Nostr notes by shortcolin

Hmm - good point: I forgot about that. An emulator emulating a ...

2026-08-30T11:10:22Z

In reply to nevent1q…nha8
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Hmm - good point: I forgot about that. An emulator emulating a plan 9 machine then...

Thank you for the compliment. The netbook pro looks nice - I ...

2026-08-26T11:44:51Z

In reply to nevent1q…epny
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Thank you for the compliment. The netbook pro looks nice - I always wanted a Series 7 and I think they might be similar.

I made a blog post about Psion computers and the ...

2026-08-25T18:47:15Z

I made a blog post about Psion computers and the "Palmtop" magazine of the 1990s and 2000s and how I think this time influenced our smartphone and online world of today:

https://pointinthecloud.com/2026-08-25-094000.html

#psion #retrocomputing

Ha! You have flying toasters on your web page :--)

2026-08-22T04:17:57Z

In reply to nevent1q…yapg
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Ha! You have flying toasters on your web page :--)

I am interested in the software you've written, but I'm ...

2026-08-22T04:14:45Z

In reply to nevent1q…vyp4
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I am interested in the software you've written, but I'm feeling super bad as years ago I had a slightly broken original Mac but with no keyboard or mouse. As they were impossible to find at the time I got rid of the Mac and feel very bad about it! I shall have to think of the software as being for my new, emulated Mac instead ;-)

I think the "Frank" firmwares I mention in the post may ...

2026-08-21T16:16:45Z

In reply to nevent1q…74ru
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I think the "Frank" firmwares I mention in the post may run on that board. If you mean the Apple emulator; I think that's been built by Adafruit for the Fruitjam specially. The SD card and USB port are wiring are different between the two - would probably need some hybrid of the HSTX/DVI video output code from the Fruit Jam repository and the USB from the original https://github.com/evansm7/pico-mac.

[@sen](https://hachyderm.io/@sen ) I like your meter displays. ...

2026-08-20T17:35:58Z

[@sen](https://hachyderm.io/@sen ) I like your meter displays. Someone in the Edinburgh Hacklab made a similar display; I will have to try to take a picture for you.

I blogged about the ICL mainframe that helped run the electricity ...

2026-08-20T15:43:10Z

In reply to nevent1q…l9rt
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I blogged about the ICL mainframe that helped run the electricity system in Scotland. It had 6Mbytes of memory so must have been a bit later https://pointinthecloud.com/2025-11-28-182500.html I scanned in an ICL 4/70 brochure from the same place which states 64k-1Mbyte RAM so maybe similar? https://archive.org/details/icl-system-4-70-computer-brochure/mode/2up

I guess slightly later than the VAX 11/780 but I scanned in a ...

2026-08-20T15:39:14Z

In reply to nevent1q…l9rt
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I guess slightly later than the VAX 11/780 but I scanned in a 1991 DEC catalogue I had. 32Mb of RAM for a VAX 4000 was £19000! I had VT220 and VT420 terminals and got rid of them and wish I hadn't. https://archive.org/details/decdirect-hardware-february-april-1991/page/n31/mode/2up

Yes - it's crazy. My MacBook has started using lots more RAM ...

2026-08-20T15:22:53Z

In reply to nevent1q…pd9m
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Yes - it's crazy. My MacBook has started using lots more RAM too of late and I need to investigate why. Someone said "Of course you can't do anything today in only 8Gb of RAM" which upsets me.

They say memory keeps getting cheaper. Having said that I've ...

2026-08-20T15:04:10Z

In reply to nevent1q…6d3h
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They say memory keeps getting cheaper. Having said that I've not checked memory prices over the last 12 months. Maybe I should get myself up to date but I'm sure nothing has changed.... ;-)

Yes - computers are much cheaper now. I meant I'd make you a ...

2026-08-20T14:50:02Z

In reply to nevent1q…845u
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Yes - computers are much cheaper now. I meant I'd make you a private page (with fake information) to make you feel better about the money that the SE cost back then.

If you like I will create you a private version of the page which ...

2026-08-20T14:42:30Z

In reply to nevent1q…zhrn
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If you like I will create you a private version of the page which proves what a bargain the SE was at the time, and how cheap it was compared to computers today...

Thank you for that post; it looks very interesting. It looks like ...

2026-08-20T14:25:27Z

In reply to nevent1q…qe3k
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Thank you for that post; it looks very interesting. It looks like there are other interesting things there for me to browse too.

