize=250,163 250w, https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/AirTraffic-8.jpg?resize=400,261 400w, https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/AirTraffic-8.jpg?resize=800,521 800w, https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/AirTraffic-8.jpg?resize=1536,1001 1536w, https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/AirTraffic-8.jpg?resize=2048,1334 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 361px) 100vw, 361px" /></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-831016" class="wp-caption-text">Inside the FAA&#8217;s Washington DC ARTCC, which played a major role in implementing SCATANA on 9/11. Source: <a href="https://www.faa.gov" target="_blank">Federal Aviation Administration</a>, public domain.</figcaption></figure>
  233. <p>SCATANA is designed to address two types of emergencies. The first is a Defense Emergency, which is an outright attack on the United States homeland, overseas forces, or allied forces. The second is an Air Defense Emergency, which is an aircraft or missile attack on the continental U.S., Canada, Alaska, or U.S. military installations in Greenland &#8212; sorry, Hawaii. In either case, the attack can be in progress, imminent, or even just probable, as determined by high-ranking military commanders.</p>
  234. <p>In both of those situations, military commanders will pass the SCATANA order to the FAA&#8217;s network of 22 Air Route Traffic Control Centers (ARTCC), the facilities that handle traffic on the routes defined by VOR stations. The SCATANA order can apply to all of the ARTCCs or to just a subset, depending on the scale of the emergency. Each of the concerned centers will then initiate physical control of their airspace, ordering all aircraft to land at the nearest available appropriate airport. Simultaneously, if ordered by military authority, the navigational aids within each ARTCC&#8217;s region will be shut down. Sufficient time is obviously needed to get planes safely to the ground; SCATANA plans allow for this, of course, but the goal is to shut down navaids as quickly as possible, to deny enemy aircraft or missiles any benefit from them.</p>
  235. <p>As for the specific instructions for shutting down navigational aids, the SCATANA plan is understandable mute on this subject. It would not be advisable to have such instructions readily available, but there are a few crumbs of information available in the form of manuals and publicly accessible documents. Like most pieces of critical infrastructure these days, navaid ground stations tend to be equipped with remote control and monitoring equipment. This allows maintenance technicians quick and easy access without the need to travel. Techs can perform simple tasks, such as switching over from a defective primary transmitter to a backup, to maintain continuity of service while arrangements are made for a site visit. Given these facts, along with the obvious time-critical nature of an enemy attack, SCATANA-madated navaid shutdowns are probably as simple as a tech logging into the ground station remotely and issuing a few console commands.</p>
  236. <h2>A Day to Remember</h2>
  237. <p>For as long as SCATANA has been in effect &#8212; the earliest reference I could find to the plan under that name dates to 1968, but the essential elements of the plan seem to date back at least another 20 years &#8212; it has only been used in anger once, and even then only partially. That was on that fateful Tuesday, September 11, 2001, when a perfect crystal-blue sky was transformed into a battlefield over America.</p>
  238. <p>By 9:25 AM Eastern, the Twin Towers had both been attacked, American Airlines Flight 77 had already been hijacked and was on its way to the Pentagon, and the battle for United Flight 93 was unfolding above Ohio. Aware of the scope of the disaster, staff at the FAA command center in Herndon, Virginia, asked FAA headquarters if they wanted to issue a &#8220;nationwide ground stop&#8221; order. While FAA brass discussed the matter, Ben Sliney, who had just started his first day on the job as operations manager at the FAA command center, made the fateful decision to implement the ground stop part of the SCATANA plan, without ordering the shutdown of navaids.</p>
  239. <p>The &#8220;ground stop&#8221; orders went out to the 22 ARTCCs, which began the process of getting about 4,200 in-flight aircraft onto the ground as quickly and safely as possible. The ground stop was achieved within about two hours without any further incidents. The skies above the country would remain empty of civilian planes for the next two days, creating an eerie silence that emphasized just how much aviation contributes to the background noise of modern life.</p>
  240. <p><iframe loading="lazy" title="September 11: FAA Closure of US Airspace" width="800" height="450" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/bo1ZtpKqlYw?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe></p>
  241. ]]></content:encoded>
  243. <wfw:commentRss>https://hackaday.com/2025/09/18/radio-apocalypse-clearing-the-air-with-scatana/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
  244. <slash:comments>6</slash:comments>
  247. <post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">815035</post-id>
  248. <media:thumbnail url="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/radioapocalypse.jpg" />
  249. <media:content url="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/radioapocalypse.jpg" medium="image">
  250. <media:title type="html">RadioApocalypse</media:title>
  251. </media:content>
  252.  
