A Technology Tale

If you're old like me some of you reading this will recall the technology boom that began in the 1990s, gained steam in 1995 and peaked in March of 2000.  This capital markets era of growth coincided with the adoption of cellular technology, the World Wide Web and embrace of the internet.  It was known as the Dot Com Boom.

As a financial guy it was hard to ignore the rapid growth in valuations of dot.com startups. Amazon comes to mind and companies that made no sense at all as they were experiencing soaring stock valuations based on a mere idea.  No assets, no sales, no earnings - just an idea.  At least Amazon was an online bookseller.  And following the peak on March 10, 2000 the tech bubble burst leading to a large market correction and a larger reckoning for those chasing the clown car and bandwagon of exaggerated stock valuations.  There's an old saying in the trade; Bears and Bulls make money - pigs get slaughtered.

Anyway, not all was ephemeral, this financial guy used some fundamental research to acquire shares of a company in 1991, or thereabouts, for not a lot of money.  This company went on to develop a nifty cellular communications device reminiscent of the communicators used by the crew of the Star Ship Enterprise.  It was a Flip Phone and it became immensely popular.

Anyway, in January of 1990 I presciently sold those shares and used the proceeds (almost entirely profit) to pay cash for the first new structure on our property.  I used the other people's money to erect a nifty Forest Construction metal shop building on a concrete slab and electrify it in relatively short order.  

Welcome to Motorola.  

Founded in Chicago on September 25, 1928 by brothers, Paul V. and Joseph E. Galvin this company has been around for awhile.  Originally established as the Galvin Manufacturing Corporation, like most start-ups it began on a shoestring of $563 of working capital, $750 in equipment and five employees operating out of rented quarters.  

And the Galvin brothers had a novel idea; a device that would allow a battery-powered home radio to be wired into a vehicle.  

And in 1930 the affordable car radio was born.  Paul Galvin named it the Motorola - "Motor" for motorcar and "ola" for Victrola.

Galvin Manufacturing didn't stop there.  They developed one of the first gasoline-powered car heaters capable of instant heated comfort, an AM-Band two-way police dispatching radio and with the onset of WWII the development of the Handie-Talkie, the first handheld, single operator two-way radio.  An FM-Band backpack model with greater range followed.

At the close of the war the company was firmly committed to wireless communications and in 1947 adopted Motorola as its new name.  Today you will find Motorola handheld radios used in my household for hunting and marine frequency use.  Two way police and taxi communications became their trademark line-up and persist today.  If you talk to anybody in law enforcement they will tell you:  Bad guys cannot outrun Motorola.

By 1951, home television was transitioning from a post-war novelty into a living room fixture and Motorola paired their technology with fine furniture styling and cabinet design.  It was Motorola who adopted full-view rectangular Cathode Ray Tubes (CRTs) that allowed the image to fill the entire screen without cropping or distorting the edges.  Motorola pioneered additional technologies that reduced glare, improved focus, high-frequency tuning, audio enhancements and chassis shielding that reduced household signal interference.

Aside from the Flip Phone, Motorola advancements in transistor technology replaced tubes, Motorola designed and built the Unified S-Band radio transceiver linking voice, video and telemetry between astronauts, the lunar lander and NASA's Mission Control.  In 1973, company engineer, Martin Cooper, made the first public handheld cellular phone call with a Motorola prototype on a Manhattan street corner.  In 1979 they introduced the 16/32 bit microprocessor that became the foundation for modern personal computing and gaming.  And it was Motorola who delivered the world's first 5G smartphone connectivity by connecting a consumer device to Verizon's commercial 5G network and bringing gigabit data speeds to everyday users in 2018.

So, now you know the rest of the story, insofar as where it's advanced.  Who knows what the future holds....

Crop Duster

I was puttering in my raised garden beds when a shriek from The Missus pierced the air.  This was followed by urgent commands to the dog.  

The cause of the ruckus was this...

