Ali Naci Erdem

For a long time, I had a dream. A network attached storage (NAS) solution to keep my backups on. I’m a little mad when it comes to backing up. Do not feel all right without at least 3 copies of the same thing on different places. When I was working on a 3d game engine project many years ago (was using DirectX8 using visual basic to be specific), I have lost 4 months of work to an MS DOS 6.22 installation disk that I carelessly used to recover my Windows 98 installation. It didn’t play well with my HDD that is larger than 2GB.

I was once into hobby RC airplane stuff – unfortunately don’t have the time to fly these days. (Check my first flight here ) Got myself a cheap 6 channel FM transmitter on eBay back in the day, not that 2.4 GHz rubbish, one with a huge antenna, you know. It was a much cheaper option then. Not of very high quality, but capable of doing many cool stuff and it is highly configurable. It is possible to change throttle curves, do mixing etc. Configuration process involves connecting it via an “apparently” serial connector to its USB dongle (which is then a serial to USB converter) and a computer. Install an old school t6config program (still not an idea where I get it) on a Windows PC and you’re good to go. The serial connection is also used for controlling RC simulations although with a lot of effort. You need to intercept serial stick commands with a software tool (I remember using ppjoy) and map them to real joystick inputs, which the TX is not very helpful a...

I am collecting vinyl for the last 10 years although I have a rather limited collection of about a 100. I really enjoy listening music on vinyl when I have the time. Large cover art, handling the physical medium, clarity and separation of different instruments and vocals, occasional posters and stickers have always been attractive to me. On the other hand, it is a demanding and expensive hobby even though the recent comeback brought the prices down a little. It is never as simple as clicking “next” on your Spotify or Apple Music playlist in the middle of a song. Every time you bring out a record from its sleeve, you need to carefully remove it and place on the platter and clean it with an anti-static brush to minimize surface noise and prevent damage to the grooves. The stylus is literally running on these grooves and vibrate to generate sound. I highly suggest you watching Applied Science’s video for a great visualization of the process BTW. Being so mechanical and r...