Like Mucas :pumpkin_ugh:

Kvetching, not complaining.

Writes books. Pet rats. Martial arts. Punch Nazis & terfs. If it wasn't on Industrial Records it's not industrial music, it's just sparkling noise. He/him. Bangpath old. Detroit, MI, US. Gelato!

Public Key

npub1je7x7wacp8f6u7gns9gra3cdpkn20mrnvmurklqydeedpgr536vqq0c34g

NIP-05 Address

mwl@io-mwl-io.mostr.pub

Profile Code

nprofile1qqsfvlr08wuqn5aw0yfcz5p7cuxsmf48a3ekd7pm0szxuuks5p6gaxqpz4mhxue69uhhyetvv9ujuerfw36x7tnsw43qz9thwden5te0wfjkccte9ekk7um5wgh8qatzqyf8wumn8ghj7mmxve3ksctfdch8qatzqyv8wumn8ghj7un9d3shjtnndehhyapwwdhkx6tpdse353uv

Publishing to

Author Public Key

npub1je7x7wacp8f6u7gns9gra3cdpkn20mrnvmurklqydeedpgr536vqq0c34g

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Last Notes

2026-10-27 23:28:44 UTC

I had plans to travel alone for Thanksgiving, but my shoulder surgery canceled them. Filed a claim with the airline insurance last Friday.
The check arrived today. I am very surprised that something works the way it's supposed to!

2026-10-27 21:17:45 UTC

The new @nprofile…gs2m book is within kissing distance of $7k.
Not even a thorough kiss. More like how you kiss that one aunt on the cheek. No, not *that* aunt. The one you wish you could spend more time with.
Give https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/obsidiansky/khumalo-tales that kiss. You won't regret it.

2026-10-27 16:53:59 UTC

Today's #openzfsmastery status:
BIOS drive C: is disk0
ZFS: unsupported feature: com.delphix:redacted_datasets
ZFS: bool zroot is not supported
Guess the book better mention that...

2026-10-27 15:06:00 UTC

Truffle is thinking very deep thoughts today, like "Why did God make air?" -- but he still takes time out to greet the thumb-beast. #petRats #rats
https://cdn.hosted.spacebear.ee/sb-53d788bcd8441bb97cfb7a64f2552521/media_attachments/files/117/513/488/717/829/848/original/b90b61c1c13d6d08.jpg

2026-10-27 12:59:51 UTC

all abominations are abominable in their own way!
The greatest are differently abominable.

2026-10-27 12:50:08 UTC

I have a new thing out, but I don't want to say what it is.
Consider yourself warned.

2026-10-27 03:44:04 UTC

SNMP table updated!

2026-10-27 00:59:55 UTC

For those of you waiting: Amazon and Kobo are now live.
https://mwl.io/static/books/tormented-by-teledildonics.html

2026-10-26 22:41:42 UTC

Pondering and pummeling ZFS snapshot redaction for #openzfsmastery today. My brain is now pulp, knocking off for the day.
Still pushing to finish before 12 November. I'd appreciate your support. https://mwl.io/sponsor

2026-10-26 22:33:10 UTC

As a Gen X, I am pleased to see the youngsters keeping up my ways.
That stare will serve you well throughout your life, child. Polish it. Hone it. Turn it into a weapon as we did before you.
https://www.cnn.com/2026/10/24/health/gen-z-stare-wellness

2026-10-26 22:30:29 UTC

Look. People.
I have waited years to soil this book with my grubby paws. Only four days left? Make them pass more quickly. Back it now.
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/obsidiansky/khumalo-tales

2026-10-26 21:21:41 UTC

we're all doomed

2026-10-26 16:27:32 UTC

New blog post: "Tormented by Teledildonics"
https://mwl.io/archives/25026

2026-10-26 15:14:02 UTC

In my defense it's been a bad week--but yes, I am a bad person and I feel bad.
https://mwl.io/static/books/tormented-by-teledildonics.html

2026-10-26 14:04:28 UTC

Ouch. https://www.basicinstructions.net/basic-instructions/2026/10/26/how-to-understand-your-changing-role-in-other-peoples-lives

