I got the tripod! It was late, but at least it got here! Now I can try cooler things with the 365 photos
Friday, December 28, 2007
Day 212: It's Mindstorms!
My son and I did the beginer robot and figured out how to make it go in a square and play a sound file. Now we need to work on using the sensors for stuff.
Monday, December 24, 2007
Education fights poverty?
I used to think that the One Laptop Per Child project was nonsense. I mean really, so what. You give all these kids a laptop, they'll play games on them. Big giant waste of time. Almost all of the reviews I've seen on this are about the technical merits of the laptop itself. But it's hard to find articles on the effect something like this has on a community, village, or even the child that receives one. There are a few testimonials from the OLPC website, but not much in the way of news. Can something like a laptop really educate? I can only speak to my own experience with my kids and technology certainly does help, but needs guidance.
They all go right for the games. And if I leave the sentence alone, you might think they are all playing quake blowing each other up. But first, this is a Linux OS, with my kids and the OLPC. The games aren't really the same that you find on other operating systems. My older son likes to play TetraVex. My younger son plays GCompris which contains many educational games what taught him how to use the mouse, click, double click, and now he solves puzzles and plays the memory game. My daughter likes Anagramarama, which tends to grow into the whole family shouting out words to try. So, there are games, but they can teach. And that's only the games.
But, why the big deal about educating kids in third world countries? Would they be better served by sending food and money so they can build better schools?
I ended up watching a film about child slavery. "This World Child Slavery". One thing that kept coming up with all the kids shown is school. They all want to go to school. Generally, the environment was so rough that the parents were unable to afford sending the kid to school. Even if the school was free, that child was able to earn money so the family could buy food. School would have to wait because the family needed to eat. In a lot of cases the parents pretty much sold the kids off to "masters". So what? The kid learns a trade and helps out the family, is school that important?
It's kind of like saving for the future. The better educated the children, the better the return on the investment. Not just for the child though. People are finding out that the village does better with more education. One example is Hai Krong in Viet Nam. By changing the villages view on school, they have graduated doctors, and teachers. Not only are the kids better off, but the community benefits from the doctors visiting the village. Or the teachers coming back to teach.
Even the World Bank agrees: Simply opening a stock market in a developing nation doesn't work, Rutherford adds. 'Foundations have to be laid first, and education is one of these.' and from the article: The report offers many examples of how enhanced education programs have improved economic growth and people's lives. In the 1960s, South Korea and Ghana had similar per-capita incomes. South Korea now has an advanced post-secondary sector and a per-capita income of $10,550 (U.S.). Ghana's per capita income is only $370.
So, the OLPC project might not solve world poverty on it's own. But you can't drive a car on just the wheels either! You need the engine, a steering wheel, a gas pedal, and so on. It's when all these things work together we get something we can drive to work in.
They all go right for the games. And if I leave the sentence alone, you might think they are all playing quake blowing each other up. But first, this is a Linux OS, with my kids and the OLPC. The games aren't really the same that you find on other operating systems. My older son likes to play TetraVex. My younger son plays GCompris which contains many educational games what taught him how to use the mouse, click, double click, and now he solves puzzles and plays the memory game. My daughter likes Anagramarama, which tends to grow into the whole family shouting out words to try. So, there are games, but they can teach. And that's only the games.
But, why the big deal about educating kids in third world countries? Would they be better served by sending food and money so they can build better schools?
I ended up watching a film about child slavery. "This World Child Slavery". One thing that kept coming up with all the kids shown is school. They all want to go to school. Generally, the environment was so rough that the parents were unable to afford sending the kid to school. Even if the school was free, that child was able to earn money so the family could buy food. School would have to wait because the family needed to eat. In a lot of cases the parents pretty much sold the kids off to "masters". So what? The kid learns a trade and helps out the family, is school that important?
It's kind of like saving for the future. The better educated the children, the better the return on the investment. Not just for the child though. People are finding out that the village does better with more education. One example is Hai Krong in Viet Nam. By changing the villages view on school, they have graduated doctors, and teachers. Not only are the kids better off, but the community benefits from the doctors visiting the village. Or the teachers coming back to teach.
