Zzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

My caretakers came home tonight with a little black fur-ball. Don’t like him. Don’t like him at all. The kid’s what… less than a couple months old? They’re gonna have to potty-train the little puke and probably de-worm him like, maybe a couple hundred times!

Who knows where that twerp has been…. probably has rabies. I’m giving him the “evil-eye” and..oh, wait… a mouse toy. I’m gonna show him who’s boss around…wait! I’m hungry. There’s the food. Nom nom nom nom nom. What was I talking about? Oh, yes. I’m taking a nap. Zzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

[Show as slideshow]

Most of the traffic to my website appear to come from people interested in my Senior Design RFID Project that I finished back in 2008 to graduate from the University of Iowa Engineering Department.

They search fairly typical keywords: RFID, manchester, decoding, hid, hack, spoof,  125kHz or other basic parameters of RFID technology.

These key-word searches increase during the middle of the semester, when I surmise the students are scrambling to figure out how to make their OWN RFID Senior Design projects work.

It’s cool.

Recently, some guy going by sketchsk3tch on Instructables referenced my senior design project. It was VERY kind of him to add my project to his list of references, but wasn’t to happy with what he mentioned in reference to my project, stating, “School project, cool ideas, missing some details though.”

Missing some details? Like what? The entire schematic is up on that page! What more does this guy need?

Which brought me to another issue: Why didn’t he ask me for those missing details? Because, I would not have provided the REAL missing piece: The Arduino Code. Yeah, he would have “stolen” the Arduino code (the Java-like code that instructs the Atmega168 PIC we used for the project). Well, maybe he wouldn’t have “stolen” it, but I’m confident any bits he used would NOT have been attributed properly.

…and that is precisely the reason the entire RFID project is NOT up on my website. I hate leachers. Period.

As much attention my Senior Design Project seems to get from across the globe, I refrain from providing some of the critical pieces to make the entire project work. It’s self preservation.

So, to those seriously interested in my project, skim through my website and have fun. It’s for the community to enjoy. Ask me questions! I’ll answer, but don’t be surprised if I make you work at it. How else are you really going to learn?

Just got this in my inbox tonight. I’m so excited. I can’t wait to tell my Dad.

Barrister Marcus Wilson & partners.
Rue du Gouvernerur Bayol
B.P 1280
Cotonou,Benin
Private / Highly Confidential
Subject Matter: Invitation To Act As Next Of Kin.

Dear Friend,

I presume this letter will come to you as a surprise, but  as things unfold,we will know each other better. I will start by introducing myself to you.My names are Barrister Marcus Wilson a solicitor at law.

I am writing in respect of a foreigner Mr Glenn David, who happens to be my client an oil merchant and contractor who perished in a plane crash,You may also wish to view this web site on the internet to confirm the plane crash.

http://www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/africa/12/25/benin.crash/index.html?iref=allsearch

Since the demise of my client I personally have watched with keen interest to see the next of kin but all has proved abortive as no one has come to claim his funds of Eighty Five Million Five Hundred  Thousand United States Dollar and all the relevant documents in the  bank has no record of any next of kin.

On this note, I decided to seek for whom his name shall be used as his next of kin so I have contacted you to assist in repatriating most especially, the money left behind by my client before they get confiscated or declared unserviceable by the bank where the huge deposits were lodged.

Particularly, the Bank of  Africa where the deceased had an account valued at about Eighty Five Million Five Hundred  Thousand United States Dollar has issued me a notice to provide the Next of kin, or have the account confiscated.

I seek your consent to present you as the Next of kin of the deceased,I need somebody who is trustworthy and willing to assist me get the funds transfered.Whcih the account which my late client operate is valued at Eighty Five Million Five Hundred  Thousand United States Dollar can be paid to you, as my clients Next of Kin, and then we can share the amount on a mutual agreed percentage.
All legal documents to back up your claim as the deceased Next of Kin will be provided.

All I require is your honest cooperation to enable us see this deal through. I guarantee that this will be executed under legitimate arrangement that will protect you from any breach of the law and you should endeavor to keep it confidential.

kind send this requirement for more information.

NAME………..
COUNTRY……..
AGE…………
SEX…………
OCCUPATION…..
PHONE NUMBER…

Please get in touch with me at: barr.marcus.w@hotmail.com.com , to enable us discuss further about this transaction.

Best Regards,

Barrister Marcus Wilson

Does anybody really fall for this anymore?

Christmas Cookies

Christmas 2009 draws to a close as I spend Saturday driving my kids from Iowa City to Chicago for them to hop a flight back to Nashville. This holiday season was spent  with the family at my folks place in Van Horne; along with Jared, Haley, Beth, John, Emmett, Christine, Dave, Larry, Lou and my fav GF, Angie.

I was surprised that the remote helicopters I picked for for my kids went off like nobody’s business. They eventually attempted to terrorize my cat, Spengler, but he soon lost interest after several bombing runs. Mucho kudos go out to John and his lofty gift to Jard: one of those mini-digital video cameras. SWEET! A shout-out goes out to my brother-in-law, Dan. If it weren’t for him, neither I, Jared or Haley would actually have their OWN domain name. You ROCK!

New Years Eve was spent playing 5-hours of Rock Band at my theatrical-com-padre Vicki’s house. Ask about her last trip to India. On second thought, DON’T ask her. In the mean time, I’m gonna’ put on some Modest Mouse.

Here’s a few pix from the trip to Chicago. So long, 2009. I hardly knew ya’.

Following the disappointing defeat of The Vikings at the hands of the Chicago Bears, I wrote this cartoon strip using a fantastic online strip-generating tool: Stripgenerator.com

One of Those Days...

Xmas Bolt

So, Christmas started this year with Angie and I traveling on Christmas Eve to her folks place in Cedar Rapids. There, we would trade gifts, watch her brother’s peculiar kids and eat… a LOT. I’m not entirely sure that her family has really go the hang of Christmas gifts, because her brother (Rich) gave me a rather hefty grab-bag of stuff. It wasn’t the heft of the bag that threw me, but the contents. I think he forgot I was attending the family gathering. Check out the photos below and see for yourself.

[Show as slideshow]

Rockwell Automation

It’s no secret that I spent several years in the Engineering Labs of Rockwell Collins in Cedar Rapids, who I owe much of my enthusiasm for doing so to my father.

Continue Reading »