2012–2013 Python/Raspberry Pi-powered cheerlights hack. See http://www.cheerlights.com/

cheerlights.py

#!/usr/bin/python
import zlib, base64, requests, time, os

known_colors = "red green blue cyan white warmwhite purple magenta yellow orange purple".split(" ")

def ho_ho_ho():
    return zlib.decompress(base64.b64decode('eJzj0gUBWxBQAAMPR2fvSAUPfx9PF8fIYAW3IANfh'
     'ZKMVOec0qSM/FK94lQFGADpAevmggsp6Onq6sWDCBCNhwEi4NriNeKhjEgiGJrxMI3R8fHxsSQxYDr1r'
     'dQVYkhiQHXWWFmBSJIYUK0xVlZ6QMNIYgC1ZqUXQ7j6MEOIYsADV91WnSQGFwBnQmi8'))

def color_generator():
    etag = ''
    while True:
        r = requests.get('http://api.thingspeak.com/channels/1417/field/1/last.txt', headers={'if-none-match': etag})
        etag = r.headers['etag']

        if r.status_code == 200:
            yield r.content
        elif r.status_code == 304:
            time.sleep(30)
            pass  # no change
        else:
            print r.status_code, r.content, r.headers
            raise StopIteration()

if __name__ == "__main__":
    print ho_ho_ho()
    color_stream = color_generator()
    for color in color_stream:
        print color
        if color in known_colors:
            code = os.system("irsend send_once sylvania.conf %s" % color)
        # else:
        # time.sleep(60)
        time.sleep(60)

lircd.conf

# /etc/lirc/lircd.conf
#
# this config file was automatically generated
# using lirc-0.9.0-pre1(default) on Thu Dec  6 09:25:46 2012
#
# contributed by phred
#
# brand:                       sylvania.conf
# model no. of remote control:
# devices being controlled by this remote:
#

begin remote

  name  sylvania.conf
  bits           24
  flags SPACE_ENC|CONST_LENGTH
  eps            30
  aeps          100

  header       8994  4432
  one           587  1647
  zero          587   535
  ptrail        591
  repeat       8998  2199
  pre_data_bits   8
  pre_data       0x0
  gap          107538
  toggle_bit_mask 0x0

      begin codes
          red                      0xFB9867
          blue                     0xFB8877
          green                    0xFFD827
          off                      0xFBF807
          on                       0xFBB04F
          brightness+              0xFB906F
          brightness-              0xFB906F   ## WRONG, argh.
          flash                    0xFBB24D
          strobe                   0xFF00FF
          fade                     0xFF58A7
          smooth                   0xFB30CF
          violet                   0xFBF00F
          purple1                  0xFB708F
          purple                   0xFF20DF
          warmwhite                0xFF50AF
          lightorange              0xFF02FD
          cyan                     0xFF32CD
          darkcyan                 0xFF7887
          bluegreen                0xFF28D7
          magenta                  0xFFF00F
          yellow                   0xFF38C7
          white                    0xFFA857
          orange                   0xFFE817
      end codes

end remote