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Health & Fitness

It's here the new Phone Book, Oops – Windows 8

Robots, Phone Book and Windows oh my!

Okay no I’m not talking about the phone book but like Steve Martin in the Jerk I’m excited about Windows 8 being released to manufacturing (RTM). This is a mile stone in technology and a forward step into a new UI (User Interface). The Metro (Modern UI) interface is more focused on tablets and touch screen technology but the engine under the UI is what gets me all warm and fuzzy. The new lower level core is faster and smaller and drives the upper layers and security just better than before.

Like many the UI will take time to love or in my case not love.  I have turned it off at every boot and go old school babe. I’m just not ready like many to go tiles and click to make my system work. I’m like many an icon guy and well I guess tiles are just huge icons so maybe, just maybe I’ll learn to like the new interface.

Okay now let us talk ROBOTS. I hope you had time to visit all the great ROBOTS at the fest this year. These kids from our area schools put on one heck of a show for us. They are being asked back next year per (“Andy” Andrew Kaczmarek trustee) for another event. These human controlled devices do some amazing things with some very low powered processing. Just like the Mars robot (Curiosity) it takes its commands from a small processor programmed by software engineered with a set of language instructions. These instructions are a series of carefully crafted code all developed in six weeks or less. The six week limit is part of the task for these young adults to build, program and test the ROBOT before being entered in local and national events. These small teams do what JPL in a lesser degree does in many years and while the tasks are basic in nature they are on the same degree of difficulty. Think of it, it is like teaching your 1 year old how to climb a stair, shoot a basketball and walk at the same time in just six weeks, OH MY!

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So I look forward to next year and watching ROBOTS dancing in our parking lots and really I’m so excited about being in the phone book I can bust!

CAW (Cool Application of Week)

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Okay here jumps that GEEK out of me. Every year I try and learn something new in programming or something in hardware during the long nights of winter well here is this year’s fun. Raspberry Pi is my next little big project. This small computer and controllers can be purchased for under $100.00 allowing anyone to craft geeky stuff. This little processor is just like an ANROID without the phone, powerful and simple. So learn something new the kids are back in school, time to let that inner nerd out for a little fun.

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