There was the Mother of all unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) westbound, coming straight for our driveway only to stop at the property line, pirouette and head eastward all the while spraying the neighbor's field.  The drift smelled of fertilizer; nevertheless, since the dog decided to chase-down the alien contraption when we finally collected her she got a bath.

I recently took delivery of a UAV of my own; a DJI Neo, a small drone that I could use for photography and scouting that doesn't require a pilot license.  The very same company manufactures a heavy-lift agricultural model in the Agras lineup - the DJI Agras T40 and successor DJI Agras T50.  They're difficult to tell apart from one another but they're considered the gold standard of drones designed specifically for precision farming.

The basic design includes a four-arm layout featuring coaxial twin rotors - notably two sets  of propellers per arm totally eight blades.  Brushless motors drive the 54-inch carbon fiber props.  There is landing gear and a tank set-up that can be swapped-out in minutes for both spreading dry product (fertilizer, lime and seed) or liquids (fertilizer, herbicide or insecticide).

You'll note from the videos that there are no traditional high pressure nozzles.  Instead the drone utilizes spinning discs that atomize the liquid to an adjustable mist producing droplets ranging from 50 to 500 microns in size.  Impeller pumps deliver a flow rate of 16 to 24 liters per minute and an application swath can range from 22 to 36 feet depending-upon altitude.  Tipping the scales at a paltry 4.8 ounces (including battery) my miniature DJI Neo pales when compared to its farming cousin.  The AG version boasts a takeoff weight (aircraft, battery and payload) of up to 227 pounds and can fly at 15-20 mph.

Avionics include a phased array radar, binocular vision and real time kinetic positioning guided by Global Navigational Satellite System (GNSS) ensuring no overlapping or missed crop rows.   There is a camera for piloting by First Person View; however, once a field has been flown for mapping purposes control is handed-off to an autonomous system for flight.  The T40 and T50 drones can spray 50-52 acres in less than an hour of flight time without breaking a sweat.  Power is supplied by a 26 pound battery than can be charged from empty to 100% in 9-12 minutes allowing a two-battery rotation to run continuously all day long.

As a consequence of being well over the weight threshold for a hobbyist like me, operation requires a specialized FAA Part 137 agricultural pilot certificate and a Class 2 medical certificate.  Just like barnstorming an old school crop duster; only the pilot never leaves the ground.

Unfolded, and configured for flight, the aircraft measures roughly 9 by 10 feet from blade tip to blade tip; or about the size of a compact car.  Watching one of these in flight, up close and personal, is indeed impressive.

Starting price for a T50 heavy-lift, LIDAR-equipped quadcopter is $29,646.  

Think of the possibilities....  

Another Springtime Event

A previous settler had the foresight to plant lilacs around the original homestead.  That house was sold to someone who coveted the logs before our time. 

Nevertheless, over the last century the ancestral (and ancient) lilacs persist having grown into a massive 20 foot tall hedgerow. 

They’re putting on a show right now and the scent is incredible!

I cannot recall lilacs on this scale ever.

 

Further evidence of spring.....

 

 

 

 

Glamping

Recently I burned about eight gallons of diesel brushing-out 3.5 miles of trails, a six acre wildlife opening and the ancestral campsite.  Campsite, you ask?  Yup; in the early years it was there we camped.  Eventually we purchased a park model trailer home, The Villa, adjacent to Potawotomi State Park and commuted back and forth from there to here and back.  Yup; we lived in a trailer park too.  And then eventually built a house (second home) and finally moved here permanently.

Over the years the Missus and I have been acquainted (and married) we've done a great deal of camping.  We've camped across the breadth of Canada, south to the Gulf of Mexico, all of the southwestern US, most of Wisconsin and we even took a Jeep trip off-road across the rocky mountains.

With two homes, a tree farm to maintain and the creep of maturity and eventually retirement the camping itch doesn't need much of a scratch.  Nevertheless, from time to time and on special occasions  we'll still pitch a tent, and cook over a fire or a camp stove.  We've saved all the camping gear and have our own private campsite down by Silver Creek.

I can bake a campfire dutch oven pizza, the best pudgie pie on the planet and have special kind of s'mores recipe in case you're interested. 

