My mobile rig, a Kenwood TM-D710E, needed a GPS receiver for APRS use. The GPS-710 wasn’t readily available and, besides, is quite expensive. I therefore decided to build my own.
Author Archives: mpj
My DIY Brain Stimulation Headset
With nights drawing in, many people particularly in the northern parts of the world are being affected by seasonal affective disorder. A Finnish company called Valkee claims to cure the winter blues with its bright light headset. According to the company, shining a bright torch in your ears has been shown to have a therapeutic [...]
DIY PID controller for sous-vide
Here are a few pictures of my sous-vide PID controller project. Inspiration came from the Seattle Food Geek. Being an engineer, I wanted to create a standalone system so I added sockets for the heater elements, pump and thermometer probe. I also didn’t see the benefit of hanging the mains-powered system above the bath, so [...]
Transatlantic beverage adventures
Have you met my hot friend the coke bottle? She has a less attractive American cousin. For the record, I hate the word beverage.
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Beverage adventures in Japan
Miksi Otto tykkää japanilaisista koulutytöistä? Koska Otto on lonkero! English speakers: nevermind. Anyway, I, too, saw this yesterday. Didn’t have my camera along though.
Dialogue with the Oxford Chiropractic Clinic
So, a few people have been contacting their local friendly chiropractors regarding the recent ASA ruling. I think Martin was the first; jdc325 and Tristan have also done their bit, the latter with remarkable success! The ASA ruling states that the chiropractor could not “refer to the treatment of IBS, colic and learning difficulties” in [...]
Recording scanner output dictaphone-style, with silence detection
I tried to find a Linux solution to automatically record scanner traffic, something like Scanner Recorder for Windows. It looks like I am not alone. Anyway, I figured it out. This is how I did it under Ubuntu: Download xpvox here. Compile it (I had to install libforms and then change all instances of #include [...]
A land of a thousand islands
Apparently, British Airways wants to assure its customers that its routes will not change after the polar ice caps have melted. Take a look at this scan from the February 2008 edition of their in-flight High Life magazine, pages 96-97. This is what BA thinks Europe looks like: Cropped around Finland: Google Earth’s view on [...]
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Most viewed pages on Conservapedia
Kieran Healy of Crooked Timber has unearthed some interesting statistics on Conservapedia, that beacon of piety in the secular world. As of right now, Conservapedia’s most viewed pages are as follows: Main Page [1,907,392] Homosexuality [1,575,873] Homosexuality and Hepatitis [517,112] Homosexuality and Promiscuity [420,721] Gay Bowel Syndrome [391,120] Homosexuality and Parasites [388,155] Homosexuality and Domestic [...]
Why have I never heard of Béla Fleck before?
These guys are amazing: Béla Fleck Hat tip to CC.