brainwagon

Another place holder post so I can find this later: a simple synthesizer that does MIDI, based upon an Atmel AVR microcontroller. Very retro.

4bitsynth - Google Code

Here’s a link to an example MP3.

Well, after a little over two weeks of vacation (which seemed a lot longer to me) it’s finally time to take a shower, put on some clean clothes and get to work again. Hope everyone enjoyed their holiday. For me and my team, it’s time to finish a movie!

Thanks to Joanne, K9JKM for pointing out that Space Weather Radio is piping audio of Ursid Meteors crossing the radar fence which guards our country from the Ruskies. If you tune in, occasionally you’ll hear a rapid descending tone, caused by the radar bouncing off the ionized trails of meteors. Pretty cool.

My little feline buddy Scrappy was a feral cat that we’ve adopted. A while ago, we found out he tested positive for FIV, so we decided his days of being a part time inside/part time outside cat were over, and he’s been imprisoned in our house. He seems to have adapted well. Here’s a picture of the little rascal. Feel free to turn it into a LOLcat.

I was bored today, so I aimed my Canon SD1100 at him taking a nap, and took this time lapse video (about six minutes long, and about 90 minutes real time):

I guess since I’m posting video of my cat to this blog, it’s a sign that maybe it’s time my vacation ended and I got back to work.

With VE3IAC, lost the first part because fldigi crashed on me, but then got this:

Sorry, had a software glitch there. Odd. Anywwhoo… BTU de K6HX..
eneoK6HX de VE3IAC, K6t , de VE3IAC
I an sunning a special setup this evening
ICOM-7000 @ abt 40W,
battery power, about 200AH reserve w/ N8XIK nntter booster
Antenna ns Budidipole configured as Vittial w/ one 28ft coterpose
Locatitn in Algonquin Provincial 8=k.
It is snowing outside, Expect low of -20C
Shelter is Hexagional structure, mild insulation & 2 bunks.
I houe you were able to copy, I did not see the end of your last tx
signal str ogt5l oy took a dip.
BuU ai rk c,X de VE3IAC
VE3IAC VE3IAC VE3IA
VE3IAC de K6HX
Sorry ’bout that, my software is giving me fits. Macro keys are all misconfigured, (or maybe, it’s just me). Got all your info, -20C, brrrr. Too cold for this California boy. It’s a nice 60F here, and just a few clouds. I’m operating from the luxury of my dining room table. heh. BTU , VE3IAC de K6HX K
oe rQ K6HX de VE3IAC
ihanks Mark for this QSO from USA
QSP is OK via direct, 73 from Canada and good D -
aopy has poo itt is time too. you are just in my S1 noise le?l., its dark, cold and quiet!!! out here.
K6HX ae VE3IAC SKe1A
VE3IAC de K6HX
Stay warm huddling over your transmitter! 73s, and thanks for the QSO. VE3IAC de K6HX SK SK

While I am on the antenna kick, Howard, G6LVB mentioned his page on putting two cheap yagis on the same boom. Very, very nice. 10db of gain for a reasonably small antenna, and RHCP to boot.

Homebrew Satellite Antenna.

While searching for a link for my brother on building antennas for HDTV (you guys are all ready for the oncoming digital TV Apocalypse, aren’t you?) I found this interesting link on an antenna which seems very good, and suitable for amateur construction. Seems like I could use some of the 12 gauge wire I used to make my Cheap Yagi to make this antenna in an hour or so. Might be a fun experiment, although since I live at the bottom of a rather narrow valley, I doubt it will render hdtv service tenable at my current location.

The Gray-Hoverman Antenna For UHF Television Reception - Digital Home Canada.

Addendum: Here’s a link to the general dimensions for the single bay version. It’s got two layers: he first has a pair of zig zag elements, and the “reflectors” are 100mm behind. Should be quite simple to fabricate.

Okay, I hadn’t been doing any WSPR beacon operations since before Thanksgiving (which was also before my new callsign) and I was kind of bored today, so I dug out my power supply, tuner and interface and set my computer beaconing again on 30m. It’s a combination beacon: using WSPR above 10.140100, and a visual “MV” written as part of a sawtooth in the visual MEPT portion of the band (between 10.140000 and 10.140100 Mhz). Output power is about 4 watts, split between both signals.

I’d be interested in any reception reports.

Addendum: Click this link to examine the reception reports I’m getting via the automated WSPR logging.

