Internet In A Box

I don’t think anyone where I work has ever thought this box contains the entire internet, although it has been met with concerned curiosity:

“What does it do?”, I’ve been asked.
“It’s a box with a flashing red light – that’s all”, I replied.
“No, really, what’s it actually for, though?”

In case you don’t know what I’m talking about, then watch this clip of the excellent Channel 4 UK comedy “The IT Crowd”:

 

The main component is the M34-1H 3-pin LED flasher IC, and the circuit is about as simple as it gets:

Internet In A Box Circuit
Internet In A Box Circuit

I bought the IC from Rapid Electronics, and the box is of the type readily available from Maplin:

The complexity is simply humbling, I know.
The complexity is simply humbling, I know.
Behold - The Internet! (De-magnetised)
Behold – The Internet! (De-magnetised)