Arduino project: Acrylic 'N'' LED sculpture

This week's arduino project starts with the letter 'n'.  Well, and it ends with the letter 'n', as well.

While the image to the right doesn't do the end result justice, it is a fairly good representation of what you should get, when done.

It is unclear why a person would want the letter 'n', created as a "multi-layered, acrylic and LED sculpture, with variable lighting levels", hanging on the wall.  The instructables user slight does not appear to touch on the reasoning.

All we have as an explanation is, "This n is an art work and experimental and these instructions should be treated as such!"

But, one can imagine that if there was another letter, or perhaps even a word or something else that might be more appropriate, it can probably be made as an extension of this instructables.  So, let's look at it, closer.

Open Source Energy

So this post is going to delve into the highly controversial and emotionally volatile realm of so called "Free" energy.

For many hundreds...  nay, thousands of years, people have been conned into new ideas that simply turn out to be some form of snake oil.  For all intents and purposes, the con in itself is simple.  Use jargon and claims of expertise to promote and sell a product or invention that ultimately does not work as advertised.

When talking about energy, these types of claims are usually described as unity, over unity, free energy, etc.  In this article, we will be looking deeper into this realm and discuss something that is perhaps much more relevant to any impending energy revolution.  That a free energy revolution is more about Open Source freedom, than about breaking the laws of thermodynamics.

Software Sunday: Bare Metal Linux

In our Open Source Sunday articles, we will be doing our best to present Open Source software that works on all three major operating systems (Win/Mac/Lin).  In some cases, that's just not an option.  But there are ways to use Open Source software, even if your OS isn't supported.

One of the ways to use non-native, Open Source software is to use a virtual machine.  A piece of software that can emulate a piece of hardware that can then run a supported OS.  That is an option we will be covering in another article.

In this article, we will be discussing Bare Metal Linux.  That is a phrase that basically means that Linux runs on the physical hardware layer of the computer.  And of course, Linux runs on pretty much every piece of hardware out there, as we will touch on, as we present the Open Source software called Linux.

Raspberry Pi Operating Systems

The Raspberry Pi is a great, little computer.

Of course, with electronics you can create a circuit that will do...  something...  with a computer, you really need software, in order to do something.  And it all starts with an operating system.

The Raspberry Pi enlisted the GNU/Linux community to create a version for the Pi, and so far, there's already more than one, depending on your needs.

Raspberry Pi Project: Beetbox

Yes, Beetbox.

Take a Rasbperry Pi and some edible taproots and make yourself a musical instrument.

In this installation of our Raspberry Pi Projects, we'll take a look at making an interactive Pi by connecting up a Pi with beets a capacitive touch sensor which allows a person to play with their food.

This is the same technology as those light switches that one simply touches the base of a lamp, as an example, to turn the light on or off.  By touching the beets, the Pi will play a drum sample.

Open Source money: what is it?

It is often called Open Source Money.

Open Source generally means that a person can copy and share the process, product, service, etc.  Also, a person can make changes which are contributed back to the source.  And changes can be shared with others as can derivatives which potentially lead to a fork or alternative to the original.

Is that the case with Open Source Money?

In this article, we'll take a closer look at Open Source Money and hopefully lead people to consider possible pros and cons.

Software Sunday: Gimp

Maybe it's an unfortunate name, but it certainly isn't an unfortunate application.  GIMP actually stands for GNU Image Manipulation Program.  If there was ever an understatement, it is, "but it's much more than that".

This is one of those programs that, it is really unfair to compare it to commercial products, such as Photoshop.  The reason being, because GIMP really is as good, and better, than it's commercial counterpart.

In this week's Software Sunday, we will examine how that bold statement can actually be made.

Open Source meritocracy: is it a good thing?

What is meritocracy, how does it work in Open Source, and is it helpful or hurtful (to the individual or to the project)?

Meritocracy \ˌmer-ə-ˈtä-krə-sē\ - "a system in which the talented are chosen and moved ahead on the basis of their achievement", states the first definition of the word.  The second is perhaps a little more telling: "leadership selected on the basis of intellectual criteria".

We've possibly heard the word or idea being tossed around, sometime during our lives.  Open Source seems to be quite taken by it.  So, it sounds like a good idea, what could go wrong?

