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| http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/wwdn/~3/V6c4QZHp56M/obscured-by-clouds.html I never quite managed to get started today, and haven't written a single word that wasn't part of an e-mail or something stupid on Twitter. Dammit.
So, in an effort to continue my daily-blog-o-phonic creative output, a very very short story:
The wind came down the canyon and blew ice and snow into Colin's face. He brushed it off his goggles, but had given up keeping it out of his beard days ago. He looked up, but the summit was obscured by clouds. Still, he knew it was there, even if he could not see it, and so he continued to climb.
Well, it's more of a scene, (a very very short one, at that) but it's more than I've been able to muster all day, so ... that's something. See you tomorrow, Internets.  | |
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| for T who kept bugging me for updates during the last few weeks :-) LOOK WHAT I BOUGHT:  a miniature glue gun. couldnt resist, plus it was really cheap :-) on an unrelated note: i read one book in november. one. and that's not even finished yet. but i haven't put the october reads online either, so i will do that soonish. | |
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| http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2009/12/interns_corner_cigar_guitar_blooper.html 
Every other week, MAKE's awesome interns tell about the projects they're building in the Make: Labs, the trouble they've gotten into, and what they'll make next.
By Meara O'Reilly, projects intern
I've been tinkering with the electronics on various cigar box guitars for a while, but I'd never had the chance to build one from the ground up. So when MAKE editor-in-chief Mark Frauenfelder wrote up a new how-to for an acoustic version of the guitar for the upcoming issue (MAKE, Volume 21, "Traditional Cigar Box Guitar"), I jumped on the chance to test-build it.
Mark Frauenfelder's new acoustic cigar box guitar in MAKE Volume 21, coming in January.
As always here in the Make: Labs, it can be quite an adventure trying to sniff out all the possible interpretations of instructions while at the same time learning new skills, and this guitar build was no exception! I made two orientation-related mistakes based on an early manuscript and had quite a time trying to finish the build. In retrospect, the misunderstandings seem silly, but once made it's really easy for mistakes like these to compound -- due to structural weakness, later on my guitar neck snapped, twice! -- so I thought I'd write about them here, even just as an ode to those mistakes you think you'd never make, but somehow end up making anyway:
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| http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2009/12/gift_guide_made_in_japan.html 
The Maker Shed is the exclusive US distributor of Gakken products, allowing shoppers to get high-quality kits from Japan without paying out the nose for shipping costs. Gakken's kits provide the perfect mix of DIY, science, and history as they entertain as well as educate. Gakken's popularity is certainly not limited to Japan, as their following has spawned tributes such as the Gakken Flickr pool where users are eager to show off what they've done with their kits. In addition to MAKE's relationship with Gakken, MAKE has a Japanese version of the magazine as well as a very active Japanese version of Make: Online. Make: Japan has also been very proactive in their own version of the Maker Faire (the successful Make: Tokyo Meeting series), having just recently completed the fourth round of this lively event. For your gift-giving guidance, here are a few of my favorite Gakken items for the Maker Shed, as well as a few other items I've found in my travels.
New Edison-Style Cup Phonograph Kit
This cup phonograph sits proudly on display in my home, and pretty much everyone who sees it wants to give it a try. This replica kit uses the same technology that Thomas Edison used, replacing Edison's waxed pipe and stylus with a plastic cup and a needle, but the end results are the same: You record your own voice on a plastic cup -- and play it back! Here's how it works, your voice vibrates the air minutely when it gets into the horn. Then the vibration is conducted to the needle and is translated into a wavy movement of the needle and carves a groove onto the cup. When replaying, the reverse is true, the waves of the carved groove vibrate the needle and the vibration is conducted to the horn and the sound is produced from the horn.
Price: $36.99
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| Post the first line of the first (non-quiz, non-private) post of every month for the year. It will supposedly tell you how your year went. (I'm also posting the title for the entry, which helps put it in context, and the first paragraph, rather than just the first line.). Let's see how 2009 was for me:
Melbourne cabs
Love him or not, Jeff Kennett left a lasting legacy from his time as Victorian Premier. He reorganised Melbourne’s taxi system, directing that cabs be painted yellow, that drivers wear uniforms, and a number of other things.
Taxi twitters
11:06 Awake again to a glorious new day! Going back to bed.
Pete's Saturday
Finished up early Saturday morning. My last job was dropped off about 0215 and I didn't bother going back in for another drunk from Alinga Street. I would have had to line up, take them home and then go to one of the few Shell servos open in the wee smalls to gas up and clean the car. That might have taken me well past three in the morning, and I was tired. Usually I stop for a power nap around 2300, but there was too much work for that.
Cool apps
Playing with new apps for iPhone. V-Cockpit simulates aircraft instruments, such as a HUD, artificial horizon etc. iPhone mounted in the cab, I whip around the roundabouts and the horizon tilts! Has a digital speed and direction readout etc. For added enjoyment you get random airtraffic control chatter and a voice saying "Pull up!" if you are close to stalling.
Pete at the pumps
While my day driver's off on a five week holiday - yesterday he drove the Great Ocean Road - I'm on the day shift. At first I was doing doubles, meaning that I could drive the car whenever I wanted within the 24 hours of the day, maybe with a nap here and there, and then I was supposedly given a night driver, putting me on the day shift.
Wednesday whales
In the morning light, our hostel showed itself to be every bit as fresh and friendly as last night. We took a stroll down the main street for some breakfast foods, enjoying the cool and empty town. Boutiques, bars, brasseries – this must be a great place to relax!
Family to family with family
My sister has been visiting over the weekend. She and her husband and two of the sweetest, most engaging young boys you could imagine. Young K has an interest in Lego, and as it happened I had a couple of boxloads of it left over, which kept the lads busy for much of the time.