Even the World Bank agrees: Simply opening a stock market in a developing nation doesn't work, Rutherford adds. 'Foundations have to be laid first, and education is one of these.' and from the article: The report offers many examples of how enhanced education programs have improved economic growth and people's lives. In the 1960s, South Korea and Ghana had similar per-capita incomes. South Korea now has an advanced post-secondary sector and a per-capita income of $10,550 (U.S.). Ghana's per capita income is only $370.
So, the OLPC project might not solve world poverty on it's own. But you can't drive a car on just the wheels either! You need the engine, a steering wheel, a gas pedal, and so on. It's when all these things work together we get something we can drive to work in.
Sunday, December 23, 2007
Day 209: I have a secret
I've never told anyone this but, I like rap. There I said it. I'm still a big techo / trance fan, but I also dig some rap. So, sometimes when I'm home alone, I go to youtube and play some rap videos.
Most everyone I know is a classic rock fan. The others into heavy metal or something. I've just never been into it.
This is my secret life! Well... was my secret. Now the world knows. Oh well.
Most everyone I know is a classic rock fan. The others into heavy metal or something. I've just never been into it.
This is my secret life! Well... was my secret. Now the world knows. Oh well.
Saturday, December 22, 2007
Friday, December 21, 2007
Day 207: Dance Dance Revolution
The kids got DDR for the Wii. I'm testing it out while they are at grandma's house. I'm so horrible at this! I'm so excited about the hours of video I can get of the kids trying to learn it. Muahahaha.
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Monday, December 17, 2007
Day 203: Monday
I have survived Monday. My USB is broken at work, so I submitted a ticket to RMA my motherboard. There was a traffic jam leaving work so I was late getting out. At least tomorrow isn't today!
Sunday, December 16, 2007
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Catching the bad guys
I wrote a real quick Linux firewall with portsentry guide a long time ago. I'm reposting that now that I converted it to Google Docs.
http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=d6hvqjv_55gq83jz
It's fun to "catch" the systems probing your firewall. I think I'll need to build a honey pot sometime so I can capture the commands that are attempted.
http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=d6hvqjv_55gq83jz
It's fun to "catch" the systems probing your firewall. I think I'll need to build a honey pot sometime so I can capture the commands that are attempted.
Linux Bashing
I just ran into a blog post about Linux that I just had to respond to.
http://blogcritics.org/archives/2007/12/13/060028.php
This is my response...
This is a comment comparing Windows, Linux, and Macintosh. This is also a comment that I've never heard before. The only context I can imagine a statement like this being used in would be linux on the server, maybe embeded devices, or possibly being able to boot from USB devices or something. From everything that I have seen and heard is that Macintosh is the best... if you can afford it. The hierarchy seems to go like this: Macintosh, BSD, Linux, Microsoft. I threw in BSD because while it tends to get figured in with Linux, it's actually different, and is the base for the Mac operating system. From Wikipedia: "Mac OS X is based on the Mach kernel and is derived from the Berkeley Software Distribution (BSD) implementation of Unix in Nextstep."
I think you might be mixing messages that Linux is thought to be the best for a server (though BSD fans will argue this down), and not really for a desktop. Though, keep in mind that Ubuntu is REALLY close behind the Mac.
http://blogcritics.org/archives/2007/12/13/060028.php
Linux Perfect? I Think Not!
This is my response...
"I've even heard that Linux is better than both of them."
This is a comment comparing Windows, Linux, and Macintosh. This is also a comment that I've never heard before. The only context I can imagine a statement like this being used in would be linux on the server, maybe embeded devices, or possibly being able to boot from USB devices or something. From everything that I have seen and heard is that Macintosh is the best... if you can afford it. The hierarchy seems to go like this: Macintosh, BSD, Linux, Microsoft. I threw in BSD because while it tends to get figured in with Linux, it's actually different, and is the base for the Mac operating system. From Wikipedia: "Mac OS X is based on the Mach kernel and is derived from the Berkeley Software Distribution (BSD) implementation of Unix in Nextstep."
I think you might be mixing messages that Linux is thought to be the best for a server (though BSD fans will argue this down), and not really for a desktop. Though, keep in mind that Ubuntu is REALLY close behind the Mac.
