Dual WAN fully engaged!

Starlink Obstruction Animation GIF of starlink dish spinning with a blue semi sphere over it labeled clear sky. ISP labeled list with two entries, Spectrum and Starlink. Both with green indicator beside them

This is was a long time coming.  i’ve had the equipment for years, but it was always needed elsewhere.  Finally home, it’s up and running.  smoother and more reliably than with any previous deployment. Just in time for me to accidentally unplug my Spectrum modem!

7 days of dual WAN activity24 hours of dual WAN activity

I was surprised and impressed by the integration with the Starlink that Unifi exhibited.  including obstruction info and firmware info on the Unifi dashboard.

Starlink WAN data including Obstructions and Firmware.

VCF 2026! give away all the things and maybe get a few more

VCF 2026 - DemoIt’s that time of year again, and the Vintage Computer Festival.  When i clean out my garage and marvel at all the incredible past computing and electronics that are kept working with love and proficient attention to maintenance.  not my first visit, or even my second.

VCF 2026 - Cart of Equipment VCF 2026 - Car of EquipmentThis year i brought three carloads, with xServes, xRAIDs, and fiber channel gear!  Time Capsules in original packaging.  iMacs and laptops from many generations and many operational statuses.

VCF 2026 - xServes & Fiber Channel VCF 2026 - Time Capsules in boxVCF 2026 - Dirty NES gamesThere was a demo of adult themed “dirty” original nintendo games. i never knew.  custom cases, or custom lights, here was an Amiga 500 made clear.  looking good.

VCF 2026 - Amiga 500 demo

Two of my dream systems were in the consignment room.  i was proud that i didn’t go home with a 20th Anniversary Mac nor a MacTV.  it was hard, but had to be done.

VCF 2026 - Mac TV on consignmentVCF 2026 - 20th Anniversary Mac on consignment

Preparing even more epic VCF deliveries this year!

VCF Equipment xRAIDs

The Vintage Computer Festival is getting tons of goodies from me.  This year i’ve got literally three carloads!  (thanks Eric & Harry)  Some is so good it’s destined for the consignment room.  Don’t worry i’ve got plenty for the free table.  i’ve got a box of unused 3.5″ 500GB PATA disks!  spares for the xRAID.  who needs 7TB of 2GB fiber SAN?  Form an orderly line please.

VCF Equipment xServes xRAIDs Towers

Going with the retro look with my new Hak5 Pineapple Pager!

hak5 pager LogoLaunched at Defcon 33 and eagerly awaited by wifi tinkerers and technologists.  i finally received mine. i’m still figuring out the functionality from potential.  As a handheld device, unlike the rest of the pineapple line, it is designed to be used from the device.  i was looking for an always monitoring device with audio and haptic alerts.  it’s handheld nature makes extracting logs a novel concept, but it is already providing insight into my wireless space.  hak5 Pager - Initializing War Games Screenhak5 pager Setup ReadyI love the default look with all it’s retro elements.  From war games to classic MacOS, out of the box it has more retro style than it’s 90s pager reveals.  it operates on 3 wifi bands! (2,5,6) and maybe bluetooth as well eventually.  This is just the beginning as the firmware gets more mature and additional content is added by the users.  this is with the stock hardware.  Hak5 is already selling USB modules for ethernet, GPS, and LoRa for even more functionality. i’ll update as i get more capable with the gadget.  currently it does eat it’s battery very enthusiastically. i don’t think i’ve gotten more than 2-3 hours of use on a charge. (but i don’t yet know what i am doing)

Hak5 Wifi Pineapple Pager Recon

My first visit to Akihabara electric town

This has become more of a tourist/shopping experience than the electronics bazaar.  I saw some incredible stuff.  There was an entire floor of Apple products, with more stuff than any Apple store. Some of the old school electronics designers remain and sell wares from tightly packed market stalls.  i picked up this awesome clock.

Tokyo's Akihabara Electric Town local vendor

teamLab Borderless exhibition delights and amazes visitors!

teamLab Borderless - Perspective

The teamLab Borderless exhibit in Tokyo shows what is possible with interactive art.  From video projection to three dimensional LED or other installation, i was constantly wondering what i would find around the corner.  Brining life was a reoccurring theme with one room literally having flowers spring up around slow moving visitors.

teamLab Borderless - be3n teamLab Borderless - exhibition teamLab Borderless teamLab Borderless - Sunflowers