Author Archives: tigoe
Open Hardware Summit, Sept 23, 2010
So what exactly is open source hardware? We’re getting closer to a consensus definition, thanks to Ayah Bdeir and Eyebeam. A few months ago, she put together a workshop on open source hardware, and invited a group of people who … Continue reading
Physicality, Conviviality, and Openness
Physicality, conviviality, and openness are the themes of a series of talks I gave last week to the HCI group at RWTH Aachen, thanks to Jan Borchers. These three ideas run through most of the work I’ve been doing over … Continue reading
Practice, Practice, Practice
Ashlynn Dewey just sent me links to a new Nike+ ad that she ran across that reminded her of our physical computing class(thanks, Ash!). It’s a great video that shows a couple of supercool Japanese DJs making music on specially … Continue reading
Happy Ada Day, and thanks
Today being Ada Lovelace Day (though I’d like to see Grace Hopper day too), it seems a good time to say thank you to three women without whom I wouldn’t be doing what I do. Stacy Horn, founder of Echo … Continue reading
Random thoughts on consciousness and physical experience, coming together
I just had one of those wonderful moments where a bunch of ideas that had been floating around in my head for a number of years came together and made sense, thanks to a section of Alva Noë’s book Out … Continue reading
MAKE: Electronics: I love this book!
Make: Electronics, Charles Platt. © 2009 Make Books, Sebastapol, CA; 1st edition ISBN: 0596153740 Just go buy it. It’s the best introductory book I’ve read on electronics. To start with, the book is gorgeous. Maybe you can’t judge a book by … Continue reading
Traceroute Fun
The students in my Understanding Networks class had a short assignment this past week, to run a couple dozen traceroutes, and do visualizations with the results. A few interesting points came out of it. Alejandro Kaufmann did traces mostly on … Continue reading
Idle speculation on the shan zhai and open fabrication
Strategy & Business magazine has an interesting article on the shan zhai manufacturers in China at the moment. It’s the first business press article I’ve seen in the US that takes a relatively balanced approach to reporting on them. It’s … Continue reading
Just like Riding a Bike
The chances are good that if you’re reading this, you probably know how to ride a bicycle. You probably learned so many years ago that you don’t even remember how you learned. When you get on a bike now, it’s … Continue reading
Word Problem
In the remake of The Taking of Pelham 123, a one-car train of the R142/142A generation of NYC subway cars starts up at approximately 33rd st. on the Lexington line. It’s carrying 16 people. With the throttle rigged to full-speed, … Continue reading