I'm planning on using this site as a place to talk about things that interest me in my new found love of physical computing. I'll also post about my newly rediscovered love of making. I've made things (mainly out of wood) for as long as I can remember. However, somehow I've lost touch with that over the last several years. With physical computing, I can combine what I do for a living (programming) with the satisfying act of actually making a real object. While I love my job and programming very much, it's always bothered me that the end product has a short shelf life. For example, it's sometimes difficult to show someone a software product you worked on 5 years ago. Digital items suffer from sort of a reverse Morse Law. Something that is awesome today will likely be half as awesome in 18 months.
Here is a teaser of some posts I have in mind:
CNC Router - I recently built a DIY CNC router. It's still a work in progress (and probably always will be), but I've got it to a point where it's calibrated and working. This thing is extremely awesome.
3D Printer - I finally ordered a MakerGear Prusa 3D printer kit the other day. It should be here an a few weeks and I plan to document the build. I'm so excited I can hardly stand it!
Basic electronics - I'm currently teaching myself electronics. I've known how to wield a soldering iron for a long time and I can make a mean guitar cable, but now I'm taking it to a new level. I find that if I try to explain a concept to someone else, it solidifies my own mental model. So I'll be posting short "lessons" on different components to help myself and maybe someone else as well.
Robotics - I've built a couple of simple robots already, which I'll likely document here. Of coarse, all the new ones I come up with will find a home here as well. These robots will most likely be Arduino based, but I'm also looking into Beaglebone and EZ-Robot.
Whatever else strikes my fancy - This could include shop organization, tools, programming, etc.
Until next time...
