Old School Hacker

Dirty Rhymes in Electronics - Resistor Colour Codes

Back when I was in southern Ontario, I met a ham on the air who told me a rhyme he used to memorize the resistor colour codes.  An interesting thing about the hobby of ham radio is that you meet some amazing people who have been working with radio and electronics for decades.  I remember tales of a fellow buying his first transistor to play with, in the 60s, for $75.  A princely sum even now.  This rhyme goes back at least to the 60s, and may be even older than that.  Those with particularily delicate sensibilities may be offended.  The rhyme, and it's explanation, after the jump.

Clayton and Shuttleworth Diesel

Tangye Diesel

First attempt with scheduling a post, see if it works :)

Arduino NG Mod

The Arduino blog has a post up showing those of us who own Arduino NGs how to negate the need for manual reset before loading with a program.  The only change I would make is that I would see if I could fit a surface mount cap on, for purely aesthetic reasons.

Reasonably Doubtful

This is a most interesting article on Yahoo news.  To quote:

 

"BLOOMINGTON, Minn. - Police said a 9-year-old girl told them her grandmother poured her two drinks from a gin bottle while she was watching TV.

Bloomington Police Commander Jim Ryan said the girl remembers vomiting, hitting her head and blacking out about 1 p.m. Aug. 31."

I present a riddle for the reader in these two lines.  There is at least one medical impossibility, and another stark improbability.  Can you find them?  Answer is after the jump.

Lolcats

A thought on why lolcats are as funny as they are.  I grew up with cats, my parents still have them.  Every cat has a very different personality and is unique in it's own way.  They do become friends over time.  The simple reality is that if cats could talk, these are things they would really say.  The content of many lolcats images really does reflect the sort of personality that cats have.  As for spelling and grammar, do you really expect cats to be that good at spelling? :)

New Designs in Class D Amplifiers

From Maxim comes this application note.  They discuss newer designs for the Class D amplifiers that allow removal of the final low-pass output stage filter, and reduce noise.

Worthington Diesel Startup

Saw this on youtube, and couldn't resist!  It's a Worthington Diesel, being started.

Queen of Bithynia

Everybody's heard of Julius Caesar, but not so many have heard of the gossip about him.  His full name was Gaius Julius Caesar(Gaius being his real first name).  We have a number of sources on his life, including a few histories.  Tacitus is considered the more somber source, exhibiting a healthy skepticism regarding much of the rumours that surrounded different roman rulers.  This is useful for establishing the truth, but it's not as much fun as our good friend Suetonius.  Suetonius included rumour and dirty limericks.  All the gossip and dirt.  It is from Suetonius that we hear of Julius Caesar's penchant for romance with a particular wide palette.  Speaking of his time in Bithynia, Suetonius shares some of the gossip with us:

His first campaign was served in Asia, on the staff of the praetor, M. Thermus; and being dispatched into Bithynia, ¹ to bring thence a fleet, he loitered so long at the court of Nicomedes, as to give occasion to reports of lewd proceedings between him and that prince; which received additional credit from his hasty return to Bithynia, under the pretext of recovering a debt due to a freedman, his client. 

Further along:

It is admitted by all that he was much addicted to women, as well as very expensive in his intrigues with them, and that he debauched many ladies of the highest quality;

It is said that he was called "the Queen of Bithynia" for his rumoured relationship with King Nicomedes II of Bithynia.  You can read much of it here on Perseus, although they don't have the preceeding chapter which directly addresses his relationship with Nicomedes online. 

Latin

I spent a year in university, studying the classics(ancient roman and greek culture and civilization).  I wasn't able to finish that degree, something I continually regret.  I continue to learn on my own what I can and build up my library.  I have recently learned of a daily vocabulary email from Textkit for both latin and greek.  You do need to sign up for their newsletter first, but it is an interesting email.  Thus far I've had two words:

dominus, -i, m. lord, master

cibus, -i, m. food

These two words can give us phrases like eda cibum non infantes, "Eat Food, Not Children."  There is dominus edat cibum, "The master is eating food."  Or dominus edat seruum, "The master is eating the slave."  Dominus verberat cibum serui - which, if I remember right, would be "The master is hitting the slave's food."  or, "The master is hitting the food of the slave."