Robot Guy's Technology Journal

Below you will see the entire chat Dan of  theTWiT (This Week in Tech) Network initiated with me this past Sunday. Hopefully everyone can clearly see how I didn't listen to me or even care to have my explanation of what happened when he banned me from #twitlive on irc,twit.tv.. I've never ever been banned from any public forum, whether on IRC, or message forum. My take on this is that Dan is just a power mongering IRC Op and doesn't care to get any explanation of an incident before he takes action. He just acts out of hand without any discussion. I wonder if the other IRC Ops are scared of him or something. I've interacted with other IRC Ops on irc.twit.tv without any issues. So far, I respect all the other IRC Ops except for Dan, whom I will probaby never respect nor trust. It's people like Dan who cause me to not want to interact at all in public, whether online or in person.

** Logfile started

** on Sun Jul 25 14:39:10 2010

[Sunday, July 25, 2010] [02:39:10 pm] <Dan>    i want an apology, you aren't supposed to be here.

[Sunday, July 25, 2010] [02:39:23 pm] <RobotGuy>    Apology for what?

[Sunday, July 25, 2010] [02:39:38 pm] <Dan>    for the way you acted, and that ranting blog post you wrote.

[Sunday, July 25, 2010] [02:39:50 pm] <Dan>    and sending people in here on your behalf to pretend like you didnt do anything

[Sunday, July 25, 2010] [02:40:08 pm] <Dan>    the only reason you are here right now is the ban was reset on accident.

[Sunday, July 25, 2010] [02:40:13 pm] <RobotGuy>    You think you know how I acted, but you completely misunderstood and over reacted.

[Sunday, July 25, 2010] [02:40:21 pm] <Dan>    do you want me to just put the ban back on?

[Sunday, July 25, 2010] [02:40:27 pm] <Dan>    i will.

[Sunday, July 25, 2010] [02:41:03 pm] <RobotGuy>    I don't think you even care to know what really happened.

[Sunday, July 25, 2010] [02:41:05 pm] <Dan>    You need to respect the VOLUNTEERS who run this chat.  for no pay.

[Sunday, July 25, 2010] [02:41:15 pm] <Dan>    and stop acting like you have a god-given right to rant here.

[Sunday, July 25, 2010] [02:41:20 pm] <RobotGuy>    I never disrespected anyone.

[Sunday, July 25, 2010] [02:41:27 pm] <Dan>    we disagree.

[Sunday, July 25, 2010] [02:41:40 pm] <Dan>    and you don't have a right to connect here, this is a privledge

[Sunday, July 25, 2010] [02:41:42 pm] <RobotGuy>    See, you already make up your mind how things are.

[Sunday, July 25, 2010] [02:41:44 pm] <Dan>    and i will revoke that privledge

[Sunday, July 25, 2010] [02:41:57 pm] <RobotGuy>    I never thought I had a right to connect here.

[Sunday, July 25, 2010] [02:41:59 pm] <Dan>    no, you have said from second one that you've never done anything wrong.

[Sunday, July 25, 2010] [02:42:19 pm] <RobotGuy>    I tried to get help and nobody would help me.

[Sunday, July 25, 2010] [02:42:28 pm] <Dan>    you start arguments in #twitlive about things, and then don't accept opinions

[Sunday, July 25, 2010] [02:42:50 pm] <RobotGuy>    When did I start arguments?  Discussion yes, arguments no.

[Sunday, July 25, 2010] [02:42:59 pm] <Dan>    Listen, i'm really not interested in a debate with you

[Sunday, July 25, 2010] [02:43:23 pm] <RobotGuy>    You don't seem to even be interested in what really was happening.

[Sunday, July 25, 2010] [02:43:34 pm] <Dan>    I don't really think i need your perspective on it.

[Sunday, July 25, 2010] [02:43:47 pm] <Dan>    my perspective is to run the entire chat room, with all 800-1000 people in it

[Sunday, July 25, 2010] [02:43:47 pm] <RobotGuy>    See, you just don't care.

