John Poole

Retired principal software engineer with the world's largest database company. Retired lawyer.

Enthusiast of Gentoo Linux, Xen VMs, and single board computers (Raspberry, RISC-V). Perl does the trick.

Classical pianist, woodworker, gardener, cook, letterpress, photography, & practical jokes.

Re: Follow request -- I want to know something about who follows me, so if your "bio" is empty, I'll deny the request.

Blog: https://salemdata.net/johnpress/
Homepage: https://salemdata.net

Public Key

npub1dvt7hwa9tv2ep56jx0nnu5lhs3z3g5qsmsu5lp0swfwt6tcktsxstwtmtk

NIP-05 Address

voguelagalere_at_mastodon.online@momostr.pink

Profile Code

nprofile1qqsxk9lthwj4k9vs6dfr8ee720mcg3g52qgdcw20shc8yh9a9ut9crgpz3mhxue69uhhyetvv9ujuerpd46hxtnfduqs6amnwvaz7tmwdaejumr0dsh43ysn

Publishing to

saltivka.org

relay.damus.io

nos.lol

Author Public Key

npub1dvt7hwa9tv2ep56jx0nnu5lhs3z3g5qsmsu5lp0swfwt6tcktsxstwtmtk

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Last Notes

2026-07-24 14:14:30 UTC

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I run Forgejo on a Raspberry Pi. Have you considered running your own Forgejo? The only problem is AI bots.

2026-07-21 16:33:08 UTC

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The more I reflect on the Teahouse statement which includes profanities and reads like a manifesto, I become discouraged and depressed.

2026-07-21 15:10:22 UTC

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Mark's commentary is troubling, he seems very angry.
Here's the full text: https://github.com/markqvist/Reticulum/blob/master/This%20Is%20Not%20a%20Teahouse.md

2026-07-12 19:04:26 UTC

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a saying I find works:
If you cannot say anything nice about a deceased, then don't say anything at all.

2026-07-05 01:22:58 UTC

How does a #Reticulum mesh actually behave on #LoRa when messages must traverse multiple transport nodes?
I ran seven GPS-disciplined #TBeamSupreme units running #microReticulum, forced AMY<->GUY traffic through five intermediate nodes, parsed all seven logs into SQLite, and produced a microsecond-scale chronology plus CAD-delay plot. The test exposes forwarding, channel contention, and radio backoff in one trace.
https://salemdata.net/johnpress/?p=1041
#MeshNetworking #ESP32 #OpenSource
https://files.mastodon.online/media_attachments/files/116/864/742/814/791/997/original/024d312f6e9b8083.png
https://files.mastodon.online/media_attachments/files/116/864/743/388/441/149/original/3597ac47e0a98068.png

2026-06-22 15:11:16 UTC

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AI suggests they are: Dianthus chinensis, commonly known as rainbow pink or China pink, is a herbaceous perennial plant native to northern China, Korea, Mongolia, and southeastern Russia.

2026-06-21 23:55:36 UTC

A timing investigation for seven T-Beams: their external RTC preserves whole seconds, but cannot establish millisecond event order across units.
I added GNSS PPS capture plus ESP32 monotonic interpolation, compared the resulting disciplined timestamps against a PPS-backed laptop, and found normal agreement near zero while UART/USB delivery can lag hundreds of ms.
Reply if this interests you and I may write up the evidence, logs, and SQL analysis.
#Reticulum #Meshtastic #GNSS #PPS #LoRa #ESP32
https://files.mastodon.online/media_attachments/files/116/790/785/970/693/383/original/579033b04135fddb.webp
https://files.mastodon.online/media_attachments/files/116/790/786/033/264/759/original/91dc1abecb86c012.webp

