Author: james

  • It looks like you are using an ad blocker

    How to remove stupid “It looks like you’re using an ad blocker” message from websites, and why they’re a stupid idea in the first place.

  • September Solar Usage

    Looking at how my home solar battery installation is performing now the weather is less sunny.

  • 1990s Web Culture – How the Internet used to be

    Let’s jack into the ‘net, surf the Information Superhighway and go visit the global village in this video taking a look at mid 90’s Internet culture.

  • How a CPU really works

    Let’s go right inside a CPU and watch it execute code at the transistor level!

  • Solar battery usage

    Some observations about my whole house solar installation and how it performs under different weather conditions.

  • How trying to make pocket calculators do complex maths accidentally invented modern computing

    What happens when you set out to build a pocket calculator? Follow along as we go through the thoroughly bizarre story of how trying to do complex maths and fit it in our pockets lead directly to the machine you’re using right now to read this.

  • Why the 1880 US Census lead to the invention of the computer

    How did the 1880 US Census and the end of World War 2 lead to the invention of the computer? What was it that kickstarted the Information Age? Come with me as we find out how the need to count everyone in 1800s America directly lead to the modern information age and all the technology…

  • RC2014 Raspberry Pi Pico VGA Terminal Self-Build

    The RC2014 is a DIY Z80 based computer that talks to the outside world using serial comms. This means you need a serial interface to another computer in order to control it. Recently I came across the Pi Pico VGA Terminal board that does away with all that faff. Now, I could buy it, but…

  • Wang Tiles and other ways to tile a plane

    Understand the concept of tiling a plane by arranging regular tiles in a systematic manner, creating visually pleasing patterns. Additionally, get introduced to Wang tiles, a fascinating method that employs specific rules for tile placement, resulting in captivating, non-repetitive designs.

  • ICONICA 1000W 12V Hybrid Solar Inverter Fan Replacement

    I replace the noisy fans in my hybrid solar inverter with quieter ones.