OT: What hobbies do you have?
Spire_Jeff
Posts: 1,917
And how long is it before you start thinking of ways to integrate AMX into them? 
Here are a few that come to mind for me:
I enjoy going to a rock climbing gym about once a week. I think it took about 3 months before I was contemplating fitting the climbing holds with pressure sensors and LEDs to allow an AMX processor to light up one of a few routes. The processor could then track which holds were used, the trouble spots on the route (based on time), the weight distribution (if sensors allowed this), and route time. There may even be a way to store the info in a database and track your progress as well as compare your climbing technique to others that have scaled the route. As I write this down, I think I really need to explore this
I enjoy metal detecting occasionally. To this point, I have yet to develop any really good ideas on how to integrate AMX with this, but now that I think about it, I might be able to use the new RFID products to triangulate my position and let AMX track my search patterns I just have to make sure the RFID stuff doesn't interfere with the metal detector.
Lastly, I'm on a volunteer technical recovery SCUBA team. I have thought about writing a program to track divers in the water, estimated air left, time log of all events, logs of when and where evidence was located, and some other things. Altho I would like to do this in AMX because I could do most of this quickly, there are a few things that I could only accomplish on a computer. I also toyed with the idea of just writing a scuba dive log book application for an AMX system, but with all of the dive computers that talk to PCs these days, I decided against it. Now that I think about it, I wonder how water proof the RFID stuff is... That could be very useful if I could triangulate the position of divers underwater doing a search...
Just a little slightly off topic fodder to break the boredom,
Jeff
Here are a few that come to mind for me:
I enjoy going to a rock climbing gym about once a week. I think it took about 3 months before I was contemplating fitting the climbing holds with pressure sensors and LEDs to allow an AMX processor to light up one of a few routes. The processor could then track which holds were used, the trouble spots on the route (based on time), the weight distribution (if sensors allowed this), and route time. There may even be a way to store the info in a database and track your progress as well as compare your climbing technique to others that have scaled the route. As I write this down, I think I really need to explore this
I enjoy metal detecting occasionally. To this point, I have yet to develop any really good ideas on how to integrate AMX with this, but now that I think about it, I might be able to use the new RFID products to triangulate my position and let AMX track my search patterns
I just have to make sure the RFID stuff doesn't interfere with the metal detector.Lastly, I'm on a volunteer technical recovery SCUBA team. I have thought about writing a program to track divers in the water, estimated air left, time log of all events, logs of when and where evidence was located, and some other things. Altho I would like to do this in AMX because I could do most of this quickly, there are a few things that I could only accomplish on a computer. I also toyed with the idea of just writing a scuba dive log book application for an AMX system, but with all of the dive computers that talk to PCs these days, I decided against it. Now that I think about it, I wonder how water proof the RFID stuff is... That could be very useful if I could triangulate the position of divers underwater doing a search...
Just a little slightly off topic fodder to break the boredom,
Jeff
0
Comments
As I've mentioned before, I was a full-time music producer/audio engineer before doing this. I still mix records in the gaps of doing this. I think the music biz is a bit like the mob. (you never really retire)
My studio does have some AMX in it. I have a few devices that I need to monitor in my control room the require some kind of gain reduction for volume control. So, I have a VOL3 box and a small touch panel for that. I also have a Radia lighting dimmer pack for lights and an alarm system.
I can't think of anyone who wouldn't want this feature. It seems like it would be a lot of work though.
And while it's not AMX based, I have a control system running the guitar rig I put together somewhat recently. (See attached pic)
With this, I can use any old MIDI footpedal to switch/adjust settings for the reverb/delay/mixing on the outboard gear as well as switch between the three channels on the amp.
You can't make much of it out, but the touch panel has a graphic editor (including illustration of signal flow) for the multi-channel digital delay/mixer I have in there.
I have not come up with any control system-related hacks...errrr..."enhancements" for the band's PA yet.
- Chip
haha, craptron! (right?)
So, music is a huge hobby, and I still play every chance I can. No AMX integration with that, but . . . oh well.
I also really enjoy online computer games of the MMORPG variety (Massive Multi-player Online Role Playing Game). Sadly, I'm currently between games, having grown weary of the ones I had been playing regularly. I've been toying around a bit with some of the newer ones (relatively speaking) like Lord of the Rings Online, but since World of Warcraft came along,there has been a tendency to dumb the games down to make them more accessible, which also decreases the challenge ... WoW, for example, I got bored with within a year, while the game I played before that (Everquest) kept my interest for more like seven years. Lord of the Rings only lasted a few months. I have an active Vanguard account, and that is probably the closest thing I have to an online home, but I haven't played much lately. Again, I can think of no AMX angle on this hobby.
Dave, if you could post a few pictures of your collection, that'd be wonderful. My father & brother were into that when my brother was a kid and I was always fascinated by them. Neat little things.
After further GPS searching I discovered what’s turned out to be a new found hobby of mine, Geocaching.
http://www.geocaching.com
Any Geocachers out there?
