InitialState posted a great multipart tutorial about building what he calls a “Hyper-local Weather Dashboard.” In plain language, he created a Raspberry Pi-based web page that fuses weather data from Wunderground along with locally sensed weather data. The tutorial has thee parts. The first part covers reading data from Wunderground using their developer’s API (you’ll need an API key; a free one is good for 500 queries a day).
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Perch isn’t the only app that does this, but it looks like the most user-friendly on the Play Store at the moment. Install Perch on one of your spare phones or tablets, point it towards whatever you want to monitor, like the front door or a baby crib, then log into GetPerch.com. You can see a live video feed from your phone’s camera and set up some smart settings, specifically
One of the most popular programming languages in the world is getting its own conference thanks to Java South Africa. The inaugural “I Code Java Conference” will be taking place in Cape Town and invites anyone willing to part with their debug consoles to come and train, as well as connect with their fellow developers. The two days will be filled with practicals as well as talks from experts. Indran Naick; CTO for
rAge is South Africa’s biggest annual video gaming, computer, technology and geek culture exhibition. It is held annually at the Ticketpro Dome in Northgate, Johannesburg and will take place this year Friday to Sunday, 9-11 October. Over the course of the weekend tens of thousands of enthusiastic fans descend on the venue for three days of gaming, technology, gadgets, and geek lifestyle entertainment. Visit the official rAge Expo site here. Check out
We built a switch that does everything you need to get ready for a Netflix marathon with just one press. It turns on your TV and brings you right to Netflix, dims your lights, silences your phone, and even orders you food. Intrigued? Follow along with our instructions to make your own. [embedyt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TTlIGdlbTy4[/embedyt] Step 1 Know the Basics. No two switches need to be the same. We’ll walk
Create a phone yourself in minutes and hack a new way to communicate with things, RePhone is an open source and modular phone kit. With Rephone you can: 1.Create your own phone in minutes with the slim MODULES, accessible SOFTWARE, and customizable Phone Enclosures. 2.Hack anything around you, giving inanimate objects the power of cellular communication. Have a conversation with your pets, plants, toys, motorcycle helmets, robots, or drones
It’s a lot easier to get hold of hobbyist and prototyping boards in South Africa than it used to be, but while Raspberry Pi’s and Arduino’s are easy to get hold of, there’s still a premium on imported electronics that can make alternatives tricky to source. Introducing two of our very own local companies, Keystone Electronic Solutions brings us the cutely named Penguin Board, while Arrow Altech has created The Cherry Blossom. The
The hive mentality is inspiring the latest advances in technology and the US military is already experimenting with swarms of robotic boats and aircrafts
The official launch of AfrikaBot 2016 “the world’s most affordable robotics competition” will be held on 3 October 2015 10h00 to 16h00 at Zwartkops Raceway near Centurion, Pretoria. This event will be open to the public, and all high school, college and university undergraduates are invited to attend this prestigious event where they will be able to learn more about how to build an AfrikaBot entry in a series of
Renewable energy equipment supplier Dako Power has revealed that it will be selling Tesla Powerwall unit packages from the beginning of next year. If you’ve never heard of it, the Tesla Powerwall is a lithium-ion batter that receives its charge from solar panels, which was unveiled in May of this year by South African-born technology entrepreneur Elon Musk. At the time of the announcement, it was uncertain whether the Powerwall would make its way
