As usual my list of things to do is getting longer instead of shorter. My good friend hackaday popped up with this today. It’s a tiny circuit that you plug into the “bulb” input of your Canon (o Nikon apparently) DSLR nad it allows you to take photos at set intervals of your choice.

I have thought about doing something like this for a while, although all my ideas would have been much larger, and would have been externally powered. This one is tiny! Like seriously small and it drains a tiny amount of current from the camera itself. So now it’s just to get my hands on the items. The author claims the parts cost him less than a dollar, although I expect to spend a fiar bit more than that here in SA.

… and effort I finally got hold of a tablet for myself.

<image missing>

As you can probably see I haven’t had much practice with it, But I figure the only way I’ll get better is to practice, as painful as it may be.

In any case I’m not disheartened, as I didn’t get the pen to write with, but rather to draw. That is my intention in any case. I’ve always wanted to be able to put more natural curves into the graphics and minor photoshopping I do on the PC, and the mouse movements my hand is capable of has always annoyed me.

That led me to eventually hunt down a Wacom Bamboo Pen from Expansys. The way Expansys works, I later found out, is that they have branches throughout the word which source products as cheap as possible, and then import them from that branch. Something which isn’t very clearly indicated on their website.

In any case, after a few days I get an e-mail form them saying they’ve sourced my Pen from France, and that it should arrive in SA after 20 days or so. Fine I though, I’m in no particular hurry. So slightly more than 20days go past, and no news. I send them an email and they tell me there’s been a delay and they’ll opnly be receiving it the following week, it’s then an expected 10days to deliver it to the Cape apparently.

So it was with quite some surprise that two days later I receive an e-mail with a tracking numberfrom Expansys. Great, I think, and my package is duly collected from the post office. Before Iget home that evening however, I receive an e-mail telling me not to open the package, as they’ve sent me the wrong one.

So I ge thome and open the package anyways, and lo and behold, they’ve sent me the more expensive, Bamboo Touch & Pen. Anyway, they basically sent me this product, and another dude who was supposed to get the Touch & Pen mine. So a week later, we both have our respective packages and I’m happy.

In unrelated news, my Absa Debit Card was declined on Saturday for the first time ever. I was extremely embarrassed, even more so after the second time I tried it. My only saving grace being my Credit Card, which luckily had some extra money left on it, and which decided to have mercy on me.

I was very taken aback at this. On teh lady at Spar’s teller, DECLINED, shows up in nice big letters on a red background, and I had no idea what to do. After the second time trying, I knew I had used the correct pin. I had drawn money that mornign, and knew I had more than enough money in my account and my daily limit was also no where near being exceeded.

The lady behind the counter looked annoyed at me wasting her time, and could not give me any information as to why my card had been declined. Her computer just told her my card doesn’t work. So after paying with my credit card, I left Spar and headed straight to the nearest computer with an internet connection.

After several recent card skimming scams and things happening in the nearby Somerset West, and the fact that I’d used an Absa ATM that morning, i suddenly feared for my money sitting in my account, including my recently aquired wages from my past 4 weeks work.

After finally getting onto my online banking, I was relieved to receive my SMS notification, and to see all my money sitting happily in my account. I then relaxed a bit and decided to give ABSA a call, to see if they could tell me why my card had been declined.

It boils down to no, they couldn’t. I even gave the one operator my card number but he couldn’t get very far with it. The other one told me if I wanted to check the status of my debit card I’d have to register for telephone banking, something I was in no mood to do. I actually still don’t know if my card works. One of the operator’s mumbled somethign about the Point of Sale system not having been working at some stage on Saturday, so I have taken slight solice in that.

But I was still so shocked to see that Declined showing up on the teller, and can’t believe how self-conscious I suddenly felt. I like it even less when I know it was in no way an event that I could control, I felt like I wanted to explain to the people behind me in the queue that, no, I have money in my account etc.

But anyway, for me, after 3 weeks of vacation, 4 weeks of work and a weekend, I’m back in Stellenbosch. My roommate is in China till Sunday, so I’ve got a single room. It’s nicely peaceful as I jot away on my tablet.

To the beginning of a new term.

I’ve always had an issue with people at major events who sit in the stands tens of metres away from an object they are desperately trying to caputre a photo of. Watching the opening of the Olympics or any major event, all you see in the crowds is hundreds of flashes going off the whole time. Flashes which try in vain to reflect off something with photgraphic worth. but alas.

