Blenster @Blenster@qoto.org
Hacker/maker, inventor, nerd, apprentice knife-maker, Co-Founder of
@mrblinkybling
. Rapid prototyper. Member of
@LVL1Hackerspace
http://youtube.com/blenster (he/him)
Joined Apr 2022
Blenster
boosted
Going out on a limb here, but I had so much to say about the topic of the Prusa OCL announcement and who gets to decide what is and isn't open source that I actually started a goddamned blog on my website and will almost certainly regret it in the morning. https://www.alpenglowindustries.com/blogs/all-blogs/open-source-is-not-all-or-nothing
It's 10:05 AM Eastern and I'm glad you're alive; thanks for being here with me.
Remember you are worth the effort. Always.
Something happened recently and I've been debating whether or not to share it here but it's giving me pause to reflect on my life.
Around 13-ish years ago I was almost homeless. I owed my landlord thousands of dollars and I don't even want to talk about the child support.
2013-2015 sucked.
I'd had 2 years of back to back kidney stones. My 401k was almost gone. I'd gone through a bunch of startups at various levels - learning but not making money.
It's hard to keep a regular job when you fall on the floor screaming and disappear for a couple of weeks every couple of months.
I look at my life now and I'm a homeowner, I have some savings, I'm rebuilding my retirement, I lead an amazing team doing the best work of my career, I just got an expensive (used) vehicle that is VERY comfortable, and overall life is really good right now.
Such a contrast from those times.
All that to say I was made a Kentucky Colonel this month and I just got the certificate signed by the Governor and it hit me that I made a plan and worked hard and got lucky and made it here and I just want to sit with that and enjoy the accomplishment.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kentucky_Colonel
How did I earn this? Well y'all know I'm a chronic volunteer and I've been active in both non-profits and in the entrepreneurial world (as I said, lots of startups) and I've taught classes and spoken all over the state and the country.
I have complicated feelings on this honor.
On one hand: you could frequently get awarded through political favors or other trivial means. On the other there are a long list of people who worked hard and helped the community that earned this award as well.
On the whole I am humbled and proud to be an ambassador for my adopted state.
I apologize if I rambled a bit here; I'm still processing this and reflecting on the various achievements and where I am in life now, where I want to go next, and how I feel about all this.
Also: I definitely updated my work email signature. 😜
Blenster
boosted
It's the time of year where I get to show off all the cool things our friends make! Check out the 2025 Alpenglow Gift Guide and find something fun for that electronics nerd in your life (and maybe that's you!) It features cool stuff by us, @ArchiteuthisFlux @californiasteam @sjpiper145 @wizard @jasoncoon @drc3p0 https://www.alpenglowindustries.com/pages/2025-gift-guide
Hacker/maker, inventor, nerd, apprentice knife-maker, Co-Founder of
@mrblinkybling
. Rapid prototyper. Member of
@LVL1Hackerspace
http://youtube.com/blenster (he/him)
Joined Apr 2022
