Nostr notes by Jack William Bell

I'm seeing people saying the Ukrainian strikes on Yandex data ...

2026-10-13T21:18:05Z

I'm seeing people saying the Ukrainian strikes on Yandex data centers resulted in fewer right-wing bots posting and I'm seeing people deny there was any change.

I say we settle this by applying the Scientific Method: Repeat the experiment multiple times.

#science #politics #SocialMedia #WTF

I'm old school. As in old enough to have spent time in the ...

2026-09-29T19:15:47Z

In reply to nevent1q…qw3j
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I'm old school. As in old enough to have spent time in the COBOL mines, where my title was 'Programmer/Analyst'. I even worked with non-coder 'Systems Analysts'.

Now everyone is a 'Software Engineer'. Except coding isn't an engineering discipline as practiced in most shops: It is a craft and, in very rare cases, an art form. (I have long rants about this, which I will spare you.)

Most coders are not very good at software design. They are the equivalent of cabinet makers.

If we can't get it right, we who are theoretically trained ...

2026-09-29T18:56:43Z

In reply to nevent1q…4yuc
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If we can't get it right, we who are theoretically trained and experienced in creating useful abstractions and highly cohesive yet non-coupled data processing systems?

Then how is handing off that particular hard problem (and it is a 'hard problem') to an LLM going to make anything better?

IMHO one underlying issue is we stopped teaching good old 'Systems Analysis' as a necessary skill for programmers. (There are other things to consider as well.)

When I read this particular toot out of context (because someone ...

2026-09-29T18:51:47Z

In reply to nevent1q…4rqz
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When I read this particular toot out of context (because someone boosted it) I read it as expressing frustration with programming tooling — a lack of ways for regular people to express their ideas in code.

I have thoughts on this, but when I read your entire thread I realized you were complaining about software design — in terms of APIs and other interfaces to functionality.

And right there is the core of my thoughts on enabling non-coders to code… If *we* can't get it right?

How to tell you are having a bad day. ...

2026-09-24T18:17:34Z

How to tell you are having a bad day.

My toothbrush has no DRM and no digital components. In fact, it ...

2026-09-20T22:46:08Z

In reply to nevent1q…2zfx
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My toothbrush has no DRM and no digital components. In fact, it has no electronic parts at all.

And it works just fine! 🪥

I haven't been to Penguicon since the Open Source Boobs ...

2026-09-14T18:37:08Z

In reply to nevent1q…cqsg
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I haven't been to Penguicon since the Open Source Boobs incident.

That sound you hear is a thousand CEOs suddenly losing interest ...

2026-09-06T17:03:42Z

That sound you hear is a thousand CEOs suddenly losing interest in #AI.

> New AI Designed to Replace CEOs. https://futurism.com/artificial-intelligence/new-ai-designed-replace-ceos

> The team describes their AI system, perhaps with their tongues in their cheeks, as a “senior advisor with Harvard MBA-level knowledge.” Whether you believe that or not probably reflects how much stock you put in Harvard MBAs.

NOTE: I've often claimed businesses are usually successful *despite the people in the C-Suite*, not because of them.

I just wrote a letter to my local county elections department, ...

2026-09-01T17:58:01Z

I just wrote a letter to my local county elections department, asking them:

> Do you have a plan in place in case it becomes clear the U.S. Post Office will take one or more actions designed to avoid delivering or to delay ballots? If yes, can you share that plan with myself and other voters?

I highly recommend anyone seeing this post does something similar. I mean, hopefully they are working on a plan. But they also need to communicate to the voters they are aware of the situation.

#uspol

Crap. There is a new wildfire burning on Prairie Mountain, about ...

2026-08-08T16:18:51Z

Crap. There is a new wildfire burning on Prairie Mountain, about four or five miles away from my place. Currently reported at zero containment and 123 acres.

It's on the other side of the mountain and across a river from here, but you can bet I'm going to be watching this like a hawk.

#MountainLiving #wildfires #PNW

The Purple Air website has somehow become unusable to me. Any ...

2026-08-05T18:15:10Z

The Purple Air website has somehow become unusable to me. Any recommendations for other air quality sites with local reporting?

#smoke #wildfires #PNW #Internet

I love it when a company very deliberately produces a product ...

2026-08-04T18:56:14Z

I love it when a company very deliberately produces a product which is, effectively, giving the finger to another company's product.

> DuckDuckGo Is Selling Anti Pervert Glasses That Contain Zero #AI, Cameras, or Even Electronics Whatsoever. https://futurism.com/artificial-intelligence/duckduckgo-selling-anti-pervert-glasses

#business #biz #privacy

It's so odd to me, to see many smart people re-debating and ...

2026-08-02T20:59:38Z

It's so odd to me, to see many smart people re-debating and re-iterating the thinking about #AI, which I and so many others in the #SFF community worked through after Vinge published his #Singularity paper in 1993. But today they go further and take it far more literally than we ever did.

I suppose this is because AI is current and immediate, while it was pie in the sky to us. But really? It remains naive speculation and we, at least, understood that.

> Adopt AI or Die? https://newrepublic.com/article/213738/artificial-intelligence-god-test-adopt-ai-die

Sometimes those are used by multiple systems for internal ...

