In 2019 researchers at Berlin's Computer Games Museum made an extraordinary discovery: a rudimentary Pong console, made from salvaged electronics and plastic soap-box enclosures for joysticks. The beige rectangular tupperware that contained its wires would, when connected to a TV by the aerial, bring a serviceable Pong copy to the screen. Arcade fire East German attractions at ColdWarGames. Photograph: Dora Csala/AlliiertenMuseum At the time, they thought the home-brewed device was a singular example of ingenuity behind the iron curtain.
I've seen plenty of DIY electronics projects that make you go "wtf, why" (this Bluetooth speaker in a walnut comes to mind) but this battery-to-Bluetooth-speaker conversion sits in a completely different category. Someone actually spent two weeks gutting a battery casing, drilling 60 precision sound holes, and cramming a full Bluetooth speaker setup inside what used to house alkaline cells. The kicker? It actually sounds good. Like, surprisingly good for something that began life as a Duracell knockoff with a pink bunny on the wrapper.