Nothing to see here. Just three Japanese internationals vs. 100 school children lining up in a 30-30-30-10 formation. pic.twitter.com/yz5zkovKIK
— Ball Street (@BallStreet) January 8, 2018
Author: Nick Momrik
I'm searching for my first hole-in-one.
I enjoy being active and making things.
I work for Automattic.
Photo Challenge: Weathered
This collection of dolls can be seen on the east side of M-33 south of Comins, MI. The snow makes it hard to get a sense for how creepy it really is. Keep an eye on your kids if you’re in the area.
Pringles Can Improvement
Pringles® are very user-friendly potato chips. They’re fun to eat and addicting. I have an issue with the can though. Once you eat half of the chips, getting at the rest can be messy, unless you pour them in a bowl.
Each can should have some kind of simple spring mechanism that pushes up the bottom as you eat chips. Or how cool would it be if you could peel away layers of the can as you go deeper in the stack of chips?
It would be amazing if the next chip was always at the top of the can.
Lucky Match
Say No to Glitter
It has the word “litter” right in the name.
Photo Challenge: Growth
As part of my daily posting, I’m going to complete The Daily Post Photo Challenge each week.
Whether you take photos with an iPhone or a full-frame DSLR, you’re welcome to participate in our photo challenges. A new theme is announced every Wednesday.
I’ll give myself 2 weeks for each challenge in case I need to come up with an idea for the theme. To keep me on track, I use a repeating reminder.
The first theme for 2018 is growth. I don’t do New Year’s resolutions, so I’ll share a little journey.
The other night, as I was soldering the project HackerBox #0026 I kept thinking back to my first attempt at soldering, when I put headers on a Raspberry Pi Zero. I remember being hesitant and scared, because I was teaching myself how to solder. I was worried I’d either fry the board or burn myself. It felt like it took forever. Everything worked though.
That was only 13 months ago, but it feels like years. I’ve gained a lot of experience with the soldering iron and now know I had nothing to be afraid of. Learning new skills can be scary.
“What if I screw up?”
“What if I’m no good?”
Don’t let the voices of fear prevent you from trying, especially if it’s something you’ve always wanted to do. Do some prep work, read up on the topic, and dive in. Or find someone with experience to help and teach you.
Here’s the back of the circuit board I soldered this week. A lot more complex, but it was second nature.
Is there something you’ve always wanted to learn? What’s stopping you?
Short Lightning Cables
I love 6″ Lightning cables for connecting my iPhone to a battery pack. They are great on-the-go and allow the phone, battery, and cable to fit well in my pocket. My old cable got beat up near the connectors so I picked up this 3-pack on Amazon for $16. I’ve only ever had white Lightning cables, so the braided colors are a nice touch.
Link Dump – 2018/01/04
- Alleged Freeland Instagram predator headed to trial
Disturbing. Jason lived with us in college and I hung out with him here and there over the years. Haven’t talked to him in about 4 years. - NeoLucida XL by Pablo Garcia ⇒
I might actually have some drawing skill if I had one of these. - Momentum
Cool Chrome extension to improve the new tab page. Also available for Firefox. - Bitcoin futures trading could burst its own bubble ⇒
The crypto currencies had been tanking for a week after futures trading started.. - Never before has a broadcaster commanded legendary status over so many sports. Dick Enberg did just that, and created a lifetime of memories… ⇒
One of the great voices in the history of sports. When I remember some of the great sporting moments, hearing the voice in my head brings it all back. I got chills several times watching this tribute. - A Short History of “Hack” ⇒
Great little article about what has become a complex word with a lot of meanings. - 2017 CrossFit Fitness Report
I would never have expected the top movement to change each year. - Tips of the Year: The Best Tips of 2017 ⇒
A lot of gems here. Work smarter not harder. - “Call with iPhone” for macOS ⇒
Handy little utility. - Some Oregonians in Panic Mode After Law Allowing Motorists to Pump Their Own Gas Takes Effect ⇒
The responses by Oregonians are priceless. It was so weird being driving through Oregon and having to wait for someone to pump our gas. - Tiger’s Blog: Reflecting on 2017
Really hoping Tiger makes some moves in the majors this year.
