finch.am

Electronics

• Probably the cheapest way to add SMS to an Arduino - Add GSM capability to an Arduino or other microcontroller for about $25 USD delivered. A very simple module to interface.
• MSP430 LaunchPad - Tools and some loose notes about using the LaunchPad board from TI with GNU/Linux (Debian, mostly).

Computering

• xscreensaver-placate plugin for Totem - Do you run Totem and XScreenSaver? Do you want one to talk to the other just like they used to? Install this simple Python plugin to Totem.
• Tracking down "unauthorised content" errors on SSL pages - A tip for a simple and comprehensive way to work out what content in a web page isn't using https URIs when the page itself is served over https. Help avoid scary warnings for your users.
• QuickPage patch - A quick and dirty patch to the QuickPage daemon to allow it to bind to specific addresses at startup. Bonus Debian init script.
• Arpitrary - Automated arbitrary ARP spoofing daemon. A stand-in for "arpcatch" if you need one in a pinch.

Keyboards

• Enabling Razer BlackWidow Macro / FN keys under Linux - A port of someone else's Haskell code to Python + plans for a more complete utility.
• My mechanical keyboards - Reviews of the Razer BlackWidow Ultimate and the Das Keyboard Professional. Incomplete.

Aerospace

• Team 9.99 - N-Prize competition attempt.
• Canterbury Aerospace - We've been working recently on high altitude balloons.

Hall of Shame

In which I complain about various companies that have done a sub par job in some way. While it should be obvious that all of the pages on this website are my own personal opinion and do not reflect the views of my employer, that applies to this section doubly so.

• Network Solutions make things far more difficult than they need to - Or, "how a registrar managed to annoy me more than GoDaddy".
• Hotmail blacklisting saga - A funny set of exchanges I had with the Hotmail "postmasters" one day.
• FairFax Media attempts to bring back the 90s - CONTEXT MENUS: NOT FOR YOU.
• Brendan Battles is still spamming - and Rackspace isn't doing a damn thing about it (even though they could).