Farming Chitchat 10/10- Now VIRUS-FREE!

_Brian · 21-04-2020 08:22AM

We have decent connection up to about 3pm and it gradually deteriorated from there.
Mornings usually see 15mb down and 6mb up.

By 7pm it’s 1.5mb down and 0.2mb up

Kids do majority of their work from 9 to 1pm, youngest doesn’t do any schoolwork after 1pm

I’m doing online course today from 12-2 so hopefully it will work then 🙄

Kevhog1988 · 21-04-2020 09:24AM

I says wrote: »

The home schooling and worrying about it is total dog****e. I’m out the country rural broadband not worth a toss alright on the phone. So no computer no printer or any of that ya can forget homework or projects for school.
If these clowns forming a coalition have any sense( I doubt it) install spend the money on rural braodband it’s been neglected long enough. The chicken has come home to roost over it now with the covid crisis.

im working on it lol. Rollout is starting in the next few months

Kevhog1988 · 21-04-2020 09:26AM

kollegeknight wrote: »

I think it’s the right job. My head is addled with chasing work off students. Non exam classes on days like today should be offered creative ways to learn.

For their well being, I wanted to send care packages to students that wanted them to include simple seeds. Get them to plant a small garden and photo as they go. But my principal didn’t want to do it. My old ag science teacher used to do it about 20 years ago and it was great.

I have just persuaded her to let me order microbit kits for the fifth years to give them a chance to learn a bit about programming. They can be used in remote controls so it would help for next years projects also.

To shake things up for my 5yo, I bought a simple chemistry kit and an electronics kit online. We made a simple radio yesterday and she was delighted with it.

Could you send me a link to where to but the electronics kit?

whelan2 · 21-04-2020 09:37AM

raypallas wrote: »

Practical teacher myself and I'm cutting them back more than loading them up. Good quality internet, device access and time available at home are all at a premium at the moment. There's a lot of stress out there in homes around the country over the whole situation

I neay had a meltdown here yesterday morning printing out young lads work. At least 20 pages. Printer jammed. Also ran out of ink. Couldn't get old cartridge out. Cut my finger. ....then I emailed the teacher about something else and he said there was no need to print the sheets out :eek:

raypallas · 21-04-2020 11:26AM

whelan2 wrote: »

I neay had a meltdown here yesterday morning printing out young lads work. At least 20 pages. Printer jammed. Also ran out of ink. Couldn't get old cartridge out. Cut my finger. ....then I emailed the teacher about something else and he said there was no need to print the sheets out :eek:

A fine start to a day! I wouldn't have access to a printer at home myself so I wouldn't expect too. There is a lot of work on the parents this distance learning crack!

KatyMac · 21-04-2020 11:38AM

My youngest is in first year in college and is getting online tutorials every Monday and Tuesday. Is given assignments to have in by the end of the week and has an online/real time exam sorta thing on this coming Friday. She asks us to absent ourselves during those times so that no-one else is on the internet and we can't be seen walking around in her background. Fair play to her, she is taking it seriously and is determined to pass first year, she put down a deposit for her accommodation for next September onward. A thing like a worldwide pandemic is not going to get in her way. If students can survive this type of home schooling they will survive a lot once they join the world of work.

emaherx · 21-04-2020 11:38AM

raypallas wrote: »

A fine start to a day! I wouldn't have access to a printer at home myself so I wouldn't expect too. There is a lot of work on the parents this distance learning crack!

There is, but they are our kids. Printer wouldn't be strictly nessacery kids could work off screen in most cases and just write out their answers on a sheet of paper or in a copy if nessacery.

emaherx · 21-04-2020 11:46AM

theemigrant wrote: »

Could you send me a link to where to but the electronics kit?

What age kids? There is a massive selection of stuff out there from very basic to fairly advanced.

Google:
Microbit
Makey makey
Raspberry Pi
Arduino

I put up some pictures of a robot I built with the kids using a Raspberry Pi on the gunthering thread.

And on flickr

https://flic.kr/s/aHsmMnXywy

Kevhog1988 · 21-04-2020 11:48AM

emaherx wrote: »

What age kids? There is a massive selection of stuff out there from very basic to fairly advanced.