Arduino project: Persistence of Vision

Many people may have seen something similar to this, in one form or another.  They used to be made with materials like a spinning wheel, where one can create a penciled animation come alive.

The concept is called persistence of vision, and it takes advantage of the fact that our eyes and brain have a way of combining things we see over a period of time, into something that might actually not exist at a single instant in time.

This weeks Arduino project bring to you a simple Persistence of Vision Wand by instructables user amandaghassaei.

Intel® Galileo: Arduino compatible development board

Intel® has taken on the niche market of the maker community.  Around the beginning of Oct. 2013, Intel and Arduino co-announced the release of the Intel Galileo board that is Arduino compatible.

At around $60+ per board, it is more expensive than an Arduino board, although for those who prefer a large brand with more features, it might be worth looking at.  Certainly, there is a price to pay for that.

In this article, we will take a closer look at this Intel / Arduino colaboration and how it might find its way into a Maker's project.

Software Sunday: Miro Media Player

Starting this week, we will be posting highlight articles about Open Source Software every Sunday.

While we have used plenty of different open, or even free, programs over the last two decades, everyone finds the ones that work for them and that they like and become familiar with.  Often, we stop there and look no further for perhaps better suited or other interesting applications.

Open Source Software covers all areas of technology, from mobile to desktop, and general to special purpose.  Often covering solutions we didn't even consider or were not looking to solve.

We may present some that you already know well, even though you may not know they are open source, and perhaps show you some you didn't even know existed.  And some may be bullet proof, production and corporate ready, while others may be beta or pre beta.

This instalment is on the Miro Media Player.

Why NOT Open Source

A lot of discussions revolve around the value of Open Source.  There certainly are a lot of reasons to embrace it, at least in some form or another.

It is possible, that perhaps a more relevant and interesting discussion to have with people is, "Why not?"

In a way it is unfortunate, a lot of conversations about Open Source only take into consideration the value of Open Source, but do not take into context the specific audience.  In a way, it is a form of peer pressure to suggest that one MUST move to Open Source, for the betterment of humanity.

Raspberry Pi Project: Sun Power for Pi

This instalment of the Raspberry Pi Projects is perhaps a bit simplistic, depending on one's knowledge of electronics, but it can be a valuable project when available power is a problem.

Of course, with many of our personal electronics devices, they may be specifically designed to operate away from power sources, and come with their own battery packs.

And, a person can pick up kits to power their electronic devices which are to be used in locations where a power source is not available.

Today, we will discuss one specific solar powered kit by instructables user hackitbuildit which can take care of your Pi needs, when the Pi is to be used away from a power source, such as at camp or when the Pi is to be used in an outdoor application.

Free (Open Source) Beer

While I had previously seen home made wine and beer and was well enough aware of the microbrewery phenomenon, it was confusing to me that, something that people had been creating for thousands of years, was to be either purchased at a store selling liquor, or purchased as a kit from a store.

For both romantic reasons and also for the purpose of not having to rely on a company to produce something for me, of which I had no control over quality, it was baffling that a person could not make their own spirits from scratch.  So in 2008 I took it upon myself to learn about mead and eventually created from scratch, less the yeast which was purchased from a store, what I would call the best apple mead that I'd ever tasted.  Of course, I had never had apple mead, so...

It really was a huge success and I learned a lot along the way.  I have not created any new alcoholic beverage, since.  But if I do, I am certain that it will be "from scratch" once again.  There's nothing quite like the quality and flavours one can create with their own recipes and fresh ingredients.

Apparently, it's not just me that likes fresh made food and drink.  As beer, among other beverages, is moving into the Open Source realm.

Open Source Knitting

Some people work with electronics, some people are proficient with numbers and money, others paint or play musical instruments.  And some people...  knit...

For those who don't know, working with textiles might seem like a pretty simple thing to do, but most of us buy our clothes from the store and throw them out when they are worn out or old.

I can't even begin to claim any significant knowledge of textiles, aside from the most basic knowledge of the process from raw material to the clothing we wear.  But there are people who know this industry in and out, and for them, a knitting machine is the cat's meow.

In this article, we will look at how knitting is entering the Open Source community.