[Sunday, July 25, 2010] [02:43:59 pm] <Dan>    your individual rant is no more important than the other 1000 people

[Sunday, July 25, 2010] [02:44:06 pm] <RobotGuy>    I was never ranting.

[Sunday, July 25, 2010] [02:44:16 pm] <Dan>    Let me ask you something, just as an aside

[Sunday, July 25, 2010] [02:44:20 pm] <Dan>    are you autistic?

[Sunday, July 25, 2010] [02:44:35 pm] <RobotGuy>    No, I am not autistic, but I am disabled.

[Sunday, July 25, 2010] [02:44:38 pm] <Dan>    in what way?

[Sunday, July 25, 2010] [02:45:05 pm] <RobotGuy>    I have moderate to severe stress and anxiety disorders. More towards the severe lately.

[Sunday, July 25, 2010] [02:45:15 pm] <Dan>    are you under medication for this?

[Sunday, July 25, 2010] [02:45:47 pm] <Dan>    I'd like to let you chat here, but you really do have a problem with both authority and accepting other people's opinions when you put things out into chat.

[Sunday, July 25, 2010] [02:45:54 pm] <RobotGuy>    Yes, of course, but it doesn't help much in the most extreme cases, such as what happened when I tried to call in to Tech Guy.

[Sunday, July 25, 2010] [02:46:07 pm] <RobotGuy>    I do not have a problem with either one.

[Sunday, July 25, 2010] [02:46:23 pm] <Dan>    i witnessed it, the other 10 chat moderators witness it

[Sunday, July 25, 2010] [02:46:26 pm] <Dan>    we arent seeing things.

[Sunday, July 25, 2010] [02:46:39 pm] <Dan>    I've been here for 6 years, you stick out like a sore thumb.

[Sunday, July 25, 2010] [02:46:47 pm] <Dan>    I'm just saying, this isnt something we're imagining

[Sunday, July 25, 2010] [02:47:37 pm] <Dan>    I will let you back into #twitlive - but if i see any more of that antisocial behavior you know what will happen, i understand you're under stress, but try to keep it out of chat and talk to someone in real life about it

[Sunday, July 25, 2010] [02:48:15 pm] <Dan>    obsessing about something in there is not something i'm going to allow, no matter how badly you think you were wronged.

[Sunday, July 25, 2010] [02:48:42 pm] <RobotGuy>    Whatever. If that's how people are treated here, then I won't bother.  I only wanted to contribute and help people, which seems to not be possible. You sit as judge, jury, and executioner based on ONE SINGLE INCIDENT and think you understand everything when you do not. Goodbye.  I don't even WANT to be here anymore.

There you have it, our complete chat.

8-Dale

73 from N7PKT..

OSCON is over and I am already looking forward to next year! I had the opportunity to check out some new companies I had not heard of before. I will definitely be attending every OSCON that is here in the Portland area. I only wish I could afford to register so I can attend the many sessions and tutorials that are offered. I was quite happy to be able to roam around the Exhibit Hall though, and learned many new things.There is a lot I could learn from these sessions and tutorials. I really would have liked to have been able to attend the Android event on Wednesday evening, but it was only open to registered attendees. I do wish there were better accommodations for those of us who are disabled, but perhaps this will be better next year.

I should have just parked myself in front of the Intel booth, so I could get in on all of their chalk talks and other presentations. I did get in on a few, which is good, and I learned more about MeeGo. I'm checking out the MeeGo website and am learning more about it. I saw some Atom based hardware, and discovered that an Atom based system board would fit nicely onto my robots. I am planning to investigate this possibility for A.S.T.R.I.D. (four legs with steerable wheels). I saw a good chalk talk about MeeGo - the last chalk talk before the drawing for the NetBook, and it reminded me of the edit/compile/debug cycle I follow when I am developing software for my robots. I would like to talk to the presenter about this more, a real nice lady I got to talk to for a few minutes after her chalk talk.

