Lee Ryman
@leeryman.bsky.social
Nerd, rescuer of cats and chickens, lover of sci, tech, astronomy, radio, sailing, cyberpunk, steampunk, retired game server admin, B Eng Comp Sys Hons 1, Registered Cabler, NYSF'99, Marine Rescue Watchofficer and IT&Comms Officer, Software Staff Engineer.
Was it at least a dry heat, so sweat actually worked as evolution intended?
January 28, 2026 at 1:46 PM
Was it at least a dry heat, so sweat actually worked as evolution intended?
If you really want to go down the rabbit hole, look up how wind speed, direction and gust is determined according to WMO standards. IIRC gust is the highest rolling three second average speed over the last ten minutes, but it's only gusting if it's 10 knots or more than the ten minute average speed.
January 28, 2026 at 1:39 PM
If you really want to go down the rabbit hole, look up how wind speed, direction and gust is determined according to WMO standards. IIRC gust is the highest rolling three second average speed over the last ten minutes, but it's only gusting if it's 10 knots or more than the ten minute average speed.
Rainfall always gets people, it too is read and reset at 9am and recorded against the day of measurement (even though most of the interval occurred the previous day), yet most people find it more relatable if you say how much it rained since midnight.
January 28, 2026 at 1:21 PM
Rainfall always gets people, it too is read and reset at 9am and recorded against the day of measurement (even though most of the interval occurred the previous day), yet most people find it more relatable if you say how much it rained since midnight.
There may be a difference between how the forecast is represented in the app vs how and where the observations are taken. Observed min and max for climate data is read and reset at 9am where a station is located, but the computer model can spit out a forecast for whenever and wherever is desired.
January 28, 2026 at 1:13 PM
There may be a difference between how the forecast is represented in the app vs how and where the observations are taken. Observed min and max for climate data is read and reset at 9am where a station is located, but the computer model can spit out a forecast for whenever and wherever is desired.
I was all interested to see a dome and a telescope. Should have known after the incident where I thought the cake was Mars.
January 6, 2026 at 9:42 PM
I was all interested to see a dome and a telescope. Should have known after the incident where I thought the cake was Mars.
Black Bluff area - it looked very icy.
December 25, 2025 at 4:36 AM
Black Bluff area - it looked very icy.
My sister just posted photos of walking around in snow in Tasmania. She was probably hiking up some mountain, but it's white and cold.
December 25, 2025 at 12:29 AM
My sister just posted photos of walking around in snow in Tasmania. She was probably hiking up some mountain, but it's white and cold.
Are they now?! I'm not sure I want to ask how.
October 7, 2025 at 12:49 AM
Are they now?! I'm not sure I want to ask how.
About the only thing there is a grasp of is our system of currency. And wtf is a woket network? I feel old.
October 6, 2025 at 7:00 AM
About the only thing there is a grasp of is our system of currency. And wtf is a woket network? I feel old.
With coordination with a lifeboat or other radio base and their RDF, we can triangulate transmissions to a degree of accuracy.
September 27, 2025 at 1:41 PM
With coordination with a lifeboat or other radio base and their RDF, we can triangulate transmissions to a degree of accuracy.
Apart from when those in distress cannot communicate their location, the RDF is invaluable in sanity checking a reported position, as people in distress can inadvertently use their GPS incorrectly, such as reading the cursor position instead of ownship position.
September 27, 2025 at 1:41 PM
Apart from when those in distress cannot communicate their location, the RDF is invaluable in sanity checking a reported position, as people in distress can inadvertently use their GPS incorrectly, such as reading the cursor position instead of ownship position.
The resolution (coordinates) from RCC or decoded by the RDF will get you within 2km (non-GNSS EPIRB) or 100m (GNSS EPIRB). From there the lifeboats will use RDFs tuned to the 121.5MHz homing signal and mk.1 eyeballs to locate the beacon. Swell, headlands and coves can make this more challenging.
September 27, 2025 at 1:31 PM
The resolution (coordinates) from RCC or decoded by the RDF will get you within 2km (non-GNSS EPIRB) or 100m (GNSS EPIRB). From there the lifeboats will use RDFs tuned to the 121.5MHz homing signal and mk.1 eyeballs to locate the beacon. Swell, headlands and coves can make this more challenging.
