Nostr notes by Sumana Harihareswara

Nostr event nevent1qqsxkws8czam69uuslzpfh3lvexgzssdrnhcl84t7c44y64jqu7lrggzyzajsck6z4r36psxh9gfz3uzrskczzwfzq3zdq0mhwqkf2tm2tack8na296

2026-10-31T05:53:36Z

In reply to nevent1q…m0jz
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https://www.metafilter.com/209219/And-I-thought-God-I-really-dont-want-to-get-hit-by-a-rock Crankshaft & Funky Winkerbean: drawn by cartoonist Chuck Ayers, who was a student at Kent State University in May 1970.

I hope everything goes as smoothly as possible.

2026-10-25T22:43:25Z

In reply to nevent1q…a2le
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I hope everything goes as smoothly as possible.

useful to understand this situation through that lens, yeah

2026-10-25T22:40:25Z

In reply to nevent1q…cx94
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useful to understand this situation through that lens, yeah

#Queens voters, you already knew Julie Milner was a Hiram ...

2026-10-24T20:54:25Z

In reply to nevent1q…3kul
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#Queens voters, you already knew Julie Milner was a Hiram Monserrate crony, but did you know she was literally on his campaign's payroll last year? Here's part of her judicial candidate financial disclosure form:

And my #endorsements for the judicial candidates in competitive ...

2026-10-24T17:38:59Z

In reply to nevent1q…cfmv
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And my #endorsements for the judicial candidates in competitive races in the #NYC general #election: https://harihareswara.net/posts/2026/2026-nyc-general-election-judicial-candidates/

Covering 41 judge candidates across 11 races, but to be updated on Monday when at least one additional Bar Association (LGBT) releases its approvals/evaluations.

Plus some #GovernmentTransparency intrigue about candidate financial disclosures.

it's all so true

2026-10-24T00:36:08Z

In reply to nevent1q…va3g
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it's all so true

New blog post with my endorsements for the ballot proposals for ...

2026-10-23T20:27:06Z

New blog post with my endorsements for the ballot proposals for the #NYC general #election https://harihareswara.net/posts/2026/2026-nyc-election-ballot-proposals-endorsements/

1: “Streamline Process for Using Public Space for Uses like Ramps, Benches, and Cafes”: Yes

2: “Reform the Contracting Process to Improve Small Business and Nonprofit Opportunities to Work with the City”: Yes, but follow up

3: “Speed up Street Safety Projects, Office Leasing, and Activation of City Land”: No (fly-in-the-ointment)

4: "Simplify Building Permitting and Move Waterfront Permitting to Department of Buildings": Yes

5: "Set Contribution Targets for Rainy Day Fund to Promote Sufficient Budgetary Reserves": No

#elections #vote

YES

2026-10-23T00:12:43Z

In reply to nevent1q…3fsa
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YES

now I'm curious too!

2026-10-22T17:50:09Z

In reply to nevent1q…9twz
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now I'm curious too!

Further and more detailed post about Chainguard's ...

2026-10-22T10:17:44Z

In reply to nevent1q…6z3w
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Further and more detailed post about Chainguard's decisionmaking is now up on their LinkedIn

linked and discussed in https://cloudisland.nz/@ehashman/117480989650933308 and ensuing thread

'That night we were able to independently discover the same ...

2026-10-21T21:49:30Z

In reply to nevent1q…fyym
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'That night we were able to independently discover the same issue using our harness and a frontier model with a basic prompt of "find bad vulnerabilities in PHP".'

Could this be akin to the recent math research plagiarism situation, where the LLM could find it because other people had been using LLMs to do related research and their secret work went into the training data?

respect and thank you for your willingness to reconsider based on ...

2026-10-21T21:25:00Z

In reply to nevent1q…ayrl
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respect and thank you for your willingness to reconsider based on fresh data! one of the aspects of our subculture I particularly appreciate

Kunal Mehta (npub1kdw…7l5c)

Thanks! I will read that

2026-10-21T18:57:46Z

In reply to nevent1q…cmhr
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Thanks! I will read that

Nostr event nevent1qqs0v6xfducljgvz5r83q543gndf837vtkq0qdhpcmrrd5ec9pd72pgzyzajsck6z4r36psxh9gfz3uzrskczzwfzq3zdq0mhwqkf2tm2tacke9280m

2026-10-21T18:32:21Z

In reply to nevent1q…7l63
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https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/activity:7518674893593550849 has Chainguard's announcement including

"Coordinated disclosure is hard, we appreciated everyone's help as we worked through this over the last several days."

