A motley collection of ideas
In this section, you’ll find all kinds of articles. Some of them are machine translations of my older writings in Hungarian, which may contain grammatical errors or content that is no longer up to date. I apologize for these mistakes, and I would be very glad if you let me know when you come across any. Happy reading!
The module shown in the picture can be purchased online for around 2–3 euros. It is a small “15 kV” generator suitable, for example, for secondary-school science experiments or for use as a negative ion generator/air ionizer. The circuit can produce a stable, high-temperature, high-frequency arc, which can easily ignite small combustible materials, such as … Read more
Generative AI—like Gemini—has become an essential daily tool for researchers, engineers, and academics. However, its use comes with a recurring professional pain point: handling mathematical and technical formulas. If you ask the AI to derive a calculation or specify a physical range, the output will almost certainly arrive in raw LaTeX format (for example: $550 … Read more
How can we make 3D-printed grilles using Autodesk Fusion 360 and PrusaSlicer? A grille looks like a simple part: a few holes, a few ribs, done. In 3D printing, however, it is precisely with objects like these that we find out how differently the design program and the slicer think. For a flowerpot guard, a … Read more
The meteorological radiosonde is an interesting creature. It sets off from somewhere beneath a large white balloon, measures the atmosphere’s temperature, humidity, pressure and GPS coordinates, and then, when the balloon bursts, the instrument descends to the ground. For meteorologists, the story more or less ends here; for radio amateurs and radiosonde hunters, however, this … Read more
I have a cat who likes to sleep next to me. In the mornings she wakes me up very sweetly — unless I fail to get up on time. Then she switches to more persuasive methods, and occasionally the pillowcase pays the price. Since proper pillow covers are not exactly cheap, and ours were disappearing … Read more
Mushroom foraging has its small but very important essentials, and one of the most important of these is a good basket. In this article, I present a practical, lightweight solution. Mushroom picking is one of my passions. Without sounding immodest, I can say that I know mushrooms quite well. I learned a great deal from … Read more
Used books do not need sterilizing, but they do need sensible handling. Since the COVID years, no shortage of dubious “disinfection” methods has appeared, from alcohol sprays to ozone generators—many of them more dangerous to paper than to microbes. In practice, the only truly serious risk is not infection, but the chance of bringing home … Read more
The literal English translation of the Hungarian phrase “DVD-játékos” would be “DVD gamer,” which does not mean some bloke raised on the game consoles of the 2000s who insists on physical discs. Rather, people jokingly used it for a “DVD player” because, years ago, the machine-translated Hungarian user manual of a Chinese device — later … Read more
Total Commander’s button bar can launch programs, run scripts, open folders, and automate repetitive file‑management tasks with a single click. You can also pass the currently selected file(s) as parameters, which makes custom buttons ideal for conversion tools, batch renaming helpers, backup scripts, and “open in …” workflows. Where buttons live Custom buttons are stored … Read more
In 1950, the Gilbert U‑238 Atomic Energy Laboratory appeared on toy‑store shelves as an educational kit. This oddity resurfaces from time to time on social media; Facebook just served it up to me again. Back then it cost $49.50 (roughly $650 in today’s money), but nowadays—when it very rarely turns up—it can fetch $4,000–5,000 at … Read more