My library lover's Raspberry Pi project:

Okay so despite good intentions to return to blogging I have managed to ignore it, that is until now.   At the moment I seem to have a project worth blogging about.  I have been exploring the possibilities of Raspberry Pi and having an absolute ball in the process.  I bought a pi last year and initially just played around with the usual prototyping  breadboard, some l.e.d.s and buttons, using simple python programming scripts.  I should point out that I am coming at this as a novice, with no experience in electronics or programming, ( my background is humanities and library science).  After, very little mucking about and an awareness of what others have been able to do with the Raspberry Pi I did have an idea I wanted to try, but then I ignored the pi and let the thing stagnate for a couple of months, until last weekend.

Rashly I decided that I needed to have something up and running in time to use  in a display for library lover's day, (14th of February), (because why do things the easy way and a weekend is heaps of time, right) .  The inspiration for the project was the rather cool Ishmael phone, a book recommendation device that is powered by a pi, the Ishmael phone can be checked out here: https://www.raspberrypi.org/blog/call-me-ishmael/ 

I created a very simplified version, partly because I had a shortage of time to actually work on it, and partly because I am only just now teaching myself to use python programming.  As simple and as accessible as python is, learning something totally new can be time consuming and that is part of the reason that this is actually an evolving project.  What I currently have up and running is just an initial simple version of what, with a bit more time I hope to turn into something more sophisticated.

So essentially what I have is a Raspberry Pi, a prototyping breadboard, a series of 5 push buttons, each of which plays an mp3 audio file. The programming script is in python. The audio output is connected to a faux antique style phone handset and all the components are encased in a timber and perspex, phone shaped box.  My long suffering partner spent the hottest day of the year in the shed running up the box for me, and that was just before we had to rush off to another weekend commitment.   We choose perspex so the components could be visible, but still organised and protected.  I wanted people to see how simple and achievable the project was.  Because of the short time frame, we did not have time to paint the timber part of the box but eventually, it will be painted red.  (The thought of creating something more distinctly steampunk in appearance is tempting and eventually might be more in keeping with the steampunk decor of our personal library, where ultimately, this project will end up, that is until it is cannibalised for something else).   I also used a large screen with a hdmi connection, to illustrate both the programming behind the device and to run a short corresponding text script with each audio file. Hopefully on Wednesday I will find time  to post the how to details and some more detailed photos.
Oh and my Pi project has a name; Darwin, because it is evolving.

Fresh starts

What is it about January first that always leaves me embarking on grand plans, and resolutions that will inevitably fall by the wayside, as the year staggers forward into its usual chaos?

I have written blogs both personally and professionally, on and off since 2009, and I find that after a year of pretty much totally ignoring the blogging world, I have decided to again return to blogging, I miss it.  I really do miss it.  I miss the ritual of reading other blogs, and I miss the discipline of posting, for me, the discipline of recording thoughts on books read.   The old blog, The Genteel Arsenal, however, will continue to lie dormant, I feel the need for a fresh start.

There is something liberating about starting afresh, the anonymity, no followers, feels liberating  and refreshing.  I suspect, part of my original withdrawal from blogging was due to my need for solitude and absence.  So, I have started the year with this, a fresh blogging start, a completely new blog, although clearly I suffer from a lack of imagination as the name is only a slight variation on the old blog.  I am rather fond of the image of the library as an arsenal, and a sanctuary, and nothing snappy as an alternative springs to mind, maybe I should call it the Sanctuary, but this will do for now.  Somewhat obviously this is primarily a book blog.

I have even decided to stay with the same blogging platform, despite investigating Tumblr, and having used WordPress as an alternative in the past.  Tumblr did have some distinct advantages as a micro-blogging  platform, not least because of it's easy integration with Instagram, but despite the pluses I have decided to stick with what is most familiar, at least for now.

So blogging resolutions?  Well, I will attempt to post at least once a week and Sunday seems an appropriate day to tie myself to in terms of blogging obligation, so at least once a week by Sunday afternoon I will post.  Perhaps if I cannot find time to read a book a week and write a post I will just post a quote or a bookish photo or some other related content, but I will post.