Nostr notes by KeithMukai

Luckily I've never been a baseball fan! But I would have been ...

2026-09-15T22:02:44Z

In reply to nevent1q…eshu
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Luckily I've never been a baseball fan! But I would have been a Cubs fan.

I had Claude take the Chicago Bears logo and vertically extrude ...

2026-09-14T22:05:04Z

I had Claude take the Chicago Bears logo and vertically extrude it into a 3d-printable STL.

Kind of amazed how well it turned out! Hard to appreciate the 3d extrusion from the top view.

As far as I can remember, verifying your multisig change/receive ...

2026-08-23T12:31:37Z

In reply to nevent1q…89xz
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As far as I can remember, verifying your multisig change/receive addrs has always been possible.

But it requires scanning your "known good" descriptor. We do not have a way to store the decriptor for you. I think eventually we'll support reading from a data-only SD card (i.e. a diff card from the one you boot with).

But having a copy of your descriptor alongside each key in a multisig is a best practice, obv. And scanning it from a pdf printout (the kind Sparrow will auto-generate for you) is easier and faster than swapping SD cards (which will then probably require an additional UI selection step if there are multiple descriptors on the card).

I'd also rather store the paper printout than a tiny SD card. And you'd want a paper backup even if you had it on an SD card since you can't trust digital storage media for long-term storage.

Slight inaccuracy (but not in a way that impacts security, so ...

2026-08-20T16:34:08Z

In reply to nevent1q…jvuc
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Slight inaccuracy (but not in a way that impacts security, so relax!):

The code has support already in place for coin flip entropy but there is no UI flow for it yet.

Users are limited to:
* Picking bip39 words out of a bowl and using the Calc Final Word feature.
* Dice rolls (50 or 99, strictly enforced)
* Image entropy

There IS a PR for coin flips, but it went stale at the end of last year. I very much want to revive it now, but there are some UI tweaks it's going to need.

It's basically fully functioning on the esp32-P4. But on hold ...

2026-08-18T18:33:25Z

In reply to nevent1q…98dl
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It's basically fully functioning on the esp32-P4. But on hold for a bit while we focus on an update to close some vulnerabilities (nothing house-on-fire level but worth addressing).

I've been estimating that full code review on the esp32 work will take 6-12mo. We've always been very cautious and have moved slowly on purpose. But even moreso now.

That being said, everything is FOSS so some people have begun buying the hardware and running the experimental code.

https://github.com/kdmukai/seedsigner-micropython-builder

Ha, awesome! I'm sure it's fine, though the ...

2026-08-17T19:44:47Z

In reply to nevent1q…xqaq
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Ha, awesome!

I'm sure it's fine, though the "akshually" side of me would like to see more side-to-side tumble.

"Taproot multisig" can mean many things. I don't ...

2026-08-11T16:13:09Z

In reply to nevent1q…k5p0
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"Taproot multisig" can mean many things.

I don't think anyone uses script-based taproot multisig since it basically just parallels the onchain footprint (and inefficiency) of current multisig.

musig2 I think is somewhat live-ish or close to it on Lightning. But oly really makes sense for always-on hot wallets due to the rounds of interaction required by musig2.

FROST is more or less in production via FrostSnap. But I think that approach only got finalized in the last year or so.

Everything just naturally lags. We're still early in the rollout of more robust miniscript use cases (Liana, Anchorwatch) and that has a couple years' worth of a headstart on musig2, FROST, etc.

Even taproot miniscript is itself just barely being adopted.

Dunno if anyone is really designing solutions involving tapleafs in production yet.

In general each setup seems to end up having a lifespan of about ...

2026-08-11T01:13:45Z

In reply to nevent1q…s7zl
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In general each setup seems to end up having a lifespan of about 5yrs. New things come up (e.g. I added an Unchained multisig to the mix) and some setups just start seeming pretty dated (my first multisig was nested segwit).

In the coming years... spin up some miniscript setups (Anchorwatch, Liana)? Play with FROST?

Maybe a bip360 PQ Taproot setup...

etc etc.

Overall I think people are just too precious about these things. You can't get a setup perfectly right and stay there for the next 40 years. I'm still learning and bitcoin tech keeps evolving, so... so do my setups.

Ha, no, I'm actually a paper + thermal laminator maxi. I ...

2026-08-10T00:27:17Z

In reply to nevent1q…lyv5
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Ha, no, I'm actually a paper + thermal laminator maxi. I create too many seeds and end up rotating seeds out too often to deal with trying to preserve anything in metal.

I assumed you hadn't said anything nasty directly to me. I ...

2026-08-09T22:51:09Z

In reply to nevent1q…7yk8
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I assumed you hadn't said anything nasty directly to me. I tend to be mild enough that people aren't tossing grenades at me.

I was trying to say above that if I happened to be scrolling through someone ELSE's thread that I wasn't a part of and saw something particularly out of bounds, I'd sometimes block.

At any rate, I've unblocked you over there.

Thanks to that "distance", you've evaluated ...

2026-08-09T20:24:52Z

In reply to nevent1q…a39y
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Thanks to that "distance", you've evaluated absolutely nothing.

You've shared an opinion, based solely on your feels.

The only verification here is you confirming to everyone just how useful your "at a distance" opinion is.

An unassailable "at a distance" dismissal would instead go something like: "I haven't reviewed the code. I don't care to review the code. I have no intention of using it so none of that is worth my time."

Thanks! But to be fair, Claude wrote it and I just had to battle ...

