iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

J³ @mancube.myatproto.social · 23/09/2025

Puddles and Rooney learned a new perch spot!

Two cockatiels perch next to a pair of candles atop a hutch with glass doors.

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J³ @mancube.myatproto.social · 13/09/2025

Birdsittin this little precious

A white and grey cockatiel named Crumb perches on my left hand.

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J³ @mancube.myatproto.social · 30/08/2025

This watch is even more 🔥 in person than I expected. I almost wanna keep it just as a special occasion / travel rig 😍

A polished stainless steel wrist watch on a man's wrist.

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J³ @mancube.myatproto.social · 25/08/2025

Fixing some switchable attenuators once again. Shit's way less stressful and annoying now that I'm not reliant on it to pay bills 🤓

A disassembled mechanical RF attenuator circuit board with solenoids and mechanical linkage.

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J³ @mancube.myatproto.social · 08/08/2025

Just get in bed man it'll be there tomorrow 😬🥵

Tidal music app open to the new JID album "God Does Like Ugly"

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J³ @mancube.myatproto.social · 06/08/2025

Here's my hack for getting work done when I can't work from home. Knock all you want!

A hand with finger pointing at a door handle. The push button lock is engaged.

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J³ @mancube.myatproto.social · 02/08/2025

When it first came into my care, this 70lbs device attempted to smash my bare foot. Previously unbeknownst to me, it can shed its rack handles as a means of self defense. Much like a lizard's tail when caught by a predator. It has since been rehabilitated and is ready for release back into the wild.

An 8720C Vector Network Analyzer sits on a work bench next to a broken rack handle which has been removed from the device.

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J³ @mancube.myatproto.social · 30/07/2025

Calling your industry group "Consultative Committee for..." is a good way to assure that no one will ever be able to remember what the first two letters of your acronym are. This cockatiel is named Rooney.

The grey, yellow, white, and orange cockatiel named Rooney perched atop the knee of a man reclining in a chaise lounge. He looks sweet and inquisitive.

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J³ @mancube.myatproto.social · 29/07/2025

Guess I should have known there wouldn't be too much going on in here 🤔

A rectangular aluminium housing with a recess milled for two copper conductors.

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J³ @mancube.myatproto.social · 27/07/2025

Some VNA on VNA action in the lab today 🤓

A Agilent 8720ES making an S21 measurement between a test port input and coupled output port on an 8720C test port coupler. The trace on the display shows ringing particularly in low frequency ranges.

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J³ @mancube.myatproto.social · 19/07/2025

10 minutes to go from 25C to 0C seems kinda impressive to me 🤔

A digital process controller that reads 0 celcius. In the foreground is a man's arm wearing a wrist watch. The minute hand is advanced just past the 10 minute mark on the dive bezel.

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J³ @mancube.myatproto.social · 02/07/2025

These perfect little eggs are a daily source of joy. Their little beaks are too precious 🥰

A white and grey cockatiel perches next to a grey, yellow, and orange cockatiel in a dimly lit living room.

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J³ @mancube.myatproto.social · 30/06/2025

This Harmonies board game was easy to pick up and pretty fun. I lost but that's usually the case 😊

Board game play board with hexagonal spaces. Circular wooden pieces of various colours are placed in stacks. Some stacks have a small clear cube on top.

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J³ @mancube.myatproto.social · 22/06/2025

International Microwave Symposium was good; catching up with friends and seeing Boldy James was better. 📡🤓 Sucks how many talks this year started with "so-and-so couldn't be here because of visa issues." I'll probably skip the tech sessions in 2026. I can't imagine it'll be better by then #ims2025

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J³ @mancube.myatproto.social · 21/06/2025

Everybody's work got them helping a guy out on the computer.

Two men on stage silently lean over a laptop computer while a fully packed venue looks on in anticipation.

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J³ @mancube.myatproto.social · 09/06/2025

I let these birds nibble on my hair earlier and while I think it helped bond them to my head it did not stop them from shrieking in my ear 😭

A man with a pair of parakeets on his shoulder.

