http://www.spectrum.ieee.org/WEBONLY...t01/speak.html
As a hacker, I felt it entirely natural to begin to attempt to encapsulate, measure, and then control reality with software. (For what I mean by the word "hack," see http://www.tuxedo.org/ ~esr/ jargon/html/entry/hacker.html:. To interact with a computer in a playful and exploratory rather than goal-directed way. 'Whatcha up to?' 'Oh, just hacking.' " Criminals need to get themselves another word, we had it first.)
I reasoned: "I'll stick a monitor on the network, capture the messages, and reverse-engineer any protocol for which I can't find the documentation." And I told them so. They stared at me as though I'd just showed them a mouthful of partially chewed black beetles (a phrase I originally heard from a colleague, Gordon Hay). For the client engineers, software was just another control mechanism, like a cam. Here's the brief version of the rest of the conversation.
"No," they said, "You wouldn't be able to hack the car."
+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+
(...read! is good! )
And for the SKs out there:
=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=
http://www.techtv.com/screensavers/s...417206,00.html
The open-source revolution
Modern-day ECU systems based on flash memory, such as the Apex'i Power FC
http://www.apexi-usa.com/electronics_fc.asp
and the AEM
http://www.aempower.com/index_2.htm
programmable engine management system, are like the Linux operating system of cars: They let car owners tweak and tune their ECU.
The Power FCcomes with an open-source operating system, which drivers can access through an optional handheld Commander unit. The Commander lets drivers use a simple keypad to access every function controlled by the factory ECU, including the ignition, fuel, and boost maps, the air conditioning, and the power steering. If the ECU controls it, the Power FC lets the driver tune it.
Installing the Power FC takes about five minutes and involves little more than disconnecting the wiring harness from the factory ECU and plugging it into the Power FC box. Although the factory ECU can then be removed and stored on a shelf to collect dust, many owners zip-tie or tape the Power FC on top of the factory ECU so they can easily unplug the harness from one and plug it into the other. If the car experiences trouble or needs to go back to the dealership, there'll be no evidence that anything had been tampered with. And if the driver sells the car, he or she can easily remove the Power FC, leaving the car as stock as the day it was purchased.
