Google AIY Voice with 3d printed box

This is a great 3d model from pinshape.com that I used to create myself custom Google home:

https://pinshape.com/items/41195-3d-printed-adabot-google-aiy-voice-kit

I used the Google AIY Voice kit to create the voice assistant and I am playing with various experiments with the recognizer and the AIY libraries.  So far I have made a Google magic 8 ball and I am experimenting with building a conference call bot to dial I to Webex meetings for me.

I am using the Google AIY Voice kit with a Raspberry Pi 3.  Here is the link to the project from Google:
https://aiyprojects.withgoogle.com/voice/

I can't wait to get the vision kit to give my robot sight as well.

Nootropics

As an adult that suffers with ADHD and has two children with the disorder, I have been researching the topic of nootropics.  I medicate my kids currently and it works for them, but the side effects worry me.

This article seems like a good start for me, but I continue to look for better resources. 
https://blog.bulletproof.com/13-nootropics-to-unlock-your-true-brain/

This is a placeholder for me to post my links related to nootropics.

Google AIY project Voice Hat with RP3

This Google AIY project is one that I am excited to build, but I just haven't had any time to work on it.  

https://aiyprojects.withgoogle.com/voice#assembly-guide-4-put-it-all-together

• Google AIY Voice Kit
• Raspberry Pi 3
• 16GB SD Card
• *Optional: 3d Printed box

I want to build out a Google AI to do the following:

• AI Enabled Conference Phone
• Ability to Dial into Voice Conferences and manipulate Audio Visual Equipment in meeting rooms.  It will make working at home easier if it can read from multiple calendar sources and determine what bridge number I need to dial into and do it for me.
• Conference room "That Was Easy" button that plays back a random funny meeting jargon
• "I will take that deliverable"
• "Yep, that sounds like our customer"
• "Nerd Alert"
• "Yada, Yada, Yada"...etc
• AI enabled smart dialer

This is the Soccer Schedule!

FRDM-K64F flashing using JTAG

FRDM-K64F boodloader corruption on Windows10:

https://www.nxp.com/products/microcontrollers-and-processors/arm-based-processors-and-mcus/kinetis-cortex-m-mcus/kinetis-developer-resources/ides-for-kinetis-mcus/opensda-serial-and-debug-adapter:OPENSDA?&tid=vanOpenSDA#FRDM-K64F

Unbrick the FRDM-K64F:

https://community.nxp.com/docs/DOC-330935
https://mcuoneclipse.com/2016/06/26/how-to-recover-the-opensda-v2-x-bootloader/

Use another FRDM-K64F for debugging:
https://mcuoneclipse.com/2015/09/08/using-frdm-k64f-board-to-debug-another-kinetis-board/

OpenSDAv2 on a K64F board
https://community.nxp.com/docs/DOC-100720

Boot-loader firmware
https://1drv.ms/f/s!Ak35AqwTBMdjg61UOQuC5kxEgBqGZw

FlashCat USB JTAG Reader/Writer:

http://www.embeddedcomputers.net/software

Using Raspberry Pi as a JTAG debuger
https://movr0.com/2016/09/02/use-raspberry-pi-23-as-a-jtagswd-adapter/

Cheap Virtual Machines on a single board computer

This project is something that I often consider, because I often just want a small footprint server that I can run in my wiring closet without having to heat up the whole house.  This seems like a simple solution for a home lab.  The $149 price tag is a bit misleading, because to run the VM's would be very limited on the 2GB of ram on the $149 model, but I appreciate the small form factor, so I would rather spend a bit more and get the larger 8gb model.

Video from NovaSpirit Tech Youtube Channel
https://youtu.be/yAVa38u_t18

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Cisco Developer Sandbox Labs

For those of you that like to tinker with new products, but don't want to have a rack mounted in your closet to test out your latest idea, Cisco has a new Sandbox Lab that you can use with valid CCO account permissions:

I was amazed at how quickly I could spin up a Cisco Contact Center and begin testing.  Very nice!

Check it out at: 

https://devnetsandbox.cisco.com/RM/Topology

Google AI fun

https://experiments.withgoogle.com/ai/teachable-machine

Wifi IR Blaster Project

My new IR Blaster project

Thanks to mdhiggins for putting together this great tutorial and diagrams for building an IR Blaster based upon the NodeMCU platform.  This was my 3rd attempt at this project and his design is my favorite and the only one that has potential to work the way I want it to.

Here is a link to his GitHub:
https://github.com/mdhiggins/ESP8266-HTTP-IR-Blaster


This reference also helped me:

Source:
https://dziadalnfpolx.cloudfront.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/esp8266-nodemcu-dev-kit-v3-pins.jpg

And her is the board I am using:

I will continue working on this project and hopefully show the finished project when I am done.  I also 3d printed a mounting case for this as well.  This will be the base for my new Alexa voice commanded IR devices such as TV's and IR fans.

