Category Archives: programming

Music Maker: Using NodeJS to Create Songs

Posted on September 15, 2018 by Michael

In my graduate school career, I had the opportunity with our evolutionary complexity lab to study creating music using neural networks and interactive genetic algorithms. It’s fun to study these two topics together since I enjoy crafting code and music. … Continue reading →

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Remotely Control IoT devices using NodeJs, Firebase, and Johnny5

Posted on August 11, 2018 by Michael

Hello, makers!  In our blog post today, I wanted to share a simple way to remotely control IoT devices using NodeJs and Google Firebase.  Let’s say you’re trying to remotely control a small lego crane like this.  You’ll notice there … Continue reading →

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Building Chat Bot Apps with Google Actions

Posted on August 3, 2018 by Michael

In science fiction, we have dreamed about the days when we’ll talk to our computers to make things happen. In Star Trek, crew members can talk to the Holodeck computer to “program” and explore amazing virtual experiences. Tony Stark(aka. Ironman) … Continue reading →

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“Growing Your Developer Career using Open Source” via @JohnBaluka

Posted on June 16, 2018 by Michael

Whether you’re just starting in your career or you’ve been working in the industry for years, you can benefit from the culture and practice of open source. I want to thank John Baluka for sharing his reflections and personal journey … Continue reading →

Posted in open innovation, open source, programming, technology | 1 Comment

10 Trends You Need to Know from Google I/O 2018

Posted on May 19, 2018 by Michael

What’s Google I/O? Google I/O is an annual software developer-focused conference which features a keynote on the latest updates and announcements by Google. The conference also hosts in-depth sessions focused on building web, mobile, and enterprise applications with Google and … Continue reading →

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6 Resources To Build Cool Minecraft Mods with Python

Posted on May 9, 2018 by Michael

Looking for a fun way to explore learning to code with your students or children? Consider exploring writing Minecraft mods using Python. In our house, we continue to enjoy building(destroying) together as a family in shared Minecraft worlds. I appreciate … Continue reading →

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Detecting Motion using Python, SimpleCV and a Raspberry Pi

Posted on March 3, 2018 by Michael

My wife and kids enjoy bird watching. In our dining room, we attached a bird feeder to a window in the room. My wife asked if I could hack together a way to snap pictures of birds that visit the … Continue reading →

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5 Fun BBC Microbit Project Lessons

Posted on February 20, 2018 by Michael

As I have reflected on various physical computing activities we tried with our kids, I started reviewing a novel microcontroller from our friends at the BBC, the micro:bit.   In addition to the BBC bringing us awesome stories like Dr. Who, … Continue reading →

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Connecting Community Service to Makerspaces and Developer Communities

Posted on November 24, 2017 by Michael

In November 2017, I had the honor of speaking at DevFest Florida, a community organized developer conference focusing on Google technology. I had an amazing time at this conference. You can check out my reflections on this experience at GDGCentralFlorida.org. … Continue reading →

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10 AFrame.IO Resources For Your WebVR Project

Posted on November 10, 2017 by Michael

I’m a big fan of the work of the AFrame.IO community.  Thank you to Mozilla, Diego Marcos, Kevin Ngo, and Don McCurdy for their influence and effort to build a fun and productive platform for building WebVR experiences.   For some … Continue reading →

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