Microship Status Reports

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…

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…

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…

by Steven K. Roberts Microship Status Report #127 Nomadic Research Labs Camano Island, Washington November 19, 1998 “It takes a village to build a boat.” — Tim Nolan, referring to the ever-growing volunteer population on the Microship project Hello from the Microship lab! Lots of progress on many fronts… with two test sails now behind us, there…

by Steven K. Roberts Microship Status Report #125 Nomadic Research Labs Camano Island, Washington August 24, 1998 “Don’t get mad; get nomadic!” Dan Burdick THE BUILDING IS DONE! I never believed we’d reach this point, actually. Eight months have passed since we rumbled out of Silicon Valley with three trucks and two trailers, bound for…

by Steven K. Roberts Microship Status Report #123 Nomadic Research Labs Camano Island, Washington March 7, 1998 “The large print giveth and the small print taketh away.” Tom Waits As you probably know, the entire Microship development project was shoved forcibly to the back burner a few months ago as our Silicon Valley lease, originally…

This issue came at a pivotal moment, as we shut down the Apple-sponsored lab in Silicon Valley and moved to the Pacific Northwest to begin the quest for new facilities. The full text of this also ran in Packet Status Register (TAPR) Issue #69. by Steven K. Roberts Nomadic Research Labs Bellingham, Washington December 31,…

by Steven K. Roberts Nomadic Research Labs Santa Clara, California September 28, 1997 “I hate quotations.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson Canadian Road Trip Every now and then, we are presented with a choice: optimize efficiency or enjoyment (though the former is enjoyable and the latter, efficient). Such a trade-off appeared recently when it came time…