Chronicles is a running record of civic participation, technical experiments, creative work, and local community life—documenting not just what I build, but what I notice, question, and contribute along the way.
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100 Word Stories: Craigslist Said It Was Healthy
Tasked with caring for his manager’s ficus, the narrator discovers Jarold is already dead. A questionable alley deal leads to a strange replacement, quiet guilt, and an unexpected outcome where the new plant thrives without question of what really happened. read more
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Are Virtual Fitness Medals Worth It?
My Medal Dash review compares it with The Conqueror, questioning virtual race accountability, false urgency, medal-first rewards, and whether fitness motivation built on the honor system is sustainable long term. read more
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Conqueror Challenge: First Impressions
Curious about virtual fitness medals, I signed up expecting a simple 5K-style challenge. Instead, I found long distances, aggressive upsells, and a gamified system that rewards purchases as much as progress. It’s motivating—but not without some friction. read more
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SOA: Authority Misplaced
A stubborn subdomain kept pointing to Bluehost long after migration. It wasn’t propagation or caching—it was a leftover DNS record and inherited authority. Clarity came with rest, and the fix to an SOA record finally revealed itself. read more
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Breaking Free From Hostinger
Migrating domains, databases, and email from Hostinger to a self-managed cPanel environment revealed hidden challenges in DNS, SQL cleanup, and mail routing. After rebuilding Exim and restructuring directories, the move brought greater control, flexibility, and long-term cost stability. read more
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My First Open Mic
A quiet afternoon turned into an unexpected creative journey: finishing a felted clown, stepping into an open mic for the first time, and joining a circle of music, story, and shared expression at the Stone Branch Center for the Arts. read more
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From Lanterns to Liberty
What started as a simple visit turned into stepping in as a minuteman, marching with the SAR, writing with a quill, and helping manage a musket volley. Along the way, one small gesture—a free commemorative coin—stood out. read more
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Working Alongside Her
Working through old entries has brought me back to my mother. Through her memoirs, I’m seeing a different side of her. One that doesn’t erase the past, but adds context, complexity, and a slow path toward understanding and forgiveness. read more
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Supervisors urged not to hike taxes at public hearing
The article mentions my comments during Warren County’s budget hearing, where I said some revenue increase may be needed but warned against relying on uncertain reserve figures before the county knew what funds were truly available. read more
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Clashing Public Views
A school funding request is followed by a stark claim that government produces nothing. This contrast leads to questions about cigarette taxes, vaping, and whether policy reflects reality—highlighting the gap between broad ideology and real-world decisions. read more
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Verify Before Spending
Inside the FY27 budget hearings, questions emerge about reserves, audits, and rising costs. As calls for forensic audits grow, concerns center on spending without a verified baseline—highlighting the tension between urgency, transparency, and financial certainty. read more
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Accountability Before Adjustment
Royal Examiner: Letter supports a 10-cent tax increase amid audit uncertainty, then documents rapid follow-up exchanges, evolving proposals, and questions around reserve use, financial transparency, and process—highlighting the importance of verified data, consistent information, and structured decision-making before final budget actions. read more
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America 250 Bingo Challenge
Stepping into Revolutionary attire for a library skit, I found myself balancing historical accuracy, missed lines, and unexpected humor. Not quite reenactment, not quite theater—just a moment where community, history, and imperfection came together in a surprisingly memorable way. read more
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100 Word Stories: Repeat Until Texture Is Uniform
A late-night writing challenge spirals into a constrained experiment, shaping a dark, surreal story hidden within the letters C-H-I-P. Between deadlines, audio production, and unexpected twists, creativity emerges through limitation—the realization that subtlety isn’t always as invisible as intended. read more
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Satirical Ordination Studio
A satirical experiment shaped by navigating Virginia’s ordination process, where recognition can hinge on paperwork and interpretation. This generator explores how quickly authority can be constructed through format, language, and presentation—sometimes blurring the line between legitimacy and performance. read more
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From Passing Communion To Taking It
Raised to observe but never partake, I reflect on how faith, scripture, and experience reshaped my understanding of Communion. What once felt distant now feels personal; an invitation not just to remember, but to participate—and finally take part. read more
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The Email Problem in Hosting
Setting up web hosting is straightforward until email enters the picture. Blocked ports, relay services, domain restrictions, and deliverability concerns quickly complicate things, turning what seems simple into one of the most challenging parts of running a reliable hosting environment. read more
