] There is a story behind every electronic gadget sold on
] the QVC shopping channel. This one leads to a ramshackle
] farmhouse in rural Oregon, which is the home and circuit
] design lab of Jeri Ellsworth, a 30-year-old high school
] dropout and self-taught computer chip designer.

This is kind of a cool story, although I continue to be frustrated by the propagation of Richard Stallman's lie about the definition of the word hacker.

[ My interest in the politics of the word hacker has reached an all time low. It's a losing battle, like every other silly flamewar topic. this one's got so much traction because of the culture associations people have invested in it, but i think the hacker-as-intruder definition has won in the public conciousness. too bad.

sidetrack asisde, the story's interesting because it shows what a motivated individual can do, without the generally presumed benefits of a formal degree. it's impressive. i wish more people were like that. shit, i wish *i* was like that. -k]

The New York Times - A Toy With a Story