I’ve been using lilypad for some projects and I needed MORE pins! I was aware of them saying that you can use the Analogue pins for digital output, but I just wasn’t sure how. and turns out – it’s a lot easier than I thought. So writing this post incase someone else is stuck – all you need to do to use the pins is name them in the following convention when coding – so 

Pin 14 = Analog in 0
Pin 15 = Analog in 1
Pin 16 = Analog in 2
Pin 17 = Analog in 3
Pin 18 = Analog in 4
Pin 19 = Analog in 5

These are typically marked A0 A1 A2 and so on. These are not PWM pins is the only thing to be aware of. There is a PWM library you can download, which does a software version. I haven’t needed to do this so I’m not sure how well it works. It’s described as “An Arduino and Wiring Library to produce PWM signals on any arbitrary pin.”

Sample would be 

int led = 15; //the LED is on pin A1, which is 15

Easy Peasy.

I came across this really helpful page over at http://www.bitsbox.co.uk/ where I’ve bought some of my components from. It’s handy to have so wanted a copy here where I can find it! There is more information on their page, such as resistors in series etc… 

Original post: Basic Electronic Formulae.

Ohms law.  
The voltage across a resistance is equal to the current passing through the resistance (in Amps) multiplied by the value of the resistance (in Ohms).

This write up has some good general tips for creating a questionnaire. Good to refer to when you are writing one or to modify one that you’re working on. 

How To Construct Questionnaires | A Practical Guide to Research Methods | Business | How To | Read Free Online Books at How To.

This is really interesting and has potential applications in the study I’m currently doing in Assistive Technology.

“In a patent filed back in July 2012, Curtis Vock and Perry Youngs are listed as the inventors of a “shoe wear-out sensor, body-bar sensing system, unitless activity assessment and associated methods,” with Apple Inc. as the assignee. Vock is an intellectual property lawyer with Lathrop & Gage, a law firm based in Boulder, Colo.” All the information / full article is available:

Apple applies for patent on ‘smart shoe’ sensor | TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog.

Dynamically creating a label was one of the things I was looking at, dynamically creating any UI object really – and also the placement of it at different random coordinates was important. This is the code I implemented for the iPad app which is landscape orientation.

//Create a label

int labelX = arc4random() % 904;   // the maximum number I would like it to start at – minus the width of the label.

int labelY = arc4random() % 840;  // the maximum height area, minus the label height.

UILabel *randomFactsLabel = [[UILabel alloc] initWithFrame:CGRectMake(labelX, labelY, 100.0, 20.0)];

[randomFactsLabel setTextAlignment:UITextAlignmentCenter]; // other options such as text colour etc

[self.view addSubview:randomFactsLabel]; // to display the label

If the coordinates are exact, just replace (labelX, labelY… with the x and y coordinates of where you want your label.

(I’ll still try to answer questions on the Theme Hospital post which seems to have been my most popular!)

It’s 2013 and the Hoverboard from Back to the Future we’ve been promised is nowhere to be seen. But at least we can console ourselves with this bit of awesomeness: the DeLorean Hovercraft, as captured by YouTuber Terry Barentsen while filming near the Golden Gate Bridge. (Y’know, John actually told us about it back in August last year – but it’s too cool not to refeature it here)

via Pocket : Great Scott! DeLorean Hovercraft in San Francisco.

Great article from http://jailbreakhow.net/how-to-install-siri-on-iphone-4-ipod-touch-4g/

“How to install siri on iPhone 4? Last few weeks we tried many Cydia tweaks that allow you to port Siri on iPhone 4, like H1Siri and Spire. But the main issue with such tweaks was how to create and install Siri Proxy. But now we will show you how to avoid these complicated steps. Here’s a new Cydia tweak called Siriport that allows you to port Siri on iPhone 4 and iPod touch 4G with few simple steps.”

This is just super cool – wish I had one! 

Move faster, more relaxed, and always modern to your destination: that is the urban mobility 2.0 from smart. The smart electric bike makes city driving enjoyable with its exceptional functionality and exciting innovative features. More information athttp://www.smart.com/ebike

Apple have released a new guide for people wanting to try app development. It takes you through the basic steps from an overall introduction through to the end of the development process. If you’ve been curious about trying to make one, and with Xcode being free it seems a great time to try it if you’ve always put it off. Obviously this is a pretty basic intro and you might not be creating the next angry birds, but it is a really great way to see if you think app development might be for you, and get it up and running. 

The guide can be found here on the Developer site.