Rejoining the ranks of amateur radio operators this year has been a whirlwind. It’s been exactly 12 weeks, as I write this, since I took my Technician exam test (on July 21) that, with previous license credit, was the first…
Since returning to ham radio, I’ve now attended two different “hamfests” — basically ham-radio-centric flea market style events, for those unfamiliar. Both have been a bit of a bust for me, but the most recent event at least yielded something…
After deciding to get back into ham radio (read more here), I needed to build a stealthy antenna for the HF (high frequency, a/k/a shortwave) bands in order to get back to the ham activities I truly enjoy (CW, or…
I’ve had a slightly fraught relationship with the amateur radio hobby, better (perhaps) known as ham radio, since first getting my license as a youngster back in 1977. My various entries and exits from it resemble a depiction of alternating…
I was raving about Apple’s product quality just this week. Then this morning I see this rather disturbing article on The Verge.
I never thought I would see any possibility of a dish from the American South colliding with a staple of the British kitchen, but alas, I’ve seen it, and it’s glorious. Or at least easy and delicious…
I suppose you could say that I was early to the sous vide game; I became aware of sous vide in general, and immersion circulators specifically, by watching Food Network — one of my few television indulgences. I loved the…
In the summer of 2016, I bought a Baratza Encore coffee grinder, and wrote about it while this blog was still under its previous name. Unfortunately, my love affair with the grinder waned a bit last month when my beloved…
One of the things I wanted to try making in my new Instant Pot was traditional southern grits for breakfast. Making grits is not difficult under any circumstances, but there are challenges: It takes an inordinate amount of time (and…
Some years back, I bought my first home espresso machine, a basic model from Italy’s Gaggia. It was a faithful kitchen companion for several years until it gave-up the ghost, but I digress. To make espresso, you need a decent…