Nostr notes by Tarnport

The Destruction of Sodom. 19th c. watercolor copy of a ...

2026-10-26T17:21:37Z

The Destruction of Sodom. 19th c. watercolor copy of a Renaissance original fresco in the Camposanto of Pisa.

#Painting

In the age of AI and 3D printing, I've seen multiple people ...

2026-10-23T19:43:31Z

In the age of AI and 3D printing, I've seen multiple people in the hall pause and count her fingers. (In fact there are the correct amount.)

Such light. ...

2026-10-21T17:23:47Z

Such light.

Cornelis van Haarlem. The Fall of the Titans, 1588-90. You're ...

2026-10-20T08:39:43Z

Cornelis van Haarlem. The Fall of the Titans, 1588-90.

You're sure to spot all kinds of Mannerist relationships from Michelangelo to El Greco here, but maybe even more interesting is that his consistent penchant for showing off figural virtuosity in gratuitously interacting throngs of people (almost always naked) eventually landed him the first commission for a lively Dutch Golden Age Civic Guard Group (highly clothed!), a tradition which within 50 years had yielded The Night Watch.

#Painting

Adventures in bilingualism: "That's out of the ...

2026-10-18T19:37:33Z

Adventures in bilingualism:

"That's out of the question"

is not the same as

"That's not in question"

which explains several recent disagreements.

Diego Rivera. Indian Warrior, 1931. It's not like they're ...

2026-10-17T07:26:40Z

Diego Rivera. Indian Warrior, 1931.

It's not like they're just going to give it back without a fight.

#Painting

Both the last two authors who've come to me for editing have ...

2026-10-15T14:22:56Z

Both the last two authors who've come to me for editing have been on the rebound from AI, now viewing its use as a mistake.

I used to have a policy of not touching anything AI had altered first. I'm going to have to become more nuanced about that. Clearly many talented, well-meaning creatives have tried to use it by now as an inspirational tool, and at least some of them have found that it's an averager instead, the exact opposite of fine art.

"Converts are the greatest zealots."

#Writing

I've said it 100 times but when Europeans see American ...

2026-10-13T17:02:39Z

I've said it 100 times but when Europeans see American salaries and the staggering amounts of cash that even the poor are able to throw around, they're not understanding that healthcare, education, childcare and retirement are not included, not to mention gun control. The extra zeros at the end of those paychecks are the cost of being abandoned, and take it from me, it's not even close to worth it.

If privacy matters to you: YouTube links unscrubbed of trackers ...

2026-10-09T03:05:58Z

If privacy matters to you:

YouTube links unscrubbed of trackers are revealing your user name and Google account, flat out. When you post a link here, for example, I get an invitation from that account to friend. I think most people don't imagine this when posting.

Please sign out of YouTube/Google and erase trackers.

The plan is to eat so much Lao Gan Ma that it torches whatever he ...

2026-10-07T17:11:55Z

The plan is to eat so much Lao Gan Ma that it torches whatever he had brewing this morning when he kissed me before getting sick. I am way less cute sick than he is.

But seriously y'all, I can't stop eating this stuff. It was recommended by two separate guests this summer and now I'm recommending it to you. Like many great foods (farofa comes easily to mind) your first thought is how do I get this out of my mouth! Your second thought is where do I buy more.

Antique breeds show ...

2026-09-28T03:39:06Z

Antique breeds show

Arcimboldo. The Vegetable Gardener, 1590. #Painting ...

2026-09-26T18:44:04Z

Arcimboldo. The Vegetable Gardener, 1590.

#Painting

Lately I've been reading about homosexuals, Jews and disabled ...

2026-09-22T06:01:33Z

In reply to nevent1q…6wwp
_________________________

Lately I've been reading about homosexuals, Jews and disabled people inside the Third Reich. There were a lot of them. I knew very little about it, and that's no wonder, but it helps make the situation today a little less shocking. The concept of Honorary Aryan is not new.

Hitler was consciously imitating Mussolini. I state it here ...

2026-09-22T05:56:59Z

Hitler was consciously imitating Mussolini. I state it here because it explains some of the ersatz thrice-removed feeling which fascism has taken on in this century.

It really is an imitation of an imitation.

Yes I judge people who drive Teslas! And yes judge is too soft a ...

2026-09-12T05:52:40Z

Yes I judge people who drive Teslas! And yes judge is too soft a word. Nothing could identify you more exactly with the problem than choosing a Swasticar.

