Moku:Go is a complete lab solution for engineers and students to actively test designs and projects. Featuring 11 instruments, full range of connectivity and optional programmable power supplies, Moku:Go can do work anywhere, eliminating the need for bulky bench top equipment. An intuitive user interface (UI) is included for Windows and Mac, and API support that integrates with the rest of your work.

The 11 instruments included are:

• Arbitrary Waveform Generator
• Data Logger
• Digital Filter Box
• FIR Filter Builder
• Frequency Response Analyzer
• Lock-in Amplifier
• Logic Analyzer / Pattern Generator
• Oscilloscope / Voltmeter
• PID Controller
• Spectrum Analyzer
• Waveform Generator

Of course, a price starting from $600 is not cheap, but it is a lot cheaper than buying all the individual instruments. That said, there is some trade-off in terms of sensitivity and range, so if you just need one or two better quality devices, you could be better off buying those individually. Still, for hobbyists and similar applications, this could be quite appealing.

See https://www.liquidinstruments.com/products/hardware-platforms/mokugo/

#technology #measurement #hobbyists #mokugo #hardware

There has finally been a breakthrough — Thanks to the dedicated community that has sprung up around this topic, a set of kernel patches manage to work around the hardware issues. It’s now possible to run a Radeon HD 5000/6000/7000 card on the Raspberry Pi 4 Compute Module. There are still glitches, and the Kernel patches to make this work will likely never land upstream. That said, It’s possible to run a desktop environment on the Radeon GPU on a Pi, and even a few simple benchmarks.

The results… aren’t particularly inspiring, but that wasn’t really ever the point.

See https://hackaday.com/2022/04/28/a-real-gpu-on-the-raspberry-pi-barely/

#technology #raspberrypi #hack #linux #opensource

Obsidian is a free (non-commercial use), not open source, text editor and works with open standard Markdown formatting on plain text files.

Apart from quite advanced editing and UI options, I find Obsidian attractive because of its over 500 quality community plugins, and its ability to visually show the relationships between your notes. Recording notes from meetings, or as you are daily learning new things or solving problems, is an excellent way to build your personal knowledge base. Using Markdown format can be fun, and can achieve a lot in terms of readability when you use some of the more advanced features of Markdown formatting.

Despite not being open source, you are not locked into Obsidian, and can use other Markdown editors interchangeably. In my video, I also touch on integrating with NextCloud to sync your notes, and especially some issues that iOS presents for apps.

Watch my video at https://youtu.be/q_4LR76g-jU

#technology #obsidian #markdown #notes #editor

It is an Electron app, but that also means it is cross-platform, with various installation options. It is very similar to the Apple Music app, and in fact, has a few extra features like Discord, LastFM, equalisers, etc.

See https://cider.sh/

#technology #applemusic #opensource #music #cider

Facebook is facing what it describes internally as a “tsunami” of privacy regulations all over the world, which will force the company to dramatically change how it deals with users’ personal data. And the “fundamental” problem, the company admits, is that Facebook has no idea where all of its user data goes, or what it’s doing with it, according to a leaked internal document obtained by Motherboard.

“We’ve built systems with open borders. The result of these open systems and open culture is well described with an analogy: Imagine you hold a bottle of ink in your hand. This bottle of ink is a mixture of all kinds of user data (3PD, 1PD, SCD, Europe, etc.) You pour that ink into a lake of water (our open data systems; our open culture) … and it flows … everywhere,” the document read. “How do you put that ink back in the bottle? How do you organize it again, such that it only flows to the allowed places in the lake?”

My opinion is it should actually be quite simple... you protect your users' private info (profiles, private posts, metadata) and you don't sell or give it away. If you do want to give away for whatever reason, or sell it, a user has to specifically opt in. Other networks like Mastodon, PixelFed, and many more seem to have got it right, and they don't have thousands of employees to manage it. The problem is Facebook got into the business of making money out of users' data, and now with the pressure coming on, is finding it difficult to put controls in place. So switch it off and don't share the data...

See https://www.vice.com/en/article/akvmke/facebook-doesnt-know-what-it-does-with-your-data-or-where-it-goes

#technology #privacy #facebook #meta

The Linux Mint team announced that they built a new utility to upgrade the Linux Mint significant versions. It’s called the “mintupgrade2”. It is currently under development and planned for upgrading to the major versions—for example, Linux Mint 20 to 21 and not the minor version upgrades.

Although you can upgrade the versions using the standard apt commands, however, the Mint team believes major version upgrades are tricky. It would be difficult for the new users to perform a seamless upgrade because it involves the terminal and a set of complex steps with commands.

Moreover, the GUI is a wrapper with additional features to the mintupgrade program, which brings a set of pre-system checks and upgrade processes with a one-click Fix.

See https://www.debugpoint.com/2022/04/mint-upgrade-tool/

#technology #linuxmint #linux

Whether I'm travelling locally or abroad, I always travel with a mobile hotspot, to which all my (and usually my family) WiFi devices connect. This one certainly seems to tick all the available boxes...

It’s called the Netgear Nighthawk M6 Pro, and at $459.99, it ain’t cheap. But it’s a leap over its predecessors in practically every way. Not only is it one of the first hotspots with both actually useful C-band 5G frequencies and speedy-but-spotty mmWave but also AT&T says it’s the first with Wi-Fi 6E for 3.6 Gbps wireless transfer speeds. It’s also got a 2.5 Gbps Ethernet jack for wired gadgets where its predecessor maxed out at gigabit wired speeds.

Oh, and it’s got a USB 3.2 Type-C port for charging and tethering, a pair of external TS9 antenna connectors if you want to boost its reception, and a chunky 5,040 mAh removable battery beneath that 2.8-inch touchscreen.

See https://www.theverge.com/23041215/netgear-nighthawk-m6-pro-att-cband-5g-wifi-6e

#technology #hotspot #mobile #netgear

Apple requires that competing mobile browsers distributed through the iOS App Store use its own WebKit rendering engine, which is the basis of its Safari browser. The result is that Chrome, Edge, and Firefox on iOS are all, more or less, Safari.

Apple's browser engine requirement has vexed web developers, who have been limited to using only the web APIs implemented in WebKit for their web apps. Many believe this barrier serves to steer developers toward native iOS app development, which Apple controls.

"The potential for a capable web has been all but extinguished on mobile because Apple has successfully prevented it until now," said Russell. "Businesses and services will be able to avoid building 'apps' entirely when enough users have capable browsers." "There's a long road between here and there," he said. "Apple has spent enormous amounts to lobby on this, and they aren't stupid. Everyone should expect them to continue to play games along the lines of what they tried in Denmark and South Korea."

See https://www.theregister.com/2022/04/26/apple_ios_browser/

#technology #browsers #apple #competition #EU

It just boggles my mind that back in the 1840s such design technology could build a clock so high, with four 7 m diameter clock dials, and with around 2 seconds accuracy per day. To also know how to add or subtract a penny to the pendulum to adjust the accuracy, is also just a testament to the ingenuity of that age.

This video is one of the best explanations I've seen of how all the technology works together, in easy to understand animation.

Watch https://youtu.be/H3xgBS_kDNw

#technology #retro #bigben #elizabethtower #london