2026-08-01T18:37:00Z

In reply to nevent1q…3gzl
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Sometimes those are used by multiple systems for internal communication as well, since they are the 'end point' for separate bus connections. If all they do is manage a cell data connection it's no big deal to 'pull the plug'. But if they are a communications hub for the whole vehicle you can't do that.

Some of the ones I worked with contained the vehicle database and configuration as well.

You don't actually need to 'rip out' the ...

2026-08-01T17:52:38Z

In reply to nevent1q…xjcv
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You don't actually need to 'rip out' the 'telemetry device'. Just find the TCU (Telematic Control Unit) and pull the SIM card. And if you can't get to that, find the external antenna and clip all the wires to it.

Source: Me. I used to work in automotive software.

Reposting with proper alt-text because someone could be arsed to ...

2026-07-28T16:18:55Z

Reposting with proper alt-text because someone could be arsed to click the 'add text from image' button and clean up the results.

OK, this one's just weird enough to be real… > New ...

2026-07-22T18:04:33Z

OK, this one's just weird enough to be real…

> New quantum gravity theory links entropy, dark energy, and life. Cosmic expansion may allow order and life to emerge… https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/07/260719035947.htm

> In other words, the Universe can contain more entropy overall while entropy becomes more widely distributed across expanding space. This unusual thermodynamic pattern may help clarify how localized regions of structure and complexity can arise.

#science #physics #metaphysics #WTF

Back in the days of COAX networking I fell through a ceiling ...

2026-07-21T19:32:19Z

In reply to nevent1q…3vmg
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Back in the days of COAX networking I fell through a ceiling while pulling cable and landed on a civil engineer's desk. (He was out at the time.) I walked funny for a month or two afterwards and my left knee still twinges me once and a while to this day.

Does that count?

Egyptian Warrior Princesses! I foresee a new Netflix series! (And ...

2026-07-17T18:16:14Z

Egyptian Warrior Princesses! I foresee a new Netflix series! (And I'm there for it.)

> Ancient Egyptian princesses knew their way around weapons of war. Skeletons of mummified royal women indicate they used the daggers and bows buried with them. https://www.sciencenews.org/article/ancient-egyptian-princesses-weapons-war

> “These princesses were not leading sedentary lives of luxury. They were well-conditioned athletes whose bodies were hardened …”

#Egypt #AncientEgypt #history #archeology #Amazons

#Seattle folk: Ever visit Blake Island Marine State Park? You ...

2026-07-13T19:44:55Z

#Seattle folk: Ever visit Blake Island Marine State Park? You might soon find it even harder to do than it is now.

> Storied WA state park in central Puget Sound at a crossroads. https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/storied-wa-state-park-in-central-puget-sound-at-a-crossroads/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_seattle-news

> The four visions offered for public review have the potential to reduce visitation to Blake Island even more — or alternatively, make the isle more accessible, including to non-boat owners and to people who prefer overnight lodgings in a comfy bed.

#WA #PNW

It's not all for the environmental benefits either. I think ...

2026-07-03T15:31:28Z

In reply to nevent1q…6205
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It's not all for the environmental benefits either. I think of planting trees and restoring soils as carbon capture. Perhaps mine are not enough to make a global difference, but they do serve to lessen the impact of my own life and the fossil fuels I've burned just by existing.

I figured this out a while ago. I have nearly three and a half ...

2026-07-03T15:17:40Z

In reply to nevent1q…ugzk
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I figured this out a while ago.

I have nearly three and a half acres in the North Cascade mountains. When I bought it there was about an acre of forest and the rest was fields. I've been re-wilding bits and pieces of the property for several years now, with the goal of making it a bit more than half forested.

By 're-wilding' I don't mean simply not mowing it anymore. I mean a deliberate reforestation with native plants. It's work.

I'm also planting fruit trees as a separate project.

Ars Technica did a long-form interview with @npub1fdr…lvhs. ...

2026-06-23T18:21:38Z

Ars Technica did a long-form interview with Cory Doctorow (npub1fdr…lvhs).

> How to burst the AI bubble: Strike at its roots. Sci-fi author/tech journalist Cory Doctorow on his new book, The Reverse Centaur’s Guide to Life After AI. https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/06/how-to-burst-the-ai-bubble-strike-at-its-roots/

> Doctorow doesn’t actually enjoy talking about AI, but he’s constantly being asked to comment on it. “I made the tactical error of being sick of talking about #AI …”

I'm sure you already know this and I'm doing little more ...

2026-06-22T23:56:33Z

In reply to nevent1q…uzng
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I'm sure you already know this and I'm doing little more than ruining your joke, but just in case…

> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viking_Press

A combination of the #AI #bubble and watching stock and oil ...

2026-06-12T23:02:40Z

A combination of the #AI #bubble and watching stock and oil prices see-saw wildly with every lie, takeback, and failure to follow-through from the Whitehouse has entirely disabused me of any belief in the 'Wisdom of the Market'.

There's no wisdom there. They can't even remember what happened the day before and the day before that. They can't even do the simple math required to understand how LLM vendors will never be profitable.

It's all just vibes…

#money #economy #WTF

Doctor: OK, next is a test of your mental facilities. Please ...

2026-05-20T18:47:13Z

Doctor: OK, next is a test of your mental facilities. Please count down from one hundred by sevens.

Me: for i in range(100, 0, -7): print(i)

#ProgrammerJoke #Python

If you believe a chatbot is conscious and self-aware, and you are ...