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Inside a Vintage Phone Revival
Reviving vintage phones turned into a full day of discovery—bringing a TTY printer to life, restoring ringing bells, organizing a private phone network, and even dismantling a century-old magneto. Hands-on progress is bringing this interactive exhibit closer to reality. read more
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A Life Recovered from MiniDV
Old MiniDV tapes revealed forgotten footage from 2008—woods that no longer exist, family moments, and fragments of a life once lived. What began as digitization became something deeper: a rediscovery of memory, time, and the person I used to be. read more
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Building a Self-Contained Phone Network with Asterisk and Grandstream ATAs
Building an 18-line phone system with Grandstream ATAs and a Raspberry Pi turned into a deep dive into networking, provisioning, and Asterisk quirks. What started as a simple upgrade became a full system redesign with routing, isolation, and interactive possibilities. read more
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Coffee & Conversation: The Phoenix Project
A reflection on The Phoenix Project and how past relationships shape boundaries, trust, and distance. Not all healing happens in public or structured spaces—sometimes it’s built quietly, through awareness, experience, and the choice to protect your peace. read more
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Accessible Communication, Revisited Through TTY
Adding two vintage TTY machines turned into something more than an exhibit. For a moment, they talked—no phone line required. That moment reshaped the exhibit, adding interactivity & accessibility while revealing how communication was once built around people, not data. read more
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If You Only Have One Backup, You Have a Problem
Backups aren’t just copies—they’re a layered strategy. By combining local speed, offsite protection, and full system snapshots, you reduce risk, shorten recovery time, and give users control. Each layer serves a purpose, and removing one creates a gap you’ll notice when it matters. read more
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Building Reliability, Not Just Websites
Moving beyond trial hosting, I began building a dependable foundation—choosing cPanel, CloudLinux, and JetBackup to support real proposals. Inspired by FOIA insights and SBDC guidance, this shift focuses on reliability, isolation, and understanding the true value of infrastructure & time. read more
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Restoring the Signal
Repairing relationships, rediscovering old tools, and building new systems, this project reconnects people through sound, text, and shared experience. From rotary phones to TTY machines, the exhibit restores more than signals—it brings communities, stories, and forgotten technology back online. read more
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100 Word Stories: A very Cultured Performance
A last-minute email sparks a surreal museum story—cheese becomes music, balloons become sculpture, and creativity outruns time. Written, recorded, and produced in 35 minutes, this piece explores pressure, process, and the freedom of bending prompts into something entirely unexpected. read more
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With Grace & Joy Ribbon-Cutting
A ribbon cutting led me into a world both familiar and unfamiliar—where memory, curiosity, and discomfort met. While I didn’t quite fit, I found value in a space clearly built with purpose, even if it wasn’t meant for me. read more
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Voting, Waitlists, and Beanie Hats
A simple trip to vote revealed more than expected—local identity, internal party conflict, confusing systems, and quiet absences. Sometimes participation isn’t blocked, just unclear. Showing up matters, but knowing where to invest your time and energy matters too. read more
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Zoning, Walls, Energy, and Blight
I came to speak about a single blight issue, but the meeting unfolded into multiple conversations that directly affected me. From zoning to energy policy, one evening revealed how interconnected local decisions are—and how one concern leads to another. read more
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Sixth Street Blight
A boarded-up property on Sixth Street has become a defining image of Front Royal online. With no visible progress toward resolution, the concern isn’t just neglect—it’s how a single, prominent property shapes the town’s identity and perception. read more
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When Events Get Complicated
Proposed changes to event fees and requirements raise concerns about complexity, timing, and unclear rules. For organizers, the process risks becoming discouraging, where navigating paperwork and approvals becomes harder than actually planning the event itself. read more
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Blocked From Going Solar
While electric rates were under discussion, a larger issue emerged: the lack of net metering. After months of planning a solar installation, the project was halted—highlighting a gap that limits energy choice and resilience for residents. read more
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ADUs: Better, But Still Questions
Updated ADU language shows improvement, but questions remain around enforcement, annual reviews, owner occupancy, and property transfers. The details of implementation will determine whether ADUs function as a practical housing solution or create new layers of complexity. read more
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A Beautiful Wall Moment
A short exchange about retaining wall height turned into an unexpected public comment moment. A familiar phrase surfaced, and I offered a different perspective—what if walls didn’t just divide space, but reflected community through art and murals? read more
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Who Benefits from Rezoning?
