Jimmie Rodgers

Going to be in FL, and general updates

2008-11-21T19:39:58Z

Yes, you read that right. I'll be in FL this Thanksgiving. Since my grandparents have moved to High Springs, I will not be spending much time in Tallahassee. However, I will have a rental for the time that I'm there, and I want to see some Tally peeps. So I was going to drive up on a Saturday or Sunday to say hello. Probably to do a dinner or something. What days work for what people?

As for myself. I guess I should give a general life update. I think that since the last time I posted:
I was published in a physical book.
Make Magazine has started selling my Open Heart kit, which is for the win.
I helped out with starting the new Boston hacker space, Willoughby and Baltic (I'm currently trying to get the electronics lab up and running so I don't have to keep bringing my own stuff).
I made a few fun synthesizers.

Attention Tally peeps

2008-06-04T19:19:06Z

I'll be in town sometime on Sunday, but maybe Saturday. I leave early on Monday. Sorry for the short notice, but things are still up in the air, and I knew I wouldn't be in town for very long. Give me a call if you are around, I would like to do a dinner or something.

A strange new world

2008-05-16T16:44:20Z

So today marks the official day, that I have something for sell on the internet. That's right. I'm asking the internet for monies. Cold, hard, paypal, monies.

Thing is, I don't even have the product yet. It's just a pre-order.

I forgot to post about me being on TV

2008-05-09T13:47:30Z

Granted, it's public access, but you can see it online. Go to my project blog post for details and links.

on google reader

2008-05-06T13:40:35Z

So, google reader has just introduced some new features that finally puts it in the realm of "amazing". It's things they should have had much earlier on, and makes a ton of sense, social bookmarking. I'm also now able to edit tags on specific items that come in instead of the whole folder the feed is in.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with the existing awesomenesses of google reader, let me show you them. Basically it started out as a feed aggregator. Great, I could set up all my feeds to go into one place online, instead of the two separate desktop clients. It became like checking email, and I was hooked early on.

Then they added folders, and I was able to organize and prioritize them. Awesome, that allowed me to be more organized and time-efficient with my "feeding". Then they added the sharing feature. So you could not only organize your feeds, but share them with other google reader users. Nice, but not terribly useful, except that you also had a shared item feed of your own.

The feature that really started to change things was when they integrated reader with gchat. If you both were contacts on gchat, and you both used reader, then you could both see each other's feeds. That increased the number of people I share items with from two to eight in a week.

Yesterday, they introduced social bookmarking as well. It's just like del.icio.us. You find a link, you bookmark it with a comment. It then goes into your google reader feed. So now, I can not only share interesting articles through the feeds, but share items I find myself. Basically, they just took google notes, and threw it into reader as well. A very smart move, as I doubt google notes was getting as much use as bookmarks, etc.

How does this change things? Well, now you've got an aggregator paired with a bookmarking application, that you can then share, and tag feed items and bookmarks as you like. Everything is entirely online, and you can take it off-line with google gears, which will sync up next time you are online. You can then search your feeds as far back as you've added them.

I can't point out how useful of a tool this is. I no longer have to remember anything I've seen online. I share it, star it, tag it, or do nothing. Then I just search in that vast pool of stuff I've collected from the streams I've pointed to go into it. That's right, I just ask the lady of the lake "find: sword Excalibur", and she throws it right to me. I know that I had seen it already, or I just knew something was there.

I'm at it again

2008-05-02T14:49:46Z

So now I'm teaching another workshop. Some of the details can be seen on the post on my project blog.

Life has been really busy as of late. I've been working full time, and taking 8 hours of credits at Harvard Extension. Both my biking and pimping have really suffered in the past few months due to this. It will be over this month. I'm simultaneously saddened and relieved by this. I love the classes, but I hate the time crunch I've been on due to them.

I'll get around to posting more about some of the other things I've been up to in the very near future. Mostly because I'll have to due to my final assignment in my computational art class.

Holycrap, it's like a magical dream come true.