The Sharp memory displays are nice. A few years back I made a tiny (sort of) laptop using one with an STM32L476 microcontroller and an Xbox keyboard and a Commodore emulator. It was very cute!

I ran photoshop on a £0.60 Raspberry pi pico processor emulating ...

2026-08-20T13:34:19Z

I ran photoshop on a £0.60 Raspberry pi pico processor emulating a 1980s Apple Mac. It inspired me to think about simple computers.

https://pointinthecloud.com/2026-08-19-144600.html

#retrocomputing #permacomputing

I tried to look that up but found an old "Which is better? ...

2026-08-02T16:07:33Z

In reply to nevent1q…hmkk
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I tried to look that up but found an old "Which is better? Z-modem or Kermit" argument, so I might back away slowly before reading any more... Protocol debates can get heated!

I did a Psion 5mx bodge repair - maybe I should have tried the ...

2026-08-01T19:16:46Z

In reply to nevent1q…32w4
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I did a Psion 5mx bodge repair - maybe I should have tried the JBWeld trick there too - I wrote about it here https://pointinthecloud.com/2025-10-13-154800.html

Aha - yes, thanks @npub10a0…ry2t - the photos give me an idea. ...

2026-08-01T19:12:44Z

In reply to nevent1q…mat2
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Aha - yes, thanks npub10a0zmfa43rcgr32vnjxaj7lp7p075htsa9re8de7eveqhu2tskxqwdry2t (npub10a0…ry2t) - the photos give me an idea. I shouldn't admit it in this company, but currently the Psions tend to mostly sit in a box so risk of damage is minimal; I shall add reinforcement to my list of projects. "Port the MAME Psion 3a emulator to a raspberry pi pico and screen to build a DIY Psion" is one of the projects, but the list is long...

So JB Weld seems to be a bit like Araldite...I assume you mix it ...

2026-08-01T18:59:34Z

In reply to nevent1q…lc85
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So JB Weld seems to be a bit like Araldite...I assume you mix it and then fill around the hinges to provide extra strength around them?

"By selecting the PET 2001 you have eliminated the problems ...

2026-08-01T16:34:17Z

"By selecting the PET 2001 you have eliminated the problems of getting a personal computer system running." <--- This is where the computer world clearly went wrong, by not selecting the PET 2001 and therefore causing problems.

#retrocomputing

Do you run a business? Then you need a Commodore 700 - the ...

2026-08-01T16:30:33Z

Do you run a business? Then you need a Commodore 700 - the business computer.

Continuing my scanning binge I found this brochure, stamped from a Commodore dealer in Glasgow.

https://archive.org/details/commodore-700-brochure

#retrocomputing

With encouragement like this maybe one day I will be motivated to ...

2026-08-01T16:27:32Z

In reply to nevent1q…lwux
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With encouragement like this maybe one day I will be motivated to get advanced and move onto Z-modem!

I hope you were able to source the parts from Maplin like the ...

2026-08-01T16:26:35Z

In reply to nevent1q…a2x7
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I hope you were able to source the parts from Maplin like the article suggests. I must go into the local branch and get....oh, wait....

Thank you for this tip. Fortunately the 3a is intact for now, but ...

2026-08-01T16:25:22Z

In reply to nevent1q…xrzv
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Thank you for this tip. Fortunately the 3a is intact for now, but I'm a little bit scared to breathe on it just in case I need to seek the advice of Dr J B Weld!

I found that issue 10 had an extension for flash memory - ...

2026-07-30T16:31:19Z

In reply to nevent1q…xnh0
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I found that issue 10 had an extension for flash memory - https://archive.org/details/palmtop-issue-08/page/n38/mode/1up
and will have to look through the issues 14-34 that I have. I suppose the software article will be in the missing issues 11,12 or 13!

I think I miss that people could write their own programs on the ...

2026-07-30T16:24:22Z

In reply to nevent1q…r34m
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I think I miss that people could write their own programs on the device to do useful things. I began an Android user programming thing years ago - maybe I should dust it off.

I thought it was likely you had, but you never know so shared. I ...

2026-07-30T16:22:33Z

In reply to nevent1q…z9gy
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I thought it was likely you had, but you never know so shared. I must get my 3a out and play with it; I'm nervous now though in case I break the brittle hinges. I have an LZ64, Siena, Revo and 5mx so must get the whole collection out!

