All Posts
All the individual posts on the site, from newest to oldest.
The Dog Park Sabbatical: Monthly Logs
I’m taking a year off work in what I’m calling the Dog Park Sabbatical, and here are summaries of what happened each month. Prior to
Virtual Trackballs: An Interactive Taxonomy
Rotating 3D objects on a 2D screen is a fundamental building block of human-computer interaction. Being able to reach through a pane of glass and
Can SpaceX land a rocket with 1/2 cm accuracy?
No. But they don’t need to. In preparation for the 5th test flight of Starship, SpaceX announced that they would try to catch the booster
The Dog Park Sabbatical
I quit my job. This was tough, because I liked my job. I was good at it, it was intellectually stimulating, it paid well, I
Turn your CAD models into Stereograms
It’s easy to get intuition of the shape of a CAD model when rotating the model around in your CAD software or a 3D viewer.
The “Crown of Nobles” Noble Gas Tube Display
In my day job I work with ion thrusters for spacecraft, which are essentially electric-powered rockets that fling Xenon gas out at super high speeds
Introducing the ‘mpl_stereo’ Library to Make Stereograms and Anaglyphs
When I was a kid growing up in the 90’s, I was fascinated with the “Magic Eye” books. These were picture books filled with images
ChatGPT on an iPhone
Update November 23, 2023: All this functionality has made it into the official ChatGPT app! This automatically comes with the iPhone action “ChatGPT – Start
Flying around 3d plots with an IMU and quaternions
Cool Video First! Project Idea I generate a good number of 3D plots for work and other projects, and for a while I’ve wanted to
Introducing the ‘monaco’ Monte-Carlo Python Library
At the heart of all serious forecasting, whether that be of elections, the spread of pandemics, weather, or the path of a lander on its
An 8-bit Breadboard Computer
I built a computer! A very primitive one, made out of breadboards, bare wire, and logic gates. But it’s fully functioning, it looks awesome, and
How the Ben Eater 8-Bit Breadboard Computer Works
I made a computer – here’s how it works! This is going to be too technical an overview for those without any background knowledge. But
A Tour of the “Lasersaur” Laser Cutter
I built a laser cutter! Specifically the Lasersaur, which is a professional grade open-source project. The idea is to use it to make more wooden
Parts and Cost Breakdown for the Lasersaur
When building the Lasersaur laser cutter, a resource that was super helpful for me was Chris Derossi’s excellent post on his own cost breakdown. I
Hardware Mods to the Lasersaur
The Lasersaur build guide gives you a well-performing machine that can control your laser beam and put it anywhere on the cutting bed that you
Software Mods to the Lasersaur
As is, the Lasersaur I built comes with a very capable interface, but along with the hardware mods there were a few tweaks to the
The Work of Ghouls!
My first apartment in Denver had an incredible view that overlooked one of the large parks in the city: Cheesman Park. Cheesman Park was beautiful
Programs and more Commands for the Ben Eater 8-Bit Breadboard Computer
So now that I have a fancy programmable computer working with its guts bare to the world, what can I do with it? Well, not
A Wooden Laser-Cut Topo Map of Portland, ME
A couple months ago, I was on the internet and ran across Below The Boat, a website that sells wooden topographical maps of interesting lakefloors
Making a Laser-Cut Topo Map: The Design Phase
Today I’ll be walking you through the process how to of make a wooden laser-cut topo map. I made one of my hometown of Portland, ME
Making a Laser-Cut Topo Map: The Build Phase
So you’ve followed the steps to design your topo map by reading through the post detailing the design phase. Time to cut it out and
CAD files for the Antikythera Mechanism
Update June 2015: I’m revisiting this project to finally get it to a version where it can be manufactured at home. Check greekgears.com for future
Presenting: The Antikythera Mechanism
Update June 2015: I’m revisiting this project to finally get it to a version where it can be manufactured at home. Check greekgears.com for future
Invisible Cities – Cities and Motion 3
Cities & Motion 3 I have spent many months tracking Briscilla, Great Khan, yet have never once succeeded in catching a glimpse of the elusive
Invisible Cities – Cities and Motion 2
Cities & Motion 2 Look at the city of Tailan and you may see a train, but do not be fooled by its thin foundation.
Invisible Cities – Cities and Motion 1
Cities & Motion 1 As the traveler approaches Camerone, he sees on the landscape the city twist upon itself. Much as his water boiled as