Other than programming whatever I can get my hands on I also enjoy writing, mostly flash fiction (short short stories.)
Also, there are plenty to keep you busy during evening free time if you are in Richardson for AMX training!
Jeff
It's an amazing sport for me - if you have a truckload of work on, go for a yacht to clear your head and recharge the batteries! Very rarely do I even think of work while I'm out there...perfect!
Our club is home to one of Australia's noteable maxis - Skandia Wild Thing, and a few years ago I was talking with the owner in regards to interfacing the boats telemetry with NetLinx and then beaming it off the boat via satellite uplink. The boat had a very serious incident that year in the Sydney Hobart race and they had to abandon her at sea, but after they found and retrieved her, the repair bill was just a tad expensive to do the NI interface.
Nowadays a lot of the telemetry is sent anyway so it's not a particularly 'out there' thing to do any more.
Would have been cool fun though!
:-)
http://www.dhawthorne.net/rockets/rockets.htm
Well, "collection" may be an overstatement. I work slowly, as I enjoy the process as much as the finish. The first four shots show some in-progress pics of the finished rocket of the next four (a second-generation Estes Interceptor), including a close up of some of the wing detail I spent a heck of a lot of time on, particularly the joints. The last two are the current rocket under construction, an Estes Strikefighter. The rest of the "collection" are in their original packaging waiting fro me to catch up
I am going to stop now, since I have work to do and this is starting to cause a twitch that only an addict knows about and I don't want to relapse
Jeff
Nice to see that there is someone else here whos interests go beyond tech.
It's amazing how exicited a 4 year old gets when he lands his first Sun Fish.
Other stuff, I like cooking and repairing old Land Rovers - although my wife doesn't think the 2 go together well.... wrong types of oil or something!
I suppose I could put a TP on the dash of a Series1 - maybe to monitor oil leaks, but I don't think there would be enough mem!!!
Growing Sweet Peas - my favourite flowers and they remind me of my dad. Cooking Thai and other South East Asian food...and recently wrestling with bits of Mac kit. I'm sure there's a need to support the iPhone in the medium term but right now it's really annoying.
LOL, WoW is a very addicting game. I'm waiting for the new expansion so I will something new to do. You can only grind so much.
I wish I had more time for my hobbies but I'm sure we all or most of us are finding our working lives are getting far to busy anymore to enjoy our passions.
P.S. if Bill Gates ever reads these post could you send the AMX programmers a few bucks so we can all retire and enjoy life.
I am starting down the path to full on tech diving certification. Where do you do the majority of your diving?
Jeff
Nice! I also build and race street cars, but with 1/2 the cylinders. Mainly Subaru and I messed around with some Audi and Mitsubishi in between Subarus. I drag raced for a few years, but I've since moved on to Solo. I also work flagging and communications on the weekends at the new track they built in NJ.
I wouldnt say I have hobbies, I have teenagers!
When I am not working, or doing freelance CAD drawings, I am
usually knee-deep in coordinating teen activities.
I have a high-school senior whose passion is video production.
I bought him some cool animation software at InfoComm a few years ago.
Next year, he will be accompanying me to the show.
Needless to say, he is very excited.
I have another teenager whose passion is good old
rock & roll. Therefore I have spent a lot of time and money
on instruments and studio equipment. I play guitar and drums
myself, so it is nice to see my son have the same interests.
So I suppose my hobbies are doing what I can to help my children
achieve their goals and dreams.
I Have owned several motorcycles in the past, but sold them to
finance private school.
I have been playing some late night onlline poker lately (play $$ of course).
It's very addicting!
Great Lakes and St Lawrence (I'm all about wrecks). I live in Toronto, so Kingston and Brockville are relatively close. Also Tobermory sometimes. I dove from Long Island once, though, to do the Stolt Degali and the USS San Diego. The US border guy looked at me pretty funny when I told him I was driving to NYC to dive....
How about you?
I live in the Metro Detroit area. I hit the quarries in Ohio occasionally. I do some inland lakes within about an hour of home, but that is mainly for metal detecting. I have done a couple charters to Lake Huron, but only visited wrecks in the 80-90ft range. This summer I have made a few trips across the Blue Water bridge to dive on the Monarch in the St. Clair River. It always amazes me that border patrol lets me through after I say that I a going scuba diving under the bridge
I am getting ready to start my Wreck diving certification in conjunction with Tech Basics at the end of this week. I am not sure if I will be ready for the open water dives before the charter boats pull out for the season, but I'm hoping so. If not, my instructor was discussing the possibility of hitting a wreck in the ocean off of one of the Carolinas.
Eventually, I need to get to Tobermory as I hear it is some amazing diving.
Jeff
My wife and I are both SCUBA certified (hello fellow divers!) so we like to go to destinations good for diving. Having two young kids has slowed us down, but hasn't stopped us. Most recently we went to a seminar in Lake Worth, FL called Salvaging Spanish Sunken Treasure put on by Bob "Frogfoot" Weller. It was a very interesting week capped with diving in the Keys on a couple of wrecks from 1733.