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 touch virtual objects is absolutely…
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 using "Mechazilla's chopsticks.” Later during…
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 found the company's mission meaningful…
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. Unfortunately, most of the web…
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 to provide thrust and allow…
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 like the one below, which…
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 voice conversation", and on the…
Flying around 3d plots with an IMU and quaternions
Cool Video First! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OIT4kRJhyBY Project Idea I generate a good number of 3D plots for work and other projects, and for a while I've wanted to make a physical device…
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 way to Mars, is a…
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 unlike the staggering complexity of…