Talks 2008-02-05 12:Feb:th 2008-02-05 12:Feb:th http://jon.oxer.com.au jon@oxer.com.au Copyright 2008 Jonathan Oxer Tue, 05 Feb 2008 12:12:44 +1000 Tue, 05 Feb 2008 12:12:44 +1000 http://jon.oxer.com.au/talks/id/104 Software developers usually confine themselves to working entirely within the runtime environment of a computer just pushing around bits and pixels. Even virtual worlds such as Second Life exist only in the confines of our CPUs.

On the other hand, hardware hacking has really taken off in recent years and there are now magazines such as MAKE devoted to modifying everyday objects. It's a lot easier than software jockeys may expect, and this tutorial will begin with an entertaining exploration of simple ways to get started with linking a computer to real-world objects.

But what happens when you knock down the boundaries between the real world and a virtual world? This tutorial will show specific techniques and examples for linking real-world objects into the Second Life environment so that changes in the real world can be reflected in SL and vice versa. Participants had the option of either providing their own parts or purchasing a bundled kit for about $55 which included an Arduino microcontroller used during the tutorial to create a custom hardware interface to control objects in SL, and allow SL objects to control devices and appliances in the real world.

Video
The tutorial was recorded, and can be accessed in OGG format from the Linux Australia mirror:
Video Part 1
Video Part 2

Audio
An audio-only recording in Speex format is also available:
Audio Part 1
Audio Part 2 Tue, 29 Jan 2008 10:54:20 +1000 Tue, 29 Jan 2008 10:54:20 +1000 http://jon.oxer.com.au/talks/id/102 Using distro tools to package, test and release software for deployment on Linux systems. Mon, 28 Jan 2008 22:37:34 +1000 Mon, 28 Jan 2008 22:37:34 +1000 http://jon.oxer.com.au/talks/id/100 Use a local package cache to save time and bandwidth when upgrading multiple Debian-based machines. Thu, 29 Nov 2007 22:34:41 +1000 Thu, 29 Nov 2007 22:34:41 +1000 http://jon.oxer.com.au/talks/id/98 Australia is losing its place in the world as a leader in ICT. What can we do to get it back? Wed, 28 Nov 2007 22:32:02 +1000 Wed, 28 Nov 2007 22:32:02 +1000 http://jon.oxer.com.au/talks/id/96 OpenID provides single-sign-on for the web. The GnuPG web of trust is designed to help determine the identity of individuals. Put the two together to positively identify individual website users. Tue, 27 Nov 2007 22:27:58 +1000 Tue, 27 Nov 2007 22:27:58 +1000 http://jon.oxer.com.au/talks/id/94 Link Second Life to physical devices to break down the barriers between the real and the virtual. Tue, 27 Nov 2007 22:21:42 +1000 Tue, 27 Nov 2007 22:21:42 +1000 http://jon.oxer.com.au/talks/id/92 OSDclang: a simple language with just 3 tokens and 8 syntax elements that let you express the emotion of attending OSDC! Thu, 01 Nov 2007 22:19:02 +1000 Thu, 01 Nov 2007 22:19:02 +1000 http://jon.oxer.com.au/talks/id/90 Web apps should store user passwords in an encrypted format internally. This talk outlines an approach to implementing hashed password storage. Thu, 25 Oct 2007 22:10:59 +1000 Thu, 25 Oct 2007 22:10:59 +1000 http://jon.oxer.com.au/talks/id/88 OpenID provides single-sign-on for the web. This internal tech talk (largely inspired / modeled on a talk by Simon Willison) introduces the basic concepts of OpenID and then covers the preliminary OpenID support in SiteBuilder. Thu, 11 Oct 2007 21:57:45 +1000 Thu, 11 Oct 2007 21:57:45 +1000 http://jon.oxer.com.au/talks/id/86 A non-technical introduction to the concept of "web 2.0" and how businesses can make the most of it to engage with customers in a more personal way. This talk is a logical follow-on from my "How To Build A Website And Stay Sane" talk, and assumes the audience members already have websites but want to know how to maximise its effectiveness and improve communication with customers and suppliers.