SPRAKELOOS

 

ik-raakte-mijn-spraakvermogen-kwijt-kan-een-ai-kopie-me-weer-een-stem-geven

NRC 22-102024

SPRAKELOOS

EN DAN SLAAT HET NOODLOT EVEN TOE…..of hoe ik mijn stem verloor en mijn identiteit

 Het lijkt wel of je te veel gedronken hebt en dubbelpraat, zei Marriet mijn vrouw, twee jaar geleden op een reis door de Pelopponnesos. Ik had bijna niets gedronken en toch...Verder geen aandacht aan geschonken. Maar het kwam terug; eerst met de uitspraak van de L en de R. Toch eens naar de huisarts. Doorgestuurd naar de specialisten- naar neurologie. En dan begint het circus van onderzoeken en testen. De uitslag….Door een neurologische aandoening wordt de doorgifte van de zenuwprikkel vanuit de hersenen naar de spier geblokkeerd. Mijn lippen en tong hebben hun kracht verloren. Spreken gaat moeizaam en eten/drinken is een opgave. Helaas is er geen remedie.

AND THEN FATE STRIKES...or how I lost my voice and identity

It seems as if you have had too much to drink and are double-talking, said Marriet my wife, two years ago on a trip through the Peloponnese. I had hardly drunk anything and yet…I paid no attention to it. But it came back; first with the pronunciation of the L and the R. Still, I went to the doctor. Referred to specialists - to neurology. And then the circus of research and testing begins. The result... Due to a neurological disorder, the transmission of the nerve impulse from the brain to the muscle is blocked. My lips and tongue have lost their strength. Speaking is difficult and eating/drinking is a task. Unfortunately, there is no cure.

And now? Bravely Forward!; however it took some time to take that step. Losing my ability to speak is an attack on my identity. Moreover, this violation of the ability to communicate sometimes creates the feeling of being trapped within yourself. It's not just that I can no longer say something the way I want to, but it's also difficult to make spontaneous, direct contact with others. I have to speak slower, enunciate more clearly and then hope that people understand what I have to say.

Answers from ChatGPT: How can data journalists use google sheets ml app?

 Here are some answers by ChatGPT on the following questions:

How can data journalists use Google sheets ml app?

What is the use of the ml app in google sheets for data journalists?

Can you give an example?

What is the use of ChatGPT for data journalists?

ChatGPT as a tool for data journalist

ChatGPT is becoming a big hit witin a week there are already millions of users. Access is simple; go to https://chat.openai.com/chat and log in for free with  for example a google account and you are in business. A hot topic is trying the most weird assignments.Just do a simple search on Twitter for chatGPT and you interesting examples. Of course there is discussion about the credibility..And of course there is more: fake news, students write essays with chatGPT, or journalist and communicators writing stories. How to improve your writing with chatGPT….

For data journalism chatGPT open news perspectives as well. Here are two examples related to simple data tasks in Calc and R. Chat GPT creates the R code and gives a howto for Calc.

Here is one way to calculate the squares of the first 10 numbers in R:

# Create a vector of the first 10 numbers

numbers <- 1:10

# Calculate the squares of the numbers

squares <- numbers^2

# Print the result

squares

This will output the following vector: 1 4 9 16 25 36 49 64 81 100.

Can you make a bar graph of this output

Certainly! Here is one way to create a bar graph of the squares of the first 10 numbers in R using the ggplot2 package:

# Load the ggplot2 package

library(ggplot2)

# Create a data frame with the numbers and their squares

df <- data.frame(numbers, squares)

# Create the bar graph

ggplot(df, aes(x = numbers, y = squares)) +

  geom_col()

This will create a bar graph with the numbers on the x-axis and the squares on the y-axis. The bars will represent the squares of the corresponding numbers.

You can customize the appearance of the graph by adding additional layers to the ggplot function. For example, you can change the appearance of the bars using the fill parameter, or add a title using the ggtitle function.

Here is an example of a customized bar graph:

ggplot(df, aes(x = numbers, y = squares)) +

  geom_col(fill = "orange") +

  ggtitle("Squares of the First 10 Numbers") +

  theme_minimal()

This will create a bar graph with orange bars and a title. The theme_minimal function sets a minimalistic theme for the graph.

­

Make a bar graph of the  square of the first 10 numbers in Calc(open office)

To create a bar graph of the results of the squares of the first 10 numbers in Calc, you can follow these steps:

    1. Enter the numbers you want to square in cells A1 through A10.

    2. In cells B1 through B10, enter the formulas to calculate the squares of the numbers in cells A1 through A10. You can use either the =POWER(A1, 2) or =A1^2 formula, as described in my previous response.

