Why you should request open-source software for your IoT devices

Great post from Jean-Luc Aufranc up on CNX Software. I usually think of open-source hardware and/or software are enabling skilled people to more easily fix bugs, improve on the design, get feedback from the community, etc… But in a world where IoT devices become more prevalent, there’s another reason why you should request open-source software:...

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Why you should request open-source software for your IoT devices

Great post from Jean-Luc Aufranc up on CNX Software. I usually think of open-source hardware and/or software are enabling skilled people to more easily fix bugs, improve on the design, get feedback from the community, etc… But in a world where IoT devices become more prevalent, there’s another reason why you should request open-source software:...

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June is Pride Month #Pride2021

With a pretty steady vax rollout in the US, Pride will look very different from last year. Remember to stay safe and checkout virtual options if you are more comfortable with that. During the month of June the Adafruit Blog will be sharing blog posts that celebrate LGBTQ figures and stories. The NYC Pride theme for 2021 is “The Fight Continues” NYC...

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Did Covid-19 escape from a lab?

Author Nicholson Baker says it’s possible that Covid-19 might have leaked out of a lab. He says it’s not a conspiracy theory, but a theory that is worthy of more research to determine how the virus came to infect humans. from MSNBC Top Stories https://ift.tt/3wNtvZC via IFT...

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'I hear the screams': Tulsa massacre survivors speak out

As the U.S. marks 100 years since the Tulsa massacre and the destruction of an entire Black community, Chris Jansing shares highlights from testimony by people who survived to tell the story. from MSNBC Top Stories https://ift.tt/3fYguFY via IFT...

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June is Pride Month #Pride2021

With a pretty steady vax rollout in the US, Pride will look very different from last year. Remember to stay safe and checkout virtual options if you are more comfortable with that. During the month of June the Adafruit Blog will be sharing blog posts that celebrate LGBTQ figures and stories. The NYC Pride theme for 2021 is “The Fight Continues” NYC...

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Immigrant Heritage Month #IHM2021 #ImmigrantHeritageMonth #CelebrateImmigrants

Immigrant Heritage Month is an opportunity to celebrate the richness and diversity immigration brings to the United States. Every Tuesday in June on the Adafruit blog we are going to share interesting stories and awesome people that uplift immigrant heritage. The City of Philadephia has some fun programs lined up! Every June we celebrate...

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Catalan Clock

The Catalan time system is the traditional way to tell time in Catalan. Exclusive to the language, they divide it in fractions of a quarter and half a quarter of an hour. via Penguin___Lover on instructables In Catalan time is read a bit differently than in most other languages. At 00:00, is twelve o’clock, but after that time is not said...

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Immigrant Heritage Month #IHM2021 #ImmigrantHeritageMonth #CelebrateImmigrants

Immigrant Heritage Month is an opportunity to celebrate the richness and diversity immigration brings to the United States. Every Tuesday in June on the Adafruit blog we are going to share interesting stories and awesome people that uplift immigrant heritage. The City of Philadephia has some fun programs lined up! Every June we celebrate...

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Catalan Clock

The Catalan time system is the traditional way to tell time in Catalan. Exclusive to the language, they divide it in fractions of a quarter and half a quarter of an hour. via Penguin___Lover on instructables In Catalan time is read a bit differently than in most other languages. At 00:00, is twelve o’clock, but after that time is not said...

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Texas State Rep. explains why Dems walked out to block GOP voting restrictions

Texas State Rep. Jessica González, one of the Democrats who walked out to block Republican voting restrictions, tells Lawrence O'Donnell that the Republican bill would have allowed Republicans to overturn an election without having to show evidence of fraud. from MSNBC Top Stories https://ift.tt/3c3KnTV via IFT...

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U.S. on track to reach President Biden’s July 4th vaccination goal

Dr. Nahid Bhadelia, an infectious diseases physician, joins Lawrence O’Donnell to discuss vaccination trends as we head into the summer months. Dr. Bhadelia says that vaccine education is “how we get to the other side.” from MSNBC Top Stories https://ift.tt/2SFder0 via IFT...

