I look like “V”!
My impression of “V” from V for Vendetta:
(Thank you, Ian, for taking this lovely picture of me!)
Talking Mylar balloons
The topic today in sensors class was piezoelectric sensors. Joe P showed us a wonderful application for them: as both a microphone and speaker in a Mylar balloon.
The Responsive Environments Group has a page on the project:
Interactive Balloons
There is a great video on that page: Joe talking to a balloon, and then two balloons talking to each other.
Using an oscilloscope
By far the best thing I learned today was from watching Mark Feldmeier show me how to get my scope to do what I want. I’ve been twiddling knobs on these things for months now, and for some reason only just learned how to get the scope to:
- measure the frequency of a signal
- measure the voltage (peak-to-peak or avg or rms) of a signal
- limit high-frequency noise on a signal
I had always thought that turning the dials on the scope just changed the display parameters, but Mark told me that it actually affects the accuracy of the readings, since you are indeed adjusting gains inside the scope itself! The lesson: If you want to measure values from your signal, make the signal as big as you can on the screen.
I also learned what a Butterworth response is, yeehaw!
Yogurt update
If you saw my previous post on Yoplait Whips!® yogurt, you might be wondering if it was just a weird container I got, or if it’s always like that. I was wondering that, anyway.
Today I had my second one — KEY LIME — and it had the exact same consistency as the last one, but probably much less gross since it wasn’t also brown:
And, oh dear, it was SO tasty. No kidding. Like candy you can breathe. Highly recommended.
Marimo responds well to bathing
One of my marimo is a little sick, and is in its own container. It has brown patches of algae growing on it, and was not pearling like the other two. On Friday, I decided to give it a bath, rinsing it under running water, rubbing the brown algae gently (to try to remove it), replaced with fresh water, and put the container under more direct light than it was getting before. And this morning, I walked in to some intense pearling action (it’s so bubbly it’s floating!):
So he’s recovering, I think!
Here are the healthy ones (not pearling at the time of picture):
Giving demos
I led two different groups from the Computer Clubhouse through my group‘s space today.
Things I hope to remember for next time:
- Find out who your audience is
- Ask questions
- Prioritize. What would they care about?
- Improvise
- Talk like normal
- Don’t think too much
- Encourage feedback
And, some general advice for self:
Don’t forget to eat.
Writing a paper (Also: YouTube)
Soooo, today I remembered (re-learned) how to write a paper. Like this: read, take notes, note repetitive themes, write outline, flesh it out, write paper, done! *flop*
For distractions, a little YouTube dilly-dallying/lolligagging…
Take your pick!
Bunnies: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXSaYJKnbeI
Jumping: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7vL19q8yL54&NR
Midgets and/or camels: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aJuaZKBABO0
Pool and dominos: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7GA3ySz4el4&NR
Frida Hyvonen can be very entertaining.
Tonight I went to see a show at the MFA. (The MFA!! I had a little Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler moment…)
The first band was not good. Not horrible, but not good either. Working strongly against them was the fact that not one of the four performers broke a smile during the set, and I’m pretty sure that the bassist was going to go kill himself immediately following the performance. I need some glee, people. ¡F minus, El Perro del Mar!
Then, Frida Hyvönen took the stage, complete with red shawl, paper Starbucks coffee cup, spiral notebook. Very funny, poetic lyrics, beautiful music, perfect timing. I believe she, at one point, rhymed “Cricket cricket cricket” with “It’s sick it’s sick it’s sick.” One of the most entertaining performances I’ve seen in a long time.
+10 for looking like Daryl Hannah in Blade Runner.
The last band: Under Byen. You get a B-:
+30 TWO DRUM SETS. +5 someone played a saw +4 cello spiccato rock-out +2 having a girl bassist +12 someone played a xylophone -80 extensive use of strobe light ------------------------------------ B- *total*
“The One-Minute” (March 1, addendum)
This afternoon at the Media Lab, we had the poster session for the Masters students graduating this year. The lower atrium of the Lab is set up with big foamcore panels, and everyone comes down, puts up their poster, and hovers nearby. I went by about halfway through to see what people are up to with their work these days. While wandering around, I passed Director Frank Moss several times — he was perusing the posters and chatting up the hoverers, of course. And when he walked up to Nick, he said, “Alright, gimme your one-minute.”
<deep breath> Man, what would I say in one minute about my work?
Giving a “one-minute” is one of those things that we learn hard here at the Lab. And it’s something I definitely need some good hard practice at.
Conductive foam
I always just thought that the foam that my DIPs came on was to protect all the little pins coming out of the chip. Today in my sensors class, JoeP told us that the foam these chips come on is actually conductive foam, which protects the chips from static electricity.
