By @edent · 3d printing health · 1 comment · 300 words
As previously mentioned, I recently had a some dental issues and learned how to view a CT Scan in 3D using Linux. At a hackathon last week, my friend Sidd brought along a 3D printer. How hard is it to convert a CT scan to a file suitable for printing? Slightly trickier than I expected! […]
Continue reading →By @edent · CyberSecurity nhs · 350 words
Over the last few weeks, I've had several people ask me about the recent hack on the NHS. A ransomware attack has meant that several hospitals have cancelled operations and there is now an urgent demand for blood donors. What does it say about the state of NHS IT that this attack has happened? Nothing. […]
Continue reading →By @edent · emfcamp python tildagon · 2 comments · 500 words
The Tildagon has 2MB of RAM. That's not enough to do... well, most things you'd want to do with a computer! There's not much processing power, so running complex image decoding algorithms might be a bit beyond it. Is there a simple image format which can be parsed and displayed? Yes! The ancient Portable PixMap […]
Continue reading →By @edent · falsehoods programming · 8 comments · 300 words · read ~148 times.
(Mostly written in response to this issue on the Awesome Falsehoods list) For those new to the format, there is a popular meme about things which computer programmers erroneously believe. This isn't intended to shame anyone - just to point out things which may not be immediately obvious to the neophyte. There's nothing us Brits […]
Continue reading →By @edent · emf emfcamp python tildagon · 1 comment · 350 words
I'm beginning my adventures in MicroPython in the hope that I'll have something interesting working on the Tildagon Badge for EMF2026. Here's a basic implementation of a clockface. Here's how to set the time on the badge. There's a hardware clock which should keep time between reboots. Install mpremote on your computer. Connect the Tildagon […]
Continue reading →By @edent · democracy GE2024 · 400 words · read ~186 times.
In an ideal world, people wouldn't drop litter. There would be plentiful bins and people would be responsible with their rubbish. In a slightly less ideal world, the local council would have enough money to clean up the mess left by people. But we don't live in an ideal world. People are ignorant and selfish. […]
Continue reading →By @edent · emf emfcamp python QR Codes · 2 comments · 900 words · read ~475 times.
This was a bit of a labour of love - and something I wanted to get running during EMF Camp. I'm documenting in the hope it'll be useful for EMF 2026! Here's the end result: Background I'm going to assume that you have updated your badge to the latest firmware version. You will also need […]
Continue reading →By @edent · FoI GE2024 politics tax · 5 comments · 500 words · read ~200 times.
Freedom of Information law is brilliant! It allows ordinary people to ask questions of the powerful and get solid answers. Sometimes these questions are sensible and journalistic. Sometimes they're vexatious. Sometimes they're a little silly. The silly ones can be fun to answer. It's a good chance for a politician to show their human side. […]
Continue reading →By @edent · GE2024 general election politics · 3 comments · 400 words
The UK has some tough advertising regulations. There are restrictions placed on gambling adverts, alcohol, tobacco, and all sorts of other products. But there are no regulations on political advertising. There are dozens of smaller parties contesting the UK's General Election. Some are single issue parties, some are independents, some parties contest multiple seats, some […]
Continue reading →By @edent · Game Review metaverse oculus vr · 200 words
Did you enjoy the game Moss? This is a sequel which is identical to the original. The graphics are identical, the gameplay is identical, the puzzles are identical. There are a couple of slightly new mechanics and a new playable character (also a mouse). But it is fundamentally more of the same. So I suggest […]
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