Wow, 20m, 15m and 10m are hopping on FT8 this afternoon (de Texas)

I love the combination of these two!

Andreas is a smart guy so I was interested in his take on AI agents in the context of embedded/IOT projects. I used to create these kind of projects in my sleep (as a hobby) but like him I have stepped away. I’ve a project in mind so I might try this approach out rather than spin my brain back up on devices, libraries, and PlatformIO.
youtube.com/watch?v=5DG0-_lseR4

Sooooo satisfying

I have a functional print that needs about 400g of filament. I’m taking this as a good opportunity to use up several short spools. The result will look chaotic but that will be fine because only the last few layers will be visible when installed.

Feels good because short spools are a bit annoying

I can attest that Snaps are simple, fast and effective. @socprof masto.ai/@socprof/115840087812

I bought a spool of Sunlu filament for the first time (matte black). Being used to Jessie and Prusament I didn’t react positively to how loose it was wound. But I’ve used up nearly the whole thing with now problems and it was cheap.

In hyperlocal news: our son finished classroom instruction for his license so I took him to a deserted parking lot for his first time behind the wheel. He did fine. I only had one minor heart attack.

First 3D design and print of the year is trivial: needle caps for non-sharp needles.

One is for a syringe used in lubricating linear rails and the other is for cleaning fountain pens.

It is about time to say goodbye to my Hobonich Techo Cousin, my first ever Hobonichi. It has been a solid friend.

For 2026 I am switching to the Hobonich Techo original decked out with Tamagotchi. The smaller format will force me to rethink my usage but hopefully not crimp my style. 🎉

Got my tea lights today so now the aforementioned cottage lights up 🎄

I think I have a partially clogged CHT. I’m saving the joy of a cold pull or whatever else will solve the problem for tomorrow.

On the positive side I created 3 new models in Fusion using recently learned techniques 👍🏼

I printed the parts yesterday and did the assembly this morning while waiting for the laggards to wake up so we can open presents. Tree light for the interior is still on the way.

Model: https://www.printables.com/model/682489-xm

Merry Christmas y’all from an unseasonably warm Texas. 🎄🧑🏼‍🎄 Wishing you can find the peace that surpasses all understanding.

Spending time this Christmas eve making QSO using FT8 on 20m while 3D printing some Christmas decor.

Trying to convince myself to get out an exercise - it is an unusually warm 74ºF here and that is oddly discouraging.

I had been using FireFox as my backup/alternative browser. Given their stupid announcement regarding AI I deleted it everywhere. Going to try using @kagihq Orion browser instead.

This ethos is why I chose, and continue to buy, Prusa printers.

Open-sourcing CORE One CAD Files Under the New Open Community License (OCL) - Original Prusa 3D Printers blog.prusa3d.com/core-one-cad-

After being off the HF bands for nearly 2 months due to a failed feedline it sure felt good getting back to making QSOs again. Nothing exotic today but a good quantity and several POTA.

I wanted to find the fault in the direct bury coax but there were several places with too much plant overgrowth. It shall remain a mystery. On the plus side I was able to route the feedline slightly differently to keep it a bit shorter.

Pretty nifty news for the PC build community. I love my Noctuas.

Noctua and Prusa Research introduce 3D printing filaments in signature Noctua colours | Noctua noctua.at/en/news/noctua-and-p noctua.at/en/news/noctua-and-p

My top 10 artists of 2025. I had no idea who Last Heroes was and had to check my library to see which songs of theirs I played so much. Interestingly, at least to me, only one of my top 10 songs is by one of these artists: Nightmare by William Black. The song I have repeated most often is Tokyo Nights by Digital Farm Animals. Sometimes that vibe just hits me.

1. Seven Lions
2. Crystal Skies
3. Illenium
4. TIesto
5. William Black
6. Last Heroes
7. Nurko
8. Far Out
9. Trivecta
10. Martin Garrix

Removed some decals yesterday and just noticed this accidental juxtaposition.
@josefprusa

Excited to try this new Canopus Note. It was a winner of the Tokyo Stationery Award this year and cited as the best for all kinds of pens and inks. Should be fun. I love good paper and notebooks though I have to admit I under utiilize them.

My initial troubleshooting of the high SWR on the HF antenna has eliminated the EFHW/balun as the cause and also the antenna switch and lightning arrestor. After futzing around it seems to be a fault in the cable from my shack at the front of the house to the antenna in the backyard. I need to do some more checks to ensure this is the case (e.g. not just a connector on the cable). It is a direct bury cable so won’t be fun to replace.

Unproductive pre-dawn start. Tried doing early FT8. WSJT- wasn't hearing stations so I kicked it in the butt which fixed it. Then noticed on pskreporter my signal wasn't going out. Checked my 7300 and the SWR was off the chart(NanoVNA showing a 22:1).

Decided to print a simple fidget. Failed after first layer with the head getting an ooze-ball and dragging the first layer all over the place. I noticed it was the first time using a new Prusa satin PEI. Switch to an older one and problem fixed.😔

Started printing the parts to implement the free upgrade of my Core One to a Core One+. Everything looks pretty simple to implement.

The PC CF parts came out great, tomorrow I’ll do the PETG portion.