2026-06-19 11:55:08 UTC

Each #MeshNetworking radio test cycle requires rebuilding and uploading separate #ESP32S3 firmware images 4 each #TBeamSupreme, because each unit has different blocker rules to simulate network topology.
Moving the compile step from my older Intel workstation to a Ryzen 7950 box cuts roughly 8–9 minutes from each iteration. That adds up fast when testing, retesting, and chasing radio anomalies.
https://salemdata.net/johnpress/?p=974
#Reticulum #PlatformIO #EmbeddedSystems #Forgejo #Gentoo #HardwareHacking
https://files.mastodon.online/media_attachments/files/116/776/636/118/223/802/original/83dc9a7d2b750032.png

2026-06-16 20:27:20 UTC

Published a new Reticulum testing note: simulating mesh-network distance in the lab by using software “blocking pairs” between nearby T-Beams. This lets a desktop test force packets through intermediate transport nodes instead of requiring people scattered miles apart.
https://salemdata.net/johnpress/?p=874
#Meshtastic #Reticulum #LoRa #MeshNetworking #TBeam #EmbeddedSystems
https://files.mastodon.online/media_attachments/files/116/761/661/629/105/568/original/9c41968f392ac717.png

2026-06-12 16:36:08 UTC

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The above reply was concerning my UART logging, not the openwebrx. Your suggesting that the OpenWebRx, instead of demodulating an FM broadcast, for instance, have a demoudulator for the ANNOUNCE. Yes, that would be nifty. I may return to that, I need, first to determine if there really are collisions. I read that transmitters have a see-if-anyone-is-broadcasting and if so, wait before transmitting. How effective that is would be something to test, too.

2026-06-12 16:21:19 UTC

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good idea, I hadn't thought of that. Should be easily done. A consideration would be to try and offload the decoding perhaps to the monitoring script. I may be headed into a territory where resource allocation must be considered.

2026-06-12 05:21:04 UTC

Debugging #microReticulum LINK/transport behavior over LoRa is hard when the “wire” is invisible.
I’m testing BOB, CY & DAN, with DAN acting as the middle node between two units that cannot hear each other directly. To look for possible RF collisions, I modified #OpenWebRX.
It is fuzzy, but it turns millisecond logs and invisible transmissions into something I can actually see.
https://salemdata.net/johnpress/?p=868
#Reticulum #TBeamSupreme #LoRa #ESP32 #EmbeddedSystems #Radio #SDR #OpenSource #AIcoding
https://files.mastodon.online/media_attachments/files/116/735/450/935/106/186/original/52ed77859590bbb7.png

2026-06-10 05:38:53 UTC

I used ChatGPT + OpenAI Codex to extract a Reticulum protocol specification from the Python implementation.
The result: an explicit SPEC.md, plus audit reports comparing several Reticulum implementations against that specification.
A protocol without a specification is a novel concept to me; now there is something concrete to compare against.
https://salemdata.net/johnpress/?p=861
#Reticulum #Codex #OpenAI #ProtocolDesign #SoftwareSpecification #Python #Rust #EmbeddedSystems #AIcoding
https://files.mastodon.online/media_attachments/files/116/724/193/940/109/383/original/7ed883eed252a35d.png

2026-06-08 16:04:19 UTC

#Perl doyen Randall Schwartz published 6/3/26 "The Day I Decided Never to Learn Python"
"...the fundamental mismatch in our engineering philosophies became clear.
I realized that Python's architectural foundation did not prioritize robust software contracts, explicit interfaces, or standard object-oriented design patterns. Instead, it relied heavily on dynamic dictionary workarounds, procedural dispatch, and runtime inspections."
https://medium.com/@realmerlyn/the-day-i-decided-never-to-learn-python-2c59d1a1edc5 resonates
with me.

2026-06-08 11:14:29 UTC

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I am really enjoying the ReticulumProtocol Textbook at https://lew-palm.de/reticulum/index.html. Lew Palm is the creator of the Rust-based implementation. The textbook seems AI authored, but that does not trouble me.

