Kyle Rankin @kyle@librem.one

I've had a leg in both Twitter and Mastodon for years now and post simultaneously in both. I prefer Mastodon in basically every way. The main thing that keeps me on Twitter are folks who aren't (yet) on Mastodon.

My son needed help with a math problem so he came to my office. He came to the right place. Today I opted for the R.C. Allen 75 so I could tear off the paper tape demonstrating the calculations.

This weekend I finally started work on the mechanical calculator museum in my office! I plan on hanging more memorabilia on the walls and will type out placards for the calculators on display.

Estate sales are the way to go for quality yarn if you know what to look for. I just bought this collection of yarn (mostly wool and cotton) for the price of a single small skein of the yarn you see in front, if it were new. ⁨#weaving⁩ ⁨#yarn

The fabric is off the loom! The next step is to do a quick zigzag stitch across the end of each napkin to keep the ends from fraying when I separate them later. Then I'll wash/dry/iron the fabric, clean up loose threads, then separate and hem the napkins.

Yesterday my Comptometer Model 3D11 arrived! This last Comptometer model was made in the 1950s-60s and has all the final refinements they made to what was the fastest calculator for accounting before digital calculators dominated. I'll clean and refurbish it this weekend.

Here you can see the yards of fabric as it wraps around the cloth beam. In between each napkin is two or more passes of another yarn so I can more easily separate them later.

Last night I finished ⁨#weaving⁩ the 8th (and final) overshot napkin! I *barely* had enough warp left for it. Now to take them off the loom and hem the edges.

Check out this cool article on the ⁨#weaving⁩ innovations that went into the recently discovered oldest pants in history! Four different weaving techniques in a single fabric! https://arstechnica.com/?p=1845532

I found a gold-plated Stahly "live blade" vibrating safety razor with case that matches the vintage ad hanging next to my sink! It cleaned up really well with some metal polish and cotton swabs. ⁨#shaving

I found a mint condition vintage mechanical pocket calculator (with a vintage insensitive name) along with part of the box and instructions at a local thrift store for $5. Only missing a stylus.

A fundamental freedom that free software provides (freedom 1, the freedom to study how the program works) leads to another freedom: the freedom from coercion. https://puri.sm/posts/freedom-from-coercion/

Mom is out of town, so this evening the kid and I played some chess, ate some cookies we baked yesterday, watched some Mythbusters, and will end the evening with a bedtime story from Fellowship of the Ring. ⁨#nerdlife⁩

Exciting times! I'm entering the next stage in my journey to bring freedom, security and privacy to more people by assuming the role of President of @purism! https://puri.sm/posts/as-purism-grows-founder-ceo-todd-weaver-transitions-role-of-president-to-kyle-rankin-vice-president-to-nicole-faerber/

Security self-sufficiency means identifying those areas where you are dependent upon other companies, and choosing solutions that allow you to revoke trust easily, hold your own keys, and audit your digital supply chain. https://puri.sm/posts/security-self-sufficiency/

TIL about the 'apt changelog' command. I can't believe all the time I've wasted running zless and tab completing until I hit the right changelog.gz...

They say our code won't pay the rent
Before it's earned, our money's all been spent
I guess that's so, we don't have a plot
But at least I'm sure of all the things we got

Babe
I got GNU babe. I got GNU babe.