When smart buildings go crazy, we need to fix it. For some time now I’ve been dealing with such an issue where a drop of rain hits a sensor, and suddenly my smart building raises my window. It’s annoying, especially when building caretakers don’t take the time to properly set the devices. The information presented…
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The picture in the signature of my posts is from my working at (now defunct) WGEA, AM 1150, in Geneva, Alabama, at age 16. I was a disc jockey on the weekends, sometimes during the week, in the evenings, and it was a wonderful experience. But that wasn’t my first foray into radio.
So, you want to look like a genius without having a feeling of actually accomplishing it? You need this Wordle Hack then! What’s Wordle? Wordle is a game where you are supposed to guess which letters are used to complete a word. Each time you make a guess, the correct letters are illuminated until you…
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Inkscape does not recognize newly installed fonts on Windows computers. I use Inkscape when I need vector graphics, and it does an outstanding job. However, in some ways, it’s also a bit clunky and behind the times. Microsoft changed the way fonts are installed on Windows computers, and this change appears to be why Inkscape…
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The case of the false information. When troubleshooting any system and people are involved in providing feedback, an expert technician knows how to differentiate between good and wrong information. In my experience, I found that operators of machines, particularly in a production environment where they may be paid by how many units they produce, tend…
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For years I’ve used OpenSCAD as a way to create 3D models quickly, and it’s worked well for what it is intended. However, I never became an expert with it, so I didn’t know how to create drawings from the models, which is necessary if one wants to have the part created by a third…
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Just in the past few months, I’ve learned that, like other scripting languages, PowerShell supports using Classes, which opened up a new world for me on what is possible. Did you know that PowerShell can also communicate via the Serial (COM) port? Of course, you knew that, because you’re here trying to understand why asynchronous…
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This is a parametric dipole antenna mount generator. Enter center frequency, print, cut wire to element length.
For the handheld laser wire stripper project, I needed to find the Apex Angle of the axicon so I could place an order. As it turns out, different suppliers specify the Apex Angle differently, so it can be a bit confusing on how to order axicons. For Thorlabs, if S1 is the apex side, let…
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Handheld Laser Wire Stripper While I am no longer a Laser Application Scientist at Control Laser Corporation, I still think about how to solve real problems with lasers and other technologies. I have created a new invention and am looking for funding to bringing it to market: a truly handheld laser wire stripper that solves…
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