Using an Adafruit NeoTrellis Keypad with MQTT

post type iconApr 26, 2021 - 2200 Words -
I’ve been building a light-up keypad for home automation devices (and Zoom sessions). Last time, I gave an overview of the project. This entry will detail the hardware itself, completing a basic remote-only setup, while the next post adds more advanced features and connects it to a server. You can browse the entire series from the link in the header, or by clicking here. Hardware I spent some time trying to find just the right hardware for this toy.

Building a remote-control home automation keypad

post type iconApr 25, 2021 - 1100 Words -
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I use Zoom. A lot. Obviously, a whole lot more since we all started working from home. It’s not a big deal – I’ve gotten pretty used to it, and it’s a good system. So much better than the PictureTel VTCs I occasionally used in the early 90’s. What’s annoying, though, is when someone asks a question and I’m on mute. Suddenly, there’s a scramble to figure out which monitor the mouse pointer is on…jiggle…jiggle…JIGGLE!

Codenames Board Generator

post type iconMar 11, 2021 - 1500 Words -
Codenames is a word game where players try to collect all of their team’s cards from a board, by having their Spymaster give one-word hints which describe one or more cards on the table. Which cards belong to which team is determined by a random draw of pre-printed game maps, showing which positions belong to Red, which to Blue, and which is the Assassin card (the black card – revealing this ends the game for both teams).

1Password - Full Trip from Unlock to Encryption

post type iconNov 12, 2018 - 1900 Words -
It occurred to me sometime after I’d finished my talk that I should have a single post that pulls all the elements together. So here’s a complete walkthrough from Master Password all the way to decrypted Vault Item. If you’ve missed the first parts of the series, here’s a good starting point. General Process First, let’s review the overall sequence of events. It’s a little complicated at the beginning, depending on which client we’re using.

BSidesDE - A deep dive into 1Password Security

post type iconNov 9, 2018 - 100 Words -
Thanks to BSides Delaware for the chance to go super-geeky about how 1Password works. Here are the slides from my talk, which give a basic introduction to how it all works. See this extended series for super-detailed technical information and examples. Click on the link above to download a copy of the slides.