Ask HN: What's your quarantine side project?

I made a clone of YikYak because I thought that would be a good idea For people in lockdown.

After almost finishing it (only few bugs left) I decided to not bother trying to release it. Like most projects my initial enthusiasm went out the window once I got something working. It’s so ripe for abuse too that it would probably make people feel worse about themselves rather than better. I always sort of knew this but the enthusiasm for the better of me.

I’m instead going to open source all the parts of it (the web app, the sql to recreate the dB, the mobile app, and the API) as that probably has more impact.

For now it still up at https://ottr.chat

Me and my friend have been building a Social Sampler to make music over the internet. Now that the quarantine happened we managed to get a beta out, its taking up most of my free time: https://miidbaby.com/

https://patchgirl.io a REST client that allows you to play scenario of http requests to test/setup your project

I'm designing analog guitar effects.

I only had a few courses in college concerning analog circuits, but if you understand the principles, it's easy to learn from the schematics available on the internet.

So far I've been exploring the use of MOSFETs - I found that the 2N7000 transistor is as cheap and abundant as BJTs, so I'm using it.

This type of transistor is less predictable and has a more complex working principle than a BJT, but with that come additional possibilities.

My last non-idiomatic-but-working design is a MOSFET-based A-class buffer that maintains an optimal operating point using a BJT differential amplifier as a comparator for the feedback loop, maintaining the DC output before the coupling capacitor at exactly half the supply voltage.

It's not linear, but that's the idea - if you plugged in a guitar to it the difference wouldn't be really noticeable, but doing the same with a bass should give a "sweeter", enriched with low harmonics tone.

Speaking of baked goods, I nursed a sourdough starter back to health. I found it in the back of the fridge where I'd neglected it for a couple of years. Poured off the icky gray liquid and scraped off the ugly top layers, and carefully got a pinch of relatively clean but inert looking dry starter crumbles from the bottom. I put that in a fresh jar and have been feeding it, and after a few days it came right back to life and is smelling great! Now to make some bread or pancakes with it.

My other project is harmonica karaoke. I'm not a blues player, I'm more into classic rock and country. Since I'm not that good at improvising, I like to take a song and work on it over and over again to work out a nice part and get the nuances just right.

One is Dreams by Fleetwood Mac, where I play the vocal lead with some jazzy stuff mixed in. I live a few blocks from Menlo-Atherton High School, where Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham met, so it's always fun to play one of her songs. (Harp: Lee Oskar F Major retuned as a high octave C Melody Maker.)

Another is Wagon Wheel, where I worked out the fiddle and organ parts plus some piccolo parts that I made up. (Harp: Lee Oskar A Natural Minor.)

My new lockdown song has been Atomic by Blondie. This one has been super fun! It took a lot of experimenting and trying stuff out, but I came up with an arrangement I'm pretty happy with. Now to beta test at our next Alteryx Got Talent virtual show! (Harp: Lee Oskar E Natural Minor.)

Maybe when we can all do it again, I will get to play some of these songs with other musicians.