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A tiny MIDI controller with Raspberry Pi Pico and #CircuitPython

Sebastian builds a nine key MIDI keyboard. With a MIDI library available for the Raspberry Pi Pico making a little MIDI “piano” is relatively easy. The MacroPad which I build last month is the perfect little device to play around with this. If you want to follow along exactly, first you’ll have to build my MacroPad, though pretty much...

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How To Treat Four Common Stains: Red Wine, Oil, Blood And Ink

Definitely guilty of giving up on stained clothes too quickly. Super handy video from NPR on YouTube. You’ve wiped ink on your sleeve. Or dribbled dressing down your shirt. (Oil stains are the worst!) Perhaps it’s the catastrophic red wine spill on a friend’s tablecloth. Don’t fret! With the help of some common household products (dish soap, hydrogen peroxide, and rubbing alcohol) and chemistry know-how, you can be a stain removal...

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Quantum Drums Could Help Make Powerful Computer Networks

As it turns out, quantum entangled drums aren’t going to make your electronica band big anywhere. But if they’re super tiny, they might just help boost the speed of a computer network. Here’s more from Gizmodo: They achieved this perfect unison of drums using a quantum mechanics phenomenon known as entanglement—and the drums could be useful...

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Quantum Drums Could Help Make Powerful Computer Networks

As it turns out, quantum entangled drums aren’t going to make your electronica band big anywhere. But if they’re super tiny, they might just help boost the speed of a computer network. Here’s more from Gizmodo: They achieved this perfect unison of drums using a quantum mechanics phenomenon known as entanglement—and the drums could be useful...

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Helping Robots Collaborate on Missions

Researchers at MIT developed an algorithm to help coordinate robot teams for complex missions like mapping or search-and-rescue. via MIT Consider a search-and-rescue mission to find a hiker lost in the woods. Rescuers might want to deploy a squad of wheeled robots to roam the forest, perhaps with the aid of drones scouring the scene from...

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Helping Robots Collaborate on Missions

Researchers at MIT developed an algorithm to help coordinate robot teams for complex missions like mapping or search-and-rescue. via MIT Consider a search-and-rescue mission to find a hiker lost in the woods. Rescuers might want to deploy a squad of wheeled robots to roam the forest, perhaps with the aid of drones scouring the scene from...

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Scientific Glass Blower Makes Beer Glasses

Really awesome video on Tim Drier’s glass blown drink-ware, specifically designed for beer, from WIRED. Tim Drier works with scientific glass all day, but what if he took some of those techniques he’s perfected for scientific glass and applies them to standard barware? Watch as Tim takes us step-by-step through his process of making beautiful drinking glasses. Read more. from Adafruit Industries – Makers, hackers, artists,...

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Scientific Glass Blower Makes Beer Glasses

Really awesome video on Tim Drier’s glass blown drink-ware, specifically designed for beer, from WIRED. Tim Drier works with scientific glass all day, but what if he took some of those techniques he’s perfected for scientific glass and applies them to standard barware? Watch as Tim takes us step-by-step through his process of making beautiful drinking glasses. Read more. from Adafruit Industries – Makers, hackers, artists,...

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Israeli leader Netanyahu may face end to leadership run

Opposition leaders are in talks to establish a coalition government to end Benjamin Netanyahu's 12-year reign as Israel's prime minister. from MSNBC Top Stories https://ift.tt/3i4lyew via IFT...

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Father describes getting call daughter was injured in Miami shooting

Chad Harris described the moment he got the phone call that his daughter was injured in a shooting in Miami-Dade County, Fla. Harris said, “You never know what it feels like until you actually have something jerked away from you.” Police reported that the shooting was a targeted act of violence inuring over 20 people.  from MSNBC Top Stories https://ift.tt/3fANAg9 via IFT...

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Why Memorial Day sales need to end

We have so many other shopping holidays. Why do we need another? from MSNBC Top Stories https://ift.tt/3uEKJH8 via IFT...

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Studying Dugongs with #Drones #droneday

We love seeing how researchers are using drones to study wildlife! In this case, researchers from the Harry Butler Institute of Murdoch University are using drones for dugong sitings! From Murdoch University: “Instead of using a horizontal flight path consisting of long parallel lines up and down the entire survey area, we tested a grid-based...