  253. <media:content url="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Table_Rock_VOR.jpg?w=800" medium="image" />
  254.  
  255. <media:content url="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/AirTraffic-8.jpg?w=800" medium="image" />
  256. </item>
  257. <item>
  258. <title>PCBs the Prehistoric Way</title>
  259. <link>https://hackaday.com/2025/09/18/pcbs-the-prehistoric-way/</link>
  260. <comments>https://hackaday.com/2025/09/18/pcbs-the-prehistoric-way/#comments</comments>
  262. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Elliot Williams]]></dc:creator>
  263. <pubDate>Thu, 18 Sep 2025 15:30:23 +0000</pubDate>
  264. <category><![CDATA[Arduino Hacks]]></category>
  265. <category><![CDATA[Art]]></category>
  266. <category><![CDATA[3d printing]]></category>
  267. <category><![CDATA[arduino]]></category>
  268. <category><![CDATA[art]]></category>
  269. <category><![CDATA[clay]]></category>
  270. <category><![CDATA[extreme diy]]></category>
  271. <category><![CDATA[pcb]]></category>
  272. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://hackaday.com/?p=831216</guid>
  273.  
  274. <description><![CDATA[<div><img width="800" height="533" src="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/67D7AAD8-95AD-4DCA-8CC4-0F6CFA89B9E2_1_201_a_featured.png?w=800" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="" style="margin: 0 auto; margin-bottom: 15px;" decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/67D7AAD8-95AD-4DCA-8CC4-0F6CFA89B9E2_1_201_a_featured.png 1200w, https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/67D7AAD8-95AD-4DCA-8CC4-0F6CFA89B9E2_1_201_a_featured.png?resize=250,167 250w, https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/67D7AAD8-95AD-4DCA-8CC4-0F6CFA89B9E2_1_201_a_featured.png?resize=400,267 400w, https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/67D7AAD8-95AD-4DCA-8CC4-0F6CFA89B9E2_1_201_a_featured.png?resize=800,533 800w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" data-attachment-id="831243" data-permalink="https://hackaday.com/2025/09/18/pcbs-the-prehistoric-way/67d7aad8-95ad-4dca-8cc4-0f6cfa89b9e2_1_201_a_featured/" data-orig-file="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/67D7AAD8-95AD-4DCA-8CC4-0F6CFA89B9E2_1_201_a_featured.png" data-orig-size="1200,800" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}" data-image-title="67D7AAD8-95AD-4DCA-8CC4-0F6CFA89B9E2_1_201_a_featured" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/67D7AAD8-95AD-4DCA-8CC4-0F6CFA89B9E2_1_201_a_featured.png?w=400" data-large-file="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/67D7AAD8-95AD-4DCA-8CC4-0F6CFA89B9E2_1_201_a_featured.png?w=800" /></div>When we see an extremely DIY project, you always get someone who jokes &#8220;well, you didn&#8217;t collect sand and grow your own silicon&#8221;. [Patrícia J. Reis] and [Stefanie Wuschitz] did <a href="https://hackaday.com/2025/09/18/pcbs-the-prehistoric-way/" class="read-more">&#8230;read more</a>]]></description>
  275. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<div><img width="800" height="533" src="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/67D7AAD8-95AD-4DCA-8CC4-0F6CFA89B9E2_1_201_a_featured.png?w=800" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="" style="margin: 0 auto; margin-bottom: 15px;" decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/67D7AAD8-95AD-4DCA-8CC4-0F6CFA89B9E2_1_201_a_featured.png 1200w, https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/67D7AAD8-95AD-4DCA-8CC4-0F6CFA89B9E2_1_201_a_featured.png?resize=250,167 250w, https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/67D7AAD8-95AD-4DCA-8CC4-0F6CFA89B9E2_1_201_a_featured.png?resize=400,267 