Technology

Fixing my Logitech MX Vertical mouse

Fixing my Logitech MX Vertical mouse

Left click. Nothing happens. Left click. Nothing. Time for a new mouse? No. Instead, I repaired my Logitech MX Vertical mouse after many hours spent on troubleshooting, desoldering, soldering, and tinkering. But it was as educational as successful. Left click. Bliss! The mouse works again.

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Autoland

Autoland

How to build a controller that automatically lands an airplane after approaching a runway via the Instrument Landing System (ILS) in GeoFS, the flight simulator?

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ILS, Follow the Glide Slope

ILS, Follow the Glide Slope

How to build a controller that automatically puts an airplane on the glide slope from the beam of the Instrument Landing System (ILS) in GeoFS, the flight simulator?

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ILS, Follow the Localizer

ILS, Follow the Localizer

How to construct a controller that automatically aligns an airplane with the runway using the deviation from the localizer beam of the Instrument Landing System (ILS) in GeoFS, the browser-based flight simulator?

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Where is the Runway?

Where is the Runway?

Can’t spot the runway in GeoFS, the browser-based flight simulator? I fixed it by extending GeoFS with Google Maps, showing thousands of airports, as well as the extended centerline of the runway at the destination on the map.

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Virtualizing the Controllers

Virtualizing the Controllers

A little quest to get every single button on my throttle quadrant to work with GeoFS, the browser-based flight simulator. A quest that not only taught me a little bit about evdev in Linux, but also led to many more quests later on.

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Controls, Yours Or Mine?

Controls, Yours Or Mine?

Discovering all kind of difficulties of controlling the aircraft in the GeoFS flight simulator. As well as some remedies, whether in adjustments to software, hardware, or simply through deliberate practice.

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Foraying into Flight Simulation and Control

Foraying into Flight Simulation and Control

A session with the flight simulator turned into a both entertaining and educational quest into control theory. Topics that I haven’t dabbled with for one, two, or even more decades. From a self-imposed lockdown to my first attempts to use PID controllers and fuzzy logic for steering the aircraft in GeoFS.

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Pomodoro Timer: Prototype, Round 3

Pomodoro Timer: Prototype, Round 3

The “pomodoro technique” is a simple time management method, which requires a robust, simple-to-use timer, which doesn’t distract from the task at hand. For the third version, I constructed a plywood case to house the microcontroller, the 4-digit display, and the two buttons to control the timer.

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Pub combinatorics: the joy of rediscovery

Pub combinatorics: the joy of rediscovery

Learning is often a process of rediscovering things. I enjoyed this process recently when trying to solve a combinatorial puzzle, in the pub, in the bus, and at home. A tale of allowing myself to explore, to tinker, and to be awed by the great thinkers of long gone times.

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Pomodoro Timer: Prototype, Round 2

Pomodoro Timer: Prototype, Round 2

The “pomodoro technique” is a simple time management method, which requires a robust, simple-to-use timer, which doesn’t distract from the task at hand. After the first prototype with the ATmega32-based RN-Control v1.4 experimental board, I built another prototype: this time with a 4-digit display.

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Pomodoro Timer: Prototype with an ATmega32

Pomodoro Timer: Prototype with an ATmega32

The “pomodoro technique” is a simple time management method, however in my opinion completely lacks support from something essential: a robust, simple-to-use timer, which doesn’t distract from the task at hand. Thus, I built a prototype with the ATmega32-based RN-Control v1.4 experimental board.

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Right control key on keyboard as i3 modifier in Ubuntu 20.04

Right control key on keyboard as i3 modifier in Ubuntu 20.04

If you ever wanted to use the right Ctrl button in Ubuntu 20.04 as an i3 modifier, and struggled with xmodmap, try editing the modifier mappings directly in /usr/share/X11/xkb/symbols/pc. It’s dirty, and may fail during software update─but meh until then it appears to work.

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Visualizing Strava activities with BigQuery and Google Data Studio

Visualizing Strava activities with BigQuery and Google Data Studio

How to load Strava activities into Google Cloud BigQuery and visualizing the activities with Google Data Studio? This article is for (hobby) athletes interested in taking a walk through the Strava API, Google Cloud Platform and Google Data Studio; showing how to gain the freedom to explore and visualize the data you have been sweating for over years.

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Thoughts on Model Thinking: a smörgåsbord

Thoughts on Model Thinking: a smörgåsbord

A review of Scott Page’s Model Thinking course, which has been overall entertaining, inspiring, informative albeit at times a bit repetitive when going through arithmetics. If you are interested in trying to make sense out of the complex world around you, this course might be for you.

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Statistics tell you when to stop practicing

Statistics tell you when to stop practicing

Assume you are practicing for an exam. You could spend all your time left until the exam practicing (possibly too much), or you could spend almost no time practicing (likely too little). So how do you know when enough is enough? When can you stop practicing and yet be confident that you will pass the exam?

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What probability theory tells you about starting on time

What probability theory tells you about starting on time

Whether you are an event organizer waiting for participants to turn up or whether you are a bus driver waiting for passengers running to catch the bus, there is a dilemma: if you are so kind and wait for everyone to arrive, you make everyone else wait. Let’s explain the dilemma with probability theory.

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