(also on their Twitter at
/chainguard_dev/status/2112910754672185842 )

hey people who work at Chainguard, what's up with ...

2026-10-21T18:27:40Z

hey people who work at Chainguard, what's up with https://thephp.foundation/blog/2026/10/21/todays-php-security-release-and-how-were-strengthening-php-security/ which says y'all unilaterally broke the embargo? Maybe you have another side of the story to share that gives nuance to that?

Thanks for the smile today

2026-10-21T18:14:04Z

In reply to nevent1q…xn7m
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Thanks for the smile today

They have taken untold millions that they never toiled to earn ...

2026-10-21T18:13:44Z

In reply to nevent1q…nclz
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They have taken untold millions that they never toiled to earn

but without our brain and muscle not a single wheel can turn

I really appreciate when people understand symptoms of structural ...

2026-10-21T16:34:24Z

I really appreciate when people understand symptoms of structural issues.

"...if people keep showing up like this, that means that whatever community board you went to, that did not work. That did not achieve the goal..."

That is: a very committed and vocal coalition does not want a casino https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metropolitan_Park_%28Queens%29 in their area, and the project overcame several "are locals in favor of this?" hurdles, but without resolving those residents' concerns.

https://queenseagle.com/all/2026/10/20/public-design-commission-delays-metropolitan-park-casino-vote

I laughed aloud

2026-10-21T16:28:21Z

In reply to nevent1q…vm3y
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I laughed aloud

An original song (original music as well as new lyrics) would ...

2026-10-21T15:49:41Z

In reply to nevent1q…6xc6
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An original song (original music as well as new lyrics) would certainly be welcome! I personally am much stronger at lyrics than at music composition

That’s wonderful

2026-10-21T15:42:36Z

In reply to nevent1q…72te
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That’s wonderful

💜

2026-10-21T15:42:17Z

In reply to nevent1q…p5sz
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💜

but the meter works, so... O Sysadmin, O Sysadmin How weary are ...

2026-10-21T14:57:03Z

In reply to nevent1q…fkka
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but the meter works, so...

O Sysadmin, O Sysadmin
How weary are your fingers
O Sysadmin, O Sysadmin
The unpatched version lingers

A compromise
A CVE
Now a CA
Now PHP

O Sysadmin, O Sysadmin
How weary are your fingers

Oh there could be many songs! As someone who writes filk at least ...

2026-10-21T14:54:34Z

In reply to nevent1q…4eym
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Oh there could be many songs!

As someone who writes filk at least once a year, I will say that "ee" is probably an easier rhyme than "in"

is there a song yet about this week of vulnerabilities and ...

2026-10-21T14:43:37Z

is there a song yet about this week of vulnerabilities and patches?

am thinking "Oh PHP" to the tune of "Oh Christmas Tree (O Tannenbaum)"

you have catapulted me back to a decade ago when I made a similar ...

2026-10-21T14:42:13Z

In reply to nevent1q…6xcp
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you have catapulted me back to a decade ago when I made a similar joke that we ought to just set the usability flag to True by default

thank you!

2026-10-21T14:41:11Z

In reply to nevent1q…2hvh
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thank you!

ha!

2026-10-21T12:49:38Z

In reply to nevent1q…3fqx
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ha!

