April Maker Challenge #26/30 : ArtOnDeck

WHAT: i wanna make an refreshing/reloading slide of art, on my desktop or digital picture frame or whatever. i have this massive collection of art that i troll thru everyday online, thru my RSS feeds. (FFFound!, VVork, drawn.ca, wooster, etc...). so i sorta wanna make an app. dont really know the details about browser compatibility - but i think this would just be cool to have. and to have someone else share the feed, or i could share theirs... even MORE fun.

OBJECTIVE: make a desktop / browser app that will "stream" a slideshow or an RSS. i dont have time to peruse individuals flickrsets or whatever - so itll have to be from some sort of art aggregator (like i mentioned earlier) or a shared RSS with whomever shares em. has to be manageable from the window itself, (can pause, go back, find source etc).

HOW: dont know. probly ask for some help via the very skilled fellows out at #tcmaker.

APPLICATION: fun! on a broader scale - a shared community/channel of images would be cool for everyone, without having to go open a browser. its like a physical manifestation of RSS feeds.

April Maker Challenge #25/30 : juicerStick

WHAT: okay. the title is a bit vague. i want to make a hand held baton that i can shake vigorously (or bring with me running) that will charge and sustain a 5v charge - to plug into my phone for off occasions. sorta like a mechanical mintyboost - minus the alkaline batteries,

OBJECTIVE: make a portable, mechanically actuated 5v supply. should be able to physically crank/shake it while providing power to sustain the current boost. should be able to hold at least an additional hour of phone use per *charge*. smallest form factor possible to accomplish that additional hour. hopefully robust enough to leave in the car year-round.

HOW: no idea. im guessing 5v regulator, inductance coil, maybe a spring, nice magnet, ... havnt fleshed this one out yet. might take some research in supercapacitors. or maybe just really big ones.

APPLICATION: in case i need to use the phone when its dry. i like the mintyboost - but its chemical shelflife leaves something to be desired. you KNOW i will run out of batteries when i need em.

April Maker Challenge #8/30 : spaceCones

WHAT: cheap little modules that i can place like traffic cones, or suction cup, or whatever - that act like positional beacons. They should probably talk together to know where each is in relation to another.
Example1: 2 cones on the ground, and one fixed to my camera. with some calculation - i should be able to measure everything within this 3 pin area to the resolution of the beacons.
Example2: if i put 3 down on the floor, i want something inside it to be able to triangulate where it is in a given area. would be nice for position control.

OBJECTIVES: 3 cones (at least). they need to be able to judge distance from one another (i know there are rangefinders out there) . then they need to beam that information out to something else.

HOW: not a real clue in the world. i am guessing line of sight would be required for decent rangefinding - so i suppose IR data transmission would be an ok. it'd be nice if i can figure out how to do it otherwise.

APPLICATION: i was thinking of an alternative to CNC control where it is simply X,Y,Z tables. linear tracking is for suckas. If i can make all this wireless - and somehow have a paintBot.... then i should be able to print/plot on the scale of 100ft or so. (whatever the range and fidelity of the rangefinders would be)

April Maker Challenge #6/30: ninjashawl

From sketches

What: I want to make a custom ninjashawl! something that i can pop on and off while keeping my messenger bag on. Remember Cobra? from GI Joe?. OOOOhhhhhYEeah. Minnesota cold aint got SHIT on Cobra yo. (i realize Cobra only had a blue sheet on his head - but i thought the aesthetic worked similar)
... shut up.

Objectives: create a warm-ish ninjashawl. should keep me warm if i chose to bike in 0F weather (thats -18C to my metric bretheren). Should have minimal frost/snot buildup by the nose/mouth area. Machine washable. Cannot hinder use of sweet Chrome messenger bag.

How: probably start with butchering a thriftstore coat with Goretex for outer. thinking of a nice microfleece inner, not sure if insulative material is needed. Would like to have the snot area be removeable and machine washable. Magnetic snaps would be nice and seamless, but may interfere with headphone use. Buttons are little cumbersome with gloved hands - so it might be fastex buckles, stretch-cord on buckles or maybe even pop-snaps.

Application: i will destroy GI joe. also, will keep warm on the minneapolis greenway.

April Makers Challenge #4/30: eyetrack

What: a webcam based system that tracks the gaze of a person. i know people have these things in proprietary systems all over the place - like with the Tobii system and a company actually called EyeGaze. hopefully when it is all said and done, it'll be a free program that only costs users a webcam to navigate their computer.

Objectives: track the iris on people, or track the averaged gaze (for those with lazy eyes).

How: mostly based off the demo video capture scripts in the examples off processsing. i might have to work off IR beams to get the specific color range - or use a reflective sticker that other systems use. after i get that down pat, then I can try and patch in to cursor control.

Application: something like what these dudes are doing. hopefully this can be nice and open source enough so that people can just download the code, go out and buy a webcam, and have accessible "mouse control". Huzzah!

April Makers Challenge #2/30: licked knees

blog for the broken minded.

WHAT: it is a blog. it is the one you are currently reading . This blog documents my "progress" as a nerd.
OBJECTIVES: document builds, be a host for ongoing webprojects, place for me to establish nerd-cred, and i suppose share my daily webtrawling for fun stuff.
HOW:blogger has been so gracious as to provide this service for free. will get into some CSS and other nittygrittypretty things later on. they might be miniprojects. i'll try and keep updates regular and forthright.
APPLICATION: i forget things. a LOT. also, i forget things. so documenting stuff i forget would be handy. and it serves as precedent for the evil that is allowed between a guy and his computer.

April Makers Challenge #1/30: punchBag

punching bag metrics.

WHAT: i always wanted to know how hard a punch or a kick strike was - and how it compares to your friends. or your dad. ever watch fightscience on Discovery Channel? or Human Weapon on NatGeo? like that - but smarter / open source.
OBJECTIVES: measure strike energy, reaction time, strikes per period, accuracy. maybe linkup to a hi speed camera for playback.
HOW:initial thoughts were to embed a force sensor (but i dont know how much of a beating they can take), or use an accelerometer in a known mass bag, figure out the energy transferred. or embed sensors in gloves/footpads. for accuracy - maybe have lightup spots on the bag, and measure how far you are from the mark. to be learn and more efficient, you can measure your movements (from camera and timing) relative to a pro.
APPLICATION:this way, when two people want to "violently" throw down - you can measure up two opponents, without anyone actually getting hurt. its like nerd-core punch-out, without loosing our valuable teeth. it's also nice to work on technique with a metric to go by.

PS: this post is retroactive. and taken from the tcmakers forum