mattb [is] always sleeping
analog thoughts in a digital æther
Mar
11

After a prolonged hiatus, something brief

This past weekend me and my friend David took advantage of the gorgeous weather and rode up in the mountains for an afternoon.  We headed towards Pilot Mountain in NC, then proceeded up to Virginia and rode along the Blue Ridge Parkway, eventually making our way through Stuart, VA before heading back to Greensboro by way of Ridgeway, VA.  I hope I’m recalling the sequence of highways accurately enough, because I was more concerned with enjoying the mountain twisties than paying close attention to where my friend was leading us.  All that matters is that we made it back whole and no worse for the wear (well, aside from a bit of a sore back from six hours of riding).  Below is a photo David was kind enough to take of me on Pilot Mountain (yes, I do wear that hat everywhere).

Pilot Mountain, NC, 2009-03-08

Pilot Mountain, NC, 2009-03-08

Posted in Events, Motorized things, Travels | No Comments »

Aug
11

Motorized CSS arachnotheremin redux

It’s been some time since I’ve posted, but I have been busy with life and such.  However, here I am again with some cool site updates!  First off, I’ve finally finished my series on the GT Theremin with the remaining circuit details, lots of information and photos about construction, and some results and final comments.  This series of pages basically represents how I would have written the final reports for the project if I had the time and were granted total creative discretion.  Please let me know if I have made any errors or omissions or if any of my explanations are unclear.  Or you may just contact me to say hello; that’s fine too.

In the process of writing all these pages on the GT Theremin, I realized that my site layout afforded horizontal insufficient space for text given my penchant for verbosity.  Therefore I’ve updated the style sheets to give me some breathing room and hopefully make longer pages less tedious for you to read.

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Posted in Cool stuff, Events, Motorized things, Projects | No Comments »

Jul
27

Arthropods make poor bedfellows

Here’s a fun quiz for all you aspiring arachnologists out there:

What small, brown spider is indigenous to the southern United States, possesses three pairs of eyes instead of four, is sometimes called a “fiddleback” due to a distinctive violin-shaped marking on the top of its cephalothorax, and is equipped with a highly toxic venom which can cause severe tissue necrosis?

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Posted in Events | 1 Comment »

Jul
13

New pad

So about two weeks ago, I packed up most of my things into my car and this cargo van:

Packed moving van

Now that I’m more or less settled in my new apartment here in Greensboro, I took a few photos so you guys can assess my living conditions and evaluate whether visiting me will be a safe and sanitary experience.  Read on, fearless friend.

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Posted in Cool stuff, Events, Travels | 2 Comments »

Jun
25

A learning experience

Guess what I did this weekend? For a hint, take a look at the picture immediately after the cut.

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Posted in Events, Projects | 3 Comments »