andysworld!

Project office busy light using a Raspberry Pi Zero W – so Andy does not walk in on a web conference in his pants!

June 12th, 2020

My little project has been completed which I blogged about here

A lot has changed in the world of computers and computing in 40 years, since I used that Video Genie!

The Problem

Now that Lindsey and I and both working from home, and in two different offices, and spend most days on Zoom, Google Meet, Skype, WebEx etc in meetings with work colleagues or vendors it is difficult to tell if we are “BUSY” engaged in a meeting, and microphone and webcam are on!

also to stop me walking into Lindsey’s office, semi-naked just wearing my pants!

The Solution

A Raspberry Pi Zero W, which is a small wireless computer running Linux, with a LED display, which can be programmed with an Available (green), Busy (red), Away (yellow), Party (rainbow) mode status light!

Start Slideshow

At present there is a small web server, to toggle your status, but I’m still working on the integration with Alexa, Google, Siri and Apple HomeKit and Hue!

Lindsey just says – “I could have used a post-it!” – but where is the fun in that!

Busy Status Light it’s Party Time, and it’s POETS day!

Parts required below

Start Slideshow

Tags: Alexa, Apple HomeKit, google, Raspberry Pi, Siri
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Making rainbow beeswax candles Part 1

June 11th, 2020

So I have a surplus of

beeswax.
glass jars.
coloured crayons.
candle wicks
wick pins

and a professional wax melter to make beeswax canldes

so inspired by Kirstie Allsopp’s son on Keep Crafting and Carry – Episode 3

Let’s make Rainbow Candles! Yippee!!!

Start Slideshow

Tags: beeswax, candles, rainbow
Posted in All, bees | Comments Off on Making rainbow beeswax candles Part 1

Photo of a dog rose (Rosa canina)

June 9th, 2020

Whilst on a flower related theme…

Whilst on one of our daily walks at lunchtime I came across this spectacular dog rose (Rosa canina), so here’s quick photo.

A dog rose

Tags: dog rose, Rosa canina
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I love buddleia!

June 9th, 2020

It’s out there now, my secret is out, I love the buddleia bushes, or more commonly known as the butterfly bush, even the common pink version which grows wild, maybe it’s the plant which attracts hundreds of insects and butterflies, and takes me back to my youth and “My Creature Club!” – hey if your reading Skeggy! Hello!

more recently there are some attractive colour variants, under the name of buddleia davidii, which are a dark blue or dark purple, and a deeper purple called “Dark Knight”, if you do not like the pink version, and also a white, you cannot mistake them, they are everywhere in the country, and seem to do very well, on old factory works, old building works etc

Buddleja davidii, not in flower yet!

But my favourite buddleia globosa, which is a buddleia bush, with small orange balls! It’s not until you get up close that you can see the florets are the same as a traditional buddleia bush but organised into orange balls!

Buddleja globosa

I have a few in my garden, a B.davidii and also I’m lucky to have two B. globosa, I’ve always planted buddleia in my gardens, but never seen the B. globosa for sale in garden centres, I took 10 cuttings from a plant when I lived in Warren Farm, which was the first time I had ever seen the plant, and it’s taken many many years for the plants to establish and now start to flower.

Bumble bee on Buddleja globosa

and the bumblebees love them as well!

If you do plant a Buddleja make sure you prune it because they can go wild!

Tags: bees, Buddleja davidii, Buddleja globosa, bumblebees, butterfly, butterfly bush, insects
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A lot has changed in the world of computers and computing in 40 years, since I used that Video Genie!

June 7th, 2020

Now a lot has changed in the world of computers and computing in 40 years, since I used that Video Genie!

Video Genie

CPU: Zilog Z80, running at 1.76 MHz
16 KB RAM

This is one of the current Raspberry Pi’s, it’s a Raspberry Pi Zero W, and was released over three years ago in 2017.

Raspberry Pi Zero W

CPU: ARM11 running at 1GHz
RAM: 512MB

At least the Video Genie looked like a computer!!!

Anyway, I’m using this small computer, size of a match box, for a new project coming soon!

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My Brother gets another 15 minutes of fame…..on the BBC

June 5th, 2020

For all media enquiries and bookings please contact media@singinggardener.uk

Tags: Alzheimer's disease, Care, Care Homes, Chris Hancock, COVID-19, dementia, Music Memory, Nursing Homes, Singing, Singing Gardener
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Royal Mail 5 months late ?

June 4th, 2020

I received a parcel in the post today, 5 months late!

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The GoPro 3D Hero System

June 3rd, 2020

It’s quite old now, and no longer supported by GoPro, but it still works…

GoPro 3D Hero System

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Experiments in 3D with a GoPro 3D Hero System

June 2nd, 2020

Remember those goofy 3D red and blue glasses, or those 3D TVs, today we have VR headsets, like the Oculus Rift, HTC Vive and Valve Index which provide an immersive experience!

But I’ve gone old school and put together two GoPro cameras, and you can shoot 3D photos or 3D video.

You’ll need the goofy 3D red and blue glasses to view these images.