Other articles


  1. Galley

    Run Home to Mama: The Bug Pages

    It's a Galley When It's Mobile

    One of the more important functions of our Bug-out trailer is meal preparation. So a full 30% of the interior space goes to food storage and cooking and cleanup. No surprise there. We all love to eat …

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  2. Propane

    Run Home to Mama: The Bug Pages

    We Have a Really Good Case of Gas

    If you got bad news, you wanna kick the blues,
    Propane.
    When your day is done, and you want to ride on,
    Propane.
    She don't lie, she don't lie, she don't lie.
    Propane.

    propane bottles

    Camping without …

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  3. Water

    Run Home to Mama: The Bug Pages

    Water: The Simplest System

    When I was thinking about fresh water, hot water, cold water, city water, water storage, water pump, water heater, etc., I was feeling a tad overwhelmed. It seemed like so much.

    Turns out it was one of the simplest …

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  4. Bathroom

    Run Home to Mama: The Bug Pages

    Head, Crapper, Showers, Bathroom, whatever.

    It seems a bit of a stretch to call this toilet/shower combination a 'bathroom', but 'shower/toilet combination' is just too hard to type over and over.

    I could revert to Navy lingo and refer to it …

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  5. An openSCAD Toggle Switch Housing

    A toggle switch.
    This is the stereotypical SPST toggle switch. These are everywhere.

    A Home for Every Switch

    I like toggle switches. I like the tactile impression they make on my finger as I flip them. The satisfying click that tells me, 'yes, it did'.

    But sometimes mounting them is a bit of …

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  6. Power and Light

    Published: Tue 08 October 2024
    Updated: Sat 26 October 2024
    By Dr. Gerg

    In Bug-out.

    Run Home to Mama: The Bug Pages

    Bluetti and power center.
    Here is a recent photo of all the pieces and parts.

    Scan of a page of notes related to power.Scan of a well-worn power one-line drawing.
    Like everything else, it starts with pen and paper I write it down if I even think it might be important. Ideas are cheap and disposable. On the left are my earliest …

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  7. Charlie

    The Woods

    The woods.
    The woods behind our house. Thick, full of danger.

    The Sound

    "Did you hear that?" I ask. "What?", she says. "I thought I heard a cat crying in the woods out there." She stops, listens and says, "No, I don't hear anything."

    I go on about my business …

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  8. 2112 is Now

    Rush 2112 album cover.
    Rush 2112 album cover.

    Have you listened to Rush's 2112 lately?

    We all watch the world evolving from one where individuality and self-reliance was highly valued to one where social saturation and centralized everything is the norm. If knowledge is power (it is), then more and more power is concentrated …

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  9. Introducing Stackernoes

    A top-down view of a Stackernoes game.
    This is Stackernoes. We play with a double-nine set, but I don't think it matters.

    This is Stackernoes

    First thing let me say this: I did a reasonable search of the Internet for a similar game, and I didn't find one. So until proven otherwise, I'm under the impression I …

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  10. Backyard Music

    Bands on the Blackwater.
    Bands on the Blackwater is a weekly series in my backyard. Not literally, but almost.

    You might think that life in a small town in Northwest Florida would be boring. You might be right if you measure excitement by the number of drive-by shootings and bar brawls on an average …

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  11. Cat Proof

    mangled wire
    What in the world happened here!?

    "My Dog Ate My Homework, Miss, I Swear!"

    If you have pets, it's generally a choice you've made. Kinda like getting married or having kids, or both . . . or neither, but you get my point.

    We love our pets. Dogs, cats, weasles, skunks, chickens, skinks …

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  12. Fan-Tastic!

    Yaesu FP-1030A power supply.
    The Yaesu FP-1030A is a great power supply. 5-stars!

    This is Not Rocket Science

    I never said everything I post here is going to knock your socks off. This little blurb certainly will not do that.

    However, when I find something that is pretty easy to do and makes my …

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  13. An Antenna Saga

    Four antennas and 3 guy lines.
    Four antennas and 3 guy lines. Yes!

    Two Antennas Are Simply Not Enough

    Ham radio is a hobby. It can be much more than that, but it goes well with a large dish of experimentation and learning. That's the biggest appeal to me.

