iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Lee Ryman @leeryman.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

A visitor to the backyard. The chickens are unimpressed but are tolerating it.

A bluetongue lizard on the grass in the sun in the backyard. Port Stephens, NSW, Australia.

Lee Ryman @leeryman.bsky.social · 04/08/2026

Take note: if reapplying a dressing to a cut, don't mistake Dencorub Extra Strength Heat Gel for Solosite. (They have surprisingly similar tube backs. But you soon find out they are very different!)

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Lee Ryman @leeryman.bsky.social · 25/07/2026

Happy to see the nav lights of a sailing vessel we've been tracking finally safely inside the heads. The crew have been battling a steering failure as they progressed down the coast, and had been using differential thrust at times. No AIS on the vessel, so Mk 1 Eyeballs were employed.

Port and starboard lateral and masthead lights visible as distressed vessel enters the port at night.

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Lee Ryman @leeryman.bsky.social · 16/07/2026

So we've had some connection drops on the redundant Internet connection overnight. The volunteer rescue base sent me these photos this morning... @ubiquiti.bsky.social, love your gear, but the brackets might need some more rust protection, or an option for a stainless mounting.

PowerBeam dish with the mounting bracket rusted into bits.

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Lee Ryman @leeryman.bsky.social · 01/06/2026

A normal conversation with my ADHD partner: I walk into the room, so zero context. Partner: "What do you feel about cabbage?" Me: <slightly confused> "I mean, I'm not anti-cabbage" Partner: "Good. So you know, I'm putting your response on a shirt."

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Lee Ryman @leeryman.bsky.social · 30/05/2026

Preparing name badges for my partner's stall at the market tomorrow...

My spouse's badge describes her as the Manager. Mine says I am Assistant to the Manager.

I also go by Runner, Moving Trolly Operator and Driver.

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Lee Ryman @leeryman.bsky.social · 15/05/2026

Our rescue cat, seething at being taken to the vet for her fluvax.

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Lee Ryman @leeryman.bsky.social · 27/01/2026

We started looking at replacing our aging server at the marine rescue base. Last year it was going to be around $10k with basic warranty/support options. We won a grant and proceeded to get an updated quote... now $130k... for the same specs, due to the "demand for AI". That is insane.

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Lee Ryman @leeryman.bsky.social · 27/09/2025

Qui... Less than busy at the marine rescue radio base this evening. Got plenty of IT admin work and updates to an equipment training manual to do.

Inside the Port Stephens Marine Rescue Ops Room. Three operator stations, each with a touchscreen Radio-over-IP and ops PC, Cisco CP-8851 VoIP phone, a choice of desk pedestal mic or headset. Other equipment includes a Surf Life Saving handheld transceiver, backup VHF DSC Marine radio, backup Marine Rescue Discrete Communications Network (DCN), 27MHZ Marine radio, Rhotheta VHF/EPIRB Radio Direction Finder, Koden 27Mhz Radio Direction Finder, Medical Alert Receiver, NTP PoE Clock, and an old school barometer.

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Reposted by Lee Ryman

WIRED @wired.com · 11/09/2025

Gene-edited pancreatic cells have been transplanted into a patient with type 1 diabetes for the first time. They produced insulin for months without the patient needing to take immunosuppressants. www.wired.com/story/no-mor...

wired.com

Crispr Offers New Hope for Treating Diabetes

Gene-edited pancreatic cells have been transplanted into a patient with type 1 diabetes for the first time. They produced insulin for months without the patient needing to take immunosuppressants.

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Lee Ryman @leeryman.bsky.social · 07/09/2025

Went to the awesome Oakvale Wildlife Park. Saw this fella with the weekend feels...

A sleeping wallaby, rolled up with it's head resting on the base of its tail.

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Lee Ryman @leeryman.bsky.social · 20/08/2025

Can't sing enough praise for the nurses, doctors and facilities at the local Tomaree Hospital, after visiting the ED tonight for my partner. I only wish their staffing levels were better funded. They look overworked, and it always seems like they have to import doctors from the central coast.

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Lee Ryman @leeryman.bsky.social · 15/08/2025

Which animal was the line "get out of my coffee" said to this morning... a) regular chicken b) bin chicken c) cat d) human e) lorikeet

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Lee Ryman @leeryman.bsky.social · 13/08/2025

This morning our back yard was filled with our four rescue hens, twelve crested pigeons, a spotted dove couple, about thirty lorikeets, a kookaburra couple, and an ibis for good measure. A few of the lorikeets are that accustomed to us we can pat them. I love where we live.