Getting back into shape
The world trip was good for me, if not my bank balance. I'm at my lowest weight for a decade now. All those alternate days of walking around sprawling cities and eating airline food have paid off. I'm not getting much exercise now I'm back at work, but I've consciously tried to cut back on food, and there's less of me every day. I'm punching new holes in my belts.
Discoverylover delight
A few months ago, when Discoverylover was on her way to Camp Potomac Woods, I arranged for her to get a bunch of stuff. I sent Tim Tams and chocolate, others sent other goodies, and I also ordered some goodies from Levenger, basically a letter size Circa journal, a portable page punch and some photo holders. This was partly to save on postage, because it costs a fortune to send stuff over from the USA. Levenger Fedexes their packages, and that's big bucks, especially when I usually don't need something immediately. I can wait a few weeks.
Three amigos
It's always a bad sign when a passsenger is rejected by the cabbies ahead of me. I know they are going to come and ask me something ridiculous.
Back to the real world
Yesterday (Friday) I was in San Francisco, riding cable cars and enjoying the sparkling blue view out over the bay. Today, I'm home, having dinner at Mecca Bah and coffee at Artoven.
Widdler on the roof
You want to know who's been bumping up the prices of Tales of the City videos and books on eBay? C'est moi, I blush to disclose. I'm rapidly running into the end of the first book and I can see the brick wall coming up, and aaaaaargggh! I can't stop!
That was the year that was. Three awesome overseas trips. Driving two beautiful women up a New Zealand valley between snow-capped mountains. Walking with my beautiful daughter through Edinburgh's mediaeval lanes. Driving three beautiful women through America in a Dodge van.
My father came back into the family. I broke my arm. I began writing fiction again. I thought deeply about philosophical questions. I rode the emotional rollercoasters of the lives of my friends. Some very bad moments and some wonderful highs.
I think I'm finding myself. Making myself into a better person. I'm enjoying life, and I just wish wish wish there were more hours in the day to do the things I want. More years in my life would be good. I guess I've got to prioritise.
All told, a wonderful year. One to remember fondly. Some fabulous moments. Sperm whales. Sharing a family evening with Rebecca and Jason. The Meiji shrine. The Golden Gate Bridge. Family and friends - telling my wife I love her, seeing my children leave the last teenage year, sharing hugs and smiles across the world.
And some moments of utter desolation. There was one rainy night when my heart just cracked open for a friend, blasted with one disaster after another. Another in Kansas City, when I should have been on top of the world, but I felt the pain of another friend instead.
Two sides of the one coin. Without sadness, joy is empty. Love is amazing. Life is too short. Thoughts can never be deep enough.
Thank you to all of my family and friends. Without you, my life would be flat and bland. You give me riches with a smile or a tear. You make each new day a fresh wonder. You inspire me. | |
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| Maybe Kobe Bryant knows a good jeweler that he can send Tiger Woods to. | |
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| http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2009/12/curiously_cool_magnetic_beat_sequen.html
[Warning - abruptly loud bits around the 1m50s mark]
Dave Wright's Magneto-Conga percussion sequencer is just dripping with handmade DIY awesomeness -
using three Hall Effect Sensors
dc speaker is pulse width modulated for speed control
mangets are placed on spinning mole can to make rhythms
three channels - as many magnets are you can fit on it
i only have four magnets right now sorry
three twin-tee drum tones and small amp
i was lazy and put them all on the same transformer
im going to put another supply in just for the audio section
but the motor interacting w/ the amp is funny
was orig built on piece of wood as base - and then built case
around unit from scrap See more of Dave's work over at not breathing [via Matrixsynth]
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| I'm not sure what to do with livejournal any more.
I mean, I have it as a permanent account. I'd hate to not utilize it. But clearly I've neglected it for far too long to say that it's still vital for anything besides the friend's list portion of the site.
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I was surprised at how emotional I got at the sight of all those pink hands waving in the air. I thought of little bumma, and how much she would have enjoyed the video, even if she couldn't hear the music. This time last year, we thought we'd beat that bad boy cancer -- and we had, for that moment in time. Watching this, I just started sobbing, big gusty breath-stealing sobs. But I was also filled with the energy of the fight, grateful for ALL those folks out there who work, walk, dance, sing and battle cancer every day. My father was a cancer research pioneer. He would have been right there dancing with the best of them, waving those powerful, pink, latex-free gloves in the air.
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| I got an email from my dad today with the worst news you can get.
My mom has pancreatic cancer. - Mood:indescribable
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Funny how the two blend together isn't it? David Bowie and Bing Crosby. Whoda thunk it?
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| http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2009/12/attach_a_slr_lens_to_an_iphone_with.html 
Camera hacker Bhautik Joshi, who brought us the brilliant DIY tilt-shift lens hack, has produced another great optical device. Detailed instructions on his site walk you through the creation of the Phone-O-Scope, an optical coupler that allows an iPhone to accept a standard SLR lens.
Just to get the inevitable question of 'why' out of the way - well, why not? As far as I can tell, I think this is the first - I couldn't find any similar SLR lens to camera phone attaching attempts anywhere else online. The Phone-O-Scope doesn't take especially superb images, and it's a bit clumsy to handle. On the other hand, it's fun to shoot with and produces very analog (almost Holga-like) results. You also get the advantages of SLR lenses - that is, DOF effects, and the wide range of available focal lengths (i.e. macro to telephoto).
