French Culture, I’m Forced To Admit I Was Wrong

My father returned from WW2 with pieces of shrapnel slowly working their way out of his body and a deep and abiding hatred of the French. I don’t know about you and your father, but mine never wanted to discuss the details. I never knew his reasons, but he passed his...

What Can Spirit Animals Teach Us About Today’s America?

This week, while perusing my feed on Bluesky, I stumbled upon a post in which someone shared that she had just learned that crows can hold a grudge for 17 years and thus declared crows as her new spirit animal. While many responses expressed surprise or shared their...

An Engineering Valentine’s Day, A Tribute To My Wife Carol

Three days before Valentine’s Day, my wife gave me a priceless gift. She demonstrated the ability and initiative to think like an engineer. After 30-plus years of marriage, she’s starting to understand me in a way that feels both surprising and deeply fulfilling. Let...

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

Class Action Suits, A Way To Balance The Budget?

Class Action Suits, A Way To Balance The Budget?

The odds are strong you’ve been a client in a class action suit. You might never know you were involved in one. Maybe more than one, I know I’ve been represented in several. It seems the moment you buy something, you’re automatically included in a class action suit....

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One Year In The Making, A Blogging Quest

One Year In The Making, A Blogging Quest

One year in the making...that's how long this post has taken me. Exactly one year ago I started this blog with my first post, Beginning, embarking on this quest. Since then I've written 95 posts on a variety of topics. In response to those posts, Opinionbypen.com has...

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ESD Training, A Poser Opportunity

ESD Training, A Poser Opportunity

Almost everyone has heard the term ESD, ElectroStatic Discharge. It’s the little shock you get on a cold dry morning as you touch the doorknob. It’s seldom fatal to us unless it comes in the form of lightning, also a form of ESD. Fifty years ago, unless you were...

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Apathy, How To Waste Your Vote

Apathy, How To Waste Your Vote

Over the last few months I've had some very harsh words for our politicians in Washington. My Mother-in-law pointed out that the politicians really aren't to blame for our current situation. They may be totally incompetent and dysfunctional but it's not their fault...

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Random Posts

  • How To Torture An Engineer, An Engineer’s Wife Shows You The WayHow To Torture An Engineer, An Engineer’s Wife Shows You The Way
    Ever wonder how to torture an engineer? You know you want to get rid of that smug know it all attitude. No, I’m not talking about staking us to an antbed. Over the years, my wife has developed some very effective techniques. Let me share an example with you. Last week I was sequestered out […]
  • How To Take Part In  A DDoS Attack Without Even TryingHow To Take Part In A DDoS Attack Without Even Trying
    This last Friday was a busy day for many of us. For my part, I was flying back to Texas after a brief business trip but if the numbers are to be believed, many of you were taking part in a Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack that affected much of the Internet. Oh, I know […]
  • A BambuLabs X1 Carbon for Christmas? Careful What You Wish ForA BambuLabs X1 Carbon for Christmas? Careful What You Wish For
    My Prusa MK3 has been a true gem, but after a solid three years of unwavering service, the plastic pieces sadly started to show signs of wear, cracking under the strain. I was at a crossroads: should I invest in a shiny new printer, or breathe new life into my trusty old MK3? My heart […]

Random Posts

  • Trust In The Digital Age, Has The Definition Changed?Trust In The Digital Age, Has The Definition Changed?
    I want to ask you the question. If Target announced that it was having a 50% off sale today and you could only use your credit card but they assured you that you could not get hacked, would you do it? My guess is no. Simply speaking, they have lost your trust in their ability […]
  • The Solar Powered Chicken Coop Fan ProjectThe Solar Powered Chicken Coop Fan Project
    Summers in Texas are brutal, especially if you’re a chicken locked up in your coop every evening. Sure, it’s for their own protection but on those evenings with little or no breeze, it can get very stuffy. Adding an electric fan would help but running a 200 foot extension cord was out of the question. […]
  • Bots Invading Your Blog? Don’t Feel AloneBots Invading Your Blog? Don’t Feel Alone
    I’m really tired of all the net parasites that visit my website on a daily basis. You might know them as bots or webcrawlers but somehow parasites fits. I’ve mentioned before that the number of bots my site receives far exceeds the number of visitors.  On a typical day my site receives about 10 visitors […]

Random Posts

  • Style, What It Means To An EngineerStyle, What It Means To An Engineer
    If you have an engineer within your close circle of friends, save yourself some trouble. Go to YouTube and watch “Dilbert – The Knack”. As the doctor is explaining young Dilbert’s condition he characterizes an engineer with  two statements, “extreme intuition about all things mechanical and electrical” and “utter social ineptitude”. Yep, that pretty much […]
  • Why Is It So Hard To Leave A Comment?Why Is It So Hard To Leave A Comment?
    The majority of Website owners want you to leave comments. After all, the only reason their site exists is for you to visit. Comments show you took enough time reading the post to make your comment. So why is it so hard to leave a comment? Why do these websites want our email addresses, force […]
  • Cooped Up With An Engineer For A While? Maybe This Will Help.Cooped Up With An Engineer For A While? Maybe This Will Help.
    In these times of uncertainty and outright panic, it seems almost irresponsible to publish a post on living with an engineer. I certainly can’t argue the logic behind that line of thinking. On the other hand, the prospect of being cooped up with an engineer for an extended period can also be life threatening. Especially […]

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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

  • Why Isn’t There An American Micro Bit?Why Isn’t There An American Micro Bit?
    I don’t know if you’ve seen this headline, “Every 11-year-old in Britain is getting a free minicomputer,” or what you thought when you did but I found it amazing that this was being done in Britain. The Micro Bit giveaway is a program sponsored by the BBC in a joint …
  • Wanted, a Women’s Magazine for the Rest of UsWanted, a Women’s Magazine for the Rest of Us
    Top-Drawer Women’s Magazine Wanted By Zee “Top Drawer” is fine because our flexibility to bend down to the bottom drawer isn’t what it used to be … but we still want to be acknowledged as important, but not “aged” or “senior” or “mature” or other dastardly names we’re called after …
  • A Guide To Your Valentine’s Day ChocolateA Guide To Your Valentine’s Day Chocolate
    Valentine’s day is always difficult for me. I love my wife but I have trouble remembering an arbitrary date hyped by advertising agencies to make poor fools like myself feel like lesser creatures if we don’t shower our wives with chocolate and presents.  If you’ve read my previous Valentine’s Day posts, …
  • Whimsy, This Engineer’s Stress ReliefWhimsy, This Engineer’s Stress Relief
    Such a funny word, whimsy. It’s almost self-defining, although that could be because I’ve known what it meant for so long. For the rest of you, it’s defined as a capricious humor and I think there’s far too little of it in today’s life. Most people tend to think of …
  • How The FCC Wants To Improve Rural InternetHow The FCC Wants To Improve Rural Internet
    I caught on to Santa Claus fairly early in life. It’s unfortunate then that it took me so long to realize that, despite their strongly spoken rhetoric, my government really doesn’t care about helping me. Sometimes this truth is so evident that I question my intelligence in ever believing their …
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