Arduino project: Sous-vide cooker

OK, I do a lot of cooking, but I don't "get" sous-vide.  For some reason, boiling food for up to 72 hours just doesn't sound very appealing.  Yet, not only is sous-vide quite a rage, the food can be very tasty and tender.

So for this arduino project installment, we are going to take a look at creating a sous-vide cooker.

This project comes from instructable user Etienne Giust.  According to the information, "You'll be set for approx 40$, maybe even less. That's not counting the rice cooker.", when a quality, consumer grade sous-vide cooker can cost 10 to 20 times that amount.

Urban Farming (dot org)

Where does gardening stop and farming begin?

Well, Google defines gardening as, "the activity of tending and cultivating a garden, esp. as a pastime." and farming as, "the activity or business of growing crops and raising livestock".  I think that technically, most people would define gardening as strictly plants and effectively less than an acre of land used for the purpose.

Does it really matter?  Probably not, except that, in most urban centres, raising animals for meat is prohibited, and many urban, community gardens are not a business and are in spaces less than an acre.

But the name is certainly catchy, and definitely points to something that is much bigger than a single garden, on a small plot of land in an urban centre.

Open Source "socially connected machines"

There is certainly something to be said about social technology.

While there are certainly valid concerns about the world we live in and its "technology zombies", at the very least, this behaviour is driven by our deep, human need to be socially relevant.

While many people experience their world with their heads down, working with their technology such as laptops, tablets, and phones, some people are working on technologies that are helping us be more social, without actually suspending our relevant and direct contact with others.

In some sectors, this is called augmented reality.  We'll be discussing a different framework than the visual aspects that many are focused on, in this article.

Raspberry Pi Project: Media Panel

So, this Raspberry Pi Project article description should be easy enough to do for an intermediate maker with computer knowledge.  A beginner could do it with some effort to learn some electronics, or can make it easier if the hardware is changed up a bit.

I think its important to offer a reminder that, while a Raspberry Pi is not as powerful as a new computer, nevertheless it IS a fully capable computer.  With that in mind, what this project requires is easy enough for a Pi to handle.  If you compare what a Pi can do, based on age of a computer, it would be as capable a computer as something you would have used in the early 2000s, while being the size of a cell phone.

So with that knowledge, it really is easy enough to understand the scope of what can be done with a Raspberry Pi.  As this Raspberry Pi Project shows, a very versatile media panel can be made with a Raspberry Pi for well under $200.

Open Source Smart Thermostat

This is actually going to be a fairly short and sweet article.

On January 17, 2014, due to the announcement that Google had bought Nest (a company that was making eco friendly and net connected home controllers like thermostats), a blog entry was made at spark.io, describing how to make your own, Open Source Thermostat.

So we are going to take a closer look at it.  It isn't an easy project, and even might border on advanced, but never the less, it is something that a person can create themselves, with a little effort.

Local Motors: Rally Fighter

OK, a lot of people are calling the Rally Fighter an Open Source car.  That's an interesting claim, although by some measure, perhaps it is.

The company that builds it is called Local Motors, and the car design has been crowd sourced, so certainly, there is a measure of Open Source colaboration going on.

Yes, you can get the parts for the car and put one together for yourself, so the DIY aspect of Open Source is there.

And yes, you can make modifications to it, so the derivatives portion of Open Source is there.

But is it Open Source?  Let's take a closer look and see.

Arduino project: Garduino = Garden + Arduino (indoors)

This had to be the next Arduino project to highlight.  Given the coming garden season, yet still too early for many to get onto the garden or have their plants outdoors.

The image of this working Garduino may not show much as far as the arduino, but you can probably notice the wire coming from the left plant bucket and of course, notice that this is inside, on a window sill.

It is hard to tell if this Garduino instructable is the first of its kind, but the comments section shows this project was created at least four years ago.

If you are ready to start getting ready to garden and are still stuck indoors with your plants, manually taking care of them, then this instructable by liseman is probably for you.

Web site : Open Source Food - is it really?

Open Source Food web site has been around since 2008, the title graphic of this article is from a blog notification about the site.

Open Source Food's self description is:  "Amazing recipes.  Delicious Food. Beautiful Photography. Created and rated by you and fellow food-lovers from all over the world. Open Source Food is your gastronomic hub where every visit will bring inspiration and a rumbling belly..."

