BlueCopter - Arduino Quadcopter Hey, I spent the summer working with a new hobby of mine, Quadcopters =D! The quadcopter board is homemade (atmega32u4). I was happy with the quadcopter, it flew very nicely (after some PID changes of course).. Three days later, I got a working code.. Anyhow I'm not going to bore you out with my story. If there is a big demand for a code explanation/theory about quadcopters and how everything works, shout out here, and I'll come up with something for you... Here is the code: See attachment for pinout.. And here is the video: Edit: I've updated the code.. //Basel Improving your reading stamina - How to read at university when you've finished this page you will be able to... plan how to improve your reading stamina If you're going to fit in all the reading you need to do, you'll need to be able to read for relatively long periods of time, and this means you'll need to increase your reading stamina. Environment To read for long periods of time, you need to get into 'the zone', so it's important to give some thought to the best place to read - somewhere comfortable and free from distractions. After a consideration of the costs and benefits of each location, decide on where you'll do most of your reading. Concentration Concentration spans vary widely between individuals. Taking breaks is a great way of improving your ability to concentrate. As the graphs clearly show, concentration and memory come and go in peaks and troughs. Once you've worked on improving your reading stamina, you'll be better able to deal with the challenges of deep reading, which you will encounter on the next page.
18 Things Highly Creative People Do Differently This list has been expanded into the new book, “Wired to Create: Unravelling the Mysteries of the Creative Mind,” by Carolyn Gregoire and Scott Barry Kaufman. Creativity works in mysterious and often paradoxical ways. Creative thinking is a stable, defining characteristic in some personalities, but it may also change based on situation and context. Inspiration and ideas often arise seemingly out of nowhere and then fail to show up when we most need them, and creative thinking requires complex cognition yet is completely distinct from the thinking process. Neuroscience paints a complicated picture of creativity. As scientists now understand it, creativity is far more complex than the right-left brain distinction would have us think (the theory being that left brain = rational and analytical, right brain = creative and emotional). While there’s no “typical” creative type, there are some tell-tale characteristics and behaviors of highly creative people. They daydream. They “fail up.”
Beginner Quadcopter Kit Buying Guide - Hovership I frequently get asked how much it costs to build a quadcopter or other multi-rotor helicopter. I usually try to add together a number real quick based on equipment I own. Which could come close to $1000. Below is a buying guide that includes everything needed to put a quadcopter in the air. PLEASE NOTE: I picked these items based on their low cost yet good reviews. UPDATE: 02-23-2014 HobbyKing now sells a very similar ready-to-fly kit, just add batteries and a charger. The Frame – $14 Hobbyking X525 V3 Glass Fiber Quadcopter Frame This frame is based on a tried and true frame design for multirotors. Purchase the frame at HobbyKing.com »Purchase replacement parts at HobbyKing.com » Frame option #2 -$8 Since writing this post, it has been pointed out that the above frame might be a bit heavy for the motors/props I am about to suggest. Purchase the frame at HobbyKing.com » The Motors – $57 I recently put these motors on a small H-Quad and I highly recommend them. The Propellers – $3
An Antidote to the Age of Anxiety: Alan Watts on Happiness and How to Live with Presence by Maria Popova Wisdom on overcoming the greatest human frustration from the pioneer of Eastern philosophy in the West. “How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives,” Annie Dillard wrote in her timeless reflection on presence over productivity — a timely antidote to the central anxiety of our productivity-obsessed age. This concept of presence is rooted in Eastern notions of mindfulness — the ability to go through life with crystalline awareness and fully inhabit our experience — largely popularized in the West by British philosopher and writer Alan Watts (January 6, 1915–November 16, 1973), who also gave us this fantastic meditation on the life of purpose. If to enjoy even an enjoyable present we must have the assurance of a happy future, we are “crying for the moon.” Alan Watts, early 1970s (Image courtesy of Everett Collection) What keeps us from happiness, Watts argues, is our inability to fully inhabit the present: And therein lies the crux of our human struggle:
56 Things To Do Instead of Spending Money - And Then We Saved Not spending money? No need to worry there’s lots to do! 56 Things To Do Instead of Spending Money… 1. We all have our favorite blogs and websites; see what the beginning was like by digging through the archives. 2. Even if you have no kids (and don’t know any) you can throw some sheets over a few chairs and a table, toss in some blankets and pillows and pretend like you’re a kid again. 3. If you’re one of the 104.4 million Pinterest users then this one is for you. 4. Break out of any food rut that might be building and come up with some new meal ideas using only the foods that you already own. 5. That hem that’s come loose, the hole that needs patching, the button that’s hanging on my literally 2 thin threads; nows the time to get that pile of To-Do’s taken care of. 6. Check out all of their movies from the library or watch them all on Netflix. 7. Have old gift certificates that have sat around since the last holiday season or from your last birthday? that you’ll actually use! 8. 9. 10.
