Culture

Festivals of history in South Dakota

May 29th, 2019

Esmond population 4 - South Dakota Public Broadcasting producer Stephanie Rissler

FORT SISSETON, SD – Everyone knows small towns are disappearing across the Dakotas, few, however, have ever investigated how these ghost towns began and produced a documentary.

In some areas throughout South Dakota the buildings remained strangely intact, but the people were gone as if taken by the rapture during the height of the Cold War.

“Looked like aliens came and just took the people, but left the buildings and the houses,” South Dakota Public Broadcasting producer Stephanie…

Camping Dining 101

May 29th, 2019

Camp food

As a boy scout the phrase “Be Prepared” was hammered home at every turn. Guess what? It worked.

Now I tout to anyone who will listen “Preparation is the Key to Success,” and guess what? That works too. Coming from an avid camping family I learned early in life to enjoy being out in the woods and to appreciate the old adage, “everything tastes better outside.” I think that is true because you are hungry as hell after hauling all that gear to the campsite and getting…

Computer Use is not supposed to be Stressful

May 29th, 2019

Doctors will tell you to get away from stress. But I am not a doctor so we won’t get into that here. Let’s just talk about your Inbox. We all get email right? After many years of receiving email and interacting with others on the Internet, I get about 125 emails a day. Last week I culled out about 25 emails so now it is down to 125 from 150. It is still stressful.

There are many articles on “Inbox Zero” on the Internet. Inbox Zero is a staple of digital productivity advice.…

Riding on gravel

May 29th, 2019

Photograph provided by Jayden Hanson

Bicycling is becoming more and more popular in North Dakota bringing more challenging bike races around the state. The newest one is the Kidder County Classic which is set to roll out from Main Street in Robinson on June 22.

The Classic is made up of two courses of 70 and 22 miles and will primarily be run on gravel roads in Kidder County. Robinson, where the race will begin and end, is a small town of about 100 residents. It is located roughly 70 miles northeast of Bismarck and about 65…

Did you know about Shodan?

May 22nd, 2019

Shodan has been called the “scariest search engine on the internet.” It has the ability to expose and allow access to many devices including servers, computers, phones, fridges, traffic lights, security cameras and even control panels of power and utility systems. What exactly is Shodan? Shodan is a search engine, much like Google or Yahoo. The difference between Shodan and other search engines is Shodan provides information regarding devices which are connected to the internet,…

Getting to the Core(Con) of the Matter

May 22nd, 2019

Photograph by Kris Gruber

It has never been a better time to be a nerd. One look at the top-grossing movies at the box office is enough to show that geek is chic. Once solely the butt of jokes and the target of school bullies, the nerds and geeks among us find ourselves in a time when it’s socially acceptable to enjoy everything from superheroes to “Star Wars.” One thing has always remained a linchpin of fandoms over time: the convention. For the uninitiated, however, it can be daunting to get involved…

Fixing it forward

April 3rd, 2019

Fix it Forward - photograph by Ryan Janke

It was an, “aha,” moment, said Jeremy Jensen. A woman had her vehicle towed into the Fix It Forward Auto Care shop in Moorhead. Jensen and fellow Fix It Forward Auto Care co-founder Matt Carlson had the vehicle on a hoist trying to diagnose what they thought was going to be a simple repair.

“[She] was a single mom,” Jensen recalled. “She said it was leaking brake fluid. We’re like, ‘It’s a brake line. No big deal.’ We got it up there, [but] couldn’t figure out where…

Talking Fargo and ‘Fargo’ with Bill Lempe

March 13th, 2019

Bill Lempe

By Gabrielle Hersch
gabbyhersch@gmail.com

“North Dakota (and Minnesota) nice” is an attitude, a stereotype, and a way of life that has permeated our region, as well as perceptions of the Midwest, since as long as people have been here. But the wildly popular film by the Coen Brothers and the quirky FX television series, both sharing our town’s title of “Fargo,” craft a dark, brooding world of crime with our landscapes as their snow noir backdrop. At what point did stereotypes of…

‘Pull-Tab’ machines

February 13th, 2019

Pulltab slots - photograph by Zach Nerpel

By Zach Nerpel
zachnerpel@gmail.com

There is nothing more hopeless than a feeling unrequited. The obsession it brings, the doubt it stews, and the madness which erases your sense of self are crippling. You’ll give more than you are given to something that was never there but eventually realize that much of the misery you have gone through is of your own fault; the flashy exterior and promising first few goes ultimately mean nothing, but the investment is your own.

What else could I be…

Backpacks for the homeless

February 6th, 2019

Backpack contents - photograph by Blye Dalluge

Winters in Fargo-Moorhead can get downright dangerous. Last week, temperatures dipped below - 30 degree air temperature, and with winds gusting in the 20-30 mph range, the “feels like” temp reached a negative 56 degrees. For people stranded out in those temperatures, frostbite can set in within minutes and hypothermia, or even death are very real possibilities.

The population most at risk are the homeless. According to the City of Fargo’s website, the number of homeless in the F/M…