MacTom.com is the personal web site of Tom Donaldson (MacTom). Why does this site exist?
- To share information about our RV'ing lifestyle with others.
- In particular it is a place to share information and ideas with friends and family.
- It's a toy, Tom's plaything.
- Vehicle for learning to use Web related technologies, such as JSP, Struts, Tiles, etc.
- A place to record and share information about ongoing projects, however tentative.
- And whatever else the heck I feel like putting up on the site.
I had been playing with Common Lisp a bit. I found it quite frustrating. It has not kept pace with developments in the computing world, and seems frozen in the distant past. In my wanderings around the web I came across articles that compared Ruby favorably to Lisp (such as "Why Ruby is an acceptable LISP").
I have been playing with Ruby on Rails (ROR) since June 2006 (with a break to tour DC & area with a German friend, Henning Schulze). I'm having a great time with Ruby and Rails. I have given up on JSP and such animals for the time being (maybe for good). This is the most fun I've had doing any kind of software development for a long time. I'll add some pages on Ruby/Rails when the "honeymoon" is over. It is rare that I can make myself stop and do anything other than ROR, at least until exhaustion makes me too stupid to continue for the day.
RoR is just TOO fun. I gotta keep going with it. I'm using it to develop a new web site: ContinuousTraveler.com
At the moment this web site is nearly devoid of images. That will change in time, especially if I ever get around to putting up a MySQL based photo gallery. There are a few images in the Earth Shelter : Models pages, but mostly I'm collecting data and thoughts in textual form.
My wife Kay is the one into images. For example, see her web site ImageNomads.com.
I had been focussing on data collection and planning for building an earth sheltered home. We had tentatively planned to get a piece of land this spring (2006); install an RV pad and utilities; then live on the land while we build. However, we have decided to stay on the road for another year. So planning for a new "fixed address" goes on the back burner with so many other things.
And maybe an earth sheltered home is not the best type of construction. I'm getting interested in homes built using Structural Insulated Panels (SIP's). One of the first things I've been doing when we become interested in an area where we might want to settle is to try to find home builders that use SIP's, or which build Energy Star Qualified homes of any kind. There still are not many except in a few "environmentally aware" areas.
Tabs
Each tab at the top of the page is a major section.
As you go from section to section (tab to tab) you will notice that the menu on the left changes. The vertical menu on the left contains subsections and individual pages for each major section.
Home
You are in the home section. This is intro information about the site and about Kay and myself.
I had been obsessed with learning more about earth sheltered homes (a.k.a., underground homes) and planning to build one. The Earth Shelter section is where I am collecting information, our requirements, 3D models, and so on.
Lately I have been considering that maybe an earth sheltered home is not the best type of construction. I'm getting interested in homes built using Structural Insulated Panels (SIP's). One of the first things I've been doing when we become interested in an area where we might want to settle is to try to find home builders that use SIP's, or which build Energy Star Qualified homes of any kind. There still are not many except in a few "environmentally aware" areas.
A grab-bag of stuff related to computing in general. Stuff that does not fit neatly in either the Hardware or the Software sections.
Stuff related specifically to computer hardware.
Stuff related specifically to computer software.
Kay and I are currently living full time in a recreational vehicle. We are traveling the USA with our two cats and our computers. We use a satellite system for our internet connection, supplemented by Wi-Fi in parks that have it.
Stuff related to home automation and data acquisition. More or less a semi-organized collection point at the moment. I am interested in home automation for both the house we are planning and for the RV.
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