It hosts a large number of recipes which appear fantastic (I've yet to try any) that are submitted under Open Source / Creative Commons licenses.

For this article we will take a closer look at the site.

To patent or not to patent

To many, this isn't even a valid question.  If you have an idea that you think could make you a huge amount of money, of course you want to patent or otherwise protect your potential earnings.

If you speak with a lawyer, it is possible that what is explained to you is a fairly straightforward process.  Search to see if a patent exists for what you are solving, then file the necessary paperwork, and receive your patent.

And, it isn't terribly costly, and it is something that a person could do, themselves.  Just like registering a corporation.

So, why wouldn't someone patent their world changing solution?  It must be worth it.  Or is it, really?

Raspberry Pi project: New schooled, old skool radio

OK, this was just too cool of a project to not present for this instalment of the Raspberry Pi project articles.

Yes, this project is listed as a moderate difficulty and 3+ hours.  By the look of things, configuring it all probably won't take more than 1/2 an hour, but there is some need to get your hands dirty (depending on how long the old radio has been sitting).

Basically, this project takes an unused, "old" radio and makes it work again, with a Raspberry Pi.

Between the Pi and a few extra pieces, this project should come in under $100.  If you already have some of the stuff, then you could squeeze this for under $60.

Open (source) Communities

The original title of this article was simply Open Communities.  It seemed like a fairly straightforward title to describe any group of people that either work together on specific projects or share resources between the participants.  Not quite communal, but somewhat similar.

Oddly, that title is the name of an organization that is specifically focused on "fair housing prices".  As mentioned in previous articles, it can be difficult to find appropriate information amongst all the chatter of a popular term.  With complete respect to what that organization indicates is its goal, I can not find any information that suggests it operates under an Open framework.

That said, an Open (Source) Community would be any community that openly collaborates, and exchanges and shares resources, especially knowledge, for the betterment of all, even as the individuals may operate independently of the larger group.

As we look into some Open (source) communities, we will discuss the pros and cons.  What to look for and what to look out for.

Copyright or copyleft?

Often, when someone creates content, they do not even consider this question.

In all fairness, people who simply draw a picture, create and share a recipe, write a bit of code (whether for themselves or for a customer or their employer) or write some content in a blog such as this one, or even on Google+ or facebook or some other social media web site, don't think twice about copyright.

Yet rest assured, if you post something to a web site or submit something to a publication or do create some content for an employer, they are most certainly thinking about it.  In fact, it is almost a certainty that you "signed" on some dotted line before that content was published.

If you write a letter to the editor, at some point during the submission, you will be presented with some form of notification that your content may be edited for brevity or for some other reason.  In fact, that notification likely states that the publisher takes ownership of your content even if they don't publish it.  You might not imagine why, but the reason is the publisher may decide to use that content in the future, in one form or another, and they are making sure someone doesn't  sue them for copyright infringement.

Do you even consider copyright when you start making something or do you just do it?

Arduino project: Turn signal bike jacket

A lot of people cycle to stay healthy and others do it to save money.  What ever the reason, safety is certainly a concern when on the public roads with a bike, and this is a great way to keep those behind us aware of any direction changes we might be making.

Of course, I think this is just cool...  in a very geek kind of way.  Like when you are walking through the library and need to turn into a book isle, you can signal your intentions...  B)

This project uses a light jacket as the wearable form factor, although it could certainly be sewn into a lighter shirt or even a heavier jacket.  Perhaps even into a helmet sleeve / sock (or hat, if you don't wear a helmet).

This project is brought to you by instructables user leahbuechley on the Turn signal biking jacket instructables page.

Obviously a person needs some sewing skills and electronics skills.  Neither of which should be terribly difficult to learn if you don't have them.

Raspberry Pi: It's not for eating

Yes, as the title suggests, tongue in cheek, it is Pi, not Pie.  Therefore, not for human digestion, but certainly for human consumption.

In many ways, it is unfair to compare Raspberry Pi to Arduino.  Yet, the general public will likely make this comparison, being unaware of the fundamental difference, even just from a product development perspective.

