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Danny Staple's Bio

Ranked #2,661 in Squidoo Community, #206,195 overall

All about Danny Staple - who I am, what I do

So you want to know more about me? Keep on reading - I've plenty of interests, and I've no idea how I fit them all in while having a family and full time job. Somehow I mostly manage, but stuff falls through the cracks every now and again.

First and foremost, I am now a very proud father, which means my life has recently undergone all kinds of changes and priority shifts. Far from Squidoo going out, getting into writing on squidoo was one of those shifts, as it is far less space consuming, dangerous or messy as some of the things I build.

I build stuff, grow stuff, read stuff and like to write about it. I like to philosophise, research and learn, and then go the next step and apply, do and build. I love reading How-to's and will experiment with things to see what else I can learn.

Things I build include robots, models, contraptions to aid my plants, furniture and generally whatever takes my fancy. For example I have a Lego lathe as a work in progress. I generally talk about my robots on the OrionRobots website.

I am growing tomatoes, as well as Basil, Rosemary, Thyme, Parsley, a large cactus and other stuff. I write about my efforts on another lens- I grow food.

I am currently researching energy systems, how to save, store and produce energy. This is quite loose right now, but I will be writing more about it as I get deeper into the topic.

I am software developer in my day job, and work mostly with C on embedded devices currently.

If you are a fan of my writing, why not check out my page on Facebook - where you can show your appreciation by becoming a fan or adding me to your favourites.

Table of Contents

Making stuff

I have always liked building stuff. I admit, I also enjoy pulling stuff apart, but that is only so I can use it to build something new, or see how it works and think about how I might use that. I build stuff with anything I get my hands on - give me paper clips, I will absent mindedly join them together into some kind of 3d solid doodle, give me bluetac and I will sculpt various things from it, give me paper and I will doodle on it or fold it. If there are electronics, I will try and connect them and loved building radio kits as a kid.

Lego is of course the most accessible building material. There is little that comes close with its versatility beyond owning your own machine shop and scratch building.

I love to read Make magazine, and occasionally pick up electronics, hobbyist, gardening, programming and other magazines that lend themselves to actually doing stuff.

My Making Stuff Lenses

So what have I been making?
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Other Favourite making stuff lenses

I've also collected links to other making stuff lenses - because making stuff is brilliant, and squidoo is brimming with good lenses about making things.
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Make stuff too!

Make magazine is inspiration itself for making anything. If you have got the bug, or just want to see what people are making, this O'Reilly magazine is the one you need. It is quarterly, and is about the size of a small book.
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Food!

I do love eating stuff - I enjoy the tastes and textures. Tangy food, sweet food, spicy food, unusual food, and some classic comfort food I grew up with.

I also write about it! Including a couple of venue reviews too.
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Reading Books

I love reading books. Mostly Science Fiction, but I read other genres - fantasy, philosophy, technology and so on.
i review some of the books I read here and I am trying to get into the habit of reviewing more.
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Tinkering with Computers

Have I said how much of a computer geek I am? I am proudly a geek and write about many different aspects of computer usage. I write both about general usage/tips, as well as more advanced stuff like programming them.

I am a user of Linux, Windows and Mac. I work extensively with Linux and use it for gaming and programming. I use my Mac for photos, music etc, and I use Windows for those programs/games that wont run on the other two.
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Computer Games

I am a player of those things your mother generally hates - computer games. I've been playing them since the 80's, and I have also been a programmer in the games industry at one point in my career.

I love a few genres - First Person Shooters like Half LIfe, Tremulous and Team Fortress 2, train and city simulations like Simutrans, Simcity and Colonization, flight sims, space sims, shoot-em-ups and many others. I am not generally a fan of movie tie-in games, perhaps only a few of those where ever any good.
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Programming

I also enjoy coding - programming, developing or engineering software. I can hack away at some problem just for the sake of solving it, and I also use my programming skill in my career.
By the way - I use hacking in the "investigating complex problems and finding solutions" way, not the way it used to mean cracking - the breaking of security. I've little time for those trying to break computer security or steal data.