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| http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/HackedGadgets/~3/G8t5KUEYaLE/ http://hackedgadgets.com/?p=4068
The new year is just around the corner, how would you like some cool swag from Hacked Gadgets to kick it off? There will be 4 winners this time around. We will be giving away a digital subscription of Make Magazine to a lucky winner, two subscriptions to Nuts and Volts will be going to two more winners, and finally a 120 LED Pack will be given to the 4th winner.</p>
Entry into the contest is simple, just leave a comment for any article from now till December 31 2009. Enter as many times as you want, just please don’t leave spam comments since these will be deleted as usual. As a matter of fact you can start by leaving a message below on this contest article. The email address of the comment will be used to identify and notify the lucky randomly selected winners. Please note that email addresses left when commenting is never made public. |
Cool Contest Prizes
1 Year of Make Magazine (online digital version) “The first magazine devoted entirely to DIY technology projects, MAKE Magazine unites, inspires and informs a growing community of resourceful people who undertake amazing projects in their backyards, basements, and garages.” |
1 Year of Nuts and Volts. For an example of what you can expect, have a look at the projects that were covered in this edition.
“Computer To Computer Link Using Laser Pointers
Computer Related
by Ed Ringel
Establish serial communication between computers or microcontrollers over low power laser beams.
Phone Ring-A-Thing Control
Home Automation
by John Mastromoro
Use your cell phone and this device as a receiver/decoder system to perform remote functions.
Experiements with Alternative Energy
Nuts & Volts Special
by John Gavlik
Learn the fundamentals of renewable energy through this educational series. This month: Build a Double Wide Sun Tracker. “ |
A second person will also get 1 Year of Nuts and Volts “Nuts & Volts is written for the hands-on hobbyist, design engineer, technician, and experimenter. The diversity of subjects appeals to all levels of experience and spans such topics as amateur robotics, circuit design, lasers, computer control, home automation, microcontrollers, data acquisition, new technology, DIY projects, electronic theory, and more, not to mention the popular BASIC Stamp.”
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120 LED Assortment Pack “This Package includes 120 LEDs:
* 10 White LEDs, 13000mcd
* 10 UV (ULTRA VIOLET) LEDs, 3000mcd
* 20 Red LEDs, 8000mcd
* 20 Green LEDs, 8000mcd
* 20 Blue LEDs, 6000mcd
* 20 Yellow LEDs, 5000mcd
* 20 Orange LEDs, 5000mcd” |
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| - Mood:optimistic
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| http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2009/12/led_throwies_-_invented_at_thinkgee.html 
[Editor's note - ThinkGeek resolved this issue perfectly and immediately, nicely done. Feel free to read the details below - pt] I received the new ThinkGeek catalog today, I really like them and their stuff - they're one of the best geek culture curator shops online, as well as developing their own merchandise. That said - I was surprised to see ThinkGeek claiming they invented LED throwies (check out the image above) it's from the catalog, page 22. It's on the lower right hand side of the photo above, the little monkey light bulb thing that says "Invented at ThinkGeek".
LED throwies made their first appearance and were popularized and developed by the Graffiti Research Lab a division of the Eyebeam R&D OpenLab in February 2006 (Wikipedia page). It's also in Make - Volume 06 - LED Throwies (Page 116).
The ThinkGeek online site it doesn't say they "Invented at ThinkGeek" like the print catalog does (see 1st image on this post) - here's what it does say.
Times have changed since you got caught for doodling that cute girl's name on your desk in elementary school. Now you can mark your territory in a non-permanent electronic fashion with the LED Magnetic Digital Graffiti. This set of 20 different LEDs each has a battery and a magnet attached. Pull the tab to activate, then toss them on any ferrous metal surface... they stick and glow brightly announcing to everyone in the vicinity that you were indeed there. But make sure you stick the LED Magnetic Digital Graffiti on stuff you own, or are able to remove them later... because gone are the days when you can post funny battery powered LED signs all over Boston and get away with it.
In 2008 I spotted this " LED "Art Object" Kit" and since 2006 there have been many uses of LED throwies in music videos to commercial merchandise, but this is the first time I've seen someone claim they invented them.
Maybe ThinkGeek added something like a pull tab, but that's been there from the start too. I'm pretty sure the folks at GRL don't care or don't mind if someone sells these (it's "open source"...) but I'd like to see ThinkGeek consider giving credit on the page somewhere and maybe reconsider the "Invented by ThinkGeek" claim. Lastly, I wonder if all the people who didn't like when GRL made these will also be as vocal towards ThinkGeek or maybe they just didn't like GRL. I've sent ThinkGeek an email and tweet'ed to them, I'll post any comments they have here. I'll continue to be a ThinkGeek customer too.
Update: 12/2/2009 9:45am ET - email reply! "Thank you for that link. I have forwarded the information to the product manager, and if the claim is founded, we will take appropriate action. If you have any further questions or concerns, please feel free to contact us. -Leah"
Updated: 12/2/2009 12:02pm ET - ThinkGeek does it up proper! Here's what they said...
Our apologies to the original geniuses at Graffiti Research Lab behind
the LED throwie! The problem is we currently have only one "Invented by
ThinkGeek" badge for the products that we manufacture. So while we made
improvements in our LED Magnetic Digital Graffiti--like a special
battery housing, and manufacturing the set for a reasonable price--we
obviously we didn't originate the concept.
The good news is the LED throwie page on our site never sported the
"Invented by ThinkGeek" logo, but unfortunately we can't remove logos
from print materials that are already out in the mail. (Let us know if
anyone invents that.)
Again, sorry for the mixup, and thanks for making us think hard about
how we'll use that logo! We'd never mean to take credit for such an
awesome idea where it wasn't due.
ThinkGeek also updated the product page with links to GRL and Instructables. Perfect job - thanks ThinkGeek!