Glad you liked them. I wasn't sure if people would, so glad ...

2026-07-30T16:20:46Z

In reply to nevent1q…n4hj
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Glad you liked them. I wasn't sure if people would, so glad it was useful. I have more to scan in when I get more scanner time. Didn't quite resurrect your setup but got my old Nokia 6310 out and it still worked over 2G mobile which still just exists here! If you're interested- I blogged about getting the Psion online via a Linux computer: https://pointinthecloud.com/2025-10-13-164300.html

@npub1h4l…g8cc There was a reference in one of the magazines I ...

2026-07-29T21:31:23Z

The Last Psion | Alex (npub1h4l…g8cc) There was a reference in one of the magazines I just uploaded (https://archive.org/details/palmtop-issue-13/page/114/mode/1up) to a "Build your own PC SSD interface" so I thought of you. You most likely have seen this already but just in case, the article is here (which I think has maybe been uploaded by Jason Morley (npub1yfq…kh4f) , not me)

https://archive.org/details/palmtop-issue-07/page/n21/mode/1up

Glad you liked it. I think the 1990 Escort should be in that ...

2026-07-29T21:22:55Z

In reply to nevent1q…cefk
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Glad you liked it. I think the 1990 Escort should be in that brochure(?) so I hope it brought back memories!

A letter from 1997 complaining about bloat in PC software. If ...

2026-07-29T21:12:24Z

A letter from 1997 complaining about bloat in PC software. If only windows ran with 100Mb RAM now:

"We have Microsoft forcing ever-larger applications upon us (the new version of Works is rumoured to require 150Mb of disk space..Where will we be in another 10 years? Will Windows 2007 require yet more RAM (say 100Mb) and yet more disk space (say 1Gb)?"

https://archive.org/details/palmtop-issue-13/page/13/mode/2up

I did some scanning of Psion documents today at Ucreate at ...

2026-07-29T21:10:53Z

I did some scanning of Psion documents today at Ucreate at Edinburgh university library:

- Palmtop magazine issues 13-16 and issues 31-34.
- A Psion catalogue listing hardware and software for the Series 3.
- A Psion 3fax brochure.

I miss Psions.

There is a review of the Nokia 9210 (although one page is corrupted); I'd forgotten how excited people were then having a pocket computer connected to the internet -with colour!

They are available at: https://archive.org/details/@shortcolin

#psion

Glad you like it. I wasn't sure if it was worth scanning in, ...

2026-07-24T20:53:22Z

In reply to nevent1q…tdmm
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Glad you like it. I wasn't sure if it was worth scanning in, so pleased it was interesting to at least one person! I don't really know why but I like the aesthetic of the older computers...they seemed....solid.

I did more document scanning today: For fans of UK 1980s UK cars ...

2026-07-24T20:39:09Z

I did more document scanning today: For fans of UK 1980s UK cars I scanned two Ford brochures, from 1982 and 1987. Includes Ford Fiesta, Escort, Orion, Sierra, Cortina, Granada and Scorpio. The 1982 one has plenty for fans of brown and beige velour.

I uploaded the scans to the Internet archive so they can be viewed here:

https://archive.org/details/ford-cars-all-model-catalogue-september-1982/page/n5/mode/2up and and https://archive.org/details/ford-cars-catalogue-june-august-1987

Again, thanks to UCreate at Edinburgh university library for use of the Bookeye 5 scanner.

For people who are upset about current computer hardware prices: ...

2026-07-23T20:07:30Z

For people who are upset about current computer hardware prices: I scanned in my 1991 DEC computer catalogue.

Inflation adjusted, 32Mb RAM (p31) for your DEC VAX computer is £45,219 and a 1.2Gb hard disk (p128) is £44,745. A 32Mb VAX 4000 with options would cost £200,169.

Maybe modern hardware is cheap.

I used the Bookeye 5 book scanner at Edinburgh university library, which was quite a neat thing.

https://archive.org/details/decdirect-hardware-february-april-1991/page/n31/mode/2up

#retrocomputing

I think it should be covered here. This book is the user guide ...

2026-07-22T16:48:31Z

In reply to nevent1q…wrf9
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I think it should be covered here. This book is the user guide for the whole internet, after all.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whole_Internet_User%27s_Guide_and_Catalog

@npub1ngv…llkf Welcome to Mastodan.