Addendum²:

Today, on Jan 2, I got a reception report from W1BW, and I could faintly see my “MV” appearing on his grabber:

You can see his “flying W” very strongly, and if you stare really close (click on the smaller image) you can see my MV which looks like part of a sawtooth around 23:22 (and other places).

Addendum²: Alan, VA3STL in Ontario also noticed my signal on the 2nd. Here is his screen grab, showing both my MV and my MEPT signal.

I admit to a fascination with Scientific American. I used to have a couple of decades of the magazine which I kept mostly for the Mathematical Games and Amateur Scientist column. Project Gutenberg has begun to digitize some of the 19th century copies, which are mostly of historical interest, but still can be interesting. For instance, the following issue:

Scientific American Supplement, No. 647, May 26, 1888 by Various - Project Gutenberg.

contains an interesting article by James Wimshurst on static electricity generating machines.

Never seen one? Check out:

Well, 2008 had its moments, but I’m glad to kiss it goodbye. 2009, bring it on!

Tonight Carmen and I decided to stay in and cook: we made some New York steaks, some spinach salad with smoked salmon, and a ratatouille topped with puff pastry. Basically using some of the skills we acquired at our recent cooking class, and it worked out really good. I’m currently stuffed, and watching some movies.

I wish all my readers the best in the New Year!

I’m spending way too much time sitting around this morning, surfing the web. I’m gonna stop, but before I do, here’s a link to an interested TED talk about how statistics can be misused to mislead juries.

Thanks to KE9V for pointing me at this lecture by Randy Pausch:

I don’t know what rock I’ve been living under, but it’s a fabulous lecture. You can read more about Randy here. As the New Year approaches and some of us might be making resolutions, it’s definitely worth watching.

Okay, it’s not really a “kit”, it’s just some directions on how you can wire some commonly available gadgets (like a Nokia 6100 LCD panel or a piezo speaker) to an Arduino board and make a nice little demonstration board. Some good ideas in here.

Polyphemus Demonstration and Evaluation Kit | Popular Science.

Carmen and I have reached the point in our lives where buying stuff for each other at Christmas is kind of superfluous. Stuff we need, we already buy, and stuff we don’t need aren’t the greatest gifts. What’s really valuable is the time we spend together. Toward that end, my wife Carmen used her own creativity, and signed us both up for a cooking class at Kitchen on Fire, a little place next to Chez Pannisse in Berkeley.

From their website:

Founded in 2005 by seasoned restaurateur and author Olivier Said of Cesar and popular chef instructor and caterer Chef MikeC.of Party Lifestyle, Kitchen on Fire® is located in Berkeley’s Gourmet Ghetto. Kitchen on Fire® is located in the Epicurious Garden which is an expansion and continuation of the gourmet cuisine legacy started by Alice Waters at Chez Panisse more than 30 years ago. Our classes offer a range of real skills for entertaining from learning how to throw a party on a budget to uncovering the mysteries of baking the perfect chocolate chip cookie. We also offer kitchen design consulting, corporate teambuilding workshops, in-home classes, classes for kids , private parties and events.

Our class was entitled “A Chef’s New Years Feast”, and included:

• Spinach and Smoked Salmon Salad with Soft Cooked Egg, Radish, and Lemon Dill Dressing
• Winter Vegetable Tarte Tatin
• Truffled Three Cheese and Seasonal Mushroom Cheese Gratin
• Maple Glazed Ham with Root Vegetable Puree
• Spiced Poached Pears With Almond Brittle

The class was three hours, with the first spent just discussing the menu, and the last two hours spent prepping and eating the food. Each of the dishes was just a little bit more elegant than the version that I would attempt. I’ve done salmon and spinach salad, but typically don’t make my own dressing from scratch. Their vegetable Tarte Tatin was very similar to the ratatouille that I’ve made a few times, but over puff pastry dough. The gratin is dressed up mac and cheese (very tasty). The ham was cooked over a bed of apples, tangerines and oranges, and was scented nicely from the fruit. And the poached pears were awesome, served with a little almond brittle, some pomegranate molasses and a scoop of vanilla gelato.

We had a great time. The class wasn’t intimidating at all, and the resulting dishes were delish. We’ll probably go back for another class sometime in the future.

Here are some camera phone pics:

Okay, for every slobbery dog video I post, I promise to post something with a little more meat. My friend Tom is interested in all kinds of computer music and interface technologies, and no doubt, has already seen this controller. But just in case he hasn’t, here’s a really nifty controller, and even he has seen it before, the rest of you can be inspired by this home brew multitouch controller. Very nifty.

Intimate Control for Physical Modeling Synthesis.