Whitewall Nebraska, A Study Into Current Reality

I’m proud to announce that I’ve been elected mayor of Whitewall, Nebraska. It was unanimous—or will be as soon as I update the websites I created for this event. Of course, you’ve probably never heard of Whitewall, Nebraska. That’s not surprising because it doesn’t...

Christmas Ideas From My Fox Alien 4040 Vasto

Shortly after I retired, Fox Alien put their 4040 Vasto CNC on sale. The timing was perfect. I had already decided I wanted to get serious about carving wood, and although I had highly modified my 3018 (now a 3040), it was limited. First impression: the Vasto is...

In Defense Of My Junk Box: Married to An Engineer

Just about every electrical or mechanical engineer I know has some kind of junk box—a treasure trove of parts accumulated over the years, all saved with the hope they might come in handy someday. My own junk box started at a very early age. Too young to work a...

From the Doghouse

A look at dogs having fun

Poser Gallery

My gallery of pictures I’ve created in Poser

Nature by Carol

A look at the less technical side of life

The Rubbermaid 7’ x 10’ Shed, A Review

The Rubbermaid 7’ x 10’ Shed, A Review

This is a review of the Rubbermaid 7’ x 10’ shed but my story begins with a humbling confession of my own ignorance. When I bought my dream ranch, complete with a charming old barn, I was blissfully unaware of the storm of frustration that lay ahead. Neither the barn...

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What Happened To Conversation?

What Happened To Conversation?

I remember the day I made my first and last comment on LinkedIn. It was a discussion on a manned Mars mission and how it should be abandoned because the odds against the voyagers surviving were high. I remarked that Columbus’ crew probably faced the same fears. Boy,...

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Random Posts

  • Fourth of July, Sleepless Nights and ThundershirtsFourth of July, Sleepless Nights and Thundershirts
    I absolutely hate the Fourth of July. Don’t get me wrong, I’m proud to be an American and the Fourth of July used to be my favorite holiday but living in the country has caused a major shift in my perspective. When I was younger and living in the city, the Fourth of July was my […]
  • The Loss of A Subscriber; You’re More Important Than You Realize.The Loss of A Subscriber; You’re More Important Than You Realize.
    I lost one of my subscribers a few days ago. Although I never met the man but I always appreciated his willingness to read my posts and to remain a subscriber. I feel bad that I didn’t know more about him. It’s obvious that we could have been friends or he would have cancelled his […]
  • Sundae, The Life And Times Of A Dedicated CompanionSundae, The Life And Times Of A Dedicated Companion
    I’ve been fortunate enough to spend the last 14 years under very close supervision. If I tried to stay up too late, I was gently reminded it was past my bed time. Her displeasure was clear if I tried to snack too often. I was never allowed to sit at my desk too long before […]

Random Posts

  • On The Design Of My New Business CardOn The Design Of My New Business Card
    About 40 years ago, during a period of self-discovery, I chanced upon a handwriting analysis book. Naturally, I used the book to analyze my own handwriting. What hidden aspects of my personality might it reveal? We won’t go into the gritty details, but the picture it painted was not a pretty one. To that end, […]
  • A Mother’s Day Post On Political ChangeA Mother’s Day Post On Political Change
    I should explain why I’m doing a political post for Mother’s Day. Last year I explained that I have to consider both my Mother and my Mother-in-law. When it comes to this blog both of them have given me strong encouragement to continue writing. They’ve only expressed one minor disappointment, both of them would like […]
  • Are Android Permissions Getting Out Of Hand?Are Android Permissions Getting Out Of Hand?
    It seems like every Android app builder out there wants permissions, no, absolutely needs permissions to access to my location, my contacts, my camera and so on. Without it there’s no way they can trust me to use their app. I may be in left field here but I don’t believe there’s any legitimate reason […]

Random Posts

  • Married To An Engineer, Why Can’t I Have A New OvenMarried To An Engineer, Why Can’t I Have A New Oven
    I wanted my wife to write this from her point of view because if anyone in this marriage has suffered, it’s her. She wants a new oven and I continue to repair the old one. As long as it continues to work, why do we need to replace it? I realized just how different my way […]
  • The Sunshine Greenhouse, a Six Hour ProjectThe Sunshine Greenhouse, a Six Hour Project
    Every year that my wife and I went to the State Fair of Texas, we looked at greenhouses. My wife would always tell me she wanted one. I always had plenty of excuses not to get one, we could not decide on a model, we could not decide on a location, there was not enough […]
  • Encryption and Hacking, A Government Granted Right?Encryption and Hacking, A Government Granted Right?
    Did you heave a huge sigh of relief this year when your personal rights were reaffirmed? Twice in fact, once by the Library of Congress when they issued an opinion that hacking your vehicle’s software was legal and once by the UN when they declared encryption to be a basic personal right. Considering the mess that […]

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From the Doghouse -It’s all about them

A look at dogs having fun!

Short Stories

With posts like these, ever wonder what kind of fiction I would write?

Random Posts

  • Sundae Explains Why Fashion ChangesSundae Explains Why Fashion Changes
    While engineers are far more challenged by fashion than most of our species, I don’t believe a lack of fashion sense is limited to engineers. I have the basic rules down, well as long as I’m wearing nothing more than business casual. Throw a tie into the mix and I …
  • A Study In Communication As Demonstrated by SadieA Study In Communication As Demonstrated by Sadie
    As I continue in my journey to improve my writing, I’m starting to see some of the key elements of communication. To tell you the truth, I’m amazed at how difficult it is to communicate with you. I know you don’t believe you’re difficult but let’s try an exercise in …
  • How A Hijacked Post Helped Me Realize The Value of CommentsHow A Hijacked Post Helped Me Realize The Value of Comments
    When I said I wanted to expand my Opinionbypen experience, I was thinking more about advertising and social media. I didn’t mean getting my website hacked or getting one of my posts hijacked and yet so far this year that’s exactly what’s happened. There’s no other way for me to …
  • Married To An Engineer – The AI VersionMarried To An Engineer – The AI Version
    I’m going to be up front about this post, I did not write or modify any of the text. All I did was give a word limit, a tone (snarky) and a subject (married to an engineer), the AI behind ChatGPT did the rest. After reading this, I’m both amazed …
  • CajunCajun
    Just to set the story straight, this is a blatant effort to placate my wife after my previous posts mentioning her. All kidding aside, I really do consider myself very fortunate to have the wife I do. Where I have a high technical affinity, my wife has an equally high …
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