    3. Select the range of cells containing the numbers and the squares (e.g., A1:B10).

    4. Click the "Insert" tab and then click the "Bar" button in the "Charts" group.

    5. From the list of chart types that appears, choose the type of bar chart you want to create (e.g., "Clustered Bar," "Stacked Bar," etc.).

    6. A bar chart will be inserted in your spreadsheet, showing the squares of the first 10 numbers.

    7. To customize the appearance of the chart, you can right-click on it and select "Format Chart Area" to open the "Format Chart Area" dialog box. From here, you can change the colors, fonts, and other formatting options for the chart.

I hope this helps! Let me know if you have any questions.

Machine Learning for data journalists

 I have been writing about machine learning and data science as the next step for data journalists in 2019. For example: https://d3-media.blogspot.com/2019/03/kaggle-is-there-data-journalism-in.html. However this way of using ML had a steep learning curve. First you have be familiar with R and next you have to dig into various models of ML, like RandomForrest or Tensorflow. 

 Now there is light at the end of the tunnel, google sheets included an add-on for ML. Under extension in the ribbon you find ‘simple ML’ for sheets. This should give data journalism a new boost in working with statistical models. ML for sheets has two option, to predict missing values or to spot abnormal values. In order to get started you should read the documentation: https://simplemlforsheets.com/ and try the included dataset. Step by step you practice missing values, abnormal values, training and evaluating a model and finally predict values with a model. Have learned the hard way with R a couple of years ago, I was blown away; just a pushing a few buttons and done. No deep knowledge needed….however you better understand what you are doing. So if you have the taste, eat more ML at a special course by Google: Google Machine Learning Education: https://developers.google.com/machine-learning

 

From data journalism to data sensors

 MEASUREMENT OF CO2

From data journalism to data sensors

Some examples of  data sensors running on various micro controllers: 

1. Measuring climate in the living room on Raspberry Pi with a SGP30  measuring Co2 and DHT 22 voor temperature and humidity. Display graphics using Node-Red.

Measuring  Co2 with Arduino showing LCD crystal display and  RGB led for different levels of Co2

2. Measuring the weather with ESP32 Fire Beetle with BME280 measuring temperature, humidity and pressure. Display with ESP chart web server.

3. Mini solar panel measuring current with an Arduino Mega 2560, using INA219 and display on serial monitor, plotter and crystal  LCD.

Here are some toys for Xmas tree:

TWO INTERESTING TOOLS FOR DATA JOURNALISTS

 I am not a huge fan of installing all kind of gadgets on my machines. The leaner the better. Sometimes I am seduced and I install a new piece of gadget software. Lately I installed the following:

1. joplin for making and archiving notes;

2. weylus for making drawings and graphs on my tablet and displaying this on a large screen.

Joplin

Making notes is chaos. I use a simple text editor or a word processor. This leaves me with all kind of text files under different names stored in a folder notes, and I have folders like this on different devices such as a phone or my tablet.  What I need is a piece of software that stores my notes and synchronize it my other devices.  Joplin is a find: doing exactly what I need, easy to use and to install. It is available for all OS, from Windows to Linux and Android. Here is a screen dump of the program.

In the column left you see the various notebooks; the second column shows the notes in that notebook and the third, the main screen shows the content of a note. The two buttons on the left toggle between two different editors. The buttons on top of the second column is toggling various way of sorting, creating a new 'to do' or a new note.

Making a note could be simple typing text, but also a URL or a web page. Then you should install the joplin web clipper  by chrome apps.  Here are the various options of the clipper:

BTW Joplin can also handle different media formats like pdf or video and pics.

For synchronizing the notes and notes books is strait forward: install Joplin of other machines or on a phone or tablet using the app. Next choose the tool for synchronization: Nextcloud, Dropbox or OneDrive. I am happy with dropbox.

For coders and other command line riders there is also a terminal version, using VI as editor. Ah you want your own server to synchronize your note books; no problem try this Docker Image .

Weylus

No doubt you will recognize the following situation. You have to sign a pdf document. Writing on your large screen with e-pencil is no fun. You could do it on your tablet, but the you should be able to load or display the document on for example you tablet. What is needed is a cooperation between the main screen and and the tablet. 

