Alex and His Mysterious Box

October 25, 2011

On the Blue Line yesterday morning, I spotted this guy.

I was sitting about two rows to his right, and his box was what caught my eye. I could tell there were some buttons protruding from the thing, and it looked like something he had custom made. We were going from Logan to Western, and there weren’t a lot of people standing in the aisles yet. I debated briefly, then decided to stand up and ask him if I could snap some photos.

Here’s a closeup of the box.

I learned his name was Alex, and that he was a student. He told me the device was something he made for his “Real-Time Systems Class.” It was something that allowed him to manipulate audio and video. He mentioned a few more technical things, which I didn’t quite remember.

I noticed the top of the box had a picture of an old Sega… and so I asked if the insides were made from an old console.

He opened the box up, and my jaw dropped. So cool!

I’m familiar with the concept of circuit bending, and I think this was something similar. According to Alex, the setup allowed him to mess with the game/device RAM and would influence both the audio and video output.

Alex was incredibly patient with me taking photos and asking questions. It was a fascinating thing to see early in the morning, and I really wish I could see this thing in action.

Another nice reminder that when I find myself curious around people and places I don’t know… I should ask. Always ask.