2026-07-22T11:15:08Z

Dan Foster (npub1ngv…llkf) Welcome to Mastodan.

You can connect it up to my VT32 0 for the proper experience. If ...

2026-07-22T11:12:37Z

In reply to nevent1q…ujum
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You can connect it up to my VT32
0 for the proper experience. If you fancy a parallel port expansion I have an Epson MX80 printer too and it would be fun to get a period CP/M WordStar running...

I think my ratio of "thinking about project ideas" vs ...

2026-05-06T18:52:22Z

In reply to nevent1q…v6se
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I think my ratio of "thinking about project ideas" vs "completing projects" means you shouldn't hold your breath. I will read books too for a bit.

Thank you for that compliment. And thank you both for ...

2026-05-06T18:03:30Z

In reply to nevent1q…qt62
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Thank you for that compliment. And thank you both for blogging/tooting about it in the first place and introducing me to the device. Although...given I have new project ideas for it and have enough already maybe I shouldn't thank you!!

Currently feeling overwhelmed by all the decluttering books I ...

2026-05-06T15:57:57Z

Currently feeling overwhelmed by all the decluttering books I have and feel I must tidy up.

I made this case for my XTEInk X4 reader ...

2026-05-06T15:56:16Z

I made this case for my XTEInk X4 reader https://makerworld.com/en/models/2484325-book-style-case-for-the-xteink-x4 and blogged about it https://pointinthecloud.com/2026-05-06-150400-xteink-x4.html Neil Brown (npub1huw…c5x7) and concretedog (npub1szn…y7qx) I was inspired by your reviews to get the reader and I like it very much so thank you for blogging.

at which point I get you to get two netMD machines...

2026-03-27T22:53:26Z

In reply to nevent1q…pt47
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at which point I get you to get *two* netMD machines...

it might be too late given you got one...but the MZ-N505 I got is ...

2026-03-27T22:31:25Z

In reply to nevent1q…8vyr
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it might be too late given you got one...but the MZ-N505 I got is quite slow to read. It is a "Type-R" device. If I understand correctly the newer Type-S machines have more RAM which allows faster transfer code to be loaded, or similar. But maybe you already got a fast one.

I am curious about DAT as that is another thing that passed me ...

2026-03-27T21:14:15Z

In reply to nevent1q…dvzt
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I am curious about DAT as that is another thing that passed me by. I have a DAT tape but the players are expensive now.

I don't know why but I like the optical 3.5mm connection to record from CD. "The music is turned into light?!" Is one of those statements that I simultaneously understand and yet am mind blown by...

Instead of the choose your own adventure books I feel the best ...

2026-03-27T20:03:56Z

In reply to nevent1q…63rn
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Instead of the choose your own adventure books I feel the best response is to offer a "Choose your own reply"....

A) I'm glad my blog post introduced you to an exciting new device, and enriched your life.
B) I am terribly terribly sorry and feel guilty for making you spend money on another thing you do not need. I will not write any more such blog posts.

@npub1pg4…x3gc Your post about minidiscs inspired me to make a ...

2026-03-27T15:13:50Z

Matthew Sparby (npub1pg4…x3gc) Your post about minidiscs inspired me to make a blog post: https://pointinthecloud.com/2026-03-27-134200.html

I like it when people write blog posts about strange things like ...

2025-12-11T14:49:35Z

In reply to nevent1q…nz42
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I like it when people write blog posts about strange things like this - always nice to discover them!

The Omni Centre in Edinburgh had slight cyberpunk vibes today. ...

2025-10-31T20:43:55Z

The Omni Centre in Edinburgh had slight cyberpunk vibes today. Such a terrible shame I couldn't be advertised to.....

Nice to hear from you - I have been enjoying your web browser ...

2025-10-31T20:41:38Z

In reply to nevent1q…vtsw
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Nice to hear from you - I have been enjoying your web browser contributions! I'm rather enjoying that it doesn't work on modern sites - I wonder how long a typical react website would take to load (Assuming a hypothetical Psion 5zz with 16Gb of RAM that could handle it.)

Yes - I think perhaps the mechanical design was just too clever. ...

2025-10-31T20:39:38Z

In reply to nevent1q…zx8m
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Yes - I think perhaps the mechanical design was just too clever. Fortunately the screen cable seems OK, but I might come back to you at some point in the future to ask how the cable is repaired....(Fingers crossed it will be OK for a while!)

