Dead Drops
Dead Drops is "an anonymous, offline, peer to peer file-sharing network in public space." Translated from art-geek-speak, that means planting USB sticks in public places and encouraging people to share files on them. You're probably thinking, "But what if someone steals it? What if they put malware on it?" Both are possible. On Deaddrops.com, you'll see USB sticks mortared into walls. If someone really wants a $10 USB stic,k they'll chip at that mortar for days. I use a blob of silicone caulking, which holds it securely and is reasonably removable. The safest way to view files from untrusted sources is to boot a Linux live CD-ROM, such as Ubuntu. Most malware is Windows malware so Linux is immune, and a CD-ROM cannot be infected.
Aram Bartholl is the artist who conceived this project. He installed five USB sticks in different locations in the New York area with a single file on them, a README explaining the project. The project captured the imaginations of many, as you can see on the Dead Drops worldwide map. You can add your own Dead Drops to the database and map.
Desktop beverage cooler
The USB bus carries a little bit of power, so low-power devices can draw power from it without needing a separate power cord. And so we can have essential comfort-enhancing appliances like the genuine USB Fridge for keeping a single can of juice or soda cool right on our desks, thereby saving us that long trek to the kitchen. It claims to lower beverage temperature to 47° in five minutes. There is a blue LED inside that doesn't really illuminate anything, but it looks cool. It comes with a set of tones, but why settle for those when you can put your own custom sounds on it? Just think of the possibilities: scary sound effects for Halloween, special creepy tones for unwanted solicitors, your favorite symphony in tinny doorbell tones, or maybe even something welcoming, if you really must have that.