A developer requested rezoning from R1 to R3 to build duplexes, despite a recommendation for denial. After listening to public input, one question stood out: how does this proposal benefit the broader community beyond the applicant? read more
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Building My Own Hosting Platform
Building my own hosting platform is shifting how I work—consolidating sites, reducing costs, and removing platform limitations. What started as infrastructure is becoming a way to better serve local clients with flexibility, control, and sustainable support. read more
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Peace Walk, Personal Reflections
A quiet walk for peace became something more—a personal journey through discomfort, reflection, and unexpected connection. Inspired by a traveling Buddhist monk, I found myself questioning, observing, and discovering that sometimes the hardest steps aren’t physical, but deeply internal. read more
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Pysanky Ukrainian egg
A quiet Sunday visit turned into a hands-on lesson in patience, creativity, and imperfection. While decorating a Ukrainian egg, I rediscovered childhood memories, experimented with unfamiliar techniques, and learned that sometimes the process matters more than the outcome. read more
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100 Word Stories: Bubble Rap
A playful twist on the “Bubble Wrap” prompt becomes “Bubble Rap,” blending rhyme, rhythm, and storytelling. From clunky drafts to performative verse, this piece explores cadence, creativity, and AI experimentation—ending with a pop, a punchline, and a lingering memory. read more
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Ringing a Crank Phone Digitally
This relay module enables a Raspberry Pi or Arduino to ring a 1916 wall phone by safely switching an external AC signal to the bell. A transistor drives the relay, preserving isolation while bridging digital control with original electromechanical hardware. read more
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Detecting a Phones Hand Crank
Building a crank detection module for a 1916 wall phone, this project uses an optocoupler to safely sense magneto activity while preserving original hardware. The design highlights protection, isolation, and modular expansion toward a fully functional hybrid analog-digital telephone system. read more
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Tourism Website Discussion vs Reality
Public comment highlights gaps between Warren County’s tourism website and reality, including broken pages, missing businesses, and lack of agritourism content. A review prompted by earlier discussions reveals inconsistencies in representation, execution, and the site’s effectiveness as a tourism tool. read more
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Restoring a Second Life Identity
Revisiting my Dedric Mauriac Second Life archive, I rebuilt thousands of images into a searchable static site and blog. What began as preservation became reflection—reconnecting a virtual life with my real one, and understanding how it shaped who I am today. read more
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Building a Switchboard for Old Phones
I built a working PBX using a Raspberry Pi to connect rotary and analog phones, enabling audio playback, voicemail, and interactive dialing. This guide walks through the setup, challenges, and creative possibilities for turning vintage telephones into a programmable experience. read more
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Bridging a Century of Telephony
A chance encounter led to a hands-on journey through communication history—rotary dials, ringing bells, and a century-old crank phone. Now, those mechanical signals are being translated into something new, as an antique system becomes a living, interactive telephone exchange. read more
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100 Word Stories: Silence Has Teeth
Alone in darkness, a prisoner confronts the loudest place in existence: his own mind. Memories, injustice, and endless thoughts echo through silence. When the warden finally speaks, the prisoner reaches his breaking point and asks for only one thing—peace. read more
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The Next Digital Threat Isn’t a Virus
We’ve learned to avoid suspicious links and untrusted downloads. But what happens when the risk isn’t code—it’s influence? Not loud or obvious, just a quiet shift in how feedback, facts, and confidence shape what we believe is true. read more
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The Shape of Familiar Kindness
A funeral, a missed connection, and a familiar kind of kindness. In showing up to say goodbye, I found myself reflecting on guardedness, memory, and how certain people echo the warmth we once knew but struggle to fully receive. read more
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Turning Memorization Into A Puzzle
While learning to recite passages for Freemasonry, I built a flash-card generator that turns text into puzzle pieces for memorization. The open-source tool now helps anyone reconstruct speeches, historical documents, or study passages while learning structure, cadence, and meaning. read more
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Nine Musicians Behind 12 Angry Men
An exploratory music jam invited musicians to abandon structure and follow sound wherever it led. Armed with a briefcase of strange instruments, I joined eight others in creating music that will never be heard again—except in memory. read more
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Small Batch Mug Sublimation Lessons
A day of early-morning sublimation testing turned into a crash course in mug printing. From ventilation and cutting templates to heat press quirks, tape marks, and uneven heating, each mistake revealed something new about dialing in a reliable mug workflow. read more
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Dialing In a Sublimation Mug Workflow
A simple plan to print custom mugs turned into a full day of experimentation. Measuring mugs, designing templates, optimizing taping tools, troubleshooting heat presses, and questioning assumptions revealed just how many small details shape a reliable sublimation workflow. read more
