• Why India Lives Up To The Hype

    Why India Lives Up To The Hype

    Ed. note: this was originally an answer to the Quora question “Which places are worth all the hype?” I can’t believe that, with 71 answers as of this writing and half the nation of India on Quora, this isn’t an answer, but: India. I know, I know, there’s some answers here for parts of India,…

  • California Native Lawn Options

    In our yard in Oakland California, we have a section that was a sodded lawn when we moved in, but with the drought we stopped watering it. It’s now is a mixture of Oxalis pes-caprae  (invasive clover), some “normal” grass, and a few other weeds. We’d like it to be more lawn-like without using that much…

  • Standing wall desk (plus plant wall)

    Standing wall desk (plus plant wall)

    I work from home, and I wanted to have a standing desk. I also wanted to be able to share the room with my wife, and I didn’t really need a large desk to set lots of papers on. I just needed a keyboard, and a monitor, and maybe a place to set a few things.…

  • Subaru Outback Handbrake Button Repair

    As I was heading out on an errand yesterday, my 1996 Subaru Outback’s handbrake button broke apart. Part of the button I lost — and the remainder didn’t have enough threading to put back on. That button is not a thing once can buy on the internet anywhere, so I fixed it by gluing in new…

  • Open German

    Open German

    I made an open source quiz/flashcard application for learning German vocabulary. You can see it here on the Play Store, or download it from F-Droid. The word list is decent, but could use improvement. You can get a read-only version of it from this Google Sheet. If you want to change one or two words,…

  • Request for Bike Signs at 21st and 21st in Oakland

    ** Update 5/22: it turns out that there is a bike nav sign at this intersection heading south, but it is set back about 200 feet from the intersection, so it is not very visible. Consider moving it closer to the intersection.  JMM** This is a request to Oakland Public Works to put in a…

  • White and Ambient Noise

    This is a curation of white and ambient noise, all from freesound except for the first one made by the open source Android app Chroma Doze. Citations and credits below the break — some have creative commons limitations, please check the freesound citation. Low White Noise, mp3, one hour. Ocean sound, mp3, three hours. Urban…

  • Why I’m Glad I Went To Eckerd College

    Why I’m Glad I Went To Eckerd College

    This is my answer to the Quora question “What Are The Best Reasons To Attend Eckerd College“. If you are a strong student and want to attend a liberal arts school, Eckerd has some amazing scholarships and really offers about the same academic experience as more prestigious schools. Check out the Academic Achievement Scholarships[1]. I…

  • Bay Trail Bike Birding

    Bay Trail Bike Birding

    After reading The Thing With Feathers and then Feathers: The Evolution of a Natural Miracle, I started being more interested in birds. Then I bought a Sibley Guide, and it got a little more serious. I’ve always enjoyed the Bay Trail, on several occasions riding SF to Berkeley or the reverse. This weekend I rode from…

  • Gutenovox, a Mashup of Gutenberg and LibriVox Catalogs

    Gutenovox, a Mashup of Gutenberg and LibriVox Catalogs

    I recently did my first recording for LibriVox, which is a site where volunteers read public domain works. I wanted to contribute to a short science fiction collection, and it was challenging to find a work that hadn’t been read already — not because there aren’t any, but because it involves looking through lists of…

  • Swapping Kindle Keyboard (Kindle 3) Motherboards or Screen Assembly

    Swapping Kindle Keyboard (Kindle 3) Motherboards or Screen Assembly

    My Kindle 3 started freezing a few minutes after I booting up. This started after I ran the battery down completely; but the battery appeared to charge fine, and swapping batteries did not fix it. Following the advice of this blog post from SiliconFish, I ordered a couple of broken-screen Kindles from ebay ($10 including…

  • Bicycle Cue Sheet Holder

    Bicycle Cue Sheet Holder

    I’ve moved to Oakland from Berkeley, and so biking to things goes over longer distances and often I find that I need to bring a cue sheet. That meant I needed a way to hold a cue sheet. I already have a section of my handlebar taped over with electrical tape where I attach my…