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UHK mounting layout
By László Monda|2019-06-16T22:52:18+00:002019-06-16 22:47|features, howto|0 Comments
Some of you asked how to mount your UHK to your armchair, so let us provide a drawing of the back of the UHK. The drawing displays the 8 bronze inserts that allow for mounting.
Click on the image for its higher resolution version, or download the drawing in PDF or DXF format.
Mapping a virtual numpad on the UHK
By László Monda|2019-06-06T21:29:45+00:002019-06-06 21:26|agent, features, howto|0 Comments
People ask from time to time whether we provide a numeric keypad. The answer is no, but one can create a virtual numpad very easily in Agent, the configurator application of the UHK.
See the following screenshot. The numpad is mapped to the Fn layer, and its keys are laid out in a familiar fashion.
The big advantage of a virtual numpad is that one doesn't have to reach out all the way to the other side of the keyboard. This results in increased productivity, and the mouse is much closer, too. That is, if you even use a mouse after mastering the UHK mouse layer.
Lunar UHKs, Unicorns, and the Freeze bug
By László Monda|2018-10-23T20:00:41+00:002018-09-13 22:37|agent, features, manufacturing, news, tech talk|0 Comments
Hi there, and welcome to our monthly status update!
TL;DR: Please update to the latest UHK firmware for macro support, and to help us fix the freeze bug that plagues recent firmware versions. Agent now visualizes secondary roles. We've churned out 6 mini batches since our last update. The development of the modules is going slowly while delivering the pre-orders, but we'll switch to high-gear afterwards.
Update to the latest firmware!
If you're reading this and already have your UHK, please flash the latest 8.4.5 firmware by selecting the .tar.bz2 file from the "Choose firmware and flash it" option in Agent > Firmware. This will result in many goodies over the factory-flashed 8.2.5 firmware, including macro support and numerous bug fixes.
The only gotcha is the freeze bug. Recent firmware versions cause occasional freezes on some UHKs. This is a longstanding bug, and the only reason we haven't yet fixed it is because we can't reproduce it. That's why we need your help! The more people who use the most recent firmware, the easier we can fix the freeze bug based on your feedback.
If your UHK freezes, please be sure to report it according to the freeze bug issue. No worries, you can always downgrade to 8.2.5 to regain stability.
Fancy UHKs
If you're a regular reader of our monthly updates then Max is no stranger to you, as he's on a never ending quest to pimp his UHK. This time, he used the Godspeed Cockpit keycap set to customize his UHK and in his true style, he shared the gory details on Reddit.
In the same spirit, Richard was also busy, and ended up creating the most unicornish UHK with extra rainbow flavour!
#GotMyUHK #mechkb now with a nordic layout and added 🦄🌈flavour! Couldn't find an R1 1.5U OEM backspace so will probably 3D print it one day. I never knew keyboards could be this fun! :) Thanks @UltHackKeyboard! 💎 pic.twitter.com/3Y6XKAN9WF
— Wavi (@Riichrd) September 12, 2018
Secondary role visualization in Agent
Dual-role keys are powerful. When tapping them they trigger their primary role. While holding them and pressing other keys, the secondary role kicks in. The UHK has always supported dual-role keys, but Agent hadn't visualized them. Thankfully, this has just changed with Agent version 1.2.9.
Now Agent can render quite complex scenarios, such as a scancode featuring modifiers and a secondary role. This makes the rendering engine of Agent complete, so you can take a look at any layer and know exactly what each key does based on its visual representation.
As an added bonus, we've made modifiers show up according to your OS, so for example, Super is Command on OSX and it's the Windows key on Windows.
Production progress
The 6 mini batches we have produced over the last month have not constituted our fastest pace, but they're in line with our recent progress. Manufacturing progress occasionally suffers a bit due to a number of factors. For example, our palm rest supplier was on vacation recently, and had to catch up with production. Such cases only cause temporary hiccups, and they can occasionally affect the sizes of mini batches positively or negatively, but we always manage them quite well.
In the meantime, we've already pre-ordered the parts of the second large batch of UHKs. The first large batch contained 2,000 UHKs, and the second large batch contains 1,000 UHKs. We're not VC-funded and fully rely on your support, so being able to pre-order the parts of a large batch is a big achievement for us. This means that production will be uninterrupted in the future, even after delivering the pre-orders. A sincere thank you to every one of our backers for making this huge milestone possible!
Development progress
As you can see, we keep pushing Agent and the firmware, but it's quite a challenge to do heavy R&D these days because production and related tasks are so demanding.
Customer support is time consuming, as well as developing and fine-tuning backend systems. These tasks are not visible from the outside, but they're absolutely necessary to keep things going.
Transitioning to our own webshop did end up heavily affecting our backend systems, including the integration and implementation of the webshop, factory automation, order fulfillment, and invoicing systems. Pre-ordering the parts of the second large batch also called for a procurement system which is up and running, but it has taken quite some time to set up.
Due to the above, we could only make a little progress with the modules. András has further refined their mechanical design, and will hand them off to a mold designer to finalize their mechanical features. I figured out how to optimally panelize their PCBs and factory-flash their firmware the most efficient way. We're mindful about the modules, and will switch to high-gear once the delivery of the pre-orders is over.
Thank you for reading this update! We'll be keeping you updated on all things UHK, and we're looking forward to talking with you on 2018-10-12.
Tweaking the molds and preparing for the pilot run
By László Monda|2018-10-21T19:28:58+00:002017-06-15 20:37|agent, design, electronics, features, manufacturing, modules, news, prototype, tech talk|19 Comments
TL;DR: The BOM is fully finalized and ordered. The UHK prototypes have improved a ton in the EMC department. Agent and the firmware has evolved a lot. The key cluster and trackball modules have been mechanically prototyped and tested. New developers joined our forces. We've tested the molds and found some issues which will introduce some delay. We plan to ship a pilot run of 50 UHKs in July. The rest of the UHKs are planned to be shipped starting from August. Please read on!
You can always check out the expected delivery date and update your shipping address on your Crowd Supply account page.
EMC improvements
We've been visiting the EMC lab of TÜV since our first successful test. The reason is twofold. First, we wanted to improve on the results, and second, there were some further tests to be done.
The testing results that we shared with you the last time already passed, but the safety margin was only 2 dbμV/m, instead of the recommended 5 dbμV/m. Our worry was that the margin was so thin that it was possible for the final test to fail. We really wanted to avoid any potential failure, so we have been tweaking various resistor and capacitor values, and have been trying various bridge cables and USB cables to make the margin wider.
You know what made a drastic difference? The USB cable. As soon as we tried a USB cable with a ferrite choke on the keyboard end, the EMC graph changed very substantially. Don't worry, this ferrite choke is only 24 mm x 14 mm in size, and it's very light so it doesn't weigh down the cable.
The updated EMC graph
According to this graph, we went from a 2 dbμV/m safety margin to about 18 dbμV/m! (See the vertical distance between the blue mark around 100M and the red line.) Given these results, we'd be extremely surprised not to pass the final test.
We've also conducted some further tests that we haven't done before. First, we put the prototype into the test chamber and tried to disturb it with focused radiation. We were watching it with a camera to see whether the LEDs go out, and checked it after the test. The prototype didn't break a sweat and kept functioning perfectly.
In the second test, the USB cable was put into a metal cage, and got a healthy dose of radiation. The criteria for this test is that the device can go out of service, but ultimately, it must recover by the end of the test.
The first time this test was executed, the LEDs on the left keyboard half went out and it didn't recover. After that, I made the firmware much more robust, and as a result, the left keyboard half was able to recover like a champ.
Speaking of LEDs, we got so many inquiries about backlighting that it justified its own post, so here you are: Everything about UHK backlighting.
Things are looking so good in the EMC department that I fully finalized and ordered the BOM for the PCBs of 2,000 UHKs, and if everything goes well the UHK will be certified very soon, possibly in June.
Agent progress
A lot has been happening to Agent, our configuration application recently. Józsi is still involved in the development of Agent, but he told me that going forward, he cannot guarantee a fixed number of working hours per month because his life got a lot busier. This made me search for the right candidates, and I'm happy to report that I found two excellent developers.
Róbert Kiss is busy with some of the most pressing Agent issues. Agent has an initial OS-specific privilege escalation step that allows it to access the USB interface of the UHK. Robi implemented the missing Windows-specific part of the privilege escalation step. He's also set up a build process, so that now Travis generates releases for Linux and Macintosh, and AppVeyor generates releases for Windows, and these files get uploaded to the releases section of GitHub. He's also mostly finished the auto-update mechanism of Agent.
Attila Csányi will be busy with a number of important but less time consuming issues given his limited time. He's already made the macro layout more responsive and made the currently selected key highlight and animate very nicely. These seemingly small issues add up big time when it comes to user experience.
Luckily, Józsi is still involved with the development of Agent. Lately, among other things, he's implemented ISO/ANSI layouts. Agent used to display only the ANSI layout but this change will allow it to show the correct layout, be it ISO or ANSI as soon as you plug in your UHK.
Firmware progress
Substantial progress has been made with the firmware recently. The easier part was making the communication between the halves more robust. First up, I added a CRC16-CCITT checksum to the messages between the keyboard halves to improve message integrity. Next up, I implemented a recovery mechanism for LED drivers so that the LEDs also recover when disconnecting/reconnecting the halves. I also made the communication packets between the halves more efficient and smaller.
The harder part is upgrading the firmware of the left keyboard half and modules via USB. You see, it's fairly easy to upgrade the firmware of the right keyboard half because it's directly connected to the host computer. The modules and left keyboard half however are not directly connected via USB. They're connected via an I2C bus to the right keyboard half.
The plan is to implement a proxy mode for the right keyboard half, so that it can route the firmware from the USB host to the left keyboard half and to the modules via I2C. Luckily, such a protocol translator is already implemented so we can use it. It's called BusPal, and it's part of the KBOOT (Kinetis bootloader) package. Unfortunately, it's not nearly as mature as KBOOT, and it was obvious that integrating it to the UHK firmware won't be a walk in the park. I was searching for a proficient developer to make this happen but despite my best shot, I couldn't find a right candidate, so I had to try to integrate BusPal myself.
There were three variants of BusPal within the KBOOT package but I noticed that only one supported USB, so I picked it. In the beginning, I couldn't even build it because it was developed using the the proprietary IAR embedded workbench, not with the free Kinetis Development Studio that is based on Eclipse and GCC. I simply started by putting BusPal into a subdirectory of our firmware repo and trying to make it work. It was an uphill battle at first because BusPal has a huge codebase of which we need very little functionality. Just making the compiler happy has taken days, and after that it was even more work to make it functional. Luckily, over the course of about two weeks, BusPal enumerated over USB and could talk to the left keyboard half. Well, mostly.
Now, I can send protocol commands to the left keyboard half via BusPal but they don't work every time. As it turns out, the ROM bootloader of the KL03, the processor of the left keyboard half is buggy as documented by errata ID 8060, and these bugs have to be worked around. I can erase the processor and query properties, but the firmware upgrade command breaks. Given my myriad of responsibilities, I'd much rather delegate this last step, and it seems that I might have just found the ultimate developer. More about him later.
The state of modules
Up until this point, not too much has been said about the progress of the modules. That's because our primary focus is getting the UHK to market, so András only works on the modules when he has some free time.
At last, I'm happy to show you the first version of the 3D printed modules:
These prototypes were printed using a white, powder-like material, but the final modules will be offered in black color.
Originally, we created two versions of the modules, one of them being totally flat, the other one being angled.
Flat key cluster module on the left, angled key cluster module on the right
We've been experimenting with a front and a top mini trackball on the key cluster module, but concluded that the top one is much more usable, so we'll ditch the front-sided mini trackball.
Angled trackball module on the left, flat trackball module on the right
The trackball module from the inside without the PCB
The reason we've made two versions is to test them and see which version is more ergonomic. The flat modules made our thumbs stretch significantly less, so we're confident that they're a better choice. This is also very fortunate from a manufacturing standpoint as the space inside of the modules is very limited, and even more so in their angled versions, so the flat versions will be easier to design and manufacture.
We also found that it's not a good idea to use two buttons per module because the inner button which is closer to the UHK usually gets pressed when pressing the case button of the UHK. Our plan is to only feature a single button per module, the outer button that is farther from the case button of the UHK.
This is a big step forward, but there's still a lot to do in the future. These plastic cases don't contain PCBs yet, so they will have to be designed. Luckily, the left keyboard half is an module from an electrical, firmware, and protocol standpoint, so we will be able to reuse its schematic and firmware. These plastic cases of the modules are only made for mechanical testing purposes and need to be redesigned here and there because they are not manufacturable, and lack structural support.
Molding plastic parts
I'm a software developer by trade, so I have little knowledge about injection molding. A couple days earlier however, I was fortunate enough to observe the process up close in an injection molding facility where we tested our molds.
The mold of the top right case
As so many things, injection molding looks deceptively simple. Plastic flows into a mold, and the perfect plastic part falls out of the machine. Just like on this video:
In practice, lot of things can make a plastic part less than perfect, such as warping, which is the major issue we have mostly fixed.
You see, warping is a very common phenomenon, and it's usually so slight it doesn't matter. In our case however, it does. As it turns out, of all the keyboards ever created, the UHK is probably the most sensitive to warping. This is because when the plastic cases of the two keyboard halves are merged, it becomes extremely pronounced.
When the UHK is merged and the halves warp even slightly, a very slight V shape can be noticed. This shape raises the four outer legs while the four inner legs firmly touch the ground which is obviously unacceptable.
Surface finish issues, such as sink marks and surface defects are another category of injection molding issues we have to deal with which we have also mostly fixed.
One way to fix the above issues is to tweak various mold and injection parameters which we were actively pursuing quite successfully during our three-day stay at the factory. It's mind-boggling how many parameters can be tweaked, such as the injection speed, pressure, after-pressure, mold temperature, the duration of the molding process, and many more. To make things even more complicated, these parameters are not single numeric values but rather graphs, and multiple points of the graph can be set along the time axis!
The other way to fix these issues is to modify the molds themselves. This is usually more time consuming and involves machining the molds in various ways. Some of our issues can only be solved this way.
We have a rough schedule in place regarding the plastic parts:
Within days, the injection-molded cases will be scanned with a 3D laser scanner to reveal the inaccuracies for the molds to be fixed.
In the next week, the left and right bottom molds will be fixed according to the above results.
Another week later, we'll mass-produce the bottom parts for the pilot run.
Within a month, we'll get all the molds fixed, fine-tune technological parameters, and manufacture every plastic part for the pilot run.
As for the big picture schedule:
In July, we'll manufacture a pilot run of 50 UHKs and send them out to our pilot testers, which include the various developers, contributors, and backers who have helped us along the way and indicated a willingness to help us rigorously test the UHKs before the main production run and work out any final kinks should they arise. All 50 pilot run units have been assigned, but if any of our pilot testers drops out and we need to fill a spot, we'll solicit volunteers. We haven't talked about the pilot run yet, but we think it's critical for the first UHKs to be tested before we actually start the main production run.
In August, we'll launch the mass production of the remaining 1,950 UHKs. The goods will flow out continuously and be shipped approximately in the order they were purchased. Since we are using fulfillment centers in both Hungary and the US, there will be some variation in when your order is shipped, depending on your shipping address, but, basically, the sooner you ordered your UHK, the sooner you'll receive it.
Thank you for reading this update! As you can see, we have to deal with the molding issues which do introduce some delay, but at the same time, we're also making rapid progress. We're asking for your patience and support during these last miles. We'll make sure the UHK will be worth the wait.
As always, we'll be keeping you updated on a weekly basis on social media, and on a monthly basis in this blog and our newsletter.
Talk to you on 2017-07-13!
Everything about UHK backlighting
By László Monda|2018-10-23T16:48:51+00:002017-05-27 14:03|features, news, prototype, tech talk|40 Comments
We get a lot of inquiries on a regular basis, and it's blindingly obvious (pun clearly intended) that most of you are most interested about backlighting. In this post, I'm about to write everything you ever need to know about UHK backlighting.
First off, let me make it clear that currently we don't offer a backlit UHK version. The reason is that right now, we're solely focused on delivering the (non-backlit) UHKs, palm rests, and modules to our awesome backers. Everything else will follow afterwards.
On the bright side of things (pun clearly intended again), you'll be able to transform your non-backlit UHK to a backlit UHK by soldering LEDs to the circuit boards, and optionally replacing keycaps. Let's take a look at the following pictures:
Backlit UHK prototypes in daylight
Backlit UHK prototypes at night
In the above pictures, the top UHK features opaque keycaps and the bottom has backlight friendly keycaps. Please note that these pictures are a bit misleading because in real life the brightness of the opaque keycaps is much dimmer than of the backlit keycaps. It's also worth noting that the final backlighting will be better. We'll optimize the placement of symbols for more even light distribution and carefully choose the best LED. The most important takeaway is that opaque keycaps may suit some, but probably aren't a great choice for most.
In order to make your UHK backlit right away, you can purchase a number of LEDs and solder them to the PCBs. You will have to use 3mm (T-1) LEDs. Be careful to choose a LED type whose rim is not larger than the lens itself, otherwise the LEDs won't fit into the keyswitches. Also make sure to use single color LEDs as bicolor LEDs won't work well. You can pick any LED color but LEDs of the same forward voltage should be used, otherwise ghosting may occur. Fear not, we'll provide detailed instructions for soldering.
Alternatively, you can wait for our backlight upgrade kit that we'll release later. The backlight upgrade kit will contain white LEDs and a backlight friendly keycap set. In the beginning, we'll only provide US ANSI and ISO versions.
As for the release dates, we're really not sure yet. We'll probably release the backlit UHK version and the backlight upgrade kit about a year after delivering the first batch. We're also unsure about the price but it will be reasonable compared to the price of the UHK.
It's worth mentioning that although backlighting is a nice feature, the labels of non-backlit keycaps are easier to see in daylight.
Multiple brightness settings will be provided. One is a global brightness setting of 100 levels that affects every LED including both the LED display and the LEDs beneath the keycaps. The other is a per-key brightness setting of 256 levels which will enable us to do all kinds of fancy animations. This per-LED brightness setting can also be applied to the LED display as a whole. The formula is: actual brightness level = global brightness * per-LED brightness.
We plan to implement RGB backlighting eventually but surely not anytime soon, as it will require a complete redesign of the PCBs.
We also got a question about whether it's possible to solder only a couple of LEDs, for example only the LEDs of the home row. While it is possible, it will likely cause ghosting issues when using different per-key brightness values. This problem can be solved by telling the LED drivers which LEDs are actually present. We can implement a related user interface in Agent to mark individual LEDs populated/unpopulated, but we will only do so if there will be enough interest for this seemingly special use case.
Lastly, I'd like to note that while backlighting is clearly a neat feature, it's not necessarily better than not having backlighting. In broad daylight, the letters of the opaque keycaps are easier to see than the labels of the backlit keycaps. This is also true when the backlighting is off and simply backlit-friendly keycaps are used due to their material.
So this is it! Hopefully, all your questions are answered now. If not, please ask away in the comments. Have a beautiful weekend!
Updated delivery schedule and a bonus
By László Monda|2018-10-21T19:24:00+00:002016-08-18 15:57|demo, design, electronics, features, manufacturing, modules, prototype, tech talk|22 Comments
Another month has passed, and so it's time for our monthly status update! This one will contain a bad bit of news, a good bit of news, and lots of news bites on our progress.
Updated delivery schedule
Over the last few months, a lot of you have been giving positive feedback on our progress and appreciated the detailed updates. According to our Crowd Supply campaign page, the goods are expected to ship at the end of September.
We're trying our best to deliver on time, busting our ass day by day, usually even on weekends, and still, it's quite apparent that we can't meet this deadline even if we bend over backwards. So the delivery schedule needs to be revised:
The keyboard and palm rest are expected to deliver by the end of December
The modules are expected to deliver in April 2017
Please let us explain the reasons.
Our April delay that was caused by our previous bank (which we abandoned forever) has definitely contributed to this one, as it caused a lot of overhead, and we could only pay to our mold making contractor in a delayed manner.
Another reason is design delays. We have just finished the design of the feet and the palm rest. Getting the design right has definitely taken longer than expected and now the molds of the feet are about to be made. As a rule of thumb, we rather take the time to get the design right than to rush things and end up with a mediocre product.
We have to focus on the core keyboard first and implement the modules afterwards. So the mold of the modules will be created right after the mold of the keyboard. We will pay the extra shipping fees because of the separate shipment of the modules. That's the least we can do.
We're running things in parallel as aggressively as we can to hit our updated schedule. For example, a mold of our special keycaps just got ready in Taiwan, the mold of the case and the cutting tool is being created in Serbia, and our contractor for the LED display has just started to work on their mold.
We're very sorry for this delay. We understand that you can't wait to put the UHK under your hands and waiting sucks. We're asking for your patience and to remedy the situation a bit we'd like to offer something, which is an…
Anodized aluminium palm rest
There are plenty of ways to make a palm rest and we have considered various designs over time. One of the candidates involved a beautiful anodized base plate milled from solid aluminium.
Of course they come in pairs. This is the left one.
It was clear from the get go that it won't be cheap and we were thinking about making it available as a premium product later. But now, it's our golden opportunity to make up for the delay of the project schedule. So I'm here to announce that we will provide this anodized aluminium palm rest to those who purchase the palm rest pledge before keyboard shipment! The price for the aluminum palm rest will go up afterwards.
Now that we wrapped up the bad and the good news let's move on to the rest.
Tented UHK prototyped
Since our latest update we got the feet 3D printed, screwed it onto the back of a prototype and shoot a picture of it.
Everything feels right about the feet and we're satisfied with the overall design. The palm rest is yet to be fabricated. We'll make sure to show it to you as soon as it gets ready.
The state of the mold
The molds of the bottom cases are complete. This is the left one.
The remaining molds are also in the works, and in our true style, we'll be posting more pictures as they get made.
Injection molded UHK keycaps
The UHK features two keycap types that are non-standard. One is a concave-shaped, 1.75U, row 4 keycap used by the Mod and Space keys, and the other is convex-shaped, 1.5U, row 1 keycap used by the backspace key.
I'm happy to let you know that recently, our keycap supplier got the molds ready for these keycaps and sent us a couple of samples:
These custom keycaps are impeccable and totally consistent with the rest, just as expected. They put a smile on our faces because custom parts like these are major milestones for the project.
The state of the modules
Not much has been said about the modules recently, so it's time to share some information on them. We've actually made a couple of videos of them in action, so that you can get an idea how the modules feel and behave.
Please note that the plastic case and electronics of the modules are not ready yet. So far, the key components have been chosen so we show you the guts of the modules directly connected to the PC.
If you are curious about the exact ICs that we use inside of the UHK, or in the modules then you're welcome to delve into our datasheets repository.
As for the number of buttons of the right-handed modules we're not exactly sure yet but we're aiming for two buttons per module.
Let's see what we have!
Trackball module
The trackball module features an ADNS-3530 optical sensor which is remarkably tiny and communicates over SPI. This demo board translates SPI to USB but we'll use a KL03P24M48SF0 microcontroller to translate SPI to I2C which is spoken by the UHK.
Trackpoint module
The trackpoint module features a sensor of an unknown part number (our supplier signed an NDA with the manufacturer so we don't know) but it's remarkably similar to the now defunct SK8702 trackpoint module which features the SK7102 controller. Our supplier only provided an incomplete datasheet to us, which is not a major problem because the module speaks PS/2.
We'll use the FlexIO capability of the KL03P24M48SF0 microcontroller to implement a protocol translator which will translate from PS/2 to the I2C protocol of the UHK.
Touchpad module
This is an Azoteq ProxSense TPS43 touchpad driven by the Azoteq IQS572 capacitive controller. The touchpad is connected via the Azoteq CT 210 configuration tool to the PC.
Being an I2C device, the controller will directly connect to the UHK. We'll have to design a custom-sized touchpad, however, featuring the IQS572. Luckily, Azoteq provided a design guide for that.
It's not a coincidence that I mentioned the name of Azoteq a fair number of times above. Back in the day I blogged that we're looking for a suitable part, then they contacted to us and provided the most awesome support ever!
Key cluster module
The key cluster module features a couple of keys and buttons which are simple to scan by the microcontroller. The tiny trackball is a Blackberry trackball which uses hall effect sensor along the 4 axis. We haven't yet hooked up the Blackberry trackball to control the mouse pointer but you can find plenty of videos on YouTube of its various applications. I recommend watching Sparkfun's video of their trackballer breakout board which explains it in detail.
Introducing our firmware developer
A while ago, we reached out to you looking for a firmware developer. We've gotten quite a few excellent applications and please let me take the opportunity to thank every one of the applicants for contacting us.
Without further ado, let me introduce you our firmware developer, Santiago González Fabián from the sunny city of Madrid.
My name is Santiago González and I've been playing with electronics and computers since I can remember, but I discovered the amazing world of embedded systems in the Electronics Engineering Bachelor where I felt in love with 8051 and ASM code.
I've programmed 8 bit and 32 bit MCUs in C and Assembly mainly, and my focus the last 4 years has been the Cortex M world, working at Freescale and NXP as Field Application Engineer trying to solve all kind of issues with Embedded Systems all over Spain, from Automotive to Industrial equipments, from 8 Kb Flash devices toggling LEDs to 2 MB Cortex M7 doing Ethernet, Motor Control and RTOS scheduling at the same time.
Embedded systems are my job and my hobby (Although I also climb mountains in the weekend) so in my free time I look for new challenges in several places (Stack Exchange, HackADay, Electronic Forums…) and that's how I met László and UHK, in my weekly check of NXP Community. After having a look into the project and the open source philosophy behind it, I decided I would love to help if possible. Now the UHK PCBs have arrived to Spain, so I can begin the Bootloaders development :). I cannot wait to start coding!
The new prototype sitting on Santiago's desk
Since first getting in touch with Santiago, I've exchanged almost a hundred emails with him about deep technical stuff. It's apparent to me that he's highly knowledgeable, a truly excellent communicator, and his enthusiasm clearly shows. We couldn't ever wish for more than that.
The bootloaders of the UHK are a lot more complex than those of regular keyboards (not that most keyboards have a single bootloader to begin with). This is because our design is highly modular, composed of separate keyboard halves and modules, each running separate firmware images. So naturally, we want to enable you to upgrade the firmware of every module over USB with a click of a button.
The idea is that the right keyboard half will run the master bootloader that will directly upgrade the application firmware from the PC. The left keyboard half and the modules will run the slave bootloader which will connect over I2C to the master bootloader, which will in turn relay the firmware image from the host computer over USB.
KBOOT 2 already supports the above scenario, but a fair amount of customization has to be done by somebody who really knows what he's doing.
Apart from implementing the bootloaders, Santiago will be working on parts of the firmware that require deep knowledge of the Kinetis platform, like the FlexIO based PS2 to I2C protocol translator of the trackball, and such.
Still reading? Then pat yourself on the back because you deserve it! Talk to you on 2016-09-15.
The feet and palm rest design is nearly complete
By László Monda|2018-10-21T19:22:02+00:002016-07-14 16:12|agent, design, electronics, features, manufacturing, tech talk|29 Comments
Howdy all! It's time for our regular monthly progress report. Let's get right to it!
Feet and palm rest design
András has been busy designing the feet and palm rest of the UHK. The current design is close to final, so we're excited to show it off.
But first, please fasten your seatbelts. The UHK is highly modular and configurable in nature and the feet and palm rest are no exceptions. There are a lot of combinations of feet configuration so let's dive in!
There are 4 feet mounting positions per keyboard half located in the corners of the halves:
When using the palm rest, the number of feet mounting positions (4) is unchanged, but their location spreads across a larger area because the bottom 2 feet per keyboard half are mounted to the palm rest:
A foot can be mounted with 3 screws and can be rotated in 90 degree increments:
In any of the 8 positions, a feet can be unmounted (no elevation), mounted and closed (slight elevation), or mounted and opened (large elevation):
The bottom of the feet are rubberized, even sideways, and the UHK has its own small rubber feet so the keyboard won't slide in any configuration:
The palm rest is fixed to the keyboard with 2 screws per keyboard half, screwed into the stainless steel inserts of the UHK:
Given the number of combinations, we can't go over every possibility, but we'd like to highlight the most popular ones.
Positive tilting
4 closed feet are used in the top positions of this configuration. The palm rest is not featured on these pictures but you can use it if you want to.
Isometric view
Negative tilting
In this configuration, 4 closed feet are used in the top positions and another 4 opened at the bottom positions mounted to the palm rest.
4 opened feet are used in the inner positions and oriented towards the center of the keyboard.
Botttom view
There are so many possibilities that we'll surely end up writing a manual just on this topic. Stay tuned!
Mold and cutting tool progress
It is apparent that our Serbian contractor is hard at work. This is the sheet metal contour cutting and bending tool. It's already functional, but we have to wait for the assembly of the rest of the tooling so that the holes of the MX switches will be cut, too.
And this is the injection molding tool of the case buttons which is also functional:
We're happy about the progress of our Serbian contractor and can't wait to see even more hunks of steel.
The 6th generation PCBs are being fabricated
Lately, I've been working on redesigning the schematic and PCBs of our latest prototype. These are the fruits of my labor:
The back side of the right PCB
The back side of the left PCB
The improvements are plentiful, featuring:
the super powerful MK22FN512VLH12 and MKL03Z8VFK4 MCUs
IS31FL3731-SALS2 LED driver ICs per keyboard half allowing for per LED backlighting (we can't provide LEDs and translucent keycaps yet but the ICs will be on board)
2×5 0.05" ARM programming header + Tag-Connect TC2030-NL header + TC2030 header per board for extra developer goodness
optionally solderable reed switch per board to reset the MCU without disassembling the case to make it easy to hack the firmware even if jump to bootloader feature gets screwed
optionally solderable I2C breakout header for developing modules in a breadboard friendly fashion
optionally solderable test LED per board for debugging purposes
pogo pins and I2C (versus the previous UART protocol) between the keyboard halves enabling the use of modules mechanically and electronically
A small batch of these boards are being fabricated right now at Eurocircuits and can arrive in any moment. I'm also about to order loads of components real soon which will be soldered onto the boards. These PCBs are supposed to resemble the final production boards very closely, so we'll make sure to give them a fair amount of testing.
If you are one of those people who grok electronics please don't hesitate to check out our electronics GitHub repo and give us feedback about the schematic and boards. We consider every single suggestion as we really want to get the design right.
Progress on Agent
Agent has been heavily refactored lately as we port the legacy jQuery codebase to Angular 2 step by step. This is one of those things that's hard to notice by looking the application but it's very significant regarding the long-term development of Agent.
This brings me to the star of the month. Give it up for Mr Nejc Zdovc from the beautiful town of Celje, Slovenia!
My name is Nejc Zdovc and I have been programming for the last seven years. I have a Master's degree in Computer Science and Information Technologies. I was drawn to Angular 2 community last year and ever since, I've enjoyed pushing its boundaries. At the beginning of this year, I was having wrist problems and that's why I was looking for a new ergonomic keyboard. I stumbled on the UHK and, with a little research, I found out that this is an awesome project, so I decided to start contributing. For the last few months I have been helping József with Agent.
Nejc has been helping out a ton with the Angular 2 port. Previously, only keymaps were managed by Angular 2, but he made the whole application governed by Angular 2 by componentizing it. He ported the side menu to Angular 2 and wrapped select2 into a component. This is serious progress and requires a lot of dedication. The work is not over yet but his help has been a quantum leap forward.
You know what's crazy? Nejc and Sam don't have a UHK at their hands yet and still, their contribution has been above and beyond expectations. I wouldn't have expected developers contributing substantially before we deliver the hardware, but apparently it's already happening. This is Free and Open Source at its best, folks! I can't even imagine what will happen after delivery. I'd love to see our GitHub repos blown away by contributors!
As a token of our appreciation, Nejc and Sam will get a well-deserved developer unit soon, then eventually a final UHK with all the bells and whistles. It's really the least we can do for them.
We've just arrived to the end of this update. I hope you enjoyed it, and talk to you on 2016-08-18.
2nd UHK post-campaign update: PCB design now supports LEDs and Matias switches
By László Monda|2016-11-07T20:51:56+00:002016-02-18 13:58|design, features, news, prototype, tech talk|7 Comments
Time flies! We promised to touch base every month – so let's get right into what we've been working on!
The mechanical design is being sent to manufacturing
András has been having his fair share of CAD-filled days lately, and as a result we're days away from sending the design of the case off to manufacturing. He's made a million little tweaks and a couple of more significant changes.
Foot design – adjustability and portability
The fixation mechanism of the feet is definitely a major one. We brainstormed foot design ideas for a while, and finally found the best option. To keep the UHK as compact as possible, it will feature adjustable (flip open) feet that are entirely removable in addition to the small, flat rubber feet. This way if you decide not to use the adjustable feet, they won't occupy any extra space. And if you do want them, they can be easily installed with 3 screws per foot. Once you do, you're able to flip them open in a moment. The current design allows for positive tiling, negative tilting, and tenting – The best of every world! András has yet to finish the design of the adjustable feet so stay tuned for more news.
8 feet in total, 3 mounting holes around individual rubber feet
Mounting bosses – 3 per foot, as seen from inside the case
PCB design – LEDs and Matias switches
We're also stoked about having added pins for LEDs and Matias switches! We use universal switch footprints that combine the pins of Cherry switches (optionally with fixation pins), Matias switches, and LEDs. We designed the stiffening ribs of the bottom case in a future proof manner by routing them around the hybrid switch footprints to avoid mechanical interference. Please note that we won't be able provide either an LED, or a Matias UHK version for a while, but the opportunity will be there for modders. You can see the pins on the following section view.
Physical layout – finalized
Another major change is the finalization of the physical layout. Fear not, you shouldn't even notice the subtleties if you aren't watching very closely. Space and Mod has been split right where the G and H keys meet. This is the best option ergonomically, as it's right between the hands of touch typists. This gave us an opportunity to use more standard keycaps so those of you who want to replace keycaps will be in a better situation. Lo and behold, our final ANSI physical layout:
And the ISO version:
Funny thing is, poor András has been working day and night to implement this seemingly small change, as it affected the geometry of the CAD model in major ways. He definitely deserves a day off… only to work even harder as we march towards manufacturing!
Speaking of the above, I've created a dedicated layouts and keycaps FAQ page on our site lately, and while being there also spruced up the main FAQ quite a bit to satisfy your endless curiosity.
The state of the ARM port
In our previous update we were looking for a firmware developer to port our existing firmware to NXP's Kinetis platform and develop it further. We've been getting quite a few impressive applications and suggestions.
Say hi to Mr. Jan Rychter, who has been eager to help us, and offer his very valuable advice. Since first contact we've been exchanging emails full of geek talk. And did I mention that he's also a most esteemed backer of the UHK?
Jan got me up to speed in no time. As it turned out, Teensyduino is not the best foundation for a serious firmware application. It's nice for prototyping purposes but NXP's sophisticated Kinetis SDK is a much better platform for this purpose.
Unfortunately, the MK20DX256VLH7 processor that we originally planned to use is not a good choice because KSDK won't ever target it. As crazy as it might seem, there's a more powerful, fully supported, and cheaper alternative on the market: the MK22FN512VLH12.
How powerful and cheap, you ask? Let's compare!
ATmega32U4 MK20DX256VLH7 MK22FN512VLH12
AVR8 ARM Cortex-M4 ARM Cortex-M4
kbytes
Mind blown. Twice the power for less price? I'll take that on any day of the week!
Right now, there are a couple FRDM development boards on my table, one of which running our Kinetis firmware port which enumerates as a keyboard + mouse USB device. This is already looking great, and you can expect further major progress shortly, so the port is definitely within reach, and I'm happy taking this direction.
Agent is coming along nicely
Árpi is on a mission to make Agent the most beautiful keyboard configurator application ever crafted. He never ceases to amaze me as he massively cleans up the UI of my original mockup while keeping the original functionality intact. This is the most up-to-date screenshot of Agent:
You're welcome to check out Agent in the browser. Please note that there's only a minimal UX code behind the UI, but it should give you a good idea about the final interface.
Thanks for reading, and talk to you on 2016-03-17!
Agent is coming together, looking for a firmware developer!
By László Monda|2018-10-21T19:20:24+00:002016-01-14 16:40|agent, design, electronics, features, tech talk|5 Comments
We're looking for a firmware developer. Please read for more and get in touch with us!
A month ago in our previous newsletter we promised to send you an update on the post-campaign happenings on January 14th, so here it is! There is a lot of ground to cover, so fasten your seatbelts and we'll get right to it!
Extra keyboard cases & keycap sets are for sale
Some of you contacted us to purchase extra keycap sets and cases, and we've been very much willing to serve your needs, so why not offer them as extra perks? You're welcome to purchase them on our campaign page.
Meet Agent, the configuration application for the UHK
We're proud to show you the first screenshot of Agent, our cross-platform configuration application. It's being developed by Árpi, a new developer of ours. Please keep reading for more.
The mechanical design is being finalized
András is hard at work finalizing the mechanical design of the keyboard case. Mold making is by far the most time consuming task of the manufacturing process, so it's supremely important we start as quickly as possible in order to deliver on time.
We've already struck a deal with the manufacturing firm for the injection molding tool for the plastic case and the cutting tool for the steel plates, and we're in the process of discussing relevant design issues with them. Sourcing of the raw material for the steel guides is also in progress – from a well-esteemed Austrian company.
From the very beginning, we've been mindful to design the UHK for manufacturing, but there are some details yet to be finalized. One such detail is the connection between the two halves and the modules.
Originally, we used a battery connector because it was easier to use an off-the-shelf part – but later we figured out a much better way: dedicated pogo pins. This is a more robust and better looking solution than the battery connector. The 6P4C connector was also replaced by a 4P4C connector and its wiring has been reversed. This way a standard telephone cable can be used to interconnect the two keyboard halves.
There are a couple of details like the above, and András is rapidly moving forward to address them, so that we can submit the CAD files to manufacturing as soon as possible.
Two developers have joined to our ranks
Back in August we were contacted by Árpád Csányi, who expressed interest in the UHK. Fast-forward to November, and we managed to meet in person over a couple of beers after I gave a talk on the UHK in Szeged, Hungary. It was apparent that he was interested in the project, but I wouldn't have thought in my wildest dreams that he'd end up being the front-end developer of Agent, our configuration application! Árpi is not only a powerhouse of UI/UX ideas, but he's very much willing and able to implement them.
After I created some mockups of Agent he quickly followed up to present his ideas and improvements. He then started to write HTML and CSS to make the mockups go alive! We're making rapid progress and are aiming to freeze the UI/UX specification of Agent by the end of January.
Please note that these mockups are a work in progress but you're welcome to add your suggestions to the docs. Don't forget to uncheck the View -> Print layout option in Google Docs or else some pictures will be cropped.
Right after open-sourcing our design a, mysterious GitHub user started contributing to our electronics repo. Say hi to Mr. Spencer Owen, who is very much into devops and using his rad skills, he set up a visual diff mechanism in our electronics repo, so that now we can actually see the changes of the circuit boards that get modified by contributors. This is very much needed because unlike plaintext files, circuit boards can't be diffed in the traditional way.
Right now Spencer is working on making the PCB compatible with Matias switches. Due to the lack of compatible keycaps, this doesn't mean that we'll be able to provide Matias switches from the get go, but we're trying to future-proof the PCB so that the opportunity will be there, and eventually we can make it happen.
Moving to ARM, and looking for a firmware developer
It's been a pleasure and privilege to work with Árpi and Spencer and I'm very much looking forward to further expand our team. It may surprise you, but we're not actually primarily looking for an AVR developer. We're looking for an ARM Cortex-M4 developer! Why's that? Let's consider the following table:
ATmega32U4 MK20DX256VLH7
AVR8 ARM Cortex-M4
The above numbers are pretty telling. The ARM processor costs only a buck more than the AVR but it's about 10 times more powerful! The plan is to replace the AVR on the right keyboard half with ARM, and keep using AVRs in the left keyboard half and in the modules – which don't need as many resources as the right half.
We could possibly stick to the ATmega32U4 and implement the planned feature set, but the available 2.5 RAM is very tight. It'd require us to always think about how to not exceed memory and vastly optimize the firmware for memory consumption. This would slow down development and wouldn't give us room to implement more sophisticated features later on. Bulkier AVRs are moderately more powerful and considerably more expensive, so I truly believe that ARM is the way forward.
It's also very important to note that the MK20DX256VLH7 is not just another ARM microcontroller, but the brain of the Teensy 3.1 and 3.2 development boards. This is great news because there's a huge amount of support available out there!
Are you familiar with the Teensy 3 platform, or do you know somebody who is? Do you enjoy the thrill of Open Source? Would you love to work on a one-of-a-kind mechanical keyboard, and help push innovation further? If so, we'd love to have you on our team! Please read for more and get in touch with us!
We're making rapid progress on multiple fronts, but there's still a lot to do! We plan to finalize the UI/UX specification of Agent by the end of January. I'm sure that we'll have a lot to talk about in our upcoming updates.
Thanks for reading, and talk to you soon – on February 18th!
Just 30 hours to go! Announcing the 2nd stretch goal!
By László Monda|2016-02-17T01:39:01+00:002015-12-13 15:04|features|0 Comments
Great news, everybody! We've just reached, then surpassed $230,000, so the 1st Stretch Goal is now funded!
Here is the result of the color poll. Given the level of interest, we decided to offer the top 4 options, and black for purchase versus the originally promised 3 options. Colors galore!
We'll ask you about your preferred color after the campaign.
2nd Stretch Goal: Free UHK Toolkit
We've been thinking for a while of offering something that is very dear to our heart: a toolkit. The UHK is designed to be hacked, and so this toolkit is perfectly aligned with our philosophy, enabling you to tear down your beloved keyboard in no time. We will give a FREE toolkit to everybody who pledged towards the keyboard once we hit $250,000. So let's make it happen!
Special deals are running out
Just 30 hours to go, and this is your last chance to save $50 and get the UHK at Special Early Bird pricing of just $200!
If you don't have enough funds right now, You can get a $50 coupon and with this coupon you will be able to order the UHK anytime after release at the same Early Bird price of just $200!