2026-08-08T19:22:53Z

In reply to nevent1q…jr7j
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Thanks! But to be fair, Claude wrote it and I just had to battle with it. The initial task I gave it was so strict (like "no overexaggerations", "rigorous verifiable facts only", "no hiding inconvenient data", etc) that it way overcorrected and was like, "The worst result was obtained only while Keith was eating a sandwich so further tests are needed to be sure this is truly reproducible or is in some way tied to the sandwich. Working theory is it was the salami."

We are aware of a few edge case bugs that will be patched, but ...

2026-08-08T17:15:52Z

In reply to nevent1q…ew42
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We are aware of a few edge case bugs that will be patched, but none considered HOUSE ON FIRE level of concern. I'm just starting to work through our highest priority ones, but will loop back to cross verify against your findings.

But overall the more eyes (AI or otherwise) the better. Thank you for spending some tokens to scan us!

This is an option as well if you want to participate in auditing ...

2026-08-08T15:04:28Z

In reply to nevent1q…fqve
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This is an option as well if you want to participate in auditing / testing out the process:

quoting
nevent1q…e444
The writeup's github repo has everything you need to build the test image I used to capture all the actual camera data.

It's intentionally instrumented to NOT generate the final seed, just in case someone distributes it and tries to pass it off as a legit release.

Point an AI at it that has access to a computer to compile on and fire away.

https://github.com/kdmukAI-bot/seedsigner-ai-analysis

The writeup's github repo has everything you need to build ...

2026-08-08T15:02:40Z

In reply to nevent1q…80qq
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The writeup's github repo has everything you need to build the test image I used to capture all the actual camera data.

It's intentionally instrumented to NOT generate the final seed, just in case someone distributes it and tries to pass it off as a legit release.

Point an AI at it that has access to a computer to compile on and fire away.

https://github.com/kdmukAI-bot/seedsigner-ai-analysis

The next doc I'm working on goes into how SeedSigner ...

2026-08-08T14:58:24Z

In reply to nevent1q…dlyf
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The next doc I'm working on goes into how SeedSigner processes dice rolls, and a little bit about what other approaches there are in the ecosystem.

tldr: there is NO common standard, though there was a pretty good center of gravity around the method we and Coldcard and a few others use. But with Coldcard dropping out, it's pretty messy.

1.) Search my twitter posts for any mention of any part of that ...

2026-08-08T14:56:13Z

In reply to nevent1q…9shq
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1.) Search my twitter posts for any mention of any part of that discussion. "Neutral", at least publicly, would be a fair characterization.

2.) "Which means you definitely should not trust a software process..." I agree. Which is why the code is fully FOSS so that anyone can extensively VERIFY every aspect of it. There is no "Trust me, bro" in the SeedSigner stack.

If you're not interested in verifying the code (or pointing an AI at it), that's your choice and obv no one is forcing you to use a SeedSigner in the first place.

Opt in or don't. Verify or don't. Any perceived barriers or risks are strictly around what you are willing or not willing to do.

I don't mean that as some kind of insult or burn.

I'm just saying there's no part of this process that relies on the user taking me at my word.

You invoke the word "trust" as if I'm expecting that of the reader.

That's your misunderstanding you're strawmanning out to the world.

Though the reproducible build was all @nprofile…t8hd !

2026-08-08T02:13:00Z

In reply to nevent1q…9ke5
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Though the reproducible build was all newtonick (nprofile…t8hd) !

Nostr event nevent1qqsdwwsna9e5mu8y3qu47rfsg0hr28tpcunaxqvevuq6m4t7e5n5nnczypdsardxlha6vccrs6gtxlfpdkp5tf3rese7zyd06rmn3mthj279g323ufs

2026-08-08T02:11:36Z

In reply to nevent1q…5yds
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Indeed!

Yes, but it was always just meant as a demo. Not really practical ...

2026-08-08T02:08:33Z

In reply to nevent1q…33u5
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Yes, but it was always just meant as a demo. Not really practical to do airgapped nostr signing. My hope was that it would get people onboard with the delegated signing key (nip26?) but that effort fizzled out.

YES. Fully reproducible since ~v0.6.0. ...

2026-08-08T02:07:20Z

In reply to nevent1q…rh3e
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YES. Fully reproducible since ~v0.6.0.

https://github.com/SeedSigner/seedsigner-os/blob/main/docs/building.md

Do the reproducible build!!!! Do it do it do it!!!

2026-08-08T02:02:26Z

In reply to nevent1q…ue6g
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Do the reproducible build!!!! Do it do it do it!!!

By design you can only review the PROCESS, not verify each ...

2026-08-08T02:01:48Z

In reply to nevent1q…f8c6
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By design you can only review the PROCESS, not verify each individual result.

"what if the software mistakenly doesn't use the photograph to calculate the entropy..."

Of course there can be bugs. But the point of code review (and now AI review) is to fully explore all possible outcomes. Code isn't magical. If a piece of code says:

if blah: go left
else: go right

There's just no "what if...!!!" concern about it going straight. Every outcome WILL turn left or right.

Plenty of code is simple enough that its outcomes ARE entirely knowable and bounded. Complex code is obv harder to sort through all the possibilities and, yes, people and AI can miss things.

But you have to calibrate these "what if...?!!!" against reality. What if my calculator says 2 + 2 = 5?

The whole point of my analysis was to give any other AIs a head start on how to dig through this part of the code AND verify the analysis of my data.

But also everyone gets to choose for themselves what they are or are not comfortable with. If you're a NO on image entropy, throw dice or pick words out of a jar.

Sorry for neglecting all you nostr folks! Most important thing ...

2026-08-08T01:14:31Z

Sorry for neglecting all you nostr folks!