Linux users champion their own software because they feel they are allowed to customize what is installed on their system with whatever version they use.
I applaud that, really. But let's say I have something else, like a life. Windows beats Linux on that alone. You install the OS and you can go and come back and put the rest of the software in later.
People get this wrong all the time. The customization that people are really talking about is in compiling the software. When you build software, you can compile it with support for this, that, and the other thing. If you don't need that support, you can turn that option off. When you build a system that is specific for your computer (processor, memory, and so on), the software (don't add support for LDAP if you don't use it), and you, then -yes- you will have a system that is faster and better than windows because it was built to suit your taste. This is a lot different that simply choosing what wallpaper or screen saver you are going to use. Most people are not going to get into compiling their own stuff though. Think of it like this, there are some hybrid owners that are modifying their cars to squeeze out up to 100mpg. A 100mpg car is far superior to a 50mpg car (if fuel effiency is what you are after), but if you don't know what you are doing, you aren't going to make these modifications in most cases voiding the warranty.
Linux users feel that Windows makes computing less intelligent because there is no need to think with Windows.
I agree that a computer should awaken the senses and make you smarter. The computer, however, is a machine. A machine is only going to do what it's told. That means that if you don't know, don't care to know, or simply can be bothered with learning how, then don't get Linux.
Stop looking at the comments from super nerds as what people are claiming the virtues of Linux are. This is a statement from people that want to learn Linux, typically in the context of servers. If you build a server from scratch, you are going to know a lot more about what going on (and have the know-how to fix it) than just a instant server. I learned the hard way that a computer is a tool, and have since switched to Ubuntu at work so I would stop messing around with configuring things.
I take issue with this statement having any validity though. I can't find Linux users that do not admire the Mac. And the Mac is thought to have a more elegant and simple interface than a windows system. Again, this tends to be Linux server admins speaking down to Windows admins.
The proof for me was a recent conference in Dallas by Usenix, calles LISA (Large Installation System Administrators) where most of the people had Macs
In that photo, nearly ALL of the laptops shown are Macs.
Linux users feel that their operating system cannot be affected by a virus.
This is easy to break down. If someone can break into a $500 dollar iPhone, then someone could easily break into a computer running Linux. It's probably not quite as easy to do it, but the harder you have to crack a program, the more likely that a backdoor is possible to find.
ALL computers can be affected by a virus. Well, all systems that connect to a network at least. The difference is "user space" vs "system space". When operating a windows -home- system, you tend to have access to all the parts of the OS. If you click on a bad link, your whole system can be affected. In Linux the user operates in "user space" so if he clicks on the bad link, only the parts of the system that the user has access to will be affected. This tends to be isolated to the home directory. Most of the sytem configuration files can only be changed by the root user so these files will be unaffected by actions of the user. So it's more the affect of a virus. On a Linux system, you are going to see less impact.
Also, viruses (or virii?) are not the same as a trojan horse, which is not the same as a "cracker". The security argument tends to be more server oriented. You can configure a Microsoft server to be just as secure as a Linux server which can be just as secure as a BSD server. It's all in how you configure it, and the abilities of the administrator. I've seen a couple of cracked linux firewalls
With the failure of Vista and the phasing out of XP, Windows users may find themselves with a welcome alternative in Linux.
It's an alternative, but not really a welcome one. Sure, many brands of Linux are supposedly compatible with Windows-based hardware. But given the caustic nature of the way companies deal with Microsoft over in the Linux community, the drivers created for the system will probably not work as well as they do with Windows.
I actually found the drivers to work -better- than windows. At least in the stuff I use. My son bought a cheapo digital camera. We hooked it up to his XP box, and while it detected the device, it would not talk to it. After installing all sorts of junk from the CDrom, we were able to talk to the camera, but only through this odd program that came with the camera. Later, we installed Ubuntu. Now when we hook up the camera, a window just pops up with the images and we put them where we want. Also, just yesterday I visited a family friend that wanted to be able to print to their printer in XP. They already have Ubuntu installed (which prints fine), but they want to use Microsoft Works. We get the driver disk and halfway through the install, it bails out because it can't figure out the processor. It's a French laptop, but maybe it needs French drivers? I have no idea. We ended up just giving up on XP because Ubuntu just works.