Or take the following. During a data journalism training I have to draw a graph by hand. On a tablet is easy, byt the tablet is not showing on my main screen. In these cases Weylus is a nice tool. I run  Linux Mint on  my desktop main screen and a tablet with android. Install Weylus on your main device and Xournal (is a hand note-taking software).

Start Weylus:

Open a browser and connect to the local address or scan the QR code. The tablet and the main screen are now synchronized. Start Xournal on your main screen, which will be available on your tablet as well. and draw your graph.

Paul Bradshaw: What is data journalism?

Video presentation by Paul Bradshaw, Birmingham City University.

Data journalism isn’t just about spreadsheets and interactives: in this video from my MA Data Journalism classes at Birmingham City University I look at why the news industry has expanded its focus on data journalism over the past decade, and how thinking about definitions of data journalism can help reporters think more broadly about potential stories and subjects beyond official statistics.

I also look at related terms such as computational journalism, robot journalism and augmented journalism — and what we can learn from those definitions as practitioners. 

The Economist using QGIS

In The Economist e-newsletter 'Off The Charts', about data and visualization,  data journalist Elizabeth Lees, writes about mapping and the use of QGIS, the open source mapping software. How we make maps at The Economist

Since 2016, The Economist has used a geographic information system (GIS) to create most of the maps it publishes in print and online. GIS is a mapping tool that allows us to visualise and manage spatial data quickly and accurately. That is crucial for articles that may have a quick turnaround, such as our Daily charts or Explainers. GIS also allows us to discover and analyse geographical patterns and relationships. To create the dozen or so maps published each week, we source GIS maps and data, which we then load into QGIS—our preferred mapping software.

De nieuwe manier van werken

Hieronder een korte screencast over de Marantz Turret  met gebruik van OBS.

Professional studio device at your home office

 Covid has definitely transformed the way of working.  No rush to the office in morning, hanging out at the coffee machine, or watching the clock during a meeting. We all work from home. And here starts generally the problem. You need an office space at home, and a good computer to do your work and connect to your colleagues. Generally a laptop with build in camera and mic, or a bit more sophisticated  using a small webcam on top of the screen. For short meetings and chats the quality of mic and cam is acceptable. However, did you ever tried to do a lecture of a training?

In those situations you need more professional devices: high quality sound and video, but also a good angle for the camera, for example at three quart and not full face.

After some searching I choose the Marrantz Turret (https://www.marantzpro.com/products/view/turret). The Turret is a complete broadcasting system with a full HD webcam and USB condenser microphone with an integrated pop filter. It also includes a dimmable led light ring with different colors. Connecting the device with a Linux system and a windows 10 laptop was no problem. Power up the Turret connect the USB output to you system; choose the settings for the Turret camera and sound from the menu and you are in business.

In combination with video conferring software like Zoom or Teams,  the Marrantz Turret worked great. More interesting is streaming or recording with the Turret. For online training you would make some demo’s of the example’s that could we watched later. Or you can stream your lecture to the students audience. For this type of work OBS, Open Broadcasting System(https://obsproject.com/),  is a good choice. The good news is that the Marrantz Turret cooperates flawless with OBS, and using a virtual camera the Turret connects also to Teams of Zoom.

Running Ubuntu GUI in WSL

 Installed the GUI for controlling Ubuntu  in WSL. Here is an interesting recipe:

https://www.makeuseof.com/tag/linux-desktop-windows-subsystem/ 

Experimenting with Node-Red coding on a Raspberry Pi

Trying some coding  on a raspberry pi with a sense hat using node-red.

The environment variables(temperature, humidity and pressure) are shown on the node red dashboard in the background and streaming on the sense hat display.

I used these data 4 years ago to build a weather station using MySQL and R; here are the links:

1. https://d3-media.blogspot.com/2017/01/weather-data.html 

2. https://d3-media.blogspot.com/2017/01/the-electronic-barometer-2.html

3. https://d3-media.blogspot.com/2017/01/the-electronic-barometer-3.html

Tello GPS flight on google map

Using Tello FPV app. Here is a screenshot of the app

And the map of the flight mission

https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/edit?mid=1Hi3TCeaREphTWE4hnIXSN9EY_BIR-Bfl&usp=sharing

Flying around (4)….Hacking the Tello

Tello creates its own based WiFi network. It uses 2.4 Ghz and UDP as protocol to communicate with a client over ports 8889 at the server and 8890 at the client.

Let’s first look at the WiFi. When you directly connect from your cellphone no security protocol is used; just an open WiFi connection between server 192.168.10.1(tello) and the client 192,168.10.2(phone).