And when those things malfunction I don't cry a single tear.

Write the #AltText sheesh. It allows equal access, provides for ...

2026-09-08T06:23:56Z

Write the #AltText sheesh.

It allows equal access, provides for those with low band width loading, increases your reach, is searchable and translatable.

gorgeous. Great pic.

2026-09-07T17:35:28Z

In reply to nevent1q…6lg6
_________________________

gorgeous. Great pic.

It's been said many times but I still marvel at the innate ...

2026-09-07T07:10:09Z

It's been said many times but I still marvel at the innate but accidental human attraction to the genitals of a completely separate Kingdom of Life on this planet. It's not anything to do directly with procreation for any species but just to castrate them and put the reproductive parts all together in a vase to admire for a couple of days... so very strange. If you don't think so, imagine an English Ivy or and Elm tree cutting off our bits to collect in a pot.

Maynard Dixon. Cloud World, 1925. I am amazed by the natural ...

2026-09-01T07:48:58Z

Maynard Dixon. Cloud World, 1925.

I am amazed by the natural retrospective that is bubbling up in art, now that the American Century is over.

#Painting

John Martin. The Great Day of His Wrath, 1825. I've been ...

2026-08-29T20:55:42Z

John Martin. The Great Day of His Wrath, 1825.

I've been thinking about this uncanny painting ever since the Nepal glacier disaster. We are facing truly cataclysmic times. Martin never saw anything like this in reality. At least by video proxy, we have.

#Painting

Warhol. Dolly Parton, 1985. When you are somebody. This was one a ...

2026-08-27T07:39:37Z

Warhol. Dolly Parton, 1985.

When you are somebody.

This was one a series of Dolly Partons, and I think people sometimes don't explore why he made multiples and what they meant to him. If you want a short overview of Warhol's screen prints, the Tate obliges, and includes this work in the article.

https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/andy-warhol-2121/what-was-andy-warhol-thinking

#Painting screen print

My favourite Dolly quote was after an interviewer asked her how ...

2026-08-25T18:42:42Z

My favourite Dolly quote was after an interviewer asked her how long it took to do her hair like that. And quick as a whip, she said...

Honey, I don't know. I'm never there!

Apparently that post got carried away with the spirit of the ...

2026-08-24T08:11:37Z

In reply to nevent1q…tlx6
_________________________

Apparently that post got carried away with the spirit of the observation! The link was supposed to be the song Tusk. But I'm going to leave it, as meta. Below is the Wikipedia link intended.

The history of this song is appalling, considering its importance.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tusk_%28song%29

Basically our ancestors were stoned to the gills. What we have ...

2026-08-24T08:05:33Z

Basically our ancestors were stoned to the gills.

What we have received from them as sacrosanct and insight was really just them messing around, various accidents and pranks "with no particular meaning." Elton John says he doesn't even remember writing half his songs. And one has to wonder if it's not always been so, on up the line of inherited dogmas.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tusk_

Hans Memling. The Man of Sorrows in the Arms of the Virgin, ...

2026-08-24T06:49:17Z

Hans Memling. The Man of Sorrows in the Arms of the Virgin, 1475/79.

Have you ever wondered why many Christian images feature tools like hammers, pliers, saws and nails just sort of gratuitously tacked on? It's Arma Christi, and it's very weird.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arma_Christi

#Painting

Nostr event nevent1qqsxqn7cngaegh9fy38k2qhc75me4wrwpdc7a2gaueh5tcwy4p6naegzyrxzlshc7fsws82u83gs23gca4535rmkyurvyw683a3ydncvwzk96ek9f5h

2026-08-23T21:19:43Z

No alt-text, no boost. Please #AltText

nice. Thank you. This older film might also interest you, similar ...

2026-08-15T14:16:18Z

In reply to nevent1q…hcju
_________________________

nice. Thank you.

This older film might also interest you, similar themes:

https://youtu.be/zbXBg7I7MQc

A related story: I grew up around farms. I absorbed many lessons ...

2026-08-15T06:59:07Z

In reply to nevent1q…x0qm
_________________________

A related story:

I grew up around farms. I absorbed many lessons from the elders without ever fully becoming aware of them as facts in themselves to learn. They were just always there by example, like how to plant a potato eye, pick okra, sharpen a knife, herd a goat, can a tomato or pluck a chicken.