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Lee Ryman @leeryman.bsky.social · 02/08/2025

57kn ~ 106km/h wind gust up at the marine rescue base. That's getting up there with the highest I've seen since putting in the wx station. About to drive up there to start an overnight shift, should be fun.

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Lee Ryman @leeryman.bsky.social · 27/07/2025

Updating with more details... We had just finished confirming an AIS MOB alert from another yacht was an inadvertent activation. Moments later I received the PAN PAN from a yacht with crew in trouble... www.facebook.com/share/p/1Leq... Bravo Zulu to the rescue vessel crew for a complex rescue.

facebook.com

Redirecting...

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Lee Ryman @leeryman.bsky.social · 23/07/2025

ADHD Spouse: These lino sheets I got from Amazon are not as big as I expected. Me: are they not 100mm by 100mm? That's what the item description said. Spouse: Well, yes, they are that size, but look at them, they are tiny! Me: wha, why,... *My engineer brain* starts to experience a seizure.

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Lee Ryman @leeryman.bsky.social · 19/07/2025

Why Microsoft Why? Windows 11 is such a cluster. Spent too many hours trying to configure the most basic of settings for the marine rescue radio base Ops PCs. E.g. we deal exclusively in 24hr time. I have a GPO that pushes this out, except for Win11 where it's impossible to set the clock format!

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Lee Ryman @leeryman.bsky.social · 11/07/2025

Today myself, with fellow volunteer Laurie Nolan, were presented with the National Medal by Hon. Kate Washington MLA, Commissioner Alex Barrell, Dept Commissioners Todd Andrews and Darren Schott, Zone Commander Dan Duemmer and UC Ben van der Wijngaart. Very proud and humbled to be recognised!

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Lee Ryman @leeryman.bsky.social · 30/06/2025

Chickens are hunkering down together for the cold night.

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Lee Ryman @leeryman.bsky.social · 28/06/2025

East Coast Low headed for central/hunter coast. Prepare and stay safe. For those of us at the end of a long road: Backup drinking water, non-perishable food, medical supplies, cars full of fuel, first aid kit topped up, torches, radio and batteries, USB power pack, warm clothes and wet weather gear

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Lee Ryman @leeryman.bsky.social · 20/06/2025

My partner recounted on seeing my optimal nacho corn chips placement that she said to her friend today that "Lee can be pretty aspy"...

Corn chips tessellated on a baking tray for optimal mince to corn ship coverage.

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Lee Ryman @leeryman.bsky.social · 08/06/2025

@michelle.sullivan.one have you seen the discussion paper proposing some interesting changes to HF and UHF CB? www.acma.gov.au/sites/defaul... Might be getting FM on 27MHz to align with EU and US! But worried about the suggestion to deregulate the dedicated emergency channels though!

acma.gov.au

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Lee Ryman @leeryman.bsky.social · 27/04/2025

East coast low hit, with the eye passing right over Port Stephens. Max gusts up to ~99km/h. Multiple small waterspouts seen off Shoal Bay. 6 incidents from the two bases on Port Stephens, fortunately only one involving people in trouble on the water.

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Lee Ryman @leeryman.bsky.social · 12/04/2025

Took a call from a boater tonight which was unintelligible. Couldn't make out what they were saying over a bad hum and crackle. When it finally cleared up they told me they were holding the antenna together now and wanted to log-on for an offshore voyage.

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Lee Ryman @leeryman.bsky.social · 08/04/2025

Our poor disrespected derp. How does she ever survive our torment?

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Lee Ryman @leeryman.bsky.social · 13/03/2025

FYI, chrome plating reflects ~70% of UV. How did we get to that factoid? My partner spent an afternoon working at the garage workbench on a glass foiling piece. She ended up with massive inflammation on her lower shins and we couldn't work out why. The doctors at the polyclinic didn't know either.

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Lee Ryman @leeryman.bsky.social · 06/03/2025

I've turned the oven on the prescribed temp on the Fray Bentos tin and my loving partner says to me "you're not pre-heating that are you?" "Yeah..." "I suppose you are going to set a timer as well?!" "25 to 30 minutes, yep." As I look at the bottom of the tin.

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Lee Ryman @leeryman.bsky.social · 01/03/2025

Way to momentarily liven up the night shift at marine rescue... Klaxon sounds whilst my head is under a bench cabling up a new computer. Scramble up to just see the email notification before it disappears, subject starts with "ATWS National Tsunami...". Scurry to check the details... no threat!

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Lee Ryman @leeryman.bsky.social · 23/02/2025

"Why must I be subjected to this..."

Ophelia, or Philly, originally our father-in-law's cat who we have since adopted, with a facial expression clearly indicating she is barely tolerating me scooping her up.

