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From the Docks to the Gate
This is a story about a simple web-service that answers only one question: if a given number is prime. The core problem is first solved with a Java class, which is then wrapped into a WebServlet and tested within a ...
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Only speak when spoken to
It wasn’t Steve Jobs, but former Apple Computer CEO John Sculley, who in his book Odyssey: Pepsi to Apple, introduced us to the Knowledge Navigator, an astoundingly capable virtual assistant. Today, more than thirty years later, smart speakers are trying ...
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Micro Python on ESP32 (HUZZAH32)
Adafruit's HUZZAH32 Feather board is built with the official WROOM32 module: Two CPU cores that can be individually controlled, and the CPU clock frequency is adjustable from 80 MHz to 240 MHz 448 kB of ROM for booting and core functions ...
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An AI-Tutor for students learning Python
[Cover art by Cyberpunk Portrait Generator API] For educators, it's easy to perceive AI-tools as a threat or a tool that almost invites students to cheat. Not as easy, but still plausible, is an approach that integrates AI-tools into teaching ...
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GPT – summarizing it cannot.
GPT-3, the third-generation Generative Pre-trained Transformer, is a neural network machine learning model trained using internet data to generate text. More often than not, however, I found that the T(ransformer) in GPT means "Transform into bullshit". Recently, I put the Lenovo ...
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Could there be an effective computer for students that are REALLY on a budget?
At some point during my last high school years, I caught the computer bug, and I couldn't stay away from programmable devices. Late-afternoon bus rides back to the city, followed by 20-minute walks to the local university, finding an unlocked ...
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Programming pyBox
Probably the easiest way to develop software for pyBox and iterate reasonably fast, is using the PyCharm IDE with the MicroPython plugin enabled. Create a new project, enable MircoPython and create three files: boot.py, main.py, and app.py. Remember, during the ...
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Porting MicroPython to pyBox
The standard ESP32 MicroPython port gets built for a generic ESP32 board. Compared to a generic board, pyBox has more to offer, most of which is not supported out of the box. Generic ESP32 pyBox 2GB Flash Memory 16GB Flash ...
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pyBox Specification
Smallest viable MicroPython Computer? Dallas Semiconductor, acquired by Maxim Integrated in 2002, was a company that designed and manufactured analog, digital, and mixed-signal semiconductors. They had also designed the TINI board, a 68-pin SIMM, approximately 103 mm wide, 32mm tall, and ...
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Installing Java on macOS 13 Ventura
For some time now, Java is not (pre-)installed anymore, let’s fix that. As I'm writing this, Java 19.0.1 is the latest version and Adoptium is one of the best places to find Prebuilt OpenJDK Binaries. Adoptium was known as AdoptOpenJDK, before the project was ...
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Introducing pyBox
Could there be a computer that is as nimble as it is useful, and still be fun and distinctly easy to program? pyBox, a small single-board computer, connected to a frugal 16x2 character display may be just that. pyBox is ...
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Micro Python on ESP8266 (HUZZAH ESP8266)
The ESP8266 is a low cost 80 MHz microcontroller with a full WiFi support. It can be found on several breakout boards, with Adafruit's HUZZAH ESP8266 being one of the better ones. For about $10 you can own a small ...
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Installing Tomcat on macOS 12 Monterey
The Servlet 5.0 specification is out and Tomcat 10.0.x does support it. Time to dive into Tomcat 10. Prerequisite: Java Tomcat 10 requires Java version 8 or later and since OS X 10.7 Java is not (pre-)installed anymore. Let’s fix that ...
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Onward to conversational applications
About 37%, or in numbers, 95 million U.S. adults have smart speakers in their homes. Half of them are daily active users. However, in the last two years, user growth has only been at 4%. (Smart Speaker Consumer Adoption Report ...
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Installing Java on macOS 12 Monterey
For some time now, Java is not (pre-)installed anymore, let’s fix that. As I'm writing this, Java 17.0.3 is the latest LTS (Long Term Support) version and Adoptium is one of the best places to find Prebuilt OpenJDK Binaries. Adoptium was known as AdoptOpenJDK, ...
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Conversational Interaction Conference 2022
I did something last week I hadn't done for quite some time: I spoke at a conference in front of a live audience. I started speaking at conferences in 2002 after I had created the SwiXml open source project: Graphical User Interfaces ...
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Installing Tomcat on macOS 11 Big Sur
The Servlet 4.0 specification is out and Tomcat 9.0.x does support it. Time to dive into Tomcat 9. Prerequisite: Java Since OS X 10.7 Java is not (pre-)installed anymore, let’s fix that by installing a Prebuilt OpenJDK Binary. Easy to follow details ...
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