Get rickrolled... again: Tiny chip delivers classic prank in silicon form

[Innovabble]

 

Prepare to be amazed (and amused) by the latest innovation in the world of integrated circuits! German TechTuber Matthias ‘bitluni’ Balwierz has designed a one-of-a-kind ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), but this one isn't your typical chip. Forget about processing power or complex calculations – this ASIC has a delightfully mischievous purpose: it Rickrolls you!

 

 

That's right! This ASIC, when plugged into a display adapter, delivers an instant Rick Astley dance party. It achieves this by storing a basic Rickroll animation—a 32x32 pixel marvel encoded in 512 bytes—essentially acting like a tiny, permanent ROM chip. Think of it like a silicon music video player, forever stuck on Rick Astley's greatest hit.

 

 

Bitluni's ingenious prank wouldn't have been possible without the Tiny Tapeout Program. He snuck his Rickroll project in alongside some more serious designs for Matt Venn's Tiny Tapeout 2 (TT2). This program allows multiple designers to share space on a single Large-Scale Integration (LSI) chip, making chip creation more accessible. TT2 offered a real estate bonanza of 165 individual design slots for contributors.

 

Imagine the bewildered delight of someone plugging this unassuming chip into a monitor, only to be greeted by the classic Rick Astley dance moves. It's a prank guaranteed to tickle the funny bone of any techie with a good sense of humor.

 

So, the next time you're brainstorming a playful way to surprise your tech-loving friends, remember Bitluni's ASIC. It's never gonna give you up, never gonna let you down, and it'll always put a smile on your face!

 

Now, over to you! Have you encountered any other creative tech pranks that utilize technology's power (or limitations)? Share your stories in the comments—let's see the most ingenious and hilarious tech-based pranks out there.

 

 

• https://www.theregister.com/2024/04/01/rickroll_meme_asic/
• https://www.tomshardware.com/maker-stem/rickroll-asic-heralded-as-a-world-first-this-chip-is-never-gonna-let-you-down
• https://www.hackster.io/news/custom-asic-contains-the-world-s-first-rickroll-in-silicon-823504a26f68

 

Image:  Luligu | Dreamstime.com 

Screenshot: Matthias ‘bitluni’ Balwierz