Yes I am right there with you :(

2026-10-20T20:37:57Z

In reply to nevent1q…sxuz
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Yes I am right there with you :(

Nostr event nevent1qqsv6xwkzrcy46gw39psuqxrga7tczzvq2teldkk8gzn9mdujw9c56qzyzajsck6z4r36psxh9gfz3uzrskczzwfzq3zdq0mhwqkf2tm2tacky8qmu8

2026-10-20T18:46:27Z

https://otherwiseaward.org/2026/10/motherboard-seeking-new-members I'm the chair of the board for the Otherwise Award (npub1njl…hkfs) . We're seeking a couple more board members. It's a #volunteer gig. Some things that might appeal to you:

* You’ll get a behind-the-scenes understanding of forces and structures affecting #SpeculativeFiction #GenreFiction #scifi #ScienceFiction #fantasy #horror and more, such as publishing schedules, organizations’ budgets, publicity and fundraising dynamics, changes in career possibilities for authors, and competing access needs.
* If you have never been on the board of a nonprofit org before, this is a good one to start with. Pretty calm & friendly bunch, with a budget that's relatively small and easy to understand.
* Our board meetings are infrequent and productive, and they end on time.
* There is a small secret pleasure of knowing who the Award and Fellowship winners are before they do, and before the public finds out.

We're asking people to apply by December 1st. Please feel free to share.

ugghhh! User interface design is deeply important in everything ...

2026-10-20T11:22:59Z

In reply to nevent1q…4def
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ugghhh! User interface design is deeply important in everything having to do with voting!! [I am figuratively grabbing your local elections staffers by their lapels as I say this]

(As a person who was in the US in 2000, I am instantly reminded that confusing ballot design in Palm Beach, Florida is one of the reasons my national politics has taken the trajectory it has.)

I thought of you today because I came across this podcast episode ...

2026-10-20T10:58:12Z

In reply to nevent1q…kvws
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I thought of you today because I came across this podcast episode (which I have not listened to):

https://www.nycbar.org/podcasts/noise-in-nature-and-law/

"Environmental lawyer and Animal Law Committee member Robin Happel hosts a discussion on noise pollution and noise law with Jamie Banks of Quiet Communities and ocean noise researcher Vanessa ZoBell. Jamie explains how chronic leaf-blower and land-care noise led her to found Quiet Communities. She describes gaps in federal, state, and local noise regulation...."

Thought you might want to know about this and about https://www.quietcommunities.org/ .

that's lovely

2026-10-20T02:57:12Z

In reply to nevent1q…sj47
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that's lovely

wishing you well with the change!

2026-10-20T01:40:17Z

In reply to nevent1q…yur5
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wishing you well with the change!

I was just thinking similarly today. Like, I want to get on a ...

2026-10-20T01:39:54Z

In reply to nevent1q…puzf
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I was just thinking similarly today. Like, I want to get on a group call with several people for an hour in a way akin to what I gather Twitter Spaces once was?

I really disagree with your generalization of engineering ...

2026-10-20T01:20:21Z

In reply to nevent1q…qv62
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I really disagree with your generalization of engineering tradeoffs in general. But more than that, I'm frowning at "So go off, I guess." You are not approaching this conversation with a good-faith effort to be curious about your interlocutors' points of view, and I am therefore not interested in further hearing from you about this topic unless you change your approach. Please leave me out of @-mentions for the remainder of your participation in this thread. Thank you.

Chris is. (npub1sur…rqfg) Amethyst 🌸 (npub1tc0…7uzx)

If it's possible, I would like to know: to your ...

2026-10-19T20:22:20Z

In reply to nevent1q…m40s
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If it's possible, I would like to know: to your understanding, when did the community you're discussing begin? And/or when did you become a part of it?

Chris is. (npub1sur…rqfg)

I found a lot of value in ...

2026-10-19T20:21:12Z

In reply to nevent1q…pt2p
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I found a lot of value in https://www.recurse.com/blog/148-what-we-have-learned-from-seven-years-working-to-make-rc-50-percent-women Bergson-Shilcock's "Having a genuine community requires that people know the other people around them, and that everyone shares some fundamental values and purpose." I'd also say that, in what I would call a community, people take care of each other. These days I'm trying to avoid saying "community" when a more accurate word might be "constituency", "industry", "hobby group", "forum", etc.

One thing I learned from working on Python packaging infrastructure is that, in my opinion, it was not helpful to think of "the community"; there was an archipelago of groups, constituencies I needed to reach and work with. There was a set of people I was more likely to easily reach, and some of those people knew and took care of each other and shared some values and purpose.

Chris is. (npub1sur…rqfg)

I found a lot of value in ...

2026-10-19T20:20:52Z

even though I likely am more in agreement with you than with ...

