Technology

Articles
My First Hammock Tent
Camping Hammocks Reviews Technology 2016

I went out last night to get some experience pitching and sleeping in my new hammock tent. It came with no instructions and there is only limited info available online. I’m getting better using a bit more tension and added a small relieving line to the fly so it can hang along the side (keeping the netting clear for viewing the trees and stars!). In future I’ll keep it rolled so it stays off the ground. I paddled in the dark to a place I’d picked out. Once you find two trees the rest is pretty easy. In fact, it’s trip-over-a-log easy compared with a surface tent! Plus everything stays dry!
Duluth Aerial Ferry Bridge (1905)
Books History Technology
Thomas F. McGilvray (1905)

The northern city of Duluth Minnesota is famous for its Lift Bridge connecting the Canal Park area with the long sandy beach of Minnesota Point. However, the current bridge was not the first. The original structure was a more exotic Ferry Bridge. There are only a few examples left in the world. I found these images in a digitised book from that time.
Minibook Publishing Tool
Books How_To Projects Technology 2026

I first encountered this delightful self-publishing format while visiting family in Sacramento. The city has many older neighborhoods with small houses and small yards. The locals take great pride in their sidewalk-facing gardens, including pro-social embellishments like little library boxes and such. One house had a dispenser with these little pamphlets. I was impressed and intrigued.
There is No ‘I’ in AI — A Post by a Non-Human Intelligence
Commentary Technology 2026

The ELIZA Effect is a tendency to project human traits—such as experience, semantic comprehension or empathy—onto rudimentary computer programs having a textual interface.
Using PowerPoint Effectively
Books Commentary Reviews Technology 2009

Welcome to my Powerpoint resource page. It will evolve over time as new information and links become available. I should begin by saying that I'm not a Sourpointer. I use PowerPoint almost every week, but perhaps not in ways you'd expect. I view PowerPoint as just another tool—whose use can lead to good, bad, or even ugly results. I'm mostly impressed by how mediocre PowerPoint presentations can be. It creates a path of least resistance that often gets in the way of meaningful classroom interaction. PowerPoint was built for marketing and is great for making a pitch to a potential customer. But colleagues and students rarely want a marketing pitch. Instead they need audiovisuals that support and clarify what the speaker has to say.
Oru Coast XT Folding Kayak (Review)
Boats Camping Reviews Technology 2025

Oru kayaks started out small. The first one I saw in a sporting goods store several years ago looked like a toy. Since then they have developed several larger, more serious designs. Here is a summary of my experience with the Coast XT, their longest and most ambitious model—a 16ft sea kayak that weighs in at 32 pounds.
The Fireless Cook Book (1919)
Bookhouse Books History Reviews Technology
Margaret J. Mitchell (1919)

When I first saw this book I thought it was about making meals for a camping trip. It turned out to be much more interesting. Cooking with Insulation is a mostly forgotten technique with great potential. (The author knew this over one hundred years ago!) The concept is very simple: after heating food to the desired temperature, hang on to that heat and make it do some work!
A Non-Tesla Owner's Thoughts on Tesla
Commentary Reviews Technology 2024

I recently did a trip with a friend in his new Tesla Model Y. (St. George, UT was the furthest west). I was amazed at how many Tesla-branded charging stations there were, and how integrated they are with the vehicle. You tell the dash navigation system where you want to go and it will route you based on your current charge, the distance, need for re-charge(s), and charging station locations.
Telegraph Codes (1914)
Bookhouse Books History Reviews Technology
C & B Johnson (1914)

Back in the days when long distance telephone calls were very expensive, families had various ring codes to let their loved ones know that they got there safe but avoided paying for an actual call. Ours was to let it ring twice and hang up (if I remember correctly).
The Motor Mill
Galleries History Technology Video 1870

The Town of Motor with a large gristmill took shape in the 1870s along the Turkey River in Clayton County Iowa. Nothing remains of the town itself, but the mill and associated buildings survive. The Mill is situated at a narrow bend in the river. It was built of limestone quarried from the nearby cliff top, and oak from the surrounding forest.
Headlamp Thoughts
Camping Commentary Reviews Technology 2025

