Nomadic Research Labs
"Art without engineering is dreaming; engineering without art is calculating."  --SKR


BEHEMOTH
Bubba the kayak

Bubba  the kayak
(with location tracking and solar power, 2003-2006)
This is the playground of Steven Roberts, N4RVE, who skipped out of midwest suburbia in 1983 aboard a "computerized recumbent bicycle" and never looked back. Linked from this page are adventure tales, philosophical maunderings, random bloggage, full system designs, technical resources, and how-to material covering a huge range of topics.
SKR profile
In 2009 we opened a store for project spin-offs, boat-hacking goodies, downloadables, and even NRL surplus...

NRL Store Button

Content on this site has been accumulating for over 20 years, and little treasures are salted away in subdirectories and subdomains that may not be obvious... the search box at the bottom of this page should cover it all.  The most recent updates are usually at the Nomadness blog, and real-time news is on Twitter:
latest news

Nomadness
Blog
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Microship

Microship Expedition
(amphibian pedal/solar/sail micro-trimaran, 1992-2002)

The 44-foot steel sailing vessel "Nomadness"

S/V Nomadness
(open-ended global voyaging, 2008 and beyond)
Latest News - my "live page" for  eBay sales and announcements.  These days, most of the detailed boat-related news is on the Nomadness blog.
I have two blogs:  Nomadness chronicles development and deployment of the new ship, and Microship for earlier work. Both are currently frozen pending change of blogging platform.
In addition to the new online store, there is fun stuff in the Microship General Store on eBay, and we also have mugs and shirtskayak paddle bags, and slings for kayak stands.
The new online store opened in early 2009, and is a growing collection of geek goodies for boaters, technomads, and others who love gizmology. Articles and Resources - library of how-to material, geek info, story archives, other projects, and more... including quite a bit of newer material about the Microship. 
Gonzo Engineering - a manifesto about the underpinnings of all this.  Rhapsodies on related themes include The Heart of Nomadness and The Other Woman.
The 2005 Shacktopus project is being re-born as a key part of the Nomadness system.  Public speaking & writing portfolio -- as well as media coverage over the years and a list of the sponsors who have helped make this possible.  There is a webcam and tracker on Nomadness, intermittently active.
Technomads - I'm not the only geek who combines techno passions with a longing for adventure.  E-mail Steve

This searches all my sites (microship, nomadness, blogs, NRL store, etc), with results in new window: