4 Welcome to my "new" personal home page.
6 At the end of August, 2012, I retired from my long-held position as
7 <a href="http://www.hp.com">HP</a> Open Source & Linux Chief
10 Since retiring, I've enjoyed spending more time on family activities and
11 projects. But I'm still very active in the Free Software world. I serve
12 on the boards of the [Linux Foundation](http://linuxfoundation.org) and the
13 [FreedomBox Foundation](http://freedomboxfoundation.org), and as President
14 of [Software in the Public Interest](http://spi-inc.org).
16 I also remain actively involved in the [Debian](http://debian.org) project,
17 where I continue to maintain various
18 [packages](http://qa.debian.org/developer.php?login=bdale@gag.com),
20 [Debian Technical Committee](http://www.debian.org/devel/tech-ctte)
22 My "spare nanoseconds" are mostly consumed playing with
23 [rockets](http://gag.com/rockets), which includes managing
24 [Altus Metrum, LLC](http://altusmetrum.org) along with partner
25 [Keith Packard](http://keithp.org).
27 I think the web is way too picture-oriented these days, but if you're really
28 curious, there are some pictures of me on my
29 [bio page](bio/), and associated with the
30 [Wikipedia page about me](http://wikipedia.org/wiki/Bdale_Garbee). If you're
31 a close friend or family member, email me for credentials to
32 enter our [gallery](http://gallery.gag.com)..
34 I'm most comfortable when there are lots of electrons flowing nearby, mostly
35 in high-end computer equipment. There are only a few carbohydrates I've met in
36 my life that I didn't like, I have very eclectic tastes in music, enjoy old
37 movies, and I have this "German metal habit"... Porsche flavored.
38 My current such toy is a 1987 Porsche 944S, black with beige interior...
40 Over the years, I've spent a lot of my "spare time" on various facets of
41 [Amateur Radio](rf/). KB0G is my current callsign, previously I was N3EUA
42 and before that I was KA3ORU. I'm a life member of
43 [AMSAT](http://amsat.org/),
44 President of [CODE](http://gag.com/code/),
45 a former Vice-President of [TAPR](http://tapr.org/),
46 a past Chairman and member of the Technical Committee of
48 [Pikes Peak FM Association](http://www.ppfma.org),
50 [ARRL](http://www.arrl.org).
51 Perhaps my best-known contribution to the hobby is the silly little mail
52 program I wrote for KA9Q's NOS networking software, called
53 [BM](ftp://ftp.ucsd.edu/hamradio/packet/tcpip/mailers),
54 though I suppose I'm more proud of my role as integrator and documentation
55 author for the package prior to April 1989. I helped instigate N6GN's work on
56 [10Ghz packet links](http://www.sonic.net/~n6gn/uwavelink/uwv.html),
57 and continue to have a strong interest in data transmission over RF
58 links. I was the project leader for the
59 [GPS receiver](http://www.amsat.org/amsat/sats/phase3d/gps)
61 on the AMSAT Phase-3D satellite, which launched in November 2000,
62 after which it was known as
63 [AO-40](href="http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/satellites/sat_summary/ao40.php).
64 I was also one of the developers of the RUDAK
65 digital communications processor. My primary focus on the RUDAK team was
66 communication with the other experiment modules that RUDAK talks to over the
67 CAN bus... SCOPE, MONITOR, CEDEX, and the thermistor SmartNode boards.
69 If you want to find me "on the air" for a QSO, about the only chance
70 right now is to catch us
71 [roving](http://gag.com/code/rover/) in a VHF/Microwave contest...
73 While I was "born and raised" in the era of 4.1BSD, shared a Vax 11/750
74 with Eric Crane at CMU, and have run some flavor of BSD on at least one
75 machine ever since (the Symmetric S/375, a uVax2, BSD/OS, and NetBSD on a
77 I have become a strong supporter of
78 Linux particularly the
79 [Debian GNU/Linux](http://www.debian.org)
80 distribution, because of the emphasis on perpetual free availability of
81 all of the source code to the system. I've contributed a few packages to
82 the Debian effort, and now maintain a signficant number,
83 including some that are essential packages in the base distribution,
84 and some that are "big hairy monsters". At least it keeps me off the streets
87 Not sure how to pronounce "Linux"? Why not let Linus himself
88 [tell you](ftp://ftp.kernel.org/pub/linux/kernel/SillySounds/english.au)...
