Amazing Inventions – swan tron dot com

September 5, 2011

IOIO PowerSwitch Project

I can finally report a conclusion of sorts on the IOIO / PowerSwitch Tail project. The ‘of sorts’ disclaimer is in regards to my Android App, which is pretty much a working beta. I have some issues with my onResume code, and want to put some polish on the UI. That said, I have released the code to the interwebs, so had better provide a write-up.

The setup is the same as I have been posting. Dual open drain pins with a 10K pull to 5V do the lifting…triggering of pins is handled via my IOIO board…Android app providing a UI to do the switching.

ioio-example-project — beta version: check.

I went ahead and published my app on the Android Market. It will pop for sure by searching for IOIO.

Price: free ninety nine. Can’t beat that.

I also tossed this code up on GitHub. Go nuts.

Video time: see this in action.

Basically, between all of the shaky camera work, I download my app from the Android Market, connect via USB, and control the 120V relay via my Droid 2. I will shoot a better video once I clean up my code a bit.

Stay tuned. The README on GitHub and the app details section should have all of the connection information. I can provide any further details via email / comments / @swantron. Have fun with this one…

Link to android market
Link to project code at GitHub

November 19, 2010

Are Pajama Jeans Awesome?

Remember Pajama Jeans? I posted about them a while back, stating that society had hit a new low, due to the sheer level of WTF of which Pajama Jeans reek. Even sexy robot lady can’t make these look less than WTF.

pj jean — creepy robot lady is still sexy, creepy

Well, I can’t tell you if people are still making these things. I too can’t tell you if people are still buying or wearing Pajama Jeans.

I can say, with 100% certainty, that people are searching the webs for these retarded things…and en masse. Check the snapshot from Google Webmaster Tools:

Un. Fricking. Believable.

Well, I do get a kick out of the fact the Pajama Jeans would-be shoppers ended up here. I have a feeling they would appreciate the last post about the junk food in my desk drawer at work.

May 24, 2010

Meeting Robot | I Need This

Best idea of the week…a robot to attend your meetings.

right there — Robot Weenie is Better than Humanoid Weenie

From dailymail.co.uk

Fed up with attending endless meetings when you’d much rather be at home? Step forward the QB from Anybots – a robot who can go to the office for you.

Developed by Bob Christopher, the brainchild behind the Pleo dinosaurs, the cute looking robot is essentially a teleconferencing system on wheels.

The robot can alter its height from 3ft to 5.7ft and weighs 2.5st, with a main computer and several mini-computers on board. It has an LCD monitor mounted on its head which feeds a webcam image of the telecommuter.

It ‘sees’ via a 5MP video camera in one eye, and a lower resolution camera on the head that points downwards. It ‘hears’ via three microphones that feed audio to the telecommuter, and has high-quality speakers for audio in the other direction.

Alright, nicely played. This thing costs 15K, however. I’m pretty sure I could do the same damned thing with an HTC Incredible, broom, Arduino, and an electric wheelchair motor. I would need an area to put some tattoos and earbuds, however. And somehow mimic my general sense of ‘leave me alone before I effin snap’ to be fully effective/reflective of me in a meeting situation. And a strong odor of coffee…definitely need that.

April 16, 2010

HTC HD2

While I’ve been caught up dealing with the epic battle between the Moto Droid and the RIM Storm 2, there have been some slick phones dropping. FWIW, Motorola whupped the beans out of the Storm, whatever that means. Whatevs.

Here is one in particular. The HTC HD2.

This puppy is pretty much loaded. Like I’ll be after this paid post…

Really though, this is a sweet phone. 480×800 res screen at 4.3 inches…we’re talking Eros stats. HTC Accessories are where it is at, though. You can outfit this guy (which runs Microsoft Windows Mobile 6.5 Professional, for you Microsoft-eers) with all kinds of phone stuffs…hit that bump to find out more.

Long story short…I need to stay up on my phone current events. I’m still clinging to my seen-better-days BlackBerry Pearl. For the loss.

April 3, 2010

Introducing…Pineberries

Have you ever wished that there existed a fruit that looked like a strawberry, only white, and tasted like a pineapple? Here you go, you sick weird-fruit-wanting-son-of-a-bitch.

