Alex Catalano

Long-exposure photo of multiple LEDs responding to motion from a GY-521 accelerometer, with serial data visible in the background
2026-01-08 [mode: build]

States

Extended the tilt-to-light experiment into a four-state motion indicator using a GY-521 and multiple LEDs. Moved from a continuous fade to discrete states (flat (red), light (yellow), strong (green), max (blue)) and mapped each to its own output.

Debugged by isolating hardware from logic with a sequential LED test, then calibrated motion thresholds using live serial data. Fixed an integer overflow that was corrupting the smoothed signal.

The system now behaves predictably — motion in, state out. Less guesswork, more reasoning.

[domain: tech]

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Arduino breadboard with red LED and GY-521 tilt sensor controlling light
2026-01-07 [mode: ground]

Motion to Light

Worked in physical hardware tonight instead of simulation. Got a basic LED running (on, blink, fade), then wired the GY-521 to control light output through tilt.

Simple behavior, but important: sensor → decision → output. This is the first real step toward the arrow project.

[domain: tech]

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Hand-drawn sketch showing X, Y, and Z axes for a GY-521 accelerometer
2026-01-05 [mode: learn]

Axes

Spent time with the GY-521 today working through how it actually detects orientation. Drew this sketch to map ax, ay, and az to physical movement, then verified it against live data. Fewer assumptions now. Clearer signals.

[domain: tech]

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GY-521 accelerometer mounted on a breadboard with Arduino reading live data
2026-01-04 [mode: build]

Orientation

Worked with the GY-521 today. Read live acceleration data over serial and mapped basic orientation (forward, back, left, right, flat). It's a small loop, but the data lines up cleanly with physical movement.

[domain: tech]

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Controlled backyard burn of yard debris
2026-01-03 [mode: clear]

Burn Pile

Cleared the den and started working through old yard debris. Filled five lawn bags and burned what I could safely manage. What was scattered is now contained.

[domain: home]

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3D printed desk cable grommet test print
2026-01-02 [mode: build]

Desk Plug

Printed a small desk grommet to replace a missing cable cap. Mostly a calibration print, but it closed a loose end. Learned more by finishing than by planning.

[domain: tech]

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A small pile of personal Christmas ornaments, including travel keepsakes and a house blessing
2026-01-01 [mode: reset]

Ornaments

Cleaned the house today. The living room finally came together, and the studio followed once things were out of the way.

Took the ornaments down and set them aside. They mark places and years more than anything else. A quiet start to the new year.

[domain: home]

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Fireworks over a city park with parked cars and silhouettes in the foreground
2025-12-31 [mode: observe]

Sparks in the Park

End of the year. Took it slow during the day, then watched the city's fireworks from the brewery overlooking the park. Not a big night — just a marker. Enough to close the year and head home.

[domain: day]

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Underwater view of a manatee in murky spring water
2025-12-30 [mode: field]

Manatee

Kayaked in Crystal River with colleagues today. It was 37 degrees, so the manatees were clustered together. I stayed in the kayak — cold, limited angle, but present.

[domain: place]

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Avocado toast on Cuban bread at a neighborhood coffee bar
2025-12-29 [mode: depart]

Cuban Toast

Breakfast with my dad on Davis Islands before packing up and heading home. I hadn’t had Cuban toast in years. A small, familiar pause before the drive.

[domain: day]

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A small dog standing on an outdoor table with tropical plants behind
2025-12-28 [mode: rest]

December Light

A slow day in Tampa. Warm air, blooming plants, and long pauses. Sometimes the day doesn’t ask for much.

[domain: home]

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A View-Master reel held in hand, slightly out of focus
2025-12-27 [mode: archive]

Reel

A View-Master reel arrived a couple days after Christmas. My mom bought it as a gift — you can see her holding the viewer. In the center, an older image: my brother and his wife, before their daughter was born. An original kind of photo reel.

[domain: family]

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Baby’s feet resting on a table during a family holiday gathering
2025-12-26 [mode: ritual]

Vasilopita

A Greek New Year tradition: a coin baked into the cake. Whoever finds it is said to have good luck for the year. This year, my niece did — her first Christmas, eight months old.

[domain: family]

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Large ribeye roast on a rotisserie rod with rosemary and thyme
2025-12-25 [mode: gather]

Roast Beast

Christmas Day in Tampa. A big ribeye roast on the rotisserie, herbs wrapped on top. My aunts brought it, my dad cooked it, and we sat down together.

[domain: family]

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Hands repairing a small porcelain Christmas tree with hot glue at a kitchen table
2025-12-24 [mode: repair]

Hot Glue

Christmas Eve in Tampa. The day started with a broken pipe back home and ended quietly. My parents fixed a chipped porcelain tree at the kitchen table — steady hands, familiar motions. Not everything needs replacing.

[domain: family]

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Coworker playing a guitar covered in bumper stickers in a nearly empty office
2025-12-23 [mode: drift]

Last Day Sounds

End-of-year quiet at the office — just a few people left. Someone played guitar down the hall. We went out for burritos at lunch. The building felt like it was exhaling.

