Now I've got another thing to do if I somehow fall ass-backwards into more money than I'll be able to spend in a lifetime: build a house full of things like these. The goal would be to make it so a trip to the bathroom would feel as if you're playing Myst. Frustration and all.

And yet again I accidentally reply to someone. I'll go flagellate myself in penance.

Smellvin, you do know that a fifty minute tour through the house vs your blatter isn't going to work /if you have to go/?

Flagellate to the beat of "shave and a haircut".

No, apparently it's not a hoax:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ERpBHP3sKkMd

http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2009/11/secret_knock_detector .html

To be fair, you can't see the actual steampunk, he may well be looking very douchey off camera.

Anyhow, I can't give this a full five stars because it runs on Arduino AND they didn't even develop the code.

5 for standing on the shoulders of giants then

"it runs on Arduino AND they didn't even develop the code." = - star?

Show me how your garage door opens and or I'm calling the internet police.

I have to get my keys out, unlock the damn thing, and then manually pull the handle and try and not break a rusty spring. And then I get inside and it's all full of useless crap.

Well, it's his house, so he probably remembered to leave the water on at the rest stop sink 20 miles away, and to set his watch to an even multiple of the number of siding panels on the house.

You can reprogram the lock to accept a new knock rhythm, which means the old one doesn't work anymore.