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Studying Dugongs with #Drones #droneday

We love seeing how researchers are using drones to study wildlife! In this case, researchers from the Harry Butler Institute of Murdoch University are using drones for dugong sitings! From Murdoch University: “Instead of using a horizontal flight path consisting of long parallel lines up and down the entire survey area, we tested a grid-based...

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Why captchas are getting harder

Vox explains why the exceedingly tedious and frustrating world of captchas is getting even worse. It’s not you — captchas really are getting harder. The worst part is that you’re partly to blame. A captcha is a simple test that intends to distinguish between humans and computers. While the test itself is simple, there’s a lot happening behind the scenes. The answers we give captchas end up being used to make AI smarter, thus...

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Why captchas are getting harder

Vox explains why the exceedingly tedious and frustrating world of captchas is getting even worse. It’s not you — captchas really are getting harder. The worst part is that you’re partly to blame. A captcha is a simple test that intends to distinguish between humans and computers. While the test itself is simple, there’s a lot happening behind the scenes. The answers we give captchas end up being used to make AI smarter, thus...

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Entropy and Accurate Clocks

Absolutely fascinating (and super accessible if you’re not a PhD) read from Live Science about the recently published Measuring the Thermodynamic Cost of Timekeeping: Entropy — or disorder — is created every time a clock ticks. Now scientists working with a tiny clock have proven a simple relationship: The more accurate a clock runs, the...

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Entropy and Accurate Clocks

Absolutely fascinating (and super accessible if you’re not a PhD) read from Live Science about the recently published Measuring the Thermodynamic Cost of Timekeeping: Entropy — or disorder — is created every time a clock ticks. Now scientists working with a tiny clock have proven a simple relationship: The more accurate a clock runs, the...

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Sammy Lee #AsianPacificAmericanHeritageMonth #APAHM #AAPIHM

Samuel Lee was an American physician and diver. He was the first Asian American man to win an Olympic gold medal for the United States (the second Asian American to win a gold medal overall) and the first man to win back-to-back gold medals in Olympic platform diving. Via LA Times Sammy Lee learned to dive at Pasadena’s Brookside Park...

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Sammy Lee #AsianPacificAmericanHeritageMonth #APAHM #AAPIHM

Samuel Lee was an American physician and diver. He was the first Asian American man to win an Olympic gold medal for the United States (the second Asian American to win a gold medal overall) and the first man to win back-to-back gold medals in Olympic platform diving. Via LA Times Sammy Lee learned to dive at Pasadena’s Brookside Park...

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A Brief History of the Cheez-It

The cheesy and delicious Cheez-It’s are turning 100 this year. via Smithsonian In 1841, Dr. William W. Wolf moved to Dayton to practice homeopathy, a branch of alternative medicine that believes in the healing power of food. Hailed Dayton’s “Cracker King,” Wolf concocted the Wolf Cracker, a curious hard-butter snack made for medicinal purposes. “In...

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A Brief History of the Cheez-It

The cheesy and delicious Cheez-It’s are turning 100 this year. via Smithsonian In 1841, Dr. William W. Wolf moved to Dayton to practice homeopathy, a branch of alternative medicine that believes in the healing power of food. Hailed Dayton’s “Cracker King,” Wolf concocted the Wolf Cracker, a curious hard-butter snack made for medicinal purposes. “In...

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Blood on Black Wall Street: The Legacy of the Tulsa Race Massacre

Ahead of the 100-year anniversary of the Tulsa Race Massacre, Trymaine Lee travels to the neighborhood once known as Black Wall Street, where residents say the effects of the devastating violence endured for generations, and Black Tulsans are left asking, "What does justice look like after 100 years?" from MSNBC Top Stories https://ift.tt/3hWINap via IFT...

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Antarctic seals are helping scientists learn more about melting glaciers

I can’t say the seal looks particularly enthusiastic about helping but it is awfully cute. Cyborg seals are helping monitor climate change! Via CNN: Scientists are investigating how environmental changes in Antarctica will impact the rest of the world, but the continent’s remote location and hostile climate, with winter temperatures that...

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Making a Mines of Moria Infinity Mirror Book Nook

In this episode of North of the Border, Adam creates a really cool suitably dwarfy Mines of Moria book nook using mirrors. from Adafruit Industries – Makers, hackers, artists, designers and engineers! https://ift.tt/3fU9x8J via IFT...

