Stuart Longland (VK4MSL)

Software developer, electronics enthusiast, Amateur radio operator, lover of classic rock.

Public Key

npub1upmxz7ema8pu5ea4tshew0mzlgenlehp3esxmzgs5q4uc3hz6f6s4pd32k

NIP-05 Address

Profile Code

nprofile1qqswqanp0va7ns72v764ctuh8a305velumscucrd3yg2q27vgm3dyagpz3mhxue69uhhyetvv9ujuerpd46hxtnfduqs6amnwvaz7tmwdaejumr0dsj7rx0u

Publishing to

relay.damus.io

nos.lol

Author Public Key

npub1upmxz7ema8pu5ea4tshew0mzlgenlehp3esxmzgs5q4uc3hz6f6s4pd32k

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Last Notes

2024-05-27 05:59:42

Yep… it's that time of year for curling up in bed, in the sun. #CatsOfMastodon
https://mastodon.longlandclan.id.au/system/media_attachments/files/112/511/044/538/847/233/original/f16516ce81cbff90.jpg

2024-01-20 16:52:14

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@npub1ccn…czwu
#Kangaroos don't like drones either
https://www.theregister.com/2014/12/24/kangaroo_boxes_drone_out_of_the_sky/
Nor do #crows
https://www.theregister.com/2021/09/23/bird_attacks_ground_google_wing_drones/

2024-01-07 01:07:45

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@npub1up2…k6en Epson made a 14" CRT that was switchable from TTL to VGA mode… but I don't think it emulated amber/green CRT though.

2024-01-01 05:55:59

So… it's a new year… 2024 at long last. It's literally new year's day, and the whole year now follows. We've got 366 days until we're doing the same thing again.
Here are some people that you might consider following for your timeline. This is not an exhaustive list.
#Journalists: @npub1hyp…aehm, @npub1z60…d0y7… both writers for @npub1su4…a0dw
@[email protected] #AmateurRadio operator and journalist for @npub1eum…gws0
@npub1lsl…9c2x journalist for #TechDirt
@npub1lt9…f6eq, @npub14fa…99fr journalists for #TechCrunch
@npub1j2u…c034 writer for #CodingHorror
@npub1wf4…94wn independent #InfoSec writer and journalist
@npub1scj…pdxj / @npub1pqu…lw7t playfully prodding sites' punycode domain compatibility 🙂
#Ukraine
@npub1t5e…nx96 has been posting lots of news about the conflict
@npub1rrm…ms63 posts lots of photos and videos showing life in Ukraine -- some beautiful scenery
#RetroComputing and #RetroTech
@npub1up2…k6en posts lots about restoring classic PCs
@npub1t8x…k86u does lots of deep dives into old tech of all sorts… deep analysis of classic ICs, old mechanical avionics, all sorts.
#Gambia
@npub189t…wcdn has been posting lots of photos from his native Gambia (west coast of Africa)
#AmateurRadio
@npub16fh…q3sz has been experimenting with all kinds of radio-related things (as well as putting monitors on crooked angles).
#NewYearFollows

2023-12-19 03:10:33

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@npub10cs…5prq Leon Theremin's talent as an RF engineer was bloody remarkable…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Thing_(listening_device)

2023-11-28 20:45:53

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@npub1up2…k6en The birthplace of the ARM CPU architecture. Great find. 🙂

2023-11-26 11:11:15

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@npub16xr…qzyf 24°C seems a very high temperature to promote snow?

2023-11-23 12:04:50

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@npub1sac…apc0 @npub1su5…lhca @npub1fdv…z4m4 @npub1pwx…xk5j
Nah, the voltage of the system here is decided well and truly behind that wall socket (at the mains grid actually).
You'd need some sort of energy storage, or a transformer, to "change" the voltage. Those nail clippers are too far apart with the air dielectric to create anywhere near even 1pF of capacitance… and the inductance will be bugger all at that length. So nothing to "store" the energy… and there's no secondary winding to make a transformer.