The 50 Coolest Book Covers Ever - Entertainment Title: American Psycho Author: Bret Easton Ellis Artist: Marshall Arisman Artist George Corsillo, who designed the cover art for Bret Easton Ellis' first two books turned down the chance to design the artwork for American Psycho, stating "I was disgusted with myself for reading it". However, this just opened up the door for Marshall Arisman, who responded with this haunting, and very cool, representation of Patrick Bateman as part-man, part-devil. Top 5 Designer Bathrooms - The Chromologist Got a decorating plan for 2015? Tempted to tackle a bathroom maybe? Speaking as the slightly gloomy voice of experience, can we gently advise you to delay your supermarket sweep of the showrooms in the sales until after you’ve formed a few ideas in your mind? Working out, at the very least, your likes and dislikes ahead of this sort of shopping trip can make it easier to avoid making rash decisions or worse, having arguments with your loved ones, both easy outcomes when faced with a bargain. Rather than relying on the bathroom suppliers alone to feed you with design ideas, why not have a look at what the most respected interior designers are doing – both for themselves and their clients. The pattern-clashing bathroom God bless India Mahdavi for creating the wonderful drinking den that is the Coburg Bar at The Connaught. The dark bathroom that makes us love brown Dark colours enthusiast Abigail Ahern keeps on making us like things we didn’t think we liked. The cool black bathroom
Affordances The concept of an affordance was coined by the perceptual psychologist James J. Gibson in his seminal book The Ecological Approach to Visual Perception. The concept was introduced to the HCI community by Donald Norman in his book The Psychology of Everyday Things from 1988. There has however been ambiguity in Norman's use of the concept, and the concept thus requires a more elaborate explanation. Norman's use of the term According to Norman (1988) an affordance is the design aspect of an object which suggest how the object should be used; a visual clue to its function and use. "...the term affordance refers to the perceived and actual properties of the thing, primarily those fundamental properties that determine just how the thing could possibly be used. [...] Norman thus defines an affordance as something of both actual and perceived properties. Gibson's use of the term An affordance according to Gibson exists relative to the action capabilities of particular actors. Open Access License
5 Great Ideas for Adding Colour to your Kitchen - The Chromologist Your kitchen is often a big investment, and so unsurprisingly it’s one of the bits of a home where people play safe. That deep red colour you’re so passionate about now may not, after all, look so great on your kitchen units in five years time. never mind it affecting the resale value should you wish to move. But a colourful kitchen is a joy – it can enhance the warmth and vibrancy of this most central space in our homes. So whether your default kitchen setting is tasteful gloss white or you haven’t updated your kitchen for years, we’ve got five suggestions for adding some colour that is guaranteed to give your kitchen a lift. 1. The easiest way to inject some colour, painting a wall in your kitchen is simple, affordable and, if you go off the colour, easy to undo again. 2. Painting a wood floor not only covers a multitude of imperfections but it is also an incredibly versatile option. 3. Of course coloured tiles are hardly new. 4. 5.
Open Culture digs up a 1954 animated adaptation of... Coursekit is now Lore. What’s the Story? Culture & SocietyHistory & LiteratureMedia & Communication Open Culture digs up a 1954 animated adaptation of Orwell’s Animal Farm, funded by the CIA – the best thing since Ralph Steadman’s brilliant illustrations for it. Read the story here. #Animal Farm#George Orwell#lit#animation#film 69 notes
Choosing the Right Metrics for User Experience By Pamela Pavliscak Published: June 2, 2014 “Metrics are the signals that show whether your UX strategy is working. Using metrics is key to tracking changes over time….” Metrics are the signals that show whether your UX strategy is working. Although most organizations are tracking metrics like conversion rate or engagement time, often they do not tie these metrics back to design decisions. UX strategists need to take charge of the metrics for online experiences. The Signal Problem “The data that is available from off-the-shelf analytics, A/B tests, and even follow-up surveys does not always result in insights that inform the user experience.” There is so much data available on sites and applications that it seems amazing insights would be sure to surface, yet that does not happen without smart decisions. The signals that are easiest to track don’t show what is really important. So, it’s difficult to find the right signals for user experience amidst all the noise in your data. Usability
Designers & Books | Book lists and commentary from esteemed designers and architects 21 examples of user experience innovation in ecommerce I’ve been keeping a close eye on innovation in the ecommerce sector for more than a decade now, and it seems to me that we're living in exciting times. We have hit some kind of purple patch. Why is this? Well, ecommerce has massively matured. It's big business. Digital teams are smarter, and more agile. As such I wanted to raise a toast to innovation by highlighting a bunch of - hopefully inspiring - examples to you. But first, a massive caveat: I would severely and mercilessly beat a few of these sites with a big best practice stick. Secondly, for ecommerce sites, it is all about the data. All of that aside, the ecommerce teams that take chances and push the boundaries of are to be applauded. So let's take a look at some ecommerce websites (and one mobile app) that are trying new things, and that are noteworthy for their approach to the user experience. Jack Jones Clustering is one of the hotter trends in ecommerce. Folks Bonarium Two Socks Robstep Yet more bundling. Soulland Protest Vertty