Later as a grown man I was installing example gardens for urban schools in a poor area of Miami...

1/3

This is a reminder to myself to patiently do the work of ...

2026-08-15T06:30:03Z

This is a reminder to myself to patiently do the work of education:

Just because I've known something deeply for 20 or 30 or 40 years, even to the point that I take it for granted or am bored with it, it doesn't mean that a kid of 18 has ever heard of it, until I myself tell them. History has to be taught all over again to every single generation as brand new information, or it will be erased. This applies especially to marginalized communities whose story is not taught in public schools.

Rain feels like something we recall from another era and try to ...

2026-08-12T03:18:02Z

Rain feels like something we recall from another era and try to explain to our children who just shrug sympathetically without any understanding of what, or how useful, it was.

Europeans, we need to appreciate & defend what we have. ...

2026-08-11T13:33:43Z

Europeans, we need to appreciate & defend what we have. Americans... well, it's just not working:

"[USA] without insurance, a colonoscopy could range from $1,250 to more than $4,000. A colonoscopy screening generally costs less than a diagnostic colonoscopy, which includes a biopsy or excision..."

A no-insurance pay-at-the-counter colonoscopy with excision & biopsy in Italy today costs €368. Without biopsy it's €318. With any European national health insurance, it's all covered, of course.

Peter Blume. The Rock, 1944-48. It seems that we have come full ...

2026-08-05T07:18:56Z

Peter Blume. The Rock, 1944-48.

It seems that we have come full cycle in the 80 years since he painted this alternately macabre and hopeful vision of reconstruction by our forebears. We are again busy destroying the world they built.

#Painting

damn poor car design. I did the same thing on a Ford 3 months ...

2026-08-04T20:30:49Z

In reply to nevent1q…yd8k
_________________________

damn poor car design. I did the same thing on a Ford 3 months ago. It was sore for weeks. I'm so sympathetic! Keep an eye on that pumpnoggon and I hope it goes away fast.

Do fedi folks have advice about wildfire smoke air filtration, ...

2026-08-04T06:02:01Z

Do fedi folks have advice about wildfire smoke air filtration, both indoors and masks?

We are in an area under threat. We'd like to prepare but not go overboard, as ultimately the plan is to evacuate, so any measures here are emergency only and temporary.

Our minimum zone to filter is 35m². 1.0 micron seems possible, but is 2.5-3.0 good enough? Coway and Levoit brands home models are our current picks, but any other guidance would be much appreciated. Thanks.

#AskFedi

"Hitler had told his generals on 22 August, "I will ...

2026-08-03T20:50:55Z

In reply to nevent1q…y68s
_________________________

"Hitler had told his generals on 22 August, "I will provide a propagandistic casus belli. Its credibility doesn't matter. The victor will not be asked whether he told the truth"."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gleiwitz_incident

Leonora Carrington. Les Distractions de Dagobert, 1945. This ...

2026-08-03T20:21:27Z

Leonora Carrington. Les Distractions de Dagobert, 1945.

This article is a good artistic assessment of a work which is almost always discussed in terms of gross financial worth first:
https://news.artnet.com/art-world/leonora-carrington-les-distractions-de-dagobert-2718627

I will only add that they elide the period of her nervous breakdown and abandonment by Ernst with a few glib words, when the reality was horrific sexual violence. She undertook an amazing rebirth which informs her later feminist activism in Mexico.

#Painting

Franciszek Honiok Famously he was the first victim of WW2, but we ...

2026-08-03T07:42:36Z

Franciszek Honiok

Famously he was the first victim of WW2, but we wouldn't know anything about him, or the origin of the false-flag Nazi operation that murdered him and started the war, except for the Nuremberg Trials. He has no memorial and his body was never found. How many others remain unknown? And how much like the regimes we're familiar with the today to plant such false flags.

[This was prompted by a TIL post someone deleted earlier and I wish they hadn't!]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franciszek_Honiok

If justice can't be brought in a whole generation it's ...

2026-08-02T09:05:58Z

If justice can't be brought in a whole generation it's not justice. What is with Sarkozy's trial taking 17 years and the Bologna bombing taking 45!? Never mind Trump waiting out his investigations til he was back in office again. We have been duped by legal systems that serve only themselves, while calling themselves justice.

All of Nuremberg took 3 months to start and 54 weeks to finish.

further I think they were making the point that Africa ...

