Featured

Featured posts are ones I feel are my more important content.

Dec

2013

My First Raspberry Pi Project

View of the whole setup

Almost every year, I try to select a fun project to do while off for Christmas. This year the project I selected was based on Raspberry Pi. Specifically I decided to build a device that would, when motion is detected, find the range to the motion using an ultrasonic rangefinder, take a picture using the camera module, and finally email me the results.

After just a few hours of work, I had separate proofs of concept working for each sensor written in Python. A short time after, I started combining all the proofs of concept into a consolidated script which I got working. Right now I am perfecting the classes for interfacing with the range finder and the motion detector and I am currently using picamera 0.8 for interfacing with the camera module. I’ve included a link to the git repository I’m using for source control below.

Equipment:

Raspberry Pi Model B
Raspberry Pi 5MP Camera Board Module
HC-SR501 Human Sensor Module Pyroelectric Infrared
SainSmart HC-SR04 Ranging Detector Mod Distance Sensor
5 180 ohm resistors
Breadboard and miscellaneous connectors

Source Code: https://github.com/chaddotson/PiPy

: Raspberry Pi with breadboard

: Raspberry Pi with breadboard

: Side view

: Front closeup of ultrasonic sensor

: View of the whole setup

: Alternet side with Raspberry Pi breadboard and motion sensor

Aug

2012

Presentation Is Everything

PRESENTATION IS EVERYTHING

There is something that learned over the past couple of years, presentation is everything. It is quite possibly the most important element in all we do.

Presentation from the aspect of leadership can mean the difference between shared vision and unengaged worker bee. Presentation from the aspect of a product ( in my case software product) means the difference between phenomenal success and utter failure of a product.

In short, no matter how good or revolutionary your product is, if it looks bad, it will fail. To have a physical product example, look no further than the current mobile phone market. Look at two products: one you like and one you hate. What are the specs of each one? Are they comparable or does one have an advantage over the other. Now, for arguments sake, lets say the more “cool” one has a better physical appearance and a more flashy user interface but the one that is less “cool” looking and has a plain user interface has better specs and capabilities, which one would you buy? I’m betting (and society proves) that the “cooler” one with the more flashy interface wins out more than the other device. I’ve got no facts in front of me to prove this directly, only experience and my own beliefs.

FIXING OUR SOFTWARE

So how do we fix our software? Well here are some design concepts to keep in mind.

The API and/or the user interface for software must be intuitive.
The software features must be discoverable. This means that users can learn to use the software by using the software. There is not a need for an involved manual to pick up the software and begin using it.
The software must be easy to use. This is an ambiguous and loaded statement I know, but never-the-less it must be true. Just think about the software you are writing from the user’s perspective.

These are some of my most important concerns for a software product because if a user cannot easily pick up your software and start using it immediately, then you will have problems with adoption within your targeted user base. As with the mobile phone example above; if you have two pieces of software equivalent in terms of capabilities and specs, but one is presented a lot better and is more user friendly, which would you choose?

Going Forward

What we’ve learned here can be summed up in the two following statements. Software must be intuitive, discoverable, and easy to use. Also, presentation and appearance are quite possibly the most important part of software.

Jul

2012

DNS Changer And What It Means To You

With all the fear mongering by the news outlets, I thought I’d make a short post about DNS Changer.

DNS Changer is malware that if you are infected it changes how your computer looks up website addresses. Essentially, it tells your computer to use a service setup by criminals. The criminals behind DNS Changer have since been caught, but with far reaching implications, arrangements were made to turn the criminals’ service into a short-term legitimate service. Monday that service will be turned off.

To make sure you’re not infected, goto this site setup to be a quick test: http://www.dns-ok.us/. If the result is Green, you are ok and have no need to worry.

If the test fails. you will need to go here: http://www.dcwg.org/fix/. It contains directions and links required to get your computer fixed.

For more information, goto the DNS Changer Working Group (http://www.dcwg.org/)

Jul

2012

Estill Springs, Tennessee 2012 Fireworks

These photos were taken at the 2012 Fireworks show in Estill Springs, Tennessee. It was a really good show, one of the best I’ve seen.

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Jan

2012

2011 In Pictures

These are a sampling of pictures I have taken this year. I selected them based on how representative they were of the month I took them in.

January

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This was the most snow I can remember. 6.5″ to 7″ total depending on where I measured. Duke and Daisy had fun in it.

February

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I didn’t have alot of photos from February. This was one of the few. I took it from the shore of Woods Reservoir.

March

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I got a few flower pics for March along with pictures of the Supermoon on March 19.

April

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April was the month mainly remembered for the Southeast tornado outbreak (more). The next to last picture was of the clouds that day near sunset. Other than that, Daisy liked it. I liked the hummingbird photo I took with the strange lens flare. I also liked that last sunrise photo for the colors.

May

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Didn’t have a whole lot of notable pictures for May. I thought this carved figurine was pretty neat. Its just a solar light.

June

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June was a very good month for lightning. On the 15th, there was a massive electrical storm. I captured lots of lightning strikes that day. One of the composites I created from that day is above. You can find more here and here.

July

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July was another month I didn’t have a lot of photos from, but I did get one of Duke.

August

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I started off August with a trip to Solomons, Maryland. I’ve selected a few photos from the trip but more can be found here. Towards the end there was some lightning and I tried my hand at some star trail photography.

September

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Photos from September consist primarily of ones taken from Sewanee. The photos I selected were taken near the end of the month at sunset (or just after).

October

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October was a mixed month. It started off with a bit of a fiery sunset, had some lightning, had a double sundog near the middle, and ended with another trip to Sewanee.

November

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November was a pretty good month for photos. I got some pretty good sunrise, mud hen, abstract, and star photos. The star photos I’ve included here were taken with a new lines I got, a Nikon35mm f/1.8.

December

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I was able to get some pretty good sunrise photos at the beginning of December. I toyed around with that new lens I mentioned earlier along with some exposure settings. I think I liked the results. Around the middle, I went to see Tornado Alley 3D at the Chattanooga IMax. I was able to get a decent shot after sunset of Lookout Mountain. The month ended with trip to Huntsville to see the Galaxy of Lights at the Huntsville Botanical Garden. I didn’t have many photos from the Galaxy of Lights so I just included one of the Rocket Center.

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