blink(1): Lights. Computer. Some sort of action!

Kickstarter has fast become a place where interesting gadgets come to life and funding, and here’s another such beast, the blink(1).

The blink(1) plugs into the USB port of your computer – Mac, PC Linux… it ain’t no digicist! – and via the LED light, lets you know when something happens. What sort of something? Well…

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• you received a reply on Twitter
• when a keyword or hashtag you’re following on Twitter is mentioned
• a friend signed in on Skype
• that episode of “Game of Thrones” has finished downloading
• your computer CPU is running at at 100%
• someone you follow on Pinterest has added some new Pins
• a friend has added a new status update on Facebook
• you’re at work, rushing to beat a deadline, and don’t want to be interrupted

You set what you want the alert for, and you set the manner of the alert. It can be a colour, brightness level, or pattern. At launch the blink)1) will be set to work out of the box with “Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, and through IFTTT.com, Boxcar.io many other web services.” The makers, ThingM, also say that the device will be eminently hackable, to let you modify or extend its functions. It’s not just the function of the blink(1) that will be hackable, but also the form factor. See pictured right the image of a glue gun tube used as a light pipe for the blink(1).

The blink(1) campaign began on Kickstarter on July 9, looking for $29,000 to fund the project. By the close on August 13, $132, 318 had been pledged by 2,955 backers. The estimated delivery time of the blink(1) is October 2012.