2026-05-05T16:48:48Z

If you believe a chatbot is conscious and self-aware, and you are not agitating for chatbots to have civil rights, you are either not serious or else you believe slavery is just fine, really.

#AI #LLMs #HumanCondition

The beer there is all hand-made by the owner and it's a ...

2026-04-28T04:26:35Z

In reply to nevent1q…lyvd
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The beer there is all hand-made by the owner and it's a family business with most of the employees related.

Be careful, because some of the beers are Imperials and two of those means you don't drive for a while. Great IPAs and the 'Ditsy Blond' golden ale is a favorite with a lot of people. Food is only OK, but not expensive so you get your money's worth.

Great place in the Spring/early Summer to drink beer and watch eagles and hawks fly on thermals. (Birdsview, remember?)

Ah, up in my neck of the woods were you? I hope you stopped at ...

2026-04-27T20:42:31Z

In reply to nevent1q…hh94
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Ah, up in my neck of the woods were you?

I hope you stopped at Birdsview Brewery on your way home!

I agree they have benefited as you describe. But not to the same ...

2026-04-12T19:39:53Z

In reply to nevent1q…0nuh
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I agree they have benefited as you describe. But not to the same extent.

The USA, as an international power, has been harmed enormously by this and Iran, Russian, and China are the biggest beneficiaries of this.

You could argue the USA being diminished as an international power is a good thing for nearly everyone. I won't dispute that. But China is best positioned to step into the gap and I would argue this is a bad thing.

From the content of your reply I suspect you have problems with ...

2026-04-12T19:34:09Z

In reply to nevent1q…a35c
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From the content of your reply I suspect you have problems with reading comprehension: Is English not your first language?

I was speaking of the things *Trump* can do. Yes, others can do things as well.

Both Hanlon's and Occam's razor apply here. Stupidity is ...

2026-04-12T18:52:56Z

In reply to nevent1q…4hln
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Both Hanlon's and Occam's razor apply here. Stupidity is the simplest explanation.

But there is another possibility, and one which doesn't rule out stupidity – instead merely taking advantage of it: Cue bono…

Who benefits from this war? So far the only beneficiaries have been Iran itself (who seem to be getting more out of the current negotiations than they had before), China, and Russia.

That's it.

[contd]

Everything Trump can do is some refinement or combination of ...

2026-04-12T18:49:05Z

In reply to nevent1q…xu4d
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Everything Trump can do is some refinement or combination of those four possibilities; there are no other moves left. Trump is trapped because he didn't listen to the people Obama listened to.

In this analysis there is only one question remaining: Why.

Why didn't Trump listen to those people? Why did he throw out Obama's negotiated agreement? Why?

The easy answer? Trump, and the people advising him, are idiots of the first order.

[contd]

Which brings us to our current moment and the fact Trump is now ...

2026-04-12T18:44:41Z

In reply to nevent1q…q7gv
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Which brings us to our current moment and the fact Trump is now caught in a quagmire of his own making.

1. He can, and has threatened to, bomb Iran back to the stone age

2. He can attempt a ground assault

3. He can withdraw USA forces and let the rest of the world work it out

4. He can continue to bluster and hope to arrive at some kind of negotiated solution

And that's it…

[contd]

Trump: 1. Unilaterally walked away from the treaty Obama ...

2026-04-12T18:39:42Z

In reply to nevent1q…ek89
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Trump:

1. Unilaterally walked away from the treaty Obama extracted from Iran without the use of force

2. Attempted a decapitation strike on Iran's leadership, despite the known fact Iran is politically and militarily organized to operate as independent cells if such happens

IOW? Obama, despite a demonstrated willingness to perform decapitation strikes, played it smart and Trump played it like a complete and total moron.

[contd]

What this means to me is: Obama was willing and able to use ...

2026-04-12T18:35:40Z

In reply to nevent1q…p2cm
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What this means to me is: Obama was willing and able to use illegal force to achieve certain ends, but he was not willing to launch strikes on Iran.

And, to me, this means Obama was smart enough to listen to the people who knew just how difficult a military nut to crack Iran represents. He undoubtedly backed his negotiations with the threat of USA power. But he didn't do the stupid thing.

Which brings us to Trump.

[contd]

In my opinion Obama committed war crimes with his drone strikes ...

2026-04-12T18:31:03Z

In my opinion Obama committed war crimes with his drone strikes on weddings and funerals to take out terrorist leaders. He also skirted International Law in other dealings and uses of force.

All that said, Obama *never* launched a full-scale attack on Iran, instead he negotiated a deal with them which kept the Strait of Hormuz open (implicitly) and allowed inspection of the nuclear facilities (explicitly).

[contd]

[Spock voice] Interesting… > The brain might not create ...

2026-04-07T18:03:11Z

[Spock voice] Interesting…

> The brain might not create consciousness after all. What if consciousness isn’t created by the brain — but is actually built into the universe? https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/04/260406192809.htm

> "Based on these challenges, Koch suggests it may be necessary to revisit older philosophical ideas like idealism or panpsychism. These perspectives treat consciousness as a basic component of reality rather than something produced solely by the brain."

#HumanCondition #philosophy #intelligence

I created a sign you can use for 'No Kings Day' if you ...

