My Brain

From time to time my brain does a self review of interests and projects, some inactive, some abandoned, some retired and yes, some still active.  Over the last several decades this list has grown quite a bit.  Unfortunately I tend to abandon interests rather than retire them.  It's like an operating system running a bunch of programs.  Retiring a program means shutting it down and performing garbage collection, releasing it's resources for other things to use.  Retired projects will likely never be restarted.  Abandoning a project means leaving its image in memory and only releasing any reserved CPU time.  There is a slim possibility abandoned projects could be restarted.

So...  Here is my periodic list of interests and projects in no particular order...



Computer Projects

• JAOOL - 2003. Abandoned.  A new interpreted computer language JAOOL (Just Another Object Oriented Language).  After starting to study JavaScript I thought about making a JavaScript subset that would be faster, easier and more straightforward.
• Comic Book Collection Management Program - 1992? Retired.  This was a program I wrote in CA Clipper.  Was pretty much complete but never quite got to the point of releasing it.
• Pascal Complex Data Structures Library - 1990 through 1993.  Retired.  I created a Turbo Pascal and GNU Pascal library to better allow building advanced structures like trees, queues, stacks, etc...  Was pretty much completed and a few people may have used it.
• GNU Pascal - 1996 through 2000 and 2002.  Retired.  I briefly helped the folks developing the GNU Pascal compiler.
• 3BCard - 2000 and 2001. Retired.  I developed a PHP script for PostNuke that allowed users to build their own web pages.  Was release and actually used by a few webmasters.  PostNuke changed and I didn't change 3BCard to interface with the PostNuke script changes.
• WinAmp Plugin - 2002. Retired.  Wrote and released a WinAmp program that would show a link to the end-user where they could purchase what they were listening to.  Don't think anyone used it.
• MP3Relay - 1998 through 2000.  Retired.  Tried selling MP3 bandwidth for Shoutcast webcasters.  Had a few customers but shut down because I couldn't find reasonably priced bandwidth.
• Radstream - 1998 through 2003.  Retired.  Several ideas were embodied in Radstream.  Some included stream reviews, terrestrial webcasting index, distributing Shoutcast to potential webcasters (I would sell setup and support) and likely a few more things.
• RSP (Radstream Pegasus) - 2003. Retired.  A peer-to-peer audio webcast system.
• Cluster Computing - 2000 through 2003 and 2015 to current.  Active.  In the early 2000's I built a working Beowulf Cluster.  It was a collection of discarded computers from work.  Recently I have been revisiting the possibility of creating a new cluster computer to support BOINC projects and some pf my other current interests.
• Model Rocket Center of Pressure calculator - 1996. Retired.  I wrote and distributed a basic program in Delphi that would calculate the center of pressure for simple model rockets.  It worked well and I believe people used it. 
• Windows Weather Wallpaper - 2005?  Retired.  Simple Windows screen saver that would cycle through weather imagery from the National Weather Service.  It was released and there were some users but not many.
• Prime Numbers - 2003.  Abandoned.  While attending graduate Computer Science classes at Western Illinois University I discovered a perceived pattern to prime numbers.  When I left my graduate studies mid-semester, this was abandoned but not completely retired.  I may revisit this.
• Internet PC Backup Service - 1994.  Retired.  I had an idea to perform backups of peoples' PCs using the Internet.  Never got to the point of deep research.
• Realty Listings on the Internet -  1993.  Retired.  My ex-wife was a real estate salesperson in the suburbs of Chicago.  Even before there was a truly functional web browser, I thought there would be a great advantage to placing realty listings on the Internet, allowing open access.  I was told that would be illegal so the idea was dropped.
• "Visual" Computer Language - 1987.  Retired.  As an undergraduate student, after being exposed to an Apple Macintosh I thought about and wrote a little about a "visual" programming language.  It used a combination of flowcharting and code to create a new development paradigm.  Was a SUPER cool idea but was so busy with other things in college that it was dropped.
• Blazr LFS Distro - 2017 to current. Active.  Blaze will be a very fast and efficient Linux distribution using Linux From Scratch.  It will be a text/SSH only distro with no X11 windowing.  It is meant to be an experimental test-bed to build a Linux suitable for use as a node in a Linux cluster (BRCC Blaze Rural Computing Cluster).
• Project StarStare - 2015 to current.  Inactive.  This astronomy project is intended to watch the sky overhead and detect meteor strikes and fireballs.
• BLISf 2017 to current -  Active.  An experimental forum script in PHP that is fast, simple and presents to the browser in basic standard HTML.
• DNGET 2005 - 2011 -  Retired.  A simple DOS command line program written in C# that will download content from the Internet.  This was released and updated a few times.  There were users, and perhaps still are.
• Pine64 2015 to current -  Inactive.  Experimenting with the Pine64 ARM computer.
• FFSL 2014 - Retired.  Basically just some thoughts and beginning parser for an interpreter for a Freakishly Fast Scripting Language.  I dropped this after discovering Lua.
• FFDB 2014 - Retired.  Thought about building a Freakishly Fast DataDase  that would be distributed, open source, be capable of handling huge amounts of data.  I started designing this but soon realized that developing a database system such as this is beyond my capabilities.
• MoArt 2013 to current - Inactive.  A program written in C# to create a mosaic image from other images.  May be retired soon.
• Assembly Language OS -  2009 through 2015.  Abandoned.  Over several years I played with the idea of creating an operating system using x86 Assembly Language.  Should probably be retired but just can't get it out of my head.  I did play with the BareMetal OS a bit during this period.
• BOINC late 1990s to current -  Active.  In the late 1990s I ran SETI@Home before BOINC.  After BOINC was released I started running it with several projects including SETI@Home, Folding@Home, PrimeGrid and currently running "theSkyNet POGS".
• BOL 2013 -  Abandoned.  Byte Oriented Language.  This was a brief attempt to create an extremely fast scripting language using x00 through xFF as primitives.  The front end was written but I lost interest.
• WinLink -  2006. Retired.  Experimented with WinLink, a system designed to exchange e-mail over amateur radio.  Not really interested.
• Images over AX.25 -  2006 through 2007.  Retired.  Experimented with the possibility of sending binary data over conventional AX.25 nodes.  Yes...  by using UUENCoded data but this is very inefficient.  Not using conventional AX.25, but using a custom KISS packet, transferring binary data is much more efficient but digipeter nodes would need to use the custom KISS protocol.  Just dropped it due to low interest.
• Ham Radio Net Management script - 1998. Retired.  This was a nifty little PHP script that allowed Net Operators  of Ham Radio Nets easily record and maintain lists of participants on a particular net.  Was beta tested a few times by a net operator but I lost interest and dropped it.
• Collection of Open Source Programming Languages - 2002?  Retired.  After being laid-off from the ASPCA, I became interested in open source computer language tools.  Rather than create a web site for this collection, I attempted to create a CD with select tools, documents and FAQs about the selected items.  This was to be a subscription of sorts.  I created the first edition, started to burn the CDs and create a mailing list for free editions, but I decided to go back to school and the project was dropped. 
• Z-80 Computer From the Ground Up -  1983 to current.  Ever since fall of 1983 I have wanted to build a computer from the ground up using a Z-80 CPU as the core.  Sure, it has only 64k of RAM and is slower than any computing hardware for the past two decades but it is something I have always wanted to do and still poke at the project from time to time.  It is only on paper for now, but who knows...
• Learning C, C++, Lua, Assembly, etc...  Always...  Active.  I would really like to become more conversant in C, C++, Lua, x86 assembly, PHP, C# and a host of other languages.  The end goal is to be an expert in one.  My results so far only earn me the moniker "Jack of Some Languages, Master of None."
• Orchid Database - 2000 through 2001.  Retired.  This was going to be a database of orchid species, hybrids, lineages, and varieties.  Users, such as greenhouses and individual growers could lookup information about a specific orchid species or hybrid.  Something like highly structured wiki.  After entering a good deal of information I realized that over time species are split or combined, even renamed.  I hadn't considered that in my data structure so just dropped this project.

Ham Radio

• Generally all Ham Radio 1983 to Current -  Active.  Really this is a hobby I enjoy from time to time but not as much as before.
• Earn QRP WAS and other awards -  2017 to Current. Active.  Using only 5 watts, earn WAS and other awards.  Maybe even Worked All County award using QRP.
• Earn VHF/UHF awards -  Inactive.  I no longer have equipment capable of weak signal work on 6M up.
• Experiment with antennas. 
• Experiment with high speed AX.25 -  1998 - 2001 Retired.  I bought the equipment but there was no one in the area that experimented with high speed AX.25.
• Build a rig or other radio electronics -  1987 to Current.  Inactive I have made a few things like power supplies and rig interfaces but never anything complex.  Would LOVE to build a transmitter, receiver, or transciever from scratch.
• Experiment with Meteor Scatter -  2005.  Abandoned.  It was fun while I had the time and rig capable of 2M and 6M SSB.  I no longer have equipment that will support this.
• Experiment with HSMM -  2004 through 2005.  Retired.  HSMM is basically WiFi with higher power operating under part 97 rules.  It was interesting but not so much after a while.
• Earn My Amateur Extra License -  Current.  Active.  I just started studying for the highest level of amateur radio license.  Why not?

Boating

• Sailing - 2017 to current.  Active.  We have a little 16 foot Advance Sweet 16 sailboat.  It's nearly as old as me but sails just fine.
• Powerboating - 2016 to current.  Active.  We have a 18 foot open bow runabout that is a lot of fun when the water is high enough to enjoy a ride without hitting the muck at the bottom of our lake.
• Building my own sailboat - 2016 to current.  Inactive.  The thought of building my own wooden sailboat is quite intriguing.  However, building a sailboat is a LOT of work and has a fairly low priority right now.

Photography

• Photograph and record old structures -  2015 to current.  Inactive.  At the moment inactive but I may pick this up again.  I started a website, RuralRuins to record my photos and locations. 
• Art Photography - 1983 to current.  Inactive.  Have enjoyed taking photographs since 1983.  Only recently have I taken more than an idle interest.  However, this is a fleeting interest; sometimes I am interested, other times not so much.
• Astrophotography - 2010 through current. Inactive.  Would LOVE to try astrophotography and try to find an unidentified asteroid!

 Music

• Garage band - 1982 through 1983.  Retired.  Yes, I was in a garage band...  "Red Stallions" was the name I think.  I played bass...  poorly.  Actually, we spent more time playing video games than instruments.
• Acid Music - 1999 through 2002.  Abandoned.  Used a piece of software called Acid Music to create a few semi-ambient tunes.  Ever heard of "Emotion 0" or "Spiral".  Probably not.  I did create them and released them on a little website somewhere.
• Guitar - 1988 to current.  Active.  I have always enjoyed plunking on a guitar.  Honestly I am not very good but I do enjoy it from time to time.

Other interests over the years...

• Gardening
• Orchid Growing
• Stamp Collecting
• Coin Collecting
• Comic Book Collecting
• Metal Detecting and Relic Hunting 
• Woodworking
• Reading 
• Writing Short Stories
• Model and Amateur Rocketry
• Motorcycle Riding and Repair - Special note...  This interest is near and dear to my soul.  It spawned a blog and is detailed in another.
• Flying - In 2002 I believe, I earned my solo flight certificate.  Too expensive so I dropped it.  I REALY should have taken that solo flight!
• Traveling
• Building a Hot Rod
• Restoring an Old Tractor
• Operating a Small Hobby Farm
• Physics
• General Weather and Storm Watching
• Landscaping
• Masonry and Building Things With Stone, Block and Brick. 
• Cooking and Baking
• Guns and Shooting

There's likely more but this is all I remember at the moment.

*Please note that dates/years or details may not be completely accurate.  Time has a way of changing how we remember things.