Archive | July, 2009

This. Is. Awesome.

_oneliner

_oneliner is a self-reflexive installation consiting of a long line of interconnected VGA monitors, 64 in total. Each driven by a microcontroller, the monitors form a line of characters, like a giant ticker tape in which each monitor is limited to displaying a single character. The monitors are connected through self-designed and built “open” hardware. The work itself also reflects this openness: all wirings and microchips are exposed to the public’s critical inspection.

[…]

Every VGA monitor is capable of displaying a single character. Every monitor is run by a microcontroller which generates a VGA signal for a specific character. The Arduino is the controller of the installation: it continuously decides which monitor in the row displays which character, thus creating animations. There are 8 possible “programs” which can be run. The program number can be set using the 3 switches on the arduino shield, and pressing the reset button on the arduino. The LED then blinks as an indicator that it is running.

via _oneliner.

Click through the link to download technical documentation, including the source code, and other tasty tidbits.

Is WordPress A Thankless Community?

Over the past few weeks, I’ve noticed a disturbing trend. Many of the plugin authors I have spoken with throughout the community tell me that very rarely do they ever get a donation let alone a Thank You for releasing their work to the public. Based on the plugin authors feedback, end users demand more features, demand better support, and in the end, have this feeling of entitlement even if the plugin is available without a price tag. The reality is, that for a freely available plugin, you’re not entitled to anything. I don’t know about you, but I certainly would not like to be part of a community that is known as thankless.

via Is WordPress A Thankless Community? | Weblog Tools Collection.

I would err on the side of “yes, WordPress is a thankless community” with this one, but realistically, it could easily swing both ways.

I certainly don’t donate (but maybe I should), but I do try and help out exposure by blogging about awesome plugins/themes that I use.

To all those I haven’t mentioned, thanks. Thanks for all the hard work you’ve put in so that I didn’t have to. 🙂

Extreme wardriving with the USB YAGI WiFi antenna…

perspective

google maps screenshot

The USB-Yagi is a handy and high performance directional antenna which delivers a remarkable 1000mW+ horse power in the direction it is pointing with a HPBW (Half-Power BeamWidths) of 56 degree.

It connected to the WiFi signal 3.8km away from the University in direct line-of-sight and maintained a stable wireless connection at a sensitivity of -54dBm, which is amazingly powerful and have more rooms to go further than that.

via at danets, we enhance your wireless experience: YAGI WiFi antenna.