Another Prius Hack: Mac Prius
by Christine Lepisto, Berlin on 02.19.06
If you like what is quickly becoming a series on DIY upgrades for your Toyota Prius here at Treehugger and you missed the Digg, then allow us to point you to the "quest to make Mac Prius", or how to make a Mac Mini with audio and video work in Toyota's hybrid, Prius. Granted the last hacks tracked here helped you activate the Prius' hidden powers and monitor the secret inner workings: what one might call first-order hacks. Mac Prius is more of a counter-culture family reunion.
With hints on which technology flops and which is tops, as well as shares on Perl scripts (disclaimer quote: "if your Mac spontaneously combusts after running this script, I am not responsible"), Mac Prius will set you on the road with your tunes via touch-screen and DVD entertainment for the tots on the long trips. The response time on the touch screen suggests a disclaimer about keeping the car on the road while working the controls might be in order, but it is a "work in progress" so stay tuned to the Mac Prius site for the tweaks. How about building the remote control into the steering wheel, Mac-service at your fingertips?
Treehugger disclaimer: you have to own a Prius before you can hack it. Better if it is out of warranty to boot, so you should buy yours now...
via ::Digg
While it's neat and all, I must be missing the part about why this is on treehugger. I can understand hacks that get help you get better fuel mileage, or plug in a hybrid, or other such green endeavors, but this? Are we trying to encourage people to buy Mac Minis?