2026-10-19T19:49:27Z

In reply to nevent1q…gfrr
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even though I likely am more in agreement with you than with Chris is. (npub1sur…rqfg) about LLM stuff in general, I am NOT in agreement with the way you are characterizing people who use them. Please don't throw contempt around in my mentions.

I am not on board with your characterization, by the way. I think ...

2026-10-19T19:46:33Z

In reply to nevent1q…s6uu
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I am not on board with your characterization, by the way. I think "what we thought was one community is really two communities" doesn't fit the data.

What is your definition of "community"? And, to your understanding, when did the community you're discussing begin?

Chris is. (npub1sur…rqfg)

Made a little bibliography: ...

2026-10-19T15:13:54Z

In reply to nevent1q…309e
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Made a little bibliography: https://harihareswara.net/posts/2026/actually-useful-journalism-about-dsa/

My household then discussed how nice it is when a well-off person ...

2026-10-19T11:27:25Z

In reply to nevent1q…v6v9
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My household then discussed how nice it is when a well-off person or group takes a philanthropic interest in some need and just covers it.

"You know who's inherited the Grateful Dead's legacy? Flava Flav." [reminder that Mr. Flav sponsors many women's Olympic sports teams https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flavor_Flav#Sports ]

"Yeah. Women are the Lithuania of gender. Recently gained independence."

2/2

This past weekend I caught a glimpse of a tie-dye t-shirt on a ...

2026-10-19T11:20:05Z

This past weekend I caught a glimpse of a tie-dye t-shirt on a passer-by and complimented him.

He then turned and I got to see the whole front design, which included a skeleton dunking a basketball. And he then explained that, in 1992, newly independent Lithuania did not yet have the wherewithal to properly support its Olympic men's basketball team with, for instance, designing and providing official jerseys. And that the Grateful Dead heard about this and sponsored that team, taking care of many expenses. And this t-shirt was a replica of? homage to? those donated shirts.

I later told Leonard Richardson (npub18c8…grwj) about this and we looked up the #history. There's a documentary! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Other_Dream_Team

1/2

I don't know the context, but your use of "community" ...

2026-10-19T10:40:59Z

In reply to nevent1q…sazv
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I don't know the context, but your use of "community" makes me think that perhaps the person doing this doesn't think that those they're insulting share their values/purpose or are taking care of others in the group -- that is, thinks the insultees are breaking group norms. In-group norm defense is one of the ways a community keeps various things stable.

A COMPLICATED EXPERIENCE for SURE!

2026-10-18T20:14:48Z

In reply to nevent1q…xnh5
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A COMPLICATED EXPERIENCE for SURE!

On Fri. Oct. 30th at City Hall, #NYC at 1pm, the New York City ...

2026-10-18T10:35:03Z

On Fri. Oct. 30th at City Hall, #NYC at 1pm, the New York City Council's Committee on Public Safety will hold a hearing.

https://intro.nyc/events?committee=public-safety

The agenda includes discussing creating a department of community safety, and 2 other interesting bills. But it does NOT include the CURB Act, which would protect the right to protest, which has a majority of the Council co-sponsoring it, and which committee chair Feliz is blocking by not giving it a committee hearing.

https://intro.nyc/0796-2026+

https://www.nyclu.org/commentary/new-yorkers-right-to-protest-is-under-attack-heres-how-a-new-bill-can-protect-it

https://action.aclu.org/send-message/curb-nypd-abuse-protesters

You can testify https://council.nyc.gov/testify/ at that hearing, via Zoom or in person or in writing. And if you feel so moved, you could take a sentence or two to tell Chair Feliz that you're disappointed he hasn't put the CURB Act on the committee's agenda yet.

#policing #policy

My sympathies!! If you do watch it via streaming, I hope you can ...

2026-10-16T18:24:44Z

In reply to nevent1q…hhtu
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My sympathies!!

If you do watch it via streaming, I hope you can watch it with a few other people. Sharing gasps was a great part of the experience for me

This week I saw "You Can See Everything" and wow. ...

2026-10-16T16:55:26Z

This week I saw "You Can See Everything" and wow.

Intense, funny, much more surprising than many other films (as I expect from Nathan Fielder), gorgeous.

