>no brownie points for just building random things

That's kind of what hackers do though isn't it?

I'd disagree a bit. There's merit in building something as a way to learn. Kind of a core tenant of hacking. Take it apart, put it back together etc. Going farther with your curiosity than typical.

This idea might be useful for skiing. I do course control for kids ski races and you want to hold the skier in the gate when another crashes further down the course. Radio coms have to be very tight and clear. Wind and dealing with the elements and trying to push the mic button with gloves on is a pita. Maybe there's ideas here that could help. Makes me think at the very least.