2008-04-08T15:57:41Z

Everyone needs to read this and then sign this. I know the internet will get a hold of this, and millions of signatures will easily be had. Uwe Boll will probably still make shitty movies though.

How I'm choosing to vote.

2008-04-03T17:15:37Z

I don't care about the issues. The policies, or anything like that. I'm voting this year entirely based off of youtube girls voicing support for candidates, and my levels of attraction towards them.

First there was Obama Girl, and then a Hilary response, and now it's raining McCain. I can't wait to see where this goes. If I still had a paid account, I would do a poll, but I don't. So I'll have to break it down.

Obama Girl - Definitely hot, and I would totally hook up with her if I had a chance.

Hilary Girl - Hot, but needs a sandwich, maybe two. However, that whole girl on girl thing she's got going it pretty hot. I wouldn't turn her down.

McCain Girls - There are three of them, so a cumulative score might count the same, maybe. I might have to be drunk, and I might not tell my friends about it afterwards. I would at the very least change the story a little. All I'm saying, is that they aren't out of the race. It's a long and lonely road to November, so who knows how this will go. Plus, the main woman responded to her own video with a downright sassy response to all the detractors. McCain girls, don't let the internet get you down.

PS - I've you've seen Death Note, you need to watch this. It's the funniest thing I've ever seen. If you don't know what I'm talking about, don't bother.

My favorite internet day of the year

2008-04-01T17:13:48Z

This will probably only work till the end of the day, so be quick. Go to youtube.com, click on any of the "featured" videos. Amazing, simply amazing youtube. I <4 you right now.

Also, if you have google documents. Create a new document. Then under file, choose "new airplane". You get instructions on how to fold a paper airplane.

My favorite prank so far? Replacing my boss's keyboard with one of these.

Roll saving throw against cone of despair

2008-03-05T17:52:22Z

You rolled an 18, but it was not strong enough. You have failed to save against the attack.

Things I am looking for.

2008-02-25T19:48:02Z

I'm creating a list of random things I'm currently looking for. That way if you run into any, you can let me know. Hell, you may even have some of these things, and I could buy/trade with you. Could I get these things from Ebay? Of course, but am I going to? Not really. Basically, I like my projects to be defined by what I have on hand. It's why the things I make are so random. It's usually from things I run into.

Anyhow, here is a list of stuff, and (sometimes) why:

Toy instruments. Basically, the kind you press a button, and it makes noise. The cheaper the toy, the better. I'm going to turn them into real instruments. It's preferable if they seem really simple, but take up a good bit of space (it means there is empty space inside).
Working Speak and Spells. I made this one plural, because as many as I can get, I can do stuff with.
Old hand-held transistor radios. I've got a project idea for using one of these as a case for an iPod. A click-dial would be preferred, and I don't really want a working one. That way I don't feel I'm destroying an antique.
Any cheap/crappy toy with lights or motors. It doesn't even have to work, as long as I can salvage stuff from it. Sometimes it's far cheaper to buy pre-made stuff and pull the products out than to buy them individually. An example is this "under-bed" light for kids I bought for $6. It has 21 high powered LEDs(about $0.60 each) and a good 4.5v power brick ($5).
Straight Razors. I just like them, and want to increase my collection. I'm always on the lookout for them.
Nice, small, boxes/cases made from wood, plastic, or metal. Basically things like Altoid tins, cigar boxes, etc. Anything from the size of a pack of gum, to the size of a loaf of bread. I'm open.
Old broken phones. I want the pickups from them.
Nice button/switches. Especially circular switches, as those are much harder to find.
Anything with a light or sound sensor.
Anything electronic that is kind of weird or strange or would make a neat case.

Basically, I'm not looking for people to scour the open markets for such things, but hopefully you will see something and remember me. Maybe you've got one lying around you were about to throw away. I'm generally looking for found/cheap items, not quality or large quantities.

I won at the internet

2008-02-15T16:23:51Z

No, really. I actually won something from the internet (that goes to my project blog for it's magical link goodness, also it's a link because I hate copied cross-posts).