Anyway, the ancestral campsite has been cleaned-up.  A rough-cut with the Rhino bush hog...

Followed by a trim with a weed whacker...   

The original picnic table from more than three decades ago has been returned to its proper place.  I even added a Leopold bench for good measure.

We don't have electrical or water hook-ups.  But we have clear dark skies at night, no bothersome  drunken neighbors keeping you up until 2 AM and all the free firewood you need to roast a wienie and keep your tootsies toasty.  We even have a shitter.  You have to bring your own roll; butt the view is spectacular.  Pun intended.

Think of it as the first iteration of glamping.

Raising a toast to fun times out-of-doors and around the campfire.

Sunset

click on image to enlarge

 

Big sunset in big peninsula sky.

Nicely-groomed trail too, eh?

 

Ruby Approved….

Raising The Roof

The title of this post is apropos as it was rather noisy around here for the duration of the project.  Our shack here at The Platz now sports a brand-spanking-new, tin roof - green to be exact.  Constructed twenty years ago the original roof has been on our minds for a spell especially since the installed roof was a forty year roof that became sketchy before the twenty year mark.  Chalk this up to peninsula weather.  We also had a discussion with our insurance guy who shared that roof claims are the number one driver of the rise in homeowner policy premiums and they no longer underwrite asphalt-shingle roofs more than a decade old.  We were grandfathered.  Anyway, we figured a steel roof is a major plus for a future buyer and if we fancied installing a solar array on our perfectly oriented southern exposure we could confidently do so on this roof.  But I digress.

This job was scheduled more than a year ago as the contractor was booked that far out; and fortuitously allowed us to lock-down the pricing and front-run the more recent Liberation Day reciprocal tariffs imposed on construction materials by the current occupant of the White House. 

ABC Construction, LLC of Bonduel, Wisconsin is an Amish family business who came highly recommended by a neighbor who had both a house roof and barn siding completed by Eli and his crew.  

Last week, Oconto County Lumber showed-up unexpectedly and dropped a pile of building materials on the driveway.  Around lunchtime the following day Eli showed-up with his trailer after completing a roofing and siding job for a neighbor one road over from us.  My neighbor's old house now looks like a newly-constructed house.  And after one full day and two additional half-days on the job, our house is looking like a sharp, newly-constructed one too.

Wisconsin has the fourth largest Amish population in the country, behind Ohio, Pennsylvania and Indiana; nevertheless, I've never worked with an Amish contractor before.  Like most Wisconsin Amish, Eli does not operate a motor vehicle.  He hires other guys to haul him around.  Nevertheless, he does use every imaginable manner of power tool and a cell phone.  He and his boys speak perfect English in general communications; but between one-another they use English and some sorta German-influenced patois that sounds like the Pennsylvania Dutch you might hear in a Mennonite community. 

Solid work Eli delivered.  He and his boys were polite, affable, efficient and I would be surprised if we find a nail or screw in the turf around the house.  I'd recommend them in a heartbeat.  The job wrapped-up before lunchtime Saturday and he was off to drop the trailer at the next job in New Franken just south of here. 

 

 

  

First Tractor

In my life I've owned two of these; a 1950 and a 1952 8N.  They're both gone now; but they were my workhorses in the early years.

The Ford N-Series refers to a line of tractors produced by Ford from the late 1930s to the early 1950s. These tractors revolutionized farming with their affordability, reliability, and ease of use. The series includes some of the most famous tractors in history.

Key Models:

1. 9N (1939-1942)

   • First model in the series, introduced in 1939.
   • Featured a 3-speed transmission.
   • Used the Ferguson three-point hitch system, which became a standard in the industry.

2. 2N (1942-1947)

   • Introduced during World War II with minor improvements.
   • Had steel wheels and magneto ignition in some versions due to wartime material shortages.

3. 8N (1947-1952)

   • The most popular of the N-Series, with over 500,000 units produced.
   • Featured a 4-speed transmission and improved hydraulics.
   • Increased horsepower and other refinements made it one of the best-selling tractors of its time.