What you aren't going to find is the hardcore brand new games on a Linux system. You'll have a hard time finding them on a Mac either, but better luck than Linux.
Well, Bill Gates is evil.
Okay, so Bill is probably Hitler reincarnated when it comes to how he created Windows and ran Microsoft. At least you can point to him to blame someone for the problems with the system. Who exactly can newly converted Windows users blame for the faults in Linux? No one! There's a zillion damn versions and a lot of hands in the pot.
I don't know about this. Maybe the corporation has done some nasty things. Then again, in the 90's, Microsoft was a fantastic place to work (so I hear). They took programmers out of cubes and put them into offices, allowed casual attire in the work place, and were known for pioneering the now common work environment. I think that both Bill and Jobs were really anti IBM. Both these guys worked to be kind of the opposite. You can't point to Bill and blame him for anything. You CAN have a phone number to complain to though. The problem is that you pay for that support. There are Linux support lines too, and you can pay for that as well.
The zillion hands statement is true for both Microsoft and Linux though. Don't forget that a team of programmers built a program, then it was bought by Microsoft, then reprogrammed to run on the next version, then sustainment programmers in India submit patches for it. Most of Microsoft is the result of the company buying up other companies. You might even argue that there are more programmers involved in Microsoft software than Open Source. Look at any open source project. A really successful one might have five developers involved. Most have one or two though.
With this, I agree! I might not get blue screen, but I do have to restart X a lot. I admit, that I like to try out all sorts of software, and I'm a bit abusive to my system. All systems crash. Just ask NASA.Linux never crashes like Windows.
If it's something made by man, it will crash. If something is made by a community that tells you in a childish voice, "Mine is better than yours," then it likely isn't any better than the alternative.
Now, can someone point me to a good Linux OS?
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
The Story of Stuff
I've just started playing with Stumbleupon. It's actually been very good. This morning, it landed me on the website "The Story of Stuff". It's a pretty good video about the full impact of consumerism. Something that should be viewed before Christmas.
The Story of Stuff - http://www.storyofstuff.com/
From its extraction through sale, use and disposal, all the stuff in our lives affects communities at home and abroad, yet most of this is hidden from view. The Story of Stuff is a 20-minute, fast-paced, fact-filled look at the underside of our production and consumption patterns. The Story of Stuff exposes the connections between a huge number of environmental and social issues, and calls us together to create a more sustainable and just world. It'll teach you something, it'll make you laugh, and it just may change the way you look at all the stuff in your life forever.
From its extraction through sale, use and disposal, all the stuff in our lives affects communities at home and abroad, yet most of this is hidden from view. The Story of Stuff is a 20-minute, fast-paced, fact-filled look at the underside of our production and consumption patterns. The Story of Stuff exposes the connections between a huge number of environmental and social issues, and calls us together to create a more sustainable and just world. It'll teach you something, it'll make you laugh, and it just may change the way you look at all the stuff in your life forever.
Blogged with Flock
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Monday, December 10, 2007
UMPC - Ultra Mobile PC
Linux Devices has published:
"Everex has confirmed plans to ship a UMPC (ultra-mobile PC) with a 7-inch screen, similar to competitor Asus's EEE PC. A source close to the company revealed that the device -- codenamed "Cloudbook" -- will ship with the Google Apps-oriented "gOS" Linux distribution early next year."
This is on the heels of the much sought after EEE PC from Asus. There are other systems like this on the market that just don't seem to catch as much hype though. Like the Nokia N810. That's smaller, has a longer battery life, and even has GPS on it. Even the One Laptop Per Child had a lot of buzz going on, then didn't seem to catch on with the adults. If I search YouTube for "eee pc" I get tons of unboxing videos, and even videos of people simply booting up the laptop. Asus has really hit on something, that no one else really has. Now there is excitement that Everex is going to join in as a competitor to the EEE PC.
What's with all the excitement? Schools are already purchasing EEE PC laptops. Students are grabbing this fast as they are affordable and easy take with you. You don't need a laptop case, or a special backpack. They also make it easy to use on planes, coffee shops, or to bring with you on vacation. And compared to other portable computers, it's quite inexpensive. With another company joining in the same market, we as consumers will get better prices or better features... and if we are lucky, both!
