Excel Ray Tracing with Help from C
It isn’t news that [s0lly] likes to do ray tracing using Microsoft Excel. However, he recently updated his set up to use functions in a C XLL — a DLL, …read more Continue reading Excel Ray Tracing with Help from C
Author Archives: Al Williams
Hurricane Hunting from Outer Space
If you live in the right part of the world, you spend a lot of the year worried about hurricanes or — technically — tropical cyclones. These storms carry an …read more Continue reading Hurricane Hunting from Outer Space
Columbia Decides 3D Printed Food Tastes Like Chicken
Researchers at Columbia have used multi-wavelength lasers to cook 3D-printed chicken. Apparently, it tastes like chicken. We were not overly surprised that 3D printed chicken protein cooked up to taste …read more Continue reading Columbia Decides 3D Printed Food Tastes Like Chicken
Elderly Remote Keeps Things Simple
If you are lucky, you’ve never experienced the heartbreak of watching a loved one lose their ability to do simple tasks. However, as hackers, we have the ability to customize …read more Continue reading Elderly Remote Keeps Things Simple
Making Linux Offline Voice Recognition Easier
For just about any task you care to name, a Linux-based desktop computer can get the job done using applications that rival or exceed those found on other platforms. However, …read more Continue reading Making Linux Offline Voice Recognition Easier
Modern Tube Tester Uses Arduino
There was a time when people like us might own a tube tester and even if you didn’t, you probably knew which drug store had a tube testing machine you …read more Continue reading Modern Tube Tester Uses Arduino
Upcycling a VFD
A lot of electronics wind up in landfills, and when [Playful Electronics] saw an old cash register heading for the dump, he decided to give its VFD display a new …read more Continue reading Upcycling a VFD
3D Printed Sensor Detects Glyphosate
Typically, detecting glyphosate — a herbicide — in a beverage requires a sophisticated test setup. But Washington State University has a 3D printed sensor that uses nanotubes to simplify the …read more Continue reading 3D Printed Sensor Detects Glyphosate
Ask Hackaday: What Can Only a Computer Do?
It is easy to apply computers to improve things we already understand. For example, instead of a piano today, you might buy a synthesizer. It looks and works — sometimes …read more Continue reading Ask Hackaday: What Can Only a Computer Do?
Broadband Across the Congo
If you live in much of the world today, high-speed Internet is a solved problem. But there are still places where getting connected presents unique challenges. Alphabet, the company that …read more Continue reading Broadband Across the Congo