Typically we would not scan for EPIRBs unless we are aware of a nearby activation or have been asked by the Water Police or AMSA Rescue Coordination Centre. Most of the time we will receive a beacon resolution from them first. Nevertheless it is a useful tool that can confirm a nearby activation.
September 27, 2025 at 1:23 PM
Typically we would not scan for EPIRBs unless we are aware of a nearby activation or have been asked by the Water Police or AMSA Rescue Coordination Centre. Most of the time we will receive a beacon resolution from them first. Nevertheless it is a useful tool that can confirm a nearby activation.
This is the Rhotheta RT-500-M VHF & EPIRB Radio Direction Finder. It is capable of DF'ing and decoding the uplink signal from EPIRBs (if within range). It uses the more modern pseudo-Doppler technique which is very fast and accurate. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doppler...
September 27, 2025 at 1:19 PM
This is the Rhotheta RT-500-M VHF & EPIRB Radio Direction Finder. It is capable of DF'ing and decoding the uplink signal from EPIRBs (if within range). It uses the more modern pseudo-Doppler technique which is very fast and accurate. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doppler...
Sat down at one of the ops stations at the marine rescue base yesterday morning at 6am, only to see a possum exit the roof of the 1872 cottage, and walk across the sunshade to a tree. Took a photo and sent it to facilities officer, for him to complain they only just ejected one a week ago.
September 14, 2025 at 3:36 PM
Sat down at one of the ops stations at the marine rescue base yesterday morning at 6am, only to see a possum exit the roof of the 1872 cottage, and walk across the sunshade to a tree. Took a photo and sent it to facilities officer, for him to complain they only just ejected one a week ago.
Another 2 hours trying to find the download for the policy template for Notepad. Finally found it in some random .cab file on the MS website. Installed it. Literally the only setting it offered was to disable Copilot.
Microsoft engineers, are you okay?
Microsoft engineers, are you okay?
August 27, 2025 at 11:56 AM
Another 2 hours trying to find the download for the policy template for Notepad. Finally found it in some random .cab file on the MS website. Installed it. Literally the only setting it offered was to disable Copilot.
Microsoft engineers, are you okay?
Microsoft engineers, are you okay?
New PCs for rescue base. Spent four hours trying to turn off all the copilot integration on windows 11, because didn't want the possibility of search & rescue incident details getting somehow into the cloud. Then opened up notepad and found an additional policy was needed to turn it off in it too.
August 27, 2025 at 11:56 AM
New PCs for rescue base. Spent four hours trying to turn off all the copilot integration on windows 11, because didn't want the possibility of search & rescue incident details getting somehow into the cloud. Then opened up notepad and found an additional policy was needed to turn it off in it too.
And are incapable of self assessment. LLMs produce mistakes but never learn from them. Unfortunately this also applies to those who rely on them. They are not AI and I'm not convinced we aren't a very long way before they exhibit more utility than they cost.
August 26, 2025 at 10:58 AM
And are incapable of self assessment. LLMs produce mistakes but never learn from them. Unfortunately this also applies to those who rely on them. They are not AI and I'm not convinced we aren't a very long way before they exhibit more utility than they cost.
I learn through patterns and visualisation. My partner has ADHD and has to learn very differently, more creative doing. It would be amazing if kids were given different strategies early in education to suit their own style, and conditions affecting learning were identified as a part of the process.
August 22, 2025 at 8:23 AM
I learn through patterns and visualisation. My partner has ADHD and has to learn very differently, more creative doing. It would be amazing if kids were given different strategies early in education to suit their own style, and conditions affecting learning were identified as a part of the process.
I think it's really important to understand that we all learn differently. It would be amazing if somewhere during primary school we are taught to recognise how we individually learn and how we might best structure our study to best attain skills for life and our personal focus.
August 22, 2025 at 8:23 AM
I think it's really important to understand that we all learn differently. It would be amazing if somewhere during primary school we are taught to recognise how we individually learn and how we might best structure our study to best attain skills for life and our personal focus.