June 2018 Summaries

The text outlines a project that leverages various APIs to ensure a dog's safety by detecting potential threats, such as cats, while the owner is away. By attaching a camera to the dog's collar, images are captured and analyzed using the Google Cloud Vision API to identify any potential threats. If a cat is detected, the system sends an alert via SMS using the ClickSend API and a web push notification enabled by PubNub's real-time messaging service. The tutorial provides step-by-step instructions on setting up the necessary APIs, including Google Cloud Vision, PubNub, and ClickSend, as well as the code required to capture images, recognize labels, and send notifications. This innovative application serves as a practical demonstration of integrating multiple APIs for real-time monitoring and alerts, offering a valuable learning experience for developers interested in creating interconnected systems.

Magnus, a software developer from Stockholm with a background in data integration and a passion for craft beer, has created an innovative IoT beer tap project, inspired by an after-work outing and the need for controlled access in his office canteen. The system, dubbed "Biruino," integrates PubNub's pub/sub pattern for seamless communication among various hardware components and features a central cloud-hosted controller that manages operations based on sensor inputs. Challenges in hardware development included the need for more GPIO pins and handling components requiring different power voltages, leading to a switch from small Arduinos to ESP8266 Arduinos with WiFi. The system operates by having users swipe an RFID card, triggering a series of actions including valve operation, LED color changes, and personalized messages, all while tracking individual beer consumption. Developers interested in exploring or contributing to this project can access the code on GitHub.

Blockchain projects have seen significant investment, with the average reaching $1 million in 2017, and forecasts suggest the market could surpass $20 billion by 2024, creating incentives for developers to venture into cryptocurrency. The technology underlying cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum is the blockchain, a secure and reliable decentralized network that has gained trust as an alternative currency system, as illustrated by a ledger analogy involving an island community. To capitalize on this growing market, developers can integrate PubNub with their projects, enhancing the blockchain user experience through real-time JSON RPC requests to Ethereum nodes, enabling scalable and interactive smart contracts. Additionally, developers can leverage tools like Truffle for building and testing decentralized applications (DApps) on blockchain networks, such as Ethereum's Ropsten Network, and utilize cloud-based services to manage data extraction and interactions efficiently, demonstrating the potential to handle vast numbers of devices and transactions in real-time.