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Converting an EcoTank for Sublimation
Unboxing and converting an Epson EcoTank ET-2800 into a sublimation printer turned into a small adventure involving fourteen pieces of blue tape, oddly worded ink warnings, Wi-Fi troubleshooting, and a reminder that sometimes the most interesting part of technology is the human experience around it. read more
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100 Word Stories: It Was Probably The Lighting
A will condemns everyone as “immorally dressed,” except for a mysterious man in a yellow shirt. When no one fits the description, paranoia spreads. Then a courier arrives in an almost-yellow shirt and asks for Francis, leaving inheritance—and intent—uncertain. read more
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Where Lodge, Community, and Life Intersect
A week of courthouse paperwork, lodge leadership training, community service, civic conversations, and unexpected moments of fellowship reveals how Masonry often intersects with everyday life. Most meaningful lessons come not from ceremony, but from simple acts of service and brotherhood. read more
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Reverse Engineering a Magic Trick
A child at a birthday party tried simple magic tricks for the adults. I showed her a dollar-to-two-dollar trick, and instead of copying it, she took it apart to understand it. Watching her curiosity as a future engineer at work. read more
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Teaching an Archive to Read Itself
Today I began turning Dedric Mauriac’s Flickr archive into a static, searchable website. After building timelines, tags, and navigation, I experimented with OCR and AI image analysis to extract Second Life simulator names and coordinates embedded in BlogHUD captions. read more
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Recovering the Dedric Mauriac Flickr Archive
After finally regaining access to my long-dormant Dedric Mauriac Flickr account, I raced to recover more than 1,500 Second Life snapshots before platform changes erased them. A custom API script and digital archaeology helped restore the archive. read more
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A Budget-Friendly Sublimation Setup
A small mug fundraiser continues evolving into a production system. After estimating equipment costs and bringing sublimation printing in-house, new orders now total sixty mugs—revealing how quickly a simple makerspace experiment can become a small-scale manufacturing workflow. read more
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Writing a Rulebook Like It’s 1881
A small Victorian-style game manual became an unexpected experiment in historical voice, typography, and satire. Built from 1881 newspaper advertisements, it aims not only to entertain players, but spark curiosity about local history and overlooked stories hidden in everyday artifacts. read more
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How a Website Post Became Part of a County Budget Discussion
A clip from Warren County’s March 6, 2026 budget work session shows the Treasurer reading from my website while discussing financial software modernization, connecting legacy technology concerns with audit delays, public oversight, and the county’s FY27 budget process. read more
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Reclaiming Flickr: The Final Phase
The final phase of my Flickr migration focuses on intentional resizing, metadata preservation, and reconstructing community context. With AI-assisted descriptions and chronological rebuilding, thousands of images now live independently on my blog—optimized, searchable, and no longer dependent on third-party platforms. read more
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100 Word Stories: The End?
For the “Twist” challenge, I chased every meaning the word offered—Dickens, dance floors, tornadoes, tongue twisters, and twisted rules. After reshaping characters, tightening dialogue, and reworking music, the story became self-aware, ending with a title that twists itself. read more
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Almost There: The Final Compression
I’m finishing a full Flickr migration—restoring display names through the API, converting legacy HTML into Gutenberg blocks, rebuilding maps and Exif data, and compressing 1.6 GB of images into a sustainable archive without losing attribution or detail. read more
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Reclaiming Flickr: Owning My Photos Again
Importing my Flickr archive became more than a data migration. It turned into a full reconstruction project—mapping IDs, rebuilding albums, extracting EXIF data, and using AI to enrich thousands of images—transforming dormant backups into a searchable, living archive. read more
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Template Revival
Restoring my late-1990s websites has pulled me deep into the archives. From dial-up design tricks and table layouts to VBScript conversions and WordPress integration, I’m rebuilding old templates so earlier versions of my digital life can live on. read more
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Reviving a 1999 Scriptlet
Originally written in 1999 as a VBScript Scriptlet, this animated experiment layered GIFs to move eyes and toggle a mouth. Revived and modernized in JavaScript, it preserves the late-90s web charm while shedding Internet Explorer–era constraints. read more
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3D Model Fly-Through
Modeled in 1995 using 3D Studio Release 4, this 56K modem fly-through featured custom PCB textures, lofted components, and simulated reflections. Originally rendered as an AVI, it was converted to a GIF due to web hosting limitations and preservation concerns. read more
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Racing the Hundred
My 100 Word Stories buffer ran dry, leaving me racing weekly deadlines while forty-four empty drafts wait. Each story becomes narration, design, reflection, and AI imagery—disciplined microfiction wrapped in cyberpunk styling, built on constraint, structure, and measurable creative momentum. read more
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Ink, Water, and Words
