All posts by Richard

Holiday Engineering … MATLAB Meets Legos

Legos

It's quiet at work. 85% of the other techies are still on vacation. I assume they're playing with some of the new games they gave their kids! As many of you know, I have coached for many years for Lego Robotics. Anyone familiar with Mindstorms understands the relationship between Legos and Labview, but did you know that you can use MATLAB to program your NXT bot? Here are some links to get you started (remember to let your kids also use the Lego Mindstorms kit):

In addition, you should use my Engineering Learning Wiki Lego Section (and it's accompanying search engine). It focuses upon the educational use of Lego robotics. I will add the MATLAB instructions to both the wiki and search engine. (click to view the image at full size) (read my other Lego posts)
.
Remote_control_gui_large

Orphan Train America

Uncategorized

I just read the Orphan Train article via CNN … in our materialistic society at Christmas … take a few moments to pause and reflect. We do not have Orphan Trains in 2008, but the number of children who need help is amazing. Instead of purchasing another gift, please consider a Christmas donation to a local charity.

"They called it the Orphan Train. It carried scores of street urchins —
with no parents, no homes — out of New York City between 1854 and
1929. At each station, the orphans would stand outside the coaches,
wearing their best clothes, hoping they'd be chosen by inspecting
families. Children not chosen would reboard the train and repeat the
ritual at the next stop." Read More.

Orphan-train

The Christmas Sky via Microsoft’s WorldWide Telescope

Uncategorized

Ah vacation … before everyone else gets home … what's a nerd to do? In my case, play around and install WorldWide Telescope from Microsoft Research. My initial research has shown that this free software is:

  • Cool … one can explore the heavens (take guided tours)
  • Graphics intensive (my laptop is marginal for the task)
  • Appears to allow linking to real telescopes

Here are two screen shots from my install. Click upon either image to expand.

WorldWide-Telescope2
WorldWide-Telescope1

Metadata Test in Progress

Uncategorized

Following up from my earlier post: It's 10 pm … Where Is Your Metadata? I've created some sample files where the document properties and metatags have been edited with ease of identification in mind. Once Google indexes this content, I will complete this post and explain my examples:

Post update on December 29th: Google has indexed my examples, and I've had the opportunity to create my Metadata Tutorial. Please note that the tutorial is a Powerpoint file which opens in a "read only" mode. I will provide anyone who desires the unprotected source file at no charge. The protection insures the tutorial runs as desired. I suggest downloading the Powerpoint file and running it off line (slide show mode).

Post update on January 1, 2009: (new version added)

Test-in-progress

Detroit Newspapers Meet Googlezon

Uncategorized

I am quoting from the CNN web site: "The Detroit Free Press and Detroit News will become the first major metropolitan newspapers in the U.S. to end daily home delivery, the papers announced Tuesday"

If you have never watched Googlezon, you need to now.
Thus, I invite you to pretend It's 2014, and GoogleZon rules media, and
the net. Take a trip back in time, and watch this Flash video.  It will
take you on a tour of media, and the net, from it's inception in 1989,
right up to present day in the year 2014!

Alice has gone through the Looking Glass, and there is no turning back.

GoogleZon