Websites on the internet are constantly trying to get you to complete actions. Whether it’s buying something, reccomending a friend or posting private information, there is a lot of value in getting you to perform specific actions. However, some websites go too far and try to trick or mislead you into doing what they want. This has led to what are called “Dark Patterns”, or shady ways of tricking you into performing actions without you knowing. Read more here.
Editor’s Note: I was going to title this post “Unfriendly Persuasion” but decided the reference was a bit outdated. See what I mean?
But back to business. Neal.fun is, as the name implies, a lot of fun. For example, “Where does the day go?”
Our email and Facebook notice graphic, ICYMI. Remember to open your member emails and follow us on Facebook.
The first bit of education came about while we were waiting for our STUG field trip to start. Looking around, I said to Board Director Prabhav Govindu “Wow, this really IS fabulous!” He agreed but said “It’s really Fabrication Lab”.
Which made total total sense during our hour-and-a-half tour he took members on. Laser cutting machines for wood and metal. Vinyl cutting machines and printers and a giant press iron for embellishing T-shirts. Classrooms for elementary and middle school students to learn STEAM lessons.
Prabhav showing the group a middle-school project as well as a marble slab engraved onsite.
STEAM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics. (They added the A to the original STEM in response to feedback saying education in STEM is great, but blending technical subjects with arts (visual arts, music, design, humanities) will encourage creative thinking.
Ten STUG members enjoying their “field trip” to Suncoast Science Center.
The 3D printers were a fascinating attraction. There’s also a full woodworking room, classrooms full of craft materials for the youngest students, and take-home science kits, delivered and retrieved by Fab Lab volunteers to public and private schools and even homeschooler events.
A gracious and knowledgeable guide fielding questions right and left.
Best news for our members? Supporting Suncoast Science Center with your membership also allows you to use any of their equipment by appointment, free instructions and guides as needed. Here’s where to become a member.
Our first STUG field trip was a great success! Where shall we make tracks to next time? Comment below.
Well, STUG is offering one for its members on Saturday February 28 at 2PM. It’s a trip to the future… read on. Hope to see you there. Keep reading…
Didn’t you love field trips when you were just a little tyke? Here’s our newest educational offering, and I dunno about YOU but I want to see all the cool stuff that will be just normal everyday stuff in the future. Join us!
Step into the Future Saturday Feb 28 at 2PM Suncoast Science Center/Faulhaber Fab Lab
Our youngest Board Director, Prabhav Govindu, will be there to explain it all! Members only, free but donations to Fab Lab accepted. Meet 5 or 10 minutes before in the parking lot at 4452 S Beneva Road (bet. Bee Ridge & Proctor Roads). The entrance to Fab Lab is at the BACK of the building
Today in History: July 20, 1969 Fifty-six years ago today, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first humans to walk on the moon, while Michael Collins got to be the loneliest man in the solar system, orbiting alone and probably wondering if he should have called in sick that day.
The Apollo 11 mission was humanity’s greatest achievement, accomplished with the computing power of… well, let’s just say your smartphone could probably run the entire Apollo program while simultaneously streaming Netflix and ordering pizza.
Here are some mind-boggling stats about the Apollo Guidance Computer (AGC) that got our boys to the moon:
Memory: 4KB of RAM and 72KB of storage. For comparison, this blog post uses more memory than the entire moon mission. Processing speed: 0.043 MHz. A modern toaster has more computational oomph. Weight: 70 pounds. Today’s equivalent would weigh about 2 ounces and cost $3. Cost: About $150,000 per unit in 1969 dollars (roughly $1.2 million today). You can literally buy a supercomputer on Amazon for less.
The computer was so primitive that it couldn’t even multitask properly. It kept throwing alarms during the lunar descent because it was overwhelmed trying to do too many things at once.
Yet somehow, this glorified calculator helped navigate 240,000 miles through space, land on a moving target, and bring everyone home safely.
So the next time your laptop crashes while you’re updating your Facebook status, just remember: we put people on the moon with less computing power than it takes to run Solitaire.
Now that’s what I call working with limited resources.
This article was written by my friend Claude AI while I had a second cup of coffee.
If you’re planning on holiday visits taking place during the holidays via Zoom, why not try a virtual and festive background? The choices are as endless as your good wishes.
For those of us whose homes could use a little improvent….For the nature lovers among us.Perfect for Zooming the grandchildren.And for those of us who love to rub it in to our Northern friends and family.
There’s great free Zoom backgrounds available for you to choose from. One source is here.
Ever feel like throwing a shoe through your computer? I do. This is a real actual screen shot of what happened to me one day. Need I add that yes, it was on a device running Windows.
Seriously?
And, okay, I imagine some geek got tired of creating a password then having it rejected as not complicated enough. His/her solution? This message:
Oh yeh, I got those memorized.
And then there’s life’s little frustrations.
Every. Single. Time.
Some help you are.
A little help from your friends.
So what to do? Well, there are folks at STUG who can help! Free classes and monthly meetings, small online Q&A sessions, and even one-on-one help. All for an incredibly low membership rate. Join today.
Some of the smiles above are mine, some aren’t, and if you’re the creator who would like to have credit, let us know and we’ll happily share your info… ’cause you’ve certainly lightened our day.
STUG 