An experimental day of 1881 block printing, unused ritual water bowls, and a thoughtful Writers Saloon converged into a meditation on constraint. Ink failed, wood chipped, words were weighed, and I was reminded that expression always meets responsibility. read more
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100 Word Stories: Hung Out to Dry
When Nancy declares their relationship over, John realizes he may have missed the part where it began. As low-flying clothes pegs rain down and he’s literally tied to a clothesline, miscommunication snaps tighter than the pins that bind him. read more
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When Twelve Became Two Hundred
What began as a simple twelve-mug fundraiser quickly evolved into a lesson in production economics, labor realities, and unexpected demand. A small experiment in the makerspace became a spreadsheet-driven exploration of scale, sustainability, and community opportunity. read more
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“Gutbusters”: How the Civil War Built the Modern Ambulance
A lecture on Civil War ambulances revealed how battlefield triage, wagon design, and relentless logistics shaped modern emergency medical systems. From “gutbusters” to standardized evacuation, innovation born in war transformed crisis transport into lasting civic infrastructure. read more
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A Day In Civic Orbit
A connective day across Warren County: finance system discussions, FOIA timing adjustments, community visits, archival humor, fundraising updates, media corrections, and late-night video editing. Not a podium moment, but steady civic maintenance rooted in structure, relationships, and record-keeping. read more
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Emotional Crowd Gathers to See Some County Operational Funding Restored to Samuels Library in Current Fiscal Year
Royal Examiner: At the February 17 meeting, I was the first public commenter to support repealing Chapter 7 and dissolving the inactive County Library Board. My remarks emphasized administrative clarity before the board voted to restore $100,000 in library funding. read more
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Repealing Chapter 7: Administrative Housekeeping
On February 17, 2026, the Board repealed Chapter 7, which created a County Library Board in 2024. I supported repeal, noting the board had not functioned as an active body and that inactive governance structures create confusion rather than clarity. read more
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Public Land, Valuation Questions
On February 17, 2026, the Board approved the sale of County-owned property at 0 Hillidge Street. I raised concerns about declining assessments, adjacency value, and the absence of a publicly presented fair market appraisal prior to final approval. read more
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Hobby Hives, Not Commercial Yards
During the February 17, 2026 hearing on backyard beekeeping in R-1 zoning, I supported allowing hives by right while raising concerns about unlimited colony counts under the 200-foot setback provision and suggested reasonable limits for residential compatibility. read more
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Modern Systems, Real Transparency
During the February 17, 2026 public comment period, I expressed appreciation for Warren County’s modernization efforts, including digital agenda packets via CivicClerk and searchable FOIA requests through NextRequest—systems that strengthen transparency, reduce duplication, and improve public access to information. read more
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Time Badger Energy
After navigating unclear pay period rules and manual PDF submissions, I built a simple browser-based time keeper in an hour using AI. It runs locally, exports JSON, prints cleanly, and removes friction without adding complexity. Sometimes boring software works best. read more
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0 MPG Spark
What began with anomalies in the fuel report evolved into a full Accounts Payable ledger ingestion system. By transforming print-formatted CSV exports into structured, validated data, I built a repeatable transparency pipeline that surfaces financial signals for meaningful oversight. read more
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FOIA and Structure
Ahead of the Finance/Audit Committee dissolution vote, I used the postponement window to compile targeted public records, agenda timelines, and financial signal reports—replacing speculation with documentation and showing what disciplined, modular FOIA work actually looks like in practice. read more
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100 Word Stories: Champion of the Backyard Games
A 100-word challenge sparked playful wordplay: “X,” “Spear,” and “Mint” became Experiment. Beneath the absurd Olympic fantasy lies an imagined childhood scene—transforming a toothbrush and garage wall into triumph—celebrating how imagination turns the ordinary into epic victory. read more
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The Buffer Has Arrived
After testing a high-impedance PM-1 buffer, I confirmed my piezo signal path is no longer loading the pickup. Harmonics remain stable, decay improves, and measurements reflect the instrument — whether steel tongue drum, kazoo, slide whistle, or rubber chicken. read more
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Deliberate Participation in a Small Town
Civic life in a small town isn’t just procedural — it’s relational. Navigating transparency, scrutiny, and reputation while carrying a history of enforced silence has shaped how I choose to engage. Participation isn’t automatic for me. It’s deliberate. read more
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Laser Heat and Victorian Optimism
A Makerspace day turned into bold mugs, restored 1881 advertisements, and new life for a Victorian-inspired card game. Between heat presses and laser etching, I’m blending fundraising, historical preservation, and playful optimism into tangible work — one 4×4 miracle at a time. read more
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Approved. Published. Not Found.