Impact of the N-Series:

• The Ford N-Series tractors were pivotal in mechanizing small farms across America.
• They introduced affordable, easy-to-maintain tractors to a broader market.
• The success of the N-Series helped establish Ford as a major player in the agricultural equipment industry.

Ruby

Living in the country has all sorts of advantages and consequences.  On the consequence side of the ledger it goes beyond simply brown bats getting into your HVAC system.  There are external forces at work too.

Everything from deer, ring-neck pheasant, bunnies, possum and turkeys in the yard.

And if you're a red-golden retriever hunting dog it sometimes becomes a wee bit overwhelming....

An Anniversary Of Sorts

On several occasions I have shared that our deer camp is celebrating a 30th anniversary this year.  Yup, thirty pretty terrific years under current management.

When we acquired this property there were already a handful of tree stands to be found.  Fashioned from scrap lumber with rickety ladders it was natural that some of the locals would hunt here.  Because most of the eighty acres were cleared for farming the resident whitetails were confined to traveling in the protection of a handful of wooded corridors.  It was here that the stands were built.  And deer could be ambushed either sneaking thru the cover or more certainly attempting to cross an open field.

In many respects hunting was easier in the early days as a consequence of the cover; or lack thereof.

All  of that changed when fifty-five acres were taken out of production and enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP).  A couple of ponds were constructed, 40,000+ Wisconsin hardwoods and conifers planted with an additional seven acres planted into native grasses and forbs.  

First item to note:  The reforestation and permanent cover changed the hunting dynamic completely.  Not only did the property eventually attract and hold more deer; the hunting became more difficult.  Nevertheless, the former offset the latter and because the neighboring landscape remained largely farmed the deer tend to concentrate where there is cover and browse.

The tree stands were also upgraded both in number and in design, construction and durability.  It was mostly the use of green treated lumber that advanced the technology.  Trees were generally available and it seemed like a terrific idea to construct a stand in the crotch of three of four handy green ash trees.  Like this from August 16, 2008.

Second item to note:  Stands such as these, located in trees, require near-constant maintenance and attention.  Trees move, boards break, things loosen and become dangerous.  That is what comes from meatball carpentry.

I would add that a handful of steel stands were purchased, assembled and deployed.  With the exception of the prolific Stand of Death, most hunters preferred the wooden tree stands because the metal stands were cramped and slippery to climb.

With the passage of time several events occurred that near-simultaneously changed everything.  The forest grew into maturity and emerald ash borer appeared on the scene.  The good news was that we had planted a diverse selection of trees and just like managing a diverse stock portfolio there is safety in numbers.  The bad news was that all the ash became dead or dying.  It is heart-breaking to see a forty-acre (or larger) woodlot in my community almost entirely composed of dead ash trees.

With the handwriting on the wall we began building and constructing wooden tower stands.  Constructed of green, treated lumber they were comfortable, roomy enough for two hunters and safer.  From November 16, 2013 there was this - the first generation of Guard Tower deer stand. And, most definitely, a step-above meatball carpentry.  This is in a class of its own - wood shop.

With years of experience we also had a general idea of where to locate them.  More often than not adjacent to a failed tree stand or somewhere along our 3.5 miles of trails.  If you clear a trail, whitetails will travel it.  And they do so at their own peril.

These have evolved as well with the introduction of manufactured metal brackets combined with more green, treated lumber these latest generation stands are nearly indestructible and likely to outlast most of us.

Last weekend four of us sited, assembled, erected and completed this.  The fourth generation Guard Tower.  It is also adjacent to a now long-failed stand that was on the property when we moved-in.

Anyway, I took some photos of some of the early generation stands so I could invite you along a walk down memory lane.

This is my first stand.  

It was adapted from a sketchier build that predated our arrival and upgraded several times.  I killed my first deer from this stand.  It was from I here I made my first bow-kill.  Back in the day, and before the trees grew-up, it had a commanding and unobstructed view.  If this stand could talk - oh, the tales it would tell.