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| http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2009/12/jake_von_slatts_gift_guide.html
Our pal Jake von Slatt has a great gift guide up at the Steampunk Workshop. Now, all you steampunk haters out there can calm down. This isn't a steampunk gift guide, just a guide from a maker who happens to work in the style of steampunk (as Jake puts it). The guide covers all sorts of tools and toys that Jake likes, such as the above Oxy/Acetelyne torch kit. Here's what he has to say about it:
I bought my first Oxy/Acetelyne torch kit nearly twenty years ago. I used it to dissasemble a 1971 Buick Electra 225 and cut it into pieces small enough so that I could place it by the curb for collection by the trashman, that was the cheapest way to get rid of it at the time.
The frame became a utility trailer that I towed behind my 1977 Lincoln car, and it had nearly as nice a ride! In fact, it was one of the stablest trailers I've ever owned and the only one that I could pilot through a 6 wheel drift while taking off ramps at . . . well, imprudent speeds.
Anyway, with an Oxy/Acetylene torch you can braze, weld, cut, and heat. Auto Mechanics call this tool 'the hot wrench" and with a little practice you will be able to use one to cut a nut off of a bolt without damaging the the threads. Furthermore, the process of "gas welding" is incredibly useful for all types of steel and the experience you'll get "pushing puddles" of molten metal around will prepare you well for learning all other types of welding.
Plus, fire hawt!
$169
Also, the most-talented artist and photographer, Libby Bulloff, has a Steampunk Fashion Gift Guide on the site (which has a pair of tabi books that are so awesome, I almost bought them on the spot!).
Jake's 2009 Steampunk Gift Guide - A few of my favorite things.
Libby's Steampunk Fashion Gift Guide
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| http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2009/12/doug_repettos_walking_tables_worksh.html
This sounds like so much fun, I'm tempted to drive up to NYC for the day to attend. As part of MoMA'a amazing Bauhaus exhibitions, events, and workshops, Douglas Repetto (Dorkbot founder, artist, and teacher at Columbia) will be doing a workshop, called "Walking Tables and Wrestling Foals: A Hands-on Workshop and Musical Performance." Here's the description from MoMA:
In conjunction with the exhibition Bauhaus 1919-1933: Workshops for Modernity (November 8, 2009-January 25, 2010), Bauhaus Lab is a new interactive space that reimagines the historic Bauhaus classrooms in which students and teachers of many forms of art experimented with innovative pedagogical approaches. Led by artists, educators, and art historians, an ongoing series of hands-on art-making workshops offers participants of all ages the opportunity to engage in techniques and processes integral to the Bauhaus, such as drawing, collage, graphic design, color theory, and mechanical construction.
Join Machine Project for a day of woodworking, mechanical mayhem, and cute baby horses. Participants collaborate with artist Douglas Repetto in manufacturing a herd of "foals"--simple walking tables--small tables that actually "walk" across the floor--handmade from scrap wood and basic mechanical parts. The foal-building workshop is a humorous take on issues central to the Bauhaus movement, including the relationships between form and function and between craft and mass production. At the end of the afternoon the foals are let loose in MoMA's Education and Research Building. Musicians from the experimental chamber ensemble WetInk provide musical accompaniment with improvisations informed by the movements and intersections of the foals. Poet Joshua Beckman reads traditional ceremonial foal poems of his own devising. Foal pandemonium or peaceful frolic? There's only one way to find out! Workshop participants and audience members may adopt a foal. Take-home foal-building plans are available.
The workshop is this Friday, Dec 4th, from 2:00-6:00 p.m. The performance is 7:00-8:00 p.m.
Walking Tables and Wrestling Foals: A Hands-on Workshop and Musical Performance
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| http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2009/12/spark_project_3_post_3.html
In my previous post, I described how I was able to program an iCop eBox to transmit date using an XBee wireless link. The program was written in Visual C++ and executed serial port commands to send data to a host computer. I had previously set up the XBees to communicate at 115,200 baud, but the Visual C++ serial port configuration defaults to 9600 for the baud rate. I was able to find sample code for It and it was relatively straightforward to add code to my program whichchanged the baud rate to the desired value.
Then things got a little strange. I noticed that every time I ran my program, it would hang after the serial transmission. I also found that the program would crash if I tried to send more than 16 characters. There's a long list of possible causes for such crashes, and I started to debug them one by one. The important part of this story is the outcome. Honestly, debugging can be unpleasant. I like a good challenge and have always enjoyed solving puzzles, but that's not how I wanted to be spending my time with these SPARK projects. So back to the outcome of the story. After taking many small steps backwards in the debugging process, I finally managed to make a huge leap forward, out of programming darkness. I now have a Visual Basic program running on my iCop eBox, and it's sending and receiving data from another computer using XBee transceivers.
Why is this so great? That's a fair question. Read on at the SPARK site for the answer!
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| http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/wwdn/~3/TPbMN2WhSV4/you-just-keep-on-trying-until-you-run-out-of-cake.html Yesterday, I wrote:
Well, the power just went out, so it's time for me to pack up my Mac and head out to a cafe with WiFi where I can work on my novel in front of people and get this posted. The weird thing is, while it's likely going to take an hour at least from the time I finish writing this paragraph until it actually posts on the internet, there is no perceived delay from whoever reads this, because as far as you're concerned, the post didn't exist until it was published, though it already existed for me.
Um. Yeah. I'm sure someone who's actually studied physics is going to knock me around for that, but since my knowledge of the field is limited to what I've picked up on my own, it's a fun thought exercise. Okay, little post, go sit in an eigenstate for the nice people.
