Cemetech

Cemetech began as a personal website hosted on Homestead and later GeoCities, publishing personal software and hardware projects. In 2004, the site expanded on shared hosting with a PhpBB-based forum, and in March 2005 moved to [https://www.cemetech.net Cemetech.net].{{cite web|url=https://www.cemetech.net/about|title=Cemetech – About|publisher=Cemetech|access-date=2011-02-26}} The site spent the following three years consolidating its presence in the TI graphing calculator enthusiast community and attracting programmers who began publishing their own independent software projects on the site. Early projects were primarily calculator-related, later branching out into computer, web, and embedded programming. In mid-2006, Cemetech lost several hundred posts when hosting provider Jatol disappeared overnight,{{cite web|url=https://www.cemetech.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1317|title=The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly|publisher=cemetech.net|access-date=2015-07-12}} stranding hundreds of customers without websites or backups.{{cite web|url=http://tech.slashdot.org/story/07/09/11/0038207/Jatolcom-Disappears-Stranding-Customers|title=Jatol.com Disappears, Stranding Customers| publisher=Slashdot.org| accessdate=2024-05-18}}

From 2008, Cemetech expanded further into hardware development, releasing popular projects such as the Clove 2 typing glove, an electro-acoustic musical instrument, and several hardware mods of graphing calculators. Major software projects have included networking libraries for calculators and other low-resource devices, as well as the hardware and computer software to support internet-connected calculators, an extensive shell called Doors CS for these devices, and work on distributed computing and image processing projects by the founder and several staff members.

In 2012, Cemetech's founder published a book titled "Programming the TI-83 Plus/TI-84 Plus" with Manning Publications, an introductory programming book inspired by his experiences working with beginner programmers at Cemetech.

The following Cemetech projects have been widely disseminated on technology news sites and blogs, organized alphabetically.