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Lee Ryman @leeryman.bsky.social · 22/02/2025

It's a hard life for a smol cat

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Lee Ryman @leeryman.bsky.social · 18/02/2025

Honoured to receive Unit Life Membership.

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Lee Ryman @leeryman.bsky.social · 08/02/2025

Katherine Janeway came inside and sat on my lap. She is a rescue hen. The twisted beak is a result of the farmer cutting it when young to stop henpecking, because of the overpopulation in farms. It's a reminder that we humans could be treating animals a whole lot better. I think she is beautiful.

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Lee Ryman @leeryman.bsky.social · 06/02/2025

This came as a bit of a shock. I'm elated and honoured! My spouse asked if she could stab me with the pin. Like all volunteers I appreciate the ever-gracious support of family :)

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Lee Ryman @leeryman.bsky.social · 01/02/2025

New Radio-over-IP PC set up at the marine rescue base. Several learnings: I dislike Win11 & I dislike licensing management software on Win11. Setting this up has been a project going on for months, but it is finally complete and I have even written instructions so someone else can repeat the build.

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Reposted by Lee Ryman

Dave Osmond @davidosmond.bsky.social · 29/01/2025

Thread: Each week I run a simulation of Australia’s main electricity grid using rescaled generation data to show that it can get very close to 100% renewable electricity with 24GW/120GWh of storage (5 hrs at av demand) Results: Last week: 100% RE Last 179 weeks: 98.6% RE (1/5)

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Lee Ryman @leeryman.bsky.social · 26/01/2025

Barbara woke up and chose violence this morning. Poor Binnie

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Lee Ryman @leeryman.bsky.social · 17/01/2025

2 days without power, NBN and mobiles after the storms on Wednesday. Managed to save most of the food by stealing some PV from the chicken coop to charge a portable battery and run a camping fridge, lights and charge the phone. Spouse says "this is why I married an engineer."

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Lee Ryman @leeryman.bsky.social · 15/01/2025

Most of Port Stephens is without power this evening and I suspect it will be that way for a while. The Marine Rescue base is like a beacon on the headland, UPS and standby genset keeping the lights, computers, phones and radios on. The OPSO knew I would be worried, so sent me a "gennie running" SMS

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Lee Ryman @leeryman.bsky.social · 11/01/2025

So Cleo, one of our rescue chickens, was caught digging a massive crater in some grass I had only just gotten to grow back after the last time she did it. I picked her up and proceeded to tell her off. Completely unrepentant, she managed to scratch my face whilst escaping my grip.

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Lee Ryman @leeryman.bsky.social · 10/01/2025

(headphones warning) This is Barbara Streisand. We were trying to have a discussion with her about how she is going broody yet again (honestly it's like the third time in four months), but she didn't let us get a word in.

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Lee Ryman @leeryman.bsky.social · 08/01/2025

Nelson Bay has had over 100mm of rain in the last 24h. The east coast low is sitting right over us at the moment.

l.is

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Lee Ryman @leeryman.bsky.social · 04/01/2025

On shift tonight at the radio base. Just got thanked for my calming professionalism by the partner of a fisho that was temporarily missing on the water. Their parting words were "Respectfully, I hope we never have to speak again..." 😂 Skippers, make sure your marine radios are working!

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Lee Ryman @leeryman.bsky.social · 27/12/2024

* Replace router at marine rescue base. * Re-request SSL cert. * SSL vendor wants to validate a non-existent www subdomain. * Checks CSR, definitely didn't request www subdomain. * Contacts SSL vendor support, asked them to remove requirement for subdomain. * Waits patiently...

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Reposted by Lee Ryman

Glen @gergyl.bsky.social · 26/12/2024

Once more for beginners: This is hard work for a coal-fired unit, even one specifically designed for it, as the old Toshiba units at Eraring were (unusually). Fatigue-prone high pressure special steel boiler tubes heating up and cooling down every day. explore.openelectricity.org.au/facility/au/...

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Lee Ryman @leeryman.bsky.social · 26/12/2024

The niece managed to work out how to dial our rotary phone, after a few false starts including almost accidentally dialing tripple-zero. Did better than most people under 30.

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Lee Ryman @leeryman.bsky.social · 23/12/2024

Just finished How to Make Gravy, and it's beautiful. Highly recommend. There is something about how completely unpretentious Australian films are that makes them so great to experience.

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Lee Ryman @leeryman.bsky.social · 20/12/2024

Sadly we lost Marmalade to cancer on Wednesday. He went by many names: Hooch (on account of his drool), Beau (on the account of his flair), Mr Pantaloons, The Void (never did get a far share of that ginger braincell), Cirque du Soleil, Mr World. He was a lover not a fighter, and he was loved dearly.

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