Reader Gevmage says:
Your analogy is reasonable. The post existed on your laptop while you drove to the coffee shop, in a state such that it was stable but not portable. Once you got to the coffee shop, by connecting to the internet, you promoted it to an energy state where it could slide easily through the intertubes to our screens.
Since quantum mechanics describes ONLY the behavior of the very small, it has problems when extended directly to the macroscopic (which the idea of Shroedinger's cat is an illustration). You extended the notion as well as it could be.
The eigenvalue then is just a scalar logical value indicating if the post is visible to the world. Every eigenvalue has to have a corresponding operator; the operator is a complicated set of tests of whether or not if you point our browser at [ Error: Irreparable invalid markup ('<a [...] wilwheaton.typepad.com">') in entry. Owner must fix manually. Raw contents below.] <p class="ljsyndicationlink"><a href="http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/wwdn/~3/TPbMN2WhSV4/you-just-keep-on-trying-until-you-run-out-of-cake.html">http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/wwdn/~3/TPbMN2WhSV4/you-just-keep-on-trying-until-you-run-out-of-cake.html</a></p><div xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><p>Yesterday, I <a href="http://wilwheaton.typepad.com/wwdnbackup/2009/11/he-strikes-like-thunderball-because-its-not-unusual-that-shes-a-lady.html">wrote</a>:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Well, the power just went out, so it's time for me to pack up my Mac and head out to a cafe with WiFi where I can work on my novel in front of people and get this posted. The weird thing is, while it's likely going to take an hour at least from the time I finish writing this paragraph until it actually posts on the internet, there is no perceived delay from whoever reads this, because as far as you're concerned, the post didn't exist until it was published, though it already existed for me.</p>
<p>Um. Yeah. I'm sure someone who's actually <em>studied</em> physics is going to knock me around for that, but since my knowledge of the field is limited to what I've picked up on my own, it's a fun thought exercise.</p>Okay, little post, go sit in an eigenstate for the nice people.<p></p>
</blockquote>
<p>Reader <a href="http://twitter.com/gevmage">Gevmage</a> <a href="http://wilwheaton.typepad.com/wwdnbackup/2009/11/he-strikes-like-thunderball-because-its-not-unusual-that-shes-a-lady.html?cid=6a00d8341c59aa53ef012875f9cff9970c#comment-6a00d8341c59aa53ef012875f9cff9970c">says</a>:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Your analogy is reasonable. The post existed on your laptop while you drove to the coffee shop, in a state such that it was stable but not portable. Once you got to the coffee shop, by connecting to the internet, you promoted it to an energy state where it could slide easily through the intertubes to our screens.</p>
<p>Since quantum mechanics describes ONLY the behavior of the very small, it has problems when extended directly to the macroscopic (which the idea of Shroedinger's cat is an illustration). You extended the notion as well as it could be.</p>
<p>The eigenvalue then is just a scalar logical value indicating if the post is visible to the world. Every eigenvalue has to have a corresponding operator; the operator is a complicated set of tests of whether or not if you point our browser at <a href="http://" wilwheaton.typepad.com"=""> wilwheaton.typepad.com</a>, you get a certain character string that's in the post.</p>
<p>Why yes, I am procrastinating, why do you ask? :-D</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Even though I don't understand the <em>math</em> behind quantum physics, I have a good enough grasp of the <em>theory</em> behind quantum physics to allow me to follow along when the math is discussed. Put another way: I know enough French and Spanish to put together what someone is telling me, but not enough to actually sit down and compose a letter in that language.</p>
<p>I'm sure I've just oversimplified the whole thing, and insulted a lot of <em>actual</em> scientists and mathematicians, so let me apologize for that before I continue, because I think I'm about to make it even worse.</p>
<p>I was easily bored as a kid. I wasn't athletic, strong or coordinated, but I was smart and I loved to read. I still enjoyed playing tag, hide and seek, and riding bikes, but none of that stuff satisfied me the same way that exploring imagined worlds in my mind did. Those imagined worlds were usually delivered in the form of Science Fiction and Fantasy books, within D&D modules, and occasionally created (or spun off from existing imagined worlds) using action figures. (I guess it's no surprise, then, that I make my living and found my place in life using my imagination.)</p>
<p>I always loved exploring strange new worlds in books and magazines (<em>Dear Asimov's, I never thought it would happen to me, but ...</em>) and there was even a time in my late teens when I actively sought out all the weird conspiracy, occult, UFO and supernatural stuff I could find (I truly despise that crap today) because even though I <em>knew</em> it was bullshit, it was yet another weird and fantastic imagined world to explore.</p>
<p>As I wrote in an old <a href="http://wilwheaton.typepad.com/wwdnbackup/things-i-love/">Things I Love</a> post, it was the book <a href="http://wilwheaton.typepad.com/wwdnbackup/2009/03/books-i-love-hyperspace.html">Hyperspace</a> that fundamentally changed my worldview:</p>
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<p><span style="font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', times, hiraminpro-w3, 'ms mincho', serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: normal; ">[S]omeone (I think it was my brother) suggested that I read <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Brief-History-Time-Stephen-Hawking/dp/0553380168%3FSubscriptionId%3D0PZ7TM66EXQCXFVTMTR2%26tag%3Dwilwheatodotn-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3D0553380168" style="text-decoration: underline; color: #43657f; "><em>A Brief History of Time</em></a>. I picked it up, read it in just a couple of days, and realized that my life could be divided into before I read it, and after I read it. On my next trip to the bookstore, I went straight to the science section, and looked for something – anything – to continue my education.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', times, hiraminpro-w3, 'ms mincho', serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: normal; "></span></p><p style="margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; ">My eyes fell on a book with an interesting cover, and a provocative title: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Hyperspace-Scientific-Odyssey-Parallel-Universes/dp/0385477058%3FSubscriptionId%3D0PZ7TM66EXQCXFVTMTR2%26tag%3Dwilwheatodotn-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3D0385477058" style="text-decoration: underline; color: #43657f; "><em>Hyperspace</em></a><em>: A scientific odyssey through parallel universes, time warps, and the 10th dimension.