[web/gag.com] / bdale / index.mdwn

Bdale Garbee, KB0G
==================

After retiring at the end of August, 2012, from my long-held position as
[HP](http://hp.com) Open Source & Linux Chief Technologist... I worked 
part-time for [Samsung](http://samsung.com) as Senior Adviser to the Open 
Source Group that is part of Samsung Research America.  In September of 2014,
I was recruited back to HPE and served for 25 months as an 
[HPE Fellow](http://www.hp.com/united-states/Bdale-Garbee-External-Bio-V2.pdf)
in Martin Fink's Office of the CTO at what became
[Hewlett Packard Enterprise](http://hpe.com), driving open source 
strategy and advocacy for the company.  At the end of September 2016, I
returned to early retirement... and am now enjoying "Retirement v2.0".

I currently serve on the boards of
the [Software Freedom Conservancy](https://sfconservancy.org),
the [FreedomBox Foundation](http://freedomboxfoundation.org), 
and [Amateur Radio Digital Communications](http://ampr.org), where I am
also the Treasurer / CFO.

I served for a while on the board of the 
[Linux Professional Institute](http://lpi.org) helping it recover from
some organizational trauma and transform to a membership-based entity.

I served for a decade as President of 
[Software in the Public Interest](http://spi-inc.org), and as a member of
the board of directors for some time before that.

I also served for several years on the board of the 
[Linux Foundation](http://linuxfoundation.org) 
representing the interests of developers and individuals.

I remain actively involved in the [Debian](http://debian.org) project,
where I served for a year as the elected Debian Project Leader, and for nearly
a decade as Chairman of the Debian Technical Committee.  I continue to maintain 
various [packages](http://qa.debian.org/developer.php?login=bdale@gag.com)
for Debian.

My "spare nanoseconds" are mostly consumed playing with 
[rockets](http://gag.com/rockets), which includes managing 
[Altus Metrum, LLC](http://altusmetrum.org) with business partner 
[Keith Packard](http://keithp.org).  I hold a "Level 3 certification" and am
a member of both the [National Association of Rocketry](http://nar.org)
and the [Tripoli Rocketry Association](http://tripoli.org).  My personal 
confirmed flight altitude record is 32,635 feet above ground, my highest 
recorded acceleration is 86 g, the heaviest project I ever built weighed 168 
pounds on the launch rail, and I've flown a rocket I designed and built
that reached Mach 3.21.  I served on the committee that defined the 
[Tripoli Mentoring Program](http://www.tripoli.org/TMP), and am
immensely proud that my son aced the test to become one of the earliest TMP 
participants.

I miss the early days of the web, when it was mostly informative text... 
but if you're really curious, there are some pictures of me on my 
[bio page](bio/), and associated with the 
[Wikipedia page about me](http://wikipedia.org/wiki/Bdale_Garbee).  If you're 
a close friend or family member, email me for credentials to 
enter our [gallery](http://gallery.gag.com)..

I'm most comfortable when there are lots of electrons flowing nearby, mostly
in high-end computer equipment.  There are only a few carbohydrates I've met in
my life that I didn't like, I have very eclectic tastes in music, enjoy old
movies, and I have this "German metal habit"...  Porsche flavored.  My 
current such toy is a 1984 Porsche 928S Euro, moss green metallic 
with beige interior and a dog-leg 5-speed.

Over the years, I've spent a lot of my "spare time" on various facets of 
[Amateur Radio](rf/).  KB0G is my current callsign, previously I was N3EUA 
and before that I was KA3ORU.  I'm a life member of 
[AMSAT](http://amsat.org/), 
President of [CODE](http://gag.com/code/),
a former Vice-President of [TAPR](http://tapr.org/),
a past Chairman and member of the Technical Committee of 
the 
[Pikes Peak FM Association](http://www.ppfma.org), past board member 
of the [Pikes Peak Radio Amateur Association](http://ppraa.org),
and a member of the 
[ARRL](http://www.arrl.org).
Perhaps my best-known early contribution to the hobby was the silly little 
mail program I wrote for KA9Q's NOS networking software, called 
[BM](ftp://ftp.ucsd.edu/hamradio/packet/tcpip/mailers),
though I suppose I'm more proud of my role as integrator and documentation 
author for the package prior to April 1989.  I helped instigate N6GN's work on
[10Ghz packet links](http://www.sonic.net/~n6gn/uwavelink/uwv.html),
and continue to have a strong interest in data transmission over RF 
links.  I was the project leader for the
[GPS receiver](http://www.amsat.org/amsat/sats/phase3d/gps)
experiment
on the AMSAT Phase-3D satellite, which launched in November 2000,
after which it was known as 
[AO-40](href="http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/satellites/sat_summary/ao40.php).
I was also one of the developers of the RUDAK
digital communications processor.  My primary focus on the RUDAK team was
communication with the other experiment modules that RUDAK talks to over the 
CAN bus... SCOPE, MONITOR, CEDEX, and the thermistor SmartNode boards.  More
recently, I led the design and delivery of the IHU design for the AMSAT-NA 
[Fox](http://ww2.amsat.org/?page_id=1113) cubesat program, and one of my
boards has been "in the stack" on every recent AMSAT-NA satellite.