2023-11-23 11:56:30

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@npub1sac…apc0 @npub1fdv…z4m4 @npub1pwx…xk5j
Depends on where you measure the voltage. If you measure across one of the nail clippers (i.e. between the mains socket and the appliance plug)… you will see a slightly "higher" voltage than you would if it were a proper copper bus bar of the sort seen in a travel adaptor.
Same with the other nail clipper.
The voltage at the socket terminals has not changed though… so those "increases", *subtract* from what the appliance sees.
If we pretend it's a 240W appliance… at 240V, that means it'll draw 1A.
Now, suppose that stainless steel is 1ohm (it won't be, it'll be a lot less!)… 1A flowing through 1ohm of resistance, will cause a voltage potential of 1V across the resistance.
Whether the appliance consumes more current because of the voltage drop, depends on the appliance. A pure resistive load won't, a switch-mode PSU might… but 2V drop represents less than 1% -- mains fluctuates more than that anyway.
https://mastodon.longlandclan.id.au/system/media_attachments/files/111/459/484/035/211/293/original/a1cc2779cee6d868.png

2023-11-23 11:02:41

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@npub1sac…apc0 @npub1fdv…z4m4 @npub1pwx…xk5j
Actually no… (dusts off EE degree)… the fact that it's stainless steel will raise the *resistance* of the circuit, which will cause a *voltage drop* across the nail clippers proportional to the *current* flowing through them.
V = IR -- Ohm's Law.
That power loss (P=I²R) will be seen as heat dissipation. The conductors there, whilst not ideal, seem big enough to handle the likely small amount of current. I doubt it's 10A flowing through that.
The dangerous bit about this is the fact that there is no insulation to prevent someone from making contact with the active or neutral circuits.
Human skin resistance at 230V (or even 110V) is not sufficient to keep current flow below safe levels, so the current flow may cause fibrillation of the heart.
If it weren't for that, it wouldn't be any more dangerous than a proper travel adaptor. (Which would comply with AS/NZS:3000.)

2023-11-18 07:30:11

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English Translation (via Google): Divine performance of the legendary rock hit on the bandura
@npub1rrm…ms63

2023-11-14 22:57:29

Guess it's time to get this thing out again. #COVID19 #Brisbane
https://mastodon.longlandclan.id.au/system/media_attachments/files/111/411/132/290/238/808/original/b2885f4b4941ac6e.jpg

2023-11-05 23:38:14

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@npub1up2…k6en
Looks like conventional pin 1/10" headers.
Could you hypothetically make some with some perf board?
SIMMs are more difficult because there's pads which must be gold-plated and a fixed board pattern, but SIPP form-factor looks relatively home-brewable.
#electronics #RetroComputing

2023-11-04 23:01:24

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@npub1up2…k6en Looking at that machine… I actually think Compaq are on to something with that dockable but separateable keyboard.
How many of us plug an external keyboard into a laptop just to have this luxury? This one, it stays plugged in and you simply pick it up and move it to where it's comfortable.
You've done an excellent restoration job, and the machine itself is a big inspiration.

2023-10-26 12:19:22

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@npub1up2…k6en I thought HD (1.2MB) 5¼" floppy drives were backward-compatible with DD (360kB) floppies?

2023-10-25 13:15:31

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@npub16gm…xmju I miss the rain… I can think of some people in the Tara area of Queensland that could really use it just now.
Still, anything to slow down the Russians. Stay safe. 🙂

2023-10-13 12:01:51

I'll have to think of a better way to do the #BushfireWarning notices. I'm doing it by hand which is time-consuming, error-prone and relies on me being 100% attentive.
Not a good plan.
I see the Mapnik project (https://mapnik.org/) seems to have some code that can effectively render a KMZ map file as an image.
https://stackoverflow.com/a/3979536
The QFES CAP-AU feed (https://publiccontent-gis-psba-qld-gov-au.s3.amazonaws.com/content/Feeds/BushfireCurrentIncidents/bushfireAlert_capau.xml) has everything I need to actually render that… I just need a pin in the actual spot and a polygon around the perimeter.
Shouldn't be difficult to put that into a small graphic, use the text from the XML to make a number of bots (Queensland is huge, I'm thinking one per "region"; so Far North, North West, Central, Central Coast, South West, Southern, South East), linking back to the QFES site for official updates.

2023-09-21 14:21:31

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@npub1fm8…rwrr @npub1ht0…dyc3
I like the fact that, when I'm at home, if someone rings me on the home phone… there's about 4 handsets I can run to, and picking up any of them will answer that call.
If my mobile phone rings, I must run to *it* (the battery is knackered so it lives on a charger) … it stops ringing much sooner, meaning I'm far more likely to miss a call.
Plus, Asterisk PABX on the land-line means I can torment telemarketers and scammers so much more easily.

2023-09-21 14:17:42

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@npub1ht0…dyc3 With some limitations, you can sometimes plug multiple phones into the built-in ATA of a router via a double-adaptor.
That said, it may be time for some sort of standard for IP phones and home Internet routers to configure themselves.
At the moment, IP phones and ATAs assume you know about SIP/RTSP, dial plans and other guff … and if you've got multiple phones, you need some sort of PABX to link everything up.
Not user friendly at ALL, even for a technical person! Really needs to be a case of "plug phone into Ethernet port" and the router's PABX links it into the dial-plan automatically with sane defaults, then provides a UI for configuring more advanced things.

2023-09-20 19:53:00

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@npub1t3d…qnlg @npub1ke7…fgwl
Well, if that's the opinion of the detroitcity dot com admin, all I can say is, welcome to my block-list.
As to censorship: no, we're not censoring, we (as instance admins) just decided we don't want to listen to the BS.
I had not de-federated any server until now. amerika at noagendasocial dot com also has the dubious honour of being the first non-spambot to get blocked here. (I'll play wait-and-see on noagendasocial dot com for now -- amerika@ is not the admin there but one of the users… but I may review my decision if there's further trouble.)

2023-09-15 22:30:04

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@npub1y4h…t26u @npub19zq…u4m5 The window border/title bar and UI controls are a dead give-away. :-)

2023-08-07 23:30:09

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@npub1k4q…3lsq Yes… also not everyone who is #autistic is a savant.
Some of us look decidedly (and boringly) "normal".

2023-07-30 09:47:09

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@npub1ht0…dyc3 Anyone want to bet how many days (hours?) it takes before Kanye blows it?

2023-07-29 11:41:32

Someone is in a very exclusive club. #uspol
https://mastodon.longlandclan.id.au/system/media_attachments/files/110/796/695/363/785/900/original/780788d37913ef20.png

2023-07-29 08:49:30

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@npub1dq0…glnl #ARPAnet existed in the 60s. It literally is a cold war invention.

2023-07-13 22:39:05

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@npub15dz…6wus Reminds me of https://howmanydayssincemontaguestreetbridgehasbeenhit.com/

2023-07-03 03:07:51

Anyone into #sand #art? From an email I received in 2011:
This year's sandcastles
This year's sand castles competition was stunning - the best yet!!
The competition starts with the tide going out. The judging must be completed before the tide comes in and washes the work away. That gives everyone about 6 hours. Some pretty fancy work for a short time! There are ribbons and awards for the competition, but no money is involved.
The competition is held at Cannon Beach, Oregon
https://mastodon.longlandclan.id.au/system/media_attachments/files/110/647/451/064/927/868/original/e4fd07b1cfddfa76.jpg
https://mastodon.longlandclan.id.au/system/media_attachments/files/110/647/451/020/701/717/original/0c64e09c7f3ec514.jpg
https://mastodon.longlandclan.id.au/system/media_attachments/files/110/647/451/149/537/119/original/c01554ae79fe91ef.jpg
https://mastodon.longlandclan.id.au/system/media_attachments/files/110/647/451/256/433/992/original/83d8a0bc05304ae0.jpg

2023-07-03 02:22:06

Stretched limousines, not the most practical of vehicles. Especially in hilly areas. #humour
https://mastodon.longlandclan.id.au/system/media_attachments/files/110/647/286/669/634/214/original/45a32cd97df93436.jpg

2023-07-02 23:05:01

Ahh, so that's my #fishing problem… it's not me, or my technique, it's the fish! #humour
https://mastodon.longlandclan.id.au/system/media_attachments/files/110/646/513/631/567/150/original/5924f55c9981f4a7.jpg

2023-06-30 03:40:10

#Design #UserRequirements #humour
https://mastodon.longlandclan.id.au/system/media_attachments/files/110/630/608/796/967/705/original/383269a567ecf731.jpg

2023-06-12 00:43:54

No sooner have I replaced the #keyboard on this netbook, Sam tries it out as a pillow. #CatsOfMastodon
https://mastodon.longlandclan.id.au/system/media_attachments/files/110/527/990/202/800/162/original/6a07f1b7d50d8c16.jpg

2023-05-19 07:42:34

@npub15nn…sdr0 Silly question, is there an issue tracker for the 32-bit #Raspbian OS?
I can find the 64-bit tracker (on Github) but not the 32-bit tracker.
`tput civis` ("hide cursor") worked in Raspbian OS release `2022-09-22-raspios-buster-armhf-lite` but broke (reports "unknown terminal capability") in `2023-05-03-raspios-buster-armhf-lite`.
Clearly a #termcap and/or #ncurses issue -- but not quite sure where to start digging.

2023-05-18 05:30:46

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@npub1g7j…7unj
Where I come from, #Texas is a little border town.
https://osm.org/go/uZ5~tSGU-