And: how I absolutely crave movies that do not Bed Of Procrustes themselves into some focus-grouped action-and-banter sequence aimed at teens and structured to be just as shallowly enjoyable if you're in and out of the room, or half looking at your phone.

Even more than some other documentaries, this is a movie for patient, attentive adults. Not so much because of the bits of profanity and nudity, or even the science or startup-business-y exposition, as its willingness to be slow and subtle, and the range of psychological topics it explores.

#film #movies

oooh thanks for the link!

2026-10-16T15:41:52Z

In reply to nevent1q…0hy9
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oooh thanks for the link!

a few months ago, many people in my neighborhood wanted to talk ...

2026-10-15T13:36:49Z

a few months ago, many people in my neighborhood wanted to talk with me or learn my opinions about a particular local election

for weeks

at its peak, it got so repetitive and disheartening that I found myself thinking "I'd rather be talking about AI"

(this did not last long)

By the way, your phrasing is interesting. "Did you really ...

2026-10-15T11:46:19Z

In reply to nevent1q…8c09
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By the way, your phrasing is interesting. "Did you really expect someone" -- I requested help, but did not have certainty that I would get it. Do you only request help when you are certain you will get it?

Thanks for helping me understand that, when I thought "nah, ...

2026-10-15T11:37:58Z

In reply to nevent1q…ut8m
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Thanks for helping me understand that, when I thought "nah, this probably won't spread to people who don't already know the context," I was wrong.

As a volunteer, in service to my neighbors, I research local elections -- in particular, I research judicial candidates, who are often fairly hard for ordinary voters to research, as they often don't have informative campaign websites and the local news outlets don't cover those races. I go to local meetings to speak with them, I look up their campaign finance contributions, and so on. I share this information in blog posts (example: https://harihareswara.net/posts/2025/nyc-2025-election-judges/ ) and in person, at a weekly outreach table I run. This is 100% completely unpaid.

I know that many people choose to use Facebook, including to stay connected with local conversations. So far, two friends of mine who do have Facebook accounts have seen my post requesting help and offered to help me with this.

I hope this clarifies things.

Please go ahead and ask her, yeah! Thanks and best wishes in your ...

2026-10-14T20:13:26Z

In reply to nevent1q…8jqc
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Please go ahead and ask her, yeah! Thanks and best wishes in your rearranging

Any shelves in your giveaway inventory?

2026-10-14T19:33:04Z

In reply to nevent1q…slnx
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Any shelves in your giveaway inventory?

Thanks for reminding me that I hadn't mentioned that this is ...

2026-10-13T16:10:32Z

In reply to nevent1q…l5t3
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Thanks for reminding me that I hadn't mentioned that this is a request for unpaid, volunteer help. Sorry I had forgotten! Fixed.

Yes you're right!

2026-10-13T12:15:59Z

In reply to nevent1q…m7yg
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Yes you're right!

I don't have a Facebook account. I need help this week with a ...

2026-10-13T11:00:24Z

I don't have a Facebook account. I need help this week with a #research project: searching Facebook for mentions of about 45 local political candidates and copying down any gossip about them for me to read. (I think anyone in the world with a Facebook account could do this.) This will help me as I make election endorsements, which I will be publishing next week.

I estimate this would take maybe 5 hours total, so it could be split up among 2-6 people. Reply or private message me if you can help; I'd private message you to coordinate further.

I appreciated reading this. Thank you.

2026-10-13T10:51:28Z

In reply to nevent1q…6f2j
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I appreciated reading this. Thank you.

Watching a 1990s episode of Jacques Pepin's KQED cooking show ...

2026-10-12T13:45:52Z

Watching a 1990s episode of Jacques Pepin's KQED cooking show "Cooking With Claudine", my household noticed that one of the floor directors is named Squire Alligator

this person is not listed on IMDb, but *is* recorded as the inventor for a 1999 US patent #6061840, "Men's anatomic underwear/swimwear"

what a life!

All of this makes complete sense to me

2026-10-10T16:10:59Z

In reply to nevent1q…scq0
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All of this makes complete sense to me

I would not be surprised if long-haul truckers' forks spend ...

