VR to RL
Minecraft can be hacked with a bit of code so that you can make it do as you wish. But this also means that, via more code, it can interact with reality. David Stevens made it so changes to the Christmas tree in the game alter the lights outside. Clever!
Advanced tree lights
We quite like the smart lights we made ourselves, but if you want to do some serious Christmas tree hacking, we suggest taking a look at this amazing project on Instructables.
Upgrade your office
If you find fishing names out of a hat a bit old-fashioned, you can always have Babbage Bear choose for you. Squeeze his hand and he’ll print out a piece of paper showing who you need to buy for. There’s a £5 gift limit, though.
Home light automation
This is a serious amount of lights all over this house to be controlled by a Raspberry Pi. David does so using a phone to connect to Raspbian via VNC.
Raspberry Pi fireplace
Some people like to turn on the fireplace video on Netflix; others prefer to create digital fires of their own. This one also does the impossible and can cycle through different colours of flame.
Make a list
A modern take on the palm readers you used to find on seaside piers, although this machine takes a more binary approach: are you naughty… or nice? Think happy thoughts.
Drop the house bass
Another project where a house has been kitted out with full Raspberry Pi-powered lights – only this one plays music and syncs to it as well. Especially phat dubstep tracks.
Catch Saint Nick
This is a fun Scratch project that allows you to go to sleep happy in the knowledge that you won’t miss Santa. Maybe you’ll find out exactly how big his sack of toys is.
Hack the magazine
A couple years ago we made a little project that allowed you to turn a copy of The MagPi into a light-up Christmas card. Grab the PDF, print the cover on card, and give it a go!
Send us your holiday projects
Made something with Raspberry Pi for this holiday season? Send us photos on Twitter (@TheMagPi) or via email and we might feature you in the next issue!
