I’m writing an article about making cases for gadgets. It’s based on an observation that if you have a 3D printer you can print thin sheets (two or three layers work well) and use them to strengthen bags and cases. I also want to look into using 3D printed components to join things together. I’m calling this “non-sewing sewing”. It’s going OK so far.
A while back I mentioned some discussion on first programming languages for four-year-olds. I’ve been thinking about all this. If I could teach a child to do one thing from very young, it would be to start a diary or a journal.
One of the biggest regrets of my life is that I can’t remember that much of it. I’m lucky. I’ve been blogging for a while and I can go back and look at my posts from 20 years or so ago and get an impression of what I was up to. But if I’d had a proper journal I’d have a lot more to go on, including all the things that happened but are not for public viewing.
I envy the young of today who will grow up with a hinterland of pictures and sounds that will always be with them. Me, I can hardly remember what my bedroom looked like when I was 10. Perhaps 4 years old is a bit young to be emulating Samuel Pepys but getting the habit of putting in effort to remember what you’ve been up to is a really good thing. And these days there must be tools out there that you can use to get started. And writing a jounal does something else for you too. It gives you a reason to write and get better at it, which is a skill that will be useful whatever you end up doing.
I’ve shipped chapter 7 off to the publishers. And I’ve already got a big chunk of chapter 8 written because I’ve moved it around a bit. Although it might end up chapter 9 as I think about it….
So, I’m making this trombone controller for the PC. As you do. This meant I was down in the local DIY warehouse yesterday looking at plastic pipes. I’ve got this cunning plan which involves putting one pipe inside another to get a nice slide action. These two sizes seem to work quite well, although I’ve a feeling I’m doing the easy bit at the moment.
Got some new boots today. The previous pair lasted ages. They started leaking during one of the damper parts of emf this year and that was it for them. The new pair were pleasingly inexpensive and seem to keep the water out.
We had another great discussion at the hardware group this evening. Although the number of folks who turned up wasn’t that many that chat was of high quality. Brian even got around to demonstrating the Theramin that he is building with a bunch of distance sensors.
People post the strangest questions on Twitter. Someone was asking about the best programming language to use to start teaching their four-year child old how to code. Perhaps they were asking in jest, or to perhaps to create the tweeting frenzy which followed as some people suggested Scratch and others weighed in saying that four is much too young. Which I think is the right answer. Although there’s nothing wrong with doing things together that show how much fun you have solving problems.
When I write a book I usually develop an obsession with something or other. It helps me take my mind off class constructor syntax or whatever I’m grappling with. For the Python book it turned out to be electronic music devices. For the JavaScript book it turned out to be robot dogs. this time it seems to be instant cameras. I’ve spent most of today writing chapter 7 and taking quick breaks to read all about the Mint TL70.
Took the other big ugly camera out today. This one came out quite well. I think the lens flare adds something..
I try to keep a list of ideas for blog posts. I’ve just discovered that I’ve lost it. So this will have to do for today…
A while back I bought a really ugly camera. Now I’ve got another. It’s a Lomo Instant Wide. It arrived today.
Actually, this one looks a lot better to my eyes than the previous one. It is painted plastic with faux leather stuck on, but it’s done with some attempts at style. It’s not new. I had a few fun minutes clearing muck out of the battery compartment to get it to work. But work it does. It’s another large format instant camera. This one has a bit more manual control and a remote control built into the lens cap. I’m looking forwards to taking some pictures with it.
Had a strange experience today. Something was broken, we contacted the provider, they were responsive and polite and sorted out. It’s a bit sad that I expect this outcome to be the exception rather than the rule, but it was nice anyway.
For the last few weeks we’ve been glued to She Hulk - Attorney at Law. It’s a fabulous piece of tosh with a female relative of the hulk coming to terms with being able to turn green and strong while trying to hold down a busy job as a lawyer specialising in superhero cases.
The casting is perfect, the tone just right and the stories great fun. We’ve really enjoyed it, right up to the last episode where it got a bit too clever for its own good. Theatrical and movie types talk about the “fourth wall” - an invisible boundary that separates the audience from the performer. She Hulk doesn’t just break the fourth wall, it folds it back on itself. What starts with pieces to camera while driving down the highway ends in a sequence which is one or two layers of “knowing” more than it needed to be. You might like it, I just found it made my brain hurt a bit more than it needed to.
But apart from that everything is splendid and you really should watch it. Another series would be wonderful.
Went for my flu jab today. I’m not saying it was fun, but it was mostly painless.
Our online gaming group, which was convened in the depths of the pandemic, seems to be lasting beyond covid. We had a hilarious (an hilarious?) time playing netgames this evening. First we had a go at Secret Hitler, which was fun, and then we had a go at Codewords. The implementation is spot on and the games work well, even if you are not in the same room. Worth a look.
The area has been scattered with Puffins. This is a close up of one near us.
This is not my garden.
Yet more writing today. Plus feeling guilty about not gardening. But then again, chapter 6 is looking pretty good just now, which has got to be a win.
Spent a happy evening sat on the sofa playing Yakuza 0 on the Steam Deck while the rest of the family watched Strictly Come Dancing. It took me a while (and a search) to discover that you can only save your game when you are at a phone box…
It turns out that I don’t just buy cameras when I’m writing. I’ve managed to scrape together enough cash to get myself a Steam Deck. I didn’t really think I wanted one until I saw number one son’s. The idea of playing proper games on a handheld console was rather intoxicating. I hardly ever play games on my PC. They feel too much like work. The only exception to this rule is Microsoft Flight Sim. And that’s not a game. It’s a simulation.
Anyhoo, back to the Steam Deck. I joined the queue for the device a while back and I was very surprised to get to the front so quickly. Number one son had to wait a long time for his and I was digging in for the long haul when I got an email earlier in the week saying mine was ready for shipping.
Up until now my go-to handheld has been the Nintento Switch. The Steam Deck is bigger, but not in a bad way. It doesn’t seem that much heavier than the Switch, but it is definitely more bulky . The screen is very good, with great colours and contrast and the controls are good too. I think the best way to look at it is as a nice game controller with a screen stuck in the middle. There are ventilation holes in the back and the top and a fan which seems inclined to panic. It will be very quiet and then suddenly kick in with a roar for a few seconds and then go back to quiet again. I mainly use it with Bluetooth headphones, so I don’t see this as a problem, although I worry what would happen if I blocked the holes on the back of the device.
The integration with Steam is very impressive, although I prefer the store browsing experience on the desktop. Quite a few of my games are Steam Deck certified and just work. I’ve done no special setting up or anything and I’m getting a great experience right out of the box. The arrival of the deck corresponds with a nice Sega sale, so I’ve picked up a bunch of Yakuza games along with some other classics at very low prices. One of the great things about Steam is that their sales include things you can get at prices that you would never see on a console.
I’ve got the middle configuration of the device which has 256GB of internal storage, although so far I’m putting everything on a 256GB external SD card. More storage would be nice so I’ll be looking at oncoming sales to see what turns up.
There is a really active emulation community around the device which I’d like to get into later, but for now I’m quite happy on the sofa playing Yakuza.
I’m not sure why I buy cameras when I’m writing. But I do. They are not very expensive - so far.
Rob Miles is technology author and educator who spent many years as a lecturer in Computer Science at the University of Hull. He is also a Microsoft Developer Technologies MVP. He is into technology, teaching and photography. He is the author of the World Famous C# Yellow Book and almost as handsome as he thinks he is.