• Clove 2:{{cite web|url=https://www.engadget.com/2008/07/13/clove-2-typing-glove-leaves-your-other-hand-free-for-high-fives/|title=Clove 2 typing glove leaves your other hand free for high fives - Engadget|date=13 July 2008 |publisher=Engadget|access-date=2011-02-27}}{{cite web|url=https://gizmodo.com/5024693|title=DIY Clove 2 Glove Allows You To Type One-Handed, Sans Keyboard|date=13 July 2008|publisher=Gizmodo|access-date=2011-02-27}} A Bluetooth data glove for one-handed typing.
• Doors CS:{{cite web|url=http://hackaday.com/2010/12/16/peer-network-using-graphing-calculators/|title=Peer network using graphing calculators – Hack a Day|date=16 December 2010|publisher=Hack a Day|access-date=2011-02-26}}{{cite web|url=http://hardware.slashdot.org/story/10/12/16/204241/Calculator-Networking-With-CALCnet-and-Doors-CS|title=Calculator Networking With CALCnet and Doors CS|date=16 December 2010 |publisher=Slashdot|access-date=2011-02-27}}{{cite web|url=http://www.ticalc.org/archives/news/articles/14/146/146642.html|title=Find an Oasis in Doors CS 7.0|publisher=ticalc.org|access-date=2011-02-27}} A calculator shell for the TI-83+/TI-84+ series of graphing calculators, offering a GUI API, a networking stack, and features for users and developers.{{cite web|url=http://dcs.cemetech.net|title=Doors CS|access-date=2011-02-27}}
• Doors CSE: The successor to Doors CS for the color-screen TI-84 Plus C Silver Edition graphing calculator, offering various utilities related to file management and general use of the calculator.{{Cite web |title=Doors CSE 8.2 for the TI-84 Plus C Silver Edition |url=https://dcs.cemetech.net/#:~:text=Doors%20CSE%208.2%20for%20the%20TI%2D84%20Plus%20C%20Silver%20Edition%20%23 |website=dcs.cemetech.net}}
• Floppy Drive Music on a TI-83+:{{cite web|url=http://hackaday.com/2011/12/01/making-sweet-floppy-drive-music-with-a-calculator/|title=Making Sweet Floppy Drive Music with a Calculator - Hack a Day|date=December 2011|publisher=Hack a Day|access-date=2011-12-08}} A twist on the classic project of using the stepper motors and coils in old hardware such as hard drives or floppy drives to make sound or music.{{cite web|url=https://www.engadget.com/2011/12/05/retro-gadget-orchestra-nails-house-of-the-rising-sun-puts-your/|title=Retro gadget orchestra nails House of the Rising Sun, puts your garage band to shame (video)|date=5 December 2011 |publisher=Engadget|access-date=2011-12-08}} This version uses a calculator as the controller, utilizing its two I/O lines to control the floppy drive.{{cite web|url=http://www.wykop.pl/link/965397/kalkulator-podpiety-do-stacji-dyskietek-co-takie-cudo-potrafi/|title=Kalkulator podpiety do stacji dyskietek. Co takie cudo potrafi - Wykop.pl|work=Wykop.pl|date=4 December 2011 |access-date=2011-12-08}}{{cite web|url=http://www.journaldugeek.com/2011/12/06/house-of-the-rising-sun-interprete-machines/|title=House of the Rising Sun interprété par des machines|date=6 December 2011|publisher="Journal du Geek|access-date=2011-12-08}}
• gCn (globalCALCnet){{cite web|url=http://games.slashdot.org/story/11/02/22/0340258/Online-Multiplayer-Games-On-TI-Calculators|title=Online Multiplayer Games on TI Calculators|date=22 February 2011 |publisher=Slashdot|access-date=2011-02-27}}{{cite web|url=http://hackaday.com/2011/02/22/global-calcnet-your-ti-83-just-acquired-internet/|title=Global CALCnet: Your TI-83 Just Acquired Internet|date=22 February 2011|publisher=Hack a Day|access-date=2011-02-27}} and CALCnet: A linking protocol for linking the TI-83+ series of graphing calculators over the internet, or to each other. Some applications include a chat client that can link calculators to each other and to IRC as well as a scorched-earth genre multiplayer game called Obliterate.{{cite web|url=http://www.ticalc.org/archives/news/articles/14/147/147311.html|title=Obliterate Bonds of Oppression With Online Gaming|publisher=ticalc.org|access-date=2011-03-23}} Another famous usage of gCn is the Gossamer web browser, a version of the Lynx web browser.
• Gossamer:{{cite web|url=https://www.engadget.com/2011/07/26/graphing-calculator-web-browser-lets-you-visit-your-favorite-sin/|title=Graphing calculator web browser lets you visit your favorite sine wave fan sites|date=26 July 2011 |publisher=Engadget|access-date=2011-08-01}}{{cite web|url=https://gizmodo.com/5824425|title=A Web Browser For Your…Graphing Calculator?|date=25 July 2011|publisher=Gizmodo|access-date=2011-08-01}} A web browser for graphing calculators, operating over the CALCnet and globalCALCnet networking protocols, allowing viewing of and interaction with simplified web pages.{{cite news|url=http://www.maximumpc.com/article/news/creative_programmer_whips_web_browser_graphing_calculators|title=Creative Programmer Whips Up A Web Browser For Graphing Calculators|newspaper=Pcgamer|publisher=Maximum PC|access-date=2011-08-01}} A remote bridge based around the Lynx text-only web browser reformats web pages for use on the calculators.{{cite web|url=http://www.pcworld.com/article/236658/|title=Graphing Calculator Web Browser Is Here; Geeks Love it, Smartphones Unimpressed|publisher=PC World|access-date=2011-08-01}}
• jsTIfied: An online emulator for TI-73, TI-76.fr, TI-81, TI-82, TI-82 Stats.fr, TI-83, TI-83+, TI-83+SE, TI-84+ and TI-84+SE.
• Multichord:{{cite web|url=http://hackedgadgets.com/2010/01/26/multichord-hard-drive-musical-instrument/|title=Multichord - Hard Drive Musical Instrument - Hacked Gadgets - DIY Tech Blog|publisher=Hacked Gadgets|access-date=2011-02-28}} An electro-acoustic musical instrument using a hard drive to tension a string that can be strummed or plucked.
• SourceCoder 3:{{cite web|url=http://www.ticalc.org/archives/news/articles/14/146/146444.html|title=Cemetech's SourceCoder Updated|publisher=ticalc.org|access-date=2011-02-27}} An online IDE for the TI-BASIC programming language, as well as the Z80 and eZ80 Assembly languages. It also has support for user-developed languages like C and ICE (developed primarily by Cemetech users MateoConLechuga and PT_ respectively)
• Ultimate Calculator:{{cite web|url=http://hacknmod.com/hack/mod-your-boring-ti-83-calc/|title=Mod Your Boring TI-83 Calc | Hack N Mod|publisher=Hack N Mod|access-date=2011-02-27|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110409182417/http://hacknmod.com/hack/mod-your-boring-ti-83-calc/|archive-date=2011-04-09|url-status=dead}} A project involving fully customizing the hardware of a TI-83+; this includes customization of the casing, adding a PS/2 mouse port, and at one point, even incorporating a PS/2 touchpad. There have been three incarnations of the Ultimate Calculator.{{cite web|url=http://www.cemetech.net/news.php?year=2010&month=all&id=376|title=Cemetech | News | Ultimate Calculator 3 Progress|publisher=Cemetech|access-date=2011-02-27}}

