So. Here we are. My own blog. Let’s see how long it sticks around this time.

As I worked on projects over months and years, I started to build an intuition about which boxes I was reaching for and which ones were collecting dust. My box of batteries was always on my desk. My box of fuses hadn’t been opened in my entire memory. But it was just a feeling. I couldn’t quantify it. I couldn’t tell you whether I opened my LED box twenty times last year or five. My memory is not good enough to track usage patterns across years of different projects.

I considered RFID tags, barcode scanners, a spreadsheet. All of them felt like too much. Then I found the simplest possible solution on AliExpress for a few dollars.

And meanwhile, I had a constant influx of new parts. I’d work on an LED project, then move on to something that needed pneumatic components, so I’d order pumps and fittings. Then I’d get interested in piezoelectrics and order a bunch of piezos. Parts kept being added to my collection but my available space did not increase.

As Kirchhoff’s current law states, the current into a node must equal the current out. If I kept acquiring parts at this pace without getting rid of anything, I would eventually drown. I needed a way to figure out what was worth keeping and what should go, so the system can reach a steady state.