After a noticeable absence last year, the G-Shock GW-9400 Rangeman returns with a bang with the GW-9404KJ-3JR in collaboration with Boston-based environmental NGO Earthwatch as part of 2019's Love The Sea And The Earth Series. Over the past few years Earthwatch-edition Rangeman watches have offered bold color schemes inspired by wild animals. This year's model is no different with a multi-color design based on the kakapo parrot. Also known as a "night parrot" or "owl parrot," the kakapo is a large, flightless, and nocturnal bird that is endemic to New Zealand and critically endangered. The bezel of the GW-9404KJ-3JR resembles the bird's face with its light and dark streaks and the bands resemble the bird's vivid green feathers. Other design elements include yellow accents on the face, gold IP buttons, and the Earthwatch logo on the LED backlight. The GW-9404KJ-3JR also has a carbon fiber insert band and comes in exclusive Love The Sea And The Earth 2019 packaging.
The GW-9404KJ-3JR Rangeman is a February 2019 release in Japan with a list price of ¥53,500 JPY.
2019's Love The Sea And The Earth series also includes two other G-Shock watches and one Baby-G watch in collaboration with Wildlife Promising.
The base Rangemen GW-9400 is a best-selling G-Shock survival watch featuring Tough Solar power, Multi-Band 6 timekeeping, and the Triple Sensor (altimeter-barometer, compass, and thermometer).


