iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Paul Cutler @paulcutler.org · 01/10/2026

I turned down two sponsorship opportunities for the podcasts last month and now qualify for ads from my podcast host. I’m not going to enable them, but I’d love it if you supported the show: www.thebootloader.net/support/

A screenshot that says: “We’ve noticed you’ve been smashing your download numbers recently, and we’re writing to let you know that you’re now eligible for our Programmatic advertising features. You could be earning money from your podcast by doing no extra work. You just click a button, turn on ads, and watch the money roll in.

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Paul Cutler @paulcutler.org · 14/09/2026

🎧 My top 5 artists on #ListenBrainz last month (Aug 1 – Aug 31) listenbrainz.org/user/silwenae

My top 5 artists on #ListenBrainz last month (Aug 1 – Aug 31):
1. Romanticize the Dive — Metric (167 plays)
2. Lost Weekend — Phoebe Bridgers (156 plays)
3. Middle of Nowhere — Kacey Musgraves (110 plays)
4. Mutiny After Midnight — Johnny Blue Skies & the Dark Clouds (92 plays)
5. Nine Inch Noize — Nine Inch Noize (45 plays)

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Paul Cutler @paulcutler.org · 14/07/2026

🎧 My top 5 artists on ListenBrainz last month (Jun 1 – Jun 30) listenbrainz.org/user/silwenae

My top 5 artists on ListenBrainz last month (Jun 1 – Jun 30):
1. Romanticize the Dive — Metric (167 plays)
2. Middle of Nowhere — Kacey Musgraves (111 plays)
3. Mutiny After Midnight — Johnny Blue Skies & the Dark Clouds (92 plays)
4. Nine Inch Noize — Nine Inch Noize (45 plays)
5. Light, Dark, Light Again — Angie McMahon (33 plays)

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Paul Cutler @paulcutler.org · 14/07/2026

🎧 My top 5 artists on ListenBrainz last month (Jun 1 – Jun 30) listenbrainz.org/user/silwenae

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Paul Cutler @paulcutler.org · 26/06/2026

Playing around with the newly released 1.0 version of RV Circuit Studio, a #CircuitPython IDE that wants to replace MU. It's really good and has a ton of features - love the included serial plotter. More at github.com/ArmstrongSub...

A screenshot of RV Circuit Studio. It shows the code editor running a CircuitPython program to get the current temperature and below it is the serial plotter plotting out the results

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Paul Cutler @paulcutler.org · 23/06/2026

🎧 My top 5 artists on ListenBrainz last week (Jun 8 – Jun 14) listenbrainz.org/user/silwenae

My top 5 artists on ListenBrainz last week (Jun 8 – Jun 14):
1. Middle of Nowhere — Kacey Musgraves (63 plays)
2. Romanticize the Dive — Metric (55 plays)
3. Light, Dark, Light Again — Angie McMahon (33 plays)
4. Nine Inch Noize — Nine Inch Noize (23 plays)
5. Ill Communication — Beastie Boys (20 plays)

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Paul Cutler @paulcutler.org · 16/06/2026

🎧 My top 5 albums on ListenBrainz last week (Jun 8 – Jun 14) listenbrainz.org/user/silwenae

My top 5 albums on ListenBrainz last week (Jun 8 – Jun 14):
1. Middle of Nowhere — Kacey Musgraves (63 plays)
2. Romanticize the Dive — Metric (55 plays)
3. Light, Dark, Light Again — Angie McMahon (33 plays)
4. Nine Inch Noize — Nine Inch Noize (23 plays)
5. Ill Communication — Beastie Boys (20 plays)

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Paul Cutler @paulcutler.org · 10/06/2026

🎧 My top 5 albums on ListenBrainz last week (Jun 1 – Jun 7) listenbrainz.org/user/silwenae

My top 5 albums on ListenBrainz last week (Jun 1 – Jun 7):
1. Romanticize the Dive — Metric (58 plays)
2. In Times of Dragons — Tori Amos (32 plays)
3. Middle of Nowhere — Kacey Musgraves (22 plays)
4. Your Favorite Toy — Foo Fighters (19 plays)
5. Dancing on the Wall — MUNA (11 plays)

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Paul Cutler @paulcutler.org · 07/06/2026

View from a hotel window, Lisbon Portugal. Right in the heart of downtown and it’s bustling with people and tourists.

