Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Robotic Remains and May Day Hints
This robot was cool... Notice the "was."
Having 26" bike wheels, it could cruise at an easy 13.9mph -- people can run about 10mph. So, for May Day, this would have been a great robot, but for one problem; without a ton of software, it was nearly impossible to control at high speeds. Any slight turn at speeds over 5mph would send the robot whirling -- it would either flip over a few times along the axis of the wheel axles or would end up on its side.
I decided to try out full speed. I took off up the hill in front of our house and it far out-distanced Peter in a matter of seconds. When I came back down the hill, I lost control as the robot headed straight for us. I yelled "JUMP" just in time for the robot to cream the mailbox. SNAP! That cool 1/2" aluminum rod is now in pieces. It was pretty awesome.
Notice the snapped wheel axle and bent spoke:
The 1/2" thick board didn't like the impact:
All this is to say, no robot will be visiting your house this year. I could put my old robot back together but what's the point of delivering cookies with a robot only to have it escorted back to the car by everyone in the neighborhood? :-)
Now for a hint about our house: I'm only telling you this because we caught everyone last year -- I think someone came while we were gone, but I thought Dad caught them.)
The Oggs tried to disable the motion detectors last year, but the motion detectors are "tamper proof" meaning that any tampering sets them off. Yes, this includes cutting wires. (I'd appreciate it if you didn't destroy my stuff, BTW :-)
We won't try to catch you until you ring the doorbell or attempt cheat.
Several people have tried parking in front of our front door to make the running distance as short as possible, but I believe we've caught every single person who's tried that. Go the longer routes -- the way our house is setup, it's much more difficult for us to catch you that way. (And, yes, I'm serious .)
I can guarantee you we won't be soaking anyone, so there's really no danger in being caught. We do plan to have more props in the yard this year since the robot busted, so take some time to look around. (It's a lot of stuff to set up, so hopefully SOMEONE sees it all :-)
Having 26" bike wheels, it could cruise at an easy 13.9mph -- people can run about 10mph. So, for May Day, this would have been a great robot, but for one problem; without a ton of software, it was nearly impossible to control at high speeds. Any slight turn at speeds over 5mph would send the robot whirling -- it would either flip over a few times along the axis of the wheel axles or would end up on its side.
I decided to try out full speed. I took off up the hill in front of our house and it far out-distanced Peter in a matter of seconds. When I came back down the hill, I lost control as the robot headed straight for us. I yelled "JUMP" just in time for the robot to cream the mailbox. SNAP! That cool 1/2" aluminum rod is now in pieces. It was pretty awesome.
Notice the snapped wheel axle and bent spoke:
The 1/2" thick board didn't like the impact:
All this is to say, no robot will be visiting your house this year. I could put my old robot back together but what's the point of delivering cookies with a robot only to have it escorted back to the car by everyone in the neighborhood? :-)
Now for a hint about our house: I'm only telling you this because we caught everyone last year -- I think someone came while we were gone, but I thought Dad caught them.)
The Oggs tried to disable the motion detectors last year, but the motion detectors are "tamper proof" meaning that any tampering sets them off. Yes, this includes cutting wires. (I'd appreciate it if you didn't destroy my stuff, BTW :-)
We won't try to catch you until you ring the doorbell or attempt cheat.
Several people have tried parking in front of our front door to make the running distance as short as possible, but I believe we've caught every single person who's tried that. Go the longer routes -- the way our house is setup, it's much more difficult for us to catch you that way. (And, yes, I'm serious .)
I can guarantee you we won't be soaking anyone, so there's really no danger in being caught. We do plan to have more props in the yard this year since the robot busted, so take some time to look around. (It's a lot of stuff to set up, so hopefully SOMEONE sees it all :-)
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Durango Done
Here's what the hotel looked like: (View from my hotel room porch)
See? It was pretty much right next to the train:
It was a very pleasant trip -- it's fun being able to walk to dinner, walk to Cold Stone Creamery, and walk to a movie -- I saw that new Alice in Wonderland movie... Still not sure what to think of it. :-)
If all my trips were like this, I'd love to travel!
See? It was pretty much right next to the train:
It was a very pleasant trip -- it's fun being able to walk to dinner, walk to Cold Stone Creamery, and walk to a movie -- I saw that new Alice in Wonderland movie... Still not sure what to think of it. :-)
If all my trips were like this, I'd love to travel!
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Durango Bird
We drove up the road to go check out the lake the pumping plant here in Durango is creating... Well, swimming around were jet-black ducks, all sleek and shiny. Above their eyes a brilliant stripe of white seared their black bodies as light rays piercing the atmosphere in a summer sunset. Upon our arrival, these curious creatures suddenly dove. Since when to ducks dive? Since when do they completely disappear beneath the surface? Since when do they hold their breath for countless minutes? I recoiled in horror. Could these peculiar pests be plotting underwater to attack, kill, and eat humans? Could this be the beginnings of an Alfred Hitchcock movie?
(Just out of curiosity, does anyone know what these birds are?)
(Just out of curiosity, does anyone know what these birds are?)
Monday, April 19, 2010
Durango
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Durang
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
May Day Robot Might be Coming
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Monday, March 15, 2010
This is the kind of stuff we do in my cool class:
void VGA_text(int x, int y, char * text_ptr)
{
int offset;
volatile char * character_buffer = (char *) 0x09000000;
/* assume that the text string fits on one line */
offset = (y << 7) + x;
while ( *(text_ptr) )
{
*(character_buffer + offset) = *(text_ptr);
++text_ptr;
++offset;
}
}
(We're making a hardware-implemented version of "Paint" using an FPGA. (I.E. "code" that could turn your wireless router into a dedicated piece of hardware that acts like paint.)
{
int offset;
volatile char * character_buffer = (char *) 0x09000000;
/* assume that the text string fits on one line */
offset = (y << 7) + x;
while ( *(text_ptr) )
{
*(character_buffer + offset) = *(text_ptr);
++text_ptr;
++offset;
}
}
(We're making a hardware-implemented version of "Paint" using an FPGA. (I.E. "code" that could turn your wireless router into a dedicated piece of hardware that acts like paint.)
Monday, March 8, 2010
Tired of Stupid Questions?
Do people come to you to ask questions Google can answer much faster? Let this help you out!
Sample:
Q: "What was the link to Roozer's World again?"
A: http://tinyurl.com/yf4o75b
Q: "How many grams are in 13 pounds?"
A: http://tinyurl.com/yeh32uw
Q: "How many calories are in a can of Pepsi?"
A: http://tinyurl.com/ycxgeea
Sample:
Q: "What was the link to Roozer's World again?"
A: http://tinyurl.com/yf4o75b
Q: "How many grams are in 13 pounds?"
A: http://tinyurl.com/yeh32uw
Q: "How many calories are in a can of Pepsi?"
A: http://tinyurl.com/ycxgeea
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