Author: Bob

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Updated Games

I went through the games I have on the site and updated them to a more modern look and feel. I also made most of them Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) so they can be downloaded to your phone and played off-line.

Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) are websites designed to look and function like native mobile apps. Unlike traditional websites, they use “service workers” to cache data, allowing them to load quickly, send push notifications, and even work offline. They provide a “best of both worlds” experience: you get the speed and offline capabilities of a downloaded app without needing to visit an app store or give up significant storage space.

Installing a PWA is straightforward and bypasses the App Store or Google Play Store entirely. On Android, open Chrome, navigate to the website, tap the three-dot menu in the top right, and select “Install app” or “Add to Home screen.” On Apple (iOS), open Safari, navigate to the site, tap the Share icon (the box with an upward arrow), scroll down, and tap “Add to Home Screen.” In both cases, an icon will appear on your home screen, and when you open it, the browser interface (like the URL bar) will disappear to provide a full-screen app experience. Note that browsers other than Safari and Chrome should not be used to install the PWA. Firefox and others may not have complete PWA support.

You can view the list of games here or use the menu.

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ShowCard — A Card Reveal Tool for Performers

♣ ♥ ♠ ♦

What is ShowCard?

ShowCard is a mobile web app designed for card performers. It lets you silently encode a playing card into your phone using natural-looking gestures, then reveal it dramatically at the right moment.

The encoding happens in two steps as you handle the phone. First, the suit is registered by where your thumb lands as you pick up the phone. Then a second touch encodes the value. Neither touch looks deliberate to an observer — they’re the natural contacts of someone checking their phone.

When you’re ready for the reveal, either lift the phone or give it a subtle motion and the card fades into view. The whole sequence, from encoding to reveal, can be made to look completely incidental.

Continue reading “ShowCard — A Card Reveal Tool for Performers”
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My Smart Home Just Got a New Brain: Using Claude Code to Tidy Up Home Assistant

I’ve always loved the flexibility of Home Assistant, but let’s be honest: maintaining a complex setup as it grows can feel like a second job. Between the custom YAML configurations, legacy devices, and the constant evolution of the HA dashboard, things get messy.

Recently, I decided to see if Claude Code—Anthropic’s agentic CLI tool—could handle the “spring cleaning” for me. After a weekend of testing, I can say it’s a game-changer for terminal-focused automation.

⚠️ First Rule of AI Automation: Backup Everything

Before we talk about the cool stuff, a word of caution: Because we are using sshfs, Claude Code is writing directly to your live files. One small “hallucination” in a YAML indentation can take your whole system down.

Do not start this without a fresh snapshot. Go to Settings > System > Backups and create a full backup. Better yet, if you’re on a Pi or Mini PC, clone the SD card or drive.

The Setup: Bridging the Gap

My Home Assistant instance runs on a dedicated mini PC, but I wanted to use Claude Code from my main workstation.

1. Mounting the Config via SSHFS

I used sshfs to make my remote /config folder appear as a local directory on my Zorin machine. Note that I’m using a local IP here; you’ll want to use your own internal address.

Bash

# Mounting the remote mini PC config to a local folder
mkdir ~/ha-config
sshfs root@192.168.xxx.xxx:/config ~/ha-config

Tip: If you’re using the “Advanced SSH & Web Terminal” add-on in HA, make sure SFTP is enabled in the add-on’s configuration!

2. Launching the Assistant

Bash

cd ~/ha-config
claude

Step 1: The Security Audit (The “Secrets” Move)

While Claude was scanning my files, it noticed something I’d overlooked: I had several API keys and authorization tokens hardcoded directly into my configuration.yaml and some custom integrations.

The Logic:

Claude didn’t just point this out; it explained that this was a security risk (especially if I ever back up my config to GitHub). It suggested moving them to secrets.yaml.

The Execution:

I gave it the go-ahead, and it was impressive to watch. It:

  1. Created/Updated my secrets.yaml file with the new keys.
  2. Replaced the hardcoded strings in configuration.yaml with !secret pointers.
  3. Verified the syntax was still valid for Home Assistant.

Step 2: Dashboard Refresh

My “What is on” dashboard tab was a mess—it was missing several newer devices I’d added.

The Prompt:

“Look at ui-lovelace.yaml. In the ‘What is on’ tab, find the current ‘Entities’ card. Compare with entities in the system and see if I am missing any. Then add the missing ones using conditional cards to show them only when they are on.

Because Claude Code uses “Solution Math”—calculating the logical outcome rather than just matching text—it understood the YAML structure perfectly. It didn’t just dump the entities at the bottom; it integrated them, respected the indentation, and even suggested a better icon for my solar production sensor.