I also found that I had to tweak some of the Arduino 1.8.5 defaults settings as you can see here when I uploaded IRController.ino.  

Things I updated:

Board: Generic ESP8266 Module

Flash Size: 4M (3m SPIFFS)

Debug Port: Serial

Reset Method: nodemcu

Port Com4 (this will vary)

And to integrate with Alexa/SmartThings....

http://thingsthataresmart.wiki/index.php?title=How_to_Control_your_TV_through_Alexa_and_Smartthings

Another tutorial that I referenced:

http://www.instructables.com/id/Universal-Remote-Using-ESP8266Wifi-Controlled/

Easy way to flash your ESP8266 Module back to factory defaults if you make a mistake(I did):

https://github.com/nodemcu/nodemcu-flasher

Voice Transcription Tools

I am working on solutions for my different voice transcription needs.  There are many options out there, but not all of them are affordable for all applications.

I am currently playing with Otter.ai, as a free audio file transcription service, but I have seen other options such as Bluemix from IBM, Google STT API, and Nuance.  Free is always a good option for my test applications.  I am not worried about recognition rates. 

Anyone know good transcription cloud apps or software packages?

Android Automation Tricks

While looking for some ways to automate my phone, I found this site. 
http://www.androidauthority.com/automation-with-tasker-ifttt-qpython-762910/ 

I am placing it here for my own reference.  I am interested in trying qpython with Tasker as well as Tasker App Factory.

I am currently evaluating IFTT, Tasker, Automate, Microsoft Flow, and Automagic to see which I like the best for different purposes.

Things I want to automate:

• I also have been playing with using Microsoft Flow for reading outlook emails and constructing dynamic bot-like replies, but that one is an expensive option as you can only have 750 triggers/month without paying per usage fees.  I look to experiment with other platforms that allow me to have unlimited triggers (Maybe a bot is best for this functionality).
• I also want to figure out how to tap into the Amazon Alexa notifications to enable AI to AI integrations between Cortana and Amazon Alexa.
• How do I get an alert when a Box file is updated?  I tried IFTT with this but I had little luck getting it to do everything I want.  What features do each platform expose?
• Many others...

What is the best portable automation/orchestration tool for work/personal integration?

• Box integration
• Office 365 Integration
• VPN Integration
• Read Email and attachments
• REST calls for web services
• XML processing
• Keyboard integration

How can I use these tools to improve my response time to customers and coworkers using natural language, deep learning, and other tools?

Bash on Windows Tips

So for those of you that use Windows 10, but love the new Bash shell for doing your Linux scripting in Windows, here is a link to get you started.  I will continue to update this post as I find good links.

Accessing files To/From Windows 10 is fairly easy to do:
https://www.howtogeek.com/261383/how-to-access-your-ubuntu-bash-files-in-windows-and-your-windows-system-drive-in-bash/

More to come...

Interesting Stuff by Chris Sandoval (5/31/2017)

Chris Sandoval is one of the most informed innovators that I know.  I subscribe to his newsletter, but I find that it gets lost in my email.  I figured that I would share this on my blog so that I don't forget to read it, and so that others can enjoy his great work.  If you would like to be added to his newsletter, let me know.

 I hope you find value from this newsletter. If it was forwarded to you and you want on the list, let me know.

Don’t want it? I’ll take you off the list, no hard feelings. I’m always open to feedback. Enjoy! – chris sandoval