2026-10-10T16:10:46Z

In reply to nevent1q…myzf
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I would not be surprised if long-haul truckers' forks spend >50% of the time in motion!

do you think there exists any fork/spoon/chopstick/similar eating ...

2026-10-10T15:35:02Z

do you think there exists any fork/spoon/chopstick/similar eating utensil in the world that spends more of its time in motion than stationary?

please feel free to make this movie, graphic novel, what have you

2026-10-09T16:15:49Z

In reply to nevent1q…fr89
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please feel free to make this movie, graphic novel, what have you

years ago I thought up a plot for a historical-fiction comedy ...

2026-10-09T16:14:14Z

years ago I thought up a plot for a historical-fiction comedy film or something

Mid-20th century US: a few out-of-work fashion designers & photographers & editors find out that a painter friend is getting CIA money to do abstract expressionist painting, + a fiction teacher pal in Iowa is getting government funding for similar soft power reasons. They put together a hoax that the Soviet Union is trying to infiltrate Western fashion and get all our women to wear saggy grey &c., diminishing American beauty, undermining our culture, etc.

they successfully pitch US intelligence and ask for funding for their magazine/shows/etc. to counter the Soviet Fashion Menace

climax is at a big international conference/expo where they find out there are a ton of other groups all over both sides of the Cold War running the same scams on their governments to get funding for dance, music, sculpture, photography, all the fine arts, and all collude to keep it going

title: "The Devil Wears Pravda"

I really appreciate you sharing this. Thank you.

2026-10-09T11:59:46Z

In reply to nevent1q…u6d7
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I really appreciate you sharing this. Thank you.

I'm on the board of a nonprofit that celebrates and ...

2026-10-09T11:39:36Z

I'm on the board of a nonprofit that celebrates and encourages #scifi, #fantasy, and other #GenreFiction that explores and expands our notions of gender. Otherwise Award (npub1njl…hkfs) administers a yearly juried award, and a yearly fellowship for emerging authors & artists.

https://otherwiseaward.org/support-us/donate Please help us continue this work.

amazing

2026-10-09T11:28:16Z

In reply to nevent1q…cvk4
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amazing

😀

2026-10-09T10:50:49Z

In reply to nevent1q…2k7g
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😀

Oh, I am SO glad. Yes! It gave me such peaceful joy to learn that ...

2026-10-08T12:33:21Z

In reply to nevent1q…srrp
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Oh, I am SO glad. Yes! It gave me such peaceful joy to learn that I can use that site to both listen to new HoS and re-listen to old ones, and I'm so glad to share

appreciating the "low light mixes" podcast of #ambient ...

2026-10-07T21:56:34Z

appreciating the "low light mixes" podcast of #ambient #music

episodes such as

https://lowlightmixes.podbean.com/e/dreaming-in-gamelan-by-andy-mcneill/

https://lowlightmixes.podbean.com/e/frozen-landscapes/

but also things with lyrics as in

https://lowlightmixes.podbean.com/e/some-good-train-songs-by-paul-asbury-seaman/

If you grew up on Music from the Hearts of Space*, this podcast puts me in some of the same moods

* which you can still listen to! https://www.hos.com/

I really appreciate that the Nobel folks do the science ...

2026-10-07T13:49:54Z

I really appreciate that the Nobel folks do the science communication thing of releasing different explanations of the winners' work for people with different pre-existing levels of understanding

https://www.nobelprize.org/all-nobel-prizes-2026/

both "They solved chemistry’s asymmetric mystery" and "Non-linear effects and auto catalysis in asymmetric organic catalysis"

awful

2026-10-06T14:43:21Z

In reply to nevent1q…3e7u
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awful

You have reminded me that, along with "you forgot [x]" ...

2026-09-29T09:56:16Z

In reply to nevent1q…rkvt
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You have reminded me that, along with "you forgot [x]" https://harihareswara.net/posts/2019/hey-you-left-something-out/ and un-requested Socratic questioning and devil's advocacy http://harihareswara.net/posts/2019/socratic-questioning-devils-advocacy-and-conversational-power-tools/ , "are you surprised" in Internet conversation, especially from a stranger, is such an annoying attempt at interaction

as though one always needs to enter with a dominance display

I would avidly read this essay

2026-09-29T09:49:43Z

In reply to nevent1q…wt76
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I would avidly read this essay

You've chosen your judicial candidates?

