For several years I have had a To-Do list item to improve my server monitoring setup. The value is to have a quick and easy way to make sure everything appears to be going well inside the network: unexplained spikes in cpu or network usage might suggest that the network has been compromised. It’s also …
Server/Computer Monitoring is easier than expected Read More »
For the birdnetpi I have setup at home, there’s been a desire for a good microphone that can sit outside and pick up a wide recording of the general soundscape, in particular of the birds singing. So far, I’ve tried a bunch of different microphones and all have worked. Note that this is after turning …
Almost two years ago I threw a bit of money into Robinhood to learn a bit about the stock market. At the time, they were the only major company offering free trades, and now, my primary broker (Schwab) offers that feature as well as many others. And during that time I managed to beat the …
Accidentally Beating the Stock Market, slightly (and I share my secret to success!) Read More »
The UCI – the international cycling union, publishes a list of bike frames allowed in the World Tour – the series of races that comprise the premier event of professional road cycling. If there’s a premium mass market road bike, it’s on the list. And this list is a great way to analyze the development …
Just as we were beginning to lose all hope – our WiFi at the farm was powered by a daisy-chained rig to Verizon 4G, and there were no other options, we suddenly get Fiber Optic connection in!!?! From best to worst, literally over the course of this morning. Furthermore, I happen to be at the …
In the cycling world, there is a wealth of data analysis and visualization tools, of which I have experience with Strava and TrainingPeaks. In fact, cycling is probably one of the most data-mature consumer industries, ironic considering at face value cycling brings up images of rugged mountain trails not computers and sensors. The data we …
Processing Garmin .fit files to .csv files for Cycling Data Analysis Read More »
For all three people in the world who are really interested (myself and my parents), the Catlin farm’s newly-established weather/sensor database is difficult to understand just by glancing at the 40 columns of numbers. So I made a dashboard in which to look at, in particular, the trifecta of agriculture: rain, temp, and sun for …
Live Dashboard of Farm Weather for WordPress.com Read More »
While cleaning to move, an old PS3Eye – a webcam for the PS3, was found. Turns out this little device has a 640*480 camera and 4-microphone array that have made it popular for DIY’ers for making motion trackers, virtual Alexa-style assitants, and so on with Raspberry Pi’s. It’s pretty much plug and play. I’ve got …
It can be difficult, as an absentee farmer, to really have a good idea of what is going on with everything that is being managed. Now true, my parents are about to retire and stay at the farm full-time, but I won’t be doing so myself any time soon. There’s also just something weird about …
Logging Weather, Solar, and Sensor Data for a Smart(er) IoT Farm Read More »
Having spent quite a bit of time messing around with a Raspberry Pi, where it took hours just to get a few temperature probes running, it was refreshing to have a nice, made for consumer object like setting up the weather station: an AmbientWeather Osprey 2902. I chose this station because the company provides more …
