I was just looking at the Forum Stats (https://savagechats.com/index.php?action=stats) and found the following very interesting.
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Have a look at the top topic by views. Even the third place topic caught me by surprise.
Member @Jeff_T is still holding the top spot for most viewed topic on Savage///Chats with his Micropython & ESP32 internet radio (https://savagechats.com/index.php?topic=119.0) thread. Nicely done!
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Thanks Chris, I was surprised at the interest and the few related photos I posted on Google photos has 29 members.
Occasionally, when I have little else to do, I will try to "polish" the project a little and even add a small speaker instead of the BLE which works well.
I have to say that the mp3 player which is part of the same thread is my favorite part of the project and I actually use the mp3 player a lot to listen to the playlist I have on a SD card.
Quote from: Jeff_T on Jul 03, 2025, 10:05 AMThanks Chris, I was surprised at the interest and the few related photos I posted on Google photos has 29 members.
As someone who uses Google to search for things...A LOT, I find that how popular something is says a lot about the demographic for such things. Whether people are interested in being members or not, your post gets a lot of hits. I'm sure some are the bots, but if we weighted things in that context then everything would be getting those hits, because the bots are pretty thorough.
No, this tells me that people are searching for what you're talking about, and the fact that they're not joining and asking questions probably tells us that the information stands on its own. That, there's not need to ask questions because they probably got what they needed.
Quote from: Jeff_T on Jul 03, 2025, 10:05 AMOccasionally, when I have little else to do, I will try to "polish" the project a little and even add a small speaker instead of the BLE which works well.
Not as much anymore, but I have always tried to go back and update my posts as needed. There are a couple of projects on this site, like the GPS Datalogger (https://savagecircuits.com/gps-datalogger/) that were later
broken by updates to things / references outside my site. In this case, Google Earth. Which forced me to have to revise the code to work with the revised Google Earth API.
I like your analysis of my post Chris I think you nailed it.
I don't like loose ends either but rarely go back and update or modify things for fear of the subject getting too bloated or distracting.
I have a topic on IR control also and although it's an old and maybe boring subject I can say I found it a really interesting project that I had to give a lot of thought to. I think the older I get the more I like doing electrical/electronic projects. Do you guys feel like it's "in your blood" ?
Quote from: Jeff_T on Jul 03, 2025, 01:53 PMI think the older I get the more I like doing electrical/electronic projects. Do you guys feel like it's "in your blood" ?
Well, in my youth I was more
motivated and
hungry for technology, programming and improving my knowledge. During the time when everything was falling apart (losing my wife, my career, my website, everything), I was so disconnected. I honestly never thought I would find my way back. I think I must have felt much like Steve Perry did back in the day with Journey (for those who know the history / story).
These days I have the interest back and my motivation is there, but I feel like I am more distracted and have so many homeowner projects going on sometimes that it feels like I will never get caught up. But I am going to keep going as long as I draw breath. If I suddenly fall off the web, you'll know my time came. Obviously, I hope I have many more years ahead of me, but losing Wendy Jo taught me that we never really do know just how much time we have on this planet.
Electronics is my main hobby though. In terms of hobbies, it has always been my priority over music, gaming, etc.
That is a profound and candid story Chris. You were obviously in a dark place that most of us can't even imagine happening to us. I am glad you had the tenacity and character to turn things around.
Homeowner projects are what keep us going and give us motivation and a sense of pride and achievement, you draw and maintain your mental acuity from the hobbies and hopefully you are not going to "fall of the web" any time soon.
Happy 4th July everyone !!! and many more to come.