Ruby on Rails is very popular as a web development language. Sam Berson has written a comprehensive tutorial to get you started on installing it. Then it’s just a case of finding examples online to get you informed as to how to create projects using the language. Read the tutorial here.
Here’s what they say about the latest issue of the MagPi:
This month’s MagPi contains a wealth of different material. There is a review of Raspberry Pi powered autopilot technology, the first of a mini-series from the PiBot robotics team, data acquisition with BitScope and more automation projects. We are also very pleased to host a review of the FishDish electronics board, written by our youngest guest author so far.
With standard peripherals such as the Raspberry Pi camera, a lot of interesting projects can be implemented. For example, time lapse photography is introduced this month. The Raspberry Pi, installed with Linux, provides many network diagnostic tools. Following last month’s WiFi sniffing article, some more networking tips and tricks are discussed.
The MagPi is devoted to providing programming articles without the need for additional hardware. This month, Java classes are introduced and we are please to provide the first in a series of articles on the BASIC programming language. Completing this month’s programming content, a full Python version of the Pocket Enigma Cipher machine is given. The Pocket version uses wheels, similar to the original Enigma machine shown on the cover.
A couple of weeks ago I was contacted by Lisa Margetis from SingleHop about the upcoming Geekness Day on 13th July. Ahead of this date, they’ve asked lots of people to answer some questions. So here goes…
I’ve always had an obsession with computers and gadgets leading to childhood nickname Gadget Boy. I started out my computing journey with a ZX81 (which I barely got any time on due to my sister hogging the keyboard!) before moving onto a Dragon 32 (which we bough a day before they went out of business) and then, finally a BBC Master 128 where I wasted many an hour playing games like Thrust and Jet Set Willy. I didn’t get a PC until I was at university!
I guess my fundamental geekness these days comes from my interest in the Raspberry Pi. I’m heavily involved with the community, writing a blog and answering forum posts on the Raspberry Pi Foundation, Stack Exchange and other places. I regularly beta-test new products that get sent to me for review and I like nothing better than getting a soldering iron out and assembling new boards.
I think probably my proudest moment was finally finishing my Picorder, a Star Trek-inspired, Raspberry Pi-powered tricorder.
There are 10 types of people in the world: those who understand binary, and those who don’t.
I don’t really have one single role model, but I am in constant awe of both the generosity and the inventiveness of the Raspberry Pi community.
Probably David Dunlap for his interest in tinkering and steampunk, both of which I share an interest in.
I’ve taken a quick look at their offerings but apart from that I’m not particularly familiar. I know that they offer things like private cloud hosting and managed hosting.
What else can I tell you about me? I live in a small town in rural Bedfordshire, UK with my wife and two step-children and I’m involved in amateur theatre (I sing, I dance, I act), which is a complete departure from being a geek!
Matt Hawkins over at Raspberry Pi Spy has taken the ‘hunt the diamond’ concept and improved upon it. The game, called Operation Counterstrike, randomly places blocks of TNT around the map and then challenges you to find, and destroy, the explosives before a timer runs out. Instructions to install and use the game are over on Matt’s blog.
Geekroo Technologies have launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise money for the first Compute Module motherboard. The CoMo Booster is a 4-layer PCB with the following features:
Pledges start at $99 AUD (approx £54) for a Booster without the Compute Module and $139 (approx £76) for a Booster plus a Compute Module. This obviously makes it much more expensive than a normal model Pi, but if you want something new and cool I guess it’s worth it.
Here’s a good example of an interesting session at a Raspberry Jam. Rather than a straight presentation, they got three Pi experts to answer questions as a panel. On the panel are: Ben Smith, Simon Walters and Jason Barnett.
