Ben Holmen
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benholmen.com
Ben Holmen
@benholmen.com
draw on my art project: @kilopx.com
join my meetup: phpxmsp.com

Big tall anti-entropy machine
Software engineer + general maker
Always curious about everything

Wisconsin, USA | benholmen.com

...let's go exploring!
Pinned
I built a ridiculous 1000 pixel display that takes an hour to draw an image and I'm now asking the internet to draw on it (what could go wrong?)

Please submit some 40×25 pixel art at kilopx.com!
Tomorrow's sunrise will be a little bit earlier than today. We did it
We've turned the corner on sunset! It's getting later each day, even though sunrises continue to get later.

Next milestones:
Shortest day on Dec 21
Latest sunrise on Jan 3

Pretty charts: benholmen.com/sunlight/
January 4, 2026 at 4:50 AM
This is one of my favorite intrusive facts
our kid “do you ever think about how your bones are always wet?”
January 4, 2026 at 4:27 AM
Sometimes you fart in your snow bibs and don't smell anything, then a minute later you sit down

Poof!
January 3, 2026 at 11:17 PM
Reposted by Ben Holmen
Keep tabs on your inner radio brainradio.fm
brainradio.fm
The earworm scrobbler
brainradio.fm
January 3, 2026 at 4:05 PM
Scaling up 👀
January 3, 2026 at 2:38 AM
I have one goal for 2026 and it's to host a paddle up concert on Bean Island
January 2, 2026 at 7:42 PM
Reposted by Ben Holmen
31 December 1995. Still the perfect goodbye.
December 31, 2024 at 12:21 PM
Just replaced an old shovel. Sorry about all the microplastics, y'all
December 30, 2025 at 10:11 PM
Thanks to this fine nerd I now have some prototype chimes for an art project I'm proving out
December 30, 2025 at 1:40 AM
Reposted by Ben Holmen
I occasionally like to share these "Mercator vs Real Country Size" animations to encourage you to buy a globe. Nothing fancy - just a basic globe. It does wonders in helping you (and your kids) to understand the world. Source: buff.ly/EGdKGR3
December 29, 2025 at 10:49 PM
The post-snowstorm feeding frenzy is so satisfying
December 29, 2025 at 8:06 PM
I'll repost any personal website that features an open invitation to pair program!

(and you should pair with Bernhard)
It even got its own page regarding the "Pair with me", based on the idea of @benholmen.com. 😊
December 28, 2025 at 8:54 PM
Took care of a friend's dogs this morning, I think they like me
December 27, 2025 at 2:44 PM
Reposted by Ben Holmen
two things are true:

in a remote setting, on a dark night, the deep sky is a truly profound experience that has influenced human philosophy, faith and religion for countless generations

and

that experience got absolutely rinsed by the first RCA 10 inch television
December 27, 2025 at 3:46 AM
Found an incredible old internet site today. Seems to be literally everything there is to know about chimes

leehite.org/Chimes.htm
Chime Design & Build
Easy options for making good decisions when building tubular-bell wind chimes from tubes, pipes, or rods.
leehite.org
December 27, 2025 at 4:25 AM
Reposted by Ben Holmen
Reminder: NASA’s holiday yule log fireplace video is delightful — it’s a rocket engine (in a fireplace). “8.8 million pounds of total thrust…” [kottke.org]
NASA’s Rocket Engine Fireplace
Oh, this is so good: NASA has an 8-hour cozy fireplace video in 4K that’s actually a rocket engine (in a fireplace). This glowing mood-setter is brought to you by the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket that launched Artemis I on its mission around
kottke.org
December 24, 2025 at 6:12 PM
Happy solstice everyone! ☀️
December 21, 2025 at 2:19 PM
The paw
December 20, 2025 at 8:57 PM
Reposted by Ben Holmen
You're mad because you expect a "software update" to make things work better. You will only be free when you understand this to be an illusion and accept the fact that software is suffering
December 19, 2025 at 2:27 PM
Reposted by Ben Holmen
December 17, 2025 at 2:05 AM
If all goes well, this is the first of 49 solenoids for my next project
December 15, 2025 at 11:37 PM
Episode 25: Timezone Supremacy
YouTube video by Cheese & Weather
youtu.be
December 13, 2025 at 5:59 PM
I'll be shocked if Dijon doesn't headline Eaux Claires
Was pretty great to see Justin Vernon join Dijon for almost his entire set last night at The Fillmore. Back to back nights of shows that will make my top 5 of the year.
December 13, 2025 at 5:02 PM
Kilopixel just turned half a million pixels 🤍🖤
December 12, 2025 at 4:27 PM
Once again, the sky says trans rights 🏳️‍⚧️
December 12, 2025 at 1:37 PM