February 6th, 2004
By: Clay Thomas
CT> If you venture over to mikebeauchamp.com the first thing you notice is the retro feel that the website has. It reminds me of an old Atari game, and I guess that's quite fitting since Mike was the first person to ever hook up his Atari 2600 to his website. So really, how much free time does Mike actually have?
MB> The question of me having free time on my hands is one I get alot. About as much as anybody that doesn't have a job, and who doesn't take school seriousy.
CT> When he began to add his homemade projects to his website, mikebeauchamp.com became more than just a personal site, but more a labour of love. One of the first projects that Mike hooked up to his website was a remote controlled car. A camera was suspended overtop of a track, and you could control the car by clicking on directional links right on his website. Mike lists the remote control car as one of his favourite projects.
MB> ...and what was really cool about that car, was because other people were controlling it and getting feedback visually, it was kind of like a bit of an A.I. sort of thing. Like if I went up to the camera and put my finger near the car, the car would kind of move towards me. It was kind of weird, it was like it's own weird living thing in my room.
CT> Other projects that Mike has linked to his website include an online Atari and a streaming microphone that he hung from his bedroom ceiling. Both have which have since been taken offline to make way for newer ventures. Current interactive features include a 360 degree pan/tilt webcam located in his basement, a section where you can make his fish talk through a small speaker located next to their tank and his latest feature, a streaming police scanner.
MB> Some people would be like 'that's right near my house, somebody got shot right near my house, I'll go check it out'. So I just decided to stream it online and let other people check it out, and a lot of people seem to really dig it and keep it going for 40 hours at a time.
CT> When it comes to the issue of privacy, well Mike has no problem with all the webcams in his house because he's got his own opinion on the subject.
MB> Is there really privacy anyways? You can find anything about anyone you want, or look up phone numbers in the phone book and there doesn't really seem to be privacy anyways. So whats the big deal if people are seeing what I'm doing in my basement, there's nothign weird going on down there.
CT> His mother however, may have other ideas. Especially after the way she discovered the camera in the basement.
MB> It was just hanging on the wall, and she didn't really know what it was. One of her relatives called up and I guess he checked out the site and he's like "That camera in the basement is really cool!" "What camera in the basement? What are you talking about?" and he's like "Mike put a camera in the basement, and you can see everything!" and then she starts freaking out, she's like "Every day I get home from the gym I take all my clothes off and walk around naked down there, I didn't even know". So she wasn't too happy about that. I think they've just kind of pawned all that stuff off as like "Ah, it's Mike doing his thing".
CT> Mike thinks virtually anyone can make things like the Online Atari or the Talking Fish. All it takes is a little time, a few google searches and maybe a background in lego construction.
MB> My parents had legos for me when I was a kid, I'd say that probably was all the education you'd really need. That and actually having access to the internet and knowing how to use google, that should be all the knowlege you need to do anything.
CT> If you would like to know more about Mike Beauchamp and his crazy world, you can visit his website at mikebeauchamp.com. Other interactive websites you might want to check out are icepick.com where you can see a fully interactive house, and hellspark.com the original internet remote control car. Surfing the web, I'm Clay Thomas, CKHC News.