NewsAlarm, net-connected fire alarm

Computers & Mobile Technology
NewsAlarm, net-connected fire alarm
newsAlarm1.jpg
newsAlarm2.jpg

Digital artist Jer Thorp writes:

Holding a smoke alarm, battery installed, is somewhat like holding an unwound jack-in-the-box. While you know that it shouldn’t go off, there’s still a nagging suspicion that it might. I get a similar feeling when I check news websites in the morning – somewhere in the back of my mind, I suspect that the world might have caught on fire while I was asleep. So, it made at least some degree of sense to me to build a NewsAlarm – a device that sounds an alarm when specific new stories are detected ‘off the wire’.

He hooked a smoke alarm to a simple set of Classes in Processing which connect to the New York Times NewsWire API. He can set it up to be on the lookout for certain words/phrases that trigger the alarm when they appear over the wire. Cool. Annoying.

NewsAlarm – wiring in to the NYT NewsWire API

4 thoughts on “NewsAlarm, net-connected fire alarm

  1. https://me.yahoo.com/a/YXZYc.4DyYPxjFk_5zjsJss2Znk-#412d6 says:

    When I read the title I thought the alarm communicated with the web to signal that the alarm was triggered. That way, I would know while away that it went off. An alarm that used SMS or email (or twitter) would be sweet.

    1. nanobri says:

      Yeah, that’s what I thought too. I think that idea would probably be more useful. :) Also, it could maybe send you an email reminder when you should replace your battery or something.

      Cheers,
      -nanobri of http://nanobri.blogspot.com

Comments are closed.

Discuss this article with the rest of the community on our Discord server!
Tagged

Gareth Branwyn is a freelance writer and the former Editorial Director of Maker Media. He is the author or editor of over a dozen books on technology, DIY, and geek culture. He is currently a contributor to Boing Boing, Wink Books, and Wink Fun. His free weekly-ish maker tips newsletter can be found at garstipsandtools.com.

View more articles by Gareth Branwyn

ADVERTISEMENT

Maker Faire Bay Area 2023 - Mare Island, CA

Escape to an island of imagination + innovation as Maker Faire Bay Area returns for its 15th iteration!

Buy Tickets today! SAVE 15% and lock-in your preferred date(s).

FEEDBACK