A motley collection of ideas
Anyone even slightly familiar with electronics knows the NE555 IC. This almost iconic timer circuit was designed in the summer of 1971 by Hans R. Camenzind, a Swiss-born electrical engineer who taught at Northeastern University in Boston. Yes, we’re the same age! It’s not the “greatest” IC because it’s the largest in size or the … Read more
Secret military facilities have always been the subject of rumors, yet even the local residents rarely knew anything for sure. Today, in the age of the internet and Google Earth satellite imagery, it’s harder to keep secrets—though truly important sites remain shrouded in mystery. The worn-out installations of the Cold War era, however, can now … Read more
A friend of mine recently asked me about a gadget called the Power Factor Saver. It’s a small plug, barely larger than a typical power adapter or an old mobile phone charger. According to the article I linked earlier, the price is now, just for you, 9800 HUF (around €25), and “the Power Factor Saver … Read more
A műszaki rajz régi eszközeiről
I came across an article titled “Xylitol, the Unnatural Sweetener” by Sándor Meleg on a friend’s website. At first, I had the impression that this, too, was going to bash poor xylitol and take the dark-green side in the natural vs. artificial debate. I’ll admit, the thought even crossed my mind that the author, dietitian … Read more
Many people have asked why 137? The 137 (Roman numeral CXXXVII) is fascinating for several reasons
Format: Paperback. You can purchase it on Amazon.com The Hungarian edition was published by Libri Publishing in 2016 and can be purchased at Libri. The code is something mysterious that hides the essence from us. It doesn’t only appear in spy stories—our surrounding world, nature itself, is full of patterns that evidently follow some peculiar … Read more
Format: Kindle Edition. You can purchase it on Amazon.com The Hungarian edition was published by Corvina Publishing in 2016 and can be purchased at Libri. What Does Corruption Mean? It cannot be precisely defined. The general belief is that it belongs to pre-modern societies, a lingering affliction from the past that humanity must be cured … Read more
The old veterans still know the MOM 39/49 M military compass well, which was widely used in the Hungarian People’s Army. In a photograph from the 1930s, the Africa explorer Count László Ede Almásy (the “English Patient”) also appears with such a device. Younger people sometimes marvel at it and ask on internet forums what … Read more
This is a simple TTL-based lab frequency counter I originally built decades ago. At the time, I was a young student with very limited resources. Commercial laboratory instruments were completely out of reach, so I had no choice but to build my own. The design came from the Hungarian Defense Sport Association (MHSZ, Magyar Honvédelmi … Read more