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Osaka fined $15K at French Open for not speaking with media

Four-time Grand Slam tennis star Naomi Osaka was fined $15,000 for refusing to speak with reporters following her first round win at the French Open. Osaka announced on social media that she would not partake in press conferences at the tournament citing mental health concerns. from MSNBC Top Stories https://ift.tt/2TuMbz9 via IFT...

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Making a Mines of Moria Infinity Mirror Book Nook

In this episode of North of the Border, Adam creates a really cool suitably dwarfy Mines of Moria book nook using mirrors. from Adafruit Industries – Makers, hackers, artists, designers and engineers! https://ift.tt/3fU9x8J via IFT...

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Gov. DeWine: Vax-a-million is not a waste, losing someone to Covid is the real waste

Ohio’s vaccination rate was slowing, until Republican Governor Mike DeWine started his Vax-a-Million lottery, offering a chance to win a million dollars, or a scholarship. That’s led to a 45% increase in people getting vaccinated in the state. But some Republicans are pushing back on Governor DeWine’s initiative, introducing anti-vaxx legislation and decrying it a waste. “The real waste,” says DeWine, “the tragic waste -- is when...

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PIN REFERENCE: Adafruit Feather M0 Express #PrettyPins

Here’s a pin reference for the Adafruit Feather M0 Express in PNG format. A PDF vector version resides in the corresponding PCB repository on GitHub. When you need more than just a pin number for simple input or output, diagrams like these reveal a board’s hardware peripheral multiplexing options — PWM outputs, analog channels, SPI ports...

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PIN REFERENCE: Adafruit Feather M0 Express #PrettyPins

Here’s a pin reference for the Adafruit Feather M0 Express in PNG format. A PDF vector version resides in the corresponding PCB repository on GitHub. When you need more than just a pin number for simple input or output, diagrams like these reveal a board’s hardware peripheral multiplexing options — PWM outputs, analog channels, SPI ports...

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Two New Dust Sci-Fi Short Films #scifisunday

I’ve written here before about the DUST channel on YouTube and its vast (and varied) collection of sci-fi shorts. Here are two recent postings that I really enjoyed. from Adafruit Industries – Makers, hackers, artists, designers and engineers! https://ift.tt/3fzN2XW via IFT...

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5 ways to check if you’re being anti-Semitic when criticizing Israel

How do you criticize Israel while simultaneously fighting anti-semitism? Rabbi Jill Jacobs, the Executive Director of T'ruah, joins Ali Velshi to lay out 5 helpful markers to distinguish between criticism of Israel and anti-semitism and discusses the importance of calling out human rights issues. from MSNBC Top Stories https://ift.tt/3c416qy via IFT...

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Two New Dust Sci-Fi Short Films #scifisunday

I’ve written here before about the DUST channel on YouTube and its vast (and varied) collection of sci-fi shorts. Here are two recent postings that I really enjoyed. from Adafruit Industries – Makers, hackers, artists, designers and engineers! https://ift.tt/3fzN2XW via IFT...

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Salts Could Be Important Piece of Martian Organic Puzzle

NASA scientists share how the presence of organic salts on Mars could support modern-day Martian habitability. via NASA Finding organic molecules, or their organic salt remnants, is essential in NASA’s search for life on other worlds. But this is a challenging task on the surface of Mars, where billions of years of radiation have erased or broken apart organic matter. Like an archeologist digging up pieces of pottery, Curiosity...

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Salts Could Be Important Piece of Martian Organic Puzzle

NASA scientists share how the presence of organic salts on Mars could support modern-day Martian habitability. via NASA Finding organic molecules, or their organic salt remnants, is essential in NASA’s search for life on other worlds. But this is a challenging task on the surface of Mars, where billions of years of radiation have erased or broken apart organic matter. Like an archeologist digging up pieces of pottery, Curiosity...

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The Impact of the Tulsa Massacre 100 Years Later

Tiffany Cross and her panel of experts discuss how the wealth destroyed during the Tulsa Massacre is still affecting the community today. from MSNBC Top Stories https://ift.tt/3c3cIdl via IFT...