Most important thing you missed: I did as careful an analysis as I could to dig into AND stress test the SeedSigner (nprofile…w6hy) image entropy feature.

Could AI find flaws? What kind of entropy quality does the actual image data provide? What are the degenerate worst-case scenarios?

I structured this so it would be easy to be adversarially reviewed by anyone else's AI. Don't trust, verify.

https://kdmukai-bot.github.io/seedsigner-ai-analysis/image-entropy/

As various twitter battles have gotten noisy, if someone has a ...

2026-08-08T01:10:08Z

In reply to nevent1q…gqm5
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As various twitter battles have gotten noisy, if someone has a particularly nasty reply in a thread I'm perusing, I'll tend to block. Not saying that was necessarily the reason in your case. I have no clue.

I guess I could have / should have just muted people. I have a few extremist friends that kind of get a pass but only because I know them in real life. But in general I just don't want shouting in my curated corner of the internet.

With all the (justifiable) anger going around after this Coldcard disaster, I'm actively trying to set an example by being steady and fair. So by contrast, if you ever lashed out in fury about something (whether justified or not), that's the most likely reason.

I basically treat twitter as my "work" account (mostly just post SeedSigner updates) and scroll for fun. So I curate accordingly.

Appreciate you!

2026-08-08T00:59:07Z

In reply to nevent1q…4cfq
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Appreciate you!

Six possible values don't fit cleanly into binary math: 2^2 = ...

2026-08-08T00:55:53Z

In reply to nevent1q…jp5j
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Six possible values don't fit cleanly into binary math:

2^2 = 4 possible values
2^3 = 8 possible values

So there are some convoluted schemes to try to stuff the six values into a binary format that just wasn't meant to accommodate them (see discussions on iancoleman.io's github repo related to "bias" in terms of fitting into binary data).

But if you instead treat each roll as a character:

The character "5", not the number 5

Then you express your dice rolls as a text string:

"62446342425241113..."

And feed that string into sha256.

Change any of those rolls at any position and you get a totally different sha256 hash.

So each position in that text string has 6 possible values. And each different value yields a totally different sha256 hash. And the position of those values matters (swapping the 1st and 2nd = totally diff hash).

So assuming that sha256 isn't broken, you're providing 6^n amount of unique outcomes, where n is the number of rolls.

In other words: the total space of possible outcomes is exactly as huge as it's supposed to be.

99 rolls gets you 10^77 possible outcomes (supposedly sha256 loses ~0.5 bit, but okay). With none of the bit-fitting gymnastics.

Nostr event nevent1qqsfx3h5n4x9g3u54znnj8sc5gcylmtsqu26evzu7c343vsmdqawqlczypdsardxlha6vccrs6gtxlfpdkp5tf3rese7zyd06rmn3mthj279gshgg5t

2026-08-08T00:45:20Z

In reply to nevent1q…nrr8
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😂

I mean I do pop in from time to time to write some killer movie ...

2026-08-03T20:35:20Z

In reply to nevent1q…9l7a
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I mean I do pop in from time to time to write some killer movie reviews.

Yes! I embrace my custodial LN overlords!!!

2026-08-03T20:34:35Z

In reply to nevent1q…hpk7
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Yes! I embrace my custodial LN overlords!!!

Don't trust, verify, but I had Claude compare Pi Zero camera ...

2026-08-02T12:59:45Z

In reply to nevent1q…aaqe
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Don't trust, verify, but I had Claude compare Pi Zero camera captures with the camera face down on a desk in a dark room. Consecutive captures were mostly black, of course, but still had 74,000 bits of variation between them.

So "a bit of sensor noise" is actually a shit ton. Sensors, especially cheap ones like the Raspi camera, are noisy af.

Second, any photo is going to have variations from shot-to-shot. It's just not possible to take the same pixel-for-pixel photo twice (certainly not from a small handheld device), even if the sensor was somehow immune to noise.

Most people wouldn't opt to use a photo of a blank wall as their image entropy, but the math + sensor reality (plus all the additional preview frames being hashed in) says it's effectively not any worse than, say, a chaotic pic of running water or a pile of sand.

Nostr event nevent1qqs07ypm5d5wxp6fyszd4kp0hm8um8l2ums0wgey3uxg52ykrx06ypqzypdsardxlha6vccrs6gtxlfpdkp5tf3rese7zyd06rmn3mthj279gmpw2hz

2026-08-02T12:51:03Z

In reply to nevent1q…u9rq
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see: nevent1qqsygwma2evf9pz3nzycqvtysfj906574l3pc5m98vnm0lqp6y6qt9qaqq3ey

The entropy check is the user's eyeballs. The camera data is ...

2026-08-02T12:46:38Z

In reply to nevent1q…8dhf
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The entropy check is the user's eyeballs.

The camera data is displayed on screen. There's even a final photo presentation that waits for the user's "accept/retry" review.

Image entropy is orders of magnitude more entropy than dice.

480x480 pixels * 24 bits per pixel.

Even if the sensor isn't capable of reproducing every possible color value, heck, even if it just produced black and white threshold (on/off) pixels, you'd still have 480x480 = 230,400 bits of data.

AND up to 50 of the live preview frames at 240x240 are chain hashed in.

It's insane overkill.

The basic simplicity of SeedSigner is both its saving grace and ...

2026-08-01T05:05:25Z

In reply to nevent1q…md0j
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The basic simplicity of SeedSigner is both its saving grace and basically its best feature.

"get funded again..." There's no "again". ...