On Thursday, I was very fortunate to have lunch with three really nice guys from O'Reily. I didn't even pick the table - it was picked for me by the person who helped me carry my two plates of food. They seems real interested in my robotics projects, and I was unusually talkative about everything. I got an all access pass from them which allowed me to attend a few of the remaining sessions. We talked about a lot of things, and I am waiting to see how things happen from there. I think this was the high point of OSCON for me. Unfortunately, I missed the one session I should have been at on Friday morning due to some confusion I had. Somehow, I managed to not see the start time on the session I wanted to attend, and missed it.

I really want to check into the guruPlug too.  The Marvell booth was another of my favorites! I think I could make a fine robot brain out of a guruPlug. I am looking forward to getting one of these gadgets at some point and working with it.

I am definitely looking forward to next year's OSCON and am beginning to wish I could travel to some of the other events around the country.

8-Dale

73 from N7PKT

It's been really good so far! I completed my O'Reily Scorecard by visiting every exhibitor on the list, so am now entered in their drawings. I also am in the Intel drawing for an Atom based Net Book. in addition to that, I have entered several exhibitor specific drawings, including two drawings for an iPad.

It's saw this really cool device called a guruPlug at the Marvell booth. It's so compact, it could easily be used as the brain for a robot. It's got a 1.2 GHz Marvell pricessor, 512 MB Flash, 512 MB DDR RAM, two SD CARD slots (1 internal and one externally accessible), two USB 2.0 ports, 1 eSata 2.0 port (3 GBits), 802.11 WiFi b/g, and Bluetooth. It's also and Open Source platform, and I am told it has a great open community and development environment. I could definitely see myself latching onto one of these little gems to tinker with and see what I can accomplish with it.

After carrying this laptop around all day, I definitely need something more portable and easy to carry. It's a real hassle after just a few hours. I've got to have something that can runs Windows as well as Linux, with WiFi G and Bluetooth that works with both operating systems. I also need wired ethernet for when I am not within range of a wireless network but do have access to ethernet.

8-Dale

73 from N7PKT!

OSCON started yesterday, but the Exhibit Hall won't be open until tomorrow at 10:00 AM. I got registered today and got my badge. I will be taking my laptop (with webcam, trackball,a dn headset) and my Beagle Board development setup with me. Thanks to the laptop and Clear mobile internet service, I have a completely portable development system dual bootable into Windows Vista Ultimate or Kubuntu Linux 10.4 LTS (both 32 bit). I'm going to see if I can get Android 2.2 onto my BeagleBoard before I leave for OSCON tomorrow. I wish I had a small portable display I could take with me for the BeagleBoard. I will take my HDMI to DVI cable with me just in case I happen across somebody who has a display I can borrow.

8-Dale

73 from N7PKT

First of all, I would never intentionally do anything that would disrupt any chat room, whether it is on IRC or anywhere else. Secondly, I have never trolled (whatever that really is) in any chat room. Thirdly, I have never done a "rage quit", whatever that term means. I'm normally the type to just quietly quit and never return - but this is no longer normally.  Dan has declared war on me for no reason, and he seems to think he knows all about me (which his not possible), and is obviously operating on some assumptions he thinks are true regarding me, and has placed me in a category I have never belonged in and do not belong in now.

In fact, I am betting I can tell exactly what sorts of things Dan is reacting to, and have completely reasonable and valid reasons for everything. Dan didn't even bother to ask me for my side of what has been happening. He just assumes (incorrectly) that he knows what is happening and has taken action based on these incorrect assumptions.

For instance, I was up at a neighborhood restaurant the other day and had my laptop with me. I tried several times to fire up X-Chat 2 so I could chat with my friends on irc.twit.tv in the #twitlive channel. At home I have Windows Vista Ultimate configured for dual displays, with my 25.5" Samsung T260 monitor to the left of my laptop and to extend the desktop over both monitors (not cloning). Well, Windows Vista seems to be quite retarded with respect to unplugging the secondary monitor - it does not force all windows that were on the secondary display to the primary display when the secondary display is not present. I could not figure out how to get those windows that are normally on the secondary monitor, including X-Chat 2, to move over to the primary display. This caused me to have to close the X-Chat 2 window by right clicking on it and selecting Close from the resulting menu. Well, for my quit and leave channel line in X-Chat 2, I have "My Blog is at http://www.thedynaplex.info/serendipity", which is displayed every time I leave a channel or terminate X-Chat 2. With this being the case, this was displayed every single time I closed the X_Chat 2 window, which I could not even see on my display. This is what Dan has taken to mean I am spamming my blog or rage quitting, which couldn't be further from the truth.

I am disabled and have moderate to severe stress and anxiety disorders which can easily send me into an anxiety attack when I become over frustrated, anxious, or stressed. This is exactly what happened the day I was banned from the #twitlive channel on the irc.twit.tv IRC server. Every single thing I typed into the chat room while this was happening is exactly what was happening, and I did indeed have an anxiety attack due to this abuse and mistreatment of me by Dan.

And now I discover I have been K-Lined (banned) from the entire irc.twit.tv server for the reason "you're not allowed here until you fix your attitude." when I have not done a single thing wrong. This has happened entirely because Dan has been operating under some completely inappropriate assumptions and thinks he knows what type of person I am and how I do things, when in reality Dan does not know me at all and has assumed he knows what is going on when he does not have a clue.

If Dan had even bothered to talk to me and try to find out more about what was going on instead of assuming he already knew, then he just might have found out the truth and would have reacted (or not reacted) in a completely different way. In fact, I choose to believe Dan would have done things in an entirely different way after he found out the truth.

I am sure I can explain every single instance that Dan has over reacted to with completely reasonable and valid explanations. But, it doesn't look like I will even be given a chance. Dan has served as judge and jury without even trying to find out the truth. At this point, I don't think Dan even cares about the truth of what has really happened. This is not the mark of a good moderator. I am now considering what my next action regarding these incidents will be, because it has affected and is continuing to affect my health in a very negative way.

Dale (N7PKT).

A few minute ago I was chatting on irc.twit.tv, channel #twitlive, and was kicked for no reason by an operator going by the nick of Dan. He accused me of doing things I had not ever done and certainly was not doing then, including being a troll and looking for ways I could spam the URL of this Blog. This could not be farther from the truth. Fortunately, I log all channels I participate in and will post that log right here if necessary. I consider this treatment to be outright abuse and will not sit by and tolerate it. If this is the way the TWiT Network treats users who are only trying to participate, contribute, and help others, as well as seek help themselves when necessary, then I will wash my hands of the entire organization. There are many places where my contributions are appreciated and I am well respected. However, the TWiT (This Week in Tech) Network is obviously not one of these places and I have not been so disrespected, abused, or mistreated anywhere else I have chosen to participate.

If the powers that be of the TWiT Network are going to tolerate such abuse, mistreatment, and disrespect of their users, then I want no further part in it. If Leo Laporte is aware of this sort of mistreatment going on, then my respect for him as a person and technology leader will soon fall to zero.

Dale (N7PKT)

Do the following:

1) sudo apt-get install help2man diffstat texi2html makeinfo python-psyco apt-get install build-essential ccache autoconf automake autotools-dev libtool gettext intltool \

     curl uboot-mkimage mtools fakeroot alien check libglib2.0-dev libxrender-dev libgconf2-dev

2) sudo apt-get remove brltty

3) cd /bin/sh

4) sudo rm sh

5) sudo ln -s bash sh

Below are the instructions as I executed them to install Bitbake:

2) Edit ~/.bashrc to add the OETREE variable. I have "OETREE=/xdev/oe" and don't forget to add OETREE to the export line.

