iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Jeff Geerling @jeffgeerling.com · 26/09/2026

That would be ideal. Need to get through one 'Fest first, then I'll see what I can do to have other ones. Would love to see it elsewhere too!

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Jeff Geerling @jeffgeerling.com · 25/09/2026

Thanks! Already have spent a lot of time planning this thing, will spend a lot more making it not be like Fyre Fest haha

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Jeff Geerling @jeffgeerling.com · 25/09/2026

No, sadly that was the only weekend St. Charles Convention Center had next year in that time frame. I hope to move it to another weekend if we do it again in 2028.

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Jeff Geerling @jeffgeerling.com · 25/09/2026

Hehe we should have a GNU/Linux and BSD section :D

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Jeff Geerling @jeffgeerling.com · 24/09/2026

Don't worry, YouTube will still give you 33.4, 33.3, and 33.2% spread on it haha

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Jeff Geerling @jeffgeerling.com · 18/09/2026

Haha next year we'll have to do some sort of black burst signaling from GNSS for Genericable and other cable-related networks :D

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Jeff Geerling @jeffgeerling.com · 18/09/2026

I thought I had the best time at the largest vintage computing event in the world. But then someone rolled up with a cesium atomic clock, and I was no longer sure... My video covering VCF Midwest is here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=oW-H... #vcfmw

youtube.com

I found an atomic clock at the world's largest vintage computer show

YouTube video by Jeff Geerling

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Jeff Geerling @jeffgeerling.com · 17/09/2026

Rootie was just sharing a good time with all!

Jeff Geerling @jeffgeerling.com · 16/09/2026

Hope you enjoyed the whole thing, it was quite overwhelming (in a good way!)

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Jeff Geerling @jeffgeerling.com · 15/09/2026

I don't know how that is possible, I was counting every second! :D

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Jeff Geerling @jeffgeerling.com · 15/09/2026

Nooo! I snuck away to see the cesium clock and oscilloscope clock. Doh!

Jeff Geerling @jeffgeerling.com · 14/09/2026

Gaaah I totally forgot to come check out picoide! Now have to wait again for shipping haha. Patience!

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Jeff Geerling @jeffgeerling.com · 14/09/2026

Honored to have met Rootie!

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Jeff Geerling @jeffgeerling.com · 13/09/2026

What's a second between friends? :D

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Jeff Geerling @jeffgeerling.com · 13/09/2026

It was so fun talking with so many people! Need to remember to take cough drops earlier in the day haha

Jeff Geerling @jeffgeerling.com · 12/09/2026

If you're at VCF Midwest, come all the way to the back corner and check out my NTP Time demo on a bunch of old Macs! (Starring an Xserve G5 with an acrylic cover). Also check out Mr. Macintosh's rack full 'o Xserves across the pod! #vcfmw

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Jeff Geerling @jeffgeerling.com · 11/09/2026

RF back in 1999-2000 was never so congested on 2.4 GHz! I have Ethernet for my iBook as a backup :)

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Jeff Geerling @jeffgeerling.com · 10/09/2026

Haha thanks for the credit, I really like that Jimmy Paputto HAT. A good middle ground between hacking together one of the GNSS kits, and the TimeHAT that's a bit pricey but a little more flexible for PTP

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Jeff Geerling @jeffgeerling.com · 10/09/2026

I'm outta time! I'm packing for VCF Midwest today, but did finish up the last three projects for my NTP Time demo on old Macs: Xserve G5, Mac SE/30, and iBook G3 Clamshell (over AirPort Wi-Fi!). #vcfmw Also a bonus look at AppleTalk-based time transfer: www.youtube.com/watch?v=h3RW...

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Jeff Geerling @jeffgeerling.com · 09/09/2026

Everyone out here talking about Apple's new phones. I'm just interested in their design labs running a Raspberry Pi CM4-based resin printer, front and center in this shot lol

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Jeff Geerling @jeffgeerling.com · 09/09/2026

Haha that was 1/2 the reason I set it up :D

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Jeff Geerling @jeffgeerling.com · 09/09/2026

Nice! And I need to update the map tonight, a couple tables shifted around.

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Jeff Geerling @jeffgeerling.com · 08/09/2026

APC/Schnieder discontinued their UPS NMC2 in 2022. Rather than upgrade to their proprietary $470 NMC3, NetCube Systems Austria built an open replacement, the OpenNMC. I've been testing one. It's a drop-in upgrade, and it includes NUT! Video here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=4sw8...

youtube.com

I replaced my UPS's proprietary card with open source firmware

YouTube video by Level 2 Jeff

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It's bigger this year! Full convention hall; last year it was only like 70% of the space I think

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There is now! haha thieleke filed a PR with a few nice improvements

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Microsecond accurate NTP with a Raspberry Pi and PPS GPS - Austin's Nerdy Things

USB is already pretty great (especially if you break out the PPS output to GPIO like Austin's Nerdy Things writes here: austinsnerdythings.com/2021/04/19/m... But the HATs are great for being more compact and with direct PPS input. You can get down to microseconds, possibly even sub-µs

austinsnerdythings.com

For around $100, you can have a Stratum 1 NTP PPS GPS system providing microsecond time to all of your computers & equipment.

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VCF Midwest 21 — interactive table guide

Coming to VCF Midwest? If you're like me, it's hard trying to remember where everything is, especially with VCF taking up the ENTIRE expo hall this year. So I made this tool last night: geerlingguy.github.io/vcfmw21-map/ Now it's a lot easier to find exhibitors! #vcfmw

geerlingguy.github.io

Interactive floor plan for Vintage Computer Festival Midwest 21. Tap any table to see who is exhibiting there, what they are showing, and where to find them.

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Jeff Geerling @jeffgeerling.com · 05/09/2026

Haha one uses a LOT more power though! I'm also twiddling with the source to try to prevent burn-in

BigMaclock, LilMaclock (Big one is using NTP)

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The next step is figuring out how deep to cut/strip each wire to make nice neat wiring bundles

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I restomodded a 1995 GPS Time & Frequency Server, and learned wire wrapping, a little GPS history, and how to avoid the Telstra back-to-2006 bug. Video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=CivR...

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Haha true. But for a low profile quick connection to a dozen or so pins, especially if you don't have solder handy, it's amazing how easy/quick it is. I always thought those wire wrapped boards required more skill lol. Definitely not if I can do it!

Wire wrapping is neat. Never tried it before, but now I have and I love it for prototyping! (And no that is not AI-generated, somehow the physics of wire wrapping results in these beautiful little towers of gas-tight low-resistance connections!)

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