Random – Blog. by Next Thing https://ntcblogbackup.wpengine.com News & Notes. Process & Projects. No BS. Srsly. Thu, 09 Nov 2017 03:16:07 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=4.9.5 Links Worth Clicking: The Internet Archive, the History of Ada Lovelace, & a Radio Time Machine https://ntcblogbackup.wpengine.com/links-worth-clicking-the-internet-archive-the-history-of-ada-lovelace-a-radio-time-machine/ Fri, 29 Apr 2016 13:00:58 +0000 http://blog.nextthing.co/?p=499 It’s almost time for the weekend, which means another installment of the NTC favorite links of the week. Some of the selections for this week were published a while back, but they’re so good, we’re including them anyway. If you see any great links in your weekend of leisure, share them with us in the forums or tweet at us.

The Internet Archive

Nice van, better suit! Image via Internet Archive Blog

Nice van, better suit! Jason Scott with the Internet Archive Van via Archive Blog

Imagine a group of people whose job it is to back-up the entire internet. You’ve just conjured the day job of an Internet Archive employee.

From digital data to physical manuals, the Internet Achive staff scans, catelogues, and perserves relics of the internet for future generations. It’s a fantastic non-profit that is saving troves of information from being lost forever.

There’s everything from classic MS-DOS games to NASA technical documents all in one site. I particularly love browsing the old Byte magazine covers, but it’s really difficult to select just one section. To date the archive staff has backed up 478 billion pages on the internet, so there’s a good chance they’ve got a backup of your first attempt at a website (I sure don’t want to find mine).

It’s fair to say that the Internet Archive is loved by many. So on April 20th, when they reported their official Internet Archive Van had been stolen, it was not real surprise that twitter exploded with tips and van sightings. Fortunately the van has been recovered. Curious why they’ve got a van to help archive the internet? Well, the van is used for hauling all those old CDs and printed manuals from storage sites to digitization offices. Read more about the van adventure in Truck and Back Again: the Internet Archive Van Takes a Detour.


Untangling the Tale of Ada Lovelace

Portrait of Ada Lovelace at age 20 via The New York Public Library

Portrait of Ada Byron at age 20 via The New York Public Library

Stephen Wolfram wrote an extremely long article on Ada Lovelace, the woman who many consider the first computer programmer, which is well worth your time to read. There have been a lot of conflicting accounts of Lovelace’s history, and Wolfram tries to reconcile them.

At times the post meanders a bit into the lives of Lovelace’s contemporaries, but always finds its way back to her. Read this one in your leisure, just make sure you read it!


Radiooooo

Radiooooo tuner interface

Radiooooo tuner interface

And for the last link, check out Radiooooo, it’s a music discovery site that’s also kind of like a worldly time machine. To listen to songs, you select an area of the world, then a decade between 1900 and today, and finally what mood you’re in (options include slow, fast, and weird — love it!). Once you’ve selected everything, sit back and relax while Radiooooo cues up the jams.

Radiooooo is quirky, it’s free, and you’re sure to hear a lot of music that you’ve never listened to before. Hat tip to Normalblog for the recommendation.


Enjoy your weekend, and make sure to share with us your favorite links in the forum.

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Don’t Miss: Classic Circuits, the Complete History of the Millennium Falcon, or the AAduino https://ntcblogbackup.wpengine.com/dont-miss-classic-circuits-the-complete-history-of-the-millennium-falcon-or-the-aaduino/ Fri, 22 Apr 2016 18:30:12 +0000 http://blog.nextthing.co/?p=469 Circuit Classics via Crowd Supply

Circuit Classics via Crowd Supply

Now that the weekend is almost here, it’s a great time to catch up on the interesting stories you may have missed during the work week. These are some of the most interesting links we’ve shared around the NTC office this week.

Classic Circuits

Back in the 1970s, RadioShack sold several introductory electronics books by Forest Mims. Many of these books from the 70s are still in print and remain quite popular today. Each book was meticulously hand drawn and printed on graph paper by Mims, then sent to the printers for duplication. And it’s a safe bet, that if you’ve dabbled with electronics, you’ve seen at least one of Mims’ books.