2026-09-28T23:48:39Z

In reply to nevent1q…lczv
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You've chosen your judicial candidates?

RE: https://social.coop/@brainwane/117346193800499943 I wrote the ...

2026-09-28T12:16:33Z

RE: https://social.coop/@brainwane/117346193800499943

I wrote the "how to navigate Legistar" guide I wish I'd had years ago when I started doing #NYC policy advocacy, complete with warnings about subtle bugs. Along the way, I point to #CivicTech tools intro.nyc and legislation.support, with explanations of what they can and can't do.

quoting
note1e7p…kk0d

How can it be that till now no one has titled a blog post "Legistar Trek"?!

New post on exploring #NYC legislation https://harihareswara.net/posts/2026/legistar-trek-or-exploring-new-york-city-legislation/ , with copious shout-outs to [@jehiah](https://mastodon.social/@jehiah )

#CivicTech

How can it be that till now no one has titled a blog post ...

2026-09-28T02:00:18Z

In reply to nevent1q…np38
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How can it be that till now no one has titled a blog post "Legistar Trek"?!

New post on exploring #NYC legislation https://harihareswara.net/posts/2026/legistar-trek-or-exploring-new-york-city-legislation/ , with copious shout-outs to [@jehiah](https://mastodon.social/@jehiah )

#CivicTech

I appreciate the facts, and being reminded of the word ...

2026-09-27T11:05:49Z

In reply to nevent1q…udyr
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I appreciate the facts, and being reminded of the word "inurement"

WOW

2026-09-27T11:03:39Z

In reply to nevent1q…37r3
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WOW

I am so very pleased that I am about to get to learn something ...

2026-09-26T03:02:43Z

In reply to nevent1q…qyg7
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I am so very pleased that I am about to get to learn something new with that name!!

I receive several pieces of LLM-generated spam every day. Many of ...

2026-09-26T02:24:51Z

I receive several pieces of LLM-generated spam every day. Many of them currently slip past anti-spam filters and land in my inbox.

I live in New York City, New York, USA. I do not hold any elected or appointed government positions; all the spam aims to get me as an individual, or my business, to but stuff.

If I reply to such a spam and say: "Donate $53.72 to [charity] and reply to tell me you've done so, and then I'll be more receptive to your pitch," have I committed any crime or other legal infraction?

[For the purposes of this question, assume I have some reliable way of verifying whether the donation has occurred.]

Does the answer change if I have an officer position within the charity?

Zulip?

2026-09-25T02:59:58Z

In reply to nevent1q…5hy8
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Zulip?

aw yeah!

2026-09-24T05:01:09Z

In reply to nevent1q…r2sz
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aw yeah!

?!?! wow

2026-09-24T04:59:16Z

In reply to nevent1q…nt5e
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?!?! wow

I have used Framaforms and had a reasonable time with it, and the ...

2026-09-24T04:53:22Z

In reply to nevent1q…zf3j
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I have used Framaforms and had a reasonable time with it, and the end UI for the form user seemed pleasant-looking.

I recently heard of https://opnform.com/ but haven't yet tried it.

lolsob

2026-09-24T04:37:50Z

In reply to nevent1q…32sy
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lolsob

Indeed!!

2026-09-24T04:21:54Z

In reply to nevent1q…7zy8
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Indeed!!

It sounds like you are doing so? Please tell me more about your ...

2026-09-24T00:19:23Z

In reply to nevent1q…5jja
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It sounds like you are doing so? Please tell me more about your efforts to fight surveillance in NYC, and maybe I'll join you.

Could you be more specific? I do care about surveillance as a ...

2026-09-23T16:17:56Z

In reply to nevent1q…ag3y
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Could you be more specific? I do care about surveillance as a problem in general, yes.

Could you clarify? What does "slowdown" mean in this ...

2026-09-23T09:13:42Z

In reply to nevent1q…7paa
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Could you clarify? What does "slowdown" mean in this context? If you're curious about what sorts of advocacy I engage in, please read my blog to catch up.

today I explained what Legistar is to a friend who's just ...

