Use cmd+c and cmd+v in XQuartz on your Mac

! ~/.Xmodmap
clear Mod2
clear control
keycode 63 = Control_L
keycode 67 = Control_L
keycode 71 = Control_L
add control = Control_L

Creating a permanent link to a file on github – branch, tag or commit id supported

This is just another “note to myself” thing… don’t expect too much magic here, but as you came here, you seem to have the same goal as I did:

I want to link to a specific file on github using its tag, so that it is a permanent link.

https://help.github.com/articles/getting-permanent-links-to-files/ exactly tells you how to create a permant link using a branch name or commit id. What they do not tell you is: You can also use a tag name.

The example given in above documentation would easily be written as:

https://github.com/hubotio/hubot/blob/v3.1.1/README.md

to permanently link to the README.md file of the v3.1.1 release.

Easy, right?

Logging out of Netflix on Smart TVs

I am just sitting here on the couch trying to logout of the netflix.com app on a LG Electronics TV. The one or the other of you guy may come accross the same problem when using you account in an AirBnb or any other home that you do not want your account to stick with, so down you find the solution 😉

I was fiddling around with the settings, almost any button on the remote when I finally found a “secret” code to bring up the TVs netflix menu. The steps to follow are:

  1. Launch Netflix on the TV.
  2. Enter the following code using the arrow keys on the remote control:
    1. Up
    2. Up
    3. Down
    4. Down
    5. Left
    6. Right
    7. Left
    8. Right
    9. Up
    10. Up
    11. Up
    12. Up
  3. Sign out using the last menu item called “Sign Out”

 

If that does not work, you can still log out on all you devices from the netflix web page:

https://help.netflix.com/en/node/18

 

Webpack, NodeJS and Express fueled by typescript

Webpack is all the rage today. It calls itself a module bundler, but it is so much more than that. It will replace your gulp setup entirely, as it will do your transformations, you bundling, your replacements, your asset compilation, just about everything on the front-end build chain.

But what about the backend?

This question bothered me, so I decided to go ahead and build something to find out.

The building blocks

Node JS

Node.js® is a JavaScript runtime built on Chrome’s V8 JavaScript engine. Node.js is mainly used for backend and build chain tasks. For more information, visit https://nodejs.org/en/ .

ExpressJS

Express is a project of the Node.js Foundation, it is a robust web framework for NodeJS. The Express framework allows building backend services with REST-APIs.
For more detailed information, look here : https://expressjs.com/

WebPack

 

Webpack is a module bundler. Its main purpose is to bundle JavaScript files for usage in a browser, yet it is also capable of transforming, bundling, or packaging just about any resource or asset.
In this project, we use webpack to transpile and bundle the NodeJS code written in typescript.
For more detailed information, look here : https://webpack.js.org/

 

I am using version 3.10.0

Typescript

TypeScript is a free and open-source programming language developed and maintained by Microsoft. It is a strict syntactical superset of JavaScript, and adds optional static typing to the language. (from Wikipedia)
For more detailed information, look here : https://www.typescriptlang.org/

Continue reading “Webpack, NodeJS and Express fueled by typescript”

HomePi – connecting the Pi and the LED board

After setting up the LED board (HomePi – Starting with the LED board) and proving that it is actually working, it is now time to connect the Pi with the LED board. In this blog Post, we will talk about:

  • The Raspberry Pi GPIOs in general
  • How to connect the two devices
  • Download & use a software that allows to control the GPIOs/LEDs

First things first: The GPIOs

GPIO stands for General purpose input/output. We find them on the Raspberry Pi. A very good source of information is https://www.raspberrypi.org/documentation/usage/gpio/ where we find an image explaining the PIN numbering and location on the board.

The GPIO pins are a physical interface between the Pi and the outside world. At the simplest level, you might think of them as switches that you can turn on or off (input case) or that the Pi can turn on or off (output case).

Continue reading “HomePi – connecting the Pi and the LED board”

How to install NodeJS 8 on Raspberry Pi (using the ArmV6 package)

The is just a little “note” on how to install NodeJS on the RaspberryPi, as I was searching for the best way to do it my self several time, I decided to put this up for you guys (and me 😉 ) here to find it more easily..