That’s why it’s so exciting that Star Simpson, an electrical engineer and DIY innovator, figured out a way to replicate Mims’ handwriting and circuit design on solderable circuit boards. The project, with Mims’ blessing, is equal parts nostalgia and educational. Simpson recently spoke with Jon Bruner and David Cranor on the O’Reilly Hardware podcast about her quest to create these classic circuits and how she’s able to print the elegant handwriting onto the circuit boards. It’s well worth a listen.

History of Millennium Falcon

Michael Heilemann provides the most in-depth history of the Millennium Falcon from Star Wars. Or as he styles it, The Complete Conceptual History of the Millennium Falcon. And he’s not wrong. Tracing the origin of the craft from the early designs through to the now iconic craft is pure bliss for Star Wars fans.

Read this! Seriously, read all of it. But you might need to take breaks to run errands between sections.

AADuino

aaduino viahttp://johan.kanflo.com/the-aaduino

AAduino via johan.kanflo.com

And finally, Johan Kanflo’s AAduino swept the internet this week. It’s a super-small Arduino that fits inside a AA-battery socket. When placed in a 3x AA battery case, the holder acts as both an enclosure for the AAduino and powers the board. Plus there’s a built-in radio for wireless Arduino programming. It’s one slick Arduino clone!

Have a link we missed? Tell us about it in the forums.

Happy Weekend C.H.I.P.sters!

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PocketC.H.I.P. Goes Tintyping https://ntcblogbackup.wpengine.com/pocketc-h-i-p-goes-tintyping/ Thu, 17 Mar 2016 19:15:03 +0000 http://blog.nextthing.co/?p=94

Gus and PocketC.H.I.P. (also pictured: me, ruining a perfect photo) Photography by Patrick Demmons

I made a ridiculous claim the summer after our Kickstarter campaign.  I would not shave until we started shipping C.H.I.P.s.  Committed, my appearance slowly got out of hand.

Gus was also growing out his facial hair, in preparation for a grizzled drivers license photo.  We joked we both looked like Civil War veterans. After months of talking about it, we took a half day to take period photos in period costumes.  We also brought PocketC.H.I.P..

Our photographer, Patrick (www.revivaltintype.com/latest) was more than down to help. What began as a joke became an awesome exploration of craftsmanship and a photochemical science we take almost entirely for granted with the advent of digital photography.

Art in the Chemistry

Wetplate tintype photography is a complex photochemical process that is an art form in and of itself. It starts with an aluminum trophy engraving plate covered in a silver nitrate bath comprised of two different solutions: One controlling exposure or ‘film speed’, the other controlling contrast. When exposed to a (blindingly) bright light, the nitrate reacts and creates a negative etch on the metal.

Immediately after, it’s dipped into a development solution, which transforms the exposed area down to pure metallic silver and removes the excess particles from the plate. The result is a positive image of silver on black metal.

If that sounds complicated, it is. Tintype photography is very much a handmade process. Each image improved on the last, with Patrick subtly balancing the exposure and contrast solutions.

A few shots in, he yelled from the darkroom, “Get your camera ready, you’re gonna want to record this one!” So I did…

One thing I loved about Patrick’s style is he works within his medium to deliver something truly special. Because of his chemical concoction, the ‘film’ exposed more towards ultraviolet on the color spectrum. This means two things:

  1. Blues really pop, like my denim jacket or my beautiful blue eyes.
  2. The sun’s effect on your skin is more pronounced, allowing for an incredible skin texture imperceptible to the naked eye.
GustavoTinType

Look at the rich detail in Gus’ face!!! Photography credit: Patrick Demmons

Patrick clearly loves the process. He grabbed the above shot of Gus to snap a quick picture once it had developed. He had dialed in his mixture and was clearly proud of his work. It reminded me of the joy that comes from making something, an excellent feeling coming from an afternoon outside of the office.

Do I recommend tintyping? Hell yes! Seeing the process in person is awesome and the photos last for 180 years. There’s something special about a handmade item from a craftsman.

Now, apologies, but I must groom myself before PocketC.H.I.P.s ship in May. I’m going to trim my face. So is Gus and his wife Shelly couldn’t be happier.


Make sure to share your C.H.I.P. portraits — digital, film, or even tintype — with us on the forum and tweet us @nextthingco!

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