It's funny to read your comment - I was quite fancying the ...

2025-10-31T20:38:43Z

In reply to nevent1q…rr48
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It's funny to read your comment - I was quite fancying the idea of this being my only computer. I wonder how things would have changed if this was the computer most people had.

I repaired a Psion pocket computer from 1999 and got it online so ...

2025-10-16T15:17:51Z

I repaired a Psion pocket computer from 1999 and got it online so wrote a blog post: https://pointinthecloud.com/2025-10-13-154800.html

Retro computing enthusiasts in Edinburgh: there is a Bush CRT TV ...

2025-09-15T16:10:01Z

Retro computing enthusiasts in Edinburgh: there is a Bush CRT TV with SCART input dumped by a bin in Rankeillor St, near the university. I know these things are becoming desirable for the proper period feel in case anyone wants one!

Was browsing photos in William Patrick Library, Kirkintilloch at ...

2025-09-09T14:30:56Z

Was browsing photos in William Patrick Library, Kirkintilloch at the weekend. Discovered the Lion Foundry made these panels for Lothian House at Tollcross, Edinburgh. Trades of Edinburgh: "Printing, Engineering, Brewing, Building"

I knew the Lion Foundary for red phone boxes, but they made all sorts of things - e.g. the giant window surround at Constitución railway station, Buenos Aires

https://www.edlc.co.uk/heritage-arts/exhibitions/online-exhibitions/the-lion-foundry/

Have started noticing panels in other places now - e.g. Fountainbridge library

Browsing the swimming pool timetable and they have "casual ...

2025-09-07T15:48:38Z

Browsing the swimming pool timetable and they have "casual swimming" this afternoon. I don't have a swimming tuxedo for the formal swimming which I assume is at the other times.

I fixed a talking teddy bear for (if I remember) a 3 year old ...

2025-09-01T11:01:07Z

In reply to nevent1q…vrx5
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I fixed a talking teddy bear for (if I remember) a 3 year old once, which involved pulling all the stuffing out. She somehow came down from bed and saw me with it on the table and the stuffing everywhere and gave me an absolute look of horror and was quite upset! Fortunately she forgot once it was stitched up and worked again and was very happy, so that was rewarding.

...the code is a bit awkward to find, but there's a ...

2025-08-30T10:34:48Z

In reply to nevent1q…2rg6
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...the code is a bit awkward to find, but there's a "pipistrelle deliverables" zip file in there and it's contained within that.

Actually; reading again - maybe I misunderstood and you're ...

2025-08-30T10:33:35Z

In reply to nevent1q…e7yj
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Actually; reading again - maybe I misunderstood and you're asking "How did I record a bat if I didn't change the sample rate" - used the code from here https://www.pippyg.com/pipistrelleprev.html which works at 384kHz.

Thank you! That is useful to know. Our current best test was ...

2025-08-30T10:32:10Z

In reply to nevent1q…cr0r
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Thank you! That is useful to know. Our current best test was sitting on the pavement in front of a car and picking up the ultrasonic parking sensor; this method looks a bit more reliable and elegant!

We recorded the bats by plugging the pico into a linux laptop. ...

2025-08-30T10:30:54Z

In reply to nevent1q…e7yj
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We recorded the bats by plugging the pico into a linux laptop. The command line was something like:

arecord -f S16_LE -c1 -r384000 -t wav -D "dsnoop:CARD=B2000,DEV=0" bat1.wav

...where the "dsnoop:CARD..." stuff came from running "arecord -L" and looking for the most plausible looking sound card.

FWIW here is one of the recordings: https://pointinthecloud.com/STUFF/bat6.wav in case it is useful to you.

Ah - I changed the sample rate in a different way - I suspect ...

2025-08-30T10:26:38Z

In reply to nevent1q…dw3x
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Ah - I changed the sample rate in a different way - I suspect you've done it correctly. I will fiddle about later.

As to the filters - the code in analog_microphone.hpp says "
// don't ask, I can't remember how or why this works ... dick with this at your peril
enum {
COEFFBITS = 13,
"

So I can't at all think why that comment suggests it might be hard to understand or difficult to modify ;-)

As an experiment @npub1urh…hamz Soldered a MEMS microphone onto ...

