dinofizz

DIY GSM-enabled Gate Access Control System

dinofizz — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 19:40:49 +0000

I built this system about a year ago, and I get so many people asking me how it was done I figured it would be a good post to help reboot my blog…

BACKGROUND

Both during the week and on weekends I entertain quite a few guests. We watch TV (sports/movies) in a room separate from the main house (the Playroom* – also home to my workshop) which does not have an intercom extension, and on the summer weekends I host braais in the outside entertainment area (also no intercom extension). Access to the property is through a motorised gate. Often guests ringing the doorbell will be doing so in vain, as the ringing can only be heard from inside the main house. Usually I get a message or a missed-call on my mobile informing me that someone is outside the gate and that no one is answering the doorbell!

Click to find out how I solved this problem using an Arduino, a Cellular Shield, some hardware hacking and some scripting!

Blog Reboot

dinofizz — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 16:19:29 +0000

Just a heads up that after two years of lying dormant I am attempting to reboot my blog. We’ll see how it goes.

End your almost-empty peanut butter jar woes

dinofizz — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 07:42:41 +0000

This is classic! I stumbled upon this awesome jar that opens on both ends so you never have to dig and scrape the last few bits of peanut butter (or similar foodstuffs) ever again!

[via skforlee]

Skater’s Home includes a Mini-Ramp into the Kitchen

dinofizz — Wed, 13 May 2009 06:35:57 +0000

Titled The Ramp House, this ‘skatable habitat’ was designed byAthanasia Psaraki for a skateboarder who wanted more integration between her living space and her skate space. Check out this post from ArchDaily for lots more pictures and more insight into the design. The entire house is designed around the ramps and bowls, and even elements such as the fireplace are directly embedded within the main living room space. I want to live here.

[via ArchDaily]

Google Mow Their Lawn with Goats

dinofizz — Thu, 07 May 2009 13:51:12 +0000

From the official Google blog comes a a story of how they use goats to mow some fields adjacent to their headquarters. While gasoline-powered mowers do the job and spew carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, the goats do the job and fertilize the fields at the same time. Legendary.

[via Official Google Blog]

A Test for Creativity

dinofizz — Thu, 07 May 2009 13:40:36 +0000

The Panamarican School of Art and Design have a very clever advertising campaign as created by AlmapBBDO, São Paulo, Brazil. An array of either x’s or o’s are printed on to a surface (paper, walls, doors, t-shirts, etc), upon which creatives are encouraged to manipulate, modify, enhance in an effort to develop as many symbols, glyphs or images as possible. Very cool.

[via Toxel.com]

Superhero Supply Store!

dinofizz — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 10:10:43 +0000

Grappling hooks, invisibility paint, jars of anti-matter, deflecter bracelets. Thats just some of the items for sale at the Brooklyn Superhero Supply Company. HOW AWESOME!

Proceeds from the store go to a non profit creative writing institute (the entrance to which is through a swinging bookcase within the store!).

Check this post for more details on the super items for sale, and some neat pics.

Brooklyn Superhero Supply Co – A Tribe Called Next

Project Update: Jerome v1.1

dinofizz — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 16:59:59 +0000

The latest release version of Songbird was incompatible with my library consolidation script. So I modified it, and its working with Songbird v1.1 now. Unfortunately this makes it *incompatible* with any previous Songbird version (like 1.o).

jerome – A Songbird library consolidation script for Linux users.

SixthSense – A Wearable Gestural Interface

dinofizz — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 08:18:06 +0000

Patti Maes’ Fluid Interfaces Group from the MIT Media Lab have a prototype ‘wearable gestural interface‘ that looks most interesting!

Although the miniaturization of computing devices allows us to carry computers in our pockets, keeping us continually connected to the digital world, there is no link between our digital devices and our interactions with the physical world. Information is confined traditionally on paper or digitally on a screen. SixthSense bridges this gap, bringing intangible, digital information out into the tangible world, and allowing us to interact with this information via natural hand gestures. ‘SixthSense’ frees information from its confines by seamlessly integrating it with reality, and thus making the entire world your computer.

The SixthSense system is comprised of a digital camera, a portable projector and some colour markers. The projector projects an image on to any surface (preferably flat) directly in front of the user. The digital camera tracks the colour markers (typically placed on the user’s fingertips) by sending the images to a mobile computing device in the user’s pocket, which is also responsible for sending information to the projector. In this way gestures traced out by the user are analysed, and the appropriate action or image to display is realised.

For example, the SixthSense system implements a gestural camera that takes photos of the scene the user is looking at by detecting the ‘framing’ gesture. The user can stop by any surface or wall and flick through the photos he/she has taken.

Check out this really interesting video for an overview of the system as well as some application examples:

And you should also check out Pranav Mistry’s (grad student working with Patti Maes) website, for a longer description as well as more pictures and video of the system in action.

SixthSense – Pranav Mistry [via Core77]

RbG Rainbow Glasses

dinofizz — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 09:21:44 +0000

Tired of your boring old glasses? Wish you could have a new look every now and them, WITHOUT having to break the bank for a new pair? Well now you can!

Luis Porem has a glasses design featuring hollow transparent frames. This allows you to fill the frames with a colourful liquid!

The structure of the RbG glasses has an internal channel where the colourful ink passes through, painting it with the colours you desire, allowing you to have a different look every time you want.

RbG Rainbow Glasses via Core77