2026-03-28T00:55:30Z

I created a sign you can use for 'No Kings Day' if you like.

#art #NoKings

I really want to boost this, but without a link to back it up I ...

2026-03-24T20:09:54Z

In reply to nevent1q…gsxf
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I really want to boost this, but without a link to back it up I just cannot.

Please, when you quote someone making an extraordinary claim, provide a link to the claim and/or data backing it up.

Elizabeth Lopatto has some things to say about Marc Andreessen ...

2026-03-19T20:39:14Z

Elizabeth Lopatto has some things to say about Marc Andreessen (and other techbros).

> Marc Andreessen is a philosophical zombie. https://www.theverge.com/tldr/897566/marc-andreessen-is-a-philosophical-zombie

"I’ve been wondering for a while why many of our Silicon Valley overlords behave like they’ve repeatedly sustained traumatic brain injuries, and I think I’ve come to a conclusion … If you stop using some skill, mental or physical, you lose it and its benefits."

[contd]

#AI #psychology #philosophy

I keep telling people Smith's definition of a 'Free ...

2026-03-09T13:40:13Z

In reply to nevent1q…7vwv
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I keep telling people Smith's definition of a 'Free Market' didn't mean a market free from rules and regulations.

It meant a market free from *rents*. And he detested monopolies.

When I was touristing in Cairns Australia I rented a car and had ...

2026-02-25T05:30:58Z

In reply to nevent1q…xtl6
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When I was touristing in Cairns Australia I rented a car and had to sign a 'coconut waiver' accepting responsibility for any coconut damage – because the insurance at the car rental place had a rider specifically excluding damage from parking under coconut trees.

First time at the beach I understood why: some of the trees were 20 meters tall or more.

In Florida I had to sign a 'vultures eating the windshield rubber gasket waiver'. Which is even weirder.

Why is it people who (rightly) tore #Elon a new asshole for his ...

2026-02-18T21:30:14Z

Why is it people who (rightly) tore #Elon a new asshole for his pie-in-the-sky Mars obsession are now celebrating him for his only slightly less unrealistic Moon plans?

> Are Elon Musk’s Mars plans finally coming back down to Earth? Musk used to call the Moon ‘a distraction.’ Now he says #SpaceX is building a city there. https://www.theverge.com/science/880672/spacex-elon-musk-moon-mars-ipo-blue-origin

Does no one, even *inside the #space industry* have a clue just how complex, dangerous, and unbelievably expensive it would be to create a moon colony?

Cory Doctorow ( @npub1fdr…lvhs ) stated it the clearest ...

2026-02-18T20:40:21Z

In reply to nevent1q…50eq
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Cory Doctorow ( Cory Doctorow (npub1fdr…lvhs) ) stated it the clearest I've ever seen:

> "The classic leftist distinction goes: leftists want to abolish a system where 150 white men run the world; liberals want to replace half of those 150 with women, queers and people of color."

> Iain M Banks. "Sorrow be damned, and all your plans. ...

2026-02-18T18:04:18Z

> Iain M Banks. "Sorrow be damned, and all your plans. Fuck the faithful, fuck the committed, the dedicated, the true believers; fuck all the sure and certain people prepared to maim and kill whoever got in their way; fuck every cause that ended in murder and a child screaming."

> Frank Herbert, Dune. "Once, men turned their thinking ...

2026-02-14T03:59:22Z

> Frank Herbert, Dune. "Once, men turned their thinking over to machines in the hope that this would set them free. But that only permitted other men with machines to enslave them."

#AI

Prachett based Ankh-Morpork on 18th century London, but he knew ...

2026-02-09T19:08:55Z

In reply to nevent1q…u88f
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Prachett based Ankh-Morpork on 18th century London, but he knew his history. Some aspects of Ankh-Morpork were based on Rome (Republic and Empire) and others based on 16th century Italy. Forex, 'The Patrician' is a clear callback to the Medici and Machiavelli.

> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lord_Vetinari

You are thinking of Crassus. AKA 'the richest man in ...

2026-02-09T16:53:38Z

In reply to nevent1q…7unm
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You are thinking of Crassus. AKA 'the richest man in Rome'.

> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marcus_Licinius_Crassus

Crassus was a property speculator who also operated a fire brigade. They would assemble at the location of a fire and then let the property burn until the property owner sold the property to Crassus at a bargain price – which got lower every second the fire burned.

Friend: "You live out in the country, why don't you have ...

2026-02-08T22:50:41Z

In reply to nevent1q…xc74
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Friend: "You live out in the country, why don't you have chickens so you can get fresh eggs?"

Me: "Because the best way to get fresh eggs is to know someone else who keeps chickens."

Well, in my case I had some great-great-great ancestors who ...

2026-02-06T18:50:34Z

In reply to nevent1q…k5qt
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Well, in my case I had some great-great-great ancestors who fought to make this a country in the first place. But, yeah. Being 'born in the USA' is like being 'born rich'. You didn't do anything to earn it, you just got lucky in terms of which womb you popped out of.

Oh, and as for being proud of my ancestors? Not so much. Others did terrible things to indigenous peoples or were on the wrong side of the Civil War.

#Seattle might finally be getting more affordable. But not in a ...

