The Library of Technomadics
BEHEMOTH
In 1983, I left Ohio on a "computerized recumbent bicycle" named Winnebiko to begin a career of technomadic publishing, then after the first 10,000 miles built a new machine that would let me write while riding. After another 6,000 miles, it was time for the mega-cycle... a 580-pound monster named BEHEMOTH. All three bike versions are described here.
Microship
After 9 years of pedaling around the US on geeky bicycles, it was time to port the whole adventure to water. The Microship project spanned a decade, with three different labs and multiple design revisions... at last yielding an amphibian pedal/solar/sail micro-trimaran. This massive project was fueled by about 160 corporate sponsors and a team of brilliant geeks...
Nomadness
By the time the Microship was "done" in 2003, I wanted something more practical... large enough to live aboard with crew, piano, and lab. After a year with a rocketship 36-foot trimaran, I bought an Amazon 44 — a steel pilothouse cutter. With the intent of preparing for open-ended global voyaging, I cruised and lived aboard for 6 years while immersed in nautical geekery.
Datawake
In my sixties, it was time to move to the Dark Side... so I found a new owner for Nomadness and acquired a Vic Franck Delta 50. I now live aboard this floating lab in the San Juan Islands, with communications, virtual reality, underwater vehicle, piano, audio studio, data collection, machine shop, and deployable micro-trimaran for local exploration.
New Posts
This column showcases new additions with current dates, and may include articles about the boat project, dives with the ROV, photography, new toys, or other real-time content.
This local production in Columbus contains a shortened version of a treasure, produced by Richard Hart for Evening Magazine in San Francisco. Bracketed by a short local-angle interview with a blush-inducing paragraph from the manuscript, the result captures a strange time in my life… back in Ohio after almost ten thousand miles around the US,…
This was a glimpse of a mercifully brief period, just after the first 10,000 miles, when I thought I’d be taking off around the US in a motorhome. I was still working on the Computing Across America book (with editorial musical chairs causing a publishing-industry horror story), and had plans to go mobile with my…
This entertaining article in a British bicycling magazine was written during my layover at the end of the first 10,000 miles, when I was holed up in San Clemente writing Computing Across America. My parents were somewhat distressed by the title, but I reassured them that “low life” has a different connotation across the pond.…
This little snapshot occurred after I finally escaped the San Clemente book-writing layover and plunged through Los Angeles, heading for Silicon Valley with the madness of the road again my daily life. But something was different; I was starting to contemplate how it might end, with tempting offers both personal and technical even as my…
I was struck by the obvious affinity of these two photos from my 1984-5 travels, and they have always been together in the album. The top one is Gaviota State Beach, about 35 miles west of Santa Barbara, California. The stone columns are in Arches National Park, an astounding place in eastern Utah and the…
This article appeared just about at the end of my first 10,000 miles. I had landed in San Clemente for a while to write the Computing Across America book, and it was a time for synthesizing what this all had meant… although one significant leg of the journey remained (continuing up the West Coast to land…
Recent Archive News
Changes to the library are automatically shown here... whether newly scanned articles, digitized videos and movies, historical documents, or edits to existing material. June 10, 2024 item count: 1,091
Computing Across America, Chapter 0 by Steven K. Roberts 1952 to 1983 From 1983 to 1991, I pedaled around the US on a computerized recumbent bicycle while living in the emerging online networks… in the process becoming the first “digital nomad” and sparking fascination with mobile connectivity. This is the backgrounder and introduction to Computing…
Long ago, I wrote this little humor piece… with fantasies about my homebrew computer developing intelligence and getting bored with sitting around in a keyboard wait loop. This was its first publication, and it later appeared in Mensa Bulletin (June, 1979) and InfoWorld (November 10, 1980). Almost a half-century later, I am very conscious of…
This little humorous bit of geek philosophizing fell out of my hours of staring at the front panel of my homebrew 8008 system – a central fixture in my life from 1974 onward, evolving as ever more robust machinery became available. I first published it in the April-June 1978 issue of the delightful General Bull News Sheet, then…
(excerpt) by Michael ShapiroYahoo! Internet LifeJune, 1998 This piece from Yahoo’s internet lifestyle magazine featured a number of us who were using the Internet while traveling full-time. The story introduced: Here’s my bit… And a flashback in the form of part of the magazine cover… back in the days when there were print publications about…
by Steven K. Roberts HPV News January/February, 1988 Photo above: © Thomas E. Forsyth, 1987 Is This the Ultimate Human Powered Utility Vehicle? Read about Steve Roberts and his very high-tech recumbent bicycle. His idea of daily life on a computerized two-wheel vehicle may not appeal to you, but his ideas and the pioneering work…
This story in Gram News from Batavia, New York, describes our visit with a delightful ham couple in August 1987. What Are High-Tech Nomads?by Deb Johnson – KA2VTY Well, on Thursday, August 13, at Syd’s house, we had the pleasure of meeting Steve KA8OVA, and his girlfriend, Maggie Victor, KA8ZYW. They had just hit the…
Microship Store
I have an online store linked above for technomadic publications and cards, along with a few special items of historical interest. (This is in addition to the Microship eBay store offering an eclectic mix of gizmology, nautical geekery, and antiquities.)
1974 Homebrew 8008 System
In 1974, six months of geek obsession led to one of the first personal computers... a homebrew 8008 that is now on display in the Computer History Museum. The story of that machine is here, including complete schematics. This predated the computer kits that kicked off the personal computer revolution, and it was in daily use for years.
The Polaris Mobile Lab
I have occasionally needed a capable laboratory that is not constrained to a fixed location, so I built one into a 24-foot utility trailer. Featured in MAKE: Magazine, this is a detailed description that includes preparing the space, inventory storage, furniture, fixturing, and power.
Isabelle
I live aboard Datawake with this magical being, and have a massive backlog of photos and stories. In the meantime, this is just a teaser... this 7-year-old Russian Blue has a lot to do with my quality of life. Here's her high-tech litter box, with carbon filter and webcam:
The Shacktopus Power Cart
A universal power system, built into a collapsible hand truck for use in emergencies.
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