It has been a really busy few months! I have a couple of other blogs – and have been spending a lot of time lately on Hobby3DPrinting.com – which is a project Gracie & I started just over a year ago. We started the blog because Gracie was really interested in getting into 3D printing. So I figured – why not summarize what we learn about 3D printing as we embark on this journey and have the hobby at least pay for itself!
I have been really pleased with the traffic we have been able to generate on that website with a very modest amount of posts. Last year we had about 2,000 visitors and about 3,000 views in total. In January 2021 alone we had just over 800 visitors and almost 1,100 views. We are up to about 30 posts and hope to continue to add new posts to get to at least 45 this year. We also monetized it as an Amazon affiliate, and have already been able to generate a little revenue. So things are just starting to get exciting!
Over the last few months I have written/re-written and posted about 11 articles on that blog. Unfortunately – it necessitated me neglecting this one a little….. Hopefully I will be a little better about splitting my time between the various blogs this coming year. If you are inclined – please bop on over there and take a look at what we have been up to. Thank you!
3D Printing
Not only have we been working on the 3D printing blog – but we have been 3D printing as well. Here are some of our latest creations!
Thanksgiving & Christmas
We had a really quiet Thanksgiving & Christmas. We went over to Melani’s mother’s house for Thanksgiving. Just her and us. Christmas Day it was just us. Wow – really simple. Kind of nice….
Oh – and yeah – we had a LOT of snow right before Christmas. In fact some of that record breaking snowfall is STILL hanging around! Here is what the cars looked like in the driveway.
And here is a video Gracie shot with her drone showing the neighborhood.
School & Basketball Drills
The COVID craziness continues! Kids have been fortunate that they have been in school pretty much the entire time – other than a week or two so far this school year. Basketball isn’t really much more than them doing some skills drills a couple of times a week at the school gym. There is some hope that in the coming weeks they may be able to play some games. I do think that all the time they have spent practicing some basic skills will really pay off and make the game more fun for them. They have all improved dramatically!
Technology
Technology Challenges
I’ve been setting up a bunch of technology challenges for the kids lately. We had challenges with regards to manipulating images, building virtual machines and using Linux. Technology is the future and I really feel the kids need to know how to use the tools of the future. So we try to make it fun and interesting for them. I can’t believe how many tools they are able to use at such a young age – and how much better they are at some of them compared to me already! I’m going to definitely have my hands full staying one step ahead of them….
Dobomaster
One of the gifts the kids got for Christmas was a “land drone”. It is really a robot that is made by the same company that manufactured Gracie’s drone (DJI). Yes – I got it on Amazon Warehouse Deals – and paid less than the retail price for it! I gave it to them a little early – since I wanted to make sure I didn’t need to return it.
It is a really neat robot that is incredible responsive, has a camera mounted on it and allows for 2 way audio. This is the kind of toy I would have LOVED to have as a kid! There is an app on the phone that you control it with and it can use a FPV (First Person View) mode that turns the robot when you turn the phone. Because of that, it is a little easier to control & maneuver around obstacles – of which we seem to have many in the house!
We all thought the thing looked, and moved, like a dog – and it’s name (Robomaster) really seemed to lend itself to DOBOmaster (Yes – Doberman Pinschers are my favorite kind of dog). So Annie made a pair of ears for it that attached to the antennas – and ever since then we now refer to it as the Dobomaster and think of it as the family dog.
Oh – and yes, that is a cannon on the front – that shoots tiny squishy BBs – or just a laser beam. Very cool!
Drone Light Show Videos
One morning I came across a video showing how they are starting to use drones to put on light shows. (Think of them as a replacement for fireworks) I made a mental note to share it with the kids in the evening – and they really enjoyed them! So much so, that Gracie wants to learn how to do it and make her own show. I don’t think that she will get to do that any time soon — since we are just a few hundred drones shy of what we would need to put on a decent show…
What We Like Page
Since we just recently monetized the Hobby3DPrinting website – we figured we would do this one as well. We do get some people inquiring about some of the tech toys we play with – so we decided to start a “What We Like Page” to make it easier to find the things we, well, really like! Be aware that the links ARE Amazon Affiliate links – so we may receive a small commission if you click on one and buy something. But have no fear – it does not cost you anything extra! So jump on over there if you are so inclined to get a little nerdy! You can find the page HERE.
It’s good to be back! I hope every one is healthy and that 2021 is a great year for you!
Sincerely,