A view from a hotel room from the 4th floor it features two big building about 6 floors high split by a street below. A number of tourist buggies are on the street.

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Paul Cutler @paulcutler.org · 24/05/2026

Tonight's entertainment: The newly released Speed Racer by The Wachowskis on 4K UHD Blu-Ray.

A picture of the steelbook case for the movie Speed Racer. It features a front facing shot of the racer, with the words Speed Racer over it.

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Paul Cutler @paulcutler.org · 04/05/2026

May the 4th be with you...always. (Yes, I have a collecting problem)

Sitting on top of my bookshelf are many different copies of the Star Wars trilogies on VHS, DVD, Blu-Ray and 4K Blu-Ray

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Paul Cutler @paulcutler.org · 18/04/2026

This year's #RecordStoreDay haul: (from left clockwise) A free tote bag from 89.3 The Current, another tote with stickers and freebies underneath that, Down in the Valley's RSD t-shirt, Johnny Blue Skies 7", Bob Mould - Body of Song 20th anniversary, and a Taylor Swift 7" for my daughter.

A picture of two tote bags, a t-shirt, and three records: This year's #RecordStoreDay haul: (from left clockwise) A free tote bag from 89.3 The Current, our local public radio station, another tote with stickers and freebies underneath that, Down in the Valley's RSD t-shirt, Johnny Blue Skies 7", Bob Mould - Body of Song 20th anniversary, and a Taylor Swift 7" for my daughter.

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Paul Cutler @paulcutler.org · 29/03/2026

Ladies and gentlemen, we have a working BambuLabs #CircuitPython library, making it easy to query info about your printer. This way people can build UIs on top of the easy to get data.

A screenshot of a macOS terminal with output from a CircuitPython microcontroller. It shows printer stats including: State, File, Job, Progress, Remaining, Layer, Print speed, print error, Nozzle temp, Bed temp, Chamber temp, part fan, aux fan, chamber fan, nozzle type, nozzle diameter, wifi signal, light state, and firmware version - all printed out nicely on the screen with the stats next to the category. Below that is the raw JSON.

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Paul Cutler @paulcutler.org · 28/03/2026

Putting my Bambu #CircuitPython project on the backburner this weekend to do what I should be doing: editing the Fruit Jam panel discussion for a future episode of The CircuitPython Show

A screenshot of the Reaper DAW featuring audio tracks for myself + 3 guests - Dan, Cooper, and Tim

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Paul Cutler @paulcutler.org · 27/03/2026

I've been sharing progress on Mastodon, but I have a proof of concept running that shows some Bambu Lab printer stats on a 4" Qualia display running #CircuitPython:

a 4 inch by 4 inch display that shows Bambu Printer printing at the top, followed by 0.16mm layer, 2 walls, 15% infill. under that it has 3% ETA: 4h 3m with the Nozzle and Bed temperatures under that as well as fan speed (which isn't working yet, shows blank)

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Paul Cutler @paulcutler.org · 15/02/2026

Catch up on the latest episode of The CircuitPython Show with guest @deckerego.net. Learn about one of my favorite projects, the MacroPad Hotkeys II project. #CircuitPython

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Paul Cutler @paulcutler.org · 25/01/2026

Researching a future podcast episode by playing Pac-Man on an Adafruit Fruit Jam, written in CircuitPython. Sometimes podcast research is fun!

A picture of my monitor with the game Pac-Man about to start.

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Paul Cutler @paulcutler.org · 04/01/2026

Using multiview on @getchannels.bsky.social to watch Wisconsin vs. Purdue and the football game. Little bit of heaven.

A picture of television with 2 shows side by side. On the left is the NFL game and on the right is college basketball

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Paul Cutler @paulcutler.org · 03/01/2026

With all the news today, you might need a timeline cleanse. Here's @todbot.com 's cat with one of our new podcast stickers. (Want one? Link on the home page at thebootloader.net)

A black cat laying down with a 2" x 2" sticker propped against its chest. The sticker reads "The Bootloader Podcast"

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Paul Cutler @paulcutler.org · 02/01/2026

New episode of The Bootloader coming Monday! I have some mic issues, Tod's getting over a cold and we're still here to share how to build your own Steam Machine, learning analog circuits by building synths, and more.