2026-10-26 14:02:17 UTC

How do you decide who to cuddle up with for a good nap?
Pick someone you trust to keep an ear listening for trouble. #petRats #rats
https://cdn.hosted.spacebear.ee/sb-53d788bcd8441bb97cfb7a64f2552521/media_attachments/files/117/507/574/716/799/626/original/aba8daafdacc0cba.jpg

2026-10-26 03:22:28 UTC

Only a few days left on the Kickstarter for @nprofile…gs2m's magnificent new novel.
I bet he'd clear $8k in the pool and I can't afford to lose another toe. Don't leave me hanging. Help the dude out.
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/obsidiansky/khumalo-tales

2026-10-25 22:33:34 UTC

In the best Halloween tradition I have prepped my abomination, applied the electrodes, and raised the lightning rod.
I expect to set it lurching towards the villagers tomorrow.

2026-10-25 13:52:17 UTC

Truffle might have lost the couch box, but he's claimed the tissue box in the cage and that's pretty cozy too. #petRats #rats
https://cdn.hosted.spacebear.ee/sb-53d788bcd8441bb97cfb7a64f2552521/media_attachments/files/117/501/872/548/286/033/original/beb2e63ee49c64b2.jpg

2026-10-25 02:31:36 UTC

Finished the first season of Star Trek: Prodigy.
The first episodes are the worst. Yes, it's a kid's show. Except it's not, exactly. There's the kid's show tendency to fall from great heights and bounce. But:
Of all the new Trek, it feels the most like an actual continuation of the show. The storytelling is competent. Close attention to canon while lovingly expanding same.

2026-10-24 22:15:30 UTC

Beef has gotten expensive.
Save money, write your to-do list directly on the wolves.

2026-10-24 16:36:21 UTC

had to go out in public where a handful of old white men are campaigning hard.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=a3LjxRW9ZgE

2026-10-24 15:54:18 UTC

Truffle has claimed the couch box and will defend it against all comers--OOH TREATS! #petRats #rats
https://cdn.hosted.spacebear.ee/sb-53d788bcd8441bb97cfb7a64f2552521/media_attachments/files/117/496/688/771/205/169/original/d0767ed16bf13920.jpg

2026-10-24 13:03:21 UTC

This is the last Saturday. Act now, or snuggle your regret forever.
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/obsidiansky/khumalo-tales

2026-10-24 13:01:06 UTC

For my friends who are Planet of the Apes fans: all it'll take is a virus.
And all it'll take for humanity to fall? A virus.
https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.aeg5791

2026-10-23 20:14:15 UTC

the secretary state verified receipt of my balllot. :flan_strong:

2026-10-23 14:04:19 UTC

today's soundtrack: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S8meFCCU6jc&list=PL5SMXYhIcZ5LfzExarf2V427a0tfp2f-u

2026-10-23 13:59:08 UTC

holy crap he's literally in Nebraska!
https://www.theregister.com/software/2021/10/19/why-your-app-or-gadget-may-stop-working-sunday-a-gpsd-bug/1500621

2026-10-23 13:50:52 UTC

If you run Office 2021 or earlier on a Mac: the newest update disables office.
Turn off automatic updates.
If you already got bit: reinstall an older version and turn off automatic updates.

2026-10-23 13:41:47 UTC

Browser plugin to replace all instances of "AI boom" with "AI bubble" when?

2026-10-23 12:13:33 UTC

A truly rare photo: all three of the guys, mostly in focus! #petRats #rats
Left to right: Fermi, Quercy, Truffle
https://cdn.hosted.spacebear.ee/sb-53d788bcd8441bb97cfb7a64f2552521/media_attachments/files/117/490/160/118/102/732/original/4b04a2144817a738.jpg

2026-10-23 00:02:22 UTC

Yes, the world sucks.
Help bring a little joy into the world via @nprofile…gs2m.
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/obsidiansky/khumalo-tales

2026-10-22 21:47:37 UTC

My web site is back up, so I should probably... shill a book?
:flan_shout: "Books! Get your fresh hot books here! Inna bun! With mustard!"
https://tiltedwindmillpress.com

2026-10-22 20:55:08 UTC

"Another CA cosmically screwed up! Great, this is our chance to announce our merely major screw-up!" https://www.heise.de/en/news/GoDaddy-revokes-hundreds-of-thousands-of-certificates-over-documentation-errors-11497136.html

2026-10-22 20:14:19 UTC

My credit union's web site is partially broken, and I am suspicious.

