New: Check out the Arduino-Python 4-Axis Servo Control tutorial One of the cool features of the Arduino platform is its ability to talk to other electronic devices using standard protocols. The big draw of physical computing, in my opinion, is the power it gives you to affect a limitless range of real-world objects with your [...]

The digital pins on the Arduino board can be set (with code) to output either HIGH (5V) or LOW (0V) — essentially ON or OFF. This is great for applications like blinking LEDs or activating relays. But what if we wanted an output voltage somewhere in between 0V and 5V? This might be useful in [...]

Check out this cool video from the O’Reilly Open Source Convention (OSCON) July 23-27, 2007 in Portland, Oregon, featuring (two of my heroes) Phillip Torrone, Senior Editor of MAKE Magazine and Limor Fried, founder of Adafruit Industries, discussing the relatively new idea of open-source hardware. It’s worth a look, if only to see Limor jam [...]

I really enjoyed watching this hour-long talk by Jonathan Oxer, entitled “Hardware/Software Hacking: Joining the Real and the Virtual,” which addresses the growing trends in physical computing, and the process of connecting the physical world with the virtual. ~ from Google Tech Talks, July 31, 2007 ABSTRACT Software developers usually confine themselves to working entirely [...]

Arduino is an open-source electronics prototyping platform based on flexible, easy-to-use microcontroller hardware and software. It’s intended for artists, designers, hobbyists, and anyone interested in creating interactive objects or environments. This short tutorial will guide you through the installation of the Arduino development environment on Ubuntu. These instructions reference arduino-0010 and have been tested on [...]

Here’s how to get rid of that annoying “Busy Cursor” bouncing icon next to the mouse pointer in Kubuntu. (1) Press Alt+F2 to bring up the Run Command dialog box. (2) Type kcontrol and click Run. (3) Select “Appearance & Themes” from the left sidebar menu. (4) Select “Launch Feedback” from the sub-menu. (5) In [...]

Skype is a free text/audio/video chat and softphone client for PCs. Version 2.0 for Linux finally includes support for webcam video. It’s still in beta, and it’s designed for a 32-bit OS, so AMD64 users have to do a little creative tweaking to get it to work. Thanks to this tutorial on the Ubuntu Forums, [...]

“Home isn’t what it used to be.” It’s all over the place, in every sense, as more and more of us are. We live on planes, in fast-food courts and hotel lobbies. True to the spirit of the times, I haven’t had a place of my own for almost a decade now; I simply shuttle [...]

STS-98 Space Shuttle Atlantis landing at Edwards Air Force Base in California. The view is from the Commander’s Head-Up Display (HUD). Notice the incredibly steep descent angle (~20deg) and the pre-flare maneuver on final approach.

After a fresh install of Kubuntu 7.10 “Gutsy Gibbon,” there are a few extra tasks necessary to get everything set up and running smoothly, especially when it comes to multimedia support and internet tools. This short tutorial will allow you to quickly enable some of the features missing in a vanilla installation. The goal of [...]