By mid-1999, the new lab on Camano Island was in full swing, and we were audaciously publishing expedition plans. One little snag, though… the landing gear project was turning out to be far more complex than anticipated. Here we discover, with a vague sense of horror, that the Microship would need a custom hydraulic Ackerman-steering…

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This delightful Hugo-nominated geek zine from the UK picked up the BEHEMOTH story and gave it a little sidebar, rearranged here for easier layout. Somebody Out There is More Superfluous than Us Plokta June 1, 1999 Tibs wrote to tell us about Steven K Roberts. Tiring of the office grind, he built the ultimate portable…

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In 1999, the Microship project was in full swing in the Camano Island lab, and I periodically loaded up the mothership (a 44-foot Wells-Cargo fifth-wheel trailer towed by my Ford truck) to haul BEHEMOTH and in-progress nautical machinery around the US on insane, whirlwind speaking tours. This one was particularly fun… an after-dinner talk to a…

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This is a fascinating publication, put out by Jeff Blumenfeld for decades now, bringing together expeditions and sponsors. He did a few pieces about the Microship project during its heyday, and is still at it as I post this in 2014… with extensive archives of issue highlights going all the way back to 1995. My…

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During my 13 years living in the woods of Camano Island, Washington (house shown above), I became very protective of our forests and other natural resources… and found myself butting heads occasionally with developers and “cash for timber” logging businesses. Much of this was casual participation in the local environmental group (CARE – Camano Action…

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by Steven K. Roberts Camano Island, Washington April 4, 1999 “To work on tomorrow’s technology today, we get up 20 hours before everyone else.” — Bob Stuart, SpinFin developer and Microship structural fabrication guru (photo above). Piloting the Microship The hidden journey continues… the seemingly endless marathon that lies behind the adventure itself. In my heart…

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The full version of this article features five of us “x-treme telecommuters,” though I have only reproduced my page below. I am honored to be in the company of others whom I respect: the amazing walking Photogypsy, Almitra Von Willcox… the Expedition 360 guys, Steven Smith and Jason Lewis with their boat Moksha… my old…

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In an alternate reality, were I to be employed, there is a very small group of organizations that I would find alluring. MBARI is one of them… a playground of oceanographic research, with a blend of academic exploration and corporate deep pockets that has attracted geeks across a broad spectrum. An old friend of mine,…

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by Steven K. Roberts Microship Status Report #128 Camano Island, Washington January 12, 1999 “Audience: [frenzied drooling, scattering of folding metal chairs, a jumping up-and-down and careening around the room like baboons with electrodes in their pleasure centers running on a dry day in a freshly-carpeted room full of metal doorknobs]” — excerpt from an ancient…

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I had almost forgotten this article, tucked away in a binder with only its cover photo showing, but upon reading it I realize that the author did a masterful job of distilling my technical explanation of BEHEMOTH while it was still fresh… with clear and entertaining writing. Actually, I don’t even know the author’s name,…

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