2026-08-01T05:02:56Z

In reply to nevent1q…3k6q
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"get funded again..." There's no "again". OpenSats has never given a grant to SeedSigner.

They rejected our project-wide grant application and then over the years they rejected all three of my personal applications to fund my work on SeedSigner.

HAMNET (2025) Director Chloé Zhao brings incredible filmmaking ...

2026-06-20T16:07:30Z

HAMNET (2025)

Director Chloé Zhao brings incredible filmmaking talent to adopt Maggie O'Farrell's lovely (but flawed) novel, with O'Farrell along as a co-writer on the screenplay.

The film fixes many of the novel's core flaws, but... makes its own unfortunate bad decisions along the way.

First of all, the film is gorgeous and patient, matching the feel of Agnes' deep inner world that is so well conveyed in the novel. Zhao is impressively UN-intrusive in her directing and editing; she stays on the actors for long takes so that moments can just play out.

But the approach never feels boring or small. The performances are so strong that you don't need or want choppy cuts or dramatically panning cameras swooshing about. Zhao is the anti-Michael Bay.

The GOOD:

The film fixes the novel's biggest flaw in that Shakespeare himself is unrecognizable. Yes, his identity is intentionally obscured (it's about HER, not HIM) but it's utterly unbelievable that this character would become the world-reknowned Shakespeare.

So instead the film shows more of his passion for writing and the development of his craft. Even dropping in a moment of him working through early Romeo & Juliet lines.

The BAD:

But then the film way overcorrects and succumbs to the cheap writer trap that O'Farrell had gone out of her way to avoid: working too many of Shakespeare's most famous lines directly into the script.

As he contemplates suicide, he begins to extemporaneously invent the Hamlet "to be or not to be" monologue.

Are you fucking kidding me? No no no no.

The SAME:

The novel's original exploration -- what's the relationship between Shakespeare's son Hamnet (who dies at 11yrs old) and the play Hamlet (which was written 4yrs later)? -- never came together. There just aren't connective threads; the play in no way reflects on a son dying in childhood. Yes, Hamlet dies at the end of the play, and the moment is played up to full effect in the film. But still no real connective tissue.

And so the film has no answer either.

But also BETTER:

Zhao does manage to elevate the ending over the novel's deeply dissatisfying one. It doesn't solve the core problem, but it does fill much of the hole.

* It's more about Agnes experiencing the power of Shakespeare's work for the first time. She finally gets it. Finally sees that, yeah, okay, maybe he's not a total ass for giving time to this pursuit instead of staying with his family.

* Shakespeare playing the ghost of the king saying farewell to his son Hamlet IS nicely done (and not in the novel). Having been away when 11yr old Hamnet died, it gives him a deep symbolic closure he needs.

* There IS a nice phrasing callback (the ONE instance I'll allow!). It's Agnes early on who uses the phrase "undiscovered countries" which helps melt her anger toward her husband when she hears Hamlet utter it in the "To be or not to be" monologue.

* There's a really, really lovely moment of closure that brings home her dying son's spiritual journey with the closing moments of the onstage Hamlet performance. It's wonderful. But, notably, could have happened at the end of any of Shakespeare's plays.

A MODEST REWRITE:

There's a scene in the film where Shakespeare is training his son in a stage swordfighting sequence. In a different scene, Hamnet tells his mother that he wants to work at his dad's theater as an actor.

So let's combine them and have that convo with dad. Dad can naturally say, "Oh, then I'll have to write you a leading role!"

And then... (yes, tiptoeing on cringe factor): "You know... there IS a famous HAMLET who has quite a story to tell."

The boy, excited, wants to hear more. "Well son, it would be quite serious. A tragedy. BUT... with a GRAND final swordfight!!" and back to play swordfighting...

That's it. That's the whole Hamnet <-> Hamlet connection. We can infer that at some point in his grief, Shakespeare recalled this moment and dragged himself to make it happen. The work becomes a tribute to his son -- the role his son would have starred in. The name coincidence would just be the initial inspiration, nothing more.

And all of Zhao's nice additions at the end still work.

---

nevent1qy2hwumn8ghj7un9d3shjtnyv9kh2uewd9hj7qg3waehxw309ahx7um5wgh8w6twv5hszrnhwden5te0dehhxtnvdakz7qpq892q23euv4yycswxajcpxutmqppul97xej39mh9824rnl75cjr9qy4cxe5

👀!!

2026-06-16T03:47:55Z

In reply to nevent1q…rutv
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👀!!

Yep, though I did laugh at the dying emperor this time. He sounds ...

2026-06-16T00:52:25Z

In reply to nevent1q…fzqt
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Yep, though I did laugh at the dying emperor this time. He sounds like an old, hardened, angry Grover / Yoda.

https://youtu.be/mCCtFEX7U1k?t=80

Worth it!! I still really enjoyed it for myself. Just sad that ...

2026-06-16T00:45:23Z

In reply to nevent1q…0kxd
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Worth it!!

I still really enjoyed it for myself. Just sad that it's not one I'll be sharing with the teenagers.

Like the kid in me will always think Return of the Jedi is clearly the best Star Wars movie. But adult me shifted to Empire Strikes Back. And now I'd probably vote Rogue One. But whatever got locked in during childhood is pretty hard to shake.

Yes, on the one hand I appreciate the pacing. In a way, ...

2026-06-15T23:15:55Z

In reply to nevent1q…wzet
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Yes, on the one hand I appreciate the pacing. In a way, that's part of its uniqueness. But so much of those calm, slower moments are carried by the two puppet leads. And there's just not enough "there" there. Certainly not by modern standards.