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Paul Cutler @paulcutler.org · 01/01/2026

Tonight's watch: The 25th anniversary edition of Dogma in its 4K UHD Steelbook.

The steenbok case for the movie Dogma. It features "Buddy" Christ, a play on Jesus pointing at you with one hand and giving you a thumbs up with the other.

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Paul Cutler @paulcutler.org · 27/12/2025

My family has left me home alone for the next three days. So I shall subsist on nothing but this large pan of mac & cheese.

A 12" cast iron pan full of Mac and cheese with venison bacon, arbol peppers, and breadcrumbs over the top.

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Paul Cutler @paulcutler.org · 25/12/2025

Caramel sticky rolls, an annual Christmas tradition.

15 caramel sticky rolls with pecans sprinkled on top

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Paul Cutler @paulcutler.org · 24/12/2025

Time to make the gingerbread people!

Sitting on a counter is a large bowl full of gingerbread batter. In front of it is a gingerbread person cookie cutter. To the right is a rolling pin.

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Paul Cutler @paulcutler.org · 09/12/2025

I'm in Manila in the Philippines for the first time for work this week. View from a hotel window.

A view from my hotel window. It features a tall skyscraper to the left in the foreground. Behind it and to the right a ways off is downtown Manila with a number of high rise buildings in the background.

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Paul Cutler @paulcutler.org · 02/12/2025

Tfw you remember to charge the Kindle but forget to download the books to read for the trip.

A picture of my Kindle ereader with an error message telling me I need to be on WiFi to read the latest short story from John Scalzi

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Paul Cutler @paulcutler.org · 28/11/2025

Update: And hooked up to the TV! Had to change the sound setting to HDMI and everything just worked.

A picture of my 75 inch TV with SteamOS displayed on the TV featuring six games to choose from across the top row and five news items across the bottom row

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Paul Cutler @paulcutler.org · 28/11/2025

I got my Steam Machine running Bazzite working - my Bluetooth adapter showed up a day early and connected to my Xbox controller no problem. Now to hook it up to the TV.

In the foreground is an Xbox game controller. Behind it on a monitor is Steam running in Big Picture mode showing game tiles of games that can be installed.

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Paul Cutler @paulcutler.org · 28/11/2025

Coming Monday on a new episode of The Bootloader: @todbot.com recaps Supercon, we discuss Microsoft open sourcing Zork, ultrawideband, and more. Also, one of my picks, DOCTYPE magazine, todbot received for Christmas:

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Paul Cutler @paulcutler.org · 06/11/2025

My Christmas present showed up a month early, the just released Zoom PodTrak P4Next. This will replace my MOTU M2 and the P4Next should give me slightly better mic quality with its built-in EQ and compressor.

A picture of a Zoom PodTrakP4Next - it has 4 inputs on its rear for XLR microphones. On the front are four knobs for mic gain and 4 knobs under those for headphone volume

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Paul Cutler @paulcutler.org · 16/10/2025

I ended up ordering some 2" x 2" stickers for The Bootloader. I'll set up a form in a couple weeks where you can request them and I'll send you some for free!

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Paul Cutler @paulcutler.org · 13/10/2025

My wife helped hang all my autographed flats. From L to R: Lissie, Gordi, Polica, Jenny Lewis, The Staves, and Garbage.

Above a large picture window just under the ceiling are 6 picture frames with autographed flats from Lissie, Gordi, Polica, Jenny Lewis, The Staves, and Garbage.

A picture of my record collection, a 4x4 IKEA Kallax shelves. On top of the shevels are various music books and above it are 3 autographed sleeves from The New Pornographers, Best Coast, and Polica. To the right of that, above a large picture window, are 6 frames with autographed flats from Lissie, Gordi, Polica, Jenny Lewis, The Staves, and Garbage.

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Paul Cutler @paulcutler.org · 10/10/2025

Just working on finishing up editing episode 50(!) of The CircuitPython Show with guest John Romkey. And recording episode 51 later today.

A screenshot of the digital audio workstation, Reaper. It shows 2 main audio tracks, 2 tracks for the intro / outro, and 2 tracks for the music.

