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Finnish Guy Gets Prosthetic USB Finger Storage 113

Posted by samzenpus from the I'd-still-choose-a-shotgun-leg dept.
An anonymous reader writes "Jerry had a motorcycle accident last May and lost a finger. When the doctor working on the artificial finger heard he is a hacker, the immediate suggestion was to embed a USB 'finger drive' to the design. Now he carries a Billix Linux distribution as part of his hand."

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Finnish Guy Gets Prosthetic USB Finger Storage More

Finnish Guy Gets Prosthetic USB Finger Storage

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  • Cool (Score:4, Funny)

    by JWW ( 79176 ) on Friday March 13, 2009 @03:41PM (#27185043)

    This is really cool.

    Now... where'd I put that knife....?

    • Re:Cool (Score:5, Funny)

      by Anonymous Coward on Friday March 13, 2009 @04:17PM (#27185573)
      He can also boot linux while performing the shocker.

    • Re: (Score:3, Interesting)

      by denzacar ( 181829 )

      Just a couple of nights ago, I was thinking about something similar. Not "where's my knife?" but regarding prosthetic limbs.

      Why are researchers out there trying to recreate five-fingered prosthetic hands when for example three-fingered hand could do most things you need thumbs for?
      Two extra fingers could be used for detachable USB drives, bluetooth communication with a "palm-computer" built into the hand, mobile phone, mp3 and video players...

      Talk to the hand could get a whole new meaning...

    • If you use ReiserFS, won't need a knife. You can chop everything to pieces, including your ...

      • Re: (Score:1)

        by ORBAT ( 1050226 )

        If you use ReiserFS, won't need a knife. You can chop everything to pieces, including your ...

        ... carrots?

  • how is this useful? (Score:3, Insightful)

    by Anonymous Coward on Friday March 13, 2009 @03:43PM (#27185067)

    he still would type with all of his fingers, right? so wouldn't sticking his finger in a usb slot make it that much harder to type?

    • Re: (Score:2, Insightful)

      by Smiling_Jack ( 673353 )
      It's a prosthetic finger, right? I imagine it detaches. One hopes it's not actually bolted onto his hand.

      • Re:how is this useful? (Score:5, Funny)

        by MBGMorden ( 803437 ) on Friday March 13, 2009 @03:48PM (#27185137)

        Either that or I can imagine this guy plugged into his Linux box yelling "WHOA . . . I know kung-fu!".

      • Re: (Score:3, Informative)

        by slyn ( 1111419 )

        If you take a look at his flickr photostream [flickr.com], you can see its just a small rubber finger that functions as a small USB flash drive and nerd attractor.

        • If you take a look at his flickr photostream, you can see its just a small rubber finger that functions as a small USB flash drive and nerd attractor.

          That flickr page serves as an odd timeline of events

          • My brand new bike Uploaded on Apr 30, 2008
          • (Motorcycle crash happens in May)
          • USB Finger Beta (sealed) Uploaded on Sep 3, 2008

          Man. He didn't even have the bike a whole month before he crashed it.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by aliquis ( 678370 )

        If only I had a sex and the city rabbit prothetic accessory, that should had made me popular with the ladies.

    • Re:how is this useful? (Score:5, Informative)

      by phantomfive ( 622387 ) on Friday March 13, 2009 @03:52PM (#27185227) Journal
      You can see some better pictures on his flickr stream [flickr.com]. It looks like he has several fingers he can put on at different times. Also, it appears to be a slot in one of the fingers where he can stash some flash cards. I am not sure you'd really be typing very well with such a finger, it might just be easier to learn to type just using your other fingers. The pinky already takes care of a ton of the keys geeks use [{]}\|=+-_/?'" so adding in a couple more wouldn't be too bad I would think.

      • Re: (Score:1, Funny)

        by Anonymous Coward

        You are obviously not using Dvorak. Turn in your card, sir.

        • You are obviously not using Dvorak. Turn in your card, sir.