2025-08-29T19:52:55Z

As an experiment cicely (npub1urh…hamz) Soldered a MEMS microphone onto a pi pico, and we got it to classify bats using the https://github.com/macaodha/batdetect2 model. Exciting to hear the bat chirps when playing the WAV file slowed down. Will have to write a blog post soon to explain what we did but for now it is getting dark - which means more bats to spy on!

Oh interesting - thanks for letting me know. Did you manage to ...

2025-08-29T19:44:37Z

In reply to nevent1q…ez5d
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Oh interesting - thanks for letting me know. Did you manage to change the sample rate at all? That's where I think I was doing something wrong.

We had success last night recording a bat using the pico! Quite exciting to hear it, and managed to classify it as a pipistrelle using batdetect2 - recorded a WAV file using a laptop and then manually played it through the classifier. Progress!

At 5am both the birds and me are awake and the first detections ...

2025-08-23T04:52:12Z

At 5am both the birds and me are awake and the first detections on BirdNet Pi have been made, which is exciting.

Using an Adafruit PDM Microphone and ARM USB microphone library to make a USB Microphone from a Pi Pico, connected to a Pi400: https://github.com/ArmDeveloperEcosystem/microphone-library-for-pico.

There are some weirdnesses still to be investigated but it is nice to see it detecting something.

So the microphone now works OK on Ubuntu Linux. However when ...

2025-08-22T16:26:27Z

In reply to nevent1q…tvmd
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So the microphone now works OK on Ubuntu Linux. However when trying on the pi it appears fine but it records silence. I'm just trying to figure out why.

Aha - someone else found the problem: ...

2025-08-22T15:05:03Z

In reply to nevent1q…qcuy
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Aha - someone else found the problem: https://github.com/ArmDeveloperEcosystem/microphone-library-for-pico/issues/38

It seems to record voices with Linux. Using the Adafruit PDM microphone first for bird detection and if that goes OK will try changing to the other one for bats.

If you want a collaborator that makes a microphone that says ...

2025-08-22T14:26:45Z

In reply to nevent1q…tj0d
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If you want a collaborator that makes a microphone that says "usb_set_interface failed" then sure! The Pi Pico USB microphone works fine on my Mac but not on Linux. Digging in to see if it is the usual Linux sound mess or something Linux needs but the Microphone doesn't provide....At least it works on MacOS so that's a start!

I would never have thought of that but it makes sense. I'm ...

2025-08-22T12:47:32Z

In reply to nevent1q…sagu
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I would never have thought of that but it makes sense. I'm hoping by playing about with this stuff some interesting things like that will emerge, but who knows! First step is getting the USB microphone code to behave....

That's really interesting - so you mean grasshoppers make ...

2025-08-22T12:46:19Z

In reply to nevent1q…dvd9
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That's really interesting - so you mean grasshoppers make some kind of ultrasonic sound which it picked up?

Yes - meeting would be good. Are any particular times good for ...

2025-08-21T12:30:09Z

In reply to nevent1q…8ee6
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Yes - meeting would be good. Are any particular times good for you? Could you message my phone?

I think it would be neat to build multiple detectors and ...

2025-08-21T12:28:02Z

In reply to nevent1q…v3f0
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I think it would be neat to build multiple detectors and triangulate bats and show their flight live in 3D - but that might be too ambitious! https://github.com/macaodha/batdetect2 I got that to run on the sample files so curious to see if we can detect bats and identify them!

...although I don't know if you actually want this ...

2025-08-20T18:08:41Z

In reply to nevent1q…e8sy
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...although I don't know if you actually want this information: I've just been looking at it so it sort of splurged out automatically. Sorry if you don't actually care and were really talking about cartoons I don't remember!!

I looked at microphones and many projects seem to use similar ...

2025-08-20T18:06:20Z

In reply to nevent1q…tcqc
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I looked at microphones and many projects seem to use similar variants: Warning - too much detail might be incoming: if my notes are correct- pippyg uses SPV0142LR5H-1 microphone; Audiomoth uses SPM0408LE5H microphone; something else uses SPU0410LR5H microphone. These microphones all seem to be rated up to 20kHz but the data sheet shows them testing up to 80kHz. I have no idea what the differences between them are however!

From what I can tell the pippyg microphone software comes from ...

2025-08-20T18:01:34Z

In reply to nevent1q…0jsy
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From what I can tell the pippyg microphone software comes from https://github.com/ArmDeveloperEcosystem/microphone-library-for-pico but has extra digital filtering - the source (for the microphone only) is available somewhere in a Google drive file on the site. Sparkfun sell a SPH8878LR5H microphone breakout which might be similar - have ordered one and going to try with a Pico to make a microphone and see what happens.