Some of the features the Everex model is boasting is "a Via C7 ULV (ultra-low voltage), clocked at 1.2GHz, 30GB hard disk drive, a touchscreen interface, a webcam, cordless Skype phone, and retro LCD alarm clock module."
The release date for the Everex laptop (developer version) is Jan 15th at $400. This is perfect as I can wait until I get my tax return, and enough time will have passed that feedback from the early adopters will give good insight on which UMPC I should go for.
"Everex has confirmed plans to ship a UMPC (ultra-mobile PC) with a 7-inch screen, similar to competitor Asus's EEE PC. A source close to the company revealed that the device -- codenamed "Cloudbook" -- will ship with the Google Apps-oriented "gOS" Linux distribution early next year."
This is on the heels of the much sought after EEE PC from Asus. There are other systems like this on the market that just don't seem to catch as much hype though. Like the Nokia N810. That's smaller, has a longer battery life, and even has GPS on it. Even the One Laptop Per Child had a lot of buzz going on, then didn't seem to catch on with the adults. If I search YouTube for "eee pc" I get tons of unboxing videos, and even videos of people simply booting up the laptop. Asus has really hit on something, that no one else really has. Now there is excitement that Everex is going to join in as a competitor to the EEE PC.
What's with all the excitement? Schools are already purchasing EEE PC laptops. Students are grabbing this fast as they are affordable and easy take with you. You don't need a laptop case, or a special backpack. They also make it easy to use on planes, coffee shops, or to bring with you on vacation. And compared to other portable computers, it's quite inexpensive. With another company joining in the same market, we as consumers will get better prices or better features... and if we are lucky, both!
Some of the features the Everex model is boasting is "a Via C7 ULV (ultra-low voltage), clocked at 1.2GHz, 30GB hard disk drive, a touchscreen interface, a webcam, cordless Skype phone, and retro LCD alarm clock module."
The release date for the Everex laptop (developer version) is Jan 15th at $400. This is perfect as I can wait until I get my tax return, and enough time will have passed that feedback from the early adopters will give good insight on which UMPC I should go for.
How-To Cacti Syslog-NG (repost)
I removed this page from the old webpage and now I'm just doing it in Google Docs. I think it's much easier to maintain this way. Anyway the link is to the right of this page is the documents menu, and I'll also provide it right here
How-To Cacti Syslog-NG
How-To Cacti Syslog-NG
Saturday, December 8, 2007
Day 194: White and Nerdy
My one year old really really likes the "White and Nerdy" video by Weird Al. We watched it like six times in a row this morning.
Day 193: It's snowing!
Not that you could tell from the photo, but it was snowing! The camera needed new batteries so I went home, and by the time I got there the snow stopped. That's why I'm in the house, because I had to steal the batteries from the Wii controllers. But at one point during the day, it was cold and snowing which is why I have the jacket on.
Ubuntu 7.10 = Big hit with the kids
I'm the Linux guy in the house, while the wife and kids run XP. The few times I attempted to convert the family to Linux, I received a load of "Why doesn't this run?" or "Why doesn't the camera show up?", "Where is the sound?", and finally "This sucks."
Ubuntu has been my main OS, even at home for a good while now. Not too long ago, I set up my three year old with games like GCompris, and other educational games. This was a great program to start with because GCompris comes with little games that get kids used to the computer. The first thing I did was start him out with the learn the mouse program. Pretty soon, he developed really good control of the mouse, then began to learn how to click, double click, and even drag and drop. Then he was off playing the memory game, and putting together puzzles.
Then he learned how to exit the program, where the games menu is, and started to test out all sorts of games. Tux paint became a favorite for a long time. The older kids started making comments that they wish they could play some of these games.
Today was the big day though. My three year old likes cars, so I decided to give "Torcs" a try. this is a race car game, and with Ubuntu you just click, click, click, and it's installed. I didn't have to mess with video drivers or anything, and even added itself to the menu (does that start to date me?). Once the older kids saw the three year old driving the race car, they demanded I install Ubuntu on their system.