</em> It was written by a guy called <a href="http://mkaku.org/home/" style="text-decoration: underline; color: #43657f; ">Michio Kaku</a>. I pulled it off the shelf, and after just a few pages, I was hooked.</p><p style="margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; ">There's a story in <em>Hyperspace</em>, right at the beginning, that I'm going to paraphrase. It's the story that grabbed my attention, captured my imagination, and fundamentally altered the way I thought about the nature of existence. I already had "before and after" with <em>A Brief History of Time</em>, and when I got to the end of this story, I had "before and after I read about the fish scientists." The story goes something like this:</p><p style="margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; "><em>In San Francisco, there's this botanical garden, and near the entrance there is a pond that's filled with koi fish. Dr. Kaku describes standing there, looking at the fish one day, and wondering what it would be like if the fish had a society as complex and advanced as our own, but the whole thing was confined to the pond, and they had no idea that there was a whole other world just beyond the surface of the water. In the fish world, there were fish scientists, and if a human were to pluck one of them from the pond, show it our world, and return it to the pond, it would go back to the other fish scientists and say, "Guys! You're never going to believe this. I was just doing my thing, and suddenly, this mysterious force pulled me from our world and showed me another, where the creatures don't need gills to breathe, and walk on two legs!"</em></p><p style="margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; "><em>The other scientists would look at it, and ask it how it got to this new world, but it wouldn't be able to explain it. They'd want the scientist to recreate it, but it wouldn't be able to. The fish scientist would know, however, that the other world was there, and that there was something just as complex as life in the pond on the other side of some mysterious barrier that they couldn't seem to penetrate.</em></p><p style="margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; ">I'm sure I've mangled the story, but that's essentially what I remember from it. I thought, "Well, shit, if there could be a world like that in the pond, maybe <em>we</em> are in something else's pond!" I didn't know if it was possible, I didn't know if it was just science fiction, but I didn't care. It was this incredible possibility, and my world opened up again. I felt like I'd been granted membership in a secret society. I devoured the book, and I began to think about the nature of existence in ways that I'd never even considered before. When I finally read <a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/97" style="text-decoration: underline; color: #43657f; ">Flatland</a> a few years later, I was blown away that Abbot had written essentially the same story a hundred years earlier, in 1884, and I was thrilled that I could actually understand it.</p>
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<p>My elementary school teachers were real good at putting the fear of God into us kids, but they were just horrible at teaching us math. I tried and tried, but I never understood it, and "you have to learn this because you have to learn it" wasn't the type of inspiration that worked for me. Even today, I'm not very good at math, never having found that teacher who could translate it into something I could actually use and appreciate. </p><p>Growing up, I was a creative kid, an imaginative kid, and while I loved reading and learning about scientists and mathematicians, I never had a teacher or tutor who could help teenage me understand their work the way I understood their lives. <em>(NB: My tutor while I was on Star Trek, Marion, who took me through most of high school, did everything she could to help me get excited about math, but to borrow from a parable: that ground in my brain had never been cultivated, and it just wasn't fertile enough to bear fruit.)</em></p>
<p>My lack of mathematical ability held me back in science, and it prevented me from ever studying physics or astronomy at anything exceeding the "for dummies" level. Here's a sad and embarrassing truth: I still can't sit down and develop equations for things, I struggle to calculate simple problems that my kids can do in their heads (they were taught math in a fundamentally different way than I was) and few things make me feel as stupid and frustrated as a simple algebra problem.</p>
<p>But when I sit down to read books like <em>Hyperspace</em>, articles about the LHC, anything my friend <a href="http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/">Phil Plait</a> writes, or comments like the one I quoted above, I understand what they're talking about. I get excited, and take a look at a world that <em>seems</em> fantastic and imagined, but is actually <em>real</em> and right <em>here</em>.</p>
<p>I seem to have wandered away from the reason I sat down to write this post, so let me try to bring it all back together: I love exploring fantastic worlds that only exist in books and my imagination. But I also I love exploring the real world, which is so amazing, it just <em>seems</em> imagined.</p><p>(I once read a story about this for an audiobook. I forget the title, but it was about a kid who wanted to leave Earth with a dimension-hopping guy to explore the universe, and the dimension-hopping guy tells him that he shouldn't leave Earth for parts unknown until he really explores all the wonderful and incredible things that Earth has to offer, because due to the laws of dimension-hopping, it's a one-way trip. I wonder if that's still in print? I'd love to listen to it.)</p><p>I still wish I had a better understanding of the science and math that makes understanding and exploring the most fantastic parts of our real world possible, but until I do, I'm happy I have a pocket phrase book and a tourist map to help me get around a little bit.</p></div>
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| http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2009/12/datamorphose_spatial_information_vi.html
Christiane Keller created an incredibly rich environment where people can interact with information as if it were present in space:
dataMorphose is an interactive installation which projects data into real space and visualizes it three-dimensionally. Information is represented by spanned and moving sails directly in the room. Thus abstract and virtual data becomes real and tangible. As the user takes new positions and perspectives, he can experience a completely novel and sensual perception of data. Three spatial displays visualize statistical data, web activities and the current time. The coding and procurement of data is visualized by the tension of the canvas, the pace of movement, the position of the canvas and the change of their shape.
