Temporarily Permanent
I remember when this sign was posted in the fall of 1989, visible from the SEPTA commuter train window whenever I rode by. I was in college then, taking the train from Philadelphia to the suburbs every few months. It seemed strange to me that someone would go through the trouble to print a sign announcing that a gate was going to be locked on … Continue reading Temporarily Permanent
Sniffing GSM with SDR
I’ve been fascinated by software defined radio (SDR) for years but investigating the GSM cellular network has always been just a little too challenging and slightly out of reach. All of that changed earlier this year when someone finally posted a workable, step-by-step guide for decoding (but not decrypting) cellular (GSM) radio traffic. For those not familiar, SDR involves moving much of the functionality of … Continue reading Sniffing GSM with SDR
Displio Review
The Displio is described by its creators as a “WiFi display that tracks what’s important to you.” It caught my eye as a Kickstarter campaign back in January 2015 as a neat, compact device for displaying custom data on my desktop. The delivery date slipped a few times but my Displio finally arrived in April 2016, about a year late. Not a huge deal, considering … Continue reading Displio Review
Tile Review
The Tile is a small, matchbook-sized Bluetooth device that works in conjunction with a mobile app to provide its location. The main purpose of the Tile is to help you keep track of the items to which it is attached. It is small enough to place on your key chain or put on your pet’s collar. (My dog has one.) The device is waterproof and … Continue reading Tile Review
The Internet Button
While perusing the various channels on IFTTT recently, I came across one for something called “bt.tn.” My curiosity led me to a Finnish site that sells a very interesting product: a large pushbutton that can control anything that is connected to the internet. The bt.tn comes in various colors and has both Wi-Fi and cellular models. The operation from a user’s perspective could not be simpler. You … Continue reading The Internet Button
Video Arbor is Back
Nam Jun Paik (1932 – 2006) was an artist who used video displays and electronic parts in his art to comment on technology, culture, and mass communications. In 1990, the builders of One Franklin Town Apartments in downtown Philadelphia chose Paik to fulfill their city mandated requirement of including original public art in their development project. The installation that Paik created consists of three rows … Continue reading Video Arbor is Back
Getting Started with Wearables… in 1983
It seems like every electronics company from large to small is introducing a wearable device these days. As seen at CES 2015, it is all the rage to connect some kind of bodily sensor to the internet, pair it with an app and strap it to oneself. Most of these are fitness trackers that detect some combination of distance, speed, or heart rate. I started … Continue reading Getting Started with Wearables… in 1983
Why I Ditched Windows Phone 8.1
After a noble two year experiment, I decided to ditch my Nokia 920 Windows phone for an iPhone 6 Plus. It was not an easy decision and a lot of research was involved. There are plenty of reviews and specs online, so I will just get to the main points and summarize them here. Reasons to ditch Windows Phone 8.1 1. It’s all about the apps. … Continue reading Why I Ditched Windows Phone 8.1
My Visit to the 2013 Consumer Electronics Show (CES)
I spent a few days last week at the CES in Las Vegas to learn about the latest trends in consumer electronics, with particular attention to items in the “connected home” category. This was my first time at the CES and everything one hears about the show is true: the exhibit floor is massive, it is impossible to see everything, and the products displayed range … Continue reading My Visit to the 2013 Consumer Electronics Show (CES)
Sharing Data From the Netduino
As mentioned in an earlier post, I’ve been working with the Netduino microprocessor board, a .NET version of the open source Arduino. In preparation for designing a home energy monitoring system, I created a small project to measure and post data from the Netduino. The simplest circuit I could find consisted of a photocell and a resistor wired into one of the analog inputs. Every … Continue reading Sharing Data From the Netduino