So I’m really trying to dive into the research, while working on prototyping, and learning 3D modeling software, and coming up with the designs for my line. So, a lot. BUT, I’m really excited for this project (which is why I want to do a lot for it and make it really good). It’s the time that’s not enough.
My project took an interesting turn this week though. I met with Benedetta and Pedro (the old resident) and they both kindly pointed out that signal jammers just so happen to be illegal. So… if I randomly go missing at any point in the semester, or get deported, now you know why (food for thought–I’m excited). After talking to them, I met with Eric Rosenthal and we had a very productive conversation about the possibilities of my project and how to achieve the end goal through different routes. We landed on a nifty idea of connecting your phone to a bluetooth device that silently sends a command to siri to put your phone in airplane mode… basically jamming its own signal. Lastly, I met with Dhruv (a second year with me) who’s very much into networks and privacy and we also had an amazing conversation about the subject and my project. He also had lots of thoughts and we had a great back-and-forth… so long story short: A VERY PRODUCTIVE DAY!
The idea of doing something with bluetooth seems more digestable and easier to build than a signal jammer (which was also Adafruit’s founder master thesis for MIT… so no big deal) since there are a TON of different signals and the phones now jump from one radio frequency to another in order for you to never lose connection. However, after speaking with Dhruv, there was something really cool about doing different types of signal jammers for the line. So, as of now I’m working on six different possibilities for this:
- Bluetooth connection to siri to turn on airplane mode
- lined container with signal-blocking material a-la conspiracy theorist aluminium hats
- negative ion generator
- heat/light emitter to simulate himalayan salt lamp
- wifi sniffer
- noise outputer (still unsure about this one)
I really like the idea of making this a counter-tech line (vs anti-tech), now it’s a matter of figuring out designs for each of them, testing and prototyping. Lucky for me, I went to the manusXmachina exhibit at the met in August and became OBSESSED. I took so many pictures my phone got full, but now, I have a bunch of inspiration for my project. See some of my favs below:
