Hackers take over Discovery Channel on Prototype This!

You have to hand it to Joe Grand. He’s clearly got this whole work thing figured out. Grand’s day job as the head of Grand Idea Studio Inc. is essentially to sit around and come up with clever ideas for new products and then help build them. His company helped in the design and build process for the Chumby, a brilliant Internet-delivery system, and he’s also designed the Defcon badges for the last three conferences.

In his spare time, Grand, who was known as kingpin during his days in the L0pht, has been working on a TV show for the Discovery Channel called Protoype This, which is sort of a do-it-yourselfer’s fantasy. In the show, which debuts Oct. 15, Grand and his three co-hosts work to build innovative projects under tight deadlines and with little in the way of money to work with. Grand’s role on the show is as the electronics and hardware guy, a role he knows well. Some of the projects on the slate include a personal airbag system and a huge water slide simulator.

I had a chance to talk to Grand a few months ago when I was working on a story about @stake and its influence on the security industry.  He’s a really smart and funny guy, so I’m guessing that the show will be well worth checking out. I’m hoping to get Joe on my new Nameless Security Podcast sometime in the next few weeks. Stay tuned.