2026-01-31T18:01:58Z

#Seattle might finally be getting more affordable. But not in a good way…

> Seattle’s ‘prosperity bomb’ may finally be fizzling. So now what? https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/seattles-prosperity-bomb-may-finally-be-fizzling-so-now-what/

I was living in the area in the mid-1970s, during the big Boeing layoffs and the billboards reading, "Will the last person to leave Seattle please turn off the lights?"

But that was a different Seattle. Very different from today. And that article is mostly about #AI coming for your jobs.

#PNW #business #biz #economy

As I often point out: I don't use an ad blocker: I use a ...

2026-01-30T20:39:33Z

In reply to nevent1q…re56
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As I often point out: I don't use an ad blocker: I use a tracker blocker. I would happily view ads if they were provided in an ethical and non-privacy-invasive way.

Henry A. Wallace, as Vice President of the USA in 1944: > ...

2026-01-24T19:01:02Z

Henry A. Wallace, as Vice President of the USA in 1944:

> "The American fascists are most easily recognized by their deliberate perversion of truth and fact. Their newspapers and propaganda carefully cultivate every fissure of disunity … They claim to be super-patriots, but they would destroy every liberty guaranteed by the Constitution. They demand free enterprise, but are the spokesmen for monopoly and vested interest.

[contd]

#uspol #news

Really, this three-week plus run of no rain or snow in January ...

2026-01-24T17:17:27Z

In reply to nevent1q…n72q
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Really, this three-week plus run of no rain or snow in January has me a bit worried. Last year we didn't get enough precipitation really, but in the end the mountain snowpack still fed the rivers, lakes and aquifers around here until Fall.

But this year the snowpack growth has been even worse and losing nearly a month of precipitation mid-Winter certainly isn't going to help. Unless February and March really dump on us, the #PNW (Pacific Northwest) might have a real problem come August.

[fin]

#Weather forecast says it will get into the lower 40sF/5C range ...

2026-01-24T17:12:52Z

In reply to nevent1q…trsj
_________________________

#Weather forecast says it will get into the lower 40sF/5C range today, but don't believe it. It was the same yesterday, but the air temperature never got above freezing. Still, the longer range forecast has things warming up for the rest of the week and then the dry streak finally breaking on Thursday with rain.

We'll see. Generally the forecasts are only semi-accurate to three days and kind of useless past that. Still, some precipitation would actually be quite welcome!

[contd]

For once I fell asleep before midnight last night. Then woke up ...

2026-01-24T17:08:42Z

For once I fell asleep before midnight last night. Then woke up early with the house cold and fire nearly out. (This after waking up in the middle of the night to replenish it.)

It got down to 18F/-8C overnight, which is the coldest it's been here all winter and down into 'worry about the water pipes freezing up' territory. But the sun just popped up over Prairie Mountain, so it will be warming up a bit soon.

#MountainLiving

[contd]

People complaining about how the Greenland fiasco is, ...

2026-01-18T00:32:57Z

People complaining about how the Greenland fiasco is, "Ruining the USA's reputation!" have never been outside the USA long enough to learn what our reputation *actually is*.

I am reminded of the time a Japanese #history professor bent my ear about Bush II's policies and how the USA was, and always had been, a colonial power for nearly an hour on a Shinkansen. All I could do was apologize and say, "I didn't vote for him," over and over.

(No, I didn't say, "But Manchuria." I was tempted.)

#news

Today we in the #PNW (Pacific Northwest) are more than halfway ...

2026-01-17T22:22:06Z

Today we in the #PNW (Pacific Northwest) are more than halfway through one of the oddest streaks of #weather in January I've ever seen in my long experience of living here: Sunny and warm(ish) days and nights nowhere as cold as they should be with no cloud cover.

Up here in the North Cascade Mountains this has meant upper 40sF/8C days and nights hovering just under freezing. In the lowlands it's been even warmer.

#MountainLiving

It's not clear to me Pahlavi has support INSIDE Iran. ...

2026-01-14T00:14:18Z

In reply to nevent1q…06fu
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It's not clear to me Pahlavi has support INSIDE Iran. It's certainly clear there's lots of people cheering him OUTSIDE the country. But I don't know enough about the protests to know if they are even aware of him, much less begging him to return.

Arguably that's the fault of the teacher and/or the teaching ...

2026-01-07T17:58:55Z

In reply to nevent1q…vr4r
_________________________

Arguably that's the fault of the teacher and/or the teaching method.

The best writing teacher I ever had never used the word 'participle'. He started out by saying, "This isn't an English class."

Instead we were taught to compare our own writing to good examples and to work on flow using various techniques for the best use of punctuation. He had us participate in critique sessions where we fixed our own writing and read aloud.

It was a *business writing* class.

He came back three days later and apologized. [fin]

2026-01-06T20:07:02Z

In reply to nevent1q…umzu
_________________________

He came back three days later and apologized.

[fin]

He would modify that huge mass of code minimally for each new ...

2026-01-06T20:06:50Z

In reply to nevent1q…79lx
_________________________

He would modify that huge mass of code minimally for each new program. The thing is? He didn't remove the dead code and it had zero comments. He knew where everything was; he knew what parts of it he was using. We didn't.

So one day my supervisor comes to me and complains because I've taken longer to fix one of those programs than it took to write and I try to explain what I said above. My supervisor cuts me off and says, "Stop working on this. I'll fix it myself."