Anyway, this comic reminded me of the issue and I couldn’t agree with him more.

This is also a reminder to myself to upload some documents here which I can never find and am always looking for.

Over the past couple weeks more and more often I’ve felt the need to just post random tidbits of information, interesting links or other random things, and I always forget. So in an effort to better make use of my R29pm I’m going to try do a post a month with something in it.

Obviously by now I’ve forgotten everything I had intended to post, but such is life.

Last week I started work for Silas Valley Innovations, a mainly Electronic Engineering focused firm. I’m doing a 4 week stint with them for some work experience and as is required for my studies. The work they’re doing is very interesting, and it’s all very new to me, to be in part of the development process of a product, although i feel that I sometimes get in the way.

I’ve had a list of things I’ve been wanting to do for ages, but never seem to get around to it. It seems that I’m always busy doing something, which is usually something I’ve just added to the list and it never seems to get any shorter.

One thing I’ve finally got completed is to get a second computer up and running and I’ll be running them in series back at varsity, connecting through my “server” onto the network. The “server” is a newish Intel D510mo. It’s a motherboard which comes with the Dual Core Atom Processor built in already. Completely quiet, and draws very little power.

So I decided to build a case for it. This comprised of taking an old ATX case that used to run a P2, and modifying it. I’ve knocked off about 10cm from the front, and 10cm from the top as well and am in the process of making nic eside panels for it. It’s not the prettiest looking thing ever, and I have one or two logistical issues to sort out, but I think it will be a good start into my modding “career”. Will post some pics once it’s finished.

I’ve recently ordered myself a Wacom Bamboo Pen. I found it nice and cheap on Expansys. I hadn’t used them previously, but their price worked out at almost R100 cheaper so decided to give them a try. So it turns out they have a bunch of branches all over the world and source the cheapest product and then ship it to wherever it’s been ordered. So it’s been 15 days, and I am still waiting for it to arrive in South Africa, sent them an email today, and am waiting for a reply.

Hackaday is one of my favourite websites to look through, so many amazing things being designed and thought up there. Pretty cool design and everything that one guy went through to build himself a 16TB netowrk storage device.

I’ve also started twittering, well I started a few months ago, but haven’t really got into it. I have however gone like 8 months without a facebook update.

Shortly after I got my camera I started buying the monthly publication, SACM (South African Computer Magazine), they were runnign a monthly photo competition and helped me keep motivated. I eventually got round to subscribing, but alas, several months later tehy ran out of money and stopped publishing. Their licence was handed over to “Combustion Publishing”, who now offer it as a free e-zine. They’ve so far released only 2 issues, of which I scanned through. It’s definitely not as smooth as the old SACM, but the content is solid and for a free magazine I can’t really complain.

However I did. They have no contact details anywhere, but run a WP based blog, so I commented on their latest issue. Almost 3 weeks down the line my comment is still “awaiting moderation”, yet 5 subsequent comments by other people have been publsihed, and I’ve received no feedback. My message goes as follows:
I just have several comments about the website. Firstly if you’re not going to have any reviews/columns.news etc, remove the buttons from the page. Also update the “About” section so it actually says something. All of it makes the website appear very sloppy.
Anothe rthing is hte hordes of fake comments on the April Issue’s post, even last 3 comment on this post are obviously fakes.
As an avid reader of the previous SACM, I’m disapointed to see things like this happening to the brand. For everyone, especially a web-only publication, first appearances are what capture audiences.
There are also no e-mail addresses available to contact you guys. I was forced to comment here, whereas I would much rather have emailed this to someone, in a less public manner.
Apart from that the content in the magazine looks fairly solid which I’m glad to see, still waiting for June’s issue though.

My biggest issue was that their previous issues post had 133 comments on it. 90% of which were blatant bot posts, and which they clearly did not moderate. Someone called “Russel” (who I assume is staff) actually replied to a bot’s comment (the name was Nadia, and linked to Victoria’s Secrets website…). I jsut read through majority of the posts on the first iussue. And it seems like the staff are answering many of the comments thinking they are genuine replies to their magazine. I’ve recently noticed that they have removed all the unused buttons/links on the website.

Anyway, I think that’s enough for now. Something to indicate this is still used.

ciao.

PS: I despise Vuvuzelas