I heard about Bitcoin and started accepting donations for some of my projects sometimes around 2011. The page about PokerMuck still reports the 0.53 BTC that were raised to support it (a little less than $30 dollars at the time). I mined about another 0.5 BTC during that time, which I all lost in the Mt.Gox hack. In hindsight it’s been amazing to witness the life of cryptocurrencies. I wasn’t old enough to remember the craze of the dotcom era, but […]

I try to keep up with technology (emphasis on the try). Here are two that I personally think are worth exploring: 1. ARKit and ARCore Apple’s ARKit is what Project Tango should have been from day one. I’m genuinely impressed at Apple’s implementation of AR and the fluidity of the user experience. ARCore will likely catch up in the next year or two and I expect AR to open new opportunities in the interaction of 3D worlds and objects. Keep an […]

Today I bricked this little drone by flashing the wrong firmware (whoops)! Turns out that the correct board to choose when flashing a new firmware is “OMNIBUS“. Oh well, good opportunity to learn how to take this thing apart. Unplug the camera plug from the side by gently pulling the cable out. Optionally also remove the props (I didn’t) to have more maneuvering space later on. 2. Set the drone on its back, and remove the 8 screws circled below […]

It is indeed possible to mount a GoPro on a Syma X5C. It is however, not ideal, since the Syma X5C is a toy and its payload capacity is limited. But if you’re like me and you like to push the limits of your hardware, this is not going to stop you from trying, is it? 🙂 I used a GoPro Hero3+, but the process should be similar for other models. 1. Reduce the Weight The Syma can’t pull much weight. […]

Have you ever searched for directions on your phone while driving? You probably know how tricky it gets to drive with one hand on the phone. Here’s my hack for the day. It’s a little ugly and it obscures part of the audio player LCD, but I don’t usually read what’s on the LCD anyway. Make sure to check your state/country laws before doing it, as it might not be allowed. Also make sure you place the soft side of […]

If you are a T-Mobile customer and tether your internet connection from your phone, you might have encountered this annoying screen: Now this is a ridiculous effort by T-Mobile to charge you twice for using the data plan that you already paid for. I call it a ridiculous effort because they have no sure way of detecting whether an internet request comes from your phone or from a device connected to it, and this is clearly a way to milk […]