DIY Kindle scanner and DRM cracker

doctorow · 09-07-2013, 08:01 AM

Did you ever wonder how to use Lego Mindstorm to make your Kindle collection DRM-free? Well, according to the maker, "this is an art project reflecting the relation of book scanning, copyright, and digital rights management. This is not intended to be understood as an instruction or invitation, but rather as a provocative thought experiment."

From AllThingsD:

Quote:

A university professor in Austria has released the video below, showing how he has automated a low-tech approach to bypassing the digital rights management system on the Kindle.

His name is Peter Purgathofer, and he’s an associate professor at the Vienna University of Technology.

Using Lego’s Mindstorms — a basic robotics kit popular with hobbyists — plus a Kindle and a Mac, he has assembled a way to photograph what’s on the screen, and then submit it to a cloud-based text-recognition service.

Here is the video:

http://vimeo.com/73675285

pdurrant · 09-07-2013, 08:17 AM

I'll have to suggest to the other moderators that this be removed. This is clearly a DRM-circumvention device, and illegal under the terms of the DMCA.

(I'm joking. I think.)

Dr. Drib · 09-07-2013, 09:28 AM

I'll take the Windows version.

Don

crich70 · 09-07-2013, 09:31 AM

Ingenious what people can come up with isn't it.

Jessica Lares · 09-07-2013, 04:30 PM

That's crazy brilliant. Might have to do that for Comixology stuff, but on the iPad, ha!

Katsunami · 09-07-2013, 05:10 PM

This already exists for some time. It's the same mechanism used to OCR paper books.

What's this guy going to invent next; copying DRM-ed audio books by connecting the player's line-out to the line-in of a sound card?

crich70 · 09-07-2013, 08:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Katsunami

This already exists for some time. It's the same mechanism used to OCR paper books.

What's this guy going to invent next; copying DRM-ed audio books by connecting the player's line-out to the line-in of a sound card?

Good point. Isn't there an all wood copy of that kind of thing that is in kit form? I think I remember it being posted about somewhere here at MR some time back.

cortman · 09-07-2013, 09:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Katsunami

This already exists for some time. It's the same mechanism used to OCR paper books.

What's this guy going to invent next; copying DRM-ed audio books by connecting the player's line-out to the line-in of a sound card?

Done that countless times already.

Katsunami · 09-07-2013, 09:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cortman

Done that countless times already.

I won a bet once, against a dude who wanted to rip a for use in his car MP3-player and said it couldn't be because of copy protection. I copied that the same way, by just playing it on the computer, and haveing an audio editor "Record What You Hear" :P

Split it up, save as MP3, done. Only skill required: Patience.

It did earn me an evening of free drinks and a meal afterward. Expensive MP3's

pro2type · 09-08-2013, 03:28 AM

Nothing that couldn't be done very much more easy on the Mac alone (Automator doing screen dumps on Kindle for Mac). Even more easy on a PC.

But Hey, then we would not have the fun of the Lego Mindstorms at work !

frostschutz · 09-08-2013, 04:32 AM

That's a nice piece of useless junk, I mean, what a wonderful art project!

EowynCarter · 09-08-2013, 05:29 AM

Ah ah funny.

With LEGO, everything's possible

Mind you, i never though to use this to make some DYI paper book scanner

That idea do have it merits.

Katsunami · 09-08-2013, 10:15 AM

Search youtube. A page turner has already been done.

Only need to extend it a bit to push a camera button.

teh603 · 09-08-2013, 05:56 PM

Gotta love the analog loophole.

pwalker8 · 09-08-2013, 06:33 PM

It pretty much shows the silliness of DRM. The best solution to pirates is to make books available at a reasonable price (yes, I know everyone has a different definition of reasonable). For the most part, people will buy ebooks if available. Not having them available just trains a new generation on how to use to darknet. This is something that has been known for a decade now.

09-07-2013, 05:10 PM	#6
Katsunami Grand Sorcerer Posts: 6,111 Karma: 34000001 Join Date: Mar 2008 Device: KPW1, KA1	This already exists for some time. It's the same mechanism used to OCR paper books. What's this guy going to invent next; copying DRM-ed audio books by connecting the player's line-out to the line-in of a sound card? Last edited by Katsunami; 09-07-2013 at 05:13 PM.

09-08-2013, 05:29 AM	#12
EowynCarter Wizard Posts: 4,337 Karma: 4000000 Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Paris Device: Cybooks; Sony PRS-T1	Ah ah funny. With LEGO, everything's possible Mind you, i never though to use this to make some DYI paper book scanner That idea do have it merits. Last edited by EowynCarter; 09-08-2013 at 05:33 AM.

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09-07-2013, 08:17 AM	#2
pdurrant The Grand Mouse 高貴的老鼠 Posts: 73,629 Karma: 315126578 Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Norfolk, England Device: Kindle Oasis	I'll have to suggest to the other moderators that this be removed. This is clearly a DRM-circumvention device, and illegal under the terms of the DMCA. (I'm joking. I think.)

09-07-2013, 09:28 AM	#3
Dr. Drib Grand Sorcerer Posts: 45,333 Karma: 59447733 Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Peru Device: KINDLE: Oasis 3, Scribe (1st), Matcha; KOBO: Libra 2, Libra Colour	I'll take the Windows version. Don

09-07-2013, 09:31 AM	#4
crich70 Grand Sorcerer Posts: 11,310 Karma: 43993832 Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Monroe Wisconsin Device: K3, Kindle Paperwhite, Calibre, and Mobipocket for Pc (netbook)	Ingenious what people can come up with isn't it.

09-07-2013, 04:30 PM	#5
Jessica Lares Wizard Posts: 2,240 Karma: 5759170 Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Near Dallas, Texas, USA Device: iPad Mini, iPod Touch (5th gen)	That's crazy brilliant. Might have to do that for Comixology stuff, but on the iPad, ha!

09-08-2013, 03:28 AM	#10
pro2type Junior Member Posts: 5 Karma: 10 Join Date: Feb 2011 Device: iPad	Nothing that couldn't be done very much more easy on the Mac alone (Automator doing screen dumps on Kindle for Mac). Even more easy on a PC. But Hey, then we would not have the fun of the Lego Mindstorms at work !

09-08-2013, 04:32 AM	#11
frostschutz Linux User Posts: 2,282 Karma: 6123806 Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Heidelberg, Germany Device: none	That's a nice piece of useless junk, I mean, what a wonderful art project!

09-08-2013, 10:15 AM	#13
Katsunami Grand Sorcerer Posts: 6,111 Karma: 34000001 Join Date: Mar 2008 Device: KPW1, KA1	Search youtube. A page turner has already been done. Only need to extend it a bit to push a camera button.

09-08-2013, 05:56 PM	#14
teh603 Autism Spectrum Disorder Posts: 1,212 Karma: 6244877 Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Coastal Texas Device: Android Phone	Gotta love the analog loophole.

09-08-2013, 06:33 PM	#15
pwalker8 Grand Sorcerer Posts: 7,196 Karma: 70314280 Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Atlanta, GA Device: iPad Pro, iPad mini, Kobo Aura, Amazon paperwhite, Sony PRS-T2	It pretty much shows the silliness of DRM. The best solution to pirates is to make books available at a reasonable price (yes, I know everyone has a different definition of reasonable). For the most part, people will buy ebooks if available. Not having them available just trains a new generation on how to use to darknet. This is something that has been known for a decade now.

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