Interests
As I am a programmer many of my interests are primarily technology based. I have many interests in the area of robotics / hobby electronics.
I am currently designing a solution which will allow the remote monitoring of a device using its' physical characteristics such as heat output / light outpt etc. This is implemented using the Arduino platform. The arduino is a cheap platform based upon the Amega AT186 and supports many different external sensors and can control a variety of different devices. Using various different "shields" the functionality of the Arduino can be greatly extented to support options such as Ethernet Connectivity, GPRS connectivity etc..
I am also currently desiging a solution using the Gumstix platform which will allow me to remotely monitor the inside of my childs room and also control various objects such as baby mobile etc. based upon certain inputs. Eg. Baby cries for a period of > 10 seconds trigger a certain chain of events, Baby stops crying trigger a different chain of events. The Gumstix platform is very powerful, and a complete linux kernel runs on top of it. It can also perform lowlevel operations meaning various sensors can be added to it and their values can be read.
I also have an interest in X10. X10 is a form of powerline technology which allows the control of various electrical devices in your home. Using a CM11A compter interface, the devices can be controlled by your computer, this means that you can automate many things based upon certain values. Eg. Turn on the lights after dark, ensure all lights are turned off after a certain time, Eg All lights should be turned off after 12:30am on a weekday, but not on weekends.