With 26,000 Christmas lights that take 30 to 40 hours to set up, it’s hard to believe that Alek Komarnitsky’s holiday spirit isn’t the story many people are interested in.
Last year Komarnitsky made national and international headlines when a story about his display was picked up by a wire service and sent around the globe. The only problem was the media reported that Internet surfers could turn the lights on and off from their computer - which turned out to be untrue.
Komarnitsky told the Wall Street Journal about the hoax, which forced many media outlets to run corrections. Some were angry about being made to look foolish.
Simply, the ruse was accomplished by taking eight digital photos that represented the Web cams and using a computer program to select the correct photo -- lights on or off, according to Komarnitsky’s Web site.
“It’s been a hoax from 2002 to 2004,” Komarnitsky said. “In the online community it’d been really well-known (since 2002).”
This year, however, Komarnitsky swears that Internet users can really turn the lights off and on from the Web.
He said X10 home automation software -- the same type vacationing homeowners use to turn lights on and off while they’re gone -- control four zones of lights and three inflatables.
“This is a pretty bizarre use of it,” he said about using the home automation technology to run his lights. The X10 technology normally turns lights or appliances on or off once or twice a day, not continually and nightly.
According to Komarnitsky, a signal from an Internet user is sent to a computer in Dallas, which in turn sends the signal to a serial interface in Komarnitsky’s home. The message is relayed to the X10, which turns power on or off.
Because there are often hundreds of users trying to control the lights at once, software limits incoming commands to one every three seconds.
A quick trip from Denver to Lafayette revealed that the Web cameras do indeed work this year. While standing in Komarnitsky’s driveway Dec. 4, a third party online in Denver verified that a YourHub.com reporter was indeed visible via the Web cam on Komarnitsky’s site, www.komar.org.
The ability to control the lights is another story. Although Komarnitsky turned some of the lights on and off from “Santa’s Workshop,” visible in Christmas cam three on his site, the delimiter and several-second delay made it virtually impossible to confirm whether he, some other Internet user or a random timer was actually controlling the lights.
And while he was open about pointing out the technology that was hooked up to the lights, as a self-described “techno geek,” his explanation was fast, complex and full of jargon -- at least for non-techno geeks.
But Komarnitsky hopes the stories that are written this year focus on a different topic. He has dedicated the 2005 display to raising funds for celiac disease research. A link on his Web site directs people to the University of Maryland Center for Celiac Research where they can donate money.
Celiac disease is a genetic disorder that makes people unable to consume gluten, which is found in wheat and other grains, according to the center's Web site.
“This year the celiac (fundraising) is new,” he said. “It’s a very personal thing.”
Komarnitsky’s two sons, Dirk, 7, and Kyle, 4, have celiac disease.
While he was unable to use his 15 minutes of fame to raise awareness and research funds for the disease last year, Komarnitsky said he hopes he’ll get 15 seconds this year so he can raise awareness and funds to help find a cure.
So far, his lights and Web site have raised $2,700 as of Dec. 5, according to the University of Maryland Center for Celiac Research.
The Web cam does broadcast live to remote sites. So can you really turn off and on the lights from the Internet? Well, do you believe in Santa Claus?