January 2018 brain dump

4 minute read

Yet another brain dump post (1, 2, 3 ). (brain dump: snapshot of the internal state of a knowledge database for transfer or archiving purposes)

I have stopped using Evernote

I was a big fan of Evernote for a long time. The integration with IFTTT and the dream of Getting organized. Work smarter. Remember everything was appealing. I spent 5 years using Evernote amassing close to 7000 notes. Scanning business cards was a killer feature for me. I was a loyal customer for a long time. As time went on other services started to pick away at my Evernote mind share, google docs for notes, google photos for photos, pinboard for links, etc.. I found myself spending more time on organization information (tagging, grouping, etc..) in Evernote then I actually spent on retrieving information. Then it started getting slow, Evernote added more and more features that seemed to just slow everything down. The last note I put into Evernote was in Dec-2015 and I didn’t miss it when it was gone.

Are.na instead of pinterest

I been getting into making installation art projects. I need a place to store the random source images. A friend of mine suggested that I take a look at are.na. Its a neat card base system that works well with photos, text and links. it supports social sharing of content and its fun to use. I always hated pinterest but [are.na](https://www.are.na/] seems like a better choice over all.

dynalist.io

A paper sheet like to-do list for simple daily lists.

Alternatives to TeamViewer

I have posted about my hate for teamviewer and their horrible licence system before. A few years ago there wasn’t many good alternatives to TeamViewer but that has changed. Now I am happy to suggest Anydesk, and Zoho assist.

Sarah Anne Johnson FIREWORKS (2012)

Fireworks is an extension of the work I completed for Arctic Wonderland, and it was commissioned in 2012 by the Winnipeg Art Gallery for its centennial exhibition (Winnipeg Now.) The main element of this piece is the massive illuminated fireworks sculpture I created to hang from the ceiling. Inside are different types of lights that burst, flicker, and shine at various times and with vivid colors. Underneath this piece is a schooner that originally had figurines partying on it, but I later reconfigured it to be filled with fleshy silicon mounds. The whole piece is set against a backdrop photograph of the arctic, giving an ironic undertone the the celebratory jubilation happening with the sculpture.

Check out her website for a video. Its impressive.

PAPER CUT SHADOW BOX

Tutorial on instructables

Basically, paper cut-outs are layered on each other in a box with a glass frame. A light source goes behind the cut outs, and makes each layer glow. Generally, the more layers, the cooler the effect! I’ll show how I made this shadow box, providing tips here and there. Feel free to give some input and tips (first instructables).

Furtherfield

Furtherfield A art and technology gallery, that has some interesting blockchain art exhibits. I found out about furtherfield thou the disobedient electronics book.

Plantoids

Plantoids: The First Blockchain-Based Artificial Life Forms A neat sculpture art project that uses the smart-contracts and the blockchain to receive donations. When it receives enough money it commissioners another version of its self, replicating.

You can’t buy a Plantoid because it owns itself. If you like a Plantoid, you can show it appreciation by sending bitcoin to its wallet. Once a Plantoid has earned sufficient funds, it chooses an artist and commissions the artist to produce a new version of itself.

Ice Cold Beer game aka Zeles Peak

I found this clip of a guy playing this game on Reddit. The premise: Get a ball bearing into the right holes; avoid the wrong holes. Using left and right joysticks to control two independent motors, you manipulate the position of the horizontal rail to control the path of the ball. It looks like a fun game and easy to make, maybe a future Maker Faire project. I found this project where someone is trying to make one with an Arduino, stepper motors, etc.

There is also a video game called Tumbleseed that has the simlare concept.

Glowing Moon by Brandonzhun

A neat realistic moon nightlight

Digital signage using the Raspberry pi

An open source project that allows you to use a Raspberry pi and a TV/Monitor as digital a sign or slideshow.

Robboxtools

Fresh from CES 2018, a multiple tool battery pack system that I could see replacing the way we do power tools today. They are also from Vancouver, my home town.

Robbox has a user interface that makes it easy to set the proper rotation speed by selecting the relevant material and properties, such as thickness.

GeoCache locator

Input a GPS location and this fun device will point you in the right with a ring of LEDS. Could be neat to make a few city style games.

Free Programming notes for many different lanuages

Their C++ book is pretty good even for a verderan like my self.

Simple ESP8266 tutorials with the Arduino IDE

Sometimes you need to learn the basics before moving on to the more advanced topics.

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