Project: Simple Arduino-Controlled, No-Pump Plant Watering via Make

Now here is a project I could really use here in my own greenhouse. It’s basic setup is great, but it also allows a lot of room for expansion and improvement, so it is a great learning project, too. I think it is always important to start with a simple project and experience some success so you are more inclined to fiddle with it and improve it in the future.

For me, I could see adding additional sensors for multiple pots, a solenoid value for controlling water from a hosepipe, alerts, alarms and more. What could you do with this project? Let me know in the comments!

Simple Arduino-Controlled, No-Pump Plant Watering

I love this simple and clever design. It basically uses a microcontroller-powered servo motor to pinch a watering hose on/off on a gravity-fed plant watering system. No pump required. To control the system, the Norwegian maker, Eirik, used a SparkFun Arduino-compatible RedBoard. To tell when the plants are thirsty, he uses a $5 SparkFun Moisture Sensor.

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Build your own projects with these Arduino parts and more!

Arduino Boards and Components via Amazon

Arduino Boards and Components via eBay

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Microsoft release Outlook.com email services to replace Hotmail

Today Microsoft released its new email service Outlook.com to replace its Hotmail brand. This new streamlined Metro interface design looks good and functions well so far. You can use your existing Microsoft account to log in and then choose an email alias (i.e. douglaswelch@outlook.com) for your new email address. Here are several articles that discuss Outlook.com... Goodbye, Hotmail; Hello, Outlook.com [REVIEW] Outlook Is a Completely New, Feature-Filled Webmail Service from Microsoft Go Get Your @Outlook Email Address Quick Before Someone Else Does I will post links to more articles and reviews as they appear.

TechIQ Gift Guide #15: Sams Teach Yourself Wordpress 3 in 10 minutes

#15 Sams Teach Yourself Wordpress 3 in 10 minutes Chuck Tomasi , fellow Friends in Tech member and co-author of Podcasting for Dummies , along with another Friends in Tech member and podcasting partner, Kreg Steppe , have a new book out that would be a great gift for anyone interested in blogging and New Media. Wordpress is my first recommendation when someone wants to get started with blogging, but it can be a little intimidating. It is very powerful and with power comes complexity. That said, this book can help to jumpstart your Wordpress knowledge and help you be productive. There is also a companion podcast to the book, Wordpress in 10, available from the author's web site. From Amazon.com... "Sams Teach Yourself WordPress in 10 Minutes gives you straightforward, practical answers when you need fast results. By working through its 10-minute lessons, you’ll learn everything you need to build great blogs with WordPress and WordPress.org, and reach any audience by web brows

Google Docs adds templates

I have started to move away from using Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Powerpoint, etc) in favor of online tools like Google Docs . Even as a computer consultant, I find that I use probably less than 10% of the features in any of these projects. One feature I really like in Google Docs is the easy, online file sharing that also allows you to edit simultaneously with someone else. Today, Google Docs added some templates including business cards, brochures and more. At the moment, it looks like they are rolling out this feature over time, so you might not yet see the templates on your account. When available, you will find the templates under the New... menu item. From Open Loops ... Today, Google quietly rolled out a new feature for their Google Docs Applications: Templates! It's so new that it isn't even listed on the new features page at this time. When one opens their Google Docs account and chooses to start a new document, a new "From Template..." command is pre

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