Nostr notes by Vague Flowers

I wonder whether anyone uses lead acid battery cells as keel ...

2026-08-06T00:35:51Z

I wonder whether anyone uses lead acid battery cells as keel ballast. Cast lead is common but that doesn't store any power does it?

Considering how hard folks work to avoid galvanic corrosion, hanging a big current source below the hull feels wrong.

I'll be twenty photos into appreciating a gorgeous boat and ...

2026-07-28T19:57:11Z

I'll be twenty photos into appreciating a gorgeous boat and then a photo of the IC engine will pop up and it's ick. Separate from all of the politics and ecology, I'm just not into fuel-burning machines. 🤷

Groggy morning thought: Scrap punters: a fun event where people ...

2026-07-24T17:52:35Z

Groggy morning thought: Scrap punters: a fun event where people have a week to build a boat* using only tools and materials already in their possession and then we all meet up at a lake to toot around in water shallow enough to stand. Maybe there are ridiculous categories but it isn't a competition.

* for a very loose definition of "boat"

Tell me you don't follow best practices without telling me ...

2026-07-23T19:49:15Z

Tell me you don't follow best practices without telling me you don't follow best practices.
#boats

I don't know who needs to hear this but there's a cheap ...

2026-07-02T18:57:59Z

I don't know who needs to hear this but there's a cheap and cheerful boat building process called "stitch and glue" that can produce a variety of hull shapes and sizes. If you've always wanted to make a boat in your backyard/garage/bedroom then check it out.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stitch_and_glue

I don't think it'll fit in my van but this is a lovely ...

2026-06-17T13:48:57Z

I don't think it'll fit in my van but this is a lovely old bit of drilling kit.
https://seattle.craigslist.org/kit/tls/d/nordland-1920s-bickford-speed-drill/7927141502.html

I'm pretty happy with the PocketPD as a wee bench power ...

2026-05-30T22:41:34Z

I'm pretty happy with the PocketPD as a wee bench power supply for my workbench on wheels. The new firmware comes with what look like useful features and quality of life improvements so I'll have to give that a whirl soon.
https://www.crowdsupply.com/centylab/pocketpd/updates/firmware-v2-0-released

The goal of collaboratively creating the chip design equivalent ...

2026-05-28T21:30:31Z

The goal of collaboratively creating the chip design equivalent of the Linux kernel and GNU tool chains is excellent. I hope we get there.
https://pavona.org/news/globalplatform-launches-pavona-the-first-open-silicon-distribution-with-production-grade-post-quantum-cryptography

If one's goal is to make a web page with text that is ...

2026-05-18T22:47:27Z

If one's goal is to make a web page with text that is readable by variety of people then I implore you to check how it renders on small screens such as on a phone or using the built-in developer tools on desktop browsers that emulate small screens.
I see many technically oriented people writing interesting essays on blogs and similar sites that are illegible on anything smaller than a laptop. It's a pointless waste.

Anybody want a folding engine hoist? For a bag of good coffee ...

2026-05-17T22:30:49Z

Anybody want a folding engine hoist? For a bag of good coffee beans I will deliver in the greater Seattle area.

Ok, scifi film fans. My search chops failed to find the name of a ...

2026-04-12T15:11:02Z

Ok, scifi film fans. My search chops failed to find the name of a film where someone stranded on a distant planet tries to scavanged parts from a Russian rover with a big bear animation on its UI. The bear repeatedly speaks error messages in Russian which the protagonist doesn't understand.
🐻
Do you know what film this is? It's at least twenty years old, I think.

With four crew it's crowded but if I had this space all to ...

2026-04-02T23:38:44Z

With four crew it's crowded but if I had this space all to myself I think I'd be fine.
#artemis

The FreeCAD 1.1 release notes' Sketcher section alone is ...

2026-03-26T01:08:57Z

The FreeCAD 1.1 release notes' Sketcher section alone is enough convince me to update. Group dragging! https://wiki.freecad.org/Release_notes_1.1#Sketcher_Workbench
Multiple solid bodies in the Part Design workbench is a feature that has matured enough to be turned on by default. 🎉

@nprofile…ynd9 oh, no! I hope everyone escaped.

2026-03-20T15:08:32Z

In reply to nevent1q…yhm6
_________________________

nprofile1qy2hwumn8ghj7un9d3shjtnyd968gmewwp6kyqpqvlhs6r6ysusx2gy8nsc3xrg9zc35ymwn9md649um4hdhmywt3rps3hynd9 (nprofile…ynd9) oh, no! I hope everyone escaped.

I had to set up a temporary bench in the middle of the shop space ...

2026-03-19T23:39:26Z

I had to set up a temporary bench in the middle of the shop space to crate up the remaining four Alto display replicas commissioned by Dr. Kay. When these ship to their new museum homes I will be out of client work and truly retired.
Well, I say that but there is one more longshot project that may come in. It's kind of a dream piece of retrocomputing reproduction so I can't really turn it down as long as I have the tools and health.
#shopLife #retrocomputing (sorta)

Groggy morning thought: a browser extension that blocks domains ...

2026-03-01T21:04:41Z

Groggy morning thought: a browser extension that blocks domains controlled by the user's choice of billionaires and media conglomerates. It could also be a PiHole (or equivalent) blocklist, I suppose, but not everyone can/wants to run PiHole.
Keeping track of the domains* would be an unending game of whack-a-mole but surely enough people would be willing to join the Patreon of the hero doing it to make it a nice side gig.
* who will watch the watchers?

I don't know who needs to hear this but if you're looking ...

2026-02-23T18:53:14Z

I don't know who needs to hear this but if you're looking for a lightweight alternative to Calibre for reading epub then check out Foliate. It's available in many Linux package managers and does just the one thing: display books. Calibre is too much of a lifestyle when I just want to read a dang book.

The best advice I have for new nerds: Refuse to pay rent. ...

2026-02-22T01:41:27Z

The best advice I have for new nerds: Refuse to pay rent.

Don't subscribe. Don't lease. Don't use their cloud. Don't slip down the freemium slope. Don't create accounts on their services.

Buy it once. Run it local. Avoid commercial software.

It'll be a huge pain and you'll be an outsider but it'll be endless, interesting, and hard fun that'll pay you back with a curious mind and an understanding of the fabric of our intellectual infrastructure that will make you light-years more capable, useful, and healthy than the "AI" zombies.

As we enter a period in which gifts are given, often to children, ...

2025-11-29T15:13:30Z

As we enter a period in which gifts are given, often to children, I would like to give a gentle suggestion: Refrain of taking anything from a child's hands in order to show how the thing works, no matter how the learning process goes. Instead, point and ask questions.