Over-engineering an RGB LED strip controller: let’s write a custom...
Digital RGB LED strips are strips of LED lights that can be controlled individually, which makes them really versatile for use in e.g. home automation. Throughout my home there are several strips, each...
View ArticleAn e-Paper based photo frame
Another one of my “lockdown projects” involves a 7.5 inch e-Paper display from Waveshare. Instead of your ordinary computer display, which bombards your eyes with light, e-Paper displays are more...
View ArticleHow many new antennas will be needed for 5G in the Netherlands?
In a study commissioned by the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs, Dialogic finds that between 296 and 726 new antenna sites (which, in many cases, are shared between operators) are necessary over the...
View ArticleJava was far, far ahead of its time
Sometimes innovations come along that are just a bit too far ahead of their time. One of these are Java applets. Back in 2003 (i was fifteen!) I came across a web page that showed a Java applet...
View ArticleAdvanced BI queries using puzzle pieces
In 2013 I developed a user interface for advanced BI analysis using puzzle pieces (MIT Scratch).
View ArticleRunning AI models in the browser using WONNX
Often the best way to understand something is to try and (re)build it yourself. Over the past year, I have become fascinated with machine learning models. Playing around with things like ChatGPT and...
View ArticleUsing cheap Bluetooth ‘key finder’ fobs with ESPHome and Home...
Action sells ‘key finder’ key fobs for as low as €2-3. These key fobs are designed to be used in conjunction with a smartphone app that can do a few things. For example, you can tell the keyfob to make...
View ArticleMake LLM’s output structured JSON data using biasing
To interact with traditional IT systems an LLM would have to consume and produce data in a strictly defined format. LLMs typically have no issue ingesting all sorts of (mixed) data – not only do the...
View ArticleUnderstanding and verifying Syncthing’s untrusted peer encryption
Syncthing is a great piece of open source software that allows you to synchronize folders of files across your devices, without relying on cloud providers such as Dropbox and OneDrive. One scenario it...
View ArticleDo’t let complexity scare you – the case of the Ladybird browser
In order to understand complexity, a good strategy is always to take something apart and try to rebuild it. This is exactly what a few volunteers, lead by a former Safari developer, set out to do. They...
View ArticleSynctrain: a rethought iOS client for Syncthing
Starting with the launch of Dropbox in 2007, we’ve slowly become accustomed to the fact that most of our digital files are always available on all our devices. Tech geeks were skeptical back in 2007 –...
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