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J³ @mancube.myatproto.social · 06/06/2025

I'd just like to take a moment and acknowledge that 6 months ago I'd be shitting bricks if someone sent me this as part of a work task 😅

A partial screen capture of a white paper with too much math and not enough pictures.

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J³ @mancube.myatproto.social · 06/06/2025

We were gifted some birds and bird accessories. They're sweet little creatures ❤️

A pair of parakeets sit on a branch inside a large bird cage. The door to the cage is open and were I not colourblind I could describe their feathers' colouring.

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J³ @mancube.myatproto.social · 28/05/2025

I mean if I had to guess what states might limit the number of printable letters in a word or name at the county level Missouri would certainly come to mind.

A rejected request for duplicate birth certificate from St. Louis County. The reason given is "name too long to print at a county level."

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J³ @mancube.myatproto.social · 20/05/2025

Other than the rooftop bar being cash only the venue for this antenna measurement conference is pretty slick. 📡 📏 🛁

A modern and clean hotel bathroom vanity. The floor and countertop appears to be white marble. A nicely folded bath robe hangs on the wall.

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J³ @mancube.myatproto.social · 17/05/2025

After paying my own way to International Microwave Symposium the last 3 years my employer is finally acting like a serious business and paying for me to go. Got a little present for myself to celebrate 🤓🥂

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J³ @mancube.myatproto.social · 20/04/2025

New-to-us Sumiko MMT tonearm installed on BJ's Ariston RD-1 turntable along with a new Audio Technica cartridge. Looks and sounds like a good match.

A turntable and stereo receiver sitting on a dark brown desk. A dim light shines on the turntable from a vintage desk lamp and creates a reflection off the record. The album "Preacher's Daughter" by Ethel Cain is standing atop the receiver.

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J³ @mancube.myatproto.social · 19/04/2025

Arcadian is like a noisy, not shitty version of that movie everyone likes because it had Jim from The Office.

Theatrical release poster for the film "Arcadian". Nicholas Cage looks towards the viewer and holds a baseball bat. He's flanked by two determined looking young men.

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J³ @mancube.myatproto.social · 16/04/2025

Watched the movie "Grafted" tonight before bed. Really good overall with just a little too much barking 🤏👍

Theatrical release poster for the movie "Grafted" with the tagline "Beauty is only skin deep".

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J³ @mancube.myatproto.social · 14/04/2025

More hobby repair stuff: I got a free environmental test chamber a few years back that had a smashed screen. Someone finally accepted a lowball offer for a replacement.

A PID controller with touch screen sits on a desk top. Next to it are sensor module circuit boards that plug in to the controller as well as a circuit board that controls the unit and display.

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J³ @mancube.myatproto.social · 10/04/2025

This is more about AI sucking than me being smart but I love that every time someone at work tries to encroach on my domains with AI they end up with zilch. Eat a dick Mark Cuban. Then go read a goddamn book.

Yellow smiley face emoticon with multiple pairs of nerdy eye glasses stacked on top of each other.

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J³ @mancube.myatproto.social · 10/04/2025

Without the patience, wisdom, and intellect of J.B. Fletcher, Sheriff Amos Tupper would be out there shooting innocent people and clowning too. ACAB includes you Tupper, but staying out of the way of someone better equipped to solve society's problems is truly commendable.

Blonde haired Jessica Fletcher stands with a thoughtful expression on her face. Her index finger is raised to her chin as she postulates the possibilities. Beside her is Sheriff Amos Tupper. Hands in his pockets, his smug expression suggests that of a man concerned only with his next clam chowder.

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J³ @mancube.myatproto.social · 03/04/2025

Boldy James doing a show the same week and just down the road from #ims2025 in San Francisco!? Makin' this year's professional development decision even easier.

An illustration of a book with a cover made of bricks. Some might call it a Bricktionary.

