The Bandjoun nomad

Hidden camera investigation finds illegal commercial drone use in US : From an Indiana TV station. There is some really bad stuff here, including this: "When he did not know he was speaking to a reporter, Spencer said he could fly at any altitude that a customer would want.  He said he "wasn't supposed to" fly above 400 feet, but he sometimes flew above 1,000 feet or higher, depending on the job." Needless to say, that's reckless and irresponsible. Read the  whole piece : INDIANAPOLIS - A hidden camera investigation from the Call 6 Investigators found a growing threat from illegal business flights of drones nationwide, prompting concerns from Indianapolis pilots and calls for action in Congress. While the  Federal Aviation Administration  has not approved a single drone flight for business purposes anywhere in the country, the Call 6 Investigators found many businesses and entrepreneurs flying drones for aerial photography, including several that advert...

I had my first attempt, after months of anticipation, at flight testing my 2-meters wingspan glider. The electronics worked fine. The vertical surface (for rudder control) attachment looked a bit suspect but I couldn't wait anymore  I mean It had rained out for the past two weeks! There's only so much patience a guy can have! Well setting up the glider on the field I realised something crucial that I had overlooked (I think I blatantly ignored this one)... The weight balance of the glider made it tail heavy. To all my non-technical guys it means all the weight of glider didn't sit under the correct part of the wing but further away towards the tail. Simply put... the glider WILL NOT GLIDE... not properly anyway (and most probably break something on it's way down). But I decided to press on... I mean, YOU CAN still fly with a tail-heavy airplane... YEAH RIGHT! After assembling the glider and doing an electronics check, to check if the proof WAS REALLY in the puddin...

I've finally ventured into the real of robotics (A tiny little step I must add). I got this Kit from NETRAM  for only R700) with delivery included. This is an exciting step for me as my dream is to be able to design, build and flight test fully autonomous UAV with control station... From an android Tablet!. Crazy... I know! Here's a picture of me loading my first sketch on the Arduino board. I'm so excited for the next couple of months when I'll be connecting servos and making complex breadboard circuits. Bring it on!

Sinful People Can Sin Less : "If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth." (1 John 1:8 NLT) We're all defective. We all have parts of our lives that simply don't work. None of us measure up to a standard of perfection. To pretend like you've got it all together when everybody knows you don't is silly. In fact, the Bible tells us it's self-deception. You will never be sinless on this planet, but it is possible to sin less . So why is it so hard to change stuff in us that we really don't like? 1. Because we've had our defects so long. Some of our destructive patterns were developed in childhood, perhaps in resistance to a pain or as a stress coping devise. These defects may be self-defeating, but at least they're familiar! 2. Because we identify with our defects. We often confuse our identity with our defects. When you see yourself connected to your defect, you set yourself up to perpetuate it. 3....

"Drones will save us, drones will destroy us" : FAA map showing all the states where agencies have applied to be one of six drone test sites picked by end 2013. Report on a FAA request for public comment on domestic UAV integration from  The Verge : Citizens sound off at FAA meeting Americans blast drone privacy policy in emotionally charged call for comments When it comes to allowing drones to fly over US soil, Americans are of two minds: embrace domestic drones for such uses as crop dusting, high wire inspection, search and rescue, and border security, or run screaming and seek shelter from the surveillance state in the sky. Those dueling views were on display yesterday during a " public engagement session " hosted online by the US Federal Aviation Administration to gather input from citizens on  the coming swarm . IT QUICKLY DEVOLVED INTO A MASSIVE VENTING SESSION The two-hour long livestreamed conference call was open to any member of the US public to par...

Let Go of Your Self-defeating Lies : "If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us." (1 John 1:8 NIV) We lie to ourselves all the time: "I haven't gained any weight. I'm not hurting anyone. No one even noticed." But one lie is more dangerous than most: "It's not really a problem." You tell yourself that your finances aren't a problem, your marriage isn't in trouble, and your temper isn't out of control. Lying to ourselves is the number one way we mess up our lives. The Bible says,  "If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us" (1 John 1:8 NIV). Sin causes us to deceive ourselves, and deception causes us to sin. Behind every self-defeating act in our lives is a lie we've believed. Either we've lied to ourselves or we've believed one of Satan's lies. The Bible says our heart is "deceitful above all things" (Jeremiah 17:9). You ...