One of my earliest memories of using a personal computer was hanging out at my friend Mike Wolter’s house in 1986 and playing the text adventure game Zork on his Commodore 64. I vividly remember the ritual of taking the floppy disk out of its paper envelope and inserting it carefully into the disk drive….
Have Coffee Will Travel
Thank you to my friend Brian Headlee for the idea on the Have Coffee Will Travel car kit! Ready to grab and go for any contingency, just add coffee, water, and fire. Equipment List JavaPresse manual burr coffee grinder Hario V60 pour over dripper Hario gooseneck kettle MSR Pocket Rocket 2 stove and fuel (outdoors…
The Russian and the ZombieSat
This is the sort of nerd obsession that my family has to put up with. On my birthday in 2019, I knelt down on a grassy hill on Antelope Island jutting out into the Great Salt Lake in Utah, and pulled from my pack a stack of electronic gear and snaking cables. Although the clouds…
Working LilacSat-1
Working LilacSat-1 (LO-90) Overview The following instructions detail the steps for working the amateur radio repeater on the LilacSat-1 (LO-90) satellite using a FUNcube Dongle Pro+ Software Defined Radio (SDR). Computer Setup Read the LilacSat-1 Overview first: LilacSat-1 Radio Info Download the LiveCD, burn, and boot. For instructions on this, go here: Chertsey Radio Club…
The Evolution of Human Locomotion -or- Wheee!
A few months back, I was walking down an airport concourse when I saw a little girl glide by me. At first I thought she had mastered some form of dark sorcery. Upon further observation, though, I saw that she could accomplish this feat of apparent levitation because she had small wheels in the soles…
Autumn Musings
Some are impressed by the exuberance of spring or the radiant joy of summer. A few even have fallen in love with the quiet beauty of winter. While I love all of the seasons, it is autumn that strikes a chord in my soul. It’s a season in which transition is subtle and yet compelling….
National Balloon Classic
Jessica and I worked as crew members for two hot air balloons during the National Balloon Classic in Indianola, Iowa from July 29th to August 3rd. The National Balloon Classic is a week long hot air balloon competition that has been taking place in Indianola since 1969. The balloon pilots compete both for points and…