We've crossed the pacing chasm; I'd never try to have my nieces watch 2001 with me, either. That demands SO MUCH f'n patience. Kubrick's pacing in general (even THE SHINING) is just of an era where I'm the youth with the too-short attention span. So forget actual kids today giving it a try.

Michael Bay was a "ha-ha, you all have ADHD after watching my movie" early innovator. There's no going back.

Definitely do. It's GORGEOUS. Of course there are flaws, but ...

2026-06-15T23:10:03Z

In reply to nevent1q…9g5a
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Definitely do. It's GORGEOUS. Of course there are flaws, but those are all in-camera (out of focus shots, etc). And the UHD / HDR10 is worth it just to see the rich purple glow of the crystal.

I just rewatched it two nights ago and my childhood fondness for it was STILL almost overpowering my opinion as I was writing this review.

While I was rewatching it: Incredible restoration! + my nieces will HATE the experience of sitting through this.

Thinking about it right now: But it's so memorable and surely its highlights outweigh its flaws, right?!

Childhood me remains in deep denial here.

Related: The writer, Andrew Niccol, also wrote Gattaca. My ...

2026-06-15T22:59:55Z

In reply to nevent1q…dd0h
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Related: The writer, Andrew Niccol, also wrote Gattaca. My Molecular Biology prof raved about Gattaca and implored all of us to see it.

Niccol definitely owned an interesting creative-intellectual niche in the '90s.

THE DARK CRYSTAL (1982) The new 4k UHD restoration looks AMAZING. ...

2026-06-15T22:56:56Z

THE DARK CRYSTAL (1982)

The new 4k UHD restoration looks AMAZING.

But after a fresh viewing, it PAINS me to say this but: the movie only really works if you first see it as a ~8-12yr old.

It's just too slow and weird and dated to get through once you're older.

It has a special place in my heart since I first saw it when I was probably a little too young for it: it was scary and challenging and hideous and magical.

I was hoping to watch it with my teenage nieces, but it definitely would NOT work for them. The creepy creatures and various delights would still land, but there's just too much slower paced / puppet awkwardness "meh" that would make it a slog for them to get through.

If you think of it fondly, definitely watch this restored version (dunno if it's available via streaming or only on the 4k disc). It's an absolutely marvelous effort to capture everything this had to offer 44 years ago.

4k is so sharp that you can now see the wires holding up the crystal 🤣!

The film is a remarkable achievement... but also an artifact of the past.

THE TRUMAN SHOW (1998) Killer combo of director Peter Weir + ...

2026-06-15T22:37:25Z

THE TRUMAN SHOW (1998)

Killer combo of director Peter Weir + writer Andrew Niccol.

Great news: It still holds up extremely well almost 30yrs later.

Back then it was wildly inventive speculation on how far the then-nascent reality TV craze might go. In 2026 it's just as fun and interesting and entertaining, but is no longer shockingly absurd. If anything, it's too idealistic.

Part of the fun in revisiting some of these movies is when they have a new 4k UHD restoration. This one looks great, relative to its modest source material (though it's astonishing to think that THE MATRIX was just one year later and looks incredible).

MOON (2009) Director Duncan Jones' debut. He clearly has a ...

2026-06-15T22:05:54Z

MOON (2009)

Director Duncan Jones' debut. He clearly has a knack for pretty well-made yet stealthily low budget movies (see: SOURCE CODE).

Respectable effort here. Somewhat intriguing premise. But some odd misses for crucial emotional turns. This is a one-man character study / situation study and you just can't screw up how you deliver his evolving internal state.

* Biggest complaint (mild spoilers): After being completely isolated for almost 3 years, Sam awakens to find there's a clone of him(!!) at the base. His reaction: mild, dull confusion. And moments earlier his clone (not knowing he's a clone) finds Sam #1 near death and rescues him. Sam #2's reaction is also way too muted and internal.

Both of them should have been:

I have no clue why they chose to play it this way.

* (bigger spoiler) It's clear that the clones have a 3yr lifespan and Sam #1 discovers a long history of Sam clones hitting their expiration date, just as he's about to. But, oddly again, that realization is only half played out. And he doesn't share that info with Sam #2 who will be similarly doomed in 3yrs.

* So the writing and directing is a disappointment here. Surprising considering how well-executed Jones' follow-up SOURCE CODE was.

* The vapid THE SIXTH DAY (2000) covered some of the same philosophical / moral ground and, embarrassingly, did it better than MOON.

Yeah, that's a nice comp, too. I fed Claude some movie picks ...

2026-06-10T16:29:32Z

In reply to nevent1q…fu98
_________________________

Yeah, that's a nice comp, too.

I fed Claude some movie picks and had it suggest some new ones for me and this came up. I was skeptical, but it was a pretty good pick. I'm now more intrigued by the director's first film, Moon. I have that queued up next.

SOURCE CODE (2011) tldr: It's basically Groundhog Day but... ...

2026-06-10T15:37:15Z

SOURCE CODE (2011)

tldr: It's basically Groundhog Day but... on a train... that blows up in a terrorist attack. Pretty well done mild sci-fi thriller with a simple but really effective emotional core. But not terribly memorable, either.

Interesting faux-science-y premise: Mostly hand-wavey quantum state magic leftover in a dead person's brain lets a soldier explore that person's last eight minutes of life. Not just replaying their memories, but fully interacting with the world as it existed in those 8 minutes.

They boot up this full clone of the universe's quantum state at that point in time over and over again so he can figure out who's responsible for the terrorist attack that goes off at the 8min mark.