2026-06-08 04:09:51 UTC

Looking at two Rust paths toward #Reticulum: Reticulum-rs, a smaller MIT-licensed library, and Leviculum, a much broader AGPL implementation with a no_std core, daemon/CLI, interop tests, and embedded ambitions.
My practical question: could either help with #ESP32 / #TBeamSupreme transport work, or does #microReticulum still win today?
https://salemdata.net/johnpress/?p=850
#Rust #EmbeddedSystems #LoRa #NoStd #ProtocolDesign

2026-06-07 16:46:27 UTC

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Your explanation is excellent. This kind of high level description ought to help people new to #Reticulum. It would be ideal to tie this into a real specification -- a project I'm about to undertake using thatSFguy's project.
I am at a disadvantage here because I've never heard of https://nixos.wiki/wiki/Overview_of_the_NixOS_Linux_distribution, I've just focused on Gentoo and whatever other systems I've needed when Gentoo did not have a package for something I wanted to install.

2026-06-07 00:15:56 UTC

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No wonder you're getting 5 km range with LoRa. Nice clear line of sight.

2026-06-06 23:44:21 UTC

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Yes, but having a conversation about such a pure protocol as you are considering will lead to a more informed discussion if it can be parsed and a specification formulated from your code. Consideration of a protocol is best had when your have the terms of the specification defined, using AI to extract them ought to be very helpful.

2026-06-06 21:07:15 UTC

A house is not a building code.
I wrote about using ChatGPT + Codex to derive a protocol specification for Reticulum/LXMF from its Python implementation—turning “look at the source” into something closer to a language-neutral contract, with test vectors to follow.
https://salemdata.net/johnpress/?p=812
#Reticulum #LXMF #Codex #AIcoding #ProtocolDesign #EmbeddedSystems #TBeamSupreme #ESP32
https://files.mastodon.online/media_attachments/files/116/705/192/844/983/060/original/4f86334b08866ef9.png
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2026-06-01 14:58:31 UTC

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This conversation compels me to try and document the cycle of the protocol in a visual form. I find understanding who sends what to whom difficult to digest and retrain without a visual diagram.
Creating a visual diagram of what gets sent and peek into its encryption structure has been something I've wanted to do from the outset of my introduction to Reticulum.

2026-06-01 14:28:41 UTC

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I have BOB<->CY via DAN. Links are getting established, but then die at CY's end. I've saturated microReticulum with debugging wraps and it's looking like the problem is at CY's processing, not DAN's.

2026-05-31 22:35:41 UTC

Herding T-Beam Cats: my practical test bench for running 7 LilyGo T-Beam SUPREMEs with PlatformIO, synchronized clocks, serial monitors, structured logs, and Codex-assisted debugging bounded by actual evidence.
https://salemdata.net/johnpress/?p=777
#TBeamSupreme #ESP32 #PlatformIO #Reticulum #microReticulum #EmbeddedSystems #Gentoo #AIcoding #Codex #HardwareHacking

2026-05-27 22:28:48 UTC

I used #Bluetooth / #BLE as a short-range stand-in for #LoRa to test #Reticulum mesh behavior with #TBeamSupreme units.
The RSSI graph worked: carry two units away from a base pair, watch signal strength decay, disappear, then recover on return.
The GPS trace? Woeful. Useful lesson: RSSI test succeeded; urban T-Beam GPS precision did not.
https://salemdata.net/johnpress/?p=757
#MeshNetworking #ESP32 #FieldTesting #OpenSource
https://files.mastodon.online/media_attachments/files/116/649/527/272/770/768/original/98b6ff981237e28d.png

2026-05-25 00:18:27 UTC

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How about some statistics? I checked your GitHub, do you have a blog or some place that might have more details on your fascinating project(s)?