[contd]

Got time for a story? This comes from the mid 1980's when I ...

2026-01-06T20:06:20Z

In reply to nevent1q…pldv
_________________________

Got time for a story? This comes from the mid 1980's when I was toiling in the COBOL mines.

There was this contractor working in the same shop we called the 'Garbage Can Coder'. The boss loved him because he was easily ten times as fast as anyone else there. But we all hated maintaining his code because of the way he achieved that speed: he had a single file that did nearly everything, which he started every program from. We called that file his 'garbage can'.

[contd]

Conga-rats! Is it on the NYT Best Seller list yet? If not, I hope ...

2026-01-05T18:58:13Z

In reply to nevent1q…tvxx
_________________________

Conga-rats!

Is it on the NYT Best Seller list yet? If not, I hope it will be.

The fundamental difference here is the fact AI services are ...

2025-12-26T22:36:08Z

In reply to nevent1q…n6qv
_________________________

The fundamental difference here is the fact AI services are currently being subsidized – the price of those services is less than the cost of delivering them. This is not the same as the case of more transistors on a chip.

Which leaves an open question: Is the cost of delivering AI services going down? Or is the degree of subsidization going up? (Or some combination of the two.) This is difficult to determine at this point, but anything which cannot continue forever will stop.

Maybe it's just me, but if I need to create an account on ...

2025-12-21T20:17:15Z

Maybe it's just me, but if I need to create an account on your online newspaper to read a 'free gift article', I firmly believe said 'free gift article' isn't actually 'free'.

You see 'Free' can mean 'without payment' and it can mean 'unencumbered' and I would argue this 'free gift article' fails both of those meanings: The case for the latter assertion seems obvious, but for the former let me point out your personal information has value – otherwise they wouldn't care.

#privacy #WTF

Here's a, very apropos for the moment, question for the ...

2025-12-20T03:53:50Z

Here's a, very apropos for the moment, question for the lawyerly types here on the Fedi: Is a non-disclosure agreement legal and binding if the thing you agree not to disclose is a crime?

Or, to be more clear, can any of #Epstein's victims who were paid to sign non-disclosure agreements be sued for speaking out now about whatever happened to them?

Because, if yes, perhaps we need to start a defense fund for these women in order to encourage them…

#LegalQuestion #EpsteinFiles

Assuming this is both scalable and at least as efficient as ...

2025-12-19T23:13:38Z

In reply to nevent1q…6vaq
_________________________

Assuming this is both scalable and at least as efficient as current technology, this is a really big deal.

And it's also proof the USA is no longer at the front of the technology wave – all because we've deliberately withheld funding from renewables research. Our leaders are such fucking idiots.

ETA: Here's a non-paywalled article:

> https://interestingengineering.com/energy/china-heat-pump-turns-sunlight-into-heat

Ganked here because the OP I found it on doesn't believe in ...

2025-12-18T01:22:19Z

Ganked here because the OP I found it on doesn't believe in spending two minutes to add alt-text so I would boost it. But I think you guys deserve to see it anyway.

#AI #stupid #WTF

Try having a Siberian Husky. Everything I own is coated with ...

2025-12-16T20:19:23Z

In reply to nevent1q…nsu9
_________________________

Try having a Siberian Husky. Everything I own is coated with white fur and, unless I clean constantly, there are drifts of it around every edge in the house.

We never found the father's body. Some theorized it had ...

2025-12-15T21:47:16Z

In reply to nevent1q…uuft
_________________________

We never found the father's body. Some theorized it had washed all the way out to the Columbia, but there was no trace then or since.

Three people dead and one traumatized for life. All because one man thought he could drive over a road covered by a mere six inches of water.

Why am I telling you this story?

Again: DO NOT DRIVE ON FLOODED ROADS.

[fin]

When the professional crew got there they decided I and my ...

2025-12-15T21:44:50Z

In reply to nevent1q…thfy
_________________________

When the professional crew got there they decided I and my partner needed to retrieve the body, being as we were the ones who found him. (Really because they didn't want to go into that cold water.) So we put on harnesses roped to trees on the bank and waded out.

I'll spare you further details of extricating him from the tree, except the odd one that his skin had turned blue from the cold. About the same color as his faded jeans.

It was the first time I ever touched a dead body.

[contd]

There was no sign of the father or the family friend riding with ...

2025-12-15T21:41:39Z

In reply to nevent1q…6hxh
_________________________

There was no sign of the father or the family friend riding with them. Thus I and the other second-tier volunteers got phone calls and ended up working the river banks on both sides downstream of the accident.

I and my partner (we worked in groups of two) found the neighbor. We almost missed him; he had ended up hugging a tree and then lots of other flotsam and jetsam had wrapped around him, nearly hiding him from view. He was a good five miles from the accident.

And he was dead.

[contd]

Turns out the middle, the part over the island, had washed out. ...

2025-12-15T21:38:51Z

In reply to nevent1q…sfne
_________________________

Turns out the middle, the part over the island, had washed out. The county knew about it and they put down some cones to dissuade people from crossing. But the father of that family knew better.

The car ended up a quarter mile downstream. The father got his daughter out and to shore, then went back for his wife. The daughter walked, freezing and crying to the nearest house and called emergency services.

When first responders got there they found the mother still in the car, drowned.

[contd]

Turns out a local family, people I knew – father, mother, ...