* Strikes a nice balance between the ticking clock of uncovering terrorist (can't stop the train from exploding; that already happened. But CAN stop the next, bigger attack), the soldier's own internal struggles and priorities, and a growing bond with a girl on the train (which is hopeless; we already know she died in the explosion).

* The human side is the highlight and really well delivered by the three leads (Gyllenhaal, Monaghan, and Farmiga).

* So it's a shame I won't really remember this movie. Has a lot of great things going for it, but just somehow ends up not being that memorable, perhaps in part due to its small scale (it's mostly a "locked room" thriller in 2 train cars).

* Clever way to make a low-budget sci-fi movie without the audience noticing. Only 2.5 sets: the train where the 8min replay takes place. The command center managing the quantum reboots. And the soldier's cramped technopod.

To be sure I understand: you were able to get everything set up ...

2026-06-10T15:02:18Z

In reply to nevent1q…v235
_________________________

To be sure I understand: you were able to get everything set up for Silent Payment RECEIVE and detecting any utxos sent to your SP addr, right?

The harder work that's still in progress on the SeedSigner side is SP SEND.

I'm eager to get full Silent Payments receive + send support into SeedSigner, but it won't happen until a v0.9.0 that would be many months away (we're just finalizing a v0.8.7 release now).

For whichever employee sorted the Daily Specials this way: THIS ...

2026-06-04T15:55:15Z

For whichever employee sorted the Daily Specials this way:

THIS IS A FIREABLE OFFENSE!!

Sixth book this year: THE MIDNIGHT LIBRARY by Matt Haig. Really ...

2026-06-01T12:36:43Z

Sixth book this year: THE MIDNIGHT LIBRARY by Matt Haig.

Really lovely read. Which is odd to say given that it starts with the protagonist, Nora, having such a miserable day in her incredibly disappointing life that she commits suicide.

But she wakes in an infinite library. Each book is an alternate universe version of her life where she had made different choices. She can jump into those other lives and experience what might have been.

And if she finds one that fits, she can stay and make that her REAL life and live it out to its end.

But if the life proves to have its own unacceptable flaws, she's transported back to the infinite library to choose again.

---

Somehow, despite involving suicide, the novel isn't hopelessly depressing nor unpleasant. Nora's shitty day and state of mind is darkly comedic in a way, with Haig deftly walking the reader across an unusual emotional tightrope.

Each of Nora's alternate lives (Olympic champ! Rock star! Arctic researcher!) fill some hole her real life missed. But they also give her perspective to help her more fully understand her small/shitty/insignificant/failure life in pretty touching and profound and insightful ways.

---

Haig doesn't try too hard, doesn't really go for overly melodramatic schmaltz. Just strikes a lovely, reflective, and generally fun tone throughout. Despite the cosmic / quantum mechanics conceit, he has modest ambitions here (in a good way) and easily succeeds.

It's a book that demands reflection on one's own life. But isn't heavy-handed about it. And almost seems designed to NOT throw you into your own life re-evaluation crisis.

Haig could have punched way harder. But he chose instead to aim for palatable and enjoyable.

I think it was the right call, but totally fair if someone feels it was a missed opportunity to really examine the fuck out of life.

It's interesting. It's well done. It's an easy 6-7hr read. Definitely recommended.

Indeed, they are making massive profits on the $0 I'm ...

2026-06-01T11:52:57Z

In reply to nevent1q…7e4w
_________________________

Indeed, they are making massive profits on the $0 I'm spending on prescription drugs during this rehab process.

Congrats on your keen insight. 😂🤣

Oof, only at about the halfway point through the 6mo rehab after ...

2026-06-01T04:42:10Z

Oof, only at about the halfway point through the 6mo rehab after shoulder surgery. PTs are very happy with my progress, but it's such a grind to push through an hour of this twice a day. Every day. No exceptions.

The repair has healed at this point but the exercises to regain the range of motion HURT.

So sad but these 5lb dumbbells are absolutely kicking my ass. 😢

Some days the effort just saps my resilience / willpower / energy. Need to cook a meal? Nah, mebbe not. Laundry? Pfft. Any annoying parts of my TO-DO list just ain't gonna get done.

I'm prioritizing the recovery. Can't skimp there. Just surprised how little there is left over some days.

quoting
nevent1q…9fwc
Successful shoulder surgery yesterday!

Surgeon wasn't sure what he'd find. Thankfully there was more repairing to do than he had expected. I didn't want to wake up and have him say, "eh, didn't see much, not sure how much it'll help."

So, cool, got a bunch fixed.

Means the recovery will be longer. 6wks in the sling. No driving (👀). 6mo rehab. But it'll be worth it if I can hang from a bar again, tumble again, umm... wash my back again...

And so far no terrible pain, but the nerve block is still wearing off so the pain is steadily increasing.

Probably going to avoid writing any new SeedSigner (nprofile…acnq) PRs until I'm off the narcotics!

Can't say that KumaDawg (nprofile…6nw5) is being extra caring, but she's always a good snuggler so we're getting in good pass-out-from-morphine nap time.

Way back for Nostrica I built a full signing side flow in a dev ...

2026-05-31T22:41:30Z

In reply to nevent1q…gg6e
_________________________

Way back for Nostrica I built a full signing side flow in a dev branch of SeedSigner. Fully functional airgapped nostr signing.

BUT... airgapped nostr signing doesn't make a ton of sense for current social media-like nostr use cases. Part of the goal was to get some momentum behind NIP-26 to create delegated signing keys. The idea was that the only airgapped operation would be to create a new delegate, then you load the delegate into your client as the hot / at-risk key. Eventually it expires and then you generate a new one via SeedSigner.

