Week 4

7 Mar, 2021

Project Caramel

I received components for Project Caramel this week:

• STM32F411 Nucleo board (but ended up using a pyboard running MicroPython instead)
• Passive components (resistors, caps, diodes)
• LM358 opamp

I followed a microphone amplifier guide and used MicroPython’s built-in ADC module.

I’m getting readouts, but it seems the amplifier circuit needs more work. For some reason there’s a high “ambient” value (noise?) but I have to actually tap the piezo itself to get peaks, but I should only need to knock on the table. As usual with this project, I will keep oscillating between prototyping and reading theory.

Experimental JavaScript course

Recently, I have been doing weekly work sessions with Alexis Hope (check out her site, she does cool stuff). She gave me a tip on some cool courses offered by SuperHi and I fell for the Experimental JavaScript course. It goes into using canvas, three.js, matter.js, and PixiJS, which are all libraries I have wanted to learn more about. Here is a quick sketch from the first lesson:

https://codepen.io/knandersen/pen/WNogdLg

One of the projects I would like to do is make a fun 404 page using some of these technologies. Maybe interactive headlines as well, we’ll see.

Updated Portfolio

I have probably redesigned my portfolio once a year for the past 5-6 years, but never published it. I always get stuck re-writing my portfolio entries or with the website itself. But with my recent success building this website using Gatsby, I felt like I could use the same structure and have it be a small project. I have been unhappy with my current portfolio for a while because of the design and using wordpress which feels clunky and slow.

I ported all my content to the new structure, made necessary design changes, and published it in a couple of days. Available here: portfolio.kevinandersen.dk. I also switched from Google Analytics to Panelbear, a cookie-less alternative that is also free and much simpler to use.

As you’ll notice, my portfolio and this website look eerily similar, and that’s something I will be thinking about how to address. One thought I had is to have the header gradient be sunrise-colors for this site and sunset-colors for the portfolio. Sunrise to represent what’s ahead for me, and sunset to represent my past.