Ok, but this means I need to clean up the windows partition, install partition magic and all that stuff. I have partition magic, but failed to keep a copy of the license key (that really irks me). So I started searching for a freeware, or demo version. Then I decided to search for "open source partition magic". What I found was that most people were just using a live CD like Knoppix to resize their partitions. I'm always wiping out the hard drive and doing a clean install so I hadn't had this problem for a long time. I burned an Ubuntu 7.10 CD and put it into the kids computer, rebooted, and started the install process. Not only did Ubuntu resize the partition, but it also imported my sons settings from Windows into Ubuntu. Things like browser bookmarks, photos, even his desktop wallpaper.
Once the install was done, I showed him how to use Synaptic to browse programs to install, and he was off. He even found KGoldRunner, his old favorite. I did the same to my daughters computer so we now all have dual boot Ubuntu systems. I left to get take out, and when I returned, they were playing Armagetron (a Tron cycle game) together on the network. Even my sons cheap-o digital camera (when I say cheap, I mean $10 at the check out at Walgreens. Now that cheap!) worked without incident.
Even though the games don't have mind blowing graphics, they really do like the logic, and puzzle games that come with Linux. Our favorite family game is playing Anagramarama together. The kids are shockingly good at calling out words.
Ubuntu has been my main OS, even at home for a good while now. Not too long ago, I set up my three year old with games like GCompris, and other educational games. This was a great program to start with because GCompris comes with little games that get kids used to the computer. The first thing I did was start him out with the learn the mouse program. Pretty soon, he developed really good control of the mouse, then began to learn how to click, double click, and even drag and drop. Then he was off playing the memory game, and putting together puzzles.
Then he learned how to exit the program, where the games menu is, and started to test out all sorts of games. Tux paint became a favorite for a long time. The older kids started making comments that they wish they could play some of these games.
Today was the big day though. My three year old likes cars, so I decided to give "Torcs" a try. this is a race car game, and with Ubuntu you just click, click, click, and it's installed. I didn't have to mess with video drivers or anything, and even added itself to the menu (does that start to date me?). Once the older kids saw the three year old driving the race car, they demanded I install Ubuntu on their system.
Ok, but this means I need to clean up the windows partition, install partition magic and all that stuff. I have partition magic, but failed to keep a copy of the license key (that really irks me). So I started searching for a freeware, or demo version. Then I decided to search for "open source partition magic". What I found was that most people were just using a live CD like Knoppix to resize their partitions. I'm always wiping out the hard drive and doing a clean install so I hadn't had this problem for a long time. I burned an Ubuntu 7.10 CD and put it into the kids computer, rebooted, and started the install process. Not only did Ubuntu resize the partition, but it also imported my sons settings from Windows into Ubuntu. Things like browser bookmarks, photos, even his desktop wallpaper.
Once the install was done, I showed him how to use Synaptic to browse programs to install, and he was off. He even found KGoldRunner, his old favorite. I did the same to my daughters computer so we now all have dual boot Ubuntu systems. I left to get take out, and when I returned, they were playing Armagetron (a Tron cycle game) together on the network. Even my sons cheap-o digital camera (when I say cheap, I mean $10 at the check out at Walgreens. Now that cheap!) worked without incident.
Even though the games don't have mind blowing graphics, they really do like the logic, and puzzle games that come with Linux. Our favorite family game is playing Anagramarama together. The kids are shockingly good at calling out words.
Friday, December 7, 2007
Heartbeat 2 test platform guide complete
This is a how-to for getting you up and running with an unconfigured heartbeat 2 cluster in Vmware so you can start playing around.
Full HB Test Platform Guide
I'm currently working on the "configure" guide that picks up where this one leaves off. How to configure heartbeat 2 from the command line and so on. Just simple services.
Full HB Test Platform Guide
I'm currently working on the "configure" guide that picks up where this one leaves off. How to configure heartbeat 2 from the command line and so on. Just simple services.
Thursday, December 6, 2007
Solar Heater - Attempt #1
I don't think my solar heater works like I thought it would. I still need to take some temperature readings from it, but I didn't feel the fins getting that hot from the sun. I have spray painted it flat black (the photo was before I painted it).
I'm going to get more educated on the subject and found a site that has great information about solar space heating called Build it Solar.
