Old Computer Challenge 2026 - Make Something

It's that time of the year again. For the past three years I participated in the old computer challenge every year, and I always had a lot of fun, so I wanted to do something this year, too. The topic for this year isn't strictly about old computers, but rather about making something yourself, to combat the onslaught of AI slop that we're all being subjected to on a daily basis. I like this topic, and so I've been racking my brain without much success on what I could (and want to) make. I currently have a lot of time (thanks to some health issues), but not a lot of energy or ability to focus and work on something for a prolonged period of time (thanks to the same health issues...), so many things I would want to do are probably beyond my current abilities. So I thought rather than torture myself trying to come up with something elaborate and then failing at it, I'll try my hands on something simple and fun. I'm going to use an Arduino to build a USB infrared receiver, so I can control…