Author Archives: peter

Resurrecting a Canon PIXMA Pro 10

Posted on December 17, 2024 by peter

I got a deal (I thought) on a Canon PIXMA Pro 10. I am new to photographic inkjet technology, so I didn’t understand the issues involved in resurrecting an under-used printer. I see now that I probably overpaid, but it’s … Continue reading →

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Stilt Pants Finale(?)

Posted on December 16, 2024 by peter

The stilt pants may finally get done this week! With the semester over now, this project that I started in May will hopefully get done this week. I have all the materials. I have printed, cut and assembled the pattern. … Continue reading →

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Video Editing for Dummy Instructors

Posted on December 16, 2024 by peter

I am a really basic video editor. I have used iMovie in the past, but no professional tools like Adobe Premiere Pro, that support more advanced techniques and organization. I think that I will need these features to support my … Continue reading →

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Adapting a Course for Asynchronous Learning

Posted on September 11, 2024 by peter

This post starts off a series of posts about adapting a course for asynchronous online learning. The University that I teach at, UMass Amherst, is interested in expanded its catalog of online-only asynchronous courses. I start with a long-winded description … Continue reading →

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Cross-Body Bag / Purse Project

Posted on September 9, 2024 by peter

Today’s post is another sewing project, a cross-body bag/purse. This is a self-drafted design inspired by other designs I encountered in patterns and video tutorials. The bag is made of a durable 500D Cordura Nylon with a ripstop nylon lining. … Continue reading →

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Robot Control with Machine Learning

Posted on July 29, 2024 by peter

This week’s project is combining my 1D EggBot controller with the Machine Learning textbook that I’m reading this summer. The goal of the controller is to help the EggBot stay upright or at a specified angle. The robot’s accelerometer indicates … Continue reading →

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Learning Materials – Reinforcement Learning for Robots

Posted on June 29, 2024 by peter

This post is just an info dump about reinforcement learning for robots. Mostly YouTube videos. Am I missing anything? I had been looking at Gymnasium, but clearly I should also look at NVIDIA’s Isaac Sim.

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Egg Robot – Version 5 – Walking Update II

Posted on June 14, 2024 by peter

Last week, the walking version of the Egg Robot was updated to include an outrigger brace to prevent bending of the legs inward as the robot leans. This unexpected bending inwards caused the upward leg to drag as it advances. … Continue reading →

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Egg Robot – Version 5 – Walking Update

Posted on June 7, 2024 by peter

The walking version of the Egg Robot walked last week. Unfortunately, it also distorted its legs so that it drags the raised foot on each step, disrupting its path. To fix this, I added a brace to support the legs … Continue reading →

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Stilt Shorts Progress Update

Posted on June 7, 2024 by peter

This week, I received the material for the shorts and finished drafting the shorts pattern. Next week, I’m going to make a muslin of the shorts to be sure I’ve got the right fit. Making sure that the details of … Continue reading →

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