A jack of many hobbies and a master of none - spending lots of time on amateur/ham radio, running, and technology.
Wednesday, July 29, 2020
Plus ça change,...
...plus c'est la même chose.
Labels:
Society
Tuesday, July 28, 2020
Monday, July 27, 2020
Thursday, July 23, 2020
Garmin Hit by Ransomware
I couldn't upload my run this morning... turns out Garmin is dealing with a ransomware attack.
Labels:
Garmin,
Running,
Security,
Technology
Wednesday, July 22, 2020
On-Call
Being on-call has been part of the job for as long as I can remember... first carrying pagers then alpha-numeric pagers then Nextels then Blackberries. However, I'm not sure I would have any interest in a recent job posting that included this:
"Be available as needed to rectify IT emergencies. Must answer all forms of communication immediately."
Labels:
Jobs,
Technology
Friday, July 17, 2020
Intellectual Discourse - Ham Radio Reddit
First - Baofeng Bucks:
"Chinese communist party takes your Baofeng bucks and puts them right in the 'turn America into one big concentration camp' fund. They don't want you dead, they want your whole life. Call me crazy, see what happens.EDIT: Changed 'Baofeng dollars' to 'Baofeng bucks' because it's funnier."
"Japanese anime porn artists take your Yaesu Yen and put them right into the "get Americans addicted to tentacle hentai" fund. They don't want you dead, they want your whole life. Call me crazy, see what happens."
The Screwtape Letters
C.S. Lewis' The Screwtape Letters is on sale for $1.99 as a Kindle ebook. It's an easy, but thought provoking read.
Wednesday, July 15, 2020
International Space Station
We watched the ISS go overhead last night. I was surprised by how bright it was.
You can track it here and find times when you might be able to see it.
And, of course, they have a radio on the space station:
"The crew can operate the 2-meter packet radio in unattended mode, and hams can make contacts with the ISS station when the crew members are working. Hams can also communicate with each other using the ISS packet (computer) radio mode, or receive slow scan television mode images. It all depends on what equipment is in service in space.
A typical ground station for contacting the ISS station includes a 2-meter FM transceiver and 25-100 watts of output power. A circularly polarized crossed-Yagi antenna capable of being pointed in both azimuth (North-South-East-West) and elevation (degrees above the horizon) is desirable. But successful contacts have even been made with vertical and ground plane antennas."
Knoxville Utility Board Considers Offering Broadband
Chattanooga's EPB has done a great job with providing municipal broadband. I'd love for KUB to follow suit.
They own all the poles and I'm sure there are lots of SmartGrid advantages, too.
Tuesday, July 14, 2020
Wireless Charger with a Clock
This wireless charger with a clock ($19) is getting closer to my ideal Echo Dot Clock (add wireless charging and a couple of USB ports).
Monday, July 13, 2020
Eclectic Tech Podcost
I'm gonna give the ARRL's Eclectic Tech Podcast a try. The episodes aren't very long and it comes out biweekly.
Ham Radio is Dead, Long Live Ham Radio
From the "News for Nerds, Stuff that Matters" set, a discussion on the future of ham radio.
Since I've been working form home, I've been at the desk with my radios. I've not been spinning the dials on any HF bands, but scanning the local repeaters on 2m has turned up very little rag chewing. I thought folks might be talking more if they are stuck at home.
Labels:
Ham Radio
Saturday, July 11, 2020
On-Line Streaming Costs
LOL
These streaming subscriptions are getting out of hand. pic.twitter.com/YgCCnEPRgq
— Dare Obasanjo (@Carnage4Life) July 9, 2020
Labels:
Humor
Friday, July 10, 2020
ABP - Always Be Performing
I've heard people suggest C-SPAN, cable news, and the internet have lead to too much transparency. Compromises don't happen because politicians are always performing for their base. If they don't maintain their extreme positions, the mob attacks. That's how you get this...
Labels:
Government,
Politics
Thursday, July 9, 2020
Bad Router
Slashdot.org: Over 100 Wi-Fi Routers Fail Major Security Test -- Protect Yourself Now
My ASUS AC3200 isn't on the list, but as always the best practices apply:
- Change the default password
- Disable remote administration from the internet*
- Turn off UPnP
- Update your firmware and automate it if possible**
* You lose some convenience since you can't make changes from anywhere, but I rarely need that ability.
** Be aware that automatic updates my introduce new bugs.
Monday, July 6, 2020
$9 Wireless Charging Pad
I need to add another wireless charging pad, since I'm working from home and I end up using different rooms depending on who is in the house.
Nerds Know the Answer to Fake News?
I've been reading Slashdot.org for years. I have a fairly respectable UID under 50000. (You kids get off my lawn!)
I think the moderation system there works pretty well, but I don't know if it would be up to the task of dealing with questionable content on Facebook.
It would probably be better than "unfollowing" and "snoozing", but not as good as avoiding it all together.
Labels:
Geek
Sunday, July 5, 2020
Another 10 Years
I had to renew my ham license. The online process was painless. I had my FCC Registration Number (FRN) documented with my usual reference materials, so it meant I didn't have to go digging for it and avoided that headache.
I'm good for another ten years. Maybe I should actually get on the air again.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)