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| http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2009/12/the_new_craft.html Today marks the launch of the new CRAFT site! Natalie rounds up the best features in her announcement post:
Here it is -- our new web site! We hope you enjoy visiting us here each day to catch up with our blog as well as our previous magazine sections Handmade, Curio, Bazaar, Travel Crafty, 101and Quick Craft that are now online and ready to provide you with more crafty goodness!
 The new Calendar section, (pictured above) features all the upcoming craft events and fairs coming to a city near you. Our Projects area, let's you easily browse through all of our recent DIY projects and on every page you'll be able to go to specific crafting categories, archives, and search for what you want! You'll also be able to go to our Craft Podcast: Videos and Patterns area directly from the top navigation.
 Our Crafter section has a brand new profile on Anna Maria Horner. Find out about her inspiration, her new Little Folks Fabric line, and how she juggles work and her six kids!
Week of Giveaways!  Sign up for the CRAFT: Newsletter and be entered in our giveaways each day this week! Today we'll be giving away a Yudu from Provo Craft! All entries close at 8am PST, December 2nd. Stay tuned tomorrow morning and the rest of the week to see what other cool goodies we are giving away!
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| http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/HackedGadgets/~3/sAqWTqhfqpU/ http://hackedgadgets.com/?p=4051 
If you are on the road or at the office and just remembered that you forgot to feed the cats what do you do? Drive home and feed them right? Well if you are Mathew Newton you can use your phone or your work computer to feed the animals. This Internet Enabled Cat Feeder project would have been a good addition to the contest that Cisco was running a while back!
Via: TechEBlog
"In order to facilitate remote control of the dispenser (i.e. to allow user-driven operation rather than leaving it to a timer and the associated drawbacks this could create) I had to somehow connect the motor directly to the network, or a locally-sited PC. I dropped the latter idea because I didn’t really want a dedicated PC sat alongside it… particularly in the kitchen. (Okay, I admit, I would’ve been quite happy but my girlfriend on the other hand…!) Besides which, before this cat feeder project came charging in I was (and indeed still am because of this!) in the final stages of studying for the Cisco CCNA qualification and whilst sat there wondering why mutli-channel Ethernet relays cost so much (e.g. this one for £249) it dawned on me that if I could tap in to the port status LEDs on an old Cisco switch then I’d have a multi-port network-enabled relay interface for next to nothing! "
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| http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2009/12/scratchbot_robot_navigates_with_whi.html
Interested in sensing things without using sight? So are the researchers at the University of Sheffield and Bristol Robotics Laboratory, who have developed the Scratchbot robot that can navigate by waving around a set of 18 whiskers.
To design their sensors, they began by reverse-engineering a rat's whiskers using high-speed video cameras. After studying how the rat used the whiskers, they developed a mechanical system that was able to perform in a similar manner. The larger whiskers were then outfitted with a magnet and hall effect sensors, which allowed their motion to be observed. Then, instead of developing a traditional software-based motion control system, the researchers developed a neurologically-inspired system that uses an FPGA to simulate how the rat's brain actually reacts to whisker movement. The result is a robot capable of sensing the world around it using only touch.
As a sight-based organism, I find it humbling that there are so many other ways of navigating the world that do not involve light. In this case, the whiskers on many creatures are sensitive enough to detect subtle textures and patterns in the world around them, and this works well as a replacement for vision in navigation. Cool stuff! [via neatorama]
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| http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2009/12/tic_tac_mini_synth.html
Unigamer points out Andy Gadget's Instructable for building an ultra-portable melody/beat box - super cute! This tiny box will give you hours of fun composing your own tunes. You can vary the tune tempo and switch between a pentatonic and blues scale as well as producing a variety of percussion sounds.
Load up a different program and it will compose its own percussion rhythms(Tic Tac Beat Box) or play with half a dozen different musical scales (Tic Tac Scales). Another cool feature is no power switch - It will hibernate when it's not being used. The project runs off of a PicAxe-08M - grab the code + schematic here.
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| In today's headline: "Cop killer found dead due to lack of affordable government-mandated health care and several well-placed bullets. But mostly through well-placed bullets." | |
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| http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2009/12/make_holiday_gift_guide_2009_makes.html 
All of us here at Make: Online have banded together to produce this guide. Each of us has submitted at least one review of a favorite tool, which hopefully, will help to inspire many of you who are still looking for gifts for the makers on your list. The tools are arranged in order, from the least to the most expensive, so you can scroll as low as your budget allows! Happy Holidays from all of us at MAKE!