IN-USE SSID MODE CHAN RATE SIGNAL BARS SECURITY

* TELLO-627F4A Infra 4 54 Mbit/s 95 ▂▄▆█ --

If you create a password, an option in the settings of the app, WPA2 is used as the security protocol.

IN-USE SSID MODE CHAN RATE SIGNAL BARS SECURITY

TELLO-TELLO-627F4A Infra 4 54 Mbit/s 100 ▂▄▆█ WPA2

You can remove the password by holding the start button for 10 sec. Tello will completely reset. 

Tello is equipped with SDK: software development kit. The Tello SDK 2.0 user guide gives an overview of programming commands. Download here:https://dl-cdn.ryzerobotics.com/downloads/Tello/Tello%20SDK%202.0%20User%20Guide.pdf. 

Packet Sender

Is it possible to send SDK commands directly to the Tello?

When a computer is directly connected to the Tello network, you could give commands directly to to the Tello. Install ‘Packet Sender’ and send UDP packages to the Tello on address 8889. Tello will reply with OK.

Here is a screenshot showing battery, takeoff and land.

How about connecting the Tello to you home network with WiFi? Yes that is possible, then Tello is not an access point anymore but a client to the home WiFi network.More on this: https://tello.oneoffcoder.com/swarm.html

Home Network

Adding Tello to the home network:

Run the following python script: python set-ap-mode.py -s [SSID] -p [PASSWORD]

Here is the response:

sending cmd command

from ('192.168.10.1', 8889): b'ok'

sending cmd ap [SSID] [PSW]

from ('192.168.10.1', 8889): b'OK,drone will reboot in 3s'

Now Tello is a client of you home network, and directly connecting to the Tello from the phone app is not possible anymore.

Next: We have to scan the network for the IP number of the Tello

nmap -sP 192.168.178.0/24 or nmap -sT 192.168.178.1/24

Nmap scan report for _gateway (192.168.178.1)

Host is up (0.0080s latency).

Nmap scan report for 192.168.178.24

Host is up (0.015s latency).

Nmap scan report for 192.168.178.52

Host is up (0.081s latency).

Nmap scan report for 192.168.178.80

Host is up (0.034s latency).

Nmap scan report for 192.168.178.101

Host is up (0.035s latency).

The last one was newly added to the home network.

Ping on that address:

peter@Pegasus:~/Desktop/TELLO$ ping 192.168.178.101

PING 192.168.178.101 (192.168.178.101) 56(84) bytes of data.

64 bytes from 192.168.178.101: icmp_seq=1 ttl=255 time=1.33 ms

We could check the connection by sending UDP packages with packet sender.

Or run python scripts to control a flight or a mission of  the Tello. But in the scripts you have to update/change the IP address of the Tello and the ID. Send sn? with packet sender to get the ID.

From the oneoffcoder site – https://tello.oneoffcoder.com/swarm.html – try the following scripts.

demo_single.py and demo_status were working. Don’t forget to update the IP number and ID when connected to local wifi network.

You can also create a complete mission and save taht in a .txt file.

Then run:

python planned-flight.py -f cmds-01.txt

See also my blog posting Flying Around(3).

Java Script

Not only Python but also JavaScript is possibility to control Tello from the command line.

But you have to install the environment to to load a JavaScript for execution. I used the Snapstore and searched for npm to install node.js.

The following GitHub repository has a few scripts to get started:

https://github.com/jsolderitsch/tello-nodejs

You can run for example:

node TelloCommandLine.js

this invites you to send commands to the drone

Tello Command Console

---------------------------------------

Tello> Enter a Tello SDK Command.

Tello> command

Command: command

Data received from server : ok

Tello> takeoff

Command: takeoff

Data received from server : ok

Tello> land

Command: land

Data received from server : ok

Tello> command

Command: command

Data received from server : ok

Tello> takeoff

Command: takeoff

(If the port is already in use; run sudo pkill -9 node)

Node-Red

A special case for controlling Tello with JavaScript is Node-Red. Here is the GitHub repository:

https://github.com/johnwalicki/Node-RED-Tello-Control

What exactly is Node-RED?

Node-RED is a programming tool for wiring together hardware devices, APIs and online services in new and interesting ways. It provides a browser-based editor that makes it easy to wire together flows using the wide range of nodes in the palette that can be deployed to its runtime in a single-click.

Node-RED allows you to create functionality by wiring together flows of data between nodes using a browser. And it has gained tremendous popularity in the IoT space, by modeling bits of application functionality between IoT devices like sensors, cameras, and wireless routers.