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J³ @mancube.myatproto.social · 24/03/2025

I missed the vinyl release of Mickey Diamond and Big Ghost Limited's album "Gucci Gambinos." They've done a lot of great work together but this is another level. Resellers win my record dollars again 😭💰

An album cover featuring Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck wearing tracksuits and gold chains. White doves fly above stacks of money in the background.

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J³ @mancube.myatproto.social · 24/03/2025

I just finished the very cute and cozy "Moonglow Bay" on the Nintendo Switch! I truly enjoyed my time as 1980s fishing boat captain and street food vendor who revitalizes a small Canadian village whilst searching for her lost girlfriend. Highly recommend! 👍🎣🇨🇦

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J³ @mancube.myatproto.social · 19/03/2025

Bit more repair here. This one more-or-less just for fun. I kinda dislike power electronics but this lil guy is pretty low stakes.

An DC power supply is open on a table top. Some wires are disconnected. Digital multimeter probe cables are coiled nearby.

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J³ @mancube.myatproto.social · 27/02/2025

Making some progress on this lil' fixy fix 🤘 Diagramming, programming, writing, and CAD are fun and all but there's something special about plunking around in someone else's design with no documentation 🤓

A butcher block work bench with disassembled Keysight spectrum analyzer. Colorful ribbon cabling and SMA cables lay in foreground. Other measurement equipment and a bright window are in the background.

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J³ @mancube.myatproto.social · 22/02/2025

Saya Gray doesn't ever seem to miss. I was really excited when "19 Masters" got a vinyl release. Had this on order a track or two into my first listen 😁 sayagray.bandcamp.com/album/saya

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J³ @mancube.myatproto.social · 13/02/2025

Engineering text books can be simultaneously very expensive and very bad. A select few are transcendent. This fred harris book will still be appreciated generations from now:

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J³ @mancube.myatproto.social · 06/02/2025

Flew into Santa Fe. The power was out in the terminal which feels like a rural post office. A cop is passing baggage in through an emergency exit while the alarm goes off. The facilities manager got fired before Christmas for stealing a box full of presents. We bought art. ACAB includes bag cop.

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J³ @mancube.myatproto.social · 03/02/2025

Looking forward to doing just a bit of repair work as a fun distraction.

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J³ @mancube.myatproto.social · 03/02/2025

Aerospace is clearly the best engineering field check out how absolutely disgusting they were able to make this nozzle that blows a jet of aerosolized gunge at each passenger's face. The crenellations really help separate and trap grime from travelers fingers as well.

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J³ @mancube.myatproto.social · 28/01/2025

I stopped having anxiety dreams about forgetting to go to class all semester or my brakes not working. Now, I have anxiety dreams about working at the radio repair shop. Each time I gradually realize a cruel trick is being played on me. I set down my tools and leave. Outside, the air is fresh.

A disassembled Bang and Olufsen turntable sits on a messy work bench. Cables, hand tools, aerosol spray cans, and a record are strewn and piled across the bench.

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J³ @mancube.myatproto.social · 27/01/2025

Trying to keep the lab a little more tidy. Not hoarding "spare" parts helps a lot. Not reselling and being constantly overwhelmed with packing garbage helps even more 😅

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J³ @mancube.myatproto.social · 24/01/2025

The magic of role playing games is that you can imagine you are someone somewhere else like Ned Kelly on Japanese holiday

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J³ @mancube.myatproto.social · 23/01/2025

Making sure to take regular breaks to practice my SpaceMouse

A screenshot of a computer desktop with 3Dconnexion trainer software open showing a rotatable teapot 3D model.

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J³ @mancube.myatproto.social · 30/11/2024

The only person in history to effortlessly traverse small town typewriters, the LaserJet lifestyle of New York City, and the secret computer codes of cyberspace. 👑✊

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J³ @mancube.myatproto.social · 23/11/2024

Hi folks 👋 I'm some sort of middle-aged man whose interests have mostly become engineering related. I have some other predictable hobbies too; Maybe I'll post about them! #tucson #arizona

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