Who am I?
My name is Oscar Nobel. Actually, that's not my real name, but it's good enough. Think of it as my alias, nom de plume, pen name, or assumed name. I'm a rather private person, but I enjoy publishing content online.
Where do I live?
What I can tell you is that I live in Minneapolis, Minnesota. A very bicycle-friendly city. Although the weather may not cooperate all year, I still choose to bike - regardless of the season. I ride for exercise, to run errands, and I've even commuted to work and back. I've ridden when it is 97°F/36°C and also when it's been -10°F/-23°C. I ride when it's sunny, and also when it's pouring rain. The only thing that changes is the number of layers of clothing.
Things I enjoy
I am often found outdoors, hiking, birding, cycling, or running. I enjoy working with technology in my free time. I have had numerous websites in the past, but decided to simplify my life and focus my efforts down to this site.
What I believe
I am a strong supporter of the People Pledge and rule of law. I believe in the dignity and worth of all people, regardless of their differences or abilities. I am committed to treating everyone fairly and rejecting hate in all forms. I will stand up for you and your rights, and help you succeed in life. Make sure you also read the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Why I created this site
I created this site to encourage people to slow down, enjoy life, and if they have the choice, to choose to ride a bicycle. I originally designed the site using Emacs and org mode, which forced me to slow down and think about the site content carefully. My design options were limited, which I appreciated. In April of 2025, I moved this site to Bear Blog, primarily because I got tired of pushing and pulling changes from Codeberg (Codeberg is an excellent open community of free software enthusiasts providing a humane, non-commercial, and privacy-friendly alternative for software).
Nothing on this site was generated with artificial intelligence. It was written by me, a human being, mostly using a Lenovo ThinkPad running Pop!_OS (Linux). I do not support AI, simply because it takes away from encouraging the creativity of people. I support others in their efforts to create new things, and AI does not give any credit to the original authors or developers.
This site has some basic analytics provided by Bear (where it is hosted). I do not support and will never use Google Analytics. No data is collected, given away, or sold. I follow the principles on nevermonetize.
I see a time when machines can do as much as humans, and yet I still root for the humans.