Hey! That rhymes! *ahem*
At the DEFCON hacker conference in Las Vegas, David Jordan of Aerial Assault showed off his drone that can remotely attack computer networks. It does this courtesy of an on-board Raspberry Pi running Kali Linux. It first of all detects likely candidates for attack and then sends this data back to the operator who can choose whether to target a candidate. The drone will be sold as a retail product for around $2500, a scarily low price considering what it can do!
In addition to Tuesday’s blog post about RPI_INFO, Alex has also discovered a new function call inside the RPi.GPIO Python library: getmode(). This is a companion to setmode() and reads back what mode the library is set to – BCM, BOARD or not defined. Read how to use it and see example scripts here.
Created by teacher Cat Lamin, Coding Evenings are a great way to get teachers in touch with other teachers and technology experts. In Cat’s own words:
Coding Evenings are an opportunity for teachers, Raspberry Pi enthusiasts and Code Club/Coder Dojo volunteers to come together to discuss the new computing curriculum in an informal and friendly environment.
On Thursday 15th October, a very special event will take place at Mozilla HQ in London. To coincide with Code Week EU, this has the potential to be a much larger event. Back to Cat:
We get a large range of people who come along – very often we have teachers who are complete beginners and have no idea of how to teach the coding side of the new curriculum and this is an excellent opportunity for them to discuss their ideas and gain some confidence by trying things out.
So, if you’re a teacher, or are interested in helping teachers with technology, get yourself along to Mozilla HQ near Leicester Square on 15th October from 6.30-9.30pm.
I should also mention a couple of other events that are happening sooner.
On Tuesday 22nd September, there is a Coding Evening in Peterborough run by Hannah Mills.
On Thursday 24th September, there is a Coding Evening in Twickenham run by Cat.
Sandy Macdonald must have ordered a Pi Piano HAT from Pimoroni on virtually the day it was released and has now written up his thoughts about the board, stepping through the example programs and detailing a way to get the HAT working with the Yoshimi software synth package. Read it here. Great stuff – looking forward to getting mine today or tomorrow!
A Windows-based operating system for the Raspberry Pi is now available publicly following a few months of developer-only trials. Windows 10 IoT is available here and, unlike the last few months, does not require any sign-ups. Here’s what BetaNews said about the operating system:
Before you get too excited, it is important to understand what Windows 10 IoT Core actually is. This is not a version of Windows in the sense that you are used to. You won’t be booting up to the traditional Windows desktop and installing your favorite apps. No, this is designed for projects, related to the Internet of Things…
In other words, it is designed for creators. If you do not code and have no interest in such things, you should definitely steer clear. With that said, why else did you buy a Raspberry Pi 2? If you are the type of Pi owner that just wants to use it as a media center, this is not for you.
I think that sums it up brilliantly. This is a special type of operating system for those who want to program for the Windows toolset, but it is definitely not for those who want a cuddly desktop environment.
So, if you want to try it out, head over to Microsoft and download it.
The Oxford Flood Network uses a network of ultrasonic sensors in a flood-prone area to detect water levels and broadcast their data over short distances to Raspberry Pi-based gateways; these aggregate the data and pass it to an open online database.
The detection devices are Arduino-based. They then communicate to the Raspberry Pi via RF and the data is shared via ethernet to a house or business router via ethernet cable.
They are looking for people to contribute to the project by hosting devices on river overhangs so that the ultrasonic sensor can point downwards and detect the water level. If you are able to help, fill in this online form.
You can read more about the project on their website.
Thanks to the Raspberry Pi Foundation for spotting this one.