4) cd $OETREE

5) git clone git://git.openembedded.net/bitbake

6) Edit the PATH variable to include "$OETREE/bitbake/bin"

Now you can proceed to the installation of OpenEmbedded for the BeagleBoard.

I am searching the Internet and trying to find instructions for using OpenEmbedded with an external toolchain. I have the Android SDK installed, which has its own toolchain, and I would like to be able to use this with OpenEmbedded instead of having it build its own toolchain. I'll post more as I make progress on this because I need to save as much disk space as I can on this laptop.

8-Dale

73 from N7PKT!

I decided to try to call in to The Tech Guy (Leo Laporte is the host) show on the TWiT (This Week in Tech) network. They have many great video casts over the internet that deal with various areas of technology, which are mostly consumer oriented.

I tried three times to call in.  The first two attempts were disconnected by SKYPE because the line was ringing too long. I would have gotten through if these first two calls had been answered. I tried a third time and got through again, with the call actually being answered by a lady who screens calls for Leo Laporte.

She asked what I wanted to talk about, and I told her I wanted to let Leo know that I have been using several products he has suggested or that are sponsors of various TWiT Network shows. She asked if I had a tech question, to which I replied yes. Then she asked what my question is and I told her I need help with a boot loaded in a dual boot situation. After I went through all of this with the lady, she told me Leo would be taking more calls in 30 minutes and I could call back. I tried to explain my situation and that I had already had two attempted calls that were disconnected by SKYPE due to the line ringing too long. However, this lady dropped my call before I could even finish my sentence!

This is completely rude treatment and unacceptable, especially for a company that is supposed to be oriented towards helping people. The lady just cut me off and dropped my call.  I won't try calling in to the Tech Guy show again, because it is clear to me that TWiT does not care about the people who try to call in. All they seem to care about is moving calls as fast as they can without any consideration for the person calling. I think this lady who is screening calls for Leo needs to be talked to and shown that this is not acceptable behavior or an acceptable way to handle calls. This does not reflect well on TWiT, the Tech Guy show, or Leo Laporte himself.

I was extremely frustrated and tried to explain to people in the chat room what had happened. It was clear that nobody understood or even cared about what I was trying to explain. All they did was make excuses for what could have happened, such as a dropped call by SKYPE (always possible, but NOT in this case). I actually heard the lady push the button that dropped my call at the exact instance the button was pressed.

This is not acceptable and I refuse to deal with calling in to the Tech Guy Show again. I almost had an anxiety attack due to this experience, so I won't allow the possibility of this happening again. I really enjoy most of the shows on the TWiT network, but don't think I will bother trying to contribute again. This experience has really soured me on calling into these shows. I could be a very good contributor, and have been contributing and having fun in the chat room. I will return to the chat room, but I will be very hesitant to contribute from now on. This could have been handled far better than it was, and the call screen lady should have at least listened to me explain what had been happening. I believe she was rude in the way she handled my call.

Dale (N7PKT)

I had a great QSO with Matt, N9GMR, last night and we talked a lot about how a robot might assist a disabled person. This is very close to use since we are both disabled. After I got off the air with Matt, I got to thinking about how this might all become a reality. I've decided to look into the possibility of writing a grant proposal for my robotics research and development. Now, I just need to find somebody who is good at writing up this kind of proposal. If anyone has any ideas on how to accomplish this, please contact me! I believe very strongly that I can create a small easily transported robot that can help a disabled person. I already have the perfect development platform in W.A.L.T.E.R. and he is the perfect transportable size right now.

When I have my radio on, I can be found on the Western Reflector (IRLP) or the N7PIR repeater system (IRLP node #3420).

8-Dale

73 from N7PKT.

Here is the cutest video I have of W.A.L.T.E.R.  It co-stars my kitty, Doozi.