2025-12-15T21:36:07Z

In reply to nevent1q…0p5a
_________________________

Turns out a local family, people I knew – father, mother, daughter and a neighbor – had decided to drive to town that day.

Just north of where I lived there was what we called the 'twin bridges' where a bridge crossed the Klickitat river to a small island and then continued on to the other side. The river was so high at that point there was about six inches of water over the roadway.

Safe to cross? Hardly…

[contd]

And, about that 'driving over flooded roads'… Way back ...

2025-12-15T21:32:37Z

In reply to nevent1q…jwlt
_________________________

And, about that 'driving over flooded roads'…

Way back in 1981 (IIRC) there was major flooding on the Klickitat river on Christmas day. I was actually living near the river at the time and, though the water came nearly up to the house we had no other problems.

At the time I was a lay member of the local fire department. Called out only when they needed extra hands, but not given much in the way of training. The day after Christmas I was called out for a 'Search and Rescue' mission.

[contd]

As the rain returns and the rivers begin to rise again (or rise ...

2025-12-15T21:24:20Z

As the rain returns and the rivers begin to rise again (or rise further, given some have gone down little if at all) one concern is road closures due to mudslides, washouts, and water over roads.

Folks, avoid travel if you can. If you can't, plan ahead and DO NOT DRIVE OVER FLOODED ROADWAYS!

Don't be a statistic.

> Skagit County: https://skagitcounty.maps.arcgis.com/apps/instant/atlas/index.html?appid=f8b09048f89c4762b65b4d7fa0615b02&webmap=8dfa486c6e1045f7829555c5b6bc7f72

> Snohomish County: https://snoco-gis.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=15578784822345459c008d66ed1253ab

> King County: https://kingcounty.gov/en/dept/local-services/transit-transportation-roads/roads-and-bridges/road-closures

> Pierce County: https://www.piercecountywa.gov/4906/Pierce-County-Road-Alerts

#PNW #floods

> "I've heard before about Cory's book…" ...

2025-12-12T23:03:51Z

In reply to nevent1q…g7x3
_________________________

> "I've heard before about Cory's book…"

'Enshittification' has definitely struck the zeitgeist dead center. But you could do far worse than reading some of his fiction too.

Dude! I don't think ANYONE on the Fedi has missed anything ...

2025-12-12T22:34:57Z

In reply to nevent1q…qjn2
_________________________

Dude! I don't think ANYONE on the Fedi has missed anything Cory has done in the last few years. He's like everywhere here now.

RE flooding on the Sauk: I haven't gone to check, although I ...

2025-12-12T20:18:19Z

In reply to nevent1q…68a4
_________________________

RE flooding on the Sauk: I haven't gone to check, although I can hear it roaring in the distance when I go outside – so I know it's definitely up a bit.

One thing you learn up here is to stick close to home during emergencies. Most people killed or injured in these events are out rubbernecking or else refusing to let little things like water over the road stop them from doing what they normally do.

I do plan to check today. Will update my feed later, maybe with pictures.

Rockport State Park has two trails which are good for people who ...

2025-12-12T20:12:50Z

In reply to nevent1q…42la
_________________________

Rockport State Park has two trails which are good for people who don't hike a lot. One is a bit more strenuous than the other, but just a bit. And the other is wheelchair accessible.

> https://parks.wa.gov/find-parks/state-parks/rockport-state-park

And, if you *are* up for a hike that makes you work? Just a little west of the park entrance is the Sauk Mountain trail.

> https://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/sauk-mountain

Yes, the trailhead is quite high up so you don't have to climb the whole mountain. But it's just off vertical from there…

Well, when you live within a ten or twenty minute drive of more ...

2025-12-12T20:05:36Z

In reply to nevent1q…68a4
_________________________

Well, when you live within a ten or twenty minute drive of more than fifty trailheads you gotta try them all! It's like a rule.

And the 'Old Sauk' trail is a favorite of mine for taking along visiting folk who don't normally hike much, since it doesn't have elevation gain worth mentioning, but you still get to see old growth forest and, well, the river.

I live in the Sauk valley. (Not next to the river and safe from ...

2025-12-12T19:43:12Z

In reply to nevent1q…ul5a
_________________________

I live in the Sauk valley. (Not next to the river and safe from floods.) That picture looks to me like the upper Sauk south of Darrington.

Oh, crap. The last time that record was broke was a legitimate ...

2025-12-10T05:19:24Z

Oh, crap. The last time that record was broke was a legitimate disaster.

> Major floods sweep Western WA; Skagit River set to shatter record. https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/weather/major-floods-sweep-western-wa-skagit-river-set-to-shatter-record/

And it's not just the Skagit (which is close to me, but not a concern for my location). We're talking pretty much every major river draining into the Puget Sound north of Rainier.

There's a small chance I could be cut off here if bridges fail both ways. But others have it far worse.

#PNW #flood #weather

A very sneaky way to color the news is to not ask questions you ...

2025-12-05T00:06:40Z

In reply to nevent1q…lyhk
_________________________

A very sneaky way to color the news is to not ask questions you don't want answers to.

Of course, incompetence is always on the table as well.

Reading political opinion columns today feels like watching ...

2025-11-17T21:34:23Z

Reading political opinion columns today feels like watching people awakening, in real time, to the truth the rich and powerful are mostly a cohort of rather dull and incompetent sociopaths winging everything and not the strategic supermen those opinion writers had supposed them to be.

