Practical Technology

Back in the 70s, if you wanted to be online, you had to be a college student, researcher, or in the military to be on the internet. That was it. Joe or Jane User? Forget about it. Then, during a Chicago blizzard, a young computer scientist, Ward…Read More

Opinion I live in Asheville, North Carolina. You may have seen my hometown in the news over the last few weeks after Hurricane Helene wrecked the place. Many nearby smaller Blue Ridge Mountain communities, such as Swannanoa, Marshall, and Chimney…Read More

When I was a kid living near Grantsville, West Virginia, a few neighbors were into amateur ham radio. I found their analog electronics and antennas and their mastery of Morse code fascinating. They were into it because they talked with people…Read More

When I was a kid living near Grantsville, West Virginia, a few neighbors were into amateur ham radio. I found their analog electronics and antennas and their mastery of Morse code fascinating. They were into it because they talked with people…Read More

On Oct. 8, 2024, CIQ announced the launch of Rocky Linux from CIQ (RLC). This is an enterprise-grade version of the popular open source Rocky Linux distribution. This new offering aims to meet the needs of organizations that rely on Rocky Linux but…Read More

I like SpaceX’s Starlink. Its low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellite constellation delivers good speed and low latency to rural users who would otherwise be stuck with DSL or even — seriously — dial-up modem internet connections. Recently, Starlink made…Read More