          And you are obviously a very bad poser. All of those symbols are pinky-controlled in dvorak.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by Chabo ( 880571 )

        Based on the photos of just the hand, I'm guessing the face/hand photos are mirrored. Many webcams (especially by Apple) have mirroring on by default. This means it's his left hand that has the missing finger.

        Personally, I find my left ring finger to be far more useful than my right ring finger in typing, despite being right-handed. Part of it has to do with my typing style -- I'm self-taught, so I do some weird, non-standard things. For one, years of playing FPSs has made it so that my left hand goes to WA

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by kylben ( 1008989 )

          Personally, I find my left ring finger to be far more useful than my right ring finger in typing, despite being right-handed. Part of it has to do with...

          All that, and because the right hand is usually busy with something else.

          Hey, c'mon, I meant the mouse. Jeez, get your minds out of the gutter.

      • Re: (Score:3, Informative)

        by jsiren ( 886858 )

        The digit in question seems to be the left ring finger. Depends on one's typing style which particular keys would fall under that finger, but I find I use it mostly on the 1qwa<zx keys. See Finnish keyboard layout [wikipedia.org] for reference, and while you're at it, take a moment to appreciate the pure genius that is the placement of all the characters essential in programming, particularly the Perl language, such as @$\|{[]}. My right wrist hurts even as I think about this.

        • Yes, it sucks on my German keyboard, especially as I do a lot of programming, but having the umlauts next to the Enter key and moving the brackets and slashes to AltGr + Number row seems to make more sense in regard to normal typing.

          AFAIK some Eastern European countries which adopted the German layout also have an alternative programming layout where special chars are accessible without shifting. I'm jealous.

      • I love how the first couple of pictures on the flickr feed are of the bike he crashed on to lose the finger, posted only a couple of months before the accident. Awesome.

      • Fun flickr fact Finn's fuck finger ferries flash!

      • Re: (Score:1)

        by Mozk ( 844858 )

        You use your pinky for all those? The only key I use my right-hand pinky for is the shift key. I've never used that slow and awkward "home row" method that's taught in schools.

    • It seems to be slashdotted. Maybe it has a cord, or the whole finger is detachable, or you could take the USB port out of the prosthetic.

    • Re:how is this useful? (Score:5, Funny)

      by eln ( 21727 ) on Friday March 13, 2009 @04:15PM (#27185555)

      he still would type with all of his fingers, right? so wouldn't sticking his finger in a usb slot make it that much harder to type?

      No worries, this guy strikes me as the type who's used to typing one-handed.

    • The same thing occurred to me. And the location of my USB ports would make for an uncomfortable posture (my midi tower's on the floor, with some USBs in the front panel).

      He can always copy the stuff he wants to use from his USB to the HDD, unmount, get to work, and at the end of the day, give his box the finger again (or however many times he wants to update). If it does come off, then it's different, of course. I just checked the pics on the blog, and it looked to me like it wouldn't easily be removed.

      I'd

    • Typing? that's so 19th Century...

      Jerry and that Linux guy are both from Finland. Jerry has an embedded Linux device. Coincidence, or not?

      The guy only now has to think and the characters will appear on screen.

      This whole article reeks of a sinister plot by Doctor Torvalds to take over the world! I'm no electronics expert but poor Jerry is probably now receiving subliminal messages from Dr Torvalds. Forget Linux on the desktop, we are witnessing the birth of a vast cyborg army.

      (Perhaps I shouldn't have watched

  • Awkward to use... (Score:3, Funny)

    by MaineCoon ( 12585 ) on Friday March 13, 2009 @03:43PM (#27185075) Homepage

    ... if it isn't detachable, and he has to keep his 'finger' plugged in all the time it is in use.

  • It detaches... (Score:1, Informative)

    by Anonymous Coward

    http://www.flickr.com/photos/jerry_jalava/with/2823985839/

  • Is the finger made of glass?

  • Only 2Gb? (Score:4, Funny)

    by homesnatch ( 1089609 ) on Friday March 13, 2009 @03:50PM (#27185187)
    Why skimp and only use a 2Gb finger drive? Surely you can justify paying extra for the 32Gb model?

