//dirt cheap wireless TX
//generates 38kHz carrier wave on pin 9 and 10
//sends data via TX every 500ms
void setup()
{
  pinMode(9, OUTPUT);
  pinMode(10, OUTPUT);

  // Clear Timer on Compare Match (CTC) Mode
  bitWrite(TCCR1A, WGM10, 0);
  bitWrite(TCCR1A, WGM11, 0);
  bitWrite(TCCR1B, WGM12, 1);
  bitWrite(TCCR1B, WGM13, 0);

  // Toggle OC1A and OC1B on Compare Match.
  bitWrite(TCCR1A, COM1A0, 1);
  bitWrite(TCCR1A, COM1A1, 0);
  bitWrite(TCCR1A, COM1B0, 1);
  bitWrite(TCCR1A, COM1B1, 0);

  // No prescaling
  bitWrite(TCCR1B, CS10, 1);
  bitWrite(TCCR1B, CS11, 0);
  bitWrite(TCCR1B, CS12, 0);

  OCR1A = 210;
  OCR1B = 210;

  Serial.begin(2400);
}

void loop()
{
  Serial.println("testing testing testing");
  delay(500);
}

via http://tinyurl.com/ir-remote-control

To decode what the remote was sending, I used an oscilloscope and a small photodiode. The photodiode generates a small amount of voltage when light hits it, and responds to changes in light level quickly enough that the oscilloscope can draw a really nice plot of the signal. I have a Parallax USB oscilloscope, which is perfect for showing the command pulses and is just fast enough to find the modulation frequency. As an aside, I’m really happy with the Parallax oscilloscope for projects like this. It is simple to use and I love being able to save images to share with people.
Here’s what two of the commands from the dimmer remote look like. The top signal is the “fade lights up” command, and the bottom one is “fade lights down”:

she collected a bunch of Flickr photos of people spinning on the bull’s balls in Milan. Notice how that fulltext query effectively retrieves a pile of images, taken by different people, of the same curious custom:

If you are passing through the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, you should spin around on the testicles of the bull mosaic found in the centre. Legend has it that this will bring you good luck!

Now try this query, which uses the same terms but looks at tags instead of the free text (title, description) associated with the photos. It finds nothing.

"Consumer IR, or CIR, refers to a wide variety of devices employing the infrared electromagnetic spectrum for wireless communications. Most commonly found in television remote controls, infrared ports are equally ubiquitous in consumer electronics, such as PDAs, laptops, and computers. The functionality of CIR is as broad as the consumer electronics that carry it. For instance, a television remote control can convey a "channel up" command to the television, while a computer might be able to surf the internet solely via CIR. The type, speed, bandwidth, and power of the transmitted information depends on the particular CIR protocol employed."

The orginal is a Word. This is more convenient.

"Millions of units of the PicooZ micro helicopter are invading the market. It is a wonderful design for its price, so why not use its IR transmitter to also control a plane or any kind of vehicle or gadget? Existing IR receivers can be compatible if programmed with an appropriate software. An additional advantage of the transmitter is the built in Lipo charger for a 20-50 mAh Lipo. Why not fly our indoor models with the PicooZ transmitter? Infrared receivers can be very light, and 3 to 6 grams planes are now easy to build."

"The remote sensor is connected to a central circuit board that hosts the speed control of the main and tail motors. A penny-sized Lithium Polymer cell provides the power, typically giving flight times of around 6 - 8 minutes after a 15 minute charge from the transmitter. A balanced flybar stabilizes the helicopter in flight while a tiny tail rotor gives yaw control. Different views of the heli Above, top left, inside the fuselage. Top right, the transmitter with infrared bulb on top and charging cable exposed. Bottom left, the rotor/flybar coupling assembly and bottom right, the tiny tail motor & rotor But just how controllable are they? Well, the torque of the main motor puts the helicopter into a natural right turn. Left turns are a bit hit-and-miss, and generally speaking the helicopter will only spin around its own axis instead of making a smooth left circle, as it does to the right. But with practice, these infrared micro helicopters can be made to go roughly where you want them to. Altitude is determined by the speed of the main motor, and hence the varying amounts of lift created at different speeds of the main rotor, and like the left yaw control isn't completely accurate. There is a trimming function on the transmitter, left and right buttons that when pressed repeatedly change the directional (yaw) characterisitcs of the helicopter. The trim often changes during each flight, as the motor battery power reduces towards the end, hence effecting the torque that the main motor creates. The video below gives you a vague idea of what to expect... "