Category Archives: possibly useful

Something actually useful

Posted on March 3, 2020 by

Our dishwasher is getting to be a certain age. And the plastic parts are showing it. Especially after one of the youth tripped over a cat and onto the bottom rack. When the wheels fall off they have a really … Continue reading →

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Lasercar Lives!

Posted on February 1, 2020 by

I know it’s not much, but the new version is ready for coding. It knows how far it is from obstacles (in front), it steers, it goes forward and backward. And it does it all in python. Code and current … Continue reading →

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In praise of useless information

Posted on December 13, 2019 by

About a year ago, back when we were still doing laser night at Local64, C did a nice backlit laser-cut sign for me to put in the door downstairs, using a font that wasn’t properly speaking a stencil but still … Continue reading →

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Let There Be Light

Posted on December 4, 2019 by

I remixed an old openscad christmas tree design to include space for a coin cell and an LED. Coincidentally I have a bunch of green LEDs lying around — their light gets through the plastic a lot better than the … Continue reading →

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Maker Faire day 2

Posted on September 28, 2019 by

Huzzah! Today we were inside and had decent wifi. Bill started right up and connected with no problem, and we spent the day cutting and engraving for curious onlookers. The exhaust went out one of the Coach Barn’s venerable windows, … Continue reading →

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Unexpected Consequences of my Crowdfunding Addiction

Posted on September 23, 2019 by

only to discover that “available” didn’t mean “stable” Continue reading →

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CircuitPython for early hardware exploration

Posted on April 3, 2019 by

I’d expected the software side of using CircuitPython chips to go more easily than coding in Arduino, but what I hadn’t really expected was for the hardware side to go more smoothly as well. It’s early yet, and most of … Continue reading →

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Cooperative Editing whether you want it or not

Posted on January 7, 2018 by

The last time I tried teaching some kids how to program arduinos, the room we were in had no wifi to speak of. Getting working copies of the desktop IDE onto half a dozen ancient underpowered windows laptops was a … Continue reading →

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Glowforge!

Posted on July 12, 2017 by

My laser cutter arrived a few weeks ago. It’s pretty cool. Partly because I’ve been anticipating it for the better (worse?) part of two years, but mostly because it’s just there. I’ve used a laser cutter before, and this was … Continue reading →

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Buy extension cords, not wire

Posted on March 1, 2017 by

When you’re in the sticks, your supply options are limited. That’s why the other day I bought a couple of extension cords instead of the bulk wire that was right on the other side of the aisle at the hardware … Continue reading →

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