Disruption & Transformation Stuff Product managers for the digital world “you need a product manager who thinks and acts like a CEO” MUST READ More Disruption & Transformation Stuff: ·         A decade of digital (PDF) ·         The Story of Netflix Streaming ·         Did someone cancel the fintech revolution? Future of Cars Stuff It Could Be 10x Cheaper To Take Electric Robo-Taxis Than To Own A Car By 2030 “we’re on the edge of an incredibly rapid transition to an entirely new transportation system” MUST READ More Future of Cars Stuff: ·         Mercedes-Benz Will Launch Self-Driving Rideshare Service in 2020 ·         Poll: Some Uber and Lyft riders are giving up their own cars ·         22-Year-Old Lidar Whiz Claims Breakthrough Think & Work Differently Why We Lie: The Science Behind Our Deceptive Ways “Our capacity for dishonesty is as fundamental to us as our need to trust others, which ironically makes us terrible at detecting lies” MUST READ The Long Now: Planning for a future 10,000 years away “What one foundation is doing to encourage long-term thinking.” Scientists Tie 52 Genes to Human Intelligence “thousands more are likely to be involved and still await discovery” More Think & Work Differently: ·         We're all used to an 8-hour work day. But is it effective? ·         Biologist explains CRISPR to people at five different levels of knowledge ·         Guy who sold his startup for $1.26B tells grads to 'get good at' failure ·         Passion shouldn’t be a job requirement ·         You should’ve asked Trends The Disappearing Computer “Tech was once always in your way. Soon, it will be almost invisible.” More Trends: ·         International tourism to the US down by double digits ·         In US metro areas, huge variation in intermarriage rates ·         The salary you must earn to buy a home in 27 metros ·         Prison Population and Spending 2010-2015 Customer Experience Stuff Facebook Doesn't Understand Itself “The company’s content moderation guide suggests it hasn’t come to grips with its unique role in the world.” Route to Air Travel Discomfort Starts on Wall Street “The great irony is that most CEOs would love to compete on product and experience, it’s much more fun. The problem is that customers aren’t paying attention to that.” More Customer Experience Stuff: ·         The Rise and Fall of Yik Yak, the Anonymous Messaging App ·         Fashion inspiration boards for Philip & Elizabeth’s 1980s disguises on The Americans ·         How Uber Changes Insurance (It’s Not What You Think) ·         How Anker is beating Apple and Samsung at their own accessory game ·         What Does Helvetica Taste Like? Finally, We Know Military Stuff These Military Vets Have Found A Smarter Way To Fight The War On Terror “We just can’t keep killing our way out of this problem.” The Challenge of Memorializing America's Wars “Honoring the cause while confronting and remembering sacrifice can be a complicated endeavor.” More Military Stuff: ·         The GIs’ favorite correspondent ·         Walmart announces guaranteed pay for military workers ·         Where Does 'Taps' Come From? Security, Privacy & Fraud Stuff Top hacker conference to target voting machines “Anybody who says they’re un-hackable just doesn’t know what they’re talking about” Google starts tracking offline shopping — what you buy at stores in person “Google says it has access to roughly 70% of U.S. credit and debit card transactions through partnerships with companies that track that data” More Security, Privacy & Fraud Stuff: ·         Russian Hackers Are Using ‘Tainted’ Leaks to Sow Disinformation ·         A year of digging through code yields “smoking gun” on VW, Fiat diesel cheats ·         Hackers Unlock Samsung Galaxy S8 With Fake Iris Uber Spotlight Uber Fires Former Google Engineer at Heart of Self-Driving Dispute “firing Mr. Levandowski could mean that he becomes a witness against Uber” Uber Plans Millions in Back Pay After Shorting NYC Drivers “Uber was taking its cut of fares based on the pretax sum, instead of after taxes and fees as stated in its terms of service” More Uber Spotlight: ·         Judge orders Uber to hand over to Waymo unredacted term sheet with Otto

Employee Voices You should write a blog post for this section – it’s easy & fun! ·      Innovation vs Sustainability ·      One of the hardest thing to do...is to not do anything at all. ·      Things I Am Thinking About ·      Lightbulb moment TED2017 Stuff ·      Garry Kasparov: Don't fear intelligent machines. Work with them ·      HOWTO: Find a wonderful idea Weather Stuff ·      This is what it’s like to be struck by lightning Energy Stuff ·      Stunning drops in solar, wind costs turn global power market upside down ·      US may put emergency tariffs on solar imports ·      Old Coal Mines Have a Place in the Future of Clean Energy Magic Box ·      The Addicts Next Door ·      Awesome Roger Moore story ·      Internet reacts with predictable restraint to female-only Wonder Woman screening ·      Portland MAX hero's last words: 'Tell everyone on this train I love them' Space Stuff ·      Kid With Heart Defect Blasts Off ‘Into Outer Space’ In Sweet Video ·      Whole New Jupiter: First Science Results from NASA’s Juno Mission ·      Steve spotted in the sky ·      Space Garbage Trucks Star Wars Stuff ·      Leaked ‘The Last Jedi’ Footage Reveals Chewbacca Balding Since ‘The Force Awakens’ Animal Stuff ·      Dogs vs Fidget Spinners ·      Texas Wants You to Hunt Feral Hogs From Hot Air Balloons ·      Whales Blowing Rainbows Nightmare Fuel ·      World's New Longest Slackline Record Diversions ·      Basketball is different now. ·      This is how you sell a used car. ·      What Is Smart Dumb Comedy? ·      Angry pedestrian gets instant karma ·      I Just Want To Chill…

Why not make election day a national holiday like many other democratic nations do?
https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/make-election-day-national-holiday-1