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Variable Speed Fan With Snap Circuits, Kano Computer

In a previous How-To Guide I demonstrated how to blink a Snap Circuits LED with the Kano Computer...

IUPUI researchers use stem cells to identify cellular processes related to glaucoma

INDIANAPOLIS -- Using stem cells derived from human skin cells, researchers led by Jason Meyer...

Pi Day 2016 Project

For Pi Day 2016, I’ll demonstrate how to flash a Snap Circuits LED with the Kano Computer (my...

LIGO, Gravitational Waves, And Laser Interferometry

UPDATE: LIGO has detected gravitational waves. ...

Steve Schuler

Twitter: @SteveSchuler20. You may try my hacks AT YOUR OWN RISK. Kids use adult supervision. There are infinitely many ways to injure persons and... Read More »

A Fun Puzzle to Solve

Sep 11 2014 | comment(s)

The object actually appears as it is pictured. It is not an optical illusion. The image was not created using an “in camera” special effect (no special lighting, no filters other than the built-in infrared filter, no mirrors, or any other “in camera” special effect technique). The image has not been modified with digital photography editing software. The object was not taped, or glued, or otherwise fastened together. The object was created using a single piece of ordinary twenty pound bond computer printer paper and a pair of scissors. Are you able to solve the puzzle of how it was made?

The Irony Of Twelve Triple Three

Sep 06 2014 | comment(s)

The NSA is not allowed to gather intel on US citizens (at least not without a FISA court order), but there is an obscure Reagan era loophole--Executive Order 12333, or Twelve Triple Three--that allows NSA to scoop up data on millions of Americans and store these data (about 350 billion searchable records—that’s “billion” with a “B”) for up to five years.

The Golden Rule: Those Who Have the Gold Make the Rules

Aug 22 2014 | comment(s)

According to a paper to be published in Perspectives on Politics, authors Martin Gilens and Benjamin I. Page claim, “if policymaking is dominated by powerful business organizations and a small number of affluent Americans, then America’s claims to being a democratic society are seriously threatened.”

Picture source

According to the paper by Gilens and Page:

I Found My 555 Guitar Tuner Circuit on talkingelectronics.com

Aug 15 2014 | comment(s)

It’s true. Here’s my 555 Guituner circuit: go to 50 – 555 circuits web page on talkingelectronics.com and search for “guitar tuner” and you will find my circuit. Actually they’ve modified it slightly. You can review my Guituner article here. My 555 Guituner circuit looked like this:

Their circuit looks like this:

5-Minute Science: Ketchup Packet Cartesian Diver

Aug 11 2014 | comment(s)

You can easily build a Cartesian diver toy using an empty one liter soda bottle (with the label torn off), a ketchup packet, and tap water. You may want to have a few ketchup packets on hand and put them in a cup of water to see if they sink or float. Keep the one that floats and use the rest for your French fries.

i-KAM Video Eyewear and the Free Music Archive

Aug 08 2014 | comment(s)

I went to the Indiana State Fair last Friday. Visited lots of exhibits and ate lots of great food. I also wanted to shoot some test POV (point of view) video with the i-KAM XTREME video eyewear.

The i-KAM is a lower cost alternative to wearable video cameras. The video is actually quite good. Here are some specifications from the website:

Power Duration: 2.5-3 hours
Memory: Built in 4 GB, Max 8 GB, Supports Max 8 GB Micro SD card
Resolution: 736 x 480
Video Format: AVI
Audio: Mono
Camera: 3 megapixel pinhole CMOS camera
Recording Speed: 25 fps