I’ve been messing with my phones features, and I’ve had ideas in my head about how i could use the sensors on it, so it got me thinking about new technologies, or ideas that could use those sensors to do interesting things. Haven, (an app i found while browsing f-droid) uses the sensors in a very interesting way, it can detect whenever the phone is moves, if theres a loud noise in the room, and other cool things, the point of it is to secure private spaces. This is a practical use for the sensors on a phone. It could also be used in creative projects as a trigger, such as a light being switched on, the phone then turns on the heater automatically. (I wish i could be like Mike Rober, and build anything i wanted.) (Picture kinda related)

  • SalamanderA
    1•2 years ago

    I am hoping that within the next few years it will become practical to have my own genome sequencer at home. Something like the Oxford Nanopore’s MiniION, for example.

    In case anyone is curious, I recently figured out how much it would cost to identify the species of mite that resides in my worm bin using DNA barcoding as a private individual. It would cost me € 357.43. Still pricey, but prices are going down quickly as the technology advances!

      • SalamanderA
        1•2 years ago

        It would be easy enough to purchase the primers for barcoding, but if the technology to make them at home also becomes accessible I am all in!

        The method you describe is a bit too resource intensive because you need to tailor the primers specifically for each species. A huge advantage of DNA barcoding is that the same PCR primers can be used to barcode a very large number of different species. So, I will be able to purchase a single pair of vials with the reverse and forward primers to do sequencing. In DNA barcoding one gets the PCR primers that flank a region that shows little variability, such as a ribosomal sequence or the cytochrome c oxidase sequence. This sequence is then amplified and run a database search on it to identify a species.

          • SalamanderA
            1•2 years ago

            You did bring “biohacking”. Do you happen to know if that movement is still active? I joined one biohacking meeting a few years ago and it was a very exciting concept, but I got distracted and didn’t keep up with it.