2026-09-23T03:24:50Z

today I explained what Legistar is to a friend who's just recently started getting involved in local NYC advocacy

pulled up a sample bill on my phone and showed him where one finds the bill number, sponsor list, bill text, and so on

(example: https://legistar.council.nyc.gov/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=7862032&GUID=FBA3B7D2-B295-4991-826B-B622192AAD5C&Options=ID|Text|&Search=244 )

I don't remember ever having done this before, but it felt familiar, probably because whenever I learn a complex sociotechnical system well enough to teach others about it, there's usually a point where I'm helping them learn about some widely-used piece of software and showing where in a nonintuitive UI they can find what they need

yes, I'm thinking about git, and Python packaging, and defibrillator location data, and Wikimedia, and and and

An interesting dynamic emerged a few times this past weekend. ...

2026-09-21T11:31:51Z

An interesting dynamic emerged a few times this past weekend.

Someone who hadn't been in touch with me for a while asked me what's up.

I told them about an advocacy project I'm working on.

Before I had gotten to the "what we've gotten so far and what's planned next" bit (and without checking whether I wanted advice), they started giving advice.

This spurs me to try to revise how I talk about this in-progress work (maybe more inverted-pyramid and less storytelling) to set expectations appropriately. And it makes me glad that I try to make a habit of checking whether the other person in a conversation wants advice before I give it.

And: some of the advice was good! I'm glad I was able to get over myself and recognize that.

"Against my partner's better judgment and in defiance of ...

2026-09-16T12:33:22Z

"Against my partner's better judgment and in defiance of general common sense, I just bought 12L of mustard for $2. What can I do with it?"

A delightful Ask post on #MetaFilter today https://ask.metafilter.com/390738/I-have-12L-of-mustard-in-a-dispenser-bag-Whats-next

I've added a "three years later" postscript to ...

2026-09-15T10:35:41Z

In reply to nevent1q…sr52
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I've added a "three years later" postscript to https://harihareswara.net/posts/2023/aed-location-data-nyc-public-on-jan-1/ .

The #OpenData dataset: https://data.cityofnewyork.us/Health/New-York-City-Automated-External-Defibrillator-AED/2er2-jqsx/about_data

The resulting map: https://data.cityofnewyork.us/Health/NYC-Automated-External-Defibrillator-AED-Map/2ync-kihj

This data needs validation, and I'm getting back to that work, with other #NYC volunteers. Happy to have company.

indeed! I also recently watched a few pretty worshipful Mamdani ...

2026-09-14T15:58:57Z

In reply to nevent1q…0yzr
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indeed!

I also recently watched a few pretty worshipful Mamdani fan videos

was talking with a pal elsewhere in the US who's dealing with ...

2026-09-14T11:09:08Z

was talking with a pal elsewhere in the US who's dealing with despair over the state of the world, and the difficulty of dismantling the structures that hurt us

and along with all the "here's what's helping me" experiences with in-person talking with strangers, and Rebecca Solnit summaries, and anecdotes and history and reframings, I did say:

have you considered developing a parasocial attachment to a charismatic political figure? Because we do have one of those here

My deep condolences.

2026-09-12T23:08:13Z

In reply to nevent1q…p45f
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My deep condolences.

you have <2 hours left to nominate for Festivids this year! cc ...

2026-09-11T22:05:32Z

you have <2 hours left to nominate for Festivids this year! cc festivids (npub1kne…rkud)

quoting https://bsky.app/profile/festivids.bsky.social/post/3mvb2gyudb222 :

Festivids nominations close today, Friday 11 September, at 11:59 PM UTC. Nominate at the AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/tag_sets/31561

For more info, check out the full set of nominations resources at:
dw: https://festivids.dreamwidth.org/164012.html
tumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/festivids/826464332194906112/festivids-nominations-are-open

Yeah only a small proportion of folks talk like this in person! ...

2026-09-07T03:07:47Z

In reply to nevent1q…hht2
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Yeah only a small proportion of folks talk like this in person! (And I have grown a lot of skills in the past several months in quickly moving the conversation to more productive ground, if they’re open to it.) In person, sometimes people reply in such a way that their words aren't very clearly conveying the "yes and" they’re trying to say, but facial expressions and body language do a lot