400w, https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/67D7AAD8-95AD-4DCA-8CC4-0F6CFA89B9E2_1_201_a_featured.png?resize=800,533 800w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" data-attachment-id="831243" data-permalink="https://hackaday.com/2025/09/18/pcbs-the-prehistoric-way/67d7aad8-95ad-4dca-8cc4-0f6cfa89b9e2_1_201_a_featured/" data-orig-file="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/67D7AAD8-95AD-4DCA-8CC4-0F6CFA89B9E2_1_201_a_featured.png" data-orig-size="1200,800" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}" data-image-title="67D7AAD8-95AD-4DCA-8CC4-0F6CFA89B9E2_1_201_a_featured" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/67D7AAD8-95AD-4DCA-8CC4-0F6CFA89B9E2_1_201_a_featured.png?w=400" data-large-file="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/67D7AAD8-95AD-4DCA-8CC4-0F6CFA89B9E2_1_201_a_featured.png?w=800" /></div><p>When we see an extremely DIY project, you always get someone who jokes &#8220;well, you didn&#8217;t collect sand and grow your own silicon&#8221;. [Patrícia J. Reis] and [Stefanie Wuschitz] did the next best thing: they collected local soil, sieved it down, and <a href="https://feministhackerspaces.cargo.site/Clay-PCB-Tutorial" target="_blank">fired their own clay PCB substrates over a campfire</a>. They even built up a portable lab-in-a-backpack so they could go from dirt to blinky in the woods with just what they carried on their back.</p>
  276. <p>This project is half art, half extreme DIY practice, and half environmental consciousness.  (There&#8217;s overlap.)  And the clay PCB is just part of the equation. In an effort to approach zero-impact electronics, they pulled ATmega328s out of broken Arduino boards, and otherwise &#8220;urban mined&#8221; everything else they could: desoldering components from the junk bin along the way.</p>
  277. <p>The traces themselves turned out to be the tricky bit. They are embossed with a 3D print into the clay and then filled with silver before firing. The pair experimented with a variety of the obvious metals, and silver was the only candidate that was both conductive and could be soldered to after firing. Where did they get the silver dust? They bought silver paint from a local supplier who makes it out of waste dust from a jewelry factory. We suppose they could have sat around the campfire with some old silver spoons and a file, but you have to draw the line somewhere. These are clay PCBs, people!</p>
  278. <p>Is this practical? Nope! It&#8217;s an experiment to see how far they can take the idea of the pre-industrial, or maybe post-apocalyptic, Arduino. [Patrícia] mentions that the firing is particularly unreliable, and variations in thickness and firing temperature lead to many cracks. It&#8217;s an art that takes experience to master.</p>
  279. <p>We actually got to see the working demos in the flesh, and can confirm that they did indeed blink! Plus, they look super cool. <a href="https://media.ccc.de/v/38c3-clay-pcb#t=1195" target="_blank">The video from their talk</a> is heavy on theory, but we love the practice.</p>
  280. <p>DIY clay PCBs make <a href="https://hackaday.com/2016/09/12/take-your-pcbs-from-good-to-great-toner-transfer/">our own toner transfer techniques</a> look like something out of the <em>Jetsons</em>.</p>
  281. <p><span id="more-831216"></span></p>
  282. <p><iframe loading="lazy" src="https://media.ccc.de/v/38c3-clay-pcb/oembed" width="1024" height="576" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p>
  283. ]]></content:encoded>
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