2026-07-31T06:09:26Z

In reply to nevent1q…gftu
_________________________

further I think they were making the point that Africa doesn't matter to them one whit. "Taking full responsibility" as a badge of pride.

Yesterday was a vision of the future: 38c at rush hour in a ...

2026-07-31T04:21:10Z

Yesterday was a vision of the future: 38c at rush hour in a traffic jam on a narrow sunk channel of controlled-access black asphalt highway, each car a single fragile airconditioned bubble in a cauldron, churning out toxins & rippling heat. 1 jam turned into 4. 1 hour became 2. I started to run out of gas. Cell connectivity flickered. Then I had a random health emergency (better now thx, but I was not okay to drive). It was the 2nd time in 6 days that heat became life-threatening.
#ClimateDiary

If you've traveled Italy you may be as mindblown as I am by ...

2026-07-26T17:39:51Z

If you've traveled Italy you may be as mindblown as I am by this #Geography trivia.

Because "the boot" is set at an angle to the cardinal directions, you can get all turned around!

E.g., Florence is directly south of Bologna and they're just 1 hour apart.

Milan is due north of Sardinia.

Venice, Rome and Palermo are all aligned vertically on the same longitude.

All of Puglia is east of Trieste.

Bonus: Northern Italy and SW France are at roughly the same latitude as Montréal and Mongolia.

Cheap as they seem to be, could we not just groupsource and buy ...

2026-07-20T15:54:13Z

Cheap as they seem to be, could we not just groupsource and buy our own congresspeople outright?

This will make you so angry. No wonder Albania is rioting. ...

2026-07-18T07:47:22Z

This will make you so angry. No wonder Albania is rioting.

I visited two underground sites yesterday, one an abandoned ...

2026-07-17T06:57:37Z

I visited two underground sites yesterday, one an abandoned marble mine, the other a 1900 year old underground nymphaeum complex later adapted by Christians, with the paint still on the walls. In both places the ambient air temp dropped to less than 17c instantly upon descent, and I felt the future of my species, with mixed emotions. We will have to learn to dig again.

I walked in to ask for an appointment and the barber said, you ...

2026-07-15T11:50:29Z

I walked in to ask for an appointment and the barber said, you know what, I can squeeze you in now, I have just 12 minutes. So the dude laid into my hair and without so much as a "how do you want it?" just cut it plum off! To the nubbins, mowed it down. And you know what, I'm going to like this. At the end he squirted some gel on his palms, wiped over the carnage, and like magic it took perfect shape, good as it's ever looked. Well done!

There's an odd doublethink in our era: It's often the ...

2026-07-13T13:21:15Z

There's an odd doublethink in our era: It's often the same people who bewail current-day imperialism, colonialism, militarism & the manosphere, who also like to play videogames based on feudal slavery, admire the ruins of medieval castles & churches, and debate the history of Rome & Gengis Khan. Maybe the older a thing gets the more sanitized it becomes, but the origin is in fact the same violence. I suppose that's just a bleaching of bones.

Someone (you know who you are!) recently told me that dahlias are ...

2026-07-13T06:19:25Z

Someone (you know who you are!) recently told me that dahlias are considered "vulgar" and so now every time I see one I want to yell Hubba-Hubba!

Fridge-cold Pappa al Pomodoro on a hot summer evening, always a ...

2026-07-12T18:55:41Z

Fridge-cold Pappa al Pomodoro on a hot summer evening, always a huge hit.

(It's not cold for long outside the fridge and on the plates, I assure you.)

thank you for sharing these. "A timber baron" - the irony

2026-07-09T08:12:46Z

In reply to nevent1q…57ww
_________________________

thank you for sharing these. "A timber baron" - the irony

Nostr event nevent1qqsymsal2jctuxhpunxg2hcx02qyf89442rcdn8pp8ecxz5dkcp34lczyrxzlshc7fsws82u83gs23gca4535rmkyurvyw683a3ydncvwzk96l78wck

2026-07-07T09:29:47Z

https://thegrimhistorian.substack.com/p/has-america-crossed-the-asshole-threshold

Worth reading

How so many major historic personalities accomplished all they ...

2026-07-06T06:17:58Z

In reply to nevent1q…3d8c
_________________________

How so many major historic personalities accomplished all they did and died by age of 50 is another mystery.

I spent the predawn reading about Byzantine Empress Irene today, ...

