Did you ever wonder why they (whoever “they” are) chose the prefix “tera” to mean trillion (as in 10^12, or 1,000,000,000,000)? Well, it’s because because this comes from the Greek word teras, meaning “monster” or “marvel.” Thus, “tera” was chosen to reflect the large size of a trillion, implying something vast and extraordinary, much like the way a monster or marvel would stand proud in the … Read More → "Bringing Innate Intelligence to Trillions of Devices"
This article is a book review of an autobiography of Ikutaro Kakehashi, published in 2002 and titled “I Believe in Music.” Kakehashi-san founded the electronic music powerhouse Roland, and this review was triggered by an article I read about the user-programmable Roland TR-808 Rhythm Composer, an automatic electronic drum machine. Kakehashi’s autobiography details the life of a man who dedicated his life to music, electronics, and entrepreneurship. … Read More → "The Man Who Loved Music"
My poor old noggin is currently buzzing with ideas for things I could do with the new line of programmable devices that were recently introduced by the guys and gals at Texas Instruments.
As usual, of course, in addition to these new devices themselves, myriad ancillary thoughts are currently cavorting around my cranium.
Let’s start with Read More → "From Concept to Programmable Logic Prototype in Minutes"
Before conducting my Zoom interview about the Heath Company and Heathkits with Chas Gilmore – formerly the VP of product development, marketing, and sales at Heath – I sent him a written list of questions so he could review and organize his memories of working at Heath. We covered most of my questions during the interview, which appear in the first five parts of this article series, but we … Read More → "The Rise and Fall of Heathkit – Part 6: And Yet More Final Thoughts"
Towards the end of my interview with Chas Gilmore – formerly the VP of product development, marketing, and sales at the Heath Company – I realized we had not touched on a couple of questions I’d sent to him in preparation for our Zoom call in October: whether any particular Heathkits stood out in his mind, and if he remembered the Heathkit Microwave Oven kit I’d built … Read More → "The Rise and Fall of Heathkit – Part 5: Final Thoughts"