This stand is named after one of the first members of our deer camp - Clayton.  It was constructed of treated lumber salvaged from the demolition of a deck three houses ago. Countless deer have been killed from this location as it overlooks a seven acre meadow that I clear with a bush hog in odd-numbered years.  Thirty years ago Clayton and I could see to wave to one-another from our stands.  Mature forest obscures the view now.

Clayton has passed-away and his stand is no more.  The tree snapped and everything came down a few years ago.  You can see Clayton 2.0 situated adjacent - a second generation Guard Tower.  My business partner's son killed his first deer from there a couple of years ago.

This craziness is something we named the Left Handed Bow Stand. Likely because a lefty could theoretically shoot from it.  

It is trash now and a second generation Guard Tower proudly stands on the opposite side of the trail. 

This is Don's Stand. 

Named after another initial member of the deer camp it is large enough to lay down-upon and take a nap.  Don retired from hunting a number of years ago and his stand has largely been taken over by the encroaching forest.

This stand is named the Arm Pit.  it is featured in the first photo pictured above and now abandoned.  Look at all of that dead ash!

Again, many deer were taken from this stand as it is a swampy, natural wildlife corridor associated with Silver Creek.  Six Deuce killed his first deer here and New Guy killed a trophy buck here.   I took this photo from the foot of a third generation Guard Tower installed in 2023.  Braumeister killed a nice buck from Arm Pit 2.0 last November.

This is the the Creek Stand.  Dead ash trees too.  It is over Silver Creek, has a view of the two trails paralleling the creek, one of the ponds and the seven acre prairie planting between the creek and the house.  This stand shares some notoriety but I'm not at liberty to speak of it.

This was a favorite of mine.  Many years ago I killed two deer on the same sit, within five minutes, with a vertical bow, on my birthday.  My first crossbow kill was from this stand.  I killed a couple of deer from here the first year New Guy hunted with us.  And the month before I had my hip replaced I shot two more deer from this location on a November gun opener.

Officially abandoned in 2023 this stand has not yet been replaced.  Locating a replacement here is going to require some additional figuring.

Last but not least there is the Taj Mahal.

Constructed by a father/son team of hunters it takes its name from the fact that it is the largest stand ever constructed.  Anchored to a couple of posts sunk in concrete it is also attached to a couple of dead ash trees. 

Last year, out of an abundance of caution we removed the ladder from the Taj and erected a replacement third generation Guard Tower; Taj 2.0.  I killed a deer from here last November.

I'm going to stop here as the deer season is nigh-upon us so there will be much to talk about between now and January.  Thanks for joining me on this walk down memory lane.

And eat more deer!

Flower Fireworks

Considering how neglected our yard and my garden are, Jill's flowers are looking real nice....

 

 

 

Time Travel

Our house isn't all that new.  It's creeping-up on thirty years of age.  And the appliances are dying.  But that's not the purpose of this post.

Google tweeked me a couple of days ago with this photo.

This was our yard in 1994.  A real junk yard.

I took this picture yesterday.

What a difference thirty years makes. 

Spring Blooms

From the yard there was this.

The ancestral apple trees and lilac hedge from the original homestead are showing-off...

 

Progress

Here's a walk down memory lane.

Photos from November 28, 2005.  

 

I remember it clearly as a very soggy and muddy deer camp experience.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What is notable in the photos below are thousands of little trees planted in rows.  

 

At the time I was discouraged.  Those trees seemed to stay as small as twigs FOREVER.  I figured I would never live long enough to see them amount to anything.  

For a significant number of years you could easily see a quarter mile distant and any whitetail sneaking across these fields did so at their own peril.  Things have certainly changed.

I went upstairs to the blue bedroom and took photos from all the principle compass points.  These are to the southwest...

 

 

And to the northwest...

 

Same views after almost eighteen years of reforestation progress.  Southwest....

And northwest...

 

  

You can hardly see anything beyond the edge of the yard.  Not even the road or the western property line.  

Jungle it is....