Touch grass. ✅ @nprofile…h24a ...

2026-03-30T19:33:39Z

Touch grass.

✅ KumaDawg (nprofile…h24a)

I had previously had surgery on the other side for a torn labrum. ...

2026-02-21T19:43:38Z

In reply to nevent1q…rr3r
_________________________

I had previously had surgery on the other side for a torn labrum. For that shoulder I did 6 months of rehab before surgery and it was all just wasted time.

The pain this time was so sharp and stabby that there was just no way that rehab was going to make any kind of a difference.

The surgeon's default course of action was physical therapy, but I explained the same thing to him and he just kind of nodded and said, "yeah, it does feel like we're going to end up at surgery anyway." So it didn't take much convincing.

Mine started out with random unexpected stabbing pain when ...

2026-02-21T18:16:25Z

In reply to nevent1q…2pe4
_________________________

Mine started out with random unexpected stabbing pain when throwing that arm around. And then when hanging, it would feel like that shoulder was pulling out by a millimeter or so no matter how hard I shrugged against it. And then it just got consistently worse with much worse pain. Started feeling like an ice pic was being jammed in there when exerting force above my head or trying to reach behind my back.

I should've done this a year ago. Wasted time getting out of shape.

Successful shoulder surgery yesterday! ...

2026-02-21T17:54:30Z

Successful shoulder surgery yesterday!

Surgeon wasn't sure what he'd find. Thankfully there was more repairing to do than he had expected. I didn't want to wake up and have him say, "eh, didn't see much, not sure how much it'll help."

So, cool, got a bunch fixed.

Means the recovery will be longer. 6wks in the sling. No driving (👀). 6mo rehab. But it'll be worth it if I can hang from a bar again, tumble again, umm... wash my back again...

And so far no terrible pain, but the nerve block is still wearing off so the pain is steadily increasing.

Probably going to avoid writing any new SeedSigner (nprofile…acnq) PRs until I'm off the narcotics!

Can't say that KumaDawg (nprofile…6nw5) is being extra caring, but she's always a good snuggler so we're getting in good pass-out-from-morphine nap time.

Best crappy handstand I could do the day before my shoulder ...

2026-02-21T17:28:58Z

Best crappy handstand I could do the day before my shoulder surgery. Was a good reinforcement for me for why the surgery was necessary; the limitations I've had the last 12-18mo are NOT acceptable!

(can't do a good handstand if you can't fully open your shoulder angle. Can't adjust the handstand if you can't exert much force through the front of your delts)

I've always been annoyed by Debian's version naming. My ...

2026-02-15T16:33:00Z

I've always been annoyed by Debian's version naming. My first encounters with it were in the "Stretch" and "Buster" eras. Which was the more recent one and which was being phased out?

When you search for compatible binaries, libraries, etc, you have to specifically search by name: We're currently in a "Bookworm" vs "Bullseye" era. Which do I need? And the repetition of the "B" names makes it even harder to remember which is which.

(note to self: Bookworm... except in the older setups that need Bullseye... 😭)

But I never thought to ask what the naming convention was.

Fuck, I kind of love that.

But as cute as it may be, VERSION NUMBERS WILL ALWAYS BE MORE USER-FRIENDLY!!!

I take your point and don't necessarily disagree with any of ...

2026-02-13T21:18:28Z

In reply to nevent1q…723r
_________________________

I take your point and don't necessarily disagree with any of it (yes, even "pedantic"; that's fair).

I try to be open and honest about everything: good or bad. I said "I consider it rude", "I would have been mildly annoyed", and "[this] aggravates me." Statements of fact.

But why is it (or a softer version) even worth saying? We have ONE maintainer and he is stretched very thin (full-time normie job, young family). He's our most valuable resource. And we can only move forward at his pace.

So it's aggravating in a stupidly ironic way: the more that people impatiently ask for his attention to pull him different directions, the SLOWER things go for everyone.

As for a lack of gratitude: this episode taken in isolation, sure. I get that and that hurts to hear.

But I think people who know the project well will paint you a vastly different picture.

So I'm confused. You agreed that the "@" mentions ...

2026-02-13T18:47:03Z

In reply to nevent1q…c786
_________________________

So I'm confused. You agreed that the "@" mentions were "unnecessary" and said "I understand" the criticism.

But you seem to suggest otherwise in your joking response above.

I usually try to balance harsher critiques with still being constructive and taking the discussion seriously. But it's hard. When you're annoyed, the last thing you want to be is helpful and constructive. And yet...

...and now after the subsequent follow-ups, the PR is much stronger and in a good position to keep moving forward.

So, ngl, it felt really shitty to see this.

Back to being constructive: it did make me think that we should update the PR template with more guidance about our preferred etiquette.

Last summer we had a wave of new Summer of Bitcoin students vying ...

2026-02-13T18:13:34Z

In reply to nevent1q…rmvp
_________________________

Last summer we had a wave of new Summer of Bitcoin students vying to contribute to the project. Most had never contributed to an open source project before and were a giant challenge to our limited volunteer resources.

Guidelines and rules of conduct had to be established to keep all of us sane. Same applies here.

Tell me where I overstepped in my critique above.

I haven't gotten too deep into AI yet, but is this logo an ...

2026-02-11T23:29:32Z

I haven't gotten too deep into AI yet, but is this logo an actual wink to Vonnegut or do the folks there just not read? 🤣

REVERSE SEAR YOUR SALMON!! The ultimate crispy + buttery smooth ...

2026-02-09T19:11:31Z

REVERSE SEAR YOUR SALMON!!