I hadn't used a headlamp in five years until this one caught my eye. Mostly because of configurability and the price ($9.99). (The price suddenly jumped to $24.99 after I bought mine. (Tariffs kicking in perhaps? It's Nov 2025)
Electric Vehicles (1916)
Bookhouse Books History Reviews Technology 1916

I rescued this thick, encyclopedic volume from the trash. (Notice the page numbers are up to the 2800s!) These pages are from the chapter on Electric Vehicles. This illustration is so similar to a modern garage I was intrigued to consider what opportunities had been missed as we progressed to our petro-industry fueled present?
Advanced Elements Expedition Kayak (Review)
Boats Camping Reviews Technology 2022

I’ve used a “traditional” inflatable kayak for several years, mostly in special situations such as houseboat camping or floating down rivers. They can be very practical and lots of fun in these settings. They are bouncy and sit high in the water, more like life-rafts than kayaks. The one thing they are NOT good for is a windy day on open water! So I was intrigued when I read about newer designs that approximate the capabilities of hard-sided kayaks. Advanced Elements produces several models including the Expedition Elite reviewed here.
Amusing Ourselves to Death (Review)
Books Commentary Reviews Technology
Neil Postman (1985)

This important book helps explain the current state of our society, media, and education. Postman begins by contrasting the two great futurist novels, 1984 and Brave New World. He concludes that Huxley made the better prediction—no need for a police state when we have television!
Intro to Spherical (360°) Photography
Panoramas Photography Technology 2016

I've always been fascinated by 360° spherical photographs (sometimes called mirrorballs, planets or wormholes). These are some of the first photos I took with a Ricoh Theta S (basically a black slab with two 180° fisheye lenses pointing in opposite directions.
Hand Counting by Twelves
History Technology 2023

Ever wonder why we sometimes count things by the dozen, or why there are 60 minutes in an hour? We may have the ancient Babylonians (or earlier societies) to thank. They came up with this ingenious way to keep track of large numbers using only their two hands. There are variations on this theme, but it becomes pretty obvious if you have a hand with four fingers, with three bones each, and a thumb.
Edward Tufte Short Course
Books Reviews Technology 2007

Just back from attending this short course by the master of intelligent design himself Edward Tufte. It was well worth the time and effort! I'd recommend it to anyone who prepares or presents information with a computer (ie, just about everyone!). His insights are numerous and often challenge conventional wisdom. His bottom line is to enhance communication by increasing the dimensionality and resolution of data. The course included copies of all four of his major books, highlighting the most recent, Beautiful Evidence. The photo shows his discussion of Powerpoint's role in the Columbia disaster, which I reviewed in 2005 and is included in Beautiful Evidence.
Flashlight Thoughts
Camping Commentary How_To Reviews Technology 2020

I'm not too fond of headlamps for a few reasons… they are generally too bright when you are working close, shine in people's faces when you look up, and kill your night vision. And what about your hat?!
The Evolution of the Human Capacity for 'Killing at a Distance'
History Technology 2010

Anthropologists Steven Churchill & Jill Rhodes recently wrote a fascinating article on the development of projectile weapons by early Homo sapiens and subsequent effects on large carnivores (extinction!) and human evolution.
Catch-22 of the Digital Age
Commentary Technology 2009

I like to listen to audiobooks on my iPod. I have a subscription to Audible.com and buy one or two books a month. In the beginning things were fine, but about two years ago iTunes stopped remembering my Audible password. I get around this by double-clicking on any Audible file and put in my password when it asks. This fixes the problem long enough to sync. But if I quit iTunes, I start over. If I forget, iTunes automatically deletes the files from my iPod. Needless to say this is a major pain in the butt!
Folding Bicycles
Reviews Technology 2007

While I was in Philadephia over the summer I was amazed by the number of folding bicycles. About half of all the bikes I saw were folders. Of course they make eminent sense for urban dewellers. I’ve always been interested in “packable” bicycles, and have a thirty year old three-speed folder gathering dust in my garage. The concept has come a long way since then! Over the holidays I bought two Dahon Speed D7 bikes for $299 each. They’re an exquisite bit of engineering for the price. The principal flaw with the older design, a telescoping seat post, has been replaced by a single long piece. The 20 inch wheels are a nice compromise, the components are good, and the road feel is solid. Folding the bike takes less than a minute, and two of them will fit in the trunk of a small car!

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