    I knew when I made the leap …

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  14. Still Got It

    Here is where our pulley is.
    Image: The yoke holding the pulley is there.

    Let one thing be perfectly clear: I am an old man.

    I am past both the social and legal definition of retirement age. I still work full-time, and will continue to do so as long as they want me and I want …

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  15. The Return of Ham

    Dr. Gerg on a tower.
    Image: This is what I call fun.

    Many years ago in a far-away land . . .

    . . . there lived a not-quite-so-young man who was about to realize a life-long dream: he was about to get his ham radio license.

    It was the mid-90's in the Great Republic of Texas and my wife and …

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  16. Finite

    Earth

    When I was a child the world was infinite, spreading out in all directions without end. From the sugar sand beaches of the northern Gulf Coast through the hushed waters of the Okefenokee, out to the sprawling deserts of Nevada, up to the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness separating Montana from Idaho, my …

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  17. Casspop is Now DrGerg

    Melding My Diverse Personalities Into a Singularity

    drgerg on github

    Multiple personalities can be fun until they turn into a mess. Then it's fun again when you find out you can clean up the mess quickly and easily. Such is the case here.

    I chose 'casspop' as a username on Github a long …

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  18. MPD is Just Awesome

    Image: The official MPD logo.
    Image: The MPD logo. Basic. To the point. Just like MPD.

    I really stressed over titling this article this way. "Awesome" has become another perfectly useful term to find itself tossed into the refuse pile of formerly 'cool' terms. That's so sad.

    Awesome is one of the best words I …

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  19. Basic Online Safety

    I'm sure everyone here knows all this, but it still bears repeating. Be safe out there.

    Image: Russian hacker wanted by the FBI.
    Image: These people really do exist.

    No matter to what lengths you go, you simply cannot be connected to the Internet without exposing yourself to bad actors out there who want as much data …

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  20. Zen Garden

    It has been said 21st Century man is bound up in pursuing an abundance of things. What is needed to counteract this obsession is an abundance of spirit, a chance for self-reflection and a connection with one's inner self. 1

    Image: A Zen Garden made of 40 caliber shell casings.
    Image: An Impromptu Zen Garden

    How do you make time …

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  21. Building Pelican

    Published: Tue 19 July 2022
    Updated: Mon 25 July 2022
    By Dr. Gerg

    In misc.

    Documenting my journey to understanding the Pelican system.

    This is intended to be a resource document for ordinary people interested in the Pelican static blog generator. It is a lot to read. It was a lot to write. My hope is that others may benefit from the effort.

    Learning How …

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  22. The Second Constant

    "Change is the only constant in life." - Heraclitus

    In 500 B.C. that may well have been true. Even 100 years ago, that may still have seemed true.

    However, the expanding mass of humanity has engendered new perspectives, and from those perspectives we draw new conclusions.

    Careful examination of the …

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  23. Feedback Loop

    A long time ago, a guy named Skinner proposed that how we behave is a consequence of environmental histories.

    Image: A person getting a lot of feedback.

    We are either the giver or the receiver in interactions with our world. We stimulate, they react. They stimulate, we react. Both sides provide feedback to the other. This goes on …

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  24. Apprehensive

    I am feeling apprehensive.

    Apprehensive. A past-participle of apprehend. (A participle is verb that can do the work of an adjective, like 'baked' in "baked beans".)

    Apprehend comes from the Latin word apprehendere meaning, "take hold of, grasp" In essence, when you've taken hold of something mentally, or if it …

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  25. Ode to Time and Nature

    Image: Jagged desert mesa.

    Time's a cruel-hearted bastard.
    Nature's a cold-hearted bitch.
    Both will surely wear me down,
    and scoff at my last twitch.

    From the day that I was born,
    Until the day I die,
    They push and prod and poke and pinch,
    and dare me to defy.

    Their hand is cold. So …

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  26. Payphone Lock

    Image: 1950's era payphone.

