Amazon’s Dash button is a mad genius-level exploit of consumer behavior, but one programmer decided to put its frictionless functionality to better use: Donating to the ACLU. Inspired by a friend’s exasperated wish for a Dash button that donates whenever you’re filled with rage at whatever Donald Trump’s done most recently to incense people with a sense of human decency, Nathan Pryor set out to modify a Dash to do just that.
Pryor ordered a Dash Button – the customizable IoT version – and while waiting for it to arrive, wrote his own code for automating the process of triggering a $5 donation to the ACLU whenever it was pressed. There is no pre-existing donation API, so Pryor had to write his own, and then get it working on the Dash when it arrived, but in the end he made it work. He even created his own graphic to apply to the button, making it look every bit an official Dash as those emblazoned with corporate brand marks from Glad, Tide and other CPG makers.
Now whenever Trump tweets, he can slam the button and relieve some tension while also doing some good. Plus, he’s made the code available so you can attempt to do the same, depending on your level of patience, technical expertise and Trump rage.