After months immersed in dashboards and public systems, I finally published my Dreamy Tags WordPress plugin—approved February 1st and visible in the directory. Click the link, though, and it vanishes. A small reminder that infrastructure sometimes lags behind reality. read more
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FOIA and Sanity
I document how filing FOIA requests became a systems exercise: organizing folders, negotiating costs, extracting data, tracking timelines, and respecting staff constraints. The goal isn’t scandal, but boring transparency that produces usable reports, preserves institutional memory, and improves oversight governance. read more
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100 Word Stories: Relativity Detour
Wrote and produced a 44-second microfiction for the “Vanishing Point” challenge, inspired by Escher, Labyrinth, and A-ha’s “Take On Me.” Blended nostalgia, surreal tension, and sound design using producer.ai and Audacity to create an audio story from start to finish. read more
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100 Word Stories: Nip from Another Dimension
A feast fit for a feline queen turns surreal when “fancy” catnip enters the scene—not the boring stuff that loses its scent, but the cosmic kind that rattles reality, bends senses, and makes time politely shake hands with sound. read more
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Four-Inch Windows Into 1881
Restoring 1881 Warren Sentinel advertisements into modern print blocks involves scaling fragile scans, repairing lost ink, and making careful design choices. Each piece becomes a balance between historical preservation and creative interpretation, transforming forgotten newsprint into tactile artifacts ready for printing. read more
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Virginia Mountaineers Hillbilly Clan 15: Member
January 2026 – Present. Completed Hillbilly Degree and formally joined Clan 15 by remitting lifetime dues. Attended the fifth-Friday meeting and participated in organizational activities, including Turtle Club induction. Membership supports fellowship, tradition, and continued involvement in regional fraternal and community gatherings. read more
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Turtle Club: Vile & Impious Wretches
January 2026. Completed Turtle Club initiation and obtained full membership credentials. Participated in ceremonial induction, administrative verification, and formation of a local pond titled Royal Giggles & The Curiously Crowned. Engagement emphasizes fellowship, lighthearted ritual, and community participation alongside existing civic and fraternal commitments. read more
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Ice, Ink, and In The News
A quiet day of archival cleanup, frozen driveways, and resurrected 1881 block ads. I rebuilt my In The News timeline, accepted help clearing ice, and continued restoring Warren Sentinel artwork, learning that independence sometimes means planning ahead, asking neighbors, systems. read more
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Rebuilding My Piezo Signal Path for Accurate Acoustic Analysis
After tracing brittle transients and missing bass to piezo impedance mismatch, I researched buffering solutions and mapped my signal path. This field note documents the investigation, measurements, and hardware choices behind pursuing accurate steel tongue drum analysis—before the new preamp even arrives. read more
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Gutenberg Warnings, Inline SVG, and Who Let the Dogs Out
A day spent polishing my first WordPress plugin turned into a crash course in SVG optimization, LocalWP testing, open-source collaboration, and tracking a runaway dog through snowy streets. Debug logs, vector paths, and paw prints collided in one oddly satisfying winter adventure. read more
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Noise Box (Chaos Beans)
Built from a baked beans can, springs, and found hardware, Chaos Beans is a handmade noise box exploring unpredictable sound through touch and vibration. This electroacoustic experiment blends playful construction with experimental performance, turning everyday objects into a portable instrument of joyful chaos. read more
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Hopwell Steel Tongue Drum (15 note, Key of D)
A deep dive into a 15-note D-major steel tongue drum used as a rain-activated idiophone. Measured tuning accuracy, harmonic behavior, sustain, lacquer acoustics, and psychoacoustics reveal a thoughtfully engineered instrument that bridges ambient sound sculpture, melodic percussion, and experimental recording. read more
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Randon Piezo Contact Pickup (MP20)
A quick experiment with piezo pickups turns a Pringles can into a resonant microphone, exploring how vibration becomes sound. From pre-wired transducers to permanent installs, I test portable electrification for kalimba, ukulele, and rain drum—then look ahead to noise boxes. read more
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