  • Bastard, showing his middle finger to everybody.. (Score:5, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward on Friday March 13, 2009 @03:50PM (#27185191)

    And yes, it does run Linux.
    And for the circular saw hobbyists: you can have a beowulf cluster of these...

  • Linux at his fingertips... (Score:1, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward

    He's got Linux at his fingertips....

  • I got your files. (Score:5, Funny)

    by internerdj ( 1319281 ) on Friday March 13, 2009 @03:50PM (#27185195)
    Right here.
  • Cool! But, wow, wouldn't it suck for him if some new technology came out and all he had was a small amount of memory in his fancy finger. I guess it could always be replaced, but it would be probably pretty expensive.
  • Simply put. Must not go through security checks or metal detectors often either.
    • Adding USB storage isn't going to make that suck any worse, it is already a mess for anyone with any kind of prosthetic or a lot of surgical metal in them.

  • He's really from the future... (Score:4, Funny)

    by hal2814 ( 725639 ) on Friday March 13, 2009 @03:57PM (#27185321)

    He actually has 5 prosthetic USB keys for his fingers and when he finds them all he'll learn that he's really a robot sent back in time to resurrect the human race after an alien invasion and radioactive plague.

  • Secure in their persons... (Score:5, Interesting)

    by JayPee ( 4090 ) on Friday March 13, 2009 @04:01PM (#27185371)

    I'm curious about the 4th Amendment aspects of this.

    Since U.S. customs can pretty much search your laptop with impunity at the border, what about this thing since it's part of your "person".

    • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

      by cplusplus ( 782679 )
      I think they can search an artificial limb for drugs and such. Would similar rules apply here?

    • Obviously you haven't gotten a cavity search yet.

    • Re: (Score:1)

      by rhook ( 943951 )
      Customs searches prosthetics all the time.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by Bartab ( 233395 )

      Your person is not immune to searches at the border either. All they need is "reasonable suspicion" which is itself unimpeachable and can be as simple as "I felt something was wrong" by the officer in question.

  • Cool, now he can be just like Inspector Gadget!

  • Cool, but they should have done it so he could access it by peeling back his fingernail - then he'd be like Data!

  • I would have put a wireless video camera in there.

  • Lots of possibilities (Score:5, Funny)

    by rmcd ( 53236 ) * on Friday March 13, 2009 @04:34PM (#27185811)

    This gives a new meaning to digital storage.

    And when he's running linux and he "fingers" someone, he really means it!

  • Linux on the desktop .. (Score:3, Funny)

    by koutbo6 ( 1134545 ) on Friday March 13, 2009 @04:41PM (#27185905)
    is finnished!

  • Good luck typing with one hand stuck (Score:1, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward

    Good luck typing with one hand glued to the computer.

  • Oh I totally need something like that, I don't creep girls out efficiently enough with my greasy hair, body odor, extreme weight, dirty clothes, authentic UNIX guru beard, fascinating explanations of why software patents are evil and posters of RMS and Star Trek.

    Plus keeping a USB key in your pocket is so cumbersome..

  • What is the size of the flash drive? We know he has a movie and a linux distro so at least an 8 gig. even then what do you do when your finger gets to small for any practical use?
    Finally, is that guy still on drugs?
  • But WILL IT BLEND?
  • what John Wayne Bobbitt [wikipedia.org] would do with this technology!!!

    Bill
  • Noone told him it was a thumb drive....

  • That's nothing! When I grow old, I want my dentures to be made out of microSD cards! I want to be remembered as The Wise Old Man With a Terabyte Smile.

  • USB fingers are cool, but if you really want to show everyone who's boss you will need a USB Groin Attachment Socket(tm). Just think about plucking your groin in a USB drive of a library computer... The ladies will like it too. "Small USB memory detected. Booting up Groinal Linux..." Now where did I leave my scissors?...
  • my uncle has a whole prosthetic leg how large a raid array could he carry with him???

  • can go frak himself. Embedding an RFID chip under your skin doesn't make you a cyborg.

    This guy has a better claim.

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