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Damn you, Arduino...I have no free time for this.

ryanwaggoner.com

31–40 of 65 posts

Re: Damn you, Arduino...I have no free time for this.

#31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's technical/mathematical rather than news, but there's this one: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1846682

I actually read and voted up that submission, but you have to understand that the set of people who care about / understand a post like that is small. As a result, with a generalized community like HN, you're always going to fight to get attention for stuff like that, especially as HN grows. This is an excellent argument for something like subreddits, because otherwise the community just gets more and more shallow. B…

  > I actually read and voted up that submission,
Thank you

  > you have to understand that the set of people who
  > care about / understand a post like that is small.
I've always known this, but I find it surprising that so many HNers seem to fall into that category. I've always thought of people here as interested in pretty much anything technical, as I am, but it seems like they're not.

Which I guess is just a thing to know.

  > This is an excellent argument for something like
  > subreddits, because otherwise the community just
  > gets more and more shallow.
Or something. I see sub-reddits as being like folders, whereas I'd rather have something like tags. I'd like the chance to stumble across something out of my comfort zone but still engaging and interesting.

I've got ideas and working on something in what's laughingly called my copious free time.

Re: Damn you, Arduino...I have no free time for this.

#32
post #10

lol... I had the exact same thoughts when I got my Arduino a couple months ago. Now time to find a project...

Oh comment bait! With an Arduino, you could...

* Generate NTSC signals - http://www.arduino.cc/playground/Main/TVout * Make a mini http server - https://code.google.com/p/webduino/ * Drive nixie tubes - http://www.ogilumen.com/nixie-nixie-driver-kits-p-92.html (don't kill yourself on the voltages)

Sigh. So many little projects, so little time...

Re: Damn you, Arduino...I have no free time for this.

#33
post #17

Arduinos are a ton of fun, myself and a couple other startup/web dev/hackers I know have gotten into them recently. Warning: Shameless plug ahead http://blog.tomgraft.com/tag/arduino/

I took a contest at my school to make a gps-waypoint-driven (rc)car.

Was really interesting interfacing the arduino with an h-bridge for motor control, GPS module, and servo.

These are powerful little devices.

The small bit of documentation I attempted is here: http://arduino-car.blogspot.com/

Re: Damn you, Arduino...I have no free time for this.

#34
post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well, this is the same guy who wrote "The Secret To Getting on the HN Front Page".

I remember reading that and wondering how many people follow it. Today, after watching yet another of my more technical submissions sink without trace, I start to wonder whether I should game the system in the ways he suggests. After all, it would demonstrate and make use of the knowledge I've gained from being here here a while, and perhaps it would give my submissions a fighting chance among yet another submission…

There's a reason your contest (http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1394751) did so well (I'd like to see some more analysis, too, nudge nudge...)

I'm not entirely certain what to think of this, either.

Re: Damn you, Arduino...I have no free time for this.

#35
post #15

Ryan, I really like a lot of your posts, but some of them feel a little light for HN. This one could be summarized as "I got an Arduino, Physical products are really cool". Kind of bummed its #1 right now. Nothing personal against you, just that personality rather than content seems to be rocketing things up the page.

Well, this is the same guy who wrote "The Secret To Getting on the HN Front Page".

Not a fan, huh? :) I can appreciate that, but I'm curious to know what kinds of things you'd prefer to see. It doesn't look like you've submitted much to HN, so it's hard to get a sense of what kinds of content you'd like to see here.

I haven't been writing for that long, and I'm sure I suck in many ways, so rather than just complain, tell me what I can do to improve.

Re: Damn you, Arduino...I have no free time for this.

#36
post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm working on something. PG hasn't yet responded to a question, so I'm reluctant to do too much work or say too much about it before then.

Awesome! If youre working in python by any chance I could write some code for it too.

I'll return to these comments and come back to you if anything comes of it.

ADDED IN EDIT: I've now associatively filed your email address as well.

Re: Damn you, Arduino...I have no free time for this.

#37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I remember reading that and wondering how many people follow it. Today, after watching yet another of my more technical submissions sink without trace, I start to wonder whether I should game the system in the ways he suggests. After all, it would demonstrate and make use of the knowledge I've gained from being here here a while, and perhaps it would give my submissions a fighting chance among yet another submission…

There's a reason your contest ( http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1394751 ) did so well (I'd like to see some more analysis, too, nudge nudge...) I'm not entirely certain what to think of this, either.

The "contest" is on my to-do list, from which things are slowly getting excised. The "Spikey Spheres" article was one, the 1800 dimensional optimisation is the next.

Re: Damn you, Arduino...I have no free time for this.

#38
post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think we desperately need something like subreddits so that people can self organize into groups where they create and consume information to their liking.

I'm working on something. PG hasn't yet responded to a question, so I'm reluctant to do too much work or say too much about it before then.

I've had a few random thoughts in and around this area, so if you ever want to talk about this, get in touch...

I even had a fully working prototype that I ended up losing somewhere...

Re: Damn you, Arduino...I have no free time for this.

#39
I've had other people tell me the same thing.

I've been an embedded software guy forever so it can be hard to remember how much fun it was to blink an LED, but the excitement on the faces of experienced (non-embedded) SW people when they blink that first LED, or move a servo motor or whatever is palpable. There's a reason I never moved onto the desktop or server world: this stuff is addictive :-)

Re: Damn you, Arduino...I have no free time for this.

#40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm working on something. PG hasn't yet responded to a question, so I'm reluctant to do too much work or say too much about it before then.

I've had a few random thoughts in and around this area, so if you ever want to talk about this, get in touch... I even had a fully working prototype that I ended up losing somewhere...

Your email address has also been associatively filed. Thanks.
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