As stated on the Raspberry Pi wikipedia description, "The Raspberry Pi is a credit-card-sized single-board computer developed in the UK by the Raspberry Pi Foundation with the intention of promoting the teaching of basic computer science in schools."  In other words, unlike the Arduino which is intended to be a programmable, electronic development platform, the Raspberry Pi was intended and developed to be a base computer board, albeit shy in performance, specifically so that it can be low in price or cost to produce and obtain.

Like an Arduino, a person could build their own Raspberry Pi, but the difficulty level and cost to make a "one off" board would likely be prohibitive.  The ARM and SOC portions are proprietary.

The features and capability of a Raspberry Pi though, are quite rich.

Safety and Security of Open

How safe and secure is Open Source?

Many people have heard that Linux is a safe and secure operating system.  It is.  It has always had some fundamental features of security as a part of it, simply because it comes from Unix.  That's not to say that Unix itself is extremely safe, although it can be.  It is more due to the fact that it can be very secure if locked down properly and it takes some very good skills and knowledge of Unix / Linux to even begin to break it.

But there's an even more important reason why Linux is as safe and secure as it is.  It is called the "million eyes" phenomenon.  It means that the more people who are working on it, the more people who are likely to find problems and fix them.

Could that really mean that other Open Source software and even the products of Open Source origin might actually be more secure, safer, and even of better quality than proprietary products?

Share and share alike: Why?

Open is not just about the ability to duplicate.  Sharing and sharing alike is truly the mother of innovation.

It's difficult to talk about Open Source, even these days with so much value coming out of that sector, without there being doubts and negativity coming out of the private sector which remains hugely invested in intellectual property.

That is certainly understandable due to concerns of potential loss in revenue on IP assets which are often very expensive.  Some of those IP costs are very real, including human costs, material costs, training costs, and the list goes on.

Yet what is interesting is, many of those costs for IP are actually an artefact of IP law in the first place.  If we had not created laws that assigned equivalent property rights of things like land or building to the  intellectual domain, would people stop making things?

It remains that the biggest argument about IP is that it stimulates innovation, yet as this article will explain, it is actually the open sharing of information that stimulates innovation.

Crowd Sourcing / Crowd Funding

So, how does open source work, under the hood?

Sure, you decide that you want a new bedside table.  You head over to the Open Desk web site and choose an appropriate model.  You download the design, get the necessary materials, and away you go.

Pretty simple as far as it goes.  Of course, a little daunting for those who don't have the tools or are unsure of their skills.  Nevertheless, there is not much to it.

But, what if you come up with an idea for a truck that runs on wood gas?  Do you know enough to make a truck?  Do you know how to gasify wood?  And what if you want to share this with the world by making it open source?

You might want to look at crowdsourcing and crowdfunding.

Arduino project: Weather Station

Every second week, we are posting an Arduino project of interest.  Some are probably quite easy, but don't seem so.  Others might seem quite easy, but aren't.  Your mileage may very, as one person's easy might be another person's difficult.

No matter what, being able to review a project can at least give ideas or insights on what we might build or how something works for use in a different project.

So this Arduino project should be fairly simple, but actually consists of three parts.  What we will be looking at is, one person's project to build an Open Source weather station.

These instructables come from instructables user msuzuki777, a self described "lazy old geek".  Based on the initial project, it started with wanting to know what the wind chill was before he took his dog for a walk, and ended up going from there.

Public Domain

Public domain is often shown as a copyright symbol with a line struck through it.  In other instances, it is the letters "PD" with a circle around them.

For people who spend a lot of time trying to understand copyright, Public Domain is a legal context, generally of a work of art or construction method.

Yet for many people, Public Domain is simply "common knowledge".  In a way, Public Domain is a foreign concept, as far as once an idea or method or work is made available to the world, it seems obvious that one can simply use the idea, method, or work for their own purposes.

One of the most interesting things about public domain, can be derived from it's definition:  "the realm embracing property rights that belong to the community at large, are unprotected by copyright or patent, and are subject to appropriation by anyone".

Merriam-Webster suggests the first known use of the word dates back to only 1832.  But that might be disputed.  What does Public Domain really mean?

Open Source life, from the ground up

Open Source living.  What does that even mean?  Are people talking about a return to the 19th and early 20th century and the harsh life of homesteading?

The wonderful thing about living an Open Source life is, your Open Source life is up to you.  Certainly, you can move to a farm or live in a tiny house or maintain a minimalist lifestyle.