I program in C/C++ and python primarily, but I've played with many languages and see a more generalised view, where I am more interested in API's and performance than syntax (although I'll find ways to generate/automated away syntactic bloat). I am a little obsessed with automating stuff and testing it (a huge Jenkins/hudson fan!), and prefer to code on Unix boxes or embedded platforms - not so much a fan of coding on Windows.
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My omnicode/geek code

Since I am a self confessed geek, I do possess a geek code - which for those interested, encodes a lot of information about myself, and my interests/habits.

This is an Omnicode version 1.6 code I think.

sxy cm162 kg88 skefaba0 ha67453b ey6b686f es+ sp= Ag1979 anE hds Lo51.539529,-0.381775GM0DN ZoV ZoH rl! LAEN(9)&ZH(1).cantonese&FR(1) Crc(8).SoftwareEngineer Edc(7)&E(3).Electronics HbRobots&Window_box_gardening&TV.Stargate;David_attenborough Pl{L}&D MvW&B RlM Kd! FHb.short UFPitr IN8.Adsl AdI PrC(9)&*(3)

Lego!

I am a little obsessed with Lego. In fact there was only a brief time in my life (while I was at Uni), when I didn't have any Lego around. At the other end of that, I went a bit nuts on eBay and also bought myself the original big mindstorms kit too. Now I probably mostly play with Lego's Duplo with my daughter.

It's no secret that this crosses over into my robotics interest quite a lot too.
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Robotics

Where Lego and programming met, robotics was the inevitable outcome.
I am interested in building my own robots - yes I have a few, science fiction robots, and just keeping up with what is going on in robotics in general.
I run a robotics website, and have run a robotics/lego building club too.
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OrionRobots blog

Stories I have posted to the orionrobots blog

When I write about robots and related technology, I normally post it on my blog on OrionRobots. Other technologists are welcome to request a blog there too!
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Orionrobots (my robotic building website) has been updated

07/11/10 1:43 pm

I've given the whole site an overhaul. A new CMS system with improved security means less spam comments, although to make it easier for genuine users, a Twitter/Facebook connect system is in the pipeline. In the meantime, genuine users will need to deal with both mail confirmation and a Captcha to be able to post comments on it.

I've also put a whole new look and feel, which I think better represents Orionrobots, with its forward looking Hi-tech ambitions. It also has improved technology so the blog can be augmented with tags, and I can embed youtube clips for a more media experience. Sure - it is not quite the all media experience on Squidoo, but for my robotics it is a good start.

I invite any robot builders, hardware tinkerers or technic lego fans to take a look at Orionrobots.

Gardening

I've been interested in gardening and growing foods, although this last year I've not done much of it at all. However, things go in cycles and I will have the space to grow my own garden full of herbs and veggies again. Until then, I've at least got all my writing and pictures from when I had my flat filled with food plants.

I was growing tomatoes, as well as Basil, Rosemary, Thyme, Parsley, a large cactus and other stuff.
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My hobbies and interests

twitstamp.com

I may have too many hobbies. But here is an attempt to list what I do (in no particular order):

  • Build Robots

  • Program Computer Software

  • Computer hardware tinkering

  • Growing herbs

  • Growing tomatoes

  • Trying out crazy contraptions for all kinds of things around the house and out.

  • Lego - good fun, and a great way to prototype said crazy contraptions.

  • Writing - writing about my experiences and interests.

  • Reading - I love to read novels - especially sci-fi. Favourites are Iain M Banks, Terry Pratchett, Douglass Adams to name a few.

  • Computer Games - I used to write them, but these days I sometimes like to play them. Favourites are Unreal Tournament, Sim City 4 Deluxe Edition, Worms Armageddon.

  • Listening to music - I love listening to many kinds of music. I like Classical, and more recent music like Leftfield, Massive Attack, Mr Scruff (most stuff on Ninja Tunes label), The Orb and Orbital.

