What's on your desk right now?

Nah, but tons of people in my software development circles are into them.

I was a clicky-clack guy until I got used to Apple’s super-low-plunge keyboard design. Now I’m so freaking fast with the short key drops that I can’t tolerate the keystrokes on mechanical keyboards.

I share an office with my wife now, too, and I’m sure the clicky-clack of the MK would drive her nuts.

2 Likes

I think they’ve got all kinds of customization options on switches where you can not only govern the travel of the switch but also the sound it makes. But I don’t know if there’s any versions where it’s a “whisper click.” I use an HP laptop most of the time and the built-in back-lit keyboard is really nice and with minimal sound. Other times I plug in an older Logitech backlit keyboard that is a little better, but I’m just so used to the ease of using the built-in keyboard.

1 Like

My desktop entertainment system is a Raspberry Pi400 in a homemade wood case. It has an OLED display to show IP, CPU usage and temp, memory used/free available disk space.
I have a MageGee mechanical keyboard and love it. But, I don’t do a lot of typing on this computer. If I did, it would probably drive me nuts.

I made this during Covid thinking I may be having to hunker down for an extended period and thought what would work well in a bunker?

I have every MST3K and Godzilla movie, plus a few hundred others on the internal drive.

I also have RetroArch running and have the entire Nintendo NES catalog running. And DOOM of course.

Amplified speakers (stereo) sound well enough for music and a have a few gig of my favorites saved here too.

There also is a SDR (software defined radio) that I can use to listen to AM/FM shortwave, etc. (my wife thinks it’s a bit nutty that my computer has a telescoping antenna lol)

Edit - I also installed some “ghost box” software and had mixed/creepy results:

Now it sits on my desk and I use it to watch YouTube or movies when I’m working from home. For some reason, I work better with some noise in the background lol

8 Likes

Holy Schnauzers! What a setup :grin:

2 Likes

Imagine I make a painting attached to a spinning wheel (4 positions). Can you use a rasp pi to detect a new position and display a title? So that a painting rotating on an axis into 4 stable positions, with a timer, would have 4 different titles.

I mean, what would be the shortest route to work out something like this?

2 Likes

short answer is yes - but it would require some way to determine position, and then the supporting programming. Something like a Hall Effect sensor using a magnet could increment/decrement through an array that had the titles and then out that to a display. Or maybe it could be done using a mechanical solution (gears, etc.).

I was trying to have the OLED display the Season and Episode number of the Mystery Science Theater videos but gave up after about seven failed attempts.

3 Likes

Brilliant!

1 Like

So the first step would be to build the mechanism/wheel that is going to turn the painting, right?

1 Like

I don’t want to hijack this thread but that’s where I would start. Then add something to control when it stops so it’s oriented the way you want. Then add sensor(s) to detect which one is in position.

One thing I like about the Pi community- there is a ton of resources and sources of help available.

A nice thing about magnetic/Hall Effect sensors is that they are wireless so you could freely rotate without any entanglement of wires

1 Like

Aye aye capt’n —thank you so much, Patrick :+1: :saluting_face:

1 Like

PG15 by Lindsay.

9 Likes

This is the pencil I have used the most in recent years, usuall together with the Hobonichi Techo with which it accompanies me, but also for other purposes. Of course it’s the so-called Pilot S15, i. e. a dark brown S20 (0.3 mm) with the grip of an S10. – It’s impressive how well the metal grip of the S10 has held up over the years. The only signs of use are that the ‘S20’ lettering has been rubbed off the ring in the centre and the wood of the S20 has become slightly smoother. I’m pretty sure that the S10 and S20 will become sought-after collector’s items should the production end.

By the way, I’ve been using the Hobonichi Techo since 2014 and I can’t imagine ever switching to another planner. The brown leather cover is from 2020, and a yellow one is already waiting for 2025.

Edit: Photo replaced because the pencil was only partially visible.

4 Likes

Why would you need to detect a position if there’s only 4 positions and you control when the painting turns?

To be in sync, I suppose — and display a new name in a monitor? It wouldn’t spin automatically, it would need manual input.

1 Like

I see. I would use buttons.

4 press buttons with a tab on the back of the painting that would press each button.

From there it’s pretty straight forward python to display certain text based on which button is pressed.

2 Likes

My favourite Pilots

18 Likes

hello @casey
Those are great pencils!

3 Likes

Drool worthy! Wanna trade that spare red for a PG1804 in box? :wink:

2 Likes

This is probably the first time I’ve heard someone say this model is their favorite from Pilot. It is hard not to love them. A totally unique design. Quirky and fun. Great colors.

Perhaps when confessing admiration for something, I take others’ opinions into account too much. And maybe I default to ‘serious’ items as my favorites rather than the ones that bring joy. But I can’t think of a Pilot that makes me happier than this one, so I will join you in affirming it as my favorite.

8 Likes

I think some people (thinking about the subreddit discord lol) consider shakers, especially brightly colored ones, to be like pretty unserious and not suited to be professional pencils. But I like them anyway. It may be a gimmick but I think it’s fun :slight_smile:

5 Likes