Micro-USB Powered Dog Feeder

I'm not a huge fan of stationary devices that require batteries to operate. I've had 2 Aspen Le Bistro Portion-Control Automatic Pet Feeders since February of 2015 and they've performed very well. The only problem is that when the batteries get low, they don't feed the dogs and so far, the low battery light hadn't worked. The label on the bottom of the feeder clearly showed I needed 4.5V at 500ma to power the feeder. To anyone who works with electronics, these numbers are almost identical to USB power (5V at 500ma) which gave me the idea.

Residential Cable Pathways and Conduit

Hello world. Sorry it's been a while. I got a job at Google and moved to California therefore my posting frequency had gone down for a bit. It's a mix of being very busy and general NDAness of working at Google. 

Riser between garage and attic

I'm adding a home security system as well as adding wired network to several locations in my new home in San Jose. After having some very weird and un-reusable pathways in my last house, I decided to implement some best practices for wiring by installing actual conduit to my wiring closet (office closet). I found a great space between my garage and the attic that allows the venting of the water heater and furnace as well as the main ductwork for the upper floor. It also shares a wall with the office closet which is an ideal location for network switches and the alarm system. My hope is that this will allow me to pull future cable with a pull-string through the conduit instead of drilling more holes or ripping apart the drywall for another pathway.