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 Someday, it might be cool to own a
41 [Porsche 904](pix/mrf0067b.jpg). Yeah, I know, "dream on".
43 Over the years, I've spent a lot of my "spare time" on various facets of
44 [Amateur Radio](rf/). KB0G is my current callsign, previously I was N3EUA
45 and before that I was KA3ORU. I'm a life member of
46 [AMSAT](http://amsat.org/),
47 President of [CODE](http://gag.com/code/),
48 a former Vice-President of [TAPR](http://tapr.org/),
49 a past Chairman and member of the Technical Committee of
51 [Pikes Peak FM Association](http://www.ppfma.org),
53 [ARRL](http://www.arrl.org).
54 Perhaps my best-known contribution to the hobby is the silly little mail
55 program I wrote for KA9Q's NOS networking software, called
56 [BM](ftp://ftp.ucsd.edu/hamradio/packet/tcpip/mailers),
57 though I suppose I'm more proud of my role as integrator and documentation
58 author for the package prior to April 1989. I helped instigate N6GN's work on
59 [10Ghz packet links](http://www.sonic.net/~n6gn/uwavelink/uwv.html),
60 and continue to have a strong interest in data transmission over RF
61 links. I was the project leader for the
62 [GPS receiver](http://www.amsat.org/amsat/sats/phase3d/gps)
64 on the AMSAT Phase-3D satellite, which launched in November 2000,
65 after which it was known as
66 [AO-40](href="http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/satellites/sat_summary/ao40.php).
67 I was also one of the developers of the RUDAK
68 digital communications processor. My primary focus on the RUDAK team was
69 communication with the other experiment modules that RUDAK talks to over the
70 CAN bus... SCOPE, MONITOR, CEDEX, and the thermistor SmartNode boards.
72 If you want to find me "on the air" for a QSO, about the only chance
73 right now is to catch us
74 [roving](http://gag.com/code/rover/) in a VHF/Microwave contest...
76 While I was "born and raised" in the era of 4.1BSD, shared a Vax 11/750
77 with Eric Crane at CMU, and have run some flavor of BSD on at least one
78 machine ever since (the Symmetric S/375, a uVax2, BSD/OS, and NetBSD on a
80 I have become a strong supporter of
81 Linux particularly the
82 [Debian GNU/Linux](http://www.debian.org)
83 distribution, because of the emphasis on perpetual free availability of
84 all of the source code to the system. I've contributed a few packages to
85 the Debian effort, and now maintain a signficant number,
86 including some that are essential packages in the base distribution,
87 and some that are "big hairy monsters". At least it keeps me off the streets
90 Not sure how to pronounce "Linux"? Why not let Linus himself
91 [tell you](ftp://ftp.kernel.org/pub/linux/kernel/SillySounds/english.au)...
93 In recent years, my son and I have become very active building and flying
94 small and large model [rockets](http://www.gag.com/rockets). I now hold a
95 "Level 3 certification", and am a federally-licensed user of
96 low explosives, which means I'm authorized to buy, store, and fly the largest
97 motors currently available in the rocket hobby. My personal confirmed
98 flight altitude record is 21,654 feet above ground, my highest recorded
99 acceleration is 86 g, and I've flown a rocket to beyond Mach 2.2.
100 My current focus combines rocketry with my electronics background and strong
101 interest in radio, see the [Altus Metrum](http://altusmetrum.org)
102 community web site for more details...
104 * [Bdale's blog](blog)
105 * [Bdale's biographical information](bio)
106 * [Garbeey Gallery](http://gallery.gag.com)
107 * [Quotations](quotes)
108 * [Talks Bdale has Given](talks/)
110 Cool Stuff on the Web
111 ---------------------
113 * [Cabell Garbee](http://www.garbee.net/~cabell), Bdale's brother, restores
114 neat old vehicles as a hobby.
115 * [Allen B. Loyd](href="http://sites.google.com/site/allenloyd/Home),
116 one of Bdale's first cousins, has a site documenting his theatrical set
117 designs, paintings, and other fun stuff.
118 * [Space Machine & Engineering Corp](http://space-machine.com),
119 operated by another of Bdale's first cousins. It's kind of cool
120 having a waveguide company in the family!
121 * [Graves Mountain Lodge](http://www.gravesmountain.com),
122 owned and operated by "my extended family" in Virginia. We used to
123 visit often... and still get back once in a while!
124 * >Visit the <a href="http://www.rf.org/">Radio Farm</a>... a most
126 * [Colorado Satellite Services](http://www.coloradosatellite.com)
127 Jim and I worked closely together on AO-40 RUDAK, and he's definitely
128 "one of the good guys". The EyasSAT educational satellite system
129 linked to from his page is neat stuff.
132 [maternal grandfater](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred_D._Barksdale),
133 who was a prominent individual in his time. While my father is the serious
134 genealogist in our family, every once in a while I go do a web search on
135 various family names. These are some references to Grandaddy that I have
139 [Wikipedia page](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred_D._Barksdale)!
140 * A [phote](http://www1.vmi.edu/archivephotos/Details.asp?ACCNUM=2631) of him
141 from 1919, in uniform.
142 * He was a [Judge of the United States Court](http://air.fjc.gov/servlet/uGetInfo?jid=97)
143 * Many of his papers were gifted to the
144 [University of Virginia Library](http://ead.lib.virginia.edu/vivaead/published/uva-sc/vivadoc.pl?file=viu00129.xml)
145 * There are scholarships in his name at
146 [VMI](http://www.vmiaa.org/AA/Alumni%20Association/Scholar.html) and
147 [Hollins](http://www.hollins.edu/admissions/scholarship/need_based.htm)
150 I've been asked from time to time if I'm any relation to the Barksdale for whom
151 [Barksdale Air Force Base](http://www.barksdale.af.mil) was named. My parents
153 [Eugene Hoy Barksdale](http://www.barksdale.af.mil/library/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=4409) was my third cousin twice removed.
155 Encrypting email is good. My currently preferred public key is
157 pub 4096R/C095D941 2009-07-26
158 Key fingerprint = 8470 F20B 0625 9218 7CBA 7BB3 3A93 6196 C095 D941
159 uid Bdale Garbee <bdale@gag.com>
160 uid Bdale Garbee <bdale@hp.com>
161 uid Bdale Garbee <bdale@debian.org>
162 sub 4096R/166755FB 2009-07-26
164 You should be able to fetch that key from any of the major keyservers.