And yet you would think anyone in the position to write political opinion columns would already know that.

#news #politics #uspol

I liked this explanation of the Paradox of Tolerance so much I ...

2025-11-14T19:25:49Z

In reply to nevent1q…ks82
_________________________

I liked this explanation of the Paradox of Tolerance so much I saved it to trot out at times like this:

This headline should start with the word, 'Some': > ...

2025-11-07T19:18:30Z

This headline should start with the word, 'Some':

> Scientists Shocked as Antarctic Glacier Collapses in Record Time. https://scitechdaily.com/scientists-shocked-as-antarctic-glacier-collapses-in-record-time/

Where 'Some' means: "Those scientists incentivized to deny or play down #GlobalWarming and #ClimateChange."

#science #news

Pretty much, except (in my experience) most of them are racist ...

2025-11-05T21:29:05Z

In reply to nevent1q…cean
_________________________

Pretty much, except (in my experience) most of them are *racist* 12 year old boys.

Politics in the USA is historically shifted one to the right from ...

2025-11-05T21:22:10Z

In reply to nevent1q…9h63
_________________________

Politics in the USA is historically shifted one to the right from *everyone* else. What you call Center Right we call Liberal. What you call Liberal we call Socialist. What you call Socialist we call Communist.

Moreover, most USAsians have no clue about the Tankies and equate Anarchism with chaos.

Plus? We have 'Libertarians' who reject non-violence and non-coercion and use their Liberarianism to justify classism and racism. It's crazy.

Not all people have kids because they want them, you know. And do ...

2025-11-03T19:34:18Z

In reply to nevent1q…wyp5
_________________________

Not all people have kids because they want them, you know.

And do not discount the power of total ignorance, for it lies behind so many of the things people do the rest of us find baffling.

Probably not, but I've been in European art museums which ...

2025-10-28T00:31:48Z

In reply to nevent1q…n7ya
_________________________

Probably not, but I've been in European art museums which allowed photography, but had rules against using a flash or a tripod. Not sure why, unless they knew you could never take a really good picture hand-held in that low light and that was their goal?

I was using a monopod in one and they told that counted as a tripod. I actually won that argument somehow, even though I only had one leg to stand on!

2. Consumer spending: Consumer debt is at an all-time high and ...

2025-09-27T19:59:59Z

In reply to nevent1q…n8hy
_________________________

2. Consumer spending: Consumer debt is at an all-time high and price increases from tariffs are finally happening as importers and US manufacturers dependent on imported materials can no longer absorb the extra costs; the spending boom *might* last through Christmas, but it is unsustainable

3. For the first time in more than 80 years the USA is losing its edge as an arms exporter; recent moves by the Administration have caused our biggest customers to start looking elsewhere

[contd]

The USA #economy has so far avoided a recession, despite earlier ...

2025-09-27T19:55:54Z

The USA #economy has so far avoided a recession, despite earlier warnings. Reasons why include continued robust consumer spending and the #AI #bubble.

But, and you knew I'd have a 'but' right? But, we are approaching a point where several of these factors could collapse close to each other:

1. Farming: Immigration restrictions affecting labor availability and tariff wars cutting off entire markets; it comes to a head with the fall harvests

[contd]

#economics

Ever notice how titles asking a question, especially one putting ...

2025-09-27T18:23:11Z

In reply to nevent1q…y2jf
_________________________

Ever notice how titles asking a question, especially one putting a person or organization in a bad light, are *never* followed by articles answering that question in the affirmative?

As a general rule you can skip all blog posts and articles with titles ending in a question mark and never actually miss anything you needed to know.

> I don't recall seeing a single attempt at being An ...

2025-09-27T18:19:53Z

In reply to nevent1q…tpyr
_________________________

> I don't recall seeing a single attempt at being An Influencer here.

I've seen several now, including a couple who have had some success. (Sorry, not gonna point fingers.) But, as you say, this isn't the most fertile field for that kind of thing.

And that's just *one* reason why I love the Fedi. Follower count isn't everything people.

The pressure worked. Sinclair blinked. > Sinclair-owned ABC ...

2025-09-26T19:03:47Z

The pressure worked. Sinclair blinked.

> Sinclair-owned ABC stations will bring ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live’ back to air Friday. https://www.cnbc.com/2025/09/26/sinclair-abc-jimmy-kimmel.html

#politics #uspol #news #JimmyKimmel

The greatest trick the Republican Party ever pulled is convincing ...

2025-09-26T18:38:52Z

In reply to nevent1q…uwmr
_________________________

The greatest trick the Republican Party ever pulled is convincing nearly everyone, including many Democratic Party members, that the Democratic Party is left-liberal and aligned with Marxism.

FWIW? The ACA was modeled after a Republican proposal and was a ...

2025-09-26T18:36:37Z

In reply to nevent1q…r75g
_________________________

FWIW? The ACA was modeled after a Republican proposal and was a giveaway to the medical insurance companies, not a true socialized medicine program.

The fact Republican's pretended to fight it at the time and continued to complain endlessly and bitterly about it since was – and remains – posturing.

Stop thinking of the Democratic Party as liberals. They are Center-Right and get the liberal vote only because their opposition are worse.