We walked past Redford Barracks at the weekend and there seems to ...

2025-08-18T15:42:17Z

In reply to nevent1q…tw99
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We walked past Redford Barracks at the weekend and there seems to be some kind of Army "Expo" thing on this week there. I guess perhaps it was flying there to be shown off?

I just experimented by using an AI to help me write an AI. It was ...

2025-08-14T16:57:37Z

I just experimented by using an AI to help me write an AI. It was successful (and I'm impressed), but I suspect I may be being reduced to a tool to help them reproduce.

(I don't why it asked me for help with motors and steel and opposable thumbs when I'm trying to write an audio classifier tool, but nobody really knows how deep neural networks work so I suppose it knows best).

Discovered this mysterious old radio aerial/antenna during our ...

2025-08-03T10:23:37Z

Discovered this mysterious old radio aerial/antenna during our Pentland Hills walk yesterday. The information board says it was used to receive signals from South Africa during WW2 but it feels too small and unlikely a location for this. Found a blog which believes it was used by Edinburgh university electrical engineering dept in the 1960s for ionospheric research: https://boghall-radio-masts.blogspot.com/2017/

I've got one AA battery left over from my Tandy (Radio Shack) ...

2025-06-20T07:30:23Z

In reply to nevent1q…ygzu
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I've got one AA battery left over from my Tandy (Radio Shack) battery club membership but I still carry the card in my wallet so I'm waiting until the end of the month so I can claim my next free one.

That is true, but you have to take the perks you can get on the ...

2025-05-31T07:46:09Z

In reply to nevent1q…g4gz
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That is true, but you have to take the perks you can get on the way.

If you phone their "helpline" you get sent a series of ...

2025-05-31T07:35:51Z

In reply to nevent1q…60eg
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If you phone their "helpline" you get sent a series of bad AI generated emails. My parcel is currently lost, but they started with "experiencing a mismatch between item and driver" followed by "I will tell them to llook for it" until they say "a high likelihood the parcel will not arrive but we are still searching" followed by silence for three weeks. I tell you this as the bad emails did provide some compensatory wntertainment, which you may also enjoy.

I think you might have the right idea...

2025-05-12T18:15:22Z

In reply to nevent1q…eky2
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I think you might have the right idea...

I remember electronics magazines sometimes had DIY projects - ...

2025-05-12T17:12:39Z

In reply to nevent1q…00z3
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I remember electronics magazines sometimes had DIY projects - e.g.

A DIY EMG - https://archive.org/details/eti-top-projects-vol-6/page/106/mode/2up

or

"Learn to reduce tension levels" https://www.worldradiohistory.com/UK/Electronics-Today-UK/ETI-Top-Projects-1988-Vol-5.pdf

"Of course it should be stated that various mystics and yogis have previously demonstrated this type of ability but the fascination of biofeedback. The speed and ease with which this type of control can be learned."

Interesting: as a PDA nerd of the time I have vague memories of ...

2025-05-10T10:27:15Z

In reply to nevent1q…wt36
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Interesting: as a PDA nerd of the time I have vague memories of Casio making this, and perhaps Tandy licensing it - I think their early 80s pocket computers were rebadged Sharp ones so maybe the pattern continued. My searching suggests it is the same as the Casio Z7000 so perhaps my memory isn't completely faulty, but that's a dubious assumption. Speaking Casio makes me think I must get batteries for my Credit card sized "Data bank" clock/calculator to see if it still works!

Nostr event nevent1qqsgfp48y55256rlp9whsuq4rlvqace7dhhn5rerdzmf3fp3ve07uxszyqas9gc03nn6k8d8eef3dp5m5p956avzn2pm802tuj57t294hewz2uqplwv

2025-05-04T09:41:57Z

To the sailors I know in Edinburgh: May the Forth be with you.

did you find yourself thinking "How weird that the other ...

2025-04-16T06:45:06Z

In reply to nevent1q…erff
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did you find yourself thinking "How weird that the other person who uploaded it has the same name as me!". My brain has smart moments like that before it figures out what happened.

The newly restored gas holder in Granton was looking great in the ...