90 In recent years, my son and I have become very active building and flying
91 small and large model [rockets](http://www.gag.com/rockets). I now hold a
92 "Level 3 certification", and am a federally-licensed user of
93 low explosives, which means I'm authorized to buy, store, and fly the largest
94 motors currently available in the rocket hobby. My personal confirmed
95 flight altitude record is 21,654 feet above ground, my highest recorded
96 acceleration is 86 g, and I've flown a rocket to beyond Mach 2.2.
97 My current focus combines rocketry with my electronics background and strong
98 interest in radio, see the [Altus Metrum](http://altusmetrum.org)
99 community web site for more details...
101 * [Bdale's blog](blog)
102 * [Bdale's biographical information](bio)
103 * [Garbeey Gallery](http://gallery.gag.com)
104 * [Quotations](quotes)
105 * [Talks Bdale has Given](talks/)
107 Cool Stuff on the Web
108 ---------------------
110 * [Cabell Garbee](http://www.garbee.net/~cabell), Bdale's brother, restores
111 neat old vehicles as a hobby.
112 * [Allen B. Loyd](href="http://sites.google.com/site/allenloyd/Home),
113 one of Bdale's first cousins, has a site documenting his theatrical set
114 designs, paintings, and other fun stuff.
115 * [Space Machine & Engineering Corp](http://space-machine.com),
116 operated by another of Bdale's first cousins. It's kind of cool
117 having a waveguide company in the family!
118 * [Graves Mountain Lodge](http://www.gravesmountain.com),
119 owned and operated by "my extended family" in Virginia. We used to
120 visit often... and still get back once in a while!
121 * >Visit the <a href="http://www.rf.org/">Radio Farm</a>... a most
123 * [Colorado Satellite Services](http://www.coloradosatellite.com)
124 Jim and I worked closely together on AO-40 RUDAK, and he's definitely
125 "one of the good guys". The EyasSAT educational satellite system
126 linked to from his page is neat stuff.
129 [maternal grandfater](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred_D._Barksdale),
130 who was a prominent individual in his time. While my father is the serious
131 genealogist in our family, every once in a while I go do a web search on
132 various family names. These are some references to Grandaddy that I have
136 [Wikipedia page](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred_D._Barksdale)!
137 * A [phote](http://www1.vmi.edu/archivephotos/Details.asp?ACCNUM=2631) of him
138 from 1919, in uniform.
139 * He was a [Judge of the United States Court](http://air.fjc.gov/servlet/uGetInfo?jid=97)
140 * Many of his papers were gifted to the
141 [University of Virginia Library](http://ead.lib.virginia.edu/vivaead/published/uva-sc/vivadoc.pl?file=viu00129.xml)
142 * There are scholarships in his name at
143 [VMI](http://www.vmiaa.org/AA/Alumni%20Association/Scholar.html) and
144 [Hollins](http://www.hollins.edu/admissions/scholarship/need_based.htm)
147 I've been asked from time to time if I'm any relation to the Barksdale for whom
148 [Barksdale Air Force Base](http://www.barksdale.af.mil) was named. My parents
150 [Eugene Hoy Barksdale](http://www.barksdale.af.mil/library/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=4409) was my third cousin twice removed.
152 Encrypting email is good. My currently preferred public key is
154 pub 4096R/C095D941 2009-07-26
155 Key fingerprint = 8470 F20B 0625 9218 7CBA 7BB3 3A93 6196 C095 D941
156 uid Bdale Garbee <bdale@gag.com>
157 uid Bdale Garbee <bdale@hp.com>
158 uid Bdale Garbee <bdale@debian.org>
159 sub 4096R/166755FB 2009-07-26
161 You should be able to fetch that key from any of the major keyservers.