The inside story of the open source PC, and how it could stop you being a slave to your hardware. Hardware engineer Andrew 'bunnie' Huang on how his path to building an open source computer started with a childhood fascination with the Apple II and why we need to rediscover open hardware.
When Andrew Huang was eight years old his dad bought a clone of an Apple II PC. Peering at the maze of circuits inside and the esoteric diagrams in its schematics the young Huang knew this machine was something special. "The cool thing was the Apple II shipped with schematics and a source code, so it was actually open source in a manner of speaking. It wasn't this closed thing where there was no hope of me understanding it. "I kept staring at it and I would get books at Radio Shack and from the library and read about it, and eventually all the pieces would fall into place.
Huang's diligence paid off and at a time when other kids were focused on getting a high score on Asteroids, he was reading DIY electronics guides in Why make an open laptop? Raspberry Pi/FAQ. Romaincrozon. TaintDroid: Warns about Android apps leaking sensitive data. Unfortunately, there is no simple way to determine what personal data is leaking from your smartphone.
Michael Kassner interviews members of a research team that want to change that. The Android operating systems gives us a choice on whether an app can access our sensitive information or not. We say sure, the app gets installed. Or, we say no way, and the app is not installed. Not the best solution, but at least we know what permissions are being used. I'm afraid that is not enough. Meet TaintDroid I first learned of TaintDroid while researching last week's article about App Scanner: A research project determined to shed light on the vagaries of the Android permission system and installing third party applications. One important part of the App Scanner project was learning what happens when you give an app certain permissions. Even after an additional week of research, I still haven't found any reason why a flashlight app needs to know the phone's GPS location.
Fascinating. Final thoughts.
Projects. Learning. Experiences with the Raspberry Pi micro computer. Xian has done a great job on this LEGO rover.
It utilises Lego Power Functions and the Raspberry Pi and can be controlled via a web browser. He explains his build, with block diagrams and details on wiring and explains his use of the Navio board for controlling things. Nice job, Xian. Read about it here. The guys at Canadian company Roboteurs are currently running a Kickstarter campaign to fund their new stepper motor driver board – the SlushEngine. Controls up to 4 bi-polar stepper motorsMax 7A / motor9-35 V DC operating range1-128 microstepping capabilitiesIntegrated motion engine in stepper driver4 limit switch inputs4 general purpose industrial inputs4 general purpose industrial outputs (3A / 24V)8 additional logic level I/OThermistor temperature sensingUEXT expansion connectorRaspberry Pi fused power source The board is currently available to Earlybirds at $190 (Canadian Dollars) plus delivery, which works out at approximately £125 delivered.
Rasberry Pi. Raspberry Pi. Anyone for Pi? Mods and hacks for the Raspberry Pi. An enthusiastic modding community has been playing with the $40 Raspberry Pi Linux computer for the past couple of months and they've not been wasting time.
Hacks and mods for the credit-card sized device range from speech-controlled robots to systems for controlling your house over the internet. TechRepublic delved into the forums on the Raspberry Pi website to find the projects that really showcase the device's capabilities - starting with this initiative to build a robot drone. There are plenty of Pi-powered drones in the pipeline, but this Pi in the sky could save lives by helping map disaster zones. The lightweight Pi board will be the brain of the autonomous plane, which will take aerial footage of disaster-struck areas.
The drone is being built by OpenRelief, an international project to develop better communications tools for disaster relief efforts. The drone will use open-source image-recognition software that can spot features such as smoke, roads or people. Photo: OpenRelief. Rasberry Pi Wiki. Raspberry Pi: Essential add-ons for modders and everyday users. TechRepublic has covered some pretty nifty hacks for the Raspberry Pi, the $40 credit card-sized Linux computer.
But the Pi ships as a bare board, and if you're going to use the Pi to bark commands at a robot or sail an autonomous boat you're going to need to invest in some extras. Raspberyy Pi prinatble case pattern.pdf. Raspberry Pi. Want an Extra Slice of Pi?
Grab yourself a pi-toppi-top is the upgradable laptop you build yourself. It features a 13” HD screen, built-in trackpad and keyboard and offers over 10 hours of battery life. pi-top makes using a Raspberry Pi easier than ever, and allows you to swap out and replace your old pi board as new upgrades are released. Featuring its own pi-topOS, you can easily personalise your display, connect to Wi-Fi and access fun, educational software.