Per DailyMail:

Seeing their juicy red flesh in the shops is a sign that summer is on its way.

But this year your strawberries could be as white as the cream poured over them, after a new variety went on sale today.

The pineberry is said to combine the shape and texture of a strawberry with a flavour and smell closer to that of a pineapple.

…

They join other unusual recently introduced fruits such as the strasberry, which looks like a cross between a strawberry and a raspberry.

Grown in glasshouses, the pineberry – as they have been dubbed for the British market – starts off green, gradually turning paler as it ripens.

When it is sweet and juicy enough to eat, the flesh is almost completely white but studded with red seeds.

Waitrose fruit buyer Nicki Baggott said: ‘Pineberries offer our customers the chance to add a new fruit into their diet, and the berry’s bright appearance can add an unusual decoration to sweet dishes.

Okay, dudes. New fruit. Niiiice. I think I’ll stick with my standard go-to, the coffee bean. Do whatever you want, though.

February 22, 2010

Great Idea of the Day: Cooler Chair

This stupid site is selling a very non-stupid item…the cooler chair.

awesome-chair — I bet it could hold about 30 OMLs

Of course, the cooler access would be rendered more and more useless the emptier it gets…then again…that is when the sitting aspect of the product becomes more vital. Not sure where I am going with this thing; I’m confused. But I want one. Agh.

February 10, 2010

New Societal Low: Pajama Jeans

It could be argued that the Snuggie pretty much wiped out any credibility our nation had. Snuggie and Crocs, I suppose. Well, twist that knife handle, because somebody went ahead and invented Pajama Jeans. I didn’t misspeak. Pajama Jeans.

^^^Tired of looking like a lazy dick at KFC in sweats? Pajama Jeans are for you, friend.
^^^Getting too fat, too rapidly, to contain your fat ass with denim? Pajama Jeans are Cotton/Spandex stretchy wonderment. Problem solved.
^^^Want to looks classy at the gym? Just kidding…these look 100% retarded, regardless of setting.

~~steps on soapbox~~~
I bet these things sell like hot cakes, considering the impressive rate at which people are throwing in the towel on basic social tenets. Pajama Jeans would, maybe, make for a good national uniform bottom for the average overweight, responsibly dodging, globally ignorant, Everybody Loves Raymond-watching, American “adult.”
~~~steps off soapbox~~

February 9, 2010

PS3 To Support 3D

Who doesn’t like 3D? This ol’ gal certainly does. Or did.

3D_glasses — lol-ing the shit out of some 3D

I don’t get the last joke, but Engadget reported the following:

Get your active shutter glasses ready: your PS3 is going to go 3D this Summer. In conjunction with the release of its 3D BRAVIA LCD sets, Sony is planning to release updates to turn the PS3 both into a stereoscopic 3D gaming platform, in addition to a 3D Blu-ray compatible movie player. Sure, we knew Sony was planning to give us 3D sometime this year, but now that we’ve got a summer time frame we can plan our wardrobe decisions according — jean cut-offs, here we come!

I’ll gladly wait for Visio to come out with a 3D LCD/LED, and kindly pay less than half of the price of a Bravia, thanks. Regardless, this is pretty sweet news.

February 6, 2010

Technological Breakthrough, Ketchup Style

The best thing to happen to ketchup since the upside-down bottle thing:

For maximum high fructose corn syrup intake, you can dip shit in this thing or go old-school and squeeze this shit on other shit. Now, we just need to clear up the whole ketchup/catsup naming conundrum, and we’ll be good to go.

The future is here, my friends.

February 1, 2010

Seaplane FTW

I think Richard Branson is awesome. He basically does whatever he wants. Like inventing seaplanes.

FTA:
Billionaire Sir Richard Branson may already own an airline, a record label, a mobile phone company, several luxury restaurants and a Caribbean island. But today the entrepreneur unveiled his latest toy – an underwater plane.

The £415,000 prototype submersible is called the Necker Nymph and can dive to depths of up to 130ft. Sir Richard hopes to one day explore depths of 35,000ft – which is far more than the height of Mount Everest.

My hero.