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Paul Cutler @paulcutler.org · 18/09/2025

I know what I'm doing this weekend!

A picture of 2 Steelbook cases for the movies Tron and Tron: Legacy in 4K UHD Blu-Ray.

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Paul Cutler @paulcutler.org · 15/08/2025

30 years ago today Garbage released their debut self-titled album. The band (minus Ms. Manson) is from my home state of Wisconsin. Just a few months later Garbage would play their first show at the 7th Street Entry, which is the smaller venue attached to the legendary nightclub First Avenue in MN

On the left standing up is the album sleeve for Garbage's self-titled debut. It features the word garbage across the center and below that in the center is a big G. My copy is autographed by the band, one in each corner. On the right, my record player plays a red record.

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Paul Cutler @paulcutler.org · 06/08/2025

I finished my updated SongMatrix project with a 3D printed case courtesy of the Transit Tracker project from @eastsideurbanism.org. And I added a piece of acrylic which really does make it look better. (Yes, I know the acrylic is off center, but it works)

A picture of a 128x32 LED matrix in a 3D printed case sitting in front of a monitor arm on my desk. It is scrolling the song title Summer Girl in the top row and the band name, HAIM, in the bottom row.

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Paul Cutler @paulcutler.org · 05/08/2025

I'm on IRC like it's 1997 - but using a microcontroller!

A picture of a monitor filled with text - the text is the introduction when joining the Libera Chat server. It shows me connected to it and joining the fruit-jam channel in IRC

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Paul Cutler @paulcutler.org · 02/08/2025

Coming Monday on a new episode of The Bootloader: @johnpark.bsky.social joins the show and shares... boomboxes that play MIDI files using floppies?

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Paul Cutler @paulcutler.org · 14/06/2025

Now spinning: No Kings by Minneapolis hip-hop collective Doomtree.

On the left standing up is the album sleeve for Doomtree's No Kings album. It features a hand drawn crown with a circle and line through it. On the right my record player spins a black record.

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Paul Cutler @paulcutler.org · 14/06/2025

Kicking off the weekend with the first James Bond movie, Dr. No.

A picture of my tv showing the title card to Dr. No. Bond is in a small circle shooting a gun as blood covers the screen

A picture of my tv showing a scene from Dr. No. M is on the left, Bond in the middle, and a third man on the right

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Paul Cutler @paulcutler.org · 13/06/2025

I know what I'm watching this weekend. The reviews have been fantastic.

The 4K Blu-Ray case for the first six James Bond movies starring Sean Connery.

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Paul Cutler @paulcutler.org · 12/06/2025

Pro tip if storing records in a Kallax - cut a small piece of wood and glue it down. Then attach foam insulation - this will let the records stay in place and the foam adds some protection.

One shelf of my 4x4 Kallax that is empty. In the back is a piece of wood approximately 1.5" tall with a foam insulation strip in the middle to protect my records.

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Paul Cutler @paulcutler.org · 12/06/2025

Years ago when I first got my IKEA 4x4 Kallax, my partner told me that when it was full I would have to stop collecting records. Thankfully, I was able to buy a Kallax 1x4 today to let my collection breathe a bit.

An IKEA Kallax with 16 shelves, 4 x 4, full of records

An IKEA Kallax with 16 shelves, 4 x 4, full of records with another 1x4 laying flat on the ground next to the 4x4.

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Paul Cutler @paulcutler.org · 05/06/2025

I've been watching Walton Goggins since he was on The Shield and he's fantastic. And another reason to love him - he's a Soul Coughing fan! From the recent Variety article:

But back to other topics. Goggins is the “most enthusiastic man ever,” Wood says — something I didn’t need to hear. When he came in for the 10 a.m. photoshoot, his energy was contagious. “Let’s have some fuckin’ fun,” he told our crew as he walked into the photo studio in West Hollywood, carrying his own speaker and asking to connect his own music. First, he played Soul Coughing’s “Screenwriter’s Blues,” and followed up with Led Zeppelin.

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Paul Cutler @paulcutler.org · 07/05/2025

Tonight’s watch. I’m your huckleberry.

A picture of the 4K Blu-ray of the movie Tombstone. It features Kurt Russell holding a six shooter with Val Kilmer in front of him.

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