Unboxing HackerBox #0026: BioSense
The first HackerBox of 2018 arrived and it might be my favorite since I subscribed with #0018.
As suggested in the video, I’m not going to do pricing anymore. I proved the value in these boxes is there for the $$. It’s really hard to estimate prices on these custom kits, so it’s not worth the time. Here is a list of the contents copied from the Instructable for box #0026.
- HackerBoxes #0026 Collectable Reference Card
- Exclusive HackerBoxes BioSense PCB
- OpAmp and Component Kit for BioSense PCB
- Arduino Nano V3: 5V, 16MHz, MicroUSB
- OLED Module 0.96 inch, 128×64, SSD1306
- Pulse Sensor Module
- Snap-Style Leads for Physiological Sensors
- Adhesive Gel, Snap-Style Electrode Pads
- OpenEEG Electrode Strap Kit
- Shrink Tubing – 50 Piece Variety
- MicroUSB Cable
- Exclusive WiredMind Decal
Might be cool to turn this into something for use in my garage gym.
I am preparing a post with a bunch of stuff from the previous boxes I’ve been catching up on. Maybe I’ll wait to post that until I complete this build so I can be all caught up before #0027.
Making Things in 2017
It was late in 2016 when I started getting into electronics and this summer I started buying more tools and converted most of my basement into a workshop. Here’s a recap of my 2017 posts related to making or fixing things.
January
February
March
April
- DIY Spliced USB Cable
- Electronics by Number
- Using a 74HC74 Integrated Circuit
- Using a 555 Integrated Circuit
- Combining 74HC74 & 555 Integrated Circuits
- Set Mac Volume to a Specific Percentage with an Alfred Workflow
- Infrared Hacking
- DIY Farmers Walk/Carry Handles
- Phone Keypad Hacking: Part 1
May
- Phone Keypad Hacking: Part 2
- Phone Keypad Hacking: Part 3
- HackerBox #0018 – Circuit Circus
- Fidget Spinners
- Phone Keypad Hacking: Part 4
June
- Multiplexing 7 Segment Common Cathode Displays on a Raspberry Pi
- A Raspberry Pi HAT
- 5V Relay Module – Part 1
- A Quick Multimeter Fix
July
- Dad’s Bear Hunt
- Wire Loop Game
- 5v Relay Module – Part 2
- CB&J&B
- HackerBox #0020: Summer Camp
- Home Fixes
- DIY Overhead Camera Rig
August
- Kacilia Tru-Align Body System
- RBT 1911 Pull Back
- Updates to Home Assistant Projects
- Sound Card Oscilloscope
- Counting Types of Days in PHP
- 5v Relay Module – Part 3
September
- Recipe: Crock Pot Pork Chop Rice Casserole
- Designing a Speaker in SketchUp
- Resurrect a “Dead” Power Tool Battery
- Upgrading a Used Table Saw – Part 1
- Cutting a Cove With a Table Saw
October
- AdaBox 005: Break For Pi
- DIY Cyclone Dust Separator
- Upgrading a Used Table Saw – Part 2
- Eagle No. 66 Oil Can
- Homier Distributing Company BDM 5 Drill Press Restoration
- Walls Be Gone
November
December
- Shop Lighting
- Basement Bathroom Upgrades
- Quarterly Maker Box #MKR08 by Adam Savage Part 1
- Burnt Cap
- $10 Bathroom Floor Upgrade
- Bacon-Wrapped Smokies
- Quarterly Maker Box #MKR08 by Adam Savage Part 2
- Fixing a Simple Button & LED Circuit
- Pi-hole Port Update Helper
- I Made an Escape Room
- Making a Bluetooth Speaker
Wow, I did a lot of experimenting, failing, learning, and accomplishing in my “free time” last year! 2018 should be even better when I combine the new skills I’m acquiring with my list of project ideas.
