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Last year, my uncles asked me to design an electronic table tennis scoreboard. Apparently, what they wanted wasn’t for sale (at least not in New Zealand). Since they’re very enthusiastic about the game, I agreed and created a design. It features: I’m using an ESP32 microcontroller for this project. It runs an HTTP web server… Continue reading Table tennis scoreboard
This cube manages to balance itself on a corner, and can simultaneously rotate around its axis in a controlled manner. It does so using clever controls and a set of three reaction wheels. The original idea for this device comes from researchers at ETH Zürich, who demonstrate their “Cubli” in this video. Its design has… Continue reading Balancing cube
My ClockSquared project has a long history – it goes all the way back to 2015, when it was simply called the “Birthday word clock”. I haven’t spent much time on the project in recent years, but I’ve upgraded the internals a while ago and finally felt like writing a post about it. Two things… Continue reading ClockSquared improvements
I recently moved and our new home is equipped with a ventilation system that distributes fresh (outside) air through the house and recoups heat from the air that is exhausted. There is a problem with this system, though. Sometimes, for example when a neighbour lights their wood stove, the system pulls in smoke, even though… Continue reading Home Assistant-compatible air quality sensor
More in science
How a rogue Wikipedia editor credited Muslims with... everything
I am teaching a fun, 6-week, non-credit course on the search for intelligent life among the stars, offered (by zoom or in person) through the San Francisco State University Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, starting Sept. 30. It’s part of a program of courses for retired people, so if you are younger, perhaps you can pass […] The post A Course on Aliens in Science & Science Fiction for People Over 50 appeared first on Andrew Fraknoi - Astronomy Lectures - Astronomy Education Resources.
How do you tell friend from foe in a split second? These beautifully designed WWII guides used silhouettes and vehicle details into a system for recognizing tanks, planes, and ships on sight.
Regular readers may recall that I put a visit to Tulainyo Lake on my bucket list a few years ago. Last week I did it. Impossibly remote, otherworldly beauty, and an enduring mystery. Just how deep was this lake? Wikipedia claims not to know. Measuring it is non-trivial. A worthy challenge. The skinny: This relatively small alpine lake is about 117 m deep! That makes it the 25th deepest natural lake in North America, and by far the deepest lake on Earth for its size. Enjoy our interactive report here.