2025-04-06T17:24:56Z

The newly restored gas holder in Granton was looking great in the sun today. It has been turned into a park.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cvgnpn8vx79o

#edinburgh

I woke up early so decided to be all smug and go to the gym while ...

2025-03-16T10:09:46Z

I woke up early so decided to be all smug and go to the gym while watching all the lazy people sleeping with their curtains closed. Got there a bit after 8am and there was a class full of people doing aerobics, or something: jumping around with lots of music. They were both there earlier than me and being more energetic than me: meh.

I decided that being smug was futile so watched the swans (which disappeared by the time I took this photo) instead. It has a lovely view.

Lesson: don't be smug.

Heard a lovely clicking sound while standing outside the St James ...

2025-03-05T12:39:31Z

Heard a lovely clicking sound while standing outside the St James shopping centre. Looked up and there were around 100 birds in the trees.

I suppose pied wagtails must like having clothes shopping and a food court nearby.

#edinburgh

The EE website tells me I should visit the website because the ...

2025-01-24T12:16:04Z

The EE website tells me I should visit the website because the website isn't working. My brain isn't equipped for this new logic.

I downloaded the English language wikipedia text and wrote it to ...

2025-01-22T23:30:25Z

I downloaded the English language wikipedia text and wrote it to a Bluray disk. I'm very grateful for the generosity of the contributors and the project that I am able to do this and have an offline copy of so much knowledge, and I find it so amazing. I think it will be fun to convert the text to PDFs and visualise how much shelf space Wikipedia would take up in a library.

In my list of "maybe at some point" projects: I've ...

2025-01-10T15:24:44Z

In reply to nevent1q…7snr
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In my list of "maybe at some point" projects: I've always wanted to see how much effort it would take to strip out the Psion specific stuff from MAME...I think it would be fun to build a Psion 3a emulator that can run on a microcontroller, and maybe build a "modern" 3a with a mechanical keyboard, or something. I should think a CPU emulator plus the Psion bits isn't (hopefully) too complex and presumably should build faster.

I hope you don't feel washed and reused.

2025-01-07T17:33:41Z

In reply to nevent1q…3q5c
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I hope you don't feel washed and reused.

@npub17c8…rs80 I'm enjoying this Christmas present - saying ...

2025-01-01T13:06:57Z

Tube Mapper - Luke Agbaimoni (npub17c8…rs80) I'm enjoying this Christmas present - saying "Come and look at this great picture on Mastodon" must have worked! But I might not be able to visit London again after you compared Oxford Circus station to a giant spider. I want to practise seeing things like that this year.

Beginning the experiment in growing lions mane mushrooms thanks ...

2025-01-01T12:45:57Z

Beginning the experiment in growing lions mane mushrooms thanks to a Christmas present kit

I liked Aqua..I bought an original Mac mini which felt like an ...

2024-12-23T20:55:13Z

In reply to nevent1q…5rha
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I liked Aqua..I bought an original Mac mini which felt like an evolution of UNIX workstations. I keep meaning to solder a VGA connector onto a Pi Pico, as I see there is a project to emulate an original Mac 128 on one, which looks interesting to try.

I hope you're managing to cope with an OS that has fewer ...

2024-12-23T10:30:25Z

In reply to nevent1q…rkul
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I hope you're managing to cope with an OS that has fewer bugs, starts up quickly and doesn't try to upload everything to iCloud. It sounds nightmarish to me...I mean how do you know where the buttons and controls are when the UI isn't flat?

(Apologies...I'm grumpy as I tried to copy files yesterday and MacOS seems to intermittently disconnect USB drives now and it was very annoying).

I read that out and someone said "I had a grandmother that ...

2024-12-21T20:10:54Z

In reply to nevent1q…kpna
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I read that out and someone said "I had a grandmother that used to talk about closing the light; to turn it off". Confusing...

Today I learned after a very important argument: The ...

2024-12-21T18:28:47Z

Today I learned after a very important argument: The "correct" orientation for a switch depends on where you are from. Some countries use "Up" to mean "ON" but others (including the UK) use "Down" to mean "ON".
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Light_switch

Apparently we were both correct, but of course I really know who was right.

Next up in important arguments: Should water go down the drain clockwise or anticlockwise?

Well after a tight race with many many voters it looks like the ...

2024-12-21T11:01:33Z

In reply to nevent1q…ppwz
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Well after a tight race with many many voters it looks like the wisdom of the crowds was correct...from what definitely looks to be a statistically valid sample size.