Ask Ars: Why are some programming languages faster than others?
In our look at scientific computing and the continued longevity of Fortran in science and engineering circles, one of the recurring themes in the discussion that followed was performance. One of the big reasons that Fortran remains important is because it's fast: number crunching routines written in Fortran tend to be quicker than equivalent routines written in most other languages. The languages that are competing with Fortran in this space—C and C++—are used because they're competitive with this performance.
Raspberry Pi Pinout
3v3 Power The 3v3, 3.3 volt, supply pin on the Pi has a max current draw of 50 mA, enough to power a couple of LEDs but not much more. You should use the 5v0 supply instead, and use a regulator if you need 3v3. BCM pin 0 on Rev 1 board and pin 2 on Rev 2 board. WiringPi pin 8.
Fake TV - Burglar Deterrent
I was shopping around on Amazon the other day and came across a product that I thought was genius. It is called Fake TV and it acts as a burglar deterrent while you are away from the house. At night, the Fake TV turns on and uses a series of LEDs to project random colors that looks as though someone is inside watching TV when viewed through curtains or shades.
8 iPad apps to Teach Coding and Programming
With the changes in the National Curriculum for ICT in 2014 introducing a greater emphasis on coding and programming, there is a greater demand for easy to use programming tools for children. One of the best ones, Scratch, sadly doesn’t work on an iPad at the moment. Here are some alternatives that do. 1. Daisy the Dinosaur (Free)
License
Version 2.0, January 2004 1. Definitions "License" shall mean the terms and conditions for use, reproduction, and distribution as defined by Sections 1 through 9 of this document. "Licensor" shall mean the copyright owner or entity authorized by the copyright owner that is granting the License.
wiringpi 1.0.5
A python interface to WiringPi library which allows for easily interfacing with the GPIO pins of the Raspberry Pi. Also supports i2c and SPI WiringPi: An implementation of most of the Arduino Wiring functions for the Raspberry Pi Prerequisites: You must have python-dev installed If you manually rebuild the bindings with swig -python wiringpi.i then cat wiringpi_class.py >> wiringpi.py to get the class-based wrapper
Laser Security System
Here is a simple and cheap Laser Based Security System, which costs below Rs. 100. It is a simple circuit using LM358 OP-AMP and LM555 Timer. This circuit is triggered when the Laser beam falls on the LDR interrupts, which sounds the buzzer connected to it. This can be used to protect your valuable items, money, room etc.. By using different mirror arrangements you can form different security systems.
Angling to develop for Google Glass? Google gives some insight
If you’re looking for a taste of what it will be like to develop for Google Glass, the company posted a video demonstrating the hardware and a little bit of the API on Thursday. Timothy Jordan, a senior developer advocate at Google, gave a talk at SXSW in early March that lasted just shy of an hour and gave a look into the platform. Google Glass bears more similarity to the Web than the Android mobile operating system, so developing for it is simpler than creating an Android application. During the talk, Jordan goes over some the functionality developers can get out of the Mirror API, which allows apps to pop Timeline Cards into a user’s view, as well as show new items from services the user might be subscribed to (weather, wire services, and so forth). Jordan also shows how users can interact with items that crop up using the API. When the user sees something they like, for instance, they can re-share it with a button or “love” it.
Wiring
Update: 14th May, 2013 wiringPi version 2 has been released and now has its own website ( to look after it. Most of the documentation on the projects site has been copied over to it the new site, but there may still be 1 or 2 pages that are still missing. I’d encourage you to use the new site if possible where there will be a forum and wiki (when I get time to implement them!)
Repel Mosquitos, Dogs, & Annoying Friends with High-Frequency Tones on Android « Android Gadget Hacks
Repel Mosquitos, Dogs, & Annoying Friends with High-Frequency Tones on Android There are few sounds that actually make me cringe whenever I hear them: silverware scraping on a plate, nails scratching on a chalkboard, and piercing high-frequency tones. While the former two terrors require some physical hardware, sending out high-frequency sounds is as easy as downloading an app. Of course, since high-frequency sounds are terrible things to hear, this app is great for classroom and office pranks, or quite possibly fending off dogs and bugs. Try this at your own peril (I suggest using earbuds or earplugs). Step 2: Deploy Your Attack on Surrounding Eardrums
MR3020
Download the firmware update that applies to the type of router that you are using to build your LibraryBox. Pay special attention to the Version # of the hardware, as some of these have a v1 and v2 where the hardware changes and a different firmware is needed. Download the LibraryBox v2.0 Install folder (as zip file) MD5 Hash: 59423526AE160107E60265C212904E1E Unzip the install_librarybox.zip file, so that you are left with an install folder, and copy both the install folder AND the firmware file onto your FAT 32 formatted USB stick.
RPiconfig
As the Raspberry Pi doesn't have a conventional BIOS, the various system configuration parameters that would normally be kept and set using the BIOS are now stored in a text file named "config.txt". The Raspberry Pi config.txt file is read by the GPU before the ARM core is initialized. This file is an optional file on the boot partition. It would normally be accessible as /boot/config.txt from Linux, but from Windows (or OS X) it would be seen as a file in the accessible part of the card.