2026-07-06T06:14:59Z

I spent the predawn reading about Byzantine Empress Irene today, i.e., Irène of Athens (d. 803). I'm a buff on the Pornocracy and felt a need for more background, which I was sure would be more staid, but no! To say that every single thing in the west today is predicated on her life and decisions is not an understatement. Sine qua non. Charlemagne's crowning quite literally was a direct misogynist reaction to her rule as the first female independent Roman Emperor. Plus tons of feuding eunuchs.

[2/2] Someone asked me last night if I was devastated by the ...

2026-07-05T13:53:05Z

In reply to nevent1q…c5au
_________________________

[2/2]
Someone asked me last night if I was devastated by the recent losses from the heat on my terrace. At first I didn't know what they meant, but then I realized that's probably how most people think of gardening, as static win or loss. But I tend to think of it as a story in seasons, a community always evolving, a work forever in progress. There's no finality but constant change, like a painting that's never finished, layer over layer of striving and yes sometimes glories, which come and go.

This beauty decided to finally grace us this morning. There's ...

2026-07-05T13:45:08Z

This beauty decided to finally grace us this morning. There's a story here: I bought it for 10 cents in a close-out bin in a grocery store checkout line in April. It was far too late to sink it and I thought it wouldn't come up, but it finally did. And then I thought, well, but it won't bloom, but it eventually has. It's not the blue-black color advertized on the package, of course, but I didn't expect it to be, and it's perfect as it is, in red...
[1/2]

#Recipe For overgrown squash & other vegs, one solution is ...

2026-06-28T09:06:22Z

#Recipe
For overgrown squash & other vegs, one solution is tajine but an easier one is to stuff and roast them. If you don't want to go to all the trouble of real stuffing, and maybe even frying bread crumbs in butter seems too long or heavy, you can just mix bread crumbs with olive oil salt parmesan spices in a bowl, hollow and wipe the vegs with oil and salt, and loosely pile on the bread mixture. Broil hot until brown & the vegs are cooked but still firm. Adjust to your own taste! Enjoy.

Deserted city under the broiler. We haven't seen anything ...

2026-06-27T06:59:30Z

Deserted city under the broiler.

We haven't seen anything like this since covid began.

I don't know about y'all but it seems like I'm living ...

2026-06-18T13:25:56Z

I don't know about y'all but it seems like I'm living in a world where most people and companies are not doing the job I pay them to do.

So god bless the barber who just cuts hair, without delay, app, upsell, AI, IPO, lack of skill, substitution, franchising, tracking, loyalty card, conversation, updates to terms & conditions, or scheduling/staffing errors. That ol' geezer is going to get my business til he's dead.

How perfect is this water on the plumbago today!? ...

2026-06-14T13:40:25Z

How perfect is this water on the plumbago today!?

Ciambotta season began today at my house. #Recipe ...

2026-06-07T15:53:34Z

Ciambotta season began today at my house.
#Recipe
https://thisitaliankitchen.com/ciambotta/

(Don't worry about proportions, additions or substitutions. That's the whole point! Flat beans, fennel, even chickpeas and salami - it's just a simple fast peasant summer stew, and imo generally more forgiving than ratatouille or caponata.)

The light was only like this for a few short minutes. No regrets. ...

2026-06-05T20:04:52Z

The light was only like this for a few short minutes. No regrets.

this is a gorgeous photo. Thank you for sharing. I have a special ...

2026-06-02T13:49:29Z

In reply to nevent1q…47nz
_________________________

this is a gorgeous photo. Thank you for sharing. I have a special emotional connection to these flowers not worth going into here but it made me choke up with sentimental joy remembered. Thanks again.

A friend just told me what she's being asked to pay for an ...

2026-05-29T17:34:07Z

A friend just told me what she's being asked to pay for an assisted-living care facility in the USA. It's literally 11 times what I imagined as the top cost possible. I'm going to start parking American old people in wheelchairs on my porch and serving martinis and hors-d'œuvres. I'll get top ratings and they will have a better time.

More seriously it brings up so many issues, from quality of life to impactful living and legacy, but most of all the insane cost of medical care for profit.

Tis the season: A few years ago someone told me that it's not ...

2026-05-25T07:13:37Z

Tis the season:
A few years ago someone told me that it's not an accident that cyclists hog the roads and move out into the lane and don't give way to cars. Far from being simply obnoxious it's because it is safer to be visible and seen in the center of the road than to be side-swiped riding the shoulder. This completely changed my perspective. With the way people drive all summer, I feel almost protective now when I have to slow down to a crawl for cyclists. The king of patience!

