Ramblings of a crazy IT support technician…
February 21, 2013
I’ve been pretty busy with work related stuff and spending time flying my drone and contributing to the global AR Drone Flyers community so I haven’t had much time to provide updates here.
But stay tuned, I have a whole heap of pics, videos and news to post soon as well as a new Quad Helicopter build to document as soon as I can get some time.
November 4, 2012
OMG I knew these were cool but I had no idea just how cool the Parrot AR Drone 2.0 Quadracopter really was!
Seriously if you can get your hands on one of these do it! I’ve driven and flown other RC models before and helicopters are the hardest to learn to fly but this thing takes all the hard work out of it and makes it easy to learn and become quite proficient quickly and with very little damage.
Did I say very little damage?
Yep this thing is built like a tank, well almost! It’s airframe is made of graphite composite surrounded by a dense polystyrene outer safety cell and comes with a full ring type polystyrene indoor hull that protects the 4 properller blades from damage. Speaking of the blades these are also quite sturdy and flexable and after a few hours flight time mine have a few nicks and scrapes but overall are intact. I’ve crashed my drone at least 2 dozen times complete with a couple of high speed flips and burrows and I’ve only managed to crack the outer indoor hull once which I repaired with epoxy glue and tape.
This thing hovers automatically. If you take your hands off the controls it immediately stops in its tracks and goes into auto hover mode which is great if you get into trouble. Just let go and it stops even at high speed with a sudden correction in the opposite direction and just stops mid-air! It’s unbelievable at the smarts this thing has which is helped by an array of sensors built into the electronics. Did I mention this has 2 cameras on board? The forward facing camera is a 720p HD camera and there is a SD camera in the belly you can use for arial recon and the brains uses the belly camera to lock onto targets to hover over. There is also an ultrasonic transmitter and receiver as well which tells it how far it is off the ground up to 3 meters. Top this off with a full gyro and some other neat stuff and some very smart software this is quite a powerful piece of kit and yet at under $350 retail is a bargain for what it can do compared to many more expensive RC helicopters and even quadracopters!
I’ve gotten about 3.5 hours total flight time on my drone so far. Battery life is on average about 10-12 minutes but if you start doing some funky spins and flips (yes I said flips!!!) or your flying in high winds the battery life drains considerably. You can get aftermarket batteries which can almost double the flight time. Suffice to say it pays to pick up a few spare batteries and chargers. Batteries retail for about $50 and chargers about $40 and it’s a good idea to buy one charger per battery as these packs take up to 90 minutes per charge and it pays to at least have a 2-1 battery to charger ratio so you always have a pack ready to go!
Ok getting back to flips. Yes this drone can flip itself left or right or front or back completely in a 360 degree flip and recover mid-air and keep flying. You need to be at least 1 to 2 meters off the ground to do this especially in high winds otherwise the drone tends to bump the ground when it comes out of the flip but usually can keep flying. All you need to do a flip is get it up high enough off the ground and activate the flip command in whatever direction you want and away it goes! The controlling apps you can get for the AR Drone can be programmed to do other stunts as well but the flip is especially built into the firmware as Parrot have obviously spent a lot of time and parts working out how to get this drone to do this!
Speaking of the controlling apps, this drone is controlled using your iPhone or iPad or Android phone using either the factory Parrot apps or many aftermarket apps which have more features including a dance app that allows you to sequence many preprogrammed dance moves into a sequence to control 1 or more drones in a dance routine. Quite cool to watch! The app connects to the drone using 802.11n WiFi networkin using an adhoc network and range depends on the device you use, channel, and other interference around but I found I could easily fly 30-50 meters without getting out of range. You can also use a WiFi range extender/repeater to help extend the control range.
But what happens if you get out of range you ask? Well Parrot thought of this too and whenever the drone loses its control signal will immediately halt and hover. If it is above safe hover height (3 meters due to ultrasonice range) then it will slowly lower itself down until it detects something underneath and will then continue to hover until you come back into range or it runs out of battery at which point it will auto land when it gets down to an emergency level. This also works when in range if you get down to below 5% battery it will immediately land before it runs out of enough power to safely control itself in a landing.
Below is a short 5 minute video I compiled with my first few hours of flight including some spectacular crashes and stunts:
So after a few hours of flight I have to tell you I am totally addicted. I plan on getting some spares soon especially a new hull and props just in case but I plan on putting this drone through its paces over the next couple of weeks including some outdoor flying on an oval around the corner from my home. There is an extensive modding community for the AR Drone complete with aftermarket parts, software and other mod ideas to make it more fun to fly.
I totally recommend anyone who is into flying or RC models to check the Parrot AR Drone 2.0 out. Stay tuned over coming days as I post other articles and ideas on the AR Drone as I get more into this addiction err i mean hobby 
July 26, 2011
It goes like this: horny teenagers have always been horny. Then they got mobile phones, and used them to exchange raunchy pics with each other. Horrified parents demanded an explanation, and “sexting” was born. But what does that mean, exactly? This.
“Sexting” has become as nebulous as it is overhyped. And this is problematic, because the definitions in use are as ambiguous as they are many. Some say a sext is just a naked pic. Some say it’s flirty. Some say it’s sexually suggestive or sexually themed. “Sexually themed” being one of those wonderfully catch-all danger words. It can be kissing! It can be nudity! It can be – sex. Is saying “I wanna make out with you” a sext? What if I include a picture of my penis with that message? What if it’s just the picture?