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CISO/Security Vendor Relationship Podcast
Who Are the Perfect Targets for Ransomware?
David Spark
by David Spark
If you've got lots of critical data, a massive insurance policy, and poor security infrastructure, you might just be a perfect candidate to be hit with ransomware. This week and this week only, it's an extortion-free episode of CISO/Security Vendor Relationship Podcast.
This episode is hosted by me, David Spark (@dspark), producer of CISO Series and founder of Spark Media Solutions and Mike Johnson. Our guest this week is Sean Walls (@sean_walls2000), vp, cybersecurity, Eurofins.
Thanks to this week's podcast sponsor Core Security
Assigning and managing entitlements rapidly to get employees the access they need is critical, but it can come at the cost of accuracy and security. Core Security's identity governance and administration (IGA) solutions provide the intelligent, visual context needed to efficiently manage identity related security risks across any enterprise.
Got feedback? Join the conversation on LinkedIn.
On this week's episode
How CISOs are digesting the latest security news
An article in the NYTimes points to a new trend in ransomware that is specifically attacking small governments with weak computer protections and strong insurance policies. Payments from $400-$600K. Lake City, Florida, population 12K paid $460K to extortionists. They got some of their information back but they have been set back years of what will require rescanning of paper documents. Mike, I know your standard philosophy is to not pay the ransom, but after a ransomware attack against the city of Atlanta, the mayor refused to pay $51,000 in extortion demands, and so far it's cost the city $7.2 million. Probably more. These payments by the small cities must be incentivizing more attacks. Does this information change the way you're willing to approach ransomware. What can a small city with zero cybersecurity staff do to create a program to reduce their risk to such a ransomware attack?
Ask a CISO
Bindu Sundaresan, AT&T Consulting Solutions, asks a very simple question, "How is each security initiative supporting the right business outcome?" Do you find yourself selling security into the business this way? If not, would you be more successful selling security to the business if you did do this?
What's Worse?!
We've got a split decision on what information we prefer after a breach.
Listen up, it's security awareness training time
Jon Sanders, Elevate Security, said, "Security awareness involves A LOT of selling… there's no cookie cutter approach in security awareness or sales!" Is the reason security training is so tough because so many security people are not born salespeople? I've interviewed many and there's a lot of "just listen to me attitude," which really doesn't work in sales.
We talk a lot about penetration testing here, given that it remains a staple of proactive IT security. But not everyone feels it's all it's cracked up to be. Or should that be, all it's hacked up to be?" More than one cybersecurity organization points out there are a few flaws in the pen testing concept that make it worth a second look.
Pen testing often consists of a small collection of attacks performed within a set time period against a small sample of situations. Some experts doubt the efficacy of testing against a limited field of known vulnerabilities, without knowing what other weaknesses exist in plain sight, or merely invisible to jaded eyes.
Since so much of data and network operations remains in a state of flux, what works to detect an anomaly one day might be completely lost at sea the next. Much depends on the ability and knowledge of the tester. Frameworks designed to offset these flaws can go quickly out of date. And who is doing the testing anyway? Are they prone to intentional or accidental sabotage of the very system they were hired to test? Is there a clear definition between actual penetration and simple breaking of stuff?
And as paradoxical as this sounds, sometimes there is greater liability in discovering a flaw than in letting sleeping dogs lie.
The weakness largely stems from the conscious decision to test, similar to doctors who diagnose a patient based on a pre-existing bias: "We were looking for evidence of cancer and we found none," which does not eliminate a myriad of other causes of an illness, and in fact sometimes precludes them from detection.
Opinions about pen testing will always be divided, but I always like to go back to a fundamental analytical question: "what do we not know that we don't know?"
Check out lots more cloud security tips sponsored by OpenVPN, provider of next-gen secure and scalable communication software. OpenVPN Access Server keeps your company's data safe with end-to-end encryption, secure remote access, and extension for your centralized UTM.
What do you think of this pitch?
We have a pitch from Technium in which our CISOs question what exactly are they selling?
How a CISO Crafts an Ongoing Relationship with the Board
CISO/Security Vendor Relationship Podcast co-host Mike Johnson talks with Adrian Ludwig, CISO, Atlassian about how you communicate to the board and how that communication develops over time. Check out the full episode of the podcast. Got feedback? Join the conversation…
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Defense in Depth: The Iran Cybersecurity Threat
The Iran conflict has threatened new retaliations and we don't know where they're going to come from. Cyber retaliation is a real possibility. Who's being threatened and how should we prepare? Check out this post for the discussion that is the…
CISO-Vendor Podcast Live in Tel Aviv – 01-27-20
If you're in Tel Aviv at the end of this month and you're a big fan of CISO/Security Vendor Relationship Podcast, then please join us for a live audience recording of the podcast. Joining me on stage at our first…
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1894 Senate Bill 0252. An Act For The Better Protection Of Human Life In Lodging Houses In Case Of Fire.
Title 1894 Senate Bill 0252. An Act For The Better Protection Of Human Life In Lodging Houses In Case Of Fire.


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Chandler Parsons
NBA's Chandler Parsons talks about sponsoring Southeast Elite youth teams
Staff Writer |
Mar 16, 2016 | 7:09 PM
Lake Howell alum Chandler Parsons (25) pledged to sponsor Orlando-based Southeast Elite, a youth basketball travel team. (Tony Gutierrez / Associated Press)
Dallas Mavericks forward and former Lake Howell and UF standout Chandler Parsons is joining a long list of NBA players who sponsor youth basketball travel teams in their hometowns.
Parsons has pledged to lend his name and time to the Orlando-based Southeast Elite program.
"He's a local guy who had success here in Central Florida and wants to give back to kids in the area," said Anthony Ricks, who launched the Southeast Elite program five years ago. "We're super-excited."
The program has teams ranging in age from 9-and-under to 17U.
"I couldn't be more excited to support grassroots basketball in Florida, especially in Orlando," Parsons said in a written statement. "So many pros have come out of the area and they have so much talent there now.
"I hope I can be a role model and help these kids to go to college, earn degrees and pursue their dreams of playing basketball for as long as possible."
Ricks said Parsons' sponsorship includes a financial contribution that will help pay travel costs for the program's elite 17U and 16U teams that play tournaments across the country.
"Chandler gives the kids somebody to identify with," Ricks said. "We'll be his direct organization and possibly do some camps and stuff in the area."
The 17U team includes three of Florida's top-rated juniors in Wyatt Wilkes of Winter Park and First Academy teammates Chaundee Brown and Malik William.
Ricks said Southeast Elite will make a name change to reflect the ties to Parsons.
"We'll probably incorporate Chandler Parsons or CP25 (Parsons' initials and jersey number) into what we have," Ricks said.
Parsons, 27, is a player the Orlando Magic, among others, could pursue as a free agent signee this summer. Reports out of Dallas indicate he is expected to opt out of the third and final year of his current $46 million contract and become an unrestricted free agent who could command a max contract.
"That hasn't really been part of this conversation," Ricks said. "Of course, as a Magic fan, I know that would be awesome for the city as a whole. Chandler has turned into pretty much an all-star caliber player."
Parsons gained area notoriety as a fastbreaking forward who teamed with current European pro Nick Calathes and and current Lake Howell coach Joey Rodriguez to form a 'Three Amigos' trio that led Lake Howell through one of the greatest basketball runs in area history.
The Silver Hawks won 110 games with four consecutive final four appearances, capped by a 2007 state championship in the senior year for all three players.
Rodriguez is now part of the Southeast Elite coaching staff and Ricks said his involvement helped "bridge" the agreement with Parsons.
Parsons becomes the third current NBA player with area connections to sponsor travel teams. Cypress Creek graduate Amar'e Stoudemire is the longtime sponsor of E1T1 (Each One Teach One) and former Winter Park standout Austin Rivers is a sponsor for Team MOAM (Man on a Mission).
Prior to a Wednesday night game vs. Cleveland, Parsons was averaging 13.8 points, 4.7 rebounds and 2.7 assists in his second year in Dallas. He played his first three NBA seasons with the Houston Rockets.
He has been of late. In his first 12 games following the all-star break Parsons averaged 18.9 points, 5.9 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.1 steals while shooting 52.8 percent from the field. That streak started with a 24-point night in which he went 6-for-7 on 3-point shot attempts in an overtime loss to Orlando on Feb. 19.
Parsons played four seasons for Florida and was the SEC Player of the Year as a senior.
bcollings@orlandosentinel.com
Amare Stoudemire