First ssh into your Pi, then follow the procedure:

pi@raspberrypi:~ $ mkdir Downloads
pi@raspberrypi:~ $ cd Downloads/
pi@raspberrypi:~/Downloads $ wget https://nodejs.org/dist/v8.9.0/node-v8.9.0-linux-armv6l.tar.xz
--2017-11-05 11:57:20--  https://nodejs.org/dist/v8.9.0/node-v8.9.0-linux-armv6l.tar.xz
...
Length: 10272460 (9.8M) [application/x-xz]
Saving to: 'node-v8.9.0-linux-armv6l.tar.xz'
node-v8.9.0-linux-a 100%[===================>]   9.80M  1.20MB/s    in 7.7s 
...  
pi@raspberrypi:~/Downloads $ tar -xvf node-v8.9.0-linux-armv6l.tar.xz
pi@raspberrypi:~/Downloads $ cd node-v8.9.0-linux-armv6l/
pi@raspberrypi:~/Downloads/node-v8.9.0-linux-armv6l $ sudo cp -R * /usr/local/
pi@raspberrypi:~/Downloads/node-v8.9.0-linux-armv6l $ cd
pi@raspberrypi:~ $ node -v
v8.9.0

You see, finally, we got no v8.9.0 on the Pi.

Stay tuned..

HomePi – Starting with the LED board

As discussed in earlier blog-posts, I will show you how to build an LED controller to be ultimately controlled by the Google Home device. This article is the first in the series that actually talks about the components and we will start with the LEDs connected to our RaspberryPi.

LEDs

First of all we need some electrical engineering fundamentals (based on https://electronicsclub.info/leds.htm):

I own several red and green LEDs, so I will use them for my demo. Every LED must have a resistor connected in series to limit the current flowing through the LED, to prevent it froming burning out instantly. The Resistor value can be calculated with a simple formular

R = (VS – VL) / I 

R = resistor value in ohms (ohm).
VS = supply voltage.
VL = LED voltage (2V generally, or 4V for blue and white LEDs).
I = LED current in amps (A)

Continue reading “HomePi – Starting with the LED board”

LA’s 10 Hottest Tech Incubators, Accelerators and Funding in general

I recently came across this article (http://pandodaily.com/2012/03/12/the-la-tech-scene-finally-moves-out-of-its-parents-basement/) which is mainly focussing on the Los Angeles Tech Scene. In the authors opinion the silicon valley is facing a competitive future. I absolutely agree with him except that it is not only LA taht is on the raise but also Germanies capital Berlin. Berlin hosts a lot of european startups, is a very good place to live for young, creative people and already have it’s “own” venture capital network.

What I find interesting most is the list of supporters Michael Carney has at the very end of his article:

Continue reading “LA’s 10 Hottest Tech Incubators, Accelerators and Funding in general”

[Infographic] Geeks vs. Nerds

Stuck in a geeks world.. What does it mean? Actually there are “10” different characters that are not easy to seperate for the rest of the wolrd: Geeks and Nerds. But what’s the actual difference? An Infographic compiled by  http://www.mastersinit.org/ is explaining how to seperate them.

While Geeks are more likley to be found in positions like web developers or Entrepreneurs, Nerds are more often working as rocket scientists or reclusive professors. Both are likely to be IT professionals.

I don’t want to repeat all the figures, so just have a look to the infographic below: HostGator Promo Codes
Continue reading “[Infographic] Geeks vs. Nerds”

Udacity – how to build your own search engine over even a robotic car

Last year I successfully attended “Introduction to Artificial Intelligence” bay Sebastian Thrun and Peter Norvig. Sebastian and Peter are pioneers on the field of free online education and gave an awesome experience to a lot of online students.

A few days ago I received this Email from Sebastian asking to promote his latest venture udacity:

Hi Patrick,

Thank you for your interest in AI Class and congratulations to those who
successfully graduated. We were totally amazed that over 23,000 students
made it all the way to the end in a Stanford graduate-level class.

Due to popular demand, we are teaching a follow-up class: AI for Robotics at www.udacity.com . Also due to popular demand, we now have a programming environment, so you can develop and test software. Our
goal is to teach you to program a self-driving car in 7 weeks. This is a topic very close to my heart, and I am eager to share it with you. (This class builds on the concepts in ai-class, but ai-class is NOT required).

We are also launching an introduction to programming class, where students will learn to program a search engine, without any prior
knowledge of programming. This will be great for students new to computer science.

We are doing this with a new university: Udacity. In the next months, we will offer an entire computer science curriculum through Udacity, and offer certification services so that an entire degree can be obtained online.

I would love to see you in class again! I would also love if you could help us spread the word and recruit students. Udacity is an experiment in democratizing education, in making free education available for
everyone in the world. It can only succeed if you join us and help spread the word.

Sebastian

If you want to learn how to build your own search engine or how to build a robotic car, just register for the corresponing course on udacity.com.