[domain: work]

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Pixel-art still life of a home desk with a 3D printer mid-print, coffee cup, bread dough, and stacked hard drives
2025-12-22 [mode: reflect]

Still Life

A year-in-review rendered as a desk scene. Printer running, coffee cooling, bread proofing, drives stacked. Surprisingly accurate.

[domain: systems]

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Oatmeal loaf topped with sliced bananas on a plate
2025-12-21 [mode: endure]

Oatmeal

A difficult day. Breakfast made by my aunt before the drive. Long conversations. Hard decisions. Sometimes all you can do is accept that things are changing and keep yourself fed.

[domain: home]

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Festive wine and cheese table with Christmas-tree-topped toothpicks
2025-12-20 [mode: gather]

Holiday Pairings

Went to a small wine and cheese gathering. Good food, easy conversation. I sat across from a professor who lives in Portland and we talked about rain, pace, and what daily life there actually feels like. One thing that stuck: Portland really is a maker city — outward, not upward; slow, methodical, and quiet.

[domain: social]

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Small gray 3D printed calibration cube from a first test print
2025-12-19 [mode: build]

First Print

New filament arrived today. Cleaned the printer, moved it into better light, tracked down the power cable, and brought it back online. Ran a small calibration print to confirm motion, heat, and flow. Simple, but important.

[domain: tech]

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Underwater view at Silver Springs, clear water with submerged plants
2025-12-18 [mode: field]

Silver Springs

Kayaked Silver Springs today with a small group from the college. Clear water, long quiet stretches, and good conversation on the drive down. Ordered filament tonight — ready to start iterating again.

[domain: explore]

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Kayak gear laid out: camera, compass, snorkel mask, knife, and water shoes arranged on a dark surface
2025-12-17 [mode: prepare]

Kit

Quiet day at the office. Lunch with a coworker. Evening walk. Spent the rest of the night laying out gear and prepping the kayak for tomorrow. Not polished — just ready.

[domain: field]

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Handwritten sign reading 'Next Door Please' outside a hackerspace, with a faint reflection in the window
2025-12-16 [mode: step]

Next Door

Long day at work. A holiday parade passed the building in the morning. In the evening, I went to the Gainesville Hackerspace for the first time in years. I talked through a microcontroller project I've been developing and was invited to present it next month.

[domain: tech]

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Single amber-lit apartment among dark windows at night
2025-12-15 [mode: low]

One Window

Quiet day. Campus deserted. The town feels quieter.

[domain: day]

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GoPro mounted to an extended monopod on a work desk, with tools and instruments in the background
2025-12-14 [mode: make]

Reach

Built a simple camera extension for an upcoming kayaking trip. Tested clamps, poles, and reach until it felt right. Sometimes the work is just finding the simplest version that holds.

[domain: tech]

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Coffee cup on a wooden table in a quiet coffee shop with a lit Christmas tree in the background
2025-12-13 [mode: inhabit]

Morning Coffee

Walked to a coffee shop without a laptop and sat for a while. Later: Target for a few house things, yard cleanup, painted the exposed columns, set up the Christmas tree. A day of putting space back together and being part of the room.

[domain: home]

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Graduation crowd gathered near the stadium, people lining up for photos with a gator statue
2025-12-12 [mode: observe]

Graduation Friday

Graduation crowds filled the campus today — loud, temporary, celebratory. I threaded through on my way out, back to quieter work.

[domain: place]

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Cafeteria dish conveyor with trays moving through a stainless steel system
2025-12-11 [mode: integrate]

Midday Loop

Worked through a simple photoresistor circuit in the morning. Lunch with coworkers at the dining center. Walked the neighborhood in the evening and watched planes cross a clear sky.

[domain: systems]

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Container of holiday cookies with a handwritten note in an office break room
2025-12-10 [mode: steady]

Office Cookies

Brought holiday cookies to the break room and most of them disappeared by afternoon. Finished a big site migration, took a short walk at lunch, and kept the evening simple: dishes, a cleaned bedroom, and a quiet reset.

[domain: social]

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Holiday cookies on a table at a neighborhood exchange
2025-12-09 [mode: connect]

Cookie Exchange

An evening of cookies and conversation. New faces, easy laughter, and a little warmth on a cold weeknight.

[domain: social]

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Campus flyer with a duck sticker covering the speaker’s face
2025-12-08 [mode: connect]

Sticker on the Speaker

A campus walk with a colleague. A surprise gift card on my desk. A kayak invite confirmed. Even this stickered flyer — small signs that the day wasn't lived indoors.

[domain: social]

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Mechanical keyboard with switch housings removed, mid-cleaning
2025-12-07 [mode: rebuild]

Switches

Rainy Sunday. Further organized the guest room as a studio. Began clearing long-term storage. Swapped switches and cleaned cables. Small repairs moving things forward.

[domain: tech]

${hard-drives: 545GB moved to Drive 5; “white” fully cleared; archive 46TB @ 70/30 used/free}

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