    Many years ago, I was given this rebuilt payphone as a gift. It is fully functional, but the two locks are not. The bottom lock is completely missing. My granddaughter loves to drop coins in the slots and hear the bells ding, so we pull the door out and it …

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  27. Battery Brouhaha

    Image: Three kinds of Lithium batteries.

    Every once in a while I learn a valuable lesson.  Sometimes that lesson is more valuable because it actually costs me money.

    Today's lesson is that, even though these three batteries look the same on the outside, and all three fit into the same holder, one of them is very …

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  28. Best-Tech Shopping List

    Image: Shopping List Printer.

    We've been around the block with shopping lists. From a piece of paper with handwritten notes to desktop PC created lists printed on 8.5x11" paper to apps like Out of Milk on the phone, we've done it all.

    And we've been less than happy with all those. Now that …

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  29. Long-Sought Crimper

    OMG. Finally! I've been trying to find a low-cost crimper for Dupont-style open-barrel pins and sockets for years. After purchasing a couple of tools that failed to fully measure up, I finally have one that crimps these little guys perfectly.

    This is not in any way, shape or form a …

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  30. The Tiniest Thing

    I've printed a bunch of parts on the Prusa printer. But today (yesterday, actually) I printed the smallest functional part I've ever done. Roughly 7x7x5mm. Tiny thing.

    The tiny thing is part of PoohPi.

    PoohPi sits at my wife's desk and greets her every morning with statistics that will inform …

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  31. OpenSCAD Pi Zero Model

    When I build things using the Prusa 3D printer, I like to also create a model of the part I'm making brackets or enclosures for. That way I can see how the whole thing is going to fit together without making bad assumptions about how any particular part is going …

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  32. Time

    Image: A child that has falled asleep in the back seat.

    I don't think we will EVER get there. I've been sitting in this back seat for most of my life. Every time I ask the people in the front seat how much longer, they say stuff like, "About two minutes less than the last time you asked."

    The day is …

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  33. Laugh With Me

    Life is serious. You might die.

    Uh. Yeah? I guess so.

    Image: Two people laughing together.

    My dear mother gave me one gift that has been more valuable to me than anything I know or can imagine. She taught me to laugh at myself.

    It's easy to laugh at other people or at situations that …

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  34. uNsocial

    The irony of this does not escape me.

    I am compelled to talk about my lack of social-ness here in a virtual diary that is a common tool of social media.

    I tried to listen to a podcast the other day. It's not the first time, just the latest of …

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  35. The Necessity of Failure

    If you haven't noticed, in spite of what some folks would like to believe, we are not all the same.

    Image: A steel bar breaks under extreme force.

    We are not all the same height. We are not all the same build. We have different smiles, different hair, different tastes.

    We do not all make the same first …

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  36. PiNet - the pool

    Pool Pump and Lighting Control

    When my wife's in-ground pool was completed, it quickly became apparent the controls for the pump and lights were designed in a tech vacuum.

    Image: The original controller parts.

    The control head (receiver, and manual buttons) was attached to the power panel through a knockout on top. It looked like …

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  37. Knowledge is . . .

    What if every utterance of any person in the world could be saved and served to requestors forever?

    Would that be a good thing? As you might surmise, the answer is not clear cut.

    IPFS: the InterPlanetary File System is intended to replace HTTPS and de-centralize the content delivery process …

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  38. Python - now you're talkin'

    I'm always learning. Always.

    I've always been curious about coding, even before I knew it was called that. When I became aware of the first personal computers that weren't just game consoles, I wanted to be able to make it do what I wanted. But I didn't know how to …

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  39. The Rescue Bike

    This is a retrospective of sorts. The project started in the spring of 2013 when I saw this 1983 Honda GL1100i at a second-hand store on U.S. 41 in Hahira, Georgia.

    Sitting outside a secondhand shop in Hahira, GA. First day at home.

    The bike was loaded down with every conceivable piece of aftermarket bling known to man. I'm sure someone …

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  40. This Love

    Image: Old image of young love.