But that does not have to be the case.  Yes, a purist might suggest that a person must leave all creature comforts behind, move to the country, and put up a two room shack and live off the land.

The reality is, living an Open Source life is something between starting to live slightly different than how you are right now and doing it Amish-style...

We will take a look at the many ways you might look at as you start to live a life that you might just find hugely more fulfilling and gratifying.

Open Source Art

I don't know much about art, but I know what I like.

Probably the most common definition that people have in mind regarding art is, as defined by Merriam-Webster:  "works created by artists : paintings, sculptures, etc., that are created to be beautiful or to express important ideas or feelings".

It is said of art, that it can bring joy and wonder into our lives.  And while many of us cannot claim to be able to create great works of art, we may enjoy viewing it, while we may even crave to posses it in one form or another.

The world we live in has created an environment where art is commoditized and the value of the artist is disregarded.  How did this happen and where do we go from here?

Re-inventing the wheel: Open hardware re-engineering

If I knew then, what I know now.

A lot of people think of the wheel as the first invention.  As romantic as that might seem, it is probably not the case.  It would have required at least some sort of tool to create the wheel in the first place.

The cartoon image seems rather appropriate, though.  The humour of which is no less than a copyright image of what some might think should have been patent number 1.

To not lose out to seriousness on this article, though.  We'll just point to a sad reality that, what ever we make or invent today, we have to think about what patents or laws we might be infringing upon.

So in order to make a better wheel, it might be important to go back to a point in time, and re-invent the wheel all over again.

Copyright Coffee

So, for those who don't read the articles on this blog much, we obviously promote Open Source in all aspects of a person's life.

Of course, we also often mention that just because Open Source should be, and in many cases now, can be an option, we also recognize that commerce is a good thing and being able to buy something is a privilege that people should have as an option.

That said, readers or people who don't think Open Source is an option for them, or maybe even think that Open Source is a poor option, might want to re-consider as new copyright / patent restriction may apply to their coffee.

Arduino project: Twitter Enabled Coffee Pot

So this Arduino project article highlights the Tweet-a-Pot project.

Back in the day, if we wanted coffee, we would have to go to the forest, harvest some coffee beans, dry them out, then roast them, grind them, and boil the grinds in a pot of water.  Eventually, we would be soothed by a dark, coffee ground infused, hot liquid.

OK, maybe it's not quite like that, but although some coffee pots come with timers or even single servings, it still takes time for your coffee to brew.

Enter the Tweet-a-pot.  No, it's not instantly available, fresh, hot coffee.  But, it could be the next, best thing.  If you are on route to your coffee pot, you can send it a tweet to let it know you are wanting some coffee, and it will fresh brew some for you.  Maybe a bit pointless, but certainly this project can help you develop your skills and imagination for what can be done with Arduino.

Are three companies really enough?

There is a very interesting phenomenon that happens within industry sectors.  Given enough time and maturity of an industry, generally three major players rise to the top and become the go-to companies for the majority of consumers, leaving any new comer to struggle to survive, if possible.

One that people know the best, at least in North America, are Ford, GM and Chrysler.  Another set in phone services are Bell (AT&T), Rogers, and Telus.  In computer operating systems, it would be Microsoft, Apple, and Linux.  In antivirus software it would be Symantec, McAfee, and AVG.  BP, Chevron, and Exxon in oil.  In television, it was ABC, NBC, and CBS (that industry has completely changed, now).  Of course, while these companies may be global, different numbers and different regions may suggest who the big three are, otherwise.

The point is, as an independent, how can anyone in any industry hope to compete, unless they are open source, as one of the examples above has shown.

Build your own 3D printer - RepRap

There are many 3D printers that a person can pick up, off the shelf, at your local

electronics or computer shop.  And there are other, 3D printers that one can buy a kit and put it together.

The reason we chose to highlight this 3D printer first, is because it is fully Open Source and has been around the longest.  The Rep Rap can be viewed as the grandfather of home made 3D printers.

No, it's not the most beautiful thing to look at, if one expects to see high gloss, opaque plastic encompassing most of the components and perhaps a nice, clear plastic shield enclosure of the printing mechanism.  But for many, being able to see all the parts, is beautiful in its own way.

