November 22, 2012

Semi-automatic Gmail Assisstant can land you in trouble

by Gareth Mankoo

Rude replies are pretty much a mandate in the hectic corporate jungle we’re bred in. Just why the Semi-Automatic Gmail Assistant (SAGA) has been rolled in. What appears as simple colorful boxes actually double up as a substitute keyboard for your computer. However, the function isn’t impression-based key input but an automated answering machine to emails. Here’s how it works. When you receive an e-mail, you activate SAGA with a turn of the key. As soon as you see the LEDs light up around the button, uou push it. SAGA automatically e-mails the erudite response “Go F*** Yourself.” And that’s that. There’s this ’nuff said’ look on your face that no one will ever be able to erase. There’s a catch though. The device has a 1 percent chance of sending “That’s a great idea, I’ll get right on it!” That could have you working through the night and not get fired.


Kevin Bastyr from Milwaukee Makerspace constructed this contraption with electronics worth $15. It is powered by Teensy 2.0. However, it retails from his Etsy store for a greedy $85.

[Cnet]