Home / Literature News / TOP FIVE NIGERIAN AUTHORS.
Chinua Achebe is one of the most internationally-acclaimed writers from Africa, unfortunately he died 2013. Though he has often been called 'The Father of Nigerian Literature'.
His first novel was Things Fall Apart(1958).
Wole Soyinka, a playwright, poet and writer won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1986. Soyinka's writing often focuses on oppression and exploitation of the weak by the strong. None are spared in his critique, neither the white speculator nor the black exploiter.
Aké: The Years of ChildhoodandDeath and the King's Horseman.
Wole Soyinka © Portal PBH.
As with many Nigerian writers, Femi Osofisan's oeuvre – encompassing plays, poems and novels – is informed by colonialism and its legacy, and is a clear protest against corruption and injustice.
His best-known play,Women of Owu(2004) is a retelling of Euripides 'The Trojan Women".
Ben Okri is a renowned novelist and poet whose written works defy definition. He is often termed post-modern, yet his seamless interweaving of the spirit world into his stories belies this genre.
His most famous work is The Famished Road(1991), forming part of a trilogy withSongs of Enchantment and Infinite Riches.
Born in Lagos to Igbo parents, Emecheta moved to London in 1960 to live with her husband Sylvester Onwordi, who had moved there to study.
Her novels draw heavily from her own life and address gender imbalance and enslavement, and how women are often defined through the narrow framework of sexuality or the ability to bear children.
Her most acclaimed work, "The Joys of Motherhood(1979)", has as its protagonist a woman who defines herself through motherhood and validates her life solely through the successes of her children. Emecheta was awarded an OBE in 2005.


