A motley collection of ideas
Different types of tea release their flavor compounds at different rates: delicate green teas reach their peak after about 3 minutes, while robust black teas often need closer to 5, and strong herbal infusions may benefit from the full 7. Steeping too briefly can leave the flavor underdeveloped, while leaving the leaves in too long … Read more
Bats normally hibernate during the winter, but nowadays, thanks to the mild winters, we can encounter bats even in January. The real bat season, of course, begins in March–April and lasts until the end of October. This is the best time to go bat-hunting. In urban environments, the most common species are the serotine bat … Read more
The purpose of this project is to extend the range of an older (and more affordable) frequency counter into the VHF and UHF bands. The idea was inspired by an article published in Rádiótechnika (1990/7, pp. 341–342), although the original circuit was designed by Zeljko Bozic, S52ZB, and later published in a 2006 issue of … Read more
This stairwell lighting timer switch was rescued for me from a building by a friendly electrician acquaintance of mine, Sándor Auffenberg. It had been removed because it was “misbehaving,” but it later turned out to be perfectly fine. According to its label, it was manufactured in 1991—so it’s 30 years old… I’ve written before about … Read more