2026-10-22 17:40:18 UTC

Dear Patronizers: the Twisted Presents epub is up, check your account.

2026-10-22 17:23:29 UTC

Today's #60secondsOfWIP is out! "The Clunky NVMe Interface"
At https://mwl.io/archives/25019 or wherever podcasts are appropriated and monetized

2026-10-22 15:57:47 UTC

now that I have a poudriere building the necessary php packages, the quarterly branch packages will appear. #FreeBSD

2026-10-22 15:35:02 UTC

"I gotta get a draft of this book done by 12 November!"
Instead, I'm setting up my own poudriere and switching hosts over to it so I can get my store back up. :flan_despair: :flan_hacker:

2026-10-22 14:26:56 UTC

Fermi, left, would like snuggles and wuv, please.
Quercy, right, would like to overthrow all existing power structures and institute a New Rat Order.
#petRats #rats
https://cdn.hosted.spacebear.ee/sb-53d788bcd8441bb97cfb7a64f2552521/media_attachments/files/117/485/018/797/063/862/original/037fcce478caa24c.jpg

2026-10-22 13:38:44 UTC

I stand corrected and regret my error, please don't put me on trial

2026-10-21 18:18:53 UTC

This tail does not belong to this rat.
I have friends, but not "rest your teeth on my tail" friends. #petRats #rats
https://cdn.hosted.spacebear.ee/sb-53d788bcd8441bb97cfb7a64f2552521/media_attachments/files/117/480/270/614/531/094/original/db72aaa490c96745.jpg

2026-10-21 17:43:38 UTC

Hey Patronizers on Patreon and #TwistedPresents Kickstarter backers! The epub is available for you to download.
Direct Patronizers: as soon as I have PHP updated, I'll post links to your copy.

2026-10-21 14:31:00 UTC

So there's the PHP announcement. Ick.
No #FreeBSD quarterly packages yet. Might be time for me to finally set up my own package builder, dammit.

2026-10-21 11:33:37 UTC

All my web sites, and all the sites I host, are shut down until the PHP patch is out and I can apply it.
Folks I trust assure me it's really that bad.
https://arstechnica.com/security/2026/10/php-maintainers-tell-web-devs-to-prepare-themselves-for-critical-security-patches/

2026-10-21 01:40:14 UTC

Finished watching Ted Lasso.
10/10, would believe again.

2026-10-20 22:16:39 UTC

the olgaf kickstarter is brushing against $175k.
Which they've earned, sure, but I clearly need to write more dick jokes

2026-10-20 21:38:19 UTC

I want to take a principled moral stand and declare that I won't write tech books about projects that incorporate LLM-derived code.
Unfortunately that leaves... almost nothing? And I have to pay rent.

2026-10-20 21:28:47 UTC

Rototilling #openzfsmastery material on SSDs and NVMes to be OS-agnostic.
Hopefully this is the last churn? Please?
Pushing to get a first draft off to tech review by 12 November, when I have rotator cuff surgery and implode for 6 weeks. I'd appreciate your support. https://mwl.io/sponsor

2026-10-20 21:17:17 UTC

reading about nvme and #linux for #openzfsmastery and seeing lots of references to people booting nvme-only hosts off usb drives.
does linux really have trouble booting off an nvme? Is this actually a thing??? #sysadmin

2026-10-20 20:12:07 UTC

Vote in city dropbox.
Once upon a time I evaluated every candidate and chose individually.
Now I'm voting for the person most able to defeat the Republican candidate, period.