Another link to my project journal

2008-02-10T17:02:09Z

So I've made something that people will probably like, and the project blog post is basically just links anyhow.

Go to the post

There are youtube videos of the animations as well.

Stupid internets

2008-01-23T03:51:39Z

Filling my tubes, and wasing my time.

What I've done with my weekend so far

2008-01-20T23:03:21Z

It is on my project journal. It's not too long, but full of geek speak. I've got a long way to go, but at least most of the software is ironed out, and I know the motors I have now will work.

I don't usually like meme's, but this one came out well

2008-01-12T15:37:02Z

Stolen from kaasirpent
Here's how it goes:
1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Random
The first article title on the page is the name of your band.

2. http://www.quotationspage.com/random.php3
The last four words of the very last quote is the title of your album.

3. http://www.flickr.com/explore/interesting/7days/
The third picture, no matter what it is, will be your album cover.

This is what I ended up with. I really wish I knew teh GIMP a bit better.

This very well may be the greatest thing ever

2008-01-11T18:02:33Z

At least since...

He is my new personal hero.

It's because I'm a scientist, I know things...

2008-01-10T15:58:31Z

Ever wonder why my parties are always themed? (another article, with pictures) Aparently, another university is also working on a paper in the same area of study. However, my research has been going on for years. I may very well be what they call "an expert" at this point. I even plan to publish soon. Anyone up for some additional research?

Circuit bent guitar

2008-01-05T08:06:34Z

I'm linking a post on my project journal. This is what I've been working on all week on, well, the guitar, and generally being bad-ass.

That will take you to the entry with other links and youtube videos

something amusing I overheard

2008-01-04T18:25:46Z

This morning while on my way to work, I saw a guy pick up his paper, and then I promptly heard:
"Huckabee!?!?"

At the time I really didn't care who won the Iowa republican caucus, but I still thought it was funny, and I knew immediately why he said what he had.

Blogs

2008-01-03T21:03:14Z

So, I've re-purposed my website's blog to be my project blog. That way I can go on long winded explanations of random projects. Granted, I don't think anyone besides myself even knew my website had a blog, but now you know. You can even use your open ID to make comments and the like or even point your feed aggregators at it, and it should pick up.

I had done this a bit ago, but today I was linked to in the Makezing blog. So I thought I would actually correct my links.

Battery: "but I'm not dead yet..."

2007-12-24T18:09:17Z

So I spent a rather sad amount of time last night building a joule thief flashlight.

The flickr set.

I would like to say that it only took me an hour, but it took more like 4. I hand whittled the PVC board. What does it do you say? Well, basically it uses a toroid to amp up the voltage from the battery enough so that the LED can use it. The current of the battery in there reads in at around 1 Volt. Anything below 1.5 or so is considered "dead" by most devices. So, it feeds off the dead, and burns them with a brilliant bright blue light.

If such a thing interests you, I would suggest going to the make podcast. They tell you how to build one. It was helpful, but I added the power switch and push-button bypass to the circuit to make it a little more functional as a flashlight.

Just got my OLPC XO-1 laptop

2007-12-20T04:33:20Z

Check it on my flickr.

I'm planning on playing around with it a bit more, but I'm seriously tired right now.

Hello internet!

2007-12-11T20:24:07Z

Oh, snap! My house is on the google!

It is my official opinion, that it is rather cold outside

2007-12-06T14:44:26Z

When I got to work this morning, my water bottle had a half inch of ice all around the sides. So, in 30 minutes of being in the 17 degree (12 with wind chill), it started to freeze. That explains why I was both cold and slow. I just couldn't keep my legs warm. I guess I need to start paying better attention to the temperature differences between where I work and where I live. When I left my house, it was 20, and no wind. I had no problem with that temperature, and I was even wearing my lighter gloves. Amazing the difference that makes. I at least made the right choice to change over to my thicker gloves for the longer ride.

Edit - This about sums up greyhound.