    This love is a slow love,
    This love don’t move too fast,
    This love was in the first place,
    This love will be the last.
    This love can bring me to my knees,
    This love can give me wings.
    And carry me to heaven high,
    Or bind me with …

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  41. Serenity

    With all that is within me,
    I will choose serenity,
    accepting the things I cannot change,
    standing courageous to change the things I can,
    and seeking wisdom to know the difference.
    Living one day at a time,
    enjoying one moment at a time;
    accepting hard work as a path to …

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  42. Word

    Image: Just words.

    In the beginning was the word,
    Dawning mouth to ear.
    The word begat motion,
    Became action, became consequence,
    Became eternal.

    The word made friend of stranger,
    Carried power, grace and death.
    Made weak men strong, strong men servants,
    Masses slaves.

    The word ignited, spreading,
    Consuming speaker,
    Engulfing parent, partner, prodigy …

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  43. I Am

    I am.
    What more is there to say?
    I wake to find the dawning,
    Another Earth-bound day.
    Another quest which lay,
    Before my feeble feet.
    Another hour of effort,
    Exchanged for bread and meat.

    I am.
    Alone it should suffice.
    To breathe, to laugh, to struggle,
    Between the fire and …

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  44. Road

    Image: A long straight road.

    This is my highway.
    It stretches true and straight
    as far as the eye can see
    from mountain to mountain,
    without hint of ambiguity
    or duplicitous intent.

    This is my road.
    It waits, neither friend nor foe,
    impassionate, trustworthy, honest.
    And when upon it I step with the load I …

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  45. Seven Bells

    Seven bells wail their plaintiff song,
    One for childhood,
    Two for love,
    Three for waits too long.

    Four more times the cold air rings,
    Four for youth,
    Five for lust,
    Six for shiny things.

    Last the crystal sound is heard,
    Seven . . . seven . . . seven,
    Seven for the stifled word.

    (c) Copyright …

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  46. Fire

    I watch a new piece of wood on my fire.

    It slowly warms up to its surroundings,
    and,
    when ready,
    bursts into flame,
    adding its energy to the
    cumulative heat of the community.

    Brightly it burns,
    eager to express,
    to produce,
    to participate.
    It gives all that it is
    in …

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  47. Down

    It is in my heart to cry,
    But barren is my eye,
    A smoldering fist in my chest,
    Snatches the tear,
    That would fall silently by.

    It is in my soul to scream,
    More questions than answers seem,
    Obsidian steam builds in my chest,
    And slashes my resolve to dream …

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  48. Ebenezer (Rock of Help)

    What started out as many,
    By fate became as one,
    A single surface scoured,
    And rudely etched upon,

    By wind, by water, sun and time,
    The face does slowly change,
    The core, however, holds its own,
    Its substance will remain.

    Though besieged by all the force,
    That life can bring …

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  49. Of Pain and Peace

    When day alone is not enough,
    To illuminate my soul,
    When I eat life dry and tough,
    And force to swallow whole,
    When the wind of circumstance
    Blows cold against my skin,

    It is then, only then I truly know,
    How blessed I am
    To hold your hand.

    When it …

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  50. Dog in the Trash

    Some people think that dogs are dumb,
    but that's a mistake as a rule of thumb.
    They sucker you in in their hang-dog way;
    when you're asleep they commence to play.

    It's late at night and the puppy's bored,
    she's looking around for a brand new toy.
    Sneaks into the …

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  51. Summer Smiles Again

    "Mommee! He hit me!"
    "Did not! She hit me first."
    Onto the placid summer scene,
    Two small tornadoes burst.

    And Mom, with inward summer smile,
    Plays referee once more,
    "Go sit out on the porch a while,
    And please don't slam that door!"

    The words have barely hit the ground …

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  52. Beauty is in the Eyes

    Every woman is beautiful. Deep in the eyes of all women shines the hopeful expectancy of a young girl gazing up at her father with all the wonder, trust and love of the whole world sparkling. If you look past the hurt, past the fear, beyond the suspicion, yes, even …

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  53. Strength

    Some are like the towering oak,
    impervious to the storm.
    Some are like the grass that patiently
    crumbles great mountains beneath its roots.
    Some are like the apple or plum,
    yielding up their fragrant fruit.
    But I am like the sunflower,
    easily bending, long and spindly,
    face following the sun …

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