Tech Talk - Syridian's FiDo Project #12

Ok, Time for all you non-technogeeks to find some other Blog to read... It's time to blow my own trumpet, toot my horn and then come back to the real world to talk technicial, after washing my hands of course.

So, In this first edition of Tech Talk, I was actually going to explain a project I have been working on for the last couple of months to start a key start generator from a single relay contact or switch... However, I started writing it... and then 3 pages later got to about where I should start, and well... Still hadn't started. So I have put that masterpiece of literary genius on the back burner for when I feel like publishing a small book. So, I hear you ask, where is this now going? Ahhh, so good of you to ask. Oh? You didn't? Ok, I won't tell you then....

Ahhh... So now you want to read more hey? OK, Well, last night while sorting through my collection of bits and bobs (No boobs I'm afraid, more the shame), I came across something I have held onto since my apprenticeship oh so many years ago. It was just an old Printer Buffer, nothing special. But I remembered why I kept it, it was a nice sized project box. Isn't it amasing how someones junk becomes another useful item... Truth be told, it was my junk for almost 12 years. Looking at it I thought, should I Ebay this? But cogs were turning... the fleshy database of my mind was doing a Terminator style search, trying to find a match. As it turned out, there were a few other bits in my bobs box (still no Boobs, I keep looking though). And so that old lighter with no gas was starked up... Took a few tries mind you. Bits came together, bit's got discarded... and FiDo Ver 1.0 was born!

What is FiDo? FiDo, as the name suggests, is just a Dog... well, in this case an electronic dog. What FiDo does is retrieve Data from the Internet and other sources. I see you all looking at me strange... Thats what a computer does, I hear you say. Well, yes... FiDo is a computer, but FiDo is also small, almost silent, and doesn't eat much (power that is) FiDo also stays on permenantly, displaying data when ever you choose to look. At about 10Watts, FiDo uses about the same electricity as an energy saver light bulb. He has Ethernet, and LCD Display and a number of Inputs and Outputs, and can do anything that software will allow him to do. Ok, ok, ok.... So at the moment he's only a concept. One with hardware almost in place, and loads of decisions to be made, and hours and hours of frustrating caffine drinking hair wretching fun to be had.

Uses for Fido.

• Internet connected Atomic Clock
• Local Time Server
• Webcam upload
• Email notification
• Weather data retrieval
• News retrieval
• Blog retrieval

Just a few Idea's to start with anyway. I shall let you all know how things go in future articles. Anyone who would like to help with the software side is more than welcome, in fact... PLEASE HELP... I like my sanity. ;) Oh... hang on, it's already too late for that.