One of the things I always wanted since setting up my own Home Assistant server was a shopping list where I could easily add items by voice, edit them, and have it synced with my smartphone so I could check it from the supermarket. And all of this without depending on Alexa.In this post I'll explain how I built my own using a reTerminal D1001. Why I stopped using Alexa for the shopping list When I tried adding Alexa to Home Assistant, I always ran into problems. Ever since they cut part of its integration with Home Assistant, you have to rely on several skills to get it working, and it never quite worked well for me. I tried the AnyList skill, but…

Over the last few weeks, I’ve been experimenting with round LCD displays to see what they can really do. The moment I held one in my hand, I had a total Toy Story flashback: Woody asking the Magic 8-Ball for advice.I never actually owned one as a kid, so I thought... why not build my own? But let's take it a step further. I’d like to have my own custom responses, and instead of relying on a random number generator to show the results, I want to implement something that simulates the physics of a real die.For those who don't know, the Magic Ball was invented in 1946. It is a ball with the appearance of a billiard ball containing an icosahedron floating in…