Node Red is developed by IBM and is block based coding in a browser. After deploying the code you can have the results. Here are two pictures that show the basics: left the block coding and right the result after deploying.

A desktop or laptop is not great fun for controlling the Tello. Node_red can also be installed on an android device, like a phone or tablet. A complete install is possible, but a bit complicated because you have to set up Termux on your phone/tablet.

For installing Termux, see also http://d3-media.blogspot.com/2021/04/data-journalism-on-samsung-tablet-with.html

After installing Termux is here the recipe for installing node red: https://nodered.org/docs/getting-started/android

Much easier is to install an app RedMobile Lite – Node -RED on Android.

Node Red is especially interesting for IoT, internet of things, connecting devices and data streams. Connecting Tello with Amazon Alexa is an example. Here is the code: https://www.hackster.io/econnie323/alexa-voice-controlled-tello-drone-760615 . After installing you will be able to control Tello with voice commands.

FLYING AROUND 3: FLYING A MISSION

 When you buy a Tello EDU you have 4 mission pads, which enable the drone to fly special assignments. To fly a mission there are special command available. Look at the Mission Pad User Guide. Available at :https://dl-cdn.ryzerobotics.com/downloads/Tello/Tello%20Mission%20Pad%20User%20Guide.pdf . 

However flying a mission was more complicated. I had 3 problems:

1. the mission pad numbers

2. set up a mission from the command line

3. X and Y coordinates

First problem: pad numbers MID mission pad ID

It seems the pads have numbers, but I could not find where that number was. How can you find out?

Go to github: https://github.com/dbaldwin/DroneBlocks-DJITelloPy-Tutorial . Here you find a bonus script : bonus_01_get_tello_state.py.

If you run that script and tello is on a pad it will give you the mid.

Here is the output when Tello flying over MID 1:

'agx': -6.0,

'agy': 10.0,

'agz': -999.0,

'baro': 112.27,

'bat': 61,

'h': 70,

'mid': 1,

'mpry': '2,-4,178',

'pitch': 0,

'roll': 0,

'temph': 47,

'templ': 44,

'time': 12,

'tof': 83,

'vgx': 0,

'vgy': 0,

'vgz': 0,

'x': -10,

'y': 3,

'yaw': -1,

'z': 84}

Do that for all 4 pads front and backside and write the number on the pad.

Just discovered that the number is on the pad: printed as white line between the stars! If you look closely it is a number. Here is for example pad 3:

Second: how to set up a mission with 4 pads.

The mission pad works as a switch; like if…. Then. Read the guide closely.

Set up the following:

M1 M2 M3 M4 are the MIDs

The arrow is the direction, represented by the direction of the rocket on the pad. ( I come back to this later)

Next we need a command line to send instruction to the Tello.

Go to https://tello.oneoffcoder.com/python-manual-control.html . Under section 8 you find the scripts to send commands to the Tello.

For example:

python3 app.py -f command4.txt

In this case the commands in the txt file command4 are send to the drone.

And here are the commands for command4 forcing the Tello to fly a square over the pads.

(Important to understand is that you have to state the x,y,z coordinates of each MID)

command

takeoff

battery?

mon

mdirection 0

jump 0 80 60 60 90 m1 m2

#(tello is on m1 flies to 0 80 60, speed 60, if m2 is recognized camera is turned 90 degrees)

delay1

jump 0 80 60 60 90 m2 m3

delay 1

jump 0 80 60 60 90 m3 m4

delay 1

jump 0 80 60 60 90 m4 m1

delay 1

land

And the result is this video:

https://youtu.be/2Kk65aS5MtI

Problem 3:  X and Y

The coordinates are looking peculiar; I just discovered them by trial and error. But when I changed the direction of the pads(direction of the rocket) it did not work anymore. I needed new coordinates.

So the coordinates (x,y; that is the first two) are relatives to direction. The rocket gives the direction of the X axis.

Here are two figures showing the relations ship between direction and coordinates.

Figure 2 shows the position of the Tello: using the the same x and y while turning the direction of the pad.

Figure  1 shows the position of the Tello: using different x and y , while keep the pad in the same direction. 

Do you want to fly over the diagonals. Keep the pads in the same position when flying in a square over the pads. For the diagonal flight use the following: 

command

takeoff

battery?

mon

mdirection 0

jump 80 80 60 60 90 m1 m3

delay1

jump 0 80 60 60 90 m3 m4

delay 1

jump 80 80 60 60 90 m4 m2

land