Cemetech's many other past and present projects include web applications for trend aggregation and data mining, hardware and software projects for music visualization, many TI-BASIC, Z80, and eZ80 Assembly programs, and research into parallelization, distributed computing, and image processing.

The projects above have individually gained attention from being featured on technology and DIY websites and blogs. Cemetech as a whole has gained more limited notoriety. It is well known in the hobbyist graphing calculator programming scene, and began to gain more widespread attention with its booth at World Maker Faire 2012 in New York City, entitled "Hacking Graphing Calculators: The Stealth Pocket Computer".{{cite web|url=http://makerfaire.com/pub/e/8801|title=Hacking Graphing Calculators: The Stealth Pocket Computer|publisher=Maker Faire|access-date=2012-10-25|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20121005002844/http://makerfaire.com/pub/e/8801|archivedate=2012-10-05}} Cemetech's founder was interviewed,{{cite web|url=http://hackaday.com/2012/09/29/giving-graphing-calculators-a-new-life/|title=Giving graphing calculators a new life - Hack a Day|date=29 September 2012|publisher=Hackaday|access-date=2012-10-25}} and the booth won the Faire's Educators' Choice Award.{{cite web|url=http://www.cemetech.net/news.php?id=532|title=Cemetech News: Maker Faire Day 1: Educators' Choice; Hackaday Interview|publisher=Cemetech|access-date=2012-10-25}} Cemetech returned to Maker Faire with new projects and references in 2013 and won the Editors' Choice Award as well as a second consecutive Educators' Choice Award.

In November 2012, Cemetech became one of the primary news sources introducing TI's new TI-84 Plus C Silver Edition and Casio's fx-CP400 graphing calculators. Both devices were released in Q2 2013, and brought large color screens to their respective models. Cemetech's revelations about the two devices were widely quoted by popular online technology news outlets.{{cite web|url=http://tech.slashdot.org/story/12/11/11/1819236/color-screen-ti-84-plus-calculator-leaked|publisher=Slashdot|access-date=2012-12-03|title=Color-Screen TI-84 Plus Calculator Leaked - Slashdot|date=11 November 2012 }}{{cite web|url=http://science.slashdot.org/story/12/11/30/0420250/in-calculator-arms-race-casio-fires-back-color-touchscreen-classpad|publisher=Slashdot|access-date=2012-12-03|title=In Calculator Arms Race, Casio Fires Back: Color Touchscreen ClassPad - Slashdot|date=30 November 2012 }}

In early 2011, Cemetech's members took a vocal stand against Texas Instruments' educational division for the TI-Nspire CX graphing calculator to be introduced in Spring 2011, calling on community members to "ignore the Nspire CX and get a [...] Prizm" from TI competitor Casio.{{cite web|url=http://www.cemetech.net/news.php?id=443|title=Casio Prizm: Why TI Calc Coders Should Abandon the Nspire CX|publisher=Cemetech|access-date=2011-03-24}} While much of the hobbyist community agreed with the letter or spirit of the proclamation, a discussion between teachers and community members on a semi-official TI-Nspire discussion group prompted criticism of Cemetech's attitude as contrary to the purpose of TI's calculators, exemplified in "[o]ne thing that [...] is NOT wrong is TI's refusal to make the NSpire a platform for Doom or Quake or any other distraction that kids enjoy. These things may be fun, but they aren't about learning math".{{cite web|url=https://groups.google.com/group/tinspire/browse_thread/thread/552a2517900b6a52/5348a27c9836322b|title=Why TI Calc Coders Should Abandon the Nspire CX|work=Google Groups: tinspire|access-date=2011-03-24}}

{{Reflist}}

• [https://www.cemetech.net Cemetech] - The Cemetech website
• [http://www.ticalc.org/archives/files/authors/60/6077.html Cemetech's programs] on ticalc.org

Category:Ubiquitous computing

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