Try PocketC.H.I.P. at Maker Faire Bay Area!

Come see, use, and learn about, PocketC.H.I.P. this weekend during Maker Faire Bay Area, May 21-22 in San Mateo, CA.! This is your first change to get your hands on PocketC.H.I.P..

And don’t miss Dave’s talk, PocketC.H.I.P. or: How and Why We Made the SciFi Device from our Childhood, Sunday at 4:00 PM on the Center Stage.

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PockulusC.H.I.P. or: How an April Fool’s Joke Turned PocketC.H.I.P. into the Most Affordable VR Headset in the World!

Some assembly required

Some assembly required

PockulusC.H.I.P. started as a joke. But then we actually got it working. That’s right, the most affordable standalone virtual reality headset in the world started as a joke and it works!

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PocketC.H.I.P. Does Field Repair with C.H.I.P.py Ruxpin

CHIP in the Wild

Does a bear C.H.I.P. in the woods?

We were out in a field taking pictures of C.H.I.P.py Ruxpin –as you do when you have a C.H.I.P.-powered talking bear– and I wanted to get C.H.I.P.py to comment on the weather.

Lacking my laptop and with no clue of C.H.I.P.py’s IP address, what was I to do? Easy. Use three wires to directly connect C.H.I.P.py and PocketC.H.I.P.. With a few commands on PocketC.H.I.P., it’s easy to setup a connection and gain shell access to the bear (or any other device with exposed TX, RX, and ground). Here’s how I did it.

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Secure-A-C.H.I.P.

Security is a big deal. Everyday brings a new story about how hackers are creating networks of bots and stealing information and identities.

It’s easy to dive into using C.H.I.P. without thinking about this stuff, so we want to provide some guidelines on how to make your C.H.I.P. secure. This is especially important if you’re working with C.H.I.P. remotely on a network. You’ll not only want a secure C.H.I.P., but you’ll want the process as streamlined as possible.

Here’s some tips on making it easy to log into your C.H.I.P., make logging in more secure, and make your C.H.I.P. unique so you know it’s yours.

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PocketC.H.I.P. Goes Tintyping

Gus and PocketC.H.I.P. (also pictured: me, ruining a perfect photo) Photography by Patrick Demmons

I made a ridiculous claim the summer after our Kickstarter campaign.  I would not shave until we started shipping C.H.I.P.s.  Committed, my appearance slowly got out of hand.

Gus was also growing out his facial hair, in preparation for a grizzled drivers license photo.  We joked we both looked like Civil War veterans. After months of talking about it, we took a half day to take period photos in period costumes.  We also brought PocketC.H.I.P..

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