Well, I got one! I received a Raspberry Pi computer from my wonderful parents for Christmas, and I’m trying to come up with stuff to do with it. It’s basically a tiny $35 computer that comes equipped with 512MB of RAM, Ethernet jack, HDMI port, Composite Video (for you 1990’s folk), an ARM processor, and a handful of GPIO (general purpose input/output) pins for interacting with gadgets and the world in general.

I have no idea what to do with it.

There are a million and a half videos and projects that people have done using these tiny little magic boxes, but I can’t seem to decide on one that would be perfect for me. I may be a geek, but I’m not well versed in programming and those who know me can attest to my patience. Or lack thereof. I can think of a million awesome things that I can do, but I’m not sure which one I want to do, and I know there are a ton that I just don’t have the skill for. I know I could learn it, but I’m trying to be realistic. I want something that I can do in this lifetime >_<.

I have decided on a project that I think I can do and that should take up a bit of my time. I might actually even learn something while I’m at it, which is kind of what this little wonder-box was made for. I found a project by modding genius, Ben Heck, that should take some time and be pretty fun. He basically built a retro computer case for the raspberry pi and added a slot to it so he could use expansion cards to play around. I have no idea what I would do with expansion cards, but I think I could have a good time with a little self-contained retro linux machine. So I bought some wood from Michael’s tonight and figured I might try it out. Then I realized my first mistake, I bought wood that’s WAY too thick. I guess it’s a trip back to the store for me.

So I’ve not even started the project and I’m one mistake in. That’s okay though! This is a recoverable one. I can handle this. I’ll try to post as I put this thing together. Maybe I can take a picture or two and post it as I progress. This will be a huge test of my patience. I’m honestly glad I’m blogging about it just so I can keep myself accountable. Not that that has ever worked before :(. Oh well! There is a first time for everything.