2026-10-20 14:36:19 UTC

disable Ebay's opt-in training their AI on your data.
Preferences->Account->AI Training preferences

2026-10-20 11:00:01 UTC

The world is quite baffling when you're tiny. #petRats #rats
https://cdn.hosted.spacebear.ee/sb-53d788bcd8441bb97cfb7a64f2552521/media_attachments/files/117/472/885/551/933/535/original/1130b754036e4119.jpg

2026-10-20 10:08:59 UTC

Hey #selfpub folks!
Any experience with #IngramSpark Sharjah? It's in the UAE.

2026-10-18 04:05:06 UTC

Will someone please push @nprofile…gs2m over the edge?
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/obsidiansky/khumalo-tales

2026-10-16 18:23:36 UTC

wrote about send:encrypted, which should make @nprofile…uxxv happy. #openzfsmastery

2026-10-16 14:14:23 UTC

there's this new thing called the "publish" button? Huh. Cool.
Anyway, here's yesterday's #60secondsOfWIP: "Cleverness Is Your Only Option."
https://mwl.io/archives/25014

2026-10-16 13:02:49 UTC

looks like you can't install Postfix and BIND together on today's #FreeBSD:
New packages to be INSTALLED:
lmdb: 1.0.2,1 [FreeBSD-ports]
postfix: 3.11.7_1,1 [FreeBSD-ports]
Installed packages to be REMOVED:
bind920: 9.20.29
lmdb0: 0.9.35
#sysadmin

2026-10-16 12:33:20 UTC

Fermi is dapper even when eating a treat. It is very important to be dapper. #petRats #rats
https://cdn.hosted.spacebear.ee/sb-53d788bcd8441bb97cfb7a64f2552521/media_attachments/files/117/450/601/720/190/037/original/02dffb2b4355fe91.jpg

2026-10-16 10:38:56 UTC

Switched to left-handed mousing, to prepare for the future.

2026-10-16 02:18:14 UTC

"Don't worry. If I die, the rats know what to do."

2026-10-15 21:52:36 UTC

Surgery scheduled for 12 November.
I can, in theory, get a first draft of #openzfsmastery finished and off to reviewers before then.

2026-10-15 21:07:58 UTC

Sitting in the old house since 8AM, waiting for building inspector so we can sell the house so we can finalize the divorce.
No furniture. No decor. Only broken dreams and smothered hopes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xn1UGJ1nZaQ

2026-10-15 18:12:13 UTC

The company sends an AI to your job interview? Respond in kind.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0fECnj5sas

2026-10-15 15:17:54 UTC

This whole thread, but especially this.
Projects that want a future protect their participants. Period.

2026-10-15 12:57:15 UTC

The world is our hard-boiled egg.
Once we figure out how to get through the shell, it is OURS. But getting that first crack is an absolute pain. #petRats #rats
https://cdn.hosted.spacebear.ee/sb-53d788bcd8441bb97cfb7a64f2552521/media_attachments/files/117/445/033/432/776/684/original/17f5dd2029509a8c.jpg

2026-10-14 21:54:11 UTC

Me, 4PM: "dang it, why is my incremental zfs send of /var/mysql sending the entire file instead of just the changes from yesterday???"
Me, now: "Oh. The contents of /var/mysql churn 99% between yesterday and today."
Anyway, I'm working hard on #openzfsmastery. I'd appreciate your support. https://mwl.io/sponsor

2026-10-14 15:04:33 UTC

Rust is memory-safe.
https://github.com/Speykious/cve-rs/tree/main
I also appreciate the license.

2026-10-14 14:53:03 UTC

Today's soundtrack:
"Over there, the setting sun.
And over *there*, the setting sun."

2026-10-14 14:33:32 UTC

this is correct.
Last year I picked up hippopotomonstrosesquipedaliophobia from a little stall in the back.

2026-10-14 11:51:20 UTC

Today: car dropoff for 120k-mile maintenance, 8:30am, pick up loaner, then grocery run. Surgeon evaluation #2, 1PM. In between, make words.