Even though it may look daunting, it isn't that difficult to make for anyone who has assembled a constructor set or some of the more elaborate furniture you might come across.  And as a fully functional, 3D printer, the price can be much less than an off the shelf unit.

Build your own Arduino... thingy...

OK, it's time for a little geek fun.  First, we need to introduce you to Arduino.

The simple statement about arduino is it is a micro computer board.

No, you can't plug this into a monitor, keyboard/mouse, and hard drive and use it as a computer.  But it is a very powerful, programmable computer board that can be used to control and automate the types of projects that, until this time, would have been impossible without buying royalty licenses and hundreds of units at a time.

These single board microcontrollers are open source, although many people opt to buy the completed boards.

While looking at one, they may seem either ominous, or like a great, big opportunity, there are very many instructions on how to create things, from the beginner level (knowing very little about this type of thing) to the highly advanced.  For those who aren't quite getting real world ideas of what they are being used for, we will help you with that.

Supporting the Embracing Open Blog

Just a quick note on the new menu page labelled "About/Support Us" that was created giving the following information about the Embracing Open Blog and how people can contribute to and support it.  The following content is located on that page.

Embracing Open is a Blog created by Kevin Rattai as a public service to help people better understand what Open Source is and how people can participate in and enrich their lives by embracing an open source mindset.

Kevin has been working with computer technology since 1981 and has been involved in the Free Software movement since the late '80s and the Open Source movement since the mid '90s.  He has contributed technology related content to local technology publications in the early '90s and has been publishing content on the internet since the mid '90s, of various sorts.

OK, enough of that formal, third person drivel.  :D

Here's the deal.  I have created this blog because I really enjoy and appreciate what Open Source can do not just for the individual, but also for local communities and humanity at large.  I am doing this regardless, but it takes a lot of time and effort to produce great quality content for this blog.  It can take an hour to produce a "standard" article with basic research, but to get more than just an opinion can take days of research.

Also, I would really like to be able to properly research as many of the Open Source projects that will be presented here, which may often mean purchasing some equipment and other materials.  This will help to ensure that any instructions are checked and adjusted to help others make the projects.

So I am asking for the support of Embrace Open's readers to help contribute to making the content provided here, even better, by way of a Paypal donation.

The account used is for 4656416 Manitoba Ltd. which is a shell company that I created in early 2000 for projects like this.  Any donations to the Embrace Open efforts should show up in your paypal account as a donation to Embrace Open Blog, but if not, it will show up as the corporate name.

Using paypal donate allows people to donate any amount they wish, and can be made by any method accepted by paypal, including credit cards.  These donations are one time only, so I would ask people to consider making regular donations at their choosing.  Whether it's $1.00 every month or some amount every quarter or year.  Or even some random amount at some random interval.

Also, there are other ways to help support the Embracing Open Blog:

• Like and follow the Embracing Open Google+ page
• Like the Embracing Open blog
• Share the Embracing Open blog with friends
• Share and like specific articles, there are many share buttons at the bottom of each article
• Comment on articles
• Point us at possible Open Source technology or information that you feel is relevant
• Consider contributing articles
• Subscribe to the Open Source Blog by email or RSS feed

Thank you in advance and I hope you continue to enjoy the articles that are being provided on the Embrace Open Blog.

Is open the new green?

"Green" is generally thought of as an ideology that, "aims to create an environmentalism, social justice, and grassroots democracy."  That's how wikipedia describes it, as a political movement.

Open Source started off as "a social movement with the goal of obtaining and guaranteeing certain freedoms for software users, namely the freedom to run the software, to study and change the software, and to redistribute copies with or without changes." according to the wikipedia article on the Free Software Movement.

While there were many people involved in modifying and sharing programs and codes, what we now point to as the beginning of the "hacker culture", one of the most (in)famous individuals pointed to from that time, is Richard Stallman, who has made it his life journey to promote Free Software.

How did we move from Free Software to Open Source everything?  And is this the new green, or is it just a new word for a philosophy that has been around, since the dawn of time?

Open Source and 3D printing

If you have never heard of 3D printing, imagine a world where you can print 3

dimensional objects.  Objects, generally made out of some plastic, although it can be metal or some powder compound, that may just be of artistic merit, yet may also have some bigger, functional purpose, like a part for a machine.