The ultimate crispy + buttery smooth combo!

My first time trying it (I usually just saute small single-serving thin filets in a cast iron pan). Amazing results! It's better overall AND easier to cook thicker filets and larger portions.

Pre-salt it on both sides. Light coat of high-temp oil (I use avocado).

Oven at a low 325°F. Cook until internal temp hits 135°F. This 1lb cut was about 1.5" thick so it took about 25min. Low and slow keeps it moist.

You could let it proceed to 145°F and eat it as-is, but low-temp baked salmon just looks horrible. Do the next step!

Prep a blazing hot cast iron pan w/more oil or butter. Just like a steak, sear the shit out of all sides with high heat. Should only take ~30s per side, plus the edges.

Perfectly juicy on the inside (and, yes, I left the temp probe in and confirmed that the center reached 145°F during the sear). The sear gives it a flavor kick and looks SO MUCH better than baked salmon's gross pastiness.

I then used the leftover oil and the hot cast iron pan to saute broccoli, mixed in some spinach and miso paste at the end.

FOURTH book of the year finished last week! ...

2026-02-09T15:06:58Z

FOURTH book of the year finished last week!

HAMNET is a fictional portrayal of Shakespeare's real son who died of the plague. O'Farrell says she couldn't understand how Shakespeare could write "Hamlet" just 4yrs after his Hamnet's death. So she had to explore it.

This opening note explains wtf is up with the weird HamNet vs HamLet thing happening here, which I found maddening upon first hearing about this book:

O'Farrell is a beautiful writer. It's somewhat stream-of-consciousness; a character enters a room and notes each moment that hits their senses: this quality of the light, a faint aroma, etc. O'Farrell is a lovely observer of the world and imbues her main character, Shakespeare's wife, Agnes, with a deep connection to nature.

It took me about 50 pages to get settled in and accustomed to O'Farrell's style. Well worth it. "Lovely" really is the key word here.

(pretty baller way to open the novel!)

And this really is Agnes' story. The Shakespeare-y-ness of it all is deliberately shrouded; the name Shakespeare is never mentioned and her husband's first name is actually never uttered, either.

Agnes has a kind of magic about her via her deep intuitions. It's lovely and in a horrible way makes the death of her son even more painful. I absolutely can NOT recommend this for anyone who has young children; it's just too steeped in the mother's grief and despair.

(The book has been adapted into a film that is now winning all the awards)

One critique: the portrayal of Shakespeare as a ne'er-do-well lost dreamer just isn't credible. There's no way he could discover theater in early adulthood and within 4 years write "Hamlet". The works of Shakespeare reflect a life dedicated deeply to the craft from an early age. Simply wandering into his calling later in life is absurd.

At a showing of "Hamlet" he even wonders to himself if his writing is any good. Abso-fucking-lutely absurd to have that kind of doubt when that play is the pinnacle of his skills.

Another: When O'Farrell finally pays off the concept -- how does Hamnet relate to "Hamlet"? -- it's quite disappointing. Cathartic for Agnes but just a too-thin attempt to join the ideas together for anyone who's studied the play. "Hamlet" just isn't how you'd honor your dead 11yr old son.

O'Farrell seems to get unmoored as Agnes is lost in despair. Her narrative stops making much progress and then the final payoff is meh.

But overall, O'Farrell is such a strong writer and Agnes being such a unique, in-tune creature in the world make HAMNET still well worth the read.

---
*(My UCLA Shakespeare prof favored the theory that the Earl of Oxford, Edward de Vere, was really the author of Shakespeare's plays. De Vere had the privilege and deep + broad education that was exceptionally rare at the time that would seem to be a prerequisite for being able to produce those plays. Always made more sense to me)

Yeah, the silver lining of sorts from the earlier stress of ...

2026-02-04T17:48:31Z

In reply to nevent1q…dh0s
_________________________

Yeah, the silver lining of sorts from the earlier stress of dealing with her brain tumor is that it felt so certain at the time that we were going to lose her. So there was a whole anticipatory mourning process to go through. And when the drugs and radiation proved effective, everything changed.

That's why I use the phrase "bonus time".

So I feel a little more prepared for when the day eventually comes, but, yeah, will still be really difficult.

Got some AMAZING news yesterday: @nprofile…6nw5's giant ...

2026-02-04T15:50:31Z

Got some AMAZING news yesterday: KumaDawg (nprofile…6nw5)'s giant golfball-sized brain tumor has "almost completely resolved"!

There is residual meningioma around the outside of her brain, but her doc says she has "an estimated 90% reduction in overall tumor burden"!

Her pet insurance covered the very expensive radiation therapy to zap the tumor last April. Now 10 months later her doc is thrilled to say that this is probably the best outcome he's ever seen.

She has residual brain damage and will need to stay on her anti-seizure meds. And there's no way to predict if or when the tumor might come charging back.

But for now there's a real chance that she'll live well past her upcoming 8th birthday.

She's my first doggie and, as a single guy, my only constant companion. The moment I sit on the couch, she hops up to snuggle. Every time. No creature (dog, human, or otherwise) has ever wanted to spend so much time with me, so consistently. 🤣

So glad to get this bonus time with her!

Proxmox and especially PBS.

2026-02-01T23:18:26Z

In reply to nevent1q…6wwc
_________________________

Proxmox and especially PBS.

That's basically where I've landed for now after burning ...

2026-01-29T21:44:23Z

In reply to nevent1q…fu0s
_________________________

That's basically where I've landed for now after burning myself out on harder books or "I ought to read this" pressure.

I also just somehow forgot how GOOD a