2026-10-13 21:09:16 UTC

Good chunk of the #openzfsmastery replication chapter done today.
But it's the last known warm day of the year, so I'm breaking several of my own rules and knocking off early to have dinner out. There's an indie bbq place with a patio I've wanted to try.

2026-10-13 16:57:24 UTC

"It is possible but rare to regret having too many datasets. Far more common is wishing you had divided your data into more datasets."
Anyway, I'm working on my web server for #openzfsmastery, sites will be going up and down.

2026-10-13 16:56:08 UTC

Working on my web server for #openzfsmastery, sites will be going up and down.

2026-10-13 16:10:30 UTC

https://cdn.hosted.spacebear.ee/sb-53d788bcd8441bb97cfb7a64f2552521/media_attachments/files/117/434/459/835/294/862/original/9f135a4f69ac12a6.png

2026-10-13 15:04:10 UTC

"As the old saying goes: everybody has a test environment. Some people are lucky enough to have a separate environment to run production in." #openzfsmastery #footnote

2026-10-13 13:47:49 UTC

Time to crank up some early Current 93 and come to grips with ZFS replication.
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_nRKG8g6Mu1ri3cXKlR32Wvk562D_-ByXg

2026-10-13 13:43:59 UTC

HAVE YOU BACKED ZZ'S BEAUTIFUL BOOK YET? WHY NOT? IS SOMETHING WRONG WITH YOU?
Unless you're broke, of course. It happens.
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/obsidiansky/khumalo-tales
https://cdn.hosted.spacebear.ee/sb-53d788bcd8441bb97cfb7a64f2552521/media_attachments/files/117/433/890/333/483/369/original/9197ffbfc5226d4d.jpg

2026-10-13 12:37:38 UTC

As I was radically downsizing during the divorce property split, I made a point of saving a box of Halloween trinkets.
They're in a box on a high shelf in the back of the storage space.
The bad shoulder means there's no way I can get them out. :flan_disappointed:

2026-10-12 20:52:19 UTC

Goddammit, sexism creeps in everywhere. Even in my work.
#openzfsmastery 2014 edition "Replication beats rsync so badly that rsync’s mom needs urgent medical attention."
2026 edition: "Replication beats rsync so badly that rsync’s ancestors need urgent medical attention."
Yes, I understand "your momma" jokes. But we can do better.

2026-10-12 18:06:33 UTC

I've seen this chart three times in the last few days on other people's posts. It is accurate. I am compelled to comment, though:
"Heroic men who will intervene?"
Sure, if I ever stumble across a sexual assault I will intervene. I will fight dirty to protect a victim. No question.
But that obvious chance for physical heroism isn't going to happen in the real world. It could. But it won't.
The men on the right of this graph deliberate exclude the men at the far left from their circles.
Real-world heroism is not in a fist. It's in words. It's telling men at the far right that their behavior is unacceptable and excluding them from your circles, and doing so in front of men in the middle so that they see action is not only possible, but survivable.
Sure, there could be a social cost to you. Heroism has a cost.
If you laugh at a colleague's sexist or racist or homophobic joke rather than make trouble? You missed your chance to be heroic.
You can do better.
https://cdn.hosted.spacebear.ee/sb-53d788bcd8441bb97cfb7a64f2552521/media_attachments/files/117/429/259/692/593/375/original/426c39d9cdb0a2b5.png

2026-10-12 17:39:51 UTC

Writing about #FreeBSD GELI for #openzfsmastery, which means I need to review GELI. I wrote about GELI in 2014, but reviewing my old books always feels unpleasant at best.
It's good to know that I've become a better writer in the last 12 years but damn, I was a pretty crappy writer back then.
I'm still a crappy writer, but less crappy is an improvement.

2026-10-12 16:09:31 UTC

Today's typo:
# zfs create encrypted/databae

2026-10-12 14:17:10 UTC

I used to call it "rubber hose cryptography" or "kneecap cryptography" or any number of things in an effort to avoid spelling out the real threat. People didn't get it.
I think I'll start calling it an "XKCD 538 attack" instead. Anyone who doesn't look it up isn't my reader. #openzfsmastery

2026-10-12 14:12:42 UTC

Happy "By the standards of his time, Columbus was an abhorrent dick" day to one and all!