Nobody seems to agree – and that’s a problem. We’re swept up an exciting new word that has the potential to help unseat politicians, but we’re not exactly sure what we’re talking about.
With every wave of technology, we accumulate new words. Upload. Delete. Google. These are fine, because their meanings are technically clear and innocuous. But sexting is something one’s accused of – an act with some degree of shame accompanying it. It might be a lot of fun (I mean, right?), but you wouldn’t want to talk about doing it over Christmas dinner.
So let’s set things straight right now.
Sexting is a portmanteau of sex and texting. Agreed? Good. We’ll stick with that. It’s not sexual texting, or sexually themed texting – it’s sex texting. Texting as a simulacrum of doin’ it. Remember cybersex?
:<<OH YEAH, I AM TAKING OFF YOUR PANTS NOW. HOLD ON MY MODEM IS DOWNLOADING THE REST OF YOUR BRA.
There wasn’t any confusion about cybersex. Like phone sex before it, cybersex was the acting out of sexual performances via internet. Sexting is the same thing. If I tell you I want to make out via text, I’m not sexting. If I say I want to rip off your pants and push you up against a wall (in a sweet way!), I’m probably sexting. If you send me back a naked picture with a reply to that effect, now we’re both sexting.
If I just send you an unsolicited mobile snapshot of my junk, I’m not a sexter – I’m a pervert. If you’re my girlfriend and I do it, I’m still not sexting – there’s no message, no action – just “Here, look at my blurry genitals.”
So let’s stop being confused. And moreover, let’s stop being afraid! It’s a little dystopian and indicative of an alienated and repressed society, but pretending we’re having sex with electronics can be a lot of fun! So open up your phone, scroll down that contact list, and say some freaky shit. Dong shot optional.
Photo: Poulsons Photography/Shutterstock
May 25, 2011
I saw this and had to share a video by Lexmar on how they make their USB keys and SD cards.
January 26, 2011
Neo might be returning to the big screen, according to the original spoon bender, Keanu Reeves himself. Reeves just spilled the beans on the Wachowskis’ plans to make two more Matrix movies!
AICN has a report from Keanu Reeves’s keynote speech at the London school of performing Arts University. A commenter wrote in with a few highlights from the lecture, including this particular gem about The Matrix.
Says he met the Wachowskis… for lunch over Christmas, and stated that they had completed work on a two-picture script treatments that would see him return to the world of the matrix as Neo. Says the Wachowskis have met with Jim Cameron to discuss the pro’s and con’s of 3D and are looking to deliver something which has never been seen again. Keanu stated that he still has an obligation to the fans to deliver a movie worthy of the title “The Matrix” and he swears this time that the treatment will truly revolutionize the action genre like the first movie. Wachowskis are working on a movie called “Cloud Atlas” at the moment, once that concludes they will talk again.
Has enough time passed that most people have forgotten the awful saviour-heavy second and third films in this series? We’ll find out eventually. Meanwhile, the Wachowskis are also working on a futuristic Robin Hood retelling called Hood, which Reeves says is set to star Will Smith.
January 26, 2011
Posted on News.com.au
They’re getting sweary about it, so the rumours must be true. (Swirl added to protect innocent eyes). Source: Supplied
EVEN with an official release date and trailer, fans are sceptical.
But then, this is arguably the most famous piece of vapourware – software that never materialises – ever.
After 14 years of promises, Duke Nukem has made another step in an interminably long series of steps closer to reincarnation, after rescuer Gearbox Software committed itself to a global May 6 release for Duke Nukem Forever.
It’s released a proper trailer even, and while it’s hard to tell from such things, it certainly looks the business.
The voiceover tells the story of the one man “whose very presence sent aliens running back to their mother ships”, before he disappeared without a trace.
Frustrated fans of the Duke would know he never really went away – just hung around in the wings, promising to return in a follow-up to the hugely successful 1996 hit Duke Nukem 3D.
According to the new trailer, the invaders took advantage of his absence and came back to Earth.
“They tore our planet apart, bit by bit,” it says as aliens can be seen tearing down a statue of the Duke himself.
“But, they made one mistake – they shouldn’t have gone after our women.”
Cut to scene of pole dancer and lesbian schoolgirls, the type of crudity that made Duke Nukem 3D such an original title back in 1996.
Then, for the first time in 14 years, the Duke speaks.
“Dammit,” he says. “Why do they always take the hot ones?”
Cue highlights – punching giant aliens in the groin. Cheesy one-liners. Triple-breasted she-monsters.
“You want it?” Duke Nukem Forever’s creators ask. “We’re f..king bringing it.”
Indeed. On May 6, apparently, if you believe the final screenshot.
US fans get it on May 3, so we’ll confirm it then.
January 22, 2011
Saw this and it just made me giggle.
Kind of reminds me of some of the projects I’ve worked on over the years! 
December 28, 2010
Well I hope everyone had a great Christmas.
I’m sure like me everyone ate too much and is so not looking forward to going back to work tomorrow!
New Years is almost here… YAY!
See you all in 2011!