I'm sorry but if someone steals a wristwatch worth €700,000 ...

2026-05-21T07:13:10Z

I'm sorry but if someone steals a wristwatch worth €700,000 at the Festival of Cannes, my concern is minimal and you don't need to feature it on the news. It must be intended more as human interest at that point, rather than a crime, a version of lifestyles of the rich and famous, and we are meant to root for the thief.

Nostr event nevent1qqs8agt9gutem3y2564kjsv9rxl23u8adqd7dgzfztgx6faj4ckkytgzyrxzlshc7fsws82u83gs23gca4535rmkyurvyw683a3ydncvwzk96u9lxmg

2026-05-15T15:45:12Z

Like the back of my hand. Like the back of my hand I have not ...

2026-05-15T14:19:01Z

Like the back of my hand. Like the back of my hand I have not seen in a long time...

My old friend the Devil. ...

2026-05-15T11:58:41Z

My old friend the Devil.

Kees van Dongen. Woman with a Large Hat, 1906. 1906 was quite a ...

2026-05-04T07:39:22Z

Kees van Dongen. Woman with a Large Hat, 1906.

1906 was quite a year for boobs in painting. Why women's bare chests went suddenly so viral that year is hard to say. I speculate that old strictures had collapsed, Greek Revival was having a revival, women's lib was growing and a new generation of rowdy young post-impressionists (not all men) were looking hard for challenges and shock value.

I post it today because someone marked a breast as CW yesterday and I don't want us to go back.

#Painting

A generation later Thomas Biggers was even more overt in the ...

2026-05-02T14:57:46Z

In reply to nevent1q…qvw4
_________________________

A generation later Thomas Biggers was even more overt in the layers of symbolism. If you've been around me much you know that he's one of my favorites, and this is my favorite of all.

Thomas Biggers. Shotgun, Third Ward # 1, 1966.

I share your wondering. This was right after his wife died and of ...

2026-05-02T14:52:42Z

In reply to nevent1q…ppr6
_________________________

I share your wondering. This was right after his wife died and of courae WW2 (like the Wikipedia article describes, he had a very hard time) and right before he was committed to an asylum for the rest of his life, so there could be a combination of forces at work, but I like to think that he knew exactly what he was doing. It makes me want to go look more closely at others of his works, to see if there are clues there, too, to deeper meanings.

William H. Johnson. Portrait of Woman in Rocking Chair, ~1945. ...

2026-05-02T06:02:57Z

William H. Johnson. Portrait of Woman in Rocking Chair, ~1945.

There a A LOT going on here - in paint, in abstraction, in self-taught vs. naive, in African survival and subversion in America, in balance and contrast, in matriarchy and serenity, in atavistic satisfaction. I have stared at it for two days.

#Painting

Poussin. The Adoration of the Golden Calf, 1633-4. I challenge ...

2026-04-29T18:57:25Z

Poussin. The Adoration of the Golden Calf, 1633-4.

I challenge you to find one single example in his oeuvre that does not remind you of a party you vaguely remember from the 1990s.

#Painting

My own research leads me again and again to put any money I'm ...

2026-04-27T04:43:43Z

My own research leads me again and again to put any money I'm spending on vitamins and supplements into real whole diversified quality nutrient-rich food, which absorbs better and has other corollary benefits at the same time (plus the pleasure of eating well).

We've never seen an era with more access to diverse foods. Let's enjoy it while it lasts.

Drove some distance yesterday to a preregister-only event ...

2026-04-26T15:27:37Z

Drove some distance yesterday to a preregister-only event advertized as an "unusual plant sale." Upon arriving there was a ropeline like a nightclub to scan the email QR admission code (I used a burner email) in front of a dense hipster-bland urban gallery space. It was crowded and everyone else was under 30. Most importantly there was a big banner that said the only way to pay at checkout was by a new cash app called Scannipayy or something. There was a live DJ, a popup... Cont'd 1/2

I'm seeing a lot of verbs misused today, mostly present ...

2026-04-23T07:26:45Z

I'm seeing a lot of verbs misused today, mostly present continuous when other tenses are more accurate:

"Tim Cook is destroying his legacy."
~Tim Cook destroyed his legacy.

"The USA is becoming fascist."
~The USA became fascist.