The Robot and the Pussycat

8-Dale

73 from N7PKT!

Here are the last videos of the W.A.L.T.E.R. series. You can see how I have gotten more advanced and added more sensors and a pan/tilt. The tilt servo is not power enough to actually lift the sensors, so you will see quite a bit of jitter there.

W.A.L.T.E.R. v1.6, Software v1.2

W.A.L.T.E.R. v1.9, Software v1.4, Part 1 of 2

W.A.L.T.E.R. v1.9, Software v1.4, Part 2 of 2

8-Dale

73 from N7PKT!

Here are some older videos of W.A.L.T.E.R. 1.x - the earlier years. These are all 2 or 3 years old, but do show the various things I have experimented with so far.

Octabot 1.5 In Action, 1 of 3

Octabot 1.5 In Action, 2 of 3

Octabot 1.5 In Action, 3 of 3

Scanning Behavior 101a

8-Dale

73 from N7PKT!

I've made some real progress towards getting my ICOM 706mkIIg mounted on my chair. I spent an hour or two at our local Ham Radio Outlet store this afternoon working with a couple of the guys to solve this.  I believe we came up with a workable solution and I have a parts list for the parts I need to buy to make it happen.  I'd still rather mount the antenna mast on the strut where the rear caster is mounted, but any mounting there might interfere with the rear casters. This is phase 1 of getting my 706 mounted and working on my chair. Phase 2 will be getting the 55 AH battery and getting it mounted on the back of my chair. Phase 3 will be mounting the radio main unit and control head. I won't talk about Phase 4 right now.

My goal is to complete up through Phase 3 before Christmas this year and be able to operate SSB and FM on 10M, 6M, 2M, and 70 cm.

8-Dale

73 from N7PKT!

I've been working on a change that will get the wheels up closer to the lower deck. This will also allow me to strengthen the link where the steering servo attaches. I have not been happy with this link, which wobbles quite a bit. I've got a method to strengthen the link, which is borrowed from the Lynxmotion Scout where the hip rotate servo attaches to the body. I'll have to relocate the sensors I was planning to mount above the wheel steering servo, but have also resolved this. I will just mount those sensors a little bit forward from the location of the front steering servos. These changes will make WALTER much sturdier and and more stable.

8-Dale

73 from N7PKT!

Here is an update on my progress with WALTER.

Here you see the BotBoard II with the Atom Pro MCU module. The Atom Pro runs at 16 MHz and has 20 I/Os, all of which are dedicated to WALTER. The PS2 wirless receiver is on the right. I just have the four steering servos and PS2 receiver connected at this time, but there will be more.

This is the Sabertooth 2X5 Regenerative motor controller. It has several modes of control, including standard PWM, Simple Serial, and Packet Serial. I've used the PWM mode, which is controlled just like two standard R/C servos, but will be using the Packet Serial mode this time around. I'll eventually be replacing the Sabertooth with Basic Micro's RoboClaw 2X5A controllers because the RoboClaw has built in quadrature decoders.  I've got QME-01 quadrature encoders on WALTER's GHM-04 rear motors and will also have encoders on the front motors, so will be using two RoboClaws for motor control.

Here, I've attached all the necessary wires to the Sabertooth 2X5 motor controller. The twisted yellow/orange wires go to the motors and the wires out the top go to the BotBoard II (pin 15). I always use a wiring harness for power that has a switch.

This is the PS2 Wireless Robot Controller I have been tinkering with.

Another shot showing the BotBoard II/Atom Pro, PS2 wireless receiver, and Sabertooth 2X5 motor controller, and new pan/tilt for the two front sensors.

WALTER and my ICOM IC-706mIIg all band/all mode tranceiver. He can't talk yet, but that might be in his future. I am planning to install a small packet (or other digital mode) station on WALTER eventually.

8-Dale

73 from N7PKT!