I have been using the Arduino and Atmel microcontroller’s generally using the SPI (serial-peripheral interface), but decided to look at the two-wire (a.k.a. I2C) interface as well. I’m doing this partially because it would be good to know how it works, but also because it’s electrically more compact. It only uses tw…

Nicolas sent me information about this DS-compatible pedometer toy called Tekuteku Angel Pocket Pedometer, which looks very cool.

I’m heading to Amsterdam for Picnic ’06 to give a talk on, er.. the Internet of Things, a topic near and dear and, despite the somewhat pedestrian sound of the topic (what else would the internet be except an assemblage of “things”), it is a subject that flags some weak signals as to what it will be like in the near…

When Sascha Pohflepp (RIP 🫡) launched his way pre-AI pre-iPhone era project "Blind Camera" (née “Blinks and Buttons”) — I got just as excited as he was. His contrivance was/is a camera that doesn’t take its own photo but instead captures someone else’s. Not literally, but it borrows or copies a picture someone else took somewhere else in the world at the same moment. I also write this because the internet has gone to shit and most of the places where there was comprehensive — or even cursory — documentation of projects like this have disappeared. It's important to remember and celebrate these contributions to our cultural landscape, especially as we navigate the complexities of the digital age. As Sascha is no longer here to maintain his archive and catalog of works, I feel a responsibility to help preserve his legacy and keep the conversation alive.

Ever sense Sascha started talking, quite animatedly, about this project — ” The Blind Camera — I became almost as excited as he. A camera..that takes someone else’s photo. The semantics are tricky — it doesn’t take a photograph of someone else, but take’s (as in, borrows or copies or “snags”) a photograph that someo…

via turbulence

The rise of DIY electronics has sparked a revolution, inviting amateurs to join the ranks of seasoned experts. With open-source designs like the TuxPhone, the barriers that once confined innovation within corporate labs are crumbling. This shift not only empowers individuals to create but also fosters a spirit of collaboration and knowledge sharing. In this new landscape, the amateur becomes a crucial player, driven not by profit but by passion, learning, and the joy of creation.

via worldchanging

A mouthful otherwise known as a nice little 3-axis accelerometer from STMicroelectronics with a SPI bus, which makes it handy for interfacing in microcontroller style applications. I picked up one of these in breakout board style from the DIY heros at Sparkfun Electronics to see about its suitability for a DIY pedom…