2026-05-23 18:24:01 UTC

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I sent a reply email and have not heard back

2026-05-23 16:24:12 UTC

Two $17 Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W boards exchanging encrypted poems over #Reticulum using Bluetooth only -- no LoRa hat, no extra radio, no carrier network.
A small-board demo of #microReticulum in C++ with BLE as the link layer. Cheap hardware, built-in radios, real packets, real timing, real tinkering.
https://salemdata.net/johnpress/?p=720
#RaspberryPi #PiZero2W #Bluetooth #BLE #Linux #SBC #Maker #SmallBoardComputers
https://files.mastodon.online/media_attachments/files/116/624/811/309/950/332/original/cc41003e3f0103d6.webp

2026-05-22 01:08:58 UTC

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Skipping the #TBeamSupreme for this test: two bare #RaspberryPiZero2W boards running #microReticulum with my BLE interface, each sending poetry to the other over their built-in Bluetooth radios.
Two $17 SBCs, 8.8 MB builds, fully secure Reticulum link, and ambidextrous roles: start both, and they decide who is client/server.
#Bluetooth #BLE #Reticulum #RaspberryPi #MeshNetworking
https://files.mastodon.online/media_attachments/files/116/615/516/915/395/611/original/db6268bc803be592.png

2026-05-22 00:19:40 UTC

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I've successfully compiled and run builds on:
Intel (Gentoo, hardware: 2012) workstation
AMD laptop (Gentoo: System 76 Pangolin)
Raspberry Pi 4B (Raspbian Trixie: built & run)
Raspberry Pi Zero 2W (just run using image built on 4B)
Each of the above successfully paired with the T-Beam DAN and using Reticulum exchanged poetry. What could be nicer?
The problem I feared was the variance in Bluetooth chips and interaction with the OS.

2026-05-21 21:19:00 UTC

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The voyage of discovery expands: I've compiled the microReticulum + BLE interface for my Intel workstation (binary is 8.8M -- ouch!) and have succeeded in having my Intel workstation sends poetry to a T-Beam over Bluetooth and vice-versa. Using a KIVO low quality bluetooth on the Intel. I'm having each unit have its own poem so it's clear where the source is coming from. Next: compile for ARM64 (Rpi4 & then RpiZero2w) and AMD64 (System76 Pangolin)
#TBeamSupreme #Reticulum
https://files.mastodon.online/media_attachments/files/116/614/787/418/709/265/original/c3743b32c7430e10.webp

2026-05-20 17:30:53 UTC

AI coding agents get much more interesting when they can touch real hardware. I used Codex to compile, upload, monitor serial consoles, analyze failures, and iterate on two ESP32-based T-Beam boards until a BLE file-transfer bug in fresh C++ #Reticulum interface was fixed.
Hardware-in-the-loop debugging feels like a real shift and shifts the development cycle into 6th gear.
https://salemdata.net/johnpress/?p=710
#AI #EmbeddedSystems #ESP32 #Bluetooth #IoT #HardwareHacking
https://files.mastodon.online/media_attachments/files/116/608/086/160/818/318/original/d8bc9cb85f0bc55b.webp

2026-05-16 20:26:40 UTC

Two $17 Raspberry Pi Zero 2Ws successfully exchanged the full 44k text of the U.S. Constitution over a Reticulum Bluetooth interface: 100% completeness simultaneously.
Can BLE become a viable Reticulum interface for projects like microReticulum on the LilyGO T-Beam SUPREME? Includes synchronized timing analysis, latency metrics, and Perl-based log analytics.
https://salemdata.net/johnpress/?p=687
#Reticulum #Bluetooth #BLE #PiZero2W #LoRa #TBeamSupreme #OpenSource

2026-05-16 10:58:59 UTC

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where are you posting your code?

2026-05-10 15:49:39 UTC

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gardenia Thunbergia?

2026-02-15 16:32:50 UTC

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I've been doing a deep dive on the #LilyGOT-BeamSUPREME and I am creating C++ exercises for all the components to fully understand and learn how to manipulate them. Both run on #ESP32S3. Goals: #Reticulum only. https://salemdata.net/repo/jlpoole/microReticulumTbeam/src/branch/feature/fieldtest-beacon-sd-provision and SD card cache + precise time synchronization for any unit