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Open Hardware/Modding: Framework 13, Tidbyt, and More
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Kev Quirk ☛ Why I Decided on the Framework 13 for My Next Laptop
I've mentioned the Framework 13 a few times recently, and I ended up buying one. But a few people have messaged me wanting to know why I chose it. So, here's why...
I've had my trusty M1 Macbook Air for a few years now and I really, really love it, but it's the base model with 8GB RAM and 256GB of storage and it's starting to creek.
The performance is still excellent, generally, but I'm constantly battling with storage space on it, and I can't upgrade the thing as everything is soldered onto the main board.
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Tom MacWright ☛ Tidbyt without the company
Remember the Tidbyt? It’s a super low-resolution, internet-connected, wood-paneled display that I wrote a review of it back in 2022. It’s been on my shelf for years now, showing the time, weather, warning me when the UV is going to be high. In 2023 I used it as an excuse to learn some Rust, to render custom graphics. It’s a toy, a distraction, a worry stone for me to work on when I need something open-ended and low-stakes.
[...]One of the biggest critiques of the Tidbyt was that it was just an LED matrix and an ESP chip. You could buy an LED matrix on Sparkfun, the ESP, a power supply, some wood for the enclosure, and you’d have your own DIY Tidbyt. Maybe you could do it for half the price!
But that’s also a strength. The Tidbyt is not some custom SoC with an exotic custom software stack and boutique hardware. It is what it looks like: a neat combination of commonplace parts. That makes it kind of future-proof and flexible.
The first step is to replace the firmware. Tidbyt’s stock firmware routes all of its requests through the Tidbyt company’s servers. I want to eliminate that hop.
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Linux Gizmos ☛ Renesas RZ/V2N Evaluation Kit for Real-Time Embedded Vision Applications
Renesas Electronics has introduced the RZ/V2N Evaluation Kit, a platform for developing embedded systems with on-device AI. Built around the RZ/V2N microprocessor, it combines an Hey Hi (AI) accelerator, image signal processor, and security features for vision-based edge applications. The evaluation platform includes two boards: the RTK0EF0186C02000BJ main board and the RTK0EF0168B00000BJ expansion board.
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Ruben Schade ☛ Some of my post-smartphone devices
Last weekend I wrote a lengthy post describing how much I’d come to hate modern smartphones, and how I wanted to start avoiding using them where I could. I resented the time I wasted mindlessly scrolling on them, and wanted more control over what I let into my life.
It’s been a week, so how am I faring? Contrasted with my last attempts at kicking my smartphone addiction, the difference this time has been shocking. Much as Eddy Burback realised in his widely-publicised video about getting rid of his phone, I didn’t realise just how ingrained use of this device was. I didn’t realise how bored I got, and how habitual it had become to fill spare time with looking at it. I knew it was bad, but not that bad.
The big shift happened for me a few days into the experiment. In a shorter time than perhaps I was expecting, I realised I wasn’t instinctively reaching for the phone anymore. I was looking out the window of the train more at the beautiful Sydney trees. When waiting for Clara at the station, I was happy to just watch the world go by. The phone isn’t charged in the bedroom anymore, so I get out of bed more easily, and fall asleep reading books instead. For someone prone to anxiety, this has done wonders for my mental state, especially first thing in the morning. No, really, get an alarm clock!