Google:
Microbit
Makey makey
Raspberry Pi
Arduino

I put up some pictures of a robot I built with the kids using a Raspberry Pi on the gunthering thread.

My little fella is 8 and we made a robot kit over xmas but would like more as he seemed to like it

Lime Tree Farm · 21-04-2020 11:49AM

The HomeSchooling on RTE2, 11:00 to 12:00 Mon to Fri, is excellent, with follow up activities.

https://www.homeschooling-ideas.com/

For secondary school,

https://about.rte.ie/2020/04/02/rte-announces-screening-of-shakespeare-leaving-and-junior-cert-classics/

I think I am getting more out of it than the kids are. Excellent Hamlet - David Tennant, and Matt Lucas is one hell of a good actor in "A Midsummer Night's Dream"

emaherx · 21-04-2020 11:53AM

theemigrant wrote: »

My little fella is 8 and we made a robot kit over xmas but would like more as he seemed to like it

What was the kit he got?

Don't go too advanced too quick unless you understand the stuff fairly well yourself or he will get frustrated and loose interest.

I gave the 2 boys (they are 10) the makey makey joypads yesterday and they love them. These are straight forward and they followed a YouTube tutorial so didn't require any help from me.

https://makeymakey.com/

Water John · 21-04-2020 02:15PM

Knight just inquiring, is your hay barn as nice as Claire Byrne's shed?

kollegeknight · 21-04-2020 02:44PM

Water John wrote: »

Knight just inquiring, is your hay barn as nice as Claire Byrne's shed?

A nicer job altogether. No larch here.

kollegeknight · 21-04-2020 02:48PM

theemigrant wrote: »

Could you send me a link to where to but the electronics kit?

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Hot-Wires-Electronics-John-Adams/dp/B0006SK3WG/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=john+adams+electronics+kit&qid=1587476478&sr=8-1

That’s the kit I got. Nice starter kit- all about the components.

If you wanted to go the route of microbits or raspberry pi. sligograph provide a good variety of kit that schools order off of. But I dunno how cost effective this is in comparison to ordering off eBay or a non education online site.

https://www.sgeducation.ie/

I’m going ordering the microbit project kit to start. More for me than small lady try.

This company below supplies kits for making. I order them through Miko metals in cork. Sometimes they have a pdf of the plans with the projects or the photos are good enough for inspiration. Once all the seeds are planted, we will go making an insect hotel or two.

https://opitecshop.co.uk/

roosterman71 · 21-04-2020 03:55PM

Say my name wrote: »

How many of the high tech in Google are Irish? Non ex pats.

Don't play the poor immigrant card with me. You know well I never mentioned refugees.

That's that internet Facebook slang people post to make themselves look better.
But since you have mentioned refugees. They do need to be housed too. And that does not make me rasict in case that's your next retort.
And increased demand increases rent prices.

Back up the truck my friend. I never mentioned refugees once so lets' call a halt to that line of chat here as there's no need to answer questions on things I never mentioned.

I've no idea what the Google employee stats are. Or that of any company bar the one I'm in. You also mention Facebook. Facebook and Google are 2 of the biggest tech companies in the world, and they pay their staff very VERY well. Other places, like where I am and it's no small business, don't.

Since this pandemic, rental properties have become available in Dublin in their thousands since the arse fell out of the AirBnB business.

I says · 21-04-2020 03:58PM

theemigrant wrote: »

im working on it lol. Rollout is starting in the next few months

:):) no excuses for me in a while so

Say my name · 21-04-2020 05:33PM

I says wrote: »

:):) no excuses for me in a while so

Sure there's always tin foil.

gozunda · 21-04-2020 09:50PM

Have two bags from last year or so - 1 is of of Lime and 1 of fertiliser. Both pelleted and they look identical.

Problem the labels are missing and I now cant remember which is which!

Thought I'd be smart and test the contents of each for pH - but both are coming up as neutral!

Any ideas?

jimini0 · 21-04-2020 09:54PM

gozunda wrote: »

Have two bags from last year or so - 1 is of of Lime and 1 of fertiliser. Both pelleted and they look identical.

Problem the labels are missing and I now cant remember which is which!

Thought I'd be smart and test the contents of each for pH - but both are coming up as neutral!

