Use SoX, and a Perl script to do simple keyword matching and create sound files played back upon receipt of e-mail. No more simple ding to indicate the arrival of an e-mail regardless of recipient, sender, or subject. You can now hear a ding-bang-whoosh signifying an e-mail from your manager …

Use Linux or Microsoft Windows, the open source sndpeek program,and a simple Perl script to read specific sequences of tonal events - literally whistling, humming, or singing at your computer -- and run commands based on those tones. Give your computer a short low whistle to check your e-mail or unlock …

Monitor your computing environment with machine generated music, Use Perl and fluidsynth to create a real-time musical composition of your system status. Learn how to integrate various system monitoring data into a harmony producing, midi controlled audio synthesis. Explore audible information methods and configurations to help you monitor and manage …

Frustration communication for your linux laptop, Modify the kernel to automatically reset your linux laptop when shaken during a kernel panic. Implement a shake detection algorithm in the kernel and user space to perform automatic shutdowns and restarts when certain kinetic conditions are met. Place your computer on the leading …

Movie mosaics with Perl, ImageMagick and mplayer, building on the photo mosaic article above, use Perl, ImageMagick and mplayer to create photo mosaic movies.

For the first time, you can hit your computer and get a meaningful response! Using Linux and the Hard Drive Active Protection System (HDAPS) kernel drivers, you can access the embedded accelerometers on IBM and Lenovo ThinkPads, then process the accelerometer data to read specific sequences of "knocking" events -- literally …

Learn about the tools available to develop your own multiscreen configuration and physical layout to enhance your computing experience. You can use Linux® and Xdmx to create one contiguous desktop across multiple display devices attached to separate computers. Combine your available laptop and desktop computers running Linux to create one …

Photo mosaics with Perl and ImageMagick, use simple Perl scripts to automate the image manipulation, text creation, and compositing of arbitrary mosaic images. Learn how to use ImageMagick, GD, and The Gimp to create your own mosaic images suitable for static display and dynamic content. Explore the capabilities of ImageMagick …

Use EffecTV and Simple DirectMedia Layer (SDL) to create your own real-time visual effects on live video. Learn how to integrate geometric primitives, bitmap image loading, and simple motion tracking to create your own games, leading-edge user interfaces, or immersive environments. Explore the EffecTV and SDL architectures, and learn how …