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Pandoc and nbconvert recipes

04 May 2025 - tsp

Reading time 10 mins

A mini summary on how to turn your Jupyter notebooks and Markdown files into clean, portable HTML and Markdown documents using nbconvert or pandoc. This mini guide offers practical command-line examples and dives into powerful customization options, including embedding images, compressing large outputs and building your own Jinja2 templates. Whether you are preparing technical reports, blog posts, or self-contained visualizations these tools make it easy to generate high-quality output tailored to your needs. Going beyond the basics, the article also shows how to write custom Python preprocessors for image resizing and output tweaking—ideal for those looking to optimize file size and presentation. If you want fine-grained control over how your notebooks are rendered and shared, this collection of recipes provides a flexible and extensible starting point.

Diode based passive RF frequency doublers - the basics

20 Apr 2025 - tsp

Reading time 11 mins

How can a simple passive circuit generate higher frequencies without oscillators or phase-locked loops? This short article explores the fascinating basics of diode-based RF frequency doublers—circuits that exploit nonlinearities to produce harmonics, often with surprisingly broadband behavior and no need for biasing or active components. From a quick dive into the Shockley equation to typical basic circuit configurations like anti-parallel diode pairs and single-diode harmonic generators, this short article walks through both the math and the intuition behind passive frequency multiplication. Ideal for RF enthusiasts, circuit designers, or anyone curious about how this stuff works on a basic level.

Recovering 18650 Lithium Cells from Damaged Battery Packs

15 Apr 2025 - tsp

Reading time 19 mins

Salvaging lithium-ion cells from old battery packs can be a practical way to repurpose valuable components for hobby electronics, robotics, or backup power projects. This article walks through the careful and methodical process of identifying, testing, and recovering 18650 cells from discarded equipment like laptops and garden tools—highlighting key voltage thresholds, safety procedures, and the tools required to do so responsibly. But make no mistake—working with lithium cells is not without serious risks. Improper handling can lead to fires, explosions, and long-term instability. This project log focuses on safety-first recovery strategies, how to spot dangerous cells, and when to dispose rather than reuse. If you're an experienced DIYer with the right equipment and an eye for caution, this deep dive into battery salvage may be just what you're looking for.

Overridable Library Code with Weak Linkage in ANSI C (GCC Microcontroller Edition)

11 Apr 2025 - tsp

Reading time 11 mins

Want to write embedded libraries that are both flexible and cleanly overridable? This article dives deep into how weak linkage in ANSI C (via GCC) enables you to provide default implementations—like handlers, configuration values, and hooks—that can be easily overridden by the application, without modifying your library code. You'll learn how to use __attribute__((weak)) for functions and globals, when to prefer traditional function pointers, and how linker flags like --gc-sections help exclude unused code. With a complete AVR-ready Makefile setup, this guide is a practical reference for anyone writing modular microcontroller firmware.

Evolution of Internet Content Creation Across Generations (1993–Present)

05 Apr 2025 - tsp

Reading time 24 mins

In just three decades, the internet has transformed from a vibrant network of personal webpages and forums into a landscape dominated by ultra-short videos, algorithmic curation, and passive scrolling. This article traces the evolution of online content creation—from thoughtful, long-lived expressions to impulsive, ephemeral media—and examines what we've gained and lost along the way. If you've ever wondered why the internet feels faster but emptier, this deep dive connects the dots.

In Defense of Imagination: Why AI Art Is Not Theft, and What It Enables

04 Apr 2025 - tsp

Reading time 7 mins

As AI-generated images and texts spark fierce debate in the art world, this article offers a different perspective: that AI is not stealing creativity, but unlocking it for countless people who’ve long had ideas but lacked the tools to express them. We explore what makes true art irreplaceable, what types of creative work are genuinely at risk, and why society must support those displaced by change. Rather than marking the end of human creativity, AI may just be its newest, most inclusive chapter.

Expanding GPU Capabilities on Notebooks and Mini PCs Without PCIe Slots via M.2 NVMe Slots

30 Mar 2025 - tsp

Reading time 9 mins

Ever wondered if your compact notebook or mini PC could power serious AI, LLMs, or scientific simulations? In this guide, we show you how to retrofit systems without PCIe slots using M.2 NVMe adapters and GPU expansion boards—enabling multi-GPU setups even on budget hardware. While not a full desktop replacement, this approach offers surprising performance for specific workloads. Perfect for tinkerers, researchers, and hardware hackers.

Architecting Intelligence: A Comprehensive Guide to LLM Agent Patterns and Behaviors

28 Mar 2025 - tsp

Reading time 48 mins

Large Language Models are transforming the way we interact with information—but their real potential is unleashed when they're embedded in agents that can reason, plan, and adapt. This guide explores the emerging architecture patterns behind modern LLM-based systems: from stepwise planning and research workflows to memory-aware decision-making, simulations, and autonomous behaviors. Whether you're building intelligent assistants, automated researchers, or multi-agent systems, this collection distills the key concepts, tools, and interaction models that make LLM agents truly capable. Through detailed explanations, structured pattern summaries, and illustrated diagrams, you'll learn how to compose powerful, reliable, and adaptive agent systems that go far beyond simple prompting.

Running JupyterLab Behind an Apache Reverse Proxy

27 Mar 2025 - tsp

Reading time 2 mins

Want to access your internal JupyterLab instance securely over HTTPS? This quick guide shows how to set up Apache 2.4 as a reverse proxy for JupyterLab 4.2.5, with working websocket support and proper configuration on both ends. Learn how to avoid common pitfalls like broken kernels or missing output—and get your lab running smoothly behind your own public facing reverse proxy

Python Logging: A Beginner-Friendly Tutorial and Practical Reference

25 Mar 2025 - tsp

Reading time 20 mins

Whether you're debugging a simple script or building a scalable application, this article walks you through the fundamentals of logging, the use of named and hierarchical loggers, configuration via dictConfig, and advanced handlers like HTTP, syslog, and rotating files. Learn how to go beyond print() and implement a long-term, structured, and maintainable instrumentation layer for your software — one that helps today and scales for tomorrow.

Social Media Algorithms and Harmful Content: Societies mirror vs. Intent

15 Mar 2025 - tsp

Reading time 24 mins

Is social media really fueling hate on purpose? Contrary to popular belief, there’s no solid evidence of deliberate harmful intent. Instead, algorithms amplify whatever sparks the most engagement—often divisive or emotional posts—simply because we, as users, pay more attention to them. This dynamic functions more like a mirror of society’s existing biases than a direct manipulation scheme. The real tension emerges when the rush for clicks collides with long-term user well-being, revealing that negativity thrives largely through our own online behaviors rather than calculated corporate strategy.

Goth Subculture Visibility and Economic Crises: Comprehensive Analysis

12 Mar 2025 - tsp

Reading time 28 mins

Could the goth subculture's prominence serve as a hidden barometer of economic crisis? Throughout recent history, waves of goth style, music, and aesthetics have seemingly risen alongside financial downturns. This comprehensive analysis dives deep into academic insights, media narratives, anecdotal histories, and comparisons with other subcultures, examining whether goth truly reflects societal anxieties during tough economic times—or if it's merely coincidental. Explore the intriguing relationship between dark fashion and economic gloom, as we uncover whether the goth aesthetic is more than just a style choice, but possibly a cultural reflection of deeper societal undercurrents.

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