Originally, I was looking at more simple things like the penny heater, and the can heater. I'll look more into the physics of the whole thing again and check my design again. My first thought is that I might want to double up on the number of fins that I'm using and overlap them more.
Penny Heater
Soda Can Heater
One idea I was toying with is to use a Fresnel lens to magnify the sun onto the fins, or maybe many lenses. I got that from this Solar Marshmallow Roaster
I'm going to get more educated on the subject and found a site that has great information about solar space heating called Build it Solar.
Originally, I was looking at more simple things like the penny heater, and the can heater. I'll look more into the physics of the whole thing again and check my design again. My first thought is that I might want to double up on the number of fins that I'm using and overlap them more.
Penny Heater
Soda Can Heater
One idea I was toying with is to use a Fresnel lens to magnify the sun onto the fins, or maybe many lenses. I got that from this Solar Marshmallow Roaster
Kucinich and Ron Paul?
I started seeing people talk about these two getting together. A democrat and a republican? How strange. I started to see more and more comments that looked like "Ron Paul / Kucinich 2008", and these two running for office together. It turns out that they are not so different on a lot of things, and have even mentioned each other as running mates when asked.
Whoa! It's great to see that some people are beyond the whole "Democrats vs. Republicans" crap and are actually focused on the issues.
Whoa! It's great to see that some people are beyond the whole "Democrats vs. Republicans" crap and are actually focused on the issues.
Day 192: I can has teh cookies?
Wife made cookies for the kids school. I'm not allowed to steal any.
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
Day 191: Putting the fins on
Here I am, hot gluing the aluminum fins onto the cardboard for the solar heater.
I Want RoBo-One!!
I was watching the Science Channel with my son a while ago and we watched a show called "Wired Science". This is a show sponsored by Wired Magazine. They have a segment called "Geek Dad", and on this episode the geek dad was a guy from Japan that did a kind of robot wars called "Robo-One" (Official Japanese Site)
You can see the Geek Dad segment here.
Now my son and I are searching and watching robo-one clips on google video. I wish the U.S. had something this awesome.
You can see the Geek Dad segment here.
Now my son and I are searching and watching robo-one clips on google video. I wish the U.S. had something this awesome.
Monday, December 3, 2007
Day 189: I'm in the scouts again
I signed on to be the advancement guy for my sons den. It's going to be my job to look over the books and discuss with the kids what they need to do in order to advance / get the next award.
Sunday, December 2, 2007
Day 188: More salvage
My son and I are still having loads of fun taking this stuff apart. I took a CMOS battery out of an old motherboard, and used it to test some LEDs that I took from something else. I think a CDROM drive.
I have to figure out how to make something from all this stuff. We got a good number of stepping motors from the floppy drives, and a laser from a cdrom drive.
I have to figure out how to make something from all this stuff. We got a good number of stepping motors from the floppy drives, and a laser from a cdrom drive.
The police are our friends!
Here is the basic police mission statement:
And here is an example of this excellent service, we as tax payers are paying for:
http://www.statesman.com/news/mplayer/other/32386
Our mission, collectively as a department and as individual officers, is to provide an exemplary level of service and protection to the residents and businesses of the City and to all those who may visit, work in, or travel through our community. We will serve the community through professional conduct at all times and the enforcement of criminal and traffic laws without prejudice or bias, with respect for the rights of all people, to assure a safe and secure environment for all.
And here is an example of this excellent service, we as tax payers are paying for:
http://www.statesman.com/news/mplayer/other/32386
Saturday, December 1, 2007
Day 187: Techno Destructo!
My son and I were having fun taking parts out of old computers. Hard drives have REALLY powerful magnets in them. MUAHAHAHAHA! I'm thinking about making a gauss cannon with the magnets.
Gauss Rifle
We really were just looking to see if we could find some motors and LED's. We ended up with some freakishly strong magnets (my fingers still hurt from two slamming together with my finger between them) and some lasers from the CDROM drives.
Gauss Rifle
We really were just looking to see if we could find some motors and LED's. We ended up with some freakishly strong magnets (my fingers still hurt from two slamming together with my finger between them) and some lasers from the CDROM drives.
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