Programming 1949 Style!
What was it like to program an early digital computer? [Woven Memories] wanted to know and wants you to know, too. [Maurice Wilkes] and his team wrote a book about …read more Continue reading Programming 1949 Style!
Author Archives: Al Williams
Tiny Forth Could be the Smallest
When you think of a programming language, you probably think of a hefty compiler or interpreter. Maybe its on a bunch of floppies, a CD, or even an EEPROM. But …read more Continue reading Tiny Forth Could be the Smallest
Virginia to get Large-Scale Wind Farm
If you go about 27 miles off the coast of Virginia, you’ll find two windmills jutting up out of the sea. Two windmills aren’t particularly interesting until you realize that …read more Continue reading Virginia to get Large-Scale Wind Farm
Machine Teaches Morse Code
If you are a ham radio operator of a certain age, you probably remember ads for “The Instructograph,” a mechanical device for learning Morse code. [Our Own Devices] has an …read more Continue reading Machine Teaches Morse Code
Robot Sunflower Follows the Sun
Real flowers do it, and even the Beatles did it. [Robo Hub] now has a plastic sunflower that tracks the sun using, of course, an Arduino. It may not qualify …read more Continue reading Robot Sunflower Follows the Sun
Particle Accelerator… on a Chip
When you think of a particle accelerator, you usually think of some giant cyclotron with heavy-duty equipment in a massive mad-science lab. But scientists now believe they can create particle …read more Continue reading Particle Accelerator… on a Chip
All Inverters are (Not) Created Equal
Building a crystal clock source for a CPU used to be a bit of an effort but these days, there’s nothing to it. Even if your CPU or other device …read more Continue reading All Inverters are (Not) Created Equal
Ham Radio May Speed Up Soon
The FCC is circulating a proposal for new rules pertaining to amateur radio in the United States. In particular, they want to remove certain baud rate restrictions that have been …read more Continue reading Ham Radio May Speed Up Soon
Simple Badge is Simple, But Its Yours
Making conference badges, official or unofficial, has become an art form. It can get pretty serious. #badgelife. But DEFCON-goers aren’t the only people making fancy personalized nametags. Hams often had …read more Continue reading Simple Badge is Simple, But Its Yours
Linux Fu: Customizing Printf
When it comes to programming in C and, sometimes, C++, the printf function is a jack-of-all-trades. It does a nice job of quickly writing output, but it can also do …read more Continue reading Linux Fu: Customizing Printf