Skytopia > Projects > Technology/science/misc articles

Technology/science/misc articles.

18/02/2022 - Anduril 2 cheat sheet

15/09/2021 - Minimizing blind spots - Tesla Model 3 wing mirror showdown

27/08/2019 - Comparison of the best Model 3 tires according to Tire Rack and Tyre Reviews

17/05/2011 - The (Un)likely Instant Cure Page - Everyone and their pet dog knows a cure for hiccups or heartburn, but statistically, the best method turns out to be...

19/03/2011 - The Insidious Creep of Latency Hell - A degree of latency (delay) exists in everything from mobiles, TVs, and cameras, to the computers we use: LCD monitors, games, and networks. In this special feature, Skytopia charts some of the devices which are most prone to this near-invisible monster.

06/12/2010 - Best domain name registrar - Similar to what we did for the web hosts, this is a collection of the best domain registrars.

11/02/2008 - MP3 Player Giants Rematch - We put iTunes, Windows Media Player, Winamp and MediaMonkey together for a rematch to the death! Far more comprehensive than the previous comparison we did.

13/08/2007 - 2D/3D Graph Software Comparison - This time, we bring you 9 different graphing programs, each of which vary in features such as speed, graphics, versatility, and technical features. Which is the best?

29/07/2007 - Form fundamentals in HTML - The basics of forms for your website. Learn how to dynamically change HTML content using interactive radio buttons, and send variables from one page to another using PHP, Javascript and simple HTML. We make it much more concise than most other pages out there.

28/06/2007 - The Silver Bullet of Free Energy - All claims of 'free' energy have been, and probably always will be false unfortunately. But it's still fun to dream up the possibilities, so in this article, we look at the useful, weird, and wacky uses that free energy could be used for.

09/01/2007 - The Illness of Sleep (spoof) - Sleep is our common enemy. We discuss ways to avoid it, and in the process, regain back 20 years of your life.

20/12/2006 - Tips on how to Save on Electric Bills - We discuss informally how heat is the biggest killer in terms of electricity consumption. Included is a detailed list of appliances, how much power they use, ways to save on heating your home, the dreaded 'standby mode', and the future of energy.

05/11/2006 - The Amazing Zeppelin Bend and Grapple Hitch - Ever needed that perfect knot to yank a bad tooth out, or extend a bungee rope so you can dangle further down a cliff face? How about escaping from the top floor of a top security prison by tying bed sheets together? Well if you answered an affirmative "yes" to one or more of the above, then you'll want to use some kind of a knot. We cover the only two knots you'll ever need.

01/09/2006 - Quick conversion and reference to the most common commands used in C/C++ and Java - Massive update to C programming page. Now I cover most of the common commands in Java and C/C++, with a dynamic table so you can choose what info to see. I would have died for a page like this when I started out learning C or Java.

08/08/2006 - Updated Battle of the web hosts page - now it's (sigh) nonprofit, with no affiliate links.

07/07/2006 - Choosing a web host to build your website - Looking to build your own website, and swamped by all the web hosts out there? Following on from the top hosts article, we detail what features you'll want from a host, and discuss whether you should go for a free or paid host.

05/07/2006 - Quick reference to the most common commands used in C/C++ - I knocked up this page as a quick reference to many useful commands used in the C/C++ programming language. Basically, I would have died for a web page like this when I first started out learning C, so I hope you all find it useful!

30/06/2006 - Conversion from audio/wav/MP3 to MIDI - Skytopia explores the current state of the art in software that converts from MP3 (or any audio format) to MIDI data. Artificial intellgience has advanced massively over the past decades, but we're far from finding a decent music analysis algorithm.

26/06/2006 - World's most unanswered music questions - Semi-specialist article. Over time, I have gathered together many questions about the fundamental nature of music, and decided to create and maintain this page to bring light to them.

10/05/2006 - Liang-Barsky line clipping algorithm - Specialist article again. What we have is the easiest tutorial to understanding the Liang-Barsky line clipping algorithm on the whole of the net!

06/03/2006 - Useless statistics and chicken pox - After a chicken pox infection, I visit the hospital for a diagnosis, and am astonished by the lack of risk data.

14/10/2005 - Battle of the web hosts - We conduct an extensive experiment using Google to find out the best web host! If you're looking for an ideal host, then this is the place to start (and finish! :) For those of you in a hurry, here's the shorter more 'commercial' version. (updated 25/12/2005)

24/07/2005 - Java IO speed comparison & MIDI specification crash course - Two rather more specialized articles this time. The first tests the speeds of various input and ouput classes in Java. The second teaches you the various basics behind the MIDI file format, and is meant for those who wish to manipulate and program MIDI data at the byte level without resorting to separate software.

14/07/2005 - Quick guide to light units - I knocked up this quick page as a quick reference to the SI base light units - Lux, Lumen, Nit, and Candela. Instead of a long explanations, everything is summed up in an all-in-one table and diagram. Learn 10 times faster! Also added an obscure article on how to operate the Magmark GP74 hotfoil printer.

27/03/2005 - Comparison of the MP3 player giants - Following on from the Single Folder Filesystem article, Skytopia goes in search of the best MP3 player. In the end, we filtered the list down from seven to three favourites - Winamp, iTunes and MediaMonkey. The question is - is the best good enough?

03/10/2004 - Mastering Chopin's Fantasie Impromptu - Originally archived at Tabulas.com, this is my attempt to master a very difficult piano piece.

15/09/2004 - Lexmark X1130 review - The Lexmark printer/scanner reviewed. But it's much more than that. I compare it to all the old printers such as ther Citizen Swift and Epson Stylus to see how much technology has advanced since 10 years ago! Also contains nice scans and stuff.

08/08/2004 - Converting MIDI to traditional music score - Which programs best convert from MIDI to sheet music? We cover 25 notation programs, including Sibelius, MidiNotate, and Finale, and rank them.

30/07/2004 - Towards A Single Folder Filesystem - Find out how the use of folders slows down the everyday organisation of files.

14/03/2004 - Turning off the dreaded fan - If you're lucky enough to have a mobile processor such as the Pentium M, but are kept awake at night by the noisy fan, then this is the article you've been waiting for ;-).