Brian Ward

  • Visited PSRG’s Rain or Shine noon net meetup at the Museum of Flight today. Was fun to finally meet in person with a bunch of the fine folks that I’ve listened to for years on the radio! What a fun way to spend a Saturday afternoon. Did my check-in today standing right next to net control. 😆

  • It may be possible to see more auroras tonight as the night goes on, but it’s already way too late for me. Time for bed! 📸

  • KP index is 6.67 right now. Probably a good chance of seeing an aurora tonight!

  • The CW trainer I ordered arrived today. I’ve been waiting to be able to use my key for a week! Video: youtu.be/X8vwP45Bq…

  • Don’t buy a Baofeng UV-5R. Get a Quansheng UV-K6 and put EGZUMER on it. You’ll be so much happier. What a fun radio to take on the go! I checked into PSRG’s noon net from the waterfront today with this stealth Nagoya NA-810 antenna. I’m told I was heard loud and clear.

  • Been sick for most of the week. If I’m feeling better by the end of tomorrow, maybe I’ll get a normal-sized weekend? 🤞

  • Got the HF antenna working tonight! How cool is that?

  • This ham radio thing is fun! My VHF antenna is literally propped against my office door right now, but it works! Three PSRG repeater nodes picked me up full strength, and one more in Lake Forest Park partially did. Crazy! Had a few QSOs, but haven’t done a simplex QSO yet. That’s a rite of passage.

  • I’m pulling in 3/4 of a gigabit today over WiFi on my iPhone. I’m just trying to picture how I’d have explained this to myself in 1999 where all I had was a 33.6 dialup modem. 🤯

  • Just did a quick signal check. With my 5-watt Baofeng UV-R5, I do get picked up by the PSRG repeaters. So that’s something! I was worried I wasn’t going to see anything at all from here in Leschi.

  • As of this morning, I’m officially a ham radio operator! KM7AOT monitoring.

  • Went to the Rick Steves rally today in my hometown. It was great fun – and saw some familiar faces there! ✊

  • When I was on lunch today, I experienced my first migraine. A visual aura. Lasted about 30 minutes. I immediately stopped what I was doing to go take a nap. If you have never had one before, it is truly terrifying. 😵‍💫🌈

  • Watching tonight: Matewan www.youtube.com/watch 🎬

  • Hey, Apple: Now would be a really good time to add support for third-party extensions in Mail on iOS so that GPG Tools can ship an iOS release. Make PGP-style encryption a thing others can add to Mail, OR do it yourselves. But like… just do it. Kthxbai 🔒

  • I want to live in the world where pop music sounds like THIS: www.tiktok.com/t/ZTjJMqa… 🎵

  • DSA: Stuff we can do RIGHT NOW to fight fascism and build socialism youtu.be/yfwCOYENR…

  • I have re-aligned myself with the Democratic Socialists of America.

  • A Call to Action

    If you’re reading this and you live in the United States, I urge you to join a labor union today.

    For historical and philosophical reasons, I chose the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW). We are a nation in crisis. Authoritarianism and corporatocracy now run nakedly rampant in America, threatening what little remains of our democracy and freedom.

    I stand resolutely in opposition to this obscenity.

    I stand for individual freedom, collective action, and shared responsibility. I stand for freedom from want — for public libraries, for the free press. I stand for the right to be who I am and for others to do the same. To become our best selves and love whomever we want.

    I stand for a better future — one that prioritizes rational thought over ideology, and principle over loyalty. I stand for immigrant rights, due process, and the rule of law. I stand against the rule of the billionaire class. I stand for universal healthcare.

    I stand against unaccountable power, for strong checks and balances.

    I believe in a society that harnesses the innovative spirit capitalism promises, without its murderous indifference and sociopathy toward people. I believe in the utopian future imagined in Star Trek: an anarchist, non-hierarchical federation rooted in secular humanism — with structure only where necessary, never imposed.

    I stand for human dignity. I stand for our shared humanity. I stand for honesty, integrity, and authenticity.

    I stand for love.

    ✊🌹

  • Say it with me: Socialism is not a bad word. ✊🌹

  • One of my favorite signs spotted today in Seattle.

    Protest sign reads: “if not dictator, why dictator shaped?”

  • It’s was so filled up here at the Seattle Center protest today we couldn’t even get near (or see) the main speaker! ✊

  • The PEOPLE are the final check. I’m told there were around 15,000 people here with me today.

  • Saturday is a national day of action. Go protest! ✊

  • If you want something even closer to home, consider volunteering at or donating to:

    🥫 A local food bank

    📚 Your local library

    🗞️ An independent newspaper

    These are everyday pillars of dignity, truth, and knowledge. Support them if you can. ❤️

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