  • Making music - I like to make music with my computer using a midi input keyboard and various tools. I also like to play guitar from time to time - blues riffing or jamming along to tracks on last.fm mostly.

  • Swimming - I like to swim most weekends, currently getting 30+ lengths every Saturday. I may not be the fastest or fittest swimmer, but I enjoy my weekly swim.

  • Fruit beers and proper ciders. I enjoy fruit beers, especially Freuli. I like cloudy sedimenty ciders. I have little time for ciders that are watery and transparent.

My Lenses

I have created a growing number of articles, also known as lenses on Squidoo. They cover many topics including, and not limited to, Lego, Computing, road safety, making things, saving money, saving electricity, fixing things, growing food and celebrating the seasons.
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Organisations I am proud to be a member or patron of


  • ZSL - The Zoological Society of London - aka London Zoo. I have been a member of London Zoo for a few years now, and visit regularly. I am personally most interested in the great apes. I like to support the research, education and conservation work the zoo does, as well as increase my own knowledge about these animals. Awareness of the animal kingdom is important to me, and I personally think it would be a great thing for more city dwellers to see these places.

  • BCS - The British Computer Society - I am a member of the BCS and attend some of their seminars and lectures in London. I am an out and out computer geek, and professionally a software engineer, so I could not ignore this organisation.

  • The Science Museum, London - I am not a member, but a regular attendee, including the Science Lates evenings and special exhibitions (the proceeds of which go to important work). This is one of Londons great free attractions.

  • The Natural History Museum in London is another of the great attractions in London which I attend regularly, including special events. I am not a member, but a regular patron.

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Soma.fm

listener-supported, commercial-free, underground/alternative radio

Soma.fm feature quite strongly in my listening. With everything from Trance, dance, deep house, nu-jazz, indy, electronically influenced rock as well as many independent and undiscovered artists the selection of channels to listen to here are impressive. It has allowed me to expand my listening, and it makes for very listenable background.

They even have the unique "secret agent" station, which is chilled and lounge sounds chopped up with quotes from spy films, which is pretty good fun. "Groove Salad" is chilled out electronic, some experimental, some more chilled, some slightly more upbeat. "Drone Zone" is very slow sounds, trancy things, good for getting concentrated and can be a bit sleepy. "Illinois Street Lounge" is more vintage lounge sounds for a more classic sound. These are only a few of the stations they have. Go take a look - there is plenty to listen to!

SomaFM independent internet radio

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Join Squidoo and create your own lenses. They're free and you might even make some money at it. Lenses are web pages, but the Squidoo folks call them lenses because the pages focus in on topics. Everyone's an expert on something. Music, humor, books, travel, collectibles, movies, photography -- anything that interests you probably interests someone else. Ready to start? CLICK HERE

What I am selling on eBay

When I have a clear out, I tend to sell the stuff on eBay.
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About Me

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Added soma.fm links to my bio

12/07/08 12:12 pm

Although I may need to spawn a new lens covering my listening habits, giving the lo-down on soma.fm, last.fm and other stuff I listen to. I think my Bio page needs more pictures. I just have to find the right ones...

A Most Handy Tool For Parents Of A Toddler

21/08/10 6:31 pm

Our little one, Helena, is now 15 Months. We love to see her enjoy her food, and her favourites include Chinese Steamed Bread, Biscuits and Corn. Sometimes she will eat just about anything...

However, all of this comes with her playing with her food. Throwing it on the floor to see who will pick it up, breaking it into small pieces and throwing them around or delicately placing them down, mashing it between her fingers and so on. All of which results in a scatter mess of food crumbs.

We decided to get a handheld vacuum cleaner, the small ones with a little docking station. I have to say it is the most handy thing ever in this situation - clearing that mess in no time at all.....

by

dannystaple

I have two children - a girl and a baby boy, and we live in West London, Uk. I program computers for my day job. In my spare time I build stuff, grow stuff,... more »

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