I heard from one of the local ham luminaries that FCC Commissioner Michael Powell will be in Fuquay-Varina this afternoon, eyeballing BPL in action at someone’s house. Media reps and local ham club reps will be on hand.

I predict fistfights break out between the hams and Progress Energy techies.

We had a surprise visit from our friends the Hibbles. Geoff and Robin drive 26 hours tomorrow night on their way to Colorado, but they still had time to visit.

Two hours were not nearly enough to catch up after two years apart. Think its time we consider a trip to Colorado soon!

A fuel cell undergoing testing in Alaska has passed the 5,000 hours mark, producing over 20 kwh in its lifetime.

So, when can I get one installed? 🙂

The American Diabetes Association Tour De Cure is set to take place May 1st and 2nd for the Eastern North Carolina Tour.

I volunteered with the Tour in 2002 as part of the Central Carolina Helping Hams, using my car as a SAG (support and gear) vehicle. It was a blast getting out and helping the cause. Made me wish I rode it.

This year, I’m contemplating the crazy thought of riding in the Tour, even though I haven’t touched my bike in months, if not years. It would take a lot of effort to put myself together for two days of riding, 160 miles total. At least its all downhill.

I’ve got less than two months to get in riding shape. Can I do it?

FCC Chairman Michael Powell will be in Raleigh tomorrow. Rumor has it he is here to see first hand how Progress Energy‘s Broadband over Power Lines (BPL) trial is going.

The News and Observer wants to know what you’d like to ask Chairman Powell. Send questions to askmike at newsobserver dot com.

I’m trying to think up some good, controversial topics to bring up. Contribute yours to the comments section below!

Al Qaeda thought they were anonymous when they used their prepaid GSM phones. Needless to say, they were wrong. 🙂

Here’s the scoop on how the NSA and others tracked them down:

The terrorism investigation code-named Mont Blanc began almost by accident in April 2002, when authorities intercepted a cell phone call that lasted less than a minute and involved not a single word of conversation.

Investigators, suspicious that the call was a signal between terrorists, followed the trail first to one terror suspect, then to others, and eventually to terror cells on three continents.

What tied them together was a computer chip smaller than a fingernail. But before the investigation wound down in recent weeks, its global net caught dozens of suspected al-Qaida members and disrupted at least three planned attacks in Saudi Arabia and Indonesia, according to counterterrorism and intelligence officials in Europe and the United States.

I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw an insect buzzing around the back door of the office. It was a mosquito. And here it is, the third day of March.

John Edwards will quit his run for the Presidency today. Guess ad-nauseum repetition of “my-dadddy-was-a-mill-worker” just isn’t enough to get voters excited. Perhaps if we’re lucky, he’ll use his remaining time as senator to actually represent North Carolina in Congress. If he remembers how to get to his Senate office, that is.

Thanks for playing, Johnny. Don’t forget your parting gift!