The Hacker Space That all the Other Ones Call “Sir”

My first words When I saw the hackerspace at FamiLAB were :  O.  M.  G!  It was in a huge warehouse.  Not only that, it was full of 3D Printers, breadboards, circuit boards digitizers, computers, remote controllers, batteries, cameras, motion detectors, lights, microcontroller, processors, and just about anything else you can think of.  I attended an Arduino class.  An Arduino is a microprocessor that you can program to do just about anything.  A hackerspace is a place where you can take something electronic, and re-program it and maybe even rebuild it!  And a hackerspace is probably the best place to learn about Arduino.  I learned how to program an Arduino, and how to set up a circuit using a breadboard hooked up to the Arduino.  I learned how to controll an LED light to make it flicker on and off, I learned how to controll it’s brightness, and I even learned how to control it with a button!    This is a very inspiring, and amazing place, I can’t wait to go back there.

Aidan Dwyer : A Big Mistake? He’s Still Cool.

Aidan Dwyer is not someone you see every day.  He’s an innovator, an engineer, and a 13 year old. The reason he is so “cool” is because he engineered a way to mount solar panels to make them more efficient.  He has made the first “solar tree“.  “his parents had been hoping to install solar panels on their Long Island house,” said the Wall Street Journal, “but their yard was too small and their roof wasn’t suitable”.   However, there was room enough for a tree.  Aidan figured out that if you imitated a tree branch sequence using the Fibbonacci series, you could collect light much more efficiently.  He had perhaps made history – and one big mistake.  When he was proving his hypothesis he measured the wrong thing.  He was supposed to be calculating power, but he was recording voltage.  This has started a serious debate on the internet – in some cases even flamewars!  Aidan says he has been working on this problem and believes that he may have found the solution by measuring the right thing, power.  Luckily, the solar tree is still preforming better than standard solar panels.

A message for Aidan : keep on goin’!

Honor Steve

Steve Jobs was a visionary like none other.  He was the man behind the iPhone, iPad, iPod touch and other mobile wonders.  And we lost him last night at the age of 56.  He was a good man, and “The world has lost an amazing human being.” – Tim Cook.  This tragedy has hit me hard, as no one can ever be like him.  Apple computers are like no other computer because they have lots of downloadable apps on the App store. I make stop-motion videos with my computer, Jessica.  Apple computers have beautiful interfaces that no other computers have.  Also, I use the little mobile devices for lots of things, like YouTube, internet, and games.  You can even attach a pocket microscope to the iPod touch and take pictures with it!

Oh, and one more thing.

In honor of Steve, we should never look down upon Apple, for even though it can never be the same company without him, he started a legacy that will always be remembered.  Thank you, Steve, for imagining devices that kids love so much.

“Stay hungry, Stay foolish” -Steven Paul Jobs

The Privliges of Technology

So, first I thought that  I’d introduce you to what I mean by “privileges of technology.”  Well, I love having been born in the 21st  century, and its a pleasure having all this technology. The new iPad is just a pleasure! But poor Dad was born in the 20th Century.  In the 21st Century, we have digital cameras, computers, iPods, iPod touches, and even the new iPad!!!  You see, for me, technology is a step closer to paradise.  It’s hard to believe that every single new device that Apple makes is one step closer to true paradise, entertainment, and even to completing every human chore!

I type instead of write, I email instead of mail, and I order stuff online instead of driving to the store and back.  say I really really need to calculate some thing, but I only have my iPod(or iPad), I can just go to the App store and buy the calculator app.  Paradise!!