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Excel is XL (40)

June 26, 2026
A talk I gave for Excel’s 40th anniversary about the history behind the first version of Microsoft Excel, along with a BBC Witness History interview about the same story.
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Vibe Coding a Morse Code …

June 1, 2026
I vibe coded a small Morse code practice page that turns current news headlines into CW audio, then linked it up with a couple of older Morse code reference tools for ham radio contacts and visualizing the code.
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Whidbey Island Dashboard

May 1, 2026
We recently bought a vacation home on Whidbey Island — and I turned a spare TV into an ambient dashboard showing tides, weather, and ferry schedules. It's free to use at whidbey-dashboard.mckoss.com.
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The Paper Enigma

March 25, 2021
This paper simulator of a German Enigma machine is 100% compatible with the real thing; you can send and receive messages between the Paper Enigma and the WWII-era cryptography machine.
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Revamping mckoss.com

March 24, 2021
The history of mckoss.com and it's conversion to a statically generated web site.