Desktop Home hacks – Allison Randal
- Just a hobby product, must be fun, open,
- Wanted computer to be available when away from desktop, but not be disruptive and uncomfortable
- Affordable, approachable to hobbyist, there are more expensive alternatives
- nodes – jeenode, audrino clone, tiny, easy to hid, cheap ( $20 including wireless RFM12B vs $20-30 + 30 for wifi for more conventional audrino )
- RFM12B – 66 bytes
- Server – pandaboard ~$200 . ARM processor with full Ubuntu install
- Server – aggregates data from all notes and sends commands to all it’s nodes. Contains services for system, json data feeds from nodes, web client interface, interface for sending commands to system
- Client(s) – several machines in house used from
- client – jquery mobile , small applet , on desktop , chromium app mode
- Inputs: Temperature , Humidity , motion sensor (lights on/off)
- Input: RFID reader (disappointed at short range, <1m , one was in doorways to trace path of wallet)
- Input: touch sensor ( simple controls, in pillow ) , small keyboard (bluetooth, usb)
- Output: Glowing egg ( multi colour, hand sized ) , Power Tail (power extension, turns on/off)
- Output: Hollowed out candle with LEDs inside , Instamorph & super Sculpey to create “solid” objects
- Tools: Soldering iron, misc tools, wax carving kits
- Lesson: Need better camera with macro lens and better light to document 🙂
- software not currently release, not really in releasable format, thinking of making some as audrino shields
- Resources: adafruit.com , sparkfun , parallax.com , digikey.com (bad interface) , optopart.com , makershed.com , freetronics.com (Australia) ,
- Tools: Talk in inkscape/sozi , Also use: vala (webserver) , jquery mobile
Cheap Tabloid tricks – Angus Kidman
- Journalists have secret lawyer fantasies, they have wrung the information out of the sources
- Is the IT media biased?
- no coverage of lca2012 in main Aus IT press
- more coverage in 2nd tier
- Only 3% pageviews on lifehacker use Linux
- Not many IT journalists these days, One on FT on lifehacker, more to do (websites, blogs, video, podcasts)
- Freelancers – can be an option. Freelance rates not good, getting worse, competition from bloggers, etc. Hard to convince editor that story is worthwhile.
- IT news driven by fashion. In early 2000s belief among publications that Linux stories would drive traffic from slashdot etc
- Current fashion is facebook and Apple. Stories about them in demand
- Eg Lifehacker did apple angle on LCA keynote
- Open source Projects lack definitive spokesperson
- Media obsessed with cult of Trivia, Celebrity . eg Linus
- Media not influenced by advertisers
- Does Linux need media? Yes if want to reach more than the 3%
- Identify the Audience. right publication
- Be Fashionable. eg mention facebook or apple
- Be Concise.
- Be contactable. email, phone if in a hurry
