@TimAlston

Software engineer, designer and entrepreneur (@Preventx) with interest in tech, electronics, photography (https://xitter.cf/t.co/EYiTEjOQXF) & gaming.

 Sheffield, UK
Joined December 2009
  • Tweets635
  • Following679
  • Followers217
143Media
Tim Alston retweeted
Fred Lambert
@FredLambertJul 29
Damn. RIP. Kavinsky created the best late-night driving music by far.
Variety
@VarietyJul 29
Kavinsky, the French music producer and DJ whose hypnotic anthem “Nightcall” became a cult classic after opening Nicolas Winding Refn’s “Drive,” has died. He was 50. The artist was found dead at his Paris home on Tuesday evening. Authorities have opened an investigation into the circumstances of his death, though no foul play has been reported. variety.com/2026/music/globa…

Kavinsky, French Producer and DJ Behind ‘Drive’ Opening Song ‘Nightcall,’ Dies at 50

Kavinsky, the French DJ whose anthem 'Nightcall' became a cult classic after opening Nicolas Winding Refn’s 'Drive,' has died. He was 50.

variety.com
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Transforming @IKEAUK furniture with some RGBW LED strips and a #WLED microcontroller. There's even just enough pixels to show some Tetris shapes! #IKEA #DIY #SmartLighting
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With a bit of tinkering, we now have live half-hourly energy prices from @OctopusEnergy Agile sent to an e-Ink ESL (Electronic Shelf Label). Great for keeping an eye on energy prices, but slightly painful to turn on the oven when it's showing >30p/unit! 😅
An electronic shelf label showing the current and next half-hour electricity tariff pricing.

ALT An electronic shelf label showing the current and next half-hour electricity tariff pricing.

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Incentivising my kids to save by automating (in @NodeRED) an 'interest' transfer to their @StarlingBank Kite/kids accounts (from our account). Paying 25% APR weekly - they don't know how lucky they are! It'll be more than 2p/week if they can save more than £4.00 and not spend it!
A programming flow that carries out the task, and a transaction log showing £0.02 "interest" transferred.

ALT A programming flow that carries out the task, and a transaction log showing £0.02 "interest" transferred.

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What is going on with the mail in Sheffield @RoyalMail? While it's possible everyone has forgotten my birthday over a week ago, that doesn't explain why our entire street hasn't had any mail delivered in over 10 days..!?
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I made this single-key keyboard. I'm sure I'm not the only person that could do with this for work meetings, internet arguments, social media etc. 🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️ Parts from @adafruit #mechanicalkeyboard #facepalm
A small PCB with a single keyboard key switch and integrated USB plug. The cap on the key switch shows a facepalm emoji.

ALT A small PCB with a single keyboard key switch and integrated USB plug. The cap on the key switch shows a facepalm emoji.

The single key switch plugged into a USB extension sat on a desk.

ALT The single key switch plugged into a USB extension sat on a desk.

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My latest "find something cheap on AliExpress with boring LED strip, and replace with RGB addressable strip" project!
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Working on some lighting ideas for my future gaming/LAN party room and couldn't help trying this idea using some second hand stage lights with custom gobos. #portal #portal2 #valve #aperture #aperturescience
Orange and cyan portal logo shapes projected onto ceiling and wall using a moving head stage light.

ALT Orange and cyan portal logo shapes projected onto ceiling and wall using a moving head stage light.

Orange and cyan portal logos projected on wall. The in-game portals are not technically the same shape as the logo - but a clean vector was needed.

ALT Orange and cyan portal logos projected on wall. The in-game portals are not technically the same shape as the logo - but a clean vector was needed.

Adding custom gobos into a Martin Rush MH1+ moving head light.

ALT Adding custom gobos into a Martin Rush MH1+ moving head light.

I also did the Aperture Science logo while I was at it!

ALT I also did the Aperture Science logo while I was at it!

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Parking in Sheffield for an evening is getting so expensive these days. It's no wonder city centres are struggling. 🤣 Time to test out the customer service at @QPark_UK I think...
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A couple of additions to my little museum of mobile/handheld computing. They don't come up often so couldn't resist these two Sony Vaio P11s. Really need to arrange some more display space - I'm working on that... #VaioP11 #HandheldComputing
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Really pleased I found info on hacking the #Sonoff NSPanel. At last, a tidy wall device running a proper @home_assistant dashboard! Pretty game changing compared to the past options. Thank you for that @blakadder_!
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Rewired a 16 x 13A socket box into a 4-channel power monitored and switched PDU by adding a couple of @shelly_IoT pro devices. It's a bit tidier (and less bodged) than my earlier PDU build, and will be useful for comms/media rack kit.
Tim Alston@TimAlston22 May 2021
Smart/managed server PDUs with power consumption monitoring are expensive (£300+), but the @shelly_IoT 1PM (thanks @proptimise) is small enough to fit inside a cheap power strip (combined cost £29). #iot #homeautomation #homelab @home_assistant
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You may like this one @TheRealRevK. I think you posted an Olson box (same or very similar model) which gave me the idea. The Shelly Pro devices were a long time coming but work well.
Wow, the acceleration on these EVs is insane!
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I came across this when 'link surfing' Coolio/Gangsta's Paradise as it's used as a citation - really interesting (and well presented with sound clips): pudding.cool/2020/07/song-de…

Defining the ’90s Music Canon

Quantifying the songs that will characterize the ’90s

pudding.cool
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I certainly never expected the STI testing service/sampling kit I designed would be made into a huge inflatable balloon - yet here it is, celebrating #LondonPride2022! Really proud of the @Preventx team and everyone involved in delivering our services.
Preventx@Preventx2 Jul 2022
We are so proud of @SHLdotUK marching and celebrating at #londonpride Thanks to our amazing team for coming all the way from Sheffield to London! #happypride @SHLdotUK
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Making new wax crayons from the used/broken old bits of crayons. Bit of fun with the kids and they came out well!
Broken crayon pieces of assorted colours in Lego shaped silicone mould.

ALT Broken crayon pieces of assorted colours in Lego shaped silicone mould.

New crayons in mixed and marbled colours, in the shape of Lego blocks.

ALT New crayons in mixed and marbled colours, in the shape of Lego blocks.

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Wrote up my little WLED / @M5Stack Atom project after some interest on Reddit: imgur.com/a/C3Q1xgQ
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Who'd of thought there was so much money in lubricant grease! Sure, it's high-quality, heat resistant, food grade, etc - but £56k for a tub, wow! Fortunately I'm only after a few grams (even that will be approx. £30).
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