Back in the 1970s, my friend Wayne Gillis and I used to do light shows at science fiction conventions. We had the usual panoply of overhead, slide, and custom-made projectors, and a single, very expensive, helium-neon laser from Edmund Scientific. Calling ourselves Light Opera, and later, Illuminatus, we performed at ConFusion conventions in Ann Arbor, […]
Continue Reading
Build a Notification Alert Generator that pesters you to do your chores.
Continue Reading
One of the most powerful additions to an X10 system is macro capability, where a computer continuously monitors the powerline for trigger signals, and responds by executing a timed sequence of additional X10 commands.
Continue Reading
Joe Bowers is sneaky, resourceful, and rotten to the core. Whatever you do, don’t get in a prank war with him. Returning to my desk from a coffee break, I sat down, grabbed my mouse, and … nothing. The cursor was stuck to the left wall of my monitor. I shook my mouse wildly. The […]
Continue Reading
Crystal radio technology has been around for many years. This “bottle radio” take on a crystal radio requires no power source, operates on the power from radio waves, and receives signal from a long wire antenna. As radio stations slowly move away from the AM band, the “window of opportunity” to experience this remarkable technology […]
Continue Reading
Build a 4-camera surveillance system and watch from any web browser.
Continue Reading
Build a robust R/C flying-wing airplane that’s fun to fly and great to learn on.
Continue Reading
