In the early 1950s, aircraft development created an urgent need for simulations, and analog computers were ideally suited to run flight simulators. Digital computers barely existed in those days, but aircraft dynamics could be modeled by the flow of electric current through potentiometers, amplifiers, and capacitors. Such circuits were analogous to the real world, and so […]
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Jasmine Florentine’s new book introduces making and STEM to middle-schoolers. The book, “Hex Allen and the Clanksmiths”, creates a fantasy world where real problems are solved by hands-on skills. Jasmine is driven to help young people understand STEM, not just as a field of study, but as an opportunity to apply their creativity as well […]
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Manufacturer: Bernzomatic URL: https://www.bernzomatic.com/Products/Hand-Torches/Instant-On-Off/BZ8360T Price: $75 Like so many of you, I’ve had an old torch head for propane and map tanks laying around workshops for my entire life. It’s the kind of tool you only need occasionally, but there’s no other tool in the shop that does what it does, so it also never goes away. The […]
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There have been several occasions where I’ve been in the presence of electrical engineers, discussing the proliferation of Arduino in the maker community and seeking their thoughts. Often, the conversation turns to the divide between makers tinkering at home and engineers working with PLC systems. For those who are not familiar with PLCs, I’ll keep […]
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Like so many of our readers, I use power tools of various sorts pretty much daily. However, I never really thought about the technology in my hands. I’ve recently come to finally trust a cordless driver to do the job, but beyond that, I thought about them as a motor, a switch, and a power […]
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Retro gaming is such a fun topic. It’s interesting how beloved it is, both with those who lived through it and see it with the rose colored glasses of nostalgia, and those who are approaching it with fresh new eyes. Aweirdguy tapped into this love with a project that looks deceptively easy, a floating “Chomp” […]
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Understanding, (ab)using, and extending Apple’s offline finding protocol
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