2026-10-12 13:48:20 UTC

Today in #openzfsmastery:
"Whoever has your keys can decrypt your data. Protect the keys from intruders and unauthorized users. Conversely, whoever doesn’t have your keys cannot decrypt your data. That includes you. It especially includes the authors of this book.[1] Losing your keys equals losing your data. Back up your keys!
1 - Seriously, we can't help you."

2026-10-12 12:44:04 UTC

Quercy is highly suspicious of this whole "out" thing.
HIGHLY.
SUSPICIOUS.
#petRats #rats
https://cdn.hosted.spacebear.ee/sb-53d788bcd8441bb97cfb7a64f2552521/media_attachments/files/117/427/992/318/708/363/original/0c9aa5b5b1a14645.jpg

2026-10-11 21:49:45 UTC

Got the #OpenZFSMastery section on dataset-level encryption done! :flan_writing: :flan_hacker: Tomorrow, LUKS and maybe GELI.

2026-10-11 20:19:01 UTC

Pondering making some stuff available online as static HTML. Converting a 60k-word .docx to a single HTML file would be suboptimal, though.
Any suggestions on converting a long document formatted with styles to a set of HTML pages with navigation?
I can't be the first person to have this problem

2026-10-11 14:59:53 UTC

If (big if) the Democrats sweep the elections in November and truly take the Senate and Congress in January:
They *better* work on voting rights and Supreme Court reform.
Anything else is a bandage.

2026-10-11 13:39:00 UTC

The oatmeal box is a hit. #petRats #rats
https://cdn.hosted.spacebear.ee/sb-53d788bcd8441bb97cfb7a64f2552521/media_attachments/files/117/422/549/653/517/906/original/0b43108031c7b057.jpg

2026-10-10 22:16:28 UTC

testing the incompatibility of wordpress with og tags... does this call up the promo image?
https://www.tiltedwindmillpress.com/product/openzfs-sponsor/

2026-10-10 21:37:17 UTC

Really grinding to try to get a first cut of #openzfsmastery finished before my surgery. It's possible, in theory.
But taking tomorrow to chill with a buddy, watch some classic TNG, and eat pizza. Because my brain is bloody fried.

2026-10-10 21:09:35 UTC

"If you cannot consistently type your passphrase correctly twice in a row, consider a simpler passphrase. If you can consistently type your passphrase correctly any number of times in a row, get a more complex one." #openzfsmastery #footnote
I'd appreciate help finishing this book. mwl.io/sponsor

2026-10-10 20:19:37 UTC

crowdsourcing writing #openzfsmastery!
I need a 32-character hex string that reads like words or a saying. Like BADC0DECAFE or B10SF00D, but 32 bytes. Anyone have a family-friendly one they like?
(assuming that computers are family-friendly, that is. we know they are not, but still.)

2026-10-10 17:35:59 UTC

I'll believe an AI agent can actually go rogue when it deletes all the data for student loans, credit reports, or pending foreclosures.
Until then, "rogue AI agents" are pure marketing.

2026-10-10 17:09:33 UTC

Happy Birthday to our own dear @nprofile…htpe!

2026-10-10 16:42:11 UTC

Today in #openzfsmastery:
"Are you protecting your laptop from random goons or state actors? Will the impact max out at swearing, scandal, or sabotage? Is someone going to hire a character from a cheesy Lucas novel to break into your data center and steal your hard drives?"
Want your name in this book? https://mwl.io/sponsor

2026-10-10 15:35:25 UTC

Hitler Mussolini elected mayor of Peruvian town, beating out Lenin Vladimir.
No, not satire.
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cmdxwn9dr42yo

2026-10-10 15:21:15 UTC

If you're not going to let a franchise die honorably, do something batshit insane with it.
Like have Grant Morrison write James Bond.
https://comicbookclublive.com/2026/10/09/grant-morrison-is-your-new-james-bond-writer-for-idw/