Final Thoughts

We’ve all used AI to “write a script,” but Claude Code feels different because of its Agency. It isn’t just a chatbot; it’s an assistant that has access to your actual files. It can run a ha core check command to verify its own changes before you ever hit “Save.”

For a power user, it feels like having a senior developer sitting next to you who knows the Home Assistant documentation by heart. Just remember: Backup first, automate second.

Have you tried using agentic AI for your home automation yet? I’d love to hear about the prompts you’re using to keep your house running smoothly.

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Sternwheeler cut

This is something I am playing with. Basically it is a fancy Charlier cut.

Forgive the video quality. It was shot with an old Microsoft Surface running Linux at Starbucks.

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AI Coding – finding the sweet spots

I don’t think people realize what will happen with AI coding eventually. I have been playing with AI Coding for a little while and I am amazed at how well it does for certain tasks. These are simple programs that I have AI write for my personal use. I have had several Android Phone Apps created by AI that I use as a magician, for example. These apps are not intended for the general population and do not need to meet everyones needs, only mine.

Recently I found a old ASUS Nexus 7 Android tablet that I wanted to resurrect. I decided that I would use it as a controller tablet for my Home Assistant home automation system, something akin to a Kiosk mode controller. I had a brief chat with Google’s Gemini which told me that what I wanted to do was doable, but that since the device was old the code would have to be written without using the latest web tech. I suggested using the Home Assistant API and it thought that was a great idea. (I do find it annoying that AIs find all ideas to the great, even when they are not.)

Here is where I was amazed. I went into my Home Assistant and copied its configuration file. I uploaded that to Gemini and it extracted the devices I have from the file, suggested which ones it thought I should include, and then wrote the Javascript and HTML code for the app. It also gave me instructions on where to put the file within the Home Assistant server.

I uploaded the file and it worked. Now note that I could have used a third party plugin to Home Assistant that puts Home Assistant into a Kiosk mode, but I would have had to create a Home Assistant dashboard with the devices. Also, it is likely that that page would not have run on the Nexus web browser.

Kiosk Page to control my Home Assistant from my Nexus 7 tablet

What does this mean for the future. I still had to copy and paste the code, but we are already seeing AI agents that can take over even those tasks. I can see when users no longer open the Play Store to download an app, or search for a PC Program. Instead they will simply tell the AI Agent what they want the program or app to do and it will be created for them. If it isn’t exactly what you want, no problem, just tell the AI what to change.

Additional thoughts

So having AI build the new web page based interface I decided that I wanted it to run as an app, not has a web page via the browser. The problem with using the browser was that it opened with the browser tool bar and headers. So I asked the AI to build a Cordova app that simply showed the page, without using Chrome or Firefox.

It did this, but it was a bit harder. Not harder techically, harder in the sense it took the AI more time to get it right. The reason was that I am using very old hardware. Cordova has many dependencies and the AI had to figure out what version of each layer of technology would work. It eventually got there and I now have an app on the tablet that opens the kiosk mode directly.

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A nice reversal

I love going back and reading old magic books. This reversal of a single card is from “At the Table Tricks”, by Neal Elias. This book was first published in 1946. The slight reverses the bottom card of the deck and can be covered with an overhand shuffle.

To make this move smoother, think of it as a synchronized “squeeze and turn” motion.

1. The Setup (Left Hand)

  • Hold the deck in a standard Mechanic’s Grip in your left hand.
  • Position your left middle, ring, and pinky fingers so they are flat against the bottom card’s outer right corner.

2. The Buckle

  • Squeeze those three fingers inward and upward toward your thumb (the inner left corner).
  • This action “buckles” the bottom card, creating a gap and tilting the rest of the deck upward at a 45-degree angle. This is the standard buckle technique.

3. The Transfer (Right Hand)

  • Reach under the deck with your right hand.
  • Place your right thumb at the edge closest to you and your middle/ring fingers at the far edge.
  • The palm of your right hand should be facing the bottom of the deck.

4. The Secret Turnover

  • As the left fingers buckle the card, use the right hand to rotate the deck.
  • Pivot the deck on its left edge until it is vertical, in the position to start an overhand shuffle.
  • The “buckled” card remains hidden in your left palm as the deck slides over the top of it.
  • If you rotate you left hand (holding the hidden card) and pull down on the right edge of that card with the left fingers, the card will rotate to be face up.

5. The Overhand Shuffle

Start an overhand shuffle of the cards in the right hand onto the top of the reversed card.

6. The Cover

  • Front/Left: Tilt your left hand up slightly to shield the card from those angles.
  • Right: Your right hand naturally blocks the view from the right as it turns the deck.

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AI Vs Real

Three of these are my photos, three are AI generated. It is getting hard to tell the difference. Bottom line, don’t trust any image you see on line.

© 2026 Robert J. Wallace. All Rights Reserved.