Sebastien St-Laurent's (AKA Sebby) WebLog

No, nothing twisted. Just still have my splint on my right hand so I almost have to type using a single hand :) Its been a while since i've posted a general update. So I thought today would be as good a day as any... Health Last week has been pretty...

Some of my components have finally started comming in. So far I have recieved my motors, linear actuators and power supply. Unfortunately, i'm still missing the controller board (which is shipping from the UK) before I can really start putting anything...

My finger surgery yesterday went well. Guess surgery is somewhat of a big word considering it was only taking a little lump off one of my fingers. A little sore but for the most part, I am feeling well. Got this nice banaged up splint that I have to keep...

Since i've announced my bipolar diagnosis. I have recieved several emails from people in similar situations thanking me for publically sharing my experiences. Lots of kind notes and support, and I truely appreciate!!! Some ask why I am so publically...

Yet again another hike in the postal rates. Considering the rates were last raised only about one year ago it's pretty quick. And this time the hike is fairly substantial. I just have to question why! Are we getting more for our money? I sure am not...

Of course, motors on their own aren't very useful, the need to be powered and be provided with a control interface which will comunicate with the miling software on a PC. The Motor Controller The control circuitry itself is fairly simple but I decided...

One of the most crutial aspects of a CNC machine is the motors and control systems used to position the head of the mill on the work surface. Accuracy of these components will of course directly affect the precision and quality of the work done. I have...

Well tomorrow is my finger surgery! Not sure of the time yet as they will call me later today with an exact time where I need to come it. It is expected to be somewhere around early-to-mid afternoon. Not too much to worry about as it is just a little...

Ok, I am getting really annoyed at the Visa automated fraud protection on my credit card... It is the fourth time in the past few months where they call and lock out my card if I don't call them back within a few hours. The main problem is that...

Hey look at that, Google has a new broadband internet service beta going on called TiSP http://www.google.com/tisp/ Hope this project doesn't go down the drain... :)

One realization I have made with all my other projects is that there is alot of tasks which could be done more efficiently and cheaply with the use of a CNC mill. A few examples of this: Etching / Drilling PCB boards Mill work around the house...

It has been five days since I have started cutting back on my Anti-Depressants. So far I went down from 20mg of Lexapro down to 10mg about 5 days ago. Been feeling good so far. Somewhat more tired overall (which may not be related) but I have been feeling...

With all my new projects, I need a way to produce the PCBs (Printed Circuit Boards) for the electronics. The classic homebrew approach involves the use of a etch resistant transfer to the board and the use of an etchant solution ( here is an example...

Besides the touchscreen, I wish to use buttons to control a few other components of the system (such as the intercom buttons) and maybe a numeric keypad. The obvious (and easy) solution is to use standard buttons. There is of course several options and...

I have orderd this neat little GPRS/GPS dev kit from SparkFun Electronics . It is essnetially a GPRS/GSM cell phone combo with integrated GPS capabilities. All in a matchbook sized module. Here is more details from the description on the SparkFun...

Well, I met with my doctor on Tuesday. After a discussion with him, we decided to start tapering off the Anti-Depressant. When I started taking it, it did help with the depression but also accelerated my cycles a made me more "volatile". The introduction...

With my current financial situation, I have been considering options to consolidate down some debts and possibily lower some of my payments (and personally I perfer one payment to having to make 10, even if the per-month cost is the same). I have already...

Near 1 am, getting tired. So it is indeed time to go to bed. But since I havn't posted in a few days, I thought I would post a quick update. House Life Actually started working more on the house with my wife. Not that we hadn't been doing anything...

Today, I actually recieved a new unit from Buffalo to replace my 1TB Terastation. Considering the ground ship time, it was a really quick turnaround on their end. In the meantime, I have decided to implement my own solution. Not that the Terastation is...

Found two other interesting accounts of people dealing with Bipolar and work related issues. Although their lives (and work) was filled with ups and downs, seems like both stories have a good ending. Which is encouraging for me! Making Ends Meet Lily...

Found an article about a true experience of someone with Bipolar and their negative experience. Mostly steming from stupidity, ignorance and lack of compasion! Jeez! Some people think these type of disorders are just makebelieve and good excuses to get...

Just found this BLOG POST which includes a video demonstrating the use of the .NET Micro framework with the freescale reference board. Really shows how easy it can make the development of an embeded application!

My new house is outfited with an old (I mean 20 years old) intercom system. Although the system itself is still functional, I want to create a new open-source and flexible system to replace the existing system. Since my background is in Computer Egineering...

Wow. Took a while!! Well, www.SebbyLive.com was back up mid-day today. But www.ParadoxalPress.com took a little longer as I had more setup to do (such as uploading several GB of data, re-installing the SSL certs, ...). As a side note, my server...

Found this study where they actually tried to measure the effects and impact of Bipolar on various subjects and their work (or ability to work) "People experiencing bipolar disorder have a strong desire to maintain employment, and display high academic...