Archive for August 2012

Get rid of Java now!

Now it is time to get rid of Java. Get rid of Java on your web browser now. You need to do it if you care your security at all. Finnish Communications Regulatory Authority Cert-Fi site and Security company F-Secure’s Chief Research Officer Mikko Hypponen calls for removal of Java software from browsers. Most of

Over 30 years of DSP

30 years of DSP: From a child’s toy to 4G and beyond article tells that this year, as TI celebrates its 30th year in the DSP market, that long-ago question has been answered many times over. Without DSP and the advances it has enabled in audio, graphics, and multimedia processing, there would be no digital

LEGO celebrating 80 years

I am a big fan of LEGO as you can see on many LEGO related posts in this blog. Imagination-fostering Lego is 80 years old this month. Lego was founded by 1932, Ole Kirk Kristiansen, a Danish joiner and carpenter. The company started by making and selling wooden toys. In 1934, his company came to

Logic functions with diodes and transistors

Do you remember diode-transistor logic? Diode–transistor logic (DTL) was the direct ancestor of transistor–transistor logic. You could easily do OR and AND functions with diodes, and then use transistor for amplifying and implementing NOT function. Perform the XOR/XNOR function with a diode bridge and a transistor article shows you discrete DTL-like circuits that use an

Mars rover

NASA’s expensive Mars exploration Curiosity rover is finally doing what it was created to do: rove. Following a successful wheel test, the probe moved forward. Photo Gallery: Curiosity Rover Makes First Tracks on Mars article tells that Curiosity beamed back some incredible images of its tracks, which tell scientists that the soil is firm, great

Cigarette lighter receptacle problems

Here is one connector I don’t like and sometimes hate: The cigarette lighter receptacle in an automobile, initially designed to power an electrically heated cigarette lighter. It has became a de-facto standard DC connector to supply electrical power for portable accessories used in or near an automobile. It is commonly used as a means of

The ‘slap method’ for through-hole rework

Soldering is an art. With practice, one can learn to easily assemble complex circuits. When you make mistakes you need to do rework, which is usually quite time consuming with through-hole parts. The solder must be completely removed pin-by-pin and the vias cleared of solder before a new part can be installed. The ‘slap method’

Ideas to boost your WiFi signal

Antenna on the Cheap (er, Chip) article shows how to build a simple “classic” WLAN antenna from Pringles potato chip can. I have built antenna based on this plan (some improvising) and I can say that it worked. Besides WLAN I have used it for wireless video at 2.4 GHz. Cantenna article tells that in

Trouble at V.I.R.U.S.

Trouble at V.I.R.U.S. (Virus Investors Radical United Society) …a rejected campaign idea from F-secure archives… I see now what that “F” means in F-Secure. I see why this did not get out but found this funny.

Cool uses for the Raspberry Pi

Hackers are buzzing with ideas from Pi-powered arcade machines and drones to the home automation and low-cost tablets. 10 coolest uses for the Raspberry Pi article tells that TechRepublic has delved into the Raspbery Pi’s developer forums, and here’s our round-up of the best ideas so far, ranging from the eminently achievable to the massively