chart of falling temperatures during a power outage

How Fast Does a House Get Cold When the Power Goes Out?

If you lose power in cold weather, you might double your stay-at-home time window by retreating to your basement. If you think an outage is likely, pre-heating can buy you a lot more time, too. See how I broke down our data from a recent outage.

April 2, 2026 · 4 min · Tim Graettinger
A visual displaying the reasons to create your own web of notes: write, search, browse, and visualize.

Why Bother with Notes? My Web of Notes Manifesto

Why bother with notes? Before you adopt a system or write a line of code, I think you need a clear point of view on your purpose. Here’s mine: my web of notes manifesto.

February 23, 2026 · 3 min · Tim Graettinger
network graph of my web-of-notes

Ever Wonder What Your (Digital) Mind Looks Like?

Now, I can SEE my digital mind — thanks to a Python script that turns my notes, etc. into an interactive web graph. In this post, you’ll get a close-up look at it, plus some insights into how my ideas and artifacts actually connect. Spoiler alert: they’re NOT a hierarchy of folders within folders within folders.

February 2, 2026 · 4 min · Tim Graettinger
side-by-side screens captures from weather and radon instruments, resp.

The Weather-Radon Connection: Surprisingly Simple Rules

Radon, schmadon. I never thought about it — until a big rainstorm flooded our basement. During the cleanup, a good friend asked, ‘While you’re at it, have you ever checked your radon level?’ That little question led to remediation, a radon monitor, a weather station, and some surprisingly simple rules connecting the weather outside and the radon level inside.

January 28, 2026 · 4 min · Tim Graettinger
picture of five books I recommend to every new speaker

Five Books I Recommend to Every New Speaker

Ever since I joined Toastmasters, I’ve read a LOT of books about public speaking. These are the five I keep coming back to. They’ve helped me become a MUCH better speaker. They’ll help you, too.

January 4, 2026 · 3 min · Tim Graettinger
Chart of year-to-date cumulative ranifall

How to Fix a Cluttered Chart: Addition by Negative Subtraction

Ever make a chart and feel like it’s just… off? It’s supposed to tell a story — but doesn’t. I fixed mine using a process I call “addition by negative subtraction”.

November 17, 2025 · 3 min · Tim Graettinger
Image of my Linux desktop with various open applications

Save Your Windows 10 Laptop from the Landfill — or the bottom of your closet.

Replacing your Windows 10 laptop can cost north of $800. If you use it for yourself — to write, code, or connect with friends while you hang out at Starbucks — switching to Linux might be right for you. Curious? Learn what worked, what didn’t, and why I’m not going back…

November 6, 2025 · 4 min · Tim Graettinger
Image of laundry drying on a clothesline

Hang It Out to Dry — and Save 300 kWh

Did you grow up in a home where laundry dried on a clothesline? I did. Since we’re trying to conserve energy, we’re doing it again. I wondered if it’s worth it - and the answer surprised me.

October 5, 2025 · 2 min · Tim Graettinger
Image of a big rain gauge attached to a post

Have You Ever Seen the Rain? I Have — 1,387 Times

Ever wanted to be a citizen scientist? I started with a simple rain gauge. Eight years and 1,387 rain days later, here’s what I’ve learned…

September 17, 2025 · 6 min · Tim Graettinger
Image of a bookshelf with interesting books

What I Learned from My AI Librarian

If you had an in-house, personal, AI librarian, what would you do? Here’s what I did…

August 25, 2025 · 5 min · Tim Graettinger