dSwitch Aquasaurs Temp Monitor
We recently picked up one of those Aquasaurs kits for the kids - which lets you hatch and care for some neat little aquatic fish (or shrimp) that date back to pre-historic times. After reading the instructions we got everything set-up and all was good, until we read the part about the temp of the water needing to remain between 72 - 80F. Problem is, we tend to keep our house around 70ish, and…
DualGrip-NXT Rover
Sometimes I build robots that attempt to solve real world challenges. Other times, robots are built based on random ideas. This robot is a case of solving a LEGO challenge - specifically, with their Technic tracks/treads #575518. At no fault of theirs, these plastic tracks are slippery on many surfaces. Great for carpets, flat areas, dirt (if you dare) - and great for turning as well. However, when you try to climb with them, they…
Fun with PHP, MySQL on Windows 2000 Advanced Server
I recently decided that it is about time to replace my old P4 server in the interest of speed, space and power reductions. Even with a P4, this sever is heavily underused. My choice was a mini-ITX form factor system running the Intel Atom N330 Dual Core processor. Although there is little improvement over CPU speed, I also migrated to an OCZ Indilinx SSD. That's a little background for you. Now, my existing machine is…