I noticed that the camera I had inside my Pi2-D2 fell out of its mounting. Not surprised though as it is literally held together with tape and cardboard (not kidding, literally). I decided to take him apart and re-mount the camera. I estimated it would probably take me around 15 minutes to take him apart,…
Author: madcomputerscientist.ninja
Fitbit Versa + Amazon Web Services API Gateway == Universal Remote
Using the Web Triggers app written by Jason Tomsic, I was able hook up my IR blaster Pi that controlled my TV and my Particle Photon smart lamp to my Fitbit Versa. I already have an Alexa skill, a Workflow (now known as Shortcut) on my iPhone and a custom Particle Photon universal remote that…
New DAC: $10. Learning to Strip a Wire Next to a Hot Soldering Iron: Priceless
Had to repair a broken usb power port on a DAC this morning. Turned it into an opportunity to teach my son how to strip a wire with pliers. After half an hour of work he was able to successfully strip a mm of insulator out of a foot of wire 😂 I constantly remind…
Oculus Quest: Is it Ready Player One?
TLDR; No. But… it is a ton of fun to use in its current iteration. I have never seriously considered getting one due to the cost constraints of an expensive VR headset that then requires another costly investment of a gaming PC. Along with the small library of software that is currently available on the…
The Greatest
What’s My Name? Those three words we’re uttered by the world’s greatest boxer and showman during his fight with Ernie Terrell. When Terrell refused to refer to him as Muhammad Ali before the fight, Ali promised him that he would make him. Many viewed this as part of Ali’s showboating antics which he was famous…
Just Another Day at Work: An 8 Year Review
Today is a big day for me. It doesn’t feel like it though. It feels just like another day to be honest. Other than this will be my last day working in my current place of employment of 8 years, it really feels like any other day. My level of duties and responsibilities has diminished…
Capital One: What’s in Your Interview Process?
A few months ago I underwent the coding assessment process for a FANG company which to put it mildly, I did not enjoy. You can read more about it here. I also briefly spoke about the interview process on a separate post. To quickly sum it up, the experience did not make me a better…
World’s Most Adorable REPL
The world’s most adorable REPL device. I hate python as a language but this cute little M5Stack device just might make me forget that I’m coding in it (at least for just a little while )
Are We in a Computer Simulation?
This was written by my 11 year old son and I had absolutely no input or edits on this piece. Proud Mad Computer Scientist Dad In some movies, it is depicted that humans live in computer simulation that is indistinguishable from ours. Some movies like The Matrix and Vanilla Sky follow this setting. It astonished…
Question Box: A Portable Hacked Google Assistant
I had the opportunity to talk to an Amazon IoT engineer about his views on how they can better support the makers, hackers and hobbyists in the IoT space. The IoT world is very young and brimming with opportunity for clever and creative ideas. Given Amazon’s wide install base of Alexa paired with their dominance…
Technical Insanities of a Mad Computer Scientist 