SUN-9 Sunstone Massage Wand. Approximately 4 - 4.5 inches long.
Sunstone is a form of oligoclase, a feldspar mineral. Enclosures of minute hematite scales produce the reflective properties. Also known as Aventurine Feldspar.
Metaphysical Properties: alleviates stress, increases vitality. Encourages independence and originality. Good fortune to those who wear or carry it.
Chakras: clears and energizes chakras.
Our Sunstone spheres and eggs are from India.
MO-63d Moldavite specimen, 2.9 - 3.1 grams. Each one unique.
JT-4 Jet Sphere, 1.5 inches (40mm) in diameter. Stand sold separately.


One of the King's knights has gone missing. Sent to explore the mysterious Wild Wood, which no-one dares visit and some say are enchanted, he has vanished in the snow. Tiuri - now Sir Tiuri after carrying out his last perilous mission - has to find him.
With his best friend and squire, Piak, he must journey into the heart of a terrifying, secret forest realm, where danger is all around and every path leads you astray. It is a place of lost, overgrown cities and ancient curses; of robbers, princesses and strange Men in Green; of old friends and treacherous new enemies and a secret plot that threatens to bring down the entire kingdom.
This gripping, spellbinding sequel to The Letter for the King sees a hero facing his greatest test, surrounded by darkness in a world where good and evil wear the same face, and the wrong move could cost his life but where help comes from the unlikeliest of places.
My review - This was such a wonderful book.
First things first, this is such a beautiful book. When I first opened it there was a map on the inside and when you took of the dust cover there was a beautiful imprint on the book, just wow at the design on the whole book.
I am a big fan of fantasy books and this one is at the top for me. From the first page I was pulled into this fantasy world surrounded by all the wonderful characters.
I really love the world building in this book. I love how Tanke has built her own fantasy world. The story and characters where very engaging.
Also, Laura Watkinson has done a wonderful job in translating this book!
The story is very intriguing filled with, journeys, sword fights and friendship. We meet a lot characters we already know from the previous book and get to meet a handful of interesting characters as well.
This was a fantastic fantasy story that will have you gripped from the very first page. It will transport you into the book and you feel like you are apart of this brilliant story.
Cannot recommend this story enough to everyone!


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"FBI searches ex-Reagan aide Robert McFarlane's apartment for evidence he lobbied for Sudan"
The Washington Post on March 21, 2013 released the following:
"By Associated Press,
WASHINGTON — The FBI has searched the apartment of former Reagan administration national security adviser Robert McFarlane for evidence of whether he lobbied on behalf of the government of Sudan in violation of federal law.
A search warrant on file in U.S. District Court in Washington shows agents seized items this month including handwritten notes about Sudan and White House documents with classification markings up to Top Secret.
It is against the law for Americans to do business with Sudan because of its alleged support for international terrorism and human rights violations, among other things. Sudan's president, Omar al-Bashir, has been charged by the International Criminal Court with genocide and other crimes during the deadly conflict in Sudan's western Darfur region.
In an accompanying affidavit, FBI agent Grayden R. Ridd cited a host of emails between McFarlane and Sudanese government officials obtained prior to the search.
"I believe that these emails are evidence that McFarlane was entering into an agreement with the government of Sudan to lobby the U.S. government officials on behalf of Sudan and to provide it advice during negotiations with the United States," Ridd wrote. He said he believed the emails are also evidence of an attempt by McFarlane and a Sudanese government official "to hide McFarlane's relationship with Sudan by construing the agreement to make it appear that his contractual relationship was with Qatar, when in fact it was not."
The affidavit said that the FBI investigation has established that in February 2009, McFarlane entered into a one-year agreement with the government of Sudan to act as its consultant and to lobby the U.S. government on its behalf.
Ridd wrote that the source of the emails to McFarlane appeared to be someone from the Sudanese intelligence service.
The affidavit is listed as "under seal" but is viewable online.
The FBI is also investigating whether McFarlane violated a law that requires anyone working as a foreign agent of another country to disclose that to the Foreign Agent Registration Act Unit of the Justice Department.
The investigation into McFarlane was first reported by The Washington Post.
McFarlane has not been charged with a crime. The case is being handled by the U.S. attorney's office for the Eastern District of Virginia. A spokesman for the office, Peter Carr, said McFarlane is cooperating with the ongoing investigation and, through his counsel, has asserted his innocence.
McFarlane's lawyer, Barry Levine, did not immediately return telephone and email messages Thursday. Levine told The Post that McFarlane didn't violate any laws.
"He has devoted his entire adult life to the interests of this country, and he cares deeply about the people of Darfur," Levine told the newspaper."
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I was thinking if you are Columbus could those two games have gone any better?
Loved the graphic they showed of record setting regular seasons and who won the Championship.
It was brutal. It takes a lot for me to stop watching a movie once I start, but this one did it.
It was bound to happen... way to much pressure to combine those leagues.
Maybe just change the thread to read "WHL discussion"?
ChuckT replied to Truck Driver in Humboldt Broncos Deaths Pleads Guilty.
This is what really bothers me... this is the guy that set everything in motion.


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Q: Saving and formatting text file with Matlab I have a text file composed by two rows and the following format:
"27 feb 2015","28 feb 2015","1 mar 2015",...
"1","2","3","4",...

How can I save these values in two arrays and plot them using MATLAB?
EDIT
The first line contains Strings between quotations and the second one integers between quotations.