I add 3 bay leaves and at least 1 clove to just about everything ...

2026-04-20T06:52:45Z

I add 3 bay leaves and at least 1 clove to just about everything savory I ever make. Sometimes I even leave the bay leaves on the stem for extra flavor. People who don't believe "laurier-sauce" adds flavor are inexplicable!

I've even come to wonder if, like cilantro tolerance, it might be a genetic thing, because I get such fantastic sensations from it when others seem to not even notice.

#Recipe

It's not Trump. He's just a symptom and figurehead. ...

2026-04-08T05:57:00Z

It's not Trump. He's just a symptom and figurehead. It's the Americans. They are not going to fix this. They are every one going to work this morning to keep it going. They're filling out their taxes to pay for it.

Trying to explain to a foreigner that there's practically ...

2026-04-07T08:21:43Z

Trying to explain to a foreigner that there's practically nothing in Europe that will hurt you in the wild, they get all excited before you can add that it's because humans have obliterated every possible threat. There's nothing *left* that can hurt you.

We're down to hornets, hogweed, a few rare mushrooms, and Lily of the Valley.

The African immigrants who run my barbershop have a bonsai and ...

2026-04-02T13:12:59Z

The African immigrants who run my barbershop have a bonsai and somewhere they also found a small gold giraffe about the same height to graze it. I am endlessly charmed by this quirky tableau.

Someone is coming to visit me from the Western Hemisphere who was ...

2026-03-24T09:54:57Z

Someone is coming to visit me from the Western Hemisphere who was adamant about the Imperial System of measures, and so naturally I've been brushing up my arguments and sharpening my fangs. This debate has run through our entire lives. However the more I read about the 24-hour day and 12-month year and 60-minute hour and 60-second minute, the more their argument of human scale is self-evident. Like the French Revolution, I may just have to cede regarding useful measures of time. Touché.

Nostr event nevent1qqs9cg0vwmfy56kklglzecfn2d0yl7xrxhkvqwdwf4949c8tjwudllgzyrxzlshc7fsws82u83gs23gca4535rmkyurvyw683a3ydncvwzk96tfeqft

2026-03-22T09:57:52Z

As long as I'm in the bed no one can call it unmade.

Editor's note: One of the hallmarks of current AI/LLM writing ...

2026-03-18T08:58:45Z

Editor's note: One of the hallmarks of current AI/LLM writing is repetition or looping, which can look like fishing or begging, restatement, belaboring points, or reiteration (see what I did there?). One way to distinguish your own writing as superior is to say what you mean once, clearly and finally. Boil it down, clean it up, let it stand.

#Writing

Philip James de Loutherbourg. An Avalanche in the Alps, 1803. ...

2026-03-15T15:21:35Z

Philip James de Loutherbourg. An Avalanche in the Alps, 1803.

Here is the very epitome of "staffage" in painting: Insignificant as they may seem, without those tiny human and animal actors for scale and drama, the effect of all the rest would be entirely lost. It's a word we don't use enough: staffage! Once you know it, you see it everywhere in action.

This is also early Romanticism, starting to push back hard against industrialization and the rational Enlightenment neoclassical.

#Painting

I'm looking for folk singers and musicians to pass on a song ...

2026-02-06T05:22:29Z

I'm looking for folk singers and musicians to pass on a song a friend wrote for Minnesota. Please dm.

Every day abroad is an adventure. Today it's explaining Bob ...

2026-02-01T15:08:30Z

Every day abroad is an adventure. Today it's explaining Bob Ross to a bunch of young video game set designers and... I might as well have thrown a ball of elemental phosphorus onto the table. They exploded in incandescent sizzling! "What, what, WHAT IS THIS???" I have either created magic or a monster. Why not both?

:possum_blush:

2026-01-31T07:37:33Z

In reply to nevent1q…jkl8
_________________________

:possum_blush:

I just want to say thank you to the Americans on here who have ...

2026-01-30T17:05:09Z

I just want to say thank you to the Americans on here who have evidently made a concerted effort to start putting an F to specify when they are talking about Fahrenheit degrees.

I can't imagine what prompted the recent shift, but it makes a difference, it's clearer and respectful to the rest of the world, and I for one have noticed the change.

Anyone expecting the USA to have free, fair, uncontested ...

2026-01-30T09:39:49Z

Anyone expecting the USA to have free, fair, uncontested elections at this point is being intentionally obtuse. If someone is building a battering ram in your front yard right in plain sight, it's unreasonable to believe they're not intending to use it on your door.

