A Compendium of Boat Hacking and Gonzo Engineering
If you just landed here after subscribing via PayPal, thank you! Also, a big hello to folks who clicked over from the Navagear or Three Sheets Northwest articles… as well as the note in the letters column of Good Old Boat.
This page is about the subscription-based Nomadness Report, launched at the end of April 2011. (Initially I maintained a weekly schedule, but have switched to monthly production of correspondingly more substantial issues… same amount of content, but less issue-production overhead.)
Unlike the blog, which is a succession of articles about adventure and the transition to boat life, this is the technical narrative of the project with all its gonzo engineering, variations, puzzles, amusing interludes, geeky noodling, mistakes, pointers to resources, and more. Back issues are available in the Boat Hacking store.
Nomadness Report #15 Contact Sheet
The Report is published in PDF form and delivered by email for $20/year. I want to make subscribing a no-brainer for anyone interested in moving beyond standard marine electronics material. I’m of course integrating a lot of off-the-shelf systems, and depend heavily on Panbo, Navagear, and other sources for access to current product info… but most of this project is about creating capabilities that are not available in the marketplace. That’s what I share with my readers… hacks, head-scratching, wrong turns, and all.
The PayPal Subscribe button over there in the sidebar will automatically charge you yearly unless you cancel (which is easy) – please use this if you don’t want to worry about dealing with renewal down the road. If the idea of automatic recurring charges makes you uneasy, you can instead use the Buy Now button to order one year for $20. In either case, all new subscriptions currently begin with Issue #13 (see below for the compilation eBook of #1-12).
If you don’t wish to use PayPal, we have other options. I have a wonderful widget called Square that plugs into my Droid X and lets me take plastic via cell phone, and am also happy with an old-fashioned personal check by mail. Please email me if you prefer either of these.
The section below shows the contents and front-page image of the latest issue, and all the back issues are available in the Boat Hacking Store. Your subscriptions keep this project going, so I will make sure the reports are packed with amusing nautical geekery as we build the starship Nomadness!
Compilation Books
Every 80-100 pages, I pause and produce both eBook and hardcopy editions of all accumulated content. The first of those was released in September, and the eBook version is available now for $10:
The file is 27.6 MB, and completion of the transaction will take you to a download link. If you are a fan of this series and wish to make a few bucks by promoting it, I have an affiliate program… the commission is currently 25% on downloadables.
Current Issue: #16
9 pages, 2.2 MB PDF
- Circumnavigation Countdown – we have a plan!
- Hybridization Analysis (four scenarios)
- Helm seat design
- A few words from my partner
Front page image:
Hello,
I’m a long time fan of your endeavors and writing. I just subscribed to The Report – Issue #6 already being out – and wonder if you were selling back-issues as PDF’s. Thanks for all your work!
Hello, and thanks for subscribing! At the moment, I’m sending all new subscribers the full set of back issues, effectively starting everyone at #1, but eventually that will become cumbersome. My plan is to pause every quarter (12-13 issues) and produce an eBook as well as a printed digest… then start all subsequent subscriptions as the next issue past the collection. I don’t know the pricing of those yet, though I think the hardcopy version (via MagCloud) will be around $20-ish… with the eBook much less.
Cheers, and thanks again for helping fuel the boat hacking!
Steve
Hey Steve,
The webcam seems to freeze up every couple of days. Any idea what’s causing that?
So, you’re living at KokomoJoe’s old apartment? Maybe you’re off traveling, since I see no sign of your dinghy these days.
Did see your note in Good Old Boat. Best magazine around on boating with sails.
Cheers,
…Tom
HI Tom… Yah, weird on those freeze-ups! I have to restart the Pepwave Surf Mini sometimes, and other times just need to stop and re-start the process in the camera. Odd. I’ll go whack it….
I’ve just been tucking the dink between other boats for security. Thanks for the comment on the Good Old Boat note… I’m thinking of changing the name of the publication to “Boat Hacking Journal” to give it broader appeal.
Cheers!
Steve
Update on the webcam – it’s fixed! No more freezing. The problem was the old version of Pepwave firmware; an update solved the problem.