Many others have blogged on how to get started with the ELK (Elasticsearch-Logstash-Kibana) log centralization stack. However, despite having read many parts of the documentation I still had issues understanding how it all worked. I go over it in a way that I think would have been helpful for me. (read more)

I recently visited my high school to check in with my robotics teacher. Aside from catching up he gave me a tour of all the amazing things being done at as early as the 6th grade level. Among such cool things I was introduced to Onshape, an in-browser 3D CAD tool. I've actually been needing to CAD up my next side project and so I gave Onshape a try. (read more)

This is a short post on how to build an Elasticsearch cluster on your dev machine using Docker Compose. At work I was asked to look into performing AMI rotations on Elasticsearch cluster nodes and as a first step I set out to build a local cluster. Elasticsearch comes with a nice thing called Zen that auto-discovers other Elasticsearch nodes on the same network interface (whatever that means), forms a cluster, and then elects a master node. I wanted to use this with Docker to minimize setup time as much as possible. (read more)

I've had an interesting year or so of pretending to be a software developer. (read more)

I recently gave a small talk highlighting the differences between Python 2 and Python 3. Hopefully this encourages more people to switch to Python 3 or at least start adding Python 3 compatible code to their code base. (read more)

There are two ways an organization achieves a microservice architectured web service. One way is by initial design: this involves thinking through service boundaries and logical groupings. The worse and probably most common way, is by migration from a monolithic architecture. (read more)

I've come to a point where at least in my friend group I'm the python guy. Yet, I never feel like I know enough of it because I keep learning new things: (read more)

I use Hudson as a Continuous Integration (CI) tool at work; it watches the SVN code repository and tests, builds, and deploys my services as code changes are commited. That got me wondering, how do I set it up for myself? (read more)

My engine started to stutter during its first 5 minutes within startup in February. I'd been suspecting that it was due to the oxygen sensor nearing its lifespan. However, the problem was so intermittent that I couldn't possibly read the codes out with my OBD-II. (read more)

Today I came across SimpleCV (linked here), a simplified computer vision library which works very well with python. I've known and tried to use OpenCV, what people typically use for CV, for a while, but I've never had a good experience using it. Given the choice I've always opted to use Matlab's vision package instead. I'm just not great at C++; it takes too much effort to do the simplest things and its confusing documentation doesn't help much either. Finding SimpleCV and reading up on how easy it can be to use it has been pretty exciting. (read more)

With my wallet drying up between school and my first full-time job, I now "fix" my 2005 Subaru Impreza myself. My most recent car woe, brake rotor (the brake disk) warping, causes the car to rumble when braking and also makes passangers like my girlfriend nervous. This poses a danger as it makes braking more difficult. To fix this issue I ordered front brake rotors Power Stop KOE1124 on amazon, which also came with break pads. (read more)

I may have finally figured out how to tape-out my own analog IC designs without draining my bank account. even though I did poorly in analog IC design at school, I've wanted to know what it would take to start a company that designs analog ICs and RFICs. This super old article on EDN Network is very short and lacks detail, but it essentially shows how CAD software is unneccessary and fabrication can be cheaper using a service like MOSIS; it shows how it would be possible for anyone like me to start designing my own ICs. (read more)

Several weeks ago I set out to build my own DIY reflow oven so I can start working with surface mount sensors, which are often cheaper and smaller. This post is a progress report on the first part of the project. (read more)

I'm a big fan of Michael Lewis' books such as "The Big Short" and "Liar's Poker". He takes the time to develop characters, making the narrative feel more relevant. He also explains complex financial issues very clearly, making them understadable to anyone. In his new book "Flash Boys", Michael Lewis explains the industry and practices of high frequency trading (HFT) through the eyes of the founders of IEX, a sort of rebel exchange created in response to HFTs and dark pools. He explains how the industry has changed the landscape of Wall Street literally and figuratively and what those at IEX are trying to do to fix it. (read more)

Just built my first android app following android's official tutorial. I've been pretty frustrated by the lack of Kindle apps so I decided I will build them myself. Specifically, I am frustrated most by Bloomberg's android smartphone and kindle fire apps. They are awful.. (read more)

Shares of Rite Aid (RAD) have now been rallying for 5 months. Here is my explanation of why it has rallied, and why the rally may be or become over-extended. (read more)

Back in February 2012 I decided to get involved in AMD again. A part of the reason why I did was the announcement by AMD of its acquisition of SeaMicro. This was very big news following the change in management. Rory Read had just replaced Dirk Meyer as CEO in August 2011 and fixed its supply chain issues. Rory Read also began discussing the possibility of using ARM cores (in every phone and more energy efficient); they were finally beginning to deal with AMD's dismal market share in every product they sell. The company's new vision and awareness of new technologies encouraged me to buy shares. Unfortunately, the stocks took a massive tumble and I never heard of SeaMicro till now. (read more)

Below is the result of one full week of thinking, layout, and planning. These H-bridges are made to control two small dc motors. The H-bridge can take up to a 500 mA load. This board will probably be integrated into my scrapbot. The simulation for this circuit can be found here. (read more)

I always believed that to build an H-bridge I need to use FETs. I'm guessing that it was because of the small device package of Bipolar Transistors that I thought that it will not be able to power it. Well today I realized that some of my motors are probably small enough (low power) to be powered by BJTs. This also made for a great opportunity to test LTSpice some more. Eventually I hope to improve my mobot H-bridge design in efficiency using these tools. (read more)

Yet Another ELK Tutorial Part 1

10 February 2016

Initial Thoughts on OnShape CAD

18 December 2015

Local Elasticsearch Cluster with Docker Compose

27 November 2015

Software Project Management and Interfaces

15 November 2015

Python 2 vs Python 3

3 October 2015

Migrating to a Microservices Architecture

21 May 2015

Learning Python

12 April 2015

Setting up Dockerized Jenkins with Github

9 April 2015

Replacing Spark Plugs

15 March 2015

Installing SimpleCV

19 December 2014

Subaru Brake Repair

4 June 2014

Analog IC Design as a Hobby

19 April 2014

DIY Reflow Oven Pt. 1

14 April 2014

Learning About HFT

8 April 2014

My First Android App

20 August 2013

Rite Aid (RAD) Looking Forward

3 May 2013

AMD's Seamicro

12 February 2013

Dual H-bridge Board

12 July 2011

H-bridge simulation

30 June 2011