We have a couple of split air conditioners. One of them is reasonably old (1987 model) and when we bought the place it came without a remote. We will eventually have to redo the roof and will replace all ACs with more modern and hopefully higher efficiency models. Until then, however, I was hoping to build a remote for this unit – and yes, we have tried just about every existing universal remote model, which turn out not to be so “universal.” This is the outside of the unitAnd here is the par...

It’s been about 3.5 years since I bought my current MacBook. That’s usually when I start thinking about what to buy next. I like to own the same machine for at least three and possibly four years and so historically I have spent a bit more money and then not a lot of time switching and fiddling. But as I think about the next laptop I am beginning to rethink my strategy for a number of reasons. First, I am using less and less “desktop” software on my laptop. Really the only thing that I run co...

In my Tech Tuesday posts I have covered main memory and storage (by the way, coming up tomorrow: HTTP). If you have read those or otherwise follow hardware, then you will find this short piece from BBC Technology News on a new technology known as ReRAM quite interesting. Essentially, ReRAM holds the promise of providing non-volatile storage at the speed of memory. That would provide a major breakthrough for database applications. Not only is ReRAM even faster than the Flash memory used in the...

So excited – got my Bug today. Here is a picture from the ceremonial unboxing. Now all I need is a lot of rain this weekend :)

I have been reading a fascinating book about nautical charts. It turns out that there are many pitfalls in using GPS navigation that result from the translation processes that take place between the original survey data (some of it quite old) and the GPS devices. It would be great to use a Bug to store a history of lat longs and depth soundings each time one goes out with a boat. The data from many bugs could then be used to improve the accuracy of existing charts. But even before getting qui...

I am very excited because Bug Labs is about to start shipping its first units. I can’t wait to get my hands on the actual device! Peter has been a friend for many years and it’s been great fun to see his vision go from woodblocks to prototype to functional device. Apparently Peter’s presentation drew “squeals of glee” from the audience at SXSW which is well deserved not just for what the unit can do but also for the hurdles overcome along the way. I have a list of things I want to build alrea...