Tri-Wing Screwdriver ($4 from Play-Asia)
If using this to get into my Wii remote and Wii Nunchuck controller (I used one for the Make: Television Roller Coaster Flight Recorder project) wasn't already reason enough to love this little security driver, how about this: I used it again today to open and fix a corroded contact in a battery-operated Thomas the Tank Engine train! They're also good for getting into GBA cartridges, the Nintendo DS, Zune HD, and a few other products. -- John Park
Swiss+Tech UKCSB-1 Utili-Key 6-in-1 Key Ring Tool ($8 from Amazon)
With the Utili-Key on my keychain, I'm perfectly content dealing with most situations where I'd usually opt for a pocketknife. It's so small, you'll forget you have it with you. I've often forgot about mine until I've already passed through airport security. And at under $10, it's easy to replace. The key unfolds to a very serviceable combination flat and serrated blade. It also comes with a bottle opener and various screwdrivers, including a Phillips head. -- Adam Flaherty
Olfa Heavy Duty Cutter/Ratchet Wheel ($8 from Amazon)
I got turned on to this utility knife when it came in my starter art school kit, and I haven't let it out of my sight since. The blade adjusts easily with the satisfying clicks of the ratcheting wheel. The blade sheath holds the sharp snap-off blade securely, providing optimal control over your slicing action through model-making foam board and heat shrink tubing alike. In writing this review, I examined the condition of my Olfa knife after seven years of continual use. Its handle bears only light surface scratches.The letters of my Sharpie-scrawled name now fade from the dense yellow plastic, once deflecting tool-thieving studiomates. I'll very readily share any of my tools with friends, but I think twice before lending this knife. -- Becky Stern
Scotch Transparent High Performance Duct Tape ($8 from Amazon)
Oh gentle duct tape, boon to the tinkerers, the dabblers, the fixers of things since days of yore. But forget the classic silver or black, this duct tape rocks it colorless! And when it comes to wrapping gifts, cast aside the boring old Scotch tape, for now, you can wrap gifts with the real deal. Let songs of joy ring out throughout Nerdonia! -- John Baichtal
Microplane Cutting Tools ($9 and up from Microplane)
Known as "the woodworking tools that crossed over to the kitchen," Microplane has a wide offering of sturdy kitchen and workshop cutting tools, each made up of tiny, incredibly sharp planes. I have their classic grater, which works magic on everything from nutmeg to lemon zest to parmesan, transforming that hard lump into the fluffiest cheese shavings you've ever seen. They now, of course, offer zesters, spice graters, a rotary Parmesan grater, and even a sea salt shaver -- I get giddy just looking at all the options! Whichever you get, it will surely have a myriad of uses. -- Arwen O'Reilly Griffith
Zibra Open It! Package Tool ($12 from Zibra)
Only twice in my adult life has design innovation brought me close to tears -- the extra legroom and a footrest I encountered on a TransPacific flight was the first. And using the Open It! tool to get through the clamshell packaging of a calculator, then opening a new CD with the same tool (and the same ease), was the second. Seriously.
Opening packages, whether its a new gadget for yourself, or something you've got to set up in your role as Santa's helper, is a bear. Am I right? The plastic is tough and sharp! Those little wire tie-wraps are twisted into a mess and are always in those hard-to-reach places. Until now. Two women (naturally!) have come up with the Open It! tool, and suddenly, my holiday season is looking better already. The Open It! is actually five tools in one. These smart women even thought to include a little screwdriver to get into the battery bay of your toy/gadget/begging-to-be-hacked object. The clippers cut through nasty plastic with ease, and the bend in the clippers makes it easy to get to those wire wraps. There's a retractable blade that easily takes care of DVDs and CDs, and if these features haven't convinced you yet, there's even a bottle opener. Cheers! -- Shawn Connally
DuraScoop Original Cat Litter Scoop ($14 from Amazon)
Our two huge cats share a litter box, and we switched from pine (lightweight) to clay (heavy) litter when we realized that it spread around less (we have two young ones and our apartment is a perpetual mess, but that's another story). Our local pet store carries several litter scoops, and I've tried and broken all of them. Plastic just can't handle the strain; it was a constant source of frustration. So, I searched online and found the DuraScoop, which is sturdy metal, scoops a lot, and doesn't bend and flick back. This product has made my life easier. -- Paul Spinrad
Antex C/3U Miniature Soldering Iron - 15 Watt ($29 from Minute Man Electronics)
I'm amazed I haven't found someone else who's heard of these before. They're great for intricate work, heat up in about 30 seconds, and they're as nimble as a ballpoint pen (resist urge to do 700˚ spin/flip-tricks). The slip-on tip installation left me doubting the iron's durability, but after a few months of use, everything still stays put nicely. And hey, it's yellow! -- Collin Cunningham
SK 73676 21 Piece Stubby Ratcheting Screwdriver Set ($30 from Amazon)
SK, formerly known as SuperKrome, makes a heck of a tool. They mainly focus on immortal socket sets, but they also make a mean ratcheting screwdriver. This small-profile driver (known as a stubby) ratchets like a Swiss clock, fits all standard attachments, and comes with a bunch of bits, as well as extenders to help you get at hard-to-reach screws. -- John Baichtal
686 Original Tool Belt ($40 from REI)
I really like tools I don't have to carry. If I have to lug something around, it had better be useful. Lately, I have just enough patience for my wallet, keys, and phone. Needless to say, I was rather stoked when I came across this belt from 686. 100% full grain waterproof leather, double prong buckle with bottle opener, #2 Phillips and flat head, 8MM, 10MM, 11MM wrench loop, and a brushed nickel finish. -- Adam Flaherty
X-Mini iHome Capsule Speaker ($25/mono, $50/stereo from ThinkGeek)
When my son gave me one of these capsule speakers last year, I thought it was cute, but didn't expect that it'd become an indispensable part of my mobile gear. He gave it to me because it had become an indispensable part of his mobile life, and he wanted to pass the tech goodness on. Now I do the same. I use the X-Mini in hotel rooms with my iPhone, when I want to hear music "in the air," in bed, with my BlackBook when I'm watching TV, and other situations where I don't care to have earbuds in. Here's the best situ, which just happened to me recently: you're hanging out with a few people, at a little impromptu party, and somebody says: "I wish we had music." You whip this little black ball out of your pocket, expand it, plug it into your phone or MP3 player, and fire up the tunes. Party joy ensues. ThinkGeek claims the sound is "shockingly huge." That's a bit of an overstatement. It certainly is impressive for the size of the unit, but it's not going to win any fidelity or power awards. They now have a MAX Stereo version with two capsule speakers. "Oh son... guess what the old man wants THIS year?" -- Gareth Branwyn
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