iPhone Developer Links

Terrific Beginner Tutorials [switchonthecode.com] - thank you

An Absolute Beginner's Guide to iPhone Development Because of file naming on my part I totally failed on my first try here. My tricky rename file fix did not work. So I do not recommend simply renaming a typo misnamed file within the developer environment. However, working all over again from scratch was a success.
Creating Basic Buttons Builds on tutorial above, very nice.
Lots more here under "Cocoa Touch" www.switchonthecode.com/tutorials

Circuit Links

code, circuits, & construction - Tom Igoe
555 and 556 Timer Circuits
Capacitors
LM741CN Operational Amplifier (8-Pin Dip)

LEO Space Farm

From the archives I discover a paper "Low Earth Orbit Space Farm" (1986) written with Nils Bruun and Randolph Liebelt and presented at AIAA conference in USA and IAF conference in UK.

ABSTRACT
The paper proposes a modular low earth orbit space farm which combines the current CELSS technology with a single launch, artificial gravity space vehicle to provide fresh produce to a nearby space station crew in a balanced exchange for their biodegradable waste and carbon dioxide. While growing a substantial amount of produce, the space farm will also be developing the plant propagation technology for transfer to future lunar colonies and to accompany long range space missions, ie. interplanetary exploration. The components of the space farm will be launched by conventional booster, then manned, assembled and operated by a crew of two. Since the space farm is habitable during all stages of development, the shuttle rendezvous will be brief. Adding modules will facilitate increasing crop yields.

The complete paper: LEO-Space-Farm.pdf

My Asterisk Links - passing variables

asterisk-gateway-interface-scripting-with-php
Asterisk+AGI+php
Asterisk+Detailed+Variable+List
Asterisk+variables
asterisk-channel-variables-and-the-asteriskagi-perl-module/
What is AGI?

I was able to pass variable from .php to dialplan, that is the number that SalesPitch.mobi needs to make the follow-up call, let's review the hard code:
/* as saved within the passvariables.php script itself */
//- essential parts of /var/lib/asterisk/agi-bin/passvariables.php
// lines 51 to 64
// create .PHP variable with a hard code phone number
$CLIENTNUMBER = '8005551212';
$SOMETEXT = '\"some text for swift to speak is thus\"'; // *
// speak a script identifying that we are in this file
write ("EXEC Swift \"pass variables dot p h p\"");
// speak the variable to be sure it works
write ("EXEC Swift \"$CLIENTNUMBER\""); // spoken as a billion number
write ("EXEC Swift \"$SOMETEXT\""); // spoken as complete string
// create DIALPLAN variable equal to .PHP variable
// this DIALPLAN variable is a Channel variable
write ("EXEC Set CLIENTNUMBER=$CLIENTNUMBER");
// * NB: ONLY THE FIRST WORD IN THE PHP VARIABLE IS GETTING PASSED * * *
write ("EXEC Set SOMETEXT=$SOMETEXT"); // *
// go to dialplan with DIALPLAN variables in tow
write ("EXEC Goto scene6|s|1");
// - essential parts of /etc/asterisk/extensions.conf [scene6|s|1]
/*
[scene6]
exten => s,1,Wait(1)
; identify this dialplan context
exten => s,2,SayDigits(66)
; go to this new context with "Channel" DIALPLAN variable in tow
exten => s,3,Goto(sceneTest,s,1)
; hangup if above not available
exten => s,n,Hangup()

[sceneTest]
exten => s,1,Wait(1)
; identify this dialplan context
exten => s,2,Swift(scene test)
; speak digits of DIALPLAN variable
; from passvariables.php
exten => s,3,SayDigits(${CLIENTNUMBER}) ; spoke in single digits
; * NB: Swift ONLY speaks first word of this DIALPLAN variable
; to be determined later how to pass a .PHP string as a variable
exten => s,4,Swift("${SOMETEXT}")
exten => s,n,Hangup()
exten => i,1,Playback(pbx-invalid)
exten => i,2,Goto(salespitch,s,1)
exten => t,1,Playback(vm-goodbye)
exten => t,2,Hangup()
*/

Transfer resistor = Transistor

My son Frank sent me a link to HOW DO THEY REALLY WORK? by William Beaty, BSEE 1995 and I am pleased to report that this is the best explanation I have ever read on transistor basic principles. For years and years I was baffled by all previous explanations and this article told me why. There are useful links at the end for more visualizations plus a nifty article on Iron Pyrites Negative Resistance Oscillator with a DIY cat whisker radio.

aZza + RaaWee

Early shout outs to Saleem Qazi and his crew at RaaWee for the Android programing they are providing to my art application aZza. I look forward to the finished code, publishing and selling this application out of Orange, Verizon Wireless, AT&T, Android & Sony-Ericsson shops.

My Amaryllis

I got the bulb that prduced this amaryllis at the Brooklyn Botanical Garden store two years ago. This blossom is the last of five. The photo made on my Google Android developer phone
exif:GPSLatitude: 40,43,4N
exif:GPSLongitude: 73,59,16W
Snow still clings to the back wooden deck.
Happy Chinese New Year!