Enabling ESP8266 Development on Arduino IDE

Undeniably, the ESP8266 NodeMCU LUA Development Board is cost efficient for IOT solutions. Available at a low price point and built-in WiFi, we can easily get sensor readings and make them available on the Internet.

In order to run our program on ESP8266 NodeMCU LUA Development Board, we will need to write our program into the flash memory of the development board. Since it is easy to write code and flash programs with Arduino IDE, it is a good tool to use with the ESP8266 NodeMCU LUA Development Board.

In case you are looking for a reference to enable ESP8266 development on Arduino IDE, this post shows how you can do so.

How to install python3-venv on Ubuntu 16.04

Since Ubuntu 16.04 is a very popular operating system, it is one operating system that you will likely come across when you are building software with Python 3. For example, if you want to get a Nvidia Jetson TX2 developer kit today, you will find yourself dabbling with Ubuntu 16.04.

On the other hand, the venv module of Python 3 is one recommended way to create virtual environments for our Python 3 projects.

In case you need it, this post describes how to install python3-venv on Ubuntu 16.04.

How to host a static website on your Raspberry Pi 3 with Raspbian Stretch Lite and Nginx

When you want to host a static website as your personal portfolio, you can consider using a Raspberry Pi 3. In addition to having a small form factor, a Raspberry Pi 3 is a single board computer that does not take up too much energy to run 24-7.

In order to host a static website on Raspberry Pi 3, you will need an operating system and a web server. Given these points, this is how to host a static website on your Raspberry Pi 3 with Raspbian Stretch Lite as the operating system and Nginx as the web server.

How to use Flask-APScheduler in your Python 3 Flask application to run multiple tasks in parallel, from a single HTTP request

When you build an API endpoint that serves HTTP requests to work on long-running tasks, consider using a scheduler. Instead of holding up a HTTP client until a task is completed, you can return an identifier for the client to query the task status later. In the meantime, your HTTP server can offload the task to a scheduler which will complete it and update the status.

When you are building your HTTP server with Python 3 Flask, Flask-APScheduler gives you the facilities to schedule tasks to be executed in the background.

In this post, we look at how we can get Flask-APScheduler to run multiple tasks in parallel, from a single HTTP request.

How to use Java to check whether a domain exists without any external libraries

You wanted to buy a domain for your personal website. You found a whois service and it told you that your domain is available. You are elated and tried to acquire the domain through your favourite registrar. However, your registrar told you that the domain had already been taken.

Isn’t that frustrating? Well, it happened to me once and I was determined never to use the whois service of those unscrupulous sites ever again.

So how can you check whether a domain name is available by yourself? When you have a computer at hand, you can find several ways to do so. In this post, I share how you can check whether a domain exists with the Java programming without using any external libraries.

How to get your Raspberry Pi 3 to use Namecheap dynamic DNS to update your domain when your home’s public IP address changes

When you do not leave your modem and router on 24-7, chances are that your public IP address will change. As I had noted in how to host multiple website at home, a public IP address is needed for HTTP clients to reach your HTTP servers at home.

On the other hand, a domain name allows us to map some meaningful English characters to that public IP address. Therefore, it is easier to access our servers with a domain name rather than an IP address.

Although you can get a free subdomain from a dynamic DNS provider, getting your own domain name from a domain registrar like Namecheap can be better. On one hand, you get your own online branding for establishing yourself or your business on the Internet. On the other hand, you are resilient to having your domain shutdown by the dynamic DNS provider for any reasons that is beyond your control.

Previously, I shared why Namecheap is the best domain name registrar for hosting your web server at home. One of the reasons is that Namecheap provides dynamic DNS for us to update the host records of our domain whenever our public IP address changes. Since Raspberry Pi 3 is an affordable, small and energy efficient single board computer, you can get it to use Namecheap Dynamic DNS service to update your domain when your home’s public IP address changes.

In case you need it, this post shows how to get your Raspberry Pi 3 to use Namecheap dynamic DNS to update your domain when your home’s public IP address changes.

Why buy Logitech MX Master 2S wireless mouse?

When my mouse cursor starts jumping around the screen randomly, the search for a better mouse begins.

Since I had been using a budget mouse for nearly a decade, I decided to go with comfort and efficiency for a change.

After doing some research, I got myself a Logitech MX Master 2S wireless mouse. That turns out to be a pretty good investment for me.

In case you are looking for a new mouse and need some buying reference, here are some reasons why I like my Logitech MX Master 2S wireless mouse.

How to capture the coordinates of your mouse as it moves along a path with jQuery

When you want to move an object on your web page, you can do so by setting the top and left property of that object to several screen coordinates along a path of travel. Although you can create those coordinates by hand, it is more efficient to capture those coordinates using your mouse.

Previously, I had discussed:

• How to use jQuery to detect mouse clicks and
• How to use jQuery to get mouse cursor coordinates when mouse moves

In this post, we extend those ideas to build a simple mechanism that captures the coordinates of your mouse as it moves alone a path.

Why Namecheap is the best domain name registrar for hosting your web server at home

Basically, a HTTP client contacts a HTTP server with an IP address. For example, when you access google.com, your web browser could be using 74.125.24.100 as the IP address to contact one of Google’s web servers. Although an IP address is what HTTP clients used for contacting HTTP servers, a domain name is easier to remember.

So if you want to host a web server at home, it is recommended that you get a domain name to make accessing your web server easier. In case you are looking for a domain name registrar to purchase a domain for your home server, this post discusses why you may want to buy from Namecheap.