A: The easiest thing would be to read in the two lines as separate strings and parse out the data yourself using regular expressions.  Then from there, you can convert each date into a date number, plot the dates and if you want, you can plot the actual dates on the horizontal axis.
Best thing would be to use fgetl twice once you open up your file using fopen.  Assuming your file was stored in a file called data.txt, and making sure that you set the working directory to be where you stored the text file, do this first:
fid = fopen('data.txt', 'r');
first_row = fgetl(fid);
second_row = fgetl(fid);
fclose(fid);

first_row and second_row will contain character arrays that contain the first and second row of the text file.  We open up the file, read in the first two lines, then close the file with fclose.  Next, we can very easily split up the dates using regular expressions.  Regular expressions try to find patterns in strings.  Specifically, we have a well defined pattern where you want to get out strings that are in between quotation characters.  Specifically, you want a bunch of characters that are digits, letters or spaces.  Use regexp to help you do this.  You would extract out the dates by the following code:
dates = regexp(first_row, '\"([\w+ ]+)\",', 'tokens');

The first element is the string you want to parse, the second element is the pattern you're looking for.  Specifically, the pattern is \"([\w+ ]+)\".  This rather bad looking statement means that you are looking for patterns where we start with a ", have a whole bunch of characters followed by spaces, then we end with another ".  I place () in between the quotations because I don't want the quotation characters in the output.  I use the 'tokens' flag because this means that I want to get the actual characters within the ().  When I run the above line and display the output, we get:
>> celldisp(dates)

dates{1}{1} =

27 feb 2015

dates{2}{1} =

28 feb 2015

dates{3}{1} =

1 mar 2015

We do the same thing for the second row, but we look for digits only:
numbers = regexp(second_row, '\"(\d+)\",', 'tokens');

Here, the pattern we look for is \"(\d+)\", which means that we want to look for a sequence of numbers in between quotations.  Showing this output gives:
>> celldisp(numbers);

numbers{1}{1} =

1

numbers{2}{1} =

2

numbers{3}{1} =

3

numbers{4}{1} =

4

Because numbers is a cell array, convert the elements to a numeric array with cellfun:
numbers = cellfun(@(x) str2double(x{1}), numbers);

This goes through each element in the cell array, which is a nested cell, and we convert the number into an actual numerical value.  Remember, these are still characters.
Now, all you have to do is convert the dates to numbers, do our plotting, and if you want, you can convert the date numbers to actual dates.  So:
dates = cellfun(@(x) x{1}, dates, 'uni', 0);
datenums = datenum(dates, 'dd mmm yyyy');

dates is originally a nested cell array of strings, so we need to unpack out the strings so that we place each string into one cell array.  datenum converts a date string into a physical date number.  You provide a formatting string, and in your case, it's dd mm yyyy.
Now, all you have to do is plot the stuff:
plot(datenums, numbers);
set(gca, 'XTick', datenums);
set(gca, 'XTickLabel', dates);

The first line plots our stuff.  The second and third lines rename the x-axis so that instead of numerical values, we have dates instead.
I made a sample text file that contains:
"27 feb 2015","28 feb 2015","1 mar 2015","2 mar 2015",
"1","2","3","4",

When I used the above sample, with the above code, we get:

For your copying and pasting pleasure, this is what the full code looks like:
fid = fopen('data.txt', 'r');
first_row = fgetl(fid);
second_row = fgetl(fid);
fclose(fid);

dates = regexp(first_row, '\"([\w+ ]+)\",', 'tokens');
dates = cellfun(@(x) x{1}, dates, 'uni', 0);

numbers = regexp(second_row, '\"(\d+)\",', 'tokens');
numbers = cellfun(@(x) str2double(x{1}), numbers);

datenums = datenum(dates, 'dd mmm yyyy');

plot(datenums, numbers);
set(gca, 'XTick', datenums);
set(gca, 'XTickLabel', dates);

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Consider Industrial chillers as a refrigeration system which cools down a process fluid or dehumidifies air in any commercial and industrial facilities. They are used to cool pieces of equipment in an efficient and quick way to help production rates to stay at an optimal level. The basic idea behind a chiller is not to make objects colder but to simply remove the heat. A chiller usually uses either a vapor compression or absorption cycle to cool. Chilled water has a diversity of applications from space cooling to process uses. A chiller can be rated between one to 1000 tons of cooling energy. There are three types of chillers: air, water, and evaporative condensed chiller.
How does an Industrial Chiller Works?
In a perfect cycle, the condenser fills in as a twofold segment. Prior to any condensation happens, the high-pressure vapor must be first conveyed to a saturated condition. Enough heat must be exchanged from the refrigerant to bring down its temperature to the saturated temperature. Now, buildup can start.
In this way, to decrease the temperature, the pressure must be lessened, and some kind of restriction is required for this to happen. It would be best if the restriction could control itself as the system stack requests change. This is precisely what the thermostatic extension valve does. The thermostatic development valve is a superheat control, and won't keep up a steady vapor weight. It just gives the restriction important to decrease the weight to some level, which will be controlled by compressor measure, thermostatic development valve, estimate stack, stack request and framework conditions. If a steady evaporator temperature is required, it can be accomplished simply by keeping up the weight comparing to the saturation temperature required. This is proficient by including an evaporator pressure managing valve to the system.
A portion of the fluid refrigerant is required to boil as a means for removing the heat necessary to accomplish this lower temperature. The fluid that is relinquished in the boiling procedure clarifies the expansion in refrigerant quality. The more noteworthy the contrast between the fluid temperature and evaporator temperature, the more fluid should be bubbled with a specific end goal to accomplish the new saturation temperature. This results in a much higher refrigerant quality.
The last bit of the refrigerant's trip is as a blend of soaked fluid and vapor, going through the evaporator tubing. Warm air is blown over the evaporator, where its heat content is exchanged to the bubbling refrigerant. This is an inert heat gain to the refrigerant, causing no temperature increment while encountering a difference in the state. In the perfect cycle, the last molecule of saturated fluid boils off at the evaporator.


The first time sticks with you, and Man Crates has stepped in to help relive that grand retro gaming experience.
Remember when the video game became so intriguing, so enthralling that an 8-bit character on the screen, named Leonardo, trumped all else.
Raphael was your favorite turtle, but the game favored the katana.
The bowling alley was packed, the shoes were returned, and all that was left was the scratched and worn panels of the "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" arcade coin-op machine that gave way to hours of party on, dude! adventure.
Feeding quarters quickly depleted all allowance money for the foreseeable future, and still the damn snowball throwing foot soldiers won out, knocking your blue mask from your eyes, and forcing you to go home, defeated.
But then the NES (Nintendo Entertainment System) came out with its own version of "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: the Arcade Game" for the home console, and the would be snow hurlers were blasted with traffic cones, and the magicians' phantom tigers were dissipated, and then you got down into the crust to the headquarters of Shredder and the almighty Krang, the Technodrone!
What could reproduce such fun, you ask?
Well, the Man Crates Super Retro Gamer and Retro Gamer Bundles are a start.
These man-skewing gift box sets are literally crates that come with a crowbar for opening, and more importantly they have all the tools needed to play your retro NES and Super NES games.
And for just shy of $160, the Man Crates Super Retro Gamer bundle can start catering to the dawn of our love in games.
The NES-only Retro Gamer version is there for $99.
Their instructions for using the Man Crates are also clear and to the point (for the stereotypically independent male in the twenty-first century): In a sealed wooden crate with a laser-etched crowbar. No bow, no ribbons, no fluff, and absolutely no instructions.
Hey I was wondering, if my boyfriend already has a Super Nintendo, is this gift worth it? Or should I pick a different man crate?


Max Factor with his Beauty Calibration Machine.
Cruising in our blue Mustang convertible on my recent trip to California I truly enjoyed all the glamour there was to muster up! People would stare and say, "Wow, who are they?" I am a sap for all the stargazing I did! Even the foot and handprints at Grauman's Chinese Theatre made me feel close to all the stars I love! A trip to Santa Monica led us to Marion Davies' guesthouse with pool. I could only imagine looking at the long row of windows the luxurious glamour that was pioneered there! And oh the fun in the pool! The actors of days gone by stand out strongly in my mind! The days of writers!
Upon entering the Hollywood Museum and greeted by a Patrick Swayze look-alike I was struck by this Art Deco palace as it used to be The Max Factor Building. The first floor housed all the makeup memorabilia from the "For Blondes Only Room" -- Marilyn Monroe, Lucille Ball to Joan Crawford! Their hair dryers, their glassed-in mirrored vanities and the lot! Even a telegram to Mae West inviting her to the latest Max Factor line introduction from Max himself! Technicolor blood, grease paint and theatrical powder were some evidence of an era gone by.
Does anyone remember the actresses' black and white photographs so perfect looking? The makeup was perfection. Many owe it to Max Factor. In 1932 the legendary Max Factor devised an ingenious invention combining phrenology, cosmetics and a scientific analysis to a women's facial imperfections. The Beauty Calibrator was invented -- also known in the trade as The Beauty Micrometer --, proving that a natural "Perfect Face" was a myth.
This is the only Beauty Calibrator in existence. The human face has flaws can be recognized by this invention and then can be corrected with pancake shading makeup applied precisely to achieve the "perfect face." Imagine that! My quest toward facial perfection is answered.
After all my, Mom would say, "If the movies in Hollywood won't hire me maybe the comic strips will! "


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Q: Service / platform to work with MS Word api I want' to organize generation reports in *.docx format using MS Word api. But I can't find any service which allow work with that api ( First I hope find it in office365 but I didn't ).
There are list of api's for js/python etc.
http://dev.office.com/reference/add-ins/javascript-api-for-office
Or possible you can share experience how to organize such tasks.
In general we use *nix stack, so cloud solution is the best variant.

A: At the moment, only Excel provides such an API (currently in beta).
You could generate a .docx directly but it fair warning, this can be non-trivial to get set up. Technically a .docx uses OOXML which is just a zipped collection of xml files.