If you want to find me "on the air" for a QSO, about the only chance 
right now is to catch us
[roving](http://gag.com/code/rover/) in a VHF/Microwave contest, or on the
flight-line at a rocket launch.

While I was "born and raised" in the era of 4.1BSD, shared a Vax 11/750
with Eric Crane at CMU, and ran some flavor of BSD on at least one
machine up until the [fire in 2013](http://gag.com/blackforestfire.html)
 (the Symmetric S/375, a uVax2, BSD/OS, 
and NetBSD on a pc532), I have become a strong supporter of Linux 
particularly the [Debian GNU/Linux](http://www.debian.org)
distribution, because of the emphasis on perpetual free availability of 
all of the source code to the system.  I've contributed a few packages to 
the Debian effort, and now maintain a signficant number, including some that 
are essential packages in the base distribution, and some that are "big 
hairy monsters".  At least it keeps me off the streets at night...

Not sure how to pronounce "Linux"?  Why not let Linus himself
[tell you](ftp://ftp.kernel.org/pub/linux/kernel/SillySounds/english.au)...

In recent years, my son and I have become very active building and flying 
small and large model [rockets](http://gag.com/rockets).  I hold a 
"Level 3 certification", and my personal confirmed 
flight altitude record is 32,635 feet above ground, my highest recorded
acceleration is 86 g, and I've flown a rocket that reached Mach 3.21.  I served
on the committee that defined the 
[Tripoli Mentoring Program](http://www.tripoli.org/TMP), and am
proud that my son aced the test to become one of the earliest TMP 
participants.  My current focus combines rocketry with my electronics 
background and strong interest in radio, see the 
[Altus Metrum](http://altusmetrum.org) 
community web site for more details...

* [Bdale's blog](blog)
* [Bdale's biographical information](bio)
* [Garbee Gallery](http://gallery.gag.com)
* [Quotations](quotes.html)
* [Talks Bdale has Given](talks/)

Cool Stuff on the Web
---------------------

* [Cabell Garbee](http://www.garbee.net/~cabell), Bdale's brother, restores 
        neat old vehicles as a hobby.
* [Allen B. Loyd](http://sites.google.com/site/allenloyd/Home),
        one of Bdale's first cousins, has a site documenting his theatrical set
        designs, paintings, and other fun stuff.
* [Space Machine & Engineering Corp](http://space-machine.com),
        operated by another of Bdale's first cousins.  It's kind of cool 
        having a waveguide company in the family!
* [Graves Mountain Lodge](http://www.gravesmountain.com),
        owned and operated by "my extended family" in Virginia.  We used to
        visit often... and still get back once in a while!
* Visit the [Radio Farm](http://www.rf.org/)... a most unusual place!
* [Colorado Satellite Services](http://www.coloradosatellite.com)
        Jim and I worked closely together on AO-40 RUDAK, and he's definitely
        "one of the good guys".  The EyasSAT educational satellite system 
        linked to from his page is neat stuff.

I was named for my 
[maternal grandfather](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred_D._Barksdale), 
who was a prominent individual in his time.  While my father is the serious 
genealogist in our family, every once in a while I go do a web search on 
various family names.  These are some references to Granddaddy that I have 
found:

* He now has a 
        [Wikipedia page](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred_D._Barksdale)!
* A [photo](http://digitalcollections.vmi.edu/cdm/singleitem/collection/p15821coll7/id/2862/rec/1) of him 
        from 1919, in uniform.
* He was a [Judge of the United States Court](http://air.fjc.gov/servlet/uGetInfo?jid=97)
* Many of his papers were gifted to the 
        [University of Virginia Library](http://ead.lib.virginia.edu/vivaead/published/uva-sc/vivadoc.pl?file=viu00129.xml)
* There are scholarships in his name at 
        [VMI](http://www.vmi.edu/media/content-assets/documents/human-resources/Faculty-Handbook.pdf) and
        [Hollins](http://www.hollins.edu).


I've been asked from time to time if I'm any relation to the Barksdale for whom 
[Barksdale Air Force Base](http://www.barksdale.af.mil) was named.  My parents 
tell me they believe
[Eugene Hoy Barksdale](http://www.barksdale.af.mil/library/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=4409) 
was my third cousin twice removed.  I had the chance to visit the base museum
in the fall of 2016, and I must say I'm proud of his accomplishments!

Encrypting email is good.  My currently preferred public key is 
<pre>
pub   rsa4096 2019-10-21 [SC]
      1E0B AAD8 5C22 32A1 B3CE  92EB B704 7105 830B 9FA1
uid           [ unknown] Bdale Garbee <bdale@debian.org>
uid           [ unknown] Bdale Garbee <bdale@gag.com>
sub   rsa4096 2019-10-21 [E]
</pre>
You should be able to fetch that key from any of the major keyservers.