Any ideas?

Granlime is bigger that normal fertiliser. It's a light egg shell colour. Well that's gouldings might be different on others

gozunda · 21-04-2020 10:02PM

jimini0 wrote: »

Granlime is bigger that normal fertiliser. It's a light egg shell colour.

Thanks for that. Problem is the pellets in both are a bit broken down from being moved and rebagged (original bags busted). Looking for a way to conform my suspicions which is which ...

ganmo · 21-04-2020 11:24PM

gozunda wrote: »

Thanks for that. Problem is the pellets in both are a bit broken down from being moved and rebagged (original bags busted). Looking for a way to conform my suspicions which is which ...

Grab a handful of each, the fert will feel salty and the gran lime will feel dry.

That's what I'd try

raypallas · 21-04-2020 11:51PM

theemigrant wrote: »

My little fella is 8 and we made a robot kit over xmas but would like more as he seemed to like it

Microbit has free online software and the starter kit would be about 15 or 20 quid to get started off with.

kollegeknight · 22-04-2020 11:45AM

raypallas wrote: »

Microbit has free online software and the starter kit would be about 15 or 20 quid to get started off with.

And in My subject engineering, they are one of the platforms that can be used for remote control of projects. And computer science studies them also so it creates a basis for those subjects.

emaherx · 22-04-2020 01:44PM

kollegeknight wrote: »

And in My subject engineering, they are one of the platforms that can be used for remote control of projects. And computer science studies them also so it creates a basis for those subjects.

Think I'm going to get some of these for my kids too. The raspberry Pi is great for lots of things but it's overkill for small projects and requires maintaing a full OS as well.

The Microsoft MakeCode looks good for programing it too and is similar to Scratch that they are already working with.

I still like the Raspberrry Pi for larger projects and have one running the heating System in the house and lighting automations and electric fence control around the farm.

Kevhog1988 · 22-04-2020 01:59PM

emaherx wrote: »

Think I'm going to get some of these for my kids too. The raspberry Pi is great for lots of things but it's overkill for small projects and requires maintaing a full OS as well.

The Microsoft MakeCode looks good for programing it too and is similar to Scratch that they are already working with.

I still like the Raspberrry Pi for larger projects and have one running the heating System in the house and lighting automations and electric fence control around the farm.

Thats very interesting. Any chance of you doing a thread on autonomous items around the farm?. A bit like the gunthering thread without the sledge hammers

ganmo · 22-04-2020 02:27PM

theemigrant wrote: »

Thats very interesting. Any chance of you doing a thread on autonomous items around the farm?. A bit like the gunthering thread without the sledge hammers

Oh an automatic sledge!! Theres an idea!

emaherx · 22-04-2020 02:35PM

I might do alright.
I plan on tidying up a lot of my cabling in the sheds shortly so I can take some pictures etc then.

Here is a screen shot of my Phone App (Built using Home Assistant) to keep you going for now

Screenshot_20200422-142938 by Emaherx, on Flickr

kollegeknight · 22-04-2020 03:07PM

emaherx wrote: »

Think I'm going to get some of these for my kids too. The raspberry Pi is great for lots of things but it's overkill for small projects and requires maintaing a full OS as well.

The Microsoft MakeCode looks good for programing it too and is similar to Scratch that they are already working with.

I still like the Raspberrry Pi for larger projects and have one running the heating System in the house and lighting automations and electric fence control around the farm.

Ardruino is supposed to be a good kit too- it has more tilt switches and thermostats etc but easy enough to use- I’ve never used them though

emaherx · 22-04-2020 03:17PM

kollegeknight wrote: »

Ardruino is supposed to be a good kit too- it has more tilt switches and thermostats etc but easy enough to use- I’ve never used them though

Maybe we do need to start a new thread but yes, I use Arduino pro minis and esp8266's for my sensors and switches in my heating system.

Say my name · 22-04-2020 07:42PM

Sprayed some seaweed and molasses today in honour of Earth Day 50.
Because I definitely knew it was Earth Day 50 before I put the seaweed flakes in.
And not because I couldn't use the fertilizer spreader with a broken hydraulic ram.

That is all..

Farming Chitchat 10/10- Now VIRUS-FREE!

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