I jumped on board and did the photo challenge on Instagram, but the other day I was kindly reminded by my Facebook memories that 10 years ago I had also started a blog! I'm not entirely sure if I had ever shared the reason why I started blogging, so I thought I'd start up the #10YearBloggingChallenge.
Ten years ago I was in my final semester of journalism school(!), and for my online journalism class we were given a list of projects would could start for marks. One was a blog, there were no real restrictions as to what it had to be about, so as a result, Kara's View was created! The URL has been expired for quite some time, but if I recall I blogged about issues on campus, borrowing from the articles I wrote for the student newspaper.
I think at one point I changed the tagline to "A Bit of Everything and a lot of Nothing," but really, that's all the blog was until bigger life events started happening. (Marriage, babies, etc.) Then in 2014 I "rebranded" again and ta-da, She Writes Words was born! While my post frequency has really died down over the past few months, I still find a lot of pleasure in blogging/writing, even if it is just a life update. I think it's mainly because I know that somewhere out there, someone is sharing the same experiences as I am and can relate to what I'm going through – or at least that's what I feel when I read other blogs – so I'm happy to keep plugging along here.
Will I be around in another 10 years? It's really hard to say since life throws so many different things your way, but I'm happy that a lot of you have stuck around for so long.
Where were you 10 years ago, blogging or in general?
Awe! You have all the rights to be vain (lol) your beautiful girl!!


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Henry Fielding
Born in 1707 in Sharpham, Somerset, England, Henry Fielding was a novelist, playwright and a magistrate. He studied law at the University of Leiden. He and his half brother, John formed the Bow Street Runners which led to the first police force in London. His mother died when he was eleven and after a court order, Henry was taken away from his father and sent to live with his grandmother. His father, Lt. General Edmund Fielding was an irresponsible father, but charming. Henry often visited with his father and kept a relationship with him.
When he was eighteen, Henry he tried to abduct his cousin, Sarah Andrews and then left London so he wouldn't be arrested. But then three years later, after studying law and the classics in Leiden, he returned to London due to poverty.
In London he started writing plays for the theater. Because he used his work to publicly criticize the Prime Minister, the Theatrical Licensing Act was passed in 1737. This act made political satire almost impossible. Since Henry was now not as popular in the theater, he decided to go back to the law so he could support his wife, Charlotte and their children.
Because Henry was not very good with finances, he was often aided by Ralph Allen, who he based the character Allworthy in Tom Jones. Although working as a magistrate, Henry kept writing satires on politics and current books, stories and plays. He wrote under the pen name, Captain Hercules Vinegar for papers and magazines. His views were very liberal for the time.
Henry's breakthrough into novels came almost by accident. Henry wrote a satire over a popular novel by Samuel Richardson because he had become angry with the author. The book by Richardson was Pamela and Henry named his satirical novel, Shamela. After that he wrote a novel about Pamela's brother and named it Joseph Andrews. Although the novel was meant to be a parody it became a more serious novel and introduced Henry as a more serious novelist.
While his writing became more popular, Henry continued to work as a magistrate. Soon he was appointed London's chief magistrate. He became famous for his impartial judgments. He was compassionate for the poor and those who were forced by their circumstances into crime. He was also incorruptible and not impressed with status. Since he refused to accept payment from the poor, his own income from his job as a magistrate was low. He and his brother, John worked towards improving prisons and judicial reform.
As Henry's health failed due to gout, asthma and cirrhosis of the liver, he continued his commitment to justice and humanitarianism. He wrote treaties stating his belief that the neglect of Christianity and the greed of a more materialistic world was the reason for the upswing in crime and murders. Finally his health sent him to Portugal in 1754 to find a cure, where he died in Lisbon two months later. There he was buried in the city's English Cemetery, St. George's Church.
Author: Henry Fielding
Published in 1749, "The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling", or just "Tom Jones", as it was known as a satirical novel by Henry Fielding. It has been named one of the ten greatest novels of all time. The book is broken up into eighteen sections and each section begins with a chapter that usually has nothing to do with … [Read more...] about Tom Jones


The self-balancing robot building is today an activity that every robot builder can perform with Arduino. Searching in Google for self-balancing robot you can find tons of realizations, with tons of different sensors and control systems. So to build a self balancing robot is a standard task for the robot builder, like a simple home rover.
So I tried to build a self-balancing robot using only one sensor: a Sharp IR distance sensor e nothing else. No gyro, no accelerometer, no other sensors. All is self-built, in the DIY pure spirit.
We are under 100 euros, a good results concerning the cost.
This is the phase of the chassis building, transparent and in plexiglass. In particular, the chassis cuts has been made with a simple cutter, after the holes has been made with a drill.
Here is the robottino completed and mounted. You can see the IR Sharp sensor, upon a little arm outside the chassis. I built a robot with 3 floors, in order to study the distribution of the weight on the stability. Actually, I didn't make important tests on it. On the Arduino 2009, I put a shield with the breadboard and on the breadboard an accelerometer. Now the accelerometer is not wired, but in the future, perhaps, I will use it.
Some construction detail about the robot. The control algoritm uses a PI control, a PID where the derivative term is equal to zero. The signal coming from the IR sensor is filtered in a very simple mode. 10 values are read, then they are sorted and cancelled the 'tails', i.e. the 2 value littlest and 2 values biggest and with the 6 values remaining I made the average. So there aren't kalman filter or similar. The IR signal is enough clean to do a simple average. The sensor have a 10-80 cm range and it has a trasfer function voltage-distance similar to an hyperbole in the working range, so I tried to put it in the point of maximum sensibility, in order to obtain the maximum voltage variation compared with the distance.
At the beginning I tried to use only the P term of the PID control (only Kp different to zero). I passed many hours searching to find the balance, but I never had a success, so I confirmed the theory that says that with the only proportional term you can obtain only some oscillations.Introducing the integral term (Ki different to zero) I obtained an immediate benefice and with some test I found the balance value.
I made some attempts to introduce a disturbance (with a push) to see the rejection of the disturbance. As you can see the situation could be better, because after a few seconds the robot is in resonance, but at the end it can hold in balance. This is due to the lack of the derivative term (Kd) wich serves to limit the oscillations.
Some considerations: the robottino is extremely sensitive to the change of control coefficients. In fact, changing only 10% of the coefficients Ki and Kp, the robot can't hold in balance. I can say that I had fortune to find a couple of correct parameters. Putting the weight of the batteries from one floor to another, I couldn't find the right parameters for the balance. So finding the right parameters is a patience work. I think that using only one sensor is a 'limit' situation in order to get the balance. So my advise is use two or more sensors!


text:
Reflections on the state of media criticism
On December 22, 2009 By Dan KennedyIn Media
I've got an essay in the current issue of Nieman Reports on the evolution of media criticism, from its roots in the work of A.J. Liebling and the alternative press to its current status as an Internet-fueled growth industry.
The essay is, in part, a review of a new book by the media scholar Arthur Hayes called "Press Critics Are the Fifth Estate: Media Watchdogs in America." Hayes deliberately eschews journalistic practitioners of media criticism such as Jack Shafer, Howard Kurtz, David Carr, Eric Alterman and Liebling himself in favor of political activists. (The cover aside, Stephen Colbert and even Jon Stewart receive surprisingly little mention.)
Hayes' argument is that activists from ideological organizations such as Accuracy in Media on the right and Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting on the left are more likely to bring about change than those whose mission it is to report on media institutions and write about their findings. As you might imagine, I disagree. I write:
At its best, media criticism — like all good journalism — is about digging out uncomfortable facts and telling them fearlessly. It is difficult to do well and, it shouldn't be the critic's job to bring about change. Truth is a rare enough commodity that it ought to be valued for its own sake.
Hope you'll take a look.
A.J. LieblingAccuracy in MediaArthur HayesDavid CarrEric AltermanFairness and Accuracy in ReportingHoward KurtzJack ShaferJon Stewartmedia criticismNieman ReportsStephen Colbert
Green hypocrites
Not quite the apocalypse after all
4 thoughts on "Reflections on the state of media criticism"
Harrybosch
A media critic reviewing a book by a media critic on media critics.
Enjoyed the article, yet still can't help but wonder how many more degrees of media criticism will make my head explode . . .
What's up with Kurtz's obsession with Letterman and Woods' penis when he has had virtually no interest in Sen Ensign's penis?
Not sure I agree that Media Matters is more credible thant FAIR. Media Matters is more wealthy, and has a better look and larget staff, but it is brazenly partisan, serving the goal to elect Democrats. Its critique, is that the media is too nice to Republicans, and to mean to Democrats.
Fair's critique is far more systematic. It looks at the media ownership structure as an inherent flaw — a pretty reasonable critique, no? — and attacks coverage for serving the ends of its owners, not a political party.
Just because Media Matters is not "as far to the left" does not make it better. The serious analysis at FAIR is often far more thorough, and critical of liberals and conservatives (say for ignoring single-payer adocates, which is a valid point), wheras, Media Matters does a lot of knee-jerk defending of Democrats. I find FAIR to be far more independent and more valuable, no matter how "left" it is.
@Michael: I didn't say Media Matters is "more credible" than FAIR, nor do I secretly believe it in my corrupt and malignant heart. I said MM is more mainstream and more effective than FAIR, and for some of the very reasons that you state. For the record, I consider FAIR to be quite credible.


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Anirban Basu
I am moving my website address and content to a new website with a simpler look and feel. While this website will still be active for sometime, it will not be incrementally updated anymore.
The new website is at http://www.anirbanbasu.com/
I am currently working within the Information Security group at KDDI Research in Japan. For my post-doctoral position, I worked at Tokai University on a project funded by the Japanese Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, in collaboration with Waseda University, Hitachi, NEC and KDDI.
I have several years of experience with academic research at the University of Sussex where I was involved with two EPSRC funded and one EU IST funded research projects alongside my doctoral research. I have also offered consultancy to a number of small and medium sized industries in the UK and the University of Sussex Library.
I hold a Doctorate in Computer Science and a Bachelor of Engineering (Hons.) in Computer Systems Engineering from the University of Sussex.
Please see my CVs for further information.
Apart from research, I am also very interested in photography. My Flickr photostream is available at http://www.flickr.com/photos/a_basu/. Recently, I have also taken interest in DSLR videography. My YouTube channel is available at http://www.youtube.com/xtremebytes.
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