[evandonaldson]

Everyday interactions present opportunities for further exploration. I get my projects from problems I encounter during my normal interactions with people. Then I try hack something together for fun. My most recent project is hacking a thermostat with a Raspberry Pi 2 and mobile app to notify small shop owners when their freezer temperature has risen above a certain temperature. This project came about from a interaction with my local grocer. I grabbed some Ben&Jerrys out of the fridge a few weeks ago and the shop attendant apologised. He couldn't sell the ice-cream because the freezer power was cut the night before when a cleaner accidentally tripped the power cord. The ice-cream had melted and was a write off. The shop owner had to leave the stock in the freezer until the insurance delegate arrived to confirm the write off. The shop owner gave me the idea of an app that would notify him if it ever happened again. He wanted to do it himself but didn't have the technical ability. I didn't either but that was an opportunity to learn on a real life problem. It doesn't matter that there are commercial alternatives available. It's something fun to program and I have a willing participant to trail it on. Keep your eye's and ears open. Real life problems are often more rewarding to solve than projects on hobby sites.