Plain-English field guides from the PlankLabs bench: spotting the ISS, reading tide charts, earthquake magnitude vs. intensity, WiFi vs ISP diagnosis, and the math behind the Outdoor Score.https://planklabs.usen-ushttps://planklabs.us/notes/how-to-choose-a-desktop-flight-trackerhttps://planklabs.us/notes/how-to-choose-a-desktop-flight-trackerA desktop flight tracker puts the planes near you on a small screen. Five questions to compare them: aircraft shown, data, cost, WiFi and where it works.Sat, 10 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://planklabs.us/notes/magnitude-vs-intensityhttps://planklabs.us/notes/magnitude-vs-intensityAn earthquake has one magnitude and a different intensity at every address it reaches. Here’s what each number measures, where the Roman numerals come from, and why the same quake can be a 5.8 everywhere and a IV in your kitchen.Mon, 28 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://planklabs.us/notes/what-is-a-starlink-trainhttps://planklabs.us/notes/what-is-a-starlink-trainA Starlink train is a batch of new satellites flying in a line, still low and close together. Here is why the lights line up, when to look, and why they fade.Thu, 27 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://planklabs.us/notes/watch-warning-advisoryhttps://planklabs.us/notes/watch-warning-advisoryA watch means a hazard is possible later. A warning means it is happening or about to. An advisory is a nuisance that can still hurt. What to do at each rung.Thu, 27 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://planklabs.us/notes/the-board-inside-every-gadgethttps://planklabs.us/notes/the-board-inside-every-gadgetEvery PlankLabs gadget is built on the same heart: one integrated board that fuses a microcontroller to a 3.5″ color touchscreen. A guided tour of the hardware, and why it’s the right amount of computer.Sun, 12 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://planklabs.us/notes/the-printers-behind-the-shellshttps://planklabs.us/notes/the-printers-behind-the-shellsEvery PlankLabs enclosure is 3D printed a few feet from the assembly bench. A tour of the two machines that do it: a multicolor CoreXY workhorse and a dual-nozzle precision printer.Sun, 12 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://planklabs.us/notes/what-is-arduino-idehttps://planklabs.us/notes/what-is-arduino-idePlankLabs firmware is C++ built on the Arduino framework. What Arduino actually is, why ‘beginner tool’ is a myth worth retiring, and how the same on-ramp is open to you tonight.Sun, 12 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://planklabs.us/notes/how-the-outdoor-score-workshttps://planklabs.us/notes/how-the-outdoor-score-worksStorm Sentinel’s Outdoor Score turns NWS alerts, six hours of forecast and live conditions into one 0 to 99 number. Here is the math, and why it never says 100.Fri, 10 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://planklabs.us/notes/how-to-read-a-tide-charthttps://planklabs.us/notes/how-to-read-a-tide-chartHow to read a tide chart: the zero line, negative tides, spring and neap tides, the rule of twelfths. Plus how a tide clock works and why old ones drift.Fri, 10 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://planklabs.us/notes/what-is-ads-bhttps://planklabs.us/notes/what-is-ads-bADS-B stands for Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast: the signal aircraft send about twice a second. What is in it, and why some planes never show up.Fri, 10 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://planklabs.us/notes/when-can-you-see-the-isshttps://planklabs.us/notes/when-can-you-see-the-issThe Space Station passes overhead several times a day, but you can only see it during narrow twilight windows. Here’s exactly when to look, what you’ll see, and why. No telescope needed.Fri, 10 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://planklabs.us/notes/wifi-or-isp-how-to-tellhttps://planklabs.us/notes/wifi-or-isp-how-to-tellInternet acting up? Walk the chain (device, WiFi, router, provider) with a 60-second diagnosis that pinpoints the failure, plus what latency, packet loss, and jitter actually mean.Fri, 10 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT