Ashlee Vance of Bloomberg recently visited the UK, more specifically Gloucester and Cambridge. In Gloucester, he visited David Pride who created the awesome 4Bot Connect 4-playing robot. Vance also interviews Eben Upton, on a punt, to get the rationale behind the Pi. It’s a lovely 5 minute segment and it’s great to see the community side getting in there – Vance visited the nearby Cotswold Raspberry Jam so there’s the thrill of seeing kids learning how to program and we even see some of Brian Corteil’s Micro PiNoon in action! (And on a personal note, it was lovely to see some red EduKit 3 wheels go zooming by!) Take a look at the segment below:
Pimoroni’s Micro Dot pHAT reviewed by Raspberry Pi’s The MagPi
In this month’s issue of The MagPi (the 50th), Phil King reviews Pimoroni’s Micro Dot pHAT. This little board features 6 micro-LED matrices that can be programmed independently. Read the review here. The pHAT is available from Pimoroni, The Pi Hut and Adafruit.
Pi-Top CEED Raspberry Pi platform available at lower price from CPC
CPC have just got in stock of the Pi-Top CEED, the all-in-one Pi and screen platform. For a limited time, they are selling the CEED for £89+VAT, which is £10 cheaper than normal. It’s a great deal, so if you’re in the market for a new portable screen for the Pi, take a look at CPC’s site here. Please note: Does not come with the Pi or the breadboard featured in the photo!
Using a NexDock with the Raspberry Pi
Albert Hickey has been working with the NexDock laptop docking station and the Raspberry Pi. He has now written up his findings, including the best configuration he’s found to use them together. Read it here. Sounds like a really good solution, not unlike the old Motorola lapdocks but without lots of extra cables to get it working. Albert likes it, and I think I wish I’d backed it!
Raspberry Pi’s Astro Pi goes into Europe with French astronaut Thomas Pesquet and launches new competition
The Raspberry Pi Foundation has announced that children from all over Europe now have the chance to have their code projects run on the International Space Station. Astronaut Thomas Pesquet will be in charge of the new mission which will see him fly up to the ISS and activate the code. The new competition is open to teams with children aged 16 and under from all ESA member states.
This is how your team can take part:
- Assemble your mission team, which must include at least one support teacher as well as students under the age of 16.
- Use the Mission Plan Template to design a sample mission that showcases your approach to running a space mission, and demonstrates that you can break down your big idea into specific steps. Note that you don’t need to address the challenge at this stage. Submit your mission plan and register your participation.
- If you’re picked to continue to the next phase, you will receive an Astro Pi kit and a mission challenge designed by Thomas Pesquet to test your team’s ingenuity and skills.
- If your solutions are picked, then your code will be beamed up to the ISS, installed on the Astro Pi units, and run by Thomas Pesquet.
You have until 1st November to submit your team’s project.
For more information, including how to submit your project, please visit the Raspberry Pi website.
Do you watch the PiPod Podcast? Have your say!
I’ve been trying to figure out if the video version of the podcast is worth the blood, sweat and tears of the editing process. What do you think? Leave a comment, please help me make a decision!