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Two dead, over 20 injured in Miami mass shooting

Two people were found dead and over 20 injured in a mass shooting in Miami Gardens after police responded to an SUV filled with three suspects that got out of the car and “started firing indiscriminately.” NBC’s Sam Brock reports.  from MSNBC Top Stories https://ift.tt/3p28XtI via IFT...

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Drones Hunt Ocean Radiation to Predict Tsunamis

As it turns out, radioactivity is rare in the ocean. When naturally occurring radiation is present, it may mean an earthquake is coming. Here’s more from MOTHERBOARD: On land, increased seismic activity is known to release small quantities of radon, a naturally occurring radioactive gas, into soil in the days before earthquakes happen....

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Drones Hunt Ocean Radiation to Predict Tsunamis

As it turns out, radioactivity is rare in the ocean. When naturally occurring radiation is present, it may mean an earthquake is coming. Here’s more from MOTHERBOARD: On land, increased seismic activity is known to release small quantities of radon, a naturally occurring radioactive gas, into soil in the days before earthquakes happen....

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Captain Disillusion’s VFXcool: Flight of the Navigator

Take a deep look at Flight of the Navigator in this video from Captain Disillusion on YouTube marking the return of VFXcool! Captain Disillusion leaves Alan in charge of an episode and things get rapidly nostalgic. See more from Adafruit Industries – Makers, hackers, artists, designers and engineers! https://ift.tt/2SB14zo via IFT...

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Captain Disillusion’s VFXcool: Flight of the Navigator

Take a deep look at Flight of the Navigator in this video from Captain Disillusion on YouTube marking the return of VFXcool! Captain Disillusion leaves Alan in charge of an episode and things get rapidly nostalgic. See more from Adafruit Industries – Makers, hackers, artists, designers and engineers! https://ift.tt/2SB14zo via IFT...

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VFXcool: Flight of the Navigator #SciFiSunday

We’re loving this hilarious and insightful episode of Captain Disillusion. Captain Disillusion leaves Alan in charge of an episode and things get rapidly nostalgic. Read more. from Adafruit Industries – Makers, hackers, artists, designers and engineers! https://ift.tt/2TsVrnn via IFT...

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VFXcool: Flight of the Navigator #SciFiSunday

We’re loving this hilarious and insightful episode of Captain Disillusion. Captain Disillusion leaves Alan in charge of an episode and things get rapidly nostalgic. Read more. from Adafruit Industries – Makers, hackers, artists, designers and engineers! https://ift.tt/2TsVrnn via IFT...

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Trump's finances to be examined by special grand jury

Former President Donald Trump's fate is in the hands of the criminal justice system as Manhattan prosecutors convene grand jury. from MSNBC Top Stories https://ift.tt/34wiH6i via IFT...

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Descendants of Tulsa Massacre Speak Out

Tiffany Cross travels to Tulsa, Oklahoma, to speak with descendants of the Tulsa race massacre that destroyed the Black neighborhood of Greenwood and left as many as 300 people dead, 100 years ago. from MSNBC Top Stories https://ift.tt/3c3eI5i via IFT...

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New Prods 05/26/21 feat. #Adafruit NeoKey 1×4 QT I2C-Four Mechanical Key Switches w/NeoPixels-STEMMA QT/Qwiic! #newproducts

Browse through all that’s new here! NEW PRODUCTS THIS WEEK Raspberry Pi PoE+ HAT: Coming soon! Sign up to be notified when we get these in the store! Power over Ethernet (PoE) can make your project wiring a breeze – instead of needing a wire for power and data, you can use one Ethernet cable for both! Simply attach the standoffs in the...

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New Prods 05/26/21 feat. #Adafruit NeoKey 1×4 QT I2C-Four Mechanical Key Switches w/NeoPixels-STEMMA QT/Qwiic! #newproducts

Browse through all that’s new here! NEW PRODUCTS THIS WEEK Raspberry Pi PoE+ HAT: Coming soon! Sign up to be notified when we get these in the store! Power over Ethernet (PoE) can make your project wiring a breeze – instead of needing a wire for power and data, you can use one Ethernet cable for both! Simply attach the standoffs in the...

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