3D printing is, in a way, the opposite of CNC.  Where CNC takes a large piece of material and whittles it down to a functional piece, 3D printing starts from nothing and, layer upon layer, builds the piece up to the final product.

To many, it might seem like some new, futuristic technology.  Yet 3D printing has been around since at least 1984, with R&D into the technology happening in the late 1970's.  One of the original terms for this process, was "additive process".  But while it may have been around for over 30 years, it is the advent of consumer grade devices that are spurring a huge revolution in manufacturing.

Open Source Standards

So the first thing to say is, when it comes to standards, there is always disagreement.

Why do we have standards in the first place?  Well, it is like a common language.  If a number of people are talking about the same thing, but using different languages, no one will understand each other.  Instructions on how to put something together in one specific language, would be impossible to duplicate by someone who can not understand that instruction.

Of course...  there's certainly an app for that...

But is it a standard app?  Is it an open source app?  Can someone understand how to use the app?  Is there a standard interface which is intuitive and natural and used in all apps?  And...  does it have to comply to a standard?

And...  would everyone agree?

Persuing Open and facing societal conflict

Even before the title of this article can be typed or spoken, a person with any sense about them has to acknowledge that the article is doomed to failure.  There is

nothing that can be said or done that will not result in the harshest of criticism when attempting to deviate from the established norm, fact, truth, etc.  There is always someone who knows more, better, different and therefore all deviant thoughts or efforts should simply cease, even as it is boldly stated that any resultant innovation might be embraced, if it could be proven.

From a sceptic paradigm, both Creationists and Big Bang (or singularity or other similar theory) believers are presenting the same understandings.  That the universe magically sprang into being.  How is it that, thousands of years before big bang theory, people were talking about the universe suddenly appearing?  And why must there have been nothing, before the singularity?  Except perhaps, to explain that we don't know what there was before that supposed event.  It is at least nice to know that, for the time that people have been on earth, we continue to come up with beliefs, theories, proof, and evidence to describe why the world, and the universe, is the way it is.  Yet unfortunately, both religion and science might issue statements on the above questions that would suggest the author simply does not know religion or science anywhere near

well enough to even comment on it, let alone postulate a theory or string any attempt at logic or comparison of the two, polar positions.

Richard Dawkins and Lawrance Krauss, deal with some difficult questions at a joint engagement in Australia, at 0:59:00 of the recording.  There are two distinctly poignant questions at their speaking engagement, the second at 1:04:30 and the last at 1:24:30.  While in answering, some of their approaches and responses were atypical to how certain "authorities" deal with dissenting viewpoints, it appears (although they may argue otherwise) that they conceded a couple of key things.  That there are no "authorities" and that discovery for the sake of learning is paramount.

What is probably the most imperative of the Open movement is (not to question but rather) to make no assumptions based on "authority" or proof.  How can true innovation occur otherwise?

Open source homes

Most people will probably have heard of "barn raising".  A phenomenon that occurred throughout, at least, more civilized times, when the community would get

together to help put up a neighbour’s barn.  Of course, that used to happen with houses, as well.  And we still see this happening in developing countries when groups of people will build homes for the needy, or habitat for humanity will get together to help build houses for the impoverished.

But that's different than an open source house.  At the very root of the idea, is that a house design and method of construction should, of itself, be free to produce, duplicate, and modify as necessary to provide at least general, safe shelter for the future occupants.

Is this a ridiculous idea, or is our idea about our very shelter in some ways contrary to our very liberty?  Could it be our comfort and security, especially with new technologies and methods of creating smart and efficient homes, is held in a situation that ensures these things will remain costly, even though they promote cost savings?  The surprising answer is, "yes".  But why?  And what can we do about it?

Open source farming

Farming.

For some, a romantic imagery of people living off the land, in harmony with nature. 

For others, a completely foreign idea with only vague thoughts of animals and grains

turned into steak and bread.  And for some, an unnatural abuse of creatures and nature.

What ever it is, it remains the core feature of human evolution that anthropologists agree, changed us from hunters / gathers, to the societies we know, today.

Today's agriculture is advanced, so much so that we can create everything that we need to create life giving nutrients in a sterile lab.  Completely foreign from how things used to be.  Does that make it right?  Or wrong?  Or something in between?