Finnish software developer Jerry Jalava lost part of his finger in a motorcycle accident, but rather than opt for a standard prosthetic, he decided to incorporate a USB key into the new digit. He loaded the 2GB with Billix distribution, CouchDBX, and Ajatus to run off the drive. When Jalava needs to use the drive, he simply pulls it off his left hand, plugs it in, making for a quite literal, “plug-and-play”. Continue reading for a video showing how to make your own novelty eraser USB flash drive.
A group of seven companies began the development of USB in 1994: Compaq, DEC, IBM, Intel, Microsoft, NEC, and Nortel. The goal was to make it fundamentally easier to connect external devices to PCs by replacing the multitude of connectors at the back of PCs, addressing the usability issues of existing interfaces, and simplifying software configuration of all devices connected to USB, as well as permitting greater data rates for external devices. A team including Ajay Bhatt worked on the standard at Intel; the first integrated circuits supporting USB were produced by Intel in 1995.