Before laboring to get out the vote, I think we might need to labor to get out the fash, sine qua non.

Just off a group call with Americans. Liberal New England older ...

2026-01-25T15:42:30Z

Just off a group call with Americans. Liberal New England older females, educated, some bgltq+... Wow. They still don't get it. They are talking about calling their Senators. They are talking about voting harder, impeaching Trump, and then "he'll have no choice, that's the law."

Oh dear. While one of their daughters adopted from China is refusing to go outside.

There's also a weird subtext of "I can always run to Canada/Europe" - like that option is taken for granted and they'd be welcomed.

fyi it's on heavy rotation in Europe. Every detail. Often ...

2026-01-25T00:39:34Z

In reply to nevent1q…7g0v
_________________________

fyi it's on heavy rotation in Europe. Every detail. Often before they show up here or in the American press.

There was an unprecedented actual cyclone in the Mediterranean 2 ...

2026-01-24T09:19:37Z

There was an unprecedented actual cyclone in the Mediterranean 2 days ago that caused billions in damage to heavily populated coastal areas most everyone has heard of if not been to personally (Malta, Sicily, Sardinia, Calabria, etc.)

I mention it because big as it was, this event barely made the news. And because it's evidence that even if we are politically victorious in pushing back fascism, we still have the problem of climate change. Existently speaking it's far more important.

Alt-text images get more boosts because alt-text facilitates ...

2026-01-24T09:04:39Z

Alt-text images get more boosts because alt-text facilitates equal access, automatic translation, screen readers, low-bandwidth access, and searchability.

#AltText

One big change this week is we can stop having the constant ...

2026-01-24T07:10:02Z

One big change this week is we can stop having the constant conversation about whether it's really fascism.

Americans in general now seem awake to their real situation and how dire it is, already past the point of no return. Even my most die-hard "hands-across-the-aisle" liberal friend admitted it this week. She was the last holdout. She believed the courts or congress or the Dems would rise to help. She sees now we're way past that limit.

General Strike as a vector cartoon. ...

2026-01-21T08:38:54Z

General Strike as a vector cartoon.

Paul Klee. The Last Still Life, 1940. He died within months of ...

2026-01-19T14:24:05Z

Paul Klee. The Last Still Life, 1940.

He died within months of the completion of this work, and today I learned that his tombstone is engraved with his credo:

"I cannot be grasped in the here and now, for my dwelling place is as much among the dead as the yet unborn. Slightly closer to the heart of creation than usual, but still not close enough."

#Painting

Nostr event nevent1qqs8atyzmdrlp30ldxc4zzgc8mpm4ufvfcr36ejzzwjrxtyteyqmstszyrxzlshc7fsws82u83gs23gca4535rmkyurvyw683a3ydncvwzk964wdxra

2026-01-15T06:41:28Z

Release the Epstein Files.

Please give Scrivener a free trial. I have this one writer friend ...

2026-01-13T09:48:42Z

Please give Scrivener a free trial. I have this one writer friend who put it off for almost 2 years but after all my begging she finally relented last summer. Now she's a non-stop torrent of praise and thanksgiving, telling me how grateful she is for the recommendation. I didn't do anything except say what I had found: a writing program made for writers. (By the way, she's discovered several features I never knew about, and shared back with me.)

#Writing #Scrivener

Please Alt-Text your own images, thanks. Searchability, ...

2026-01-12T07:18:07Z

Please Alt-Text your own images, thanks.

Searchability, translation, inclusion, explication.

#AltText

Nostr event nevent1qqs2wrhpu4j2mcw4h8q6n7a4psrgtf7kaf4wscdyrl7tc6kzvetzerszyrxzlshc7fsws82u83gs23gca4535rmkyurvyw683a3ydncvwzk96sg30f4

2026-01-10T11:52:48Z

EPSTEIN.

When someone cuts down a fruit tree before its (relatively short) ...

2026-01-10T07:20:32Z

When someone cuts down a fruit tree before its (relatively short) course of life is run, it makes me sad as few other things can. I know this comes from my grandmother, a specific event of her childhood, wherein the TVA seized and cleared their peach orchard for flooding just as it came into maturity. I've written about it, carried it as a myth, considered it from every angle. Those trees would have died naturally in 20 years, but in her grief they lived 70 more, and now on in me much longer.