I have played with software defined radio using cheap DVB-T stick for some time. Receiving radio transmissions is interesting, but it works also for other applications. By reading RTL-SDR Tutorial: Measuring filter characteristics and antenna VSWR with an RTL-SDR and noise source article I understood that I could use my RTL-SDR stick for many RF →
https://futurism.com/people-are-using-old-laptop-batteries-to-build-their-own-versions-of-teslas-powerwall/ Tesla’s Powerwall was intended to provide a convenient way for homeowners to store electricity for future use, such as when the power goes out. But with a $5,500 price tag, they haven’t been affordable for many consumers. Some who had been interested in the tech, however, decided to try to make their own: constructed their own powerwalls by utilizing →
http://www.techrepublic.com/article/how-to-prevent-root-login-on-your-linux-servers/ If you’re overly paranoid about security (which you should be), you might want to consider blocking root logins on your Linux servers. Here’s how to do it. →
Here is one piece of additional information to my ground loop postings. Ground loops can be introduced when different components in audio systems are connected with standard audio cables, and these loops can cause annoying interference. Grounded audi components generally carry significant currents in their ground returns. Texas Instruments Application Report SLOA143 – October 2009: →
http://bigthink.com/videos/brad-templeton-todays-surveillance-society-is-beyond-orwellian Here is an interesting video: Brad Templeton (former chair of EFF) argues that we’re all a part of a surveillance apparatus that would even be beyond the imagination George Orwell. The problem, he says, is the belief that privacy and security are mutually exclusive. →
https://opensource.com/article/17/1/rsync-backup-linux?sc_cid=7016000000127ECAAY All companies, regardless of how large or small, run on their data. There is not a business today ranging from the smallest sole proprietorship to the largest global corporation that could survive the loss of all or even a large fraction of its data. So backups are imperative to ensure the long-term safety of data. There →
http://www.edn.com/electronics-blogs/benchtalk/4458731/Whipping-a-cheap-LED-PSU-into-usable-shape This interesting article analyses some cheap mains AC to 12V DC power supplies and how thet can be fixed to work OK. With some modifications they can be used to provide power to LED lighting. The writer of this article has a continuing love-hate relationship with Cheap Chinese Chotchkes – in this case, 18W power →
https://opensource.com/article/17/8/linux-anniversary?sc_cid=7016000000127ECAAY Happy anniversary, Linux! On August 25, the Linux kernel reached its 26th anniversary. To celebrate, the writer of this article reinstalled SLS 1.05 to remind what the Linux 1.0 kernel was like and to recognize how far Linux has come since the 1990s. →
http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1332192 At a Hot Chips event dominated by machine learning it was clear just about everyone is doing something in AI even though no one agrees on just what to do. Microsoft, Amazon and Baidu are pushing FPGAs to cloud. Google has Tensoflow ASICs. Intel pitched four of its chip families as different tools for skinning the →
https://www.networkworld.com/article/3217713/open-source-tools/how-to-set-up-an-all-open-source-it-infrastructure-from-scratch.html Hypothetical: You need to set up the IT infrastructure (email, file sharing, etc.) for a new company. No restrictions. No legacy application support necessary. How would you do it? What would that ideal IT infrastructure look like? This presents writer’s ideal setup based on open source software. →