Month: May 2022

(eng below) To save some money, I opted for a used iFetch on eBay at a quarter of the price instead of buying a new one. Turned out it had a burnt-out motherboard but still had working sensors, a motor, and relays. No big deal: I swapped in an Arduino for the guts, and now it’s got a USB tail. The ball speed is controllable, and there’s potential for adding all sorts of cool features. The Arduino script is in the comments (you can’t get simpler than that). It took about four hours in all. It will take Yuki even longer to figure out how to place the ball in there, especially the electronic parts.

I took a bit of a shortcut and bought a second-hand iFetch which turned out defective. The motherboard was fried, but the mechanical components, sensors, and motors were fine. I decided to replace the original board with an Arduino, and after four hours, it was up and running like new. The Arduino script and ongoing project details are in the comments. It will take Yuki some time to learn how to operate it, might even take a while to get the hang of the electronics.

#MomentsOfTheDay

Meow

This is an American Bullfrog. Found near the pond in our neighborhood. Bullfrogs are generally eaten in North America because they have a lot of meat and can grow up to 10 inches (25 cm) in length and up to a pound (450 g) in weight. It’s name in Russian is “лягушка-бык”, in Ukrainian it is “Велика зелена жаба”

Who’s the boss of the pond?

Yuki thinks that waking up before 9am should be illegal. He can rise and shine but just not at the same time. Ok, ok, Yuki added, actually, mornings are wonderful. Their only drawback is that they come at such an inconvenient time of day! Elizaveta Alieva, do you agree?

This geese family is always near the pond so the goslings have been growing before my eyes. We see each other several times a day. Yuki and I keep our distance because we have already learned (a few times) that the geese act rather aggressively to protect their young if they feel the goslings are threatened. I never thought the birds may be so courageous and even fearless. They are always together. It’s so cute;)

By the way, there are a bunch of (likely) new English nouns for you: the collective noun for a group of geese on the ground is a gaggle; when in flight, they are called a skein, a team, or a wedge; when flying close together, they are called a plump. But to be frank I have never heard any of these words from anyone.

Happy woofday, Yuki! One year. We gifted him a piece of a tree branch (for ten bucks), a plastic piece resembling a tree branch in appearance and smell (also for ten bucks), and a real bone. Today he darted between all three, not knowing which to choose. And in the evening, we went to Morven Park in the pouring rain, just to keep life from seeming too sweet.

What we have been hearing the last few nights was (very likely) the call of an American Barn Owl. Simply because all other owls sound different. Does anyone know for sure? It certainly doesn’t help with falling asleep or having a peaceful, healthy sleep 🙂

Wildly interesting lectures for general knowledge about the history of the development of the atomic bomb by Mark Solonin. With a plethora of technical details, explained in an ELI5 style. Here, it’s not just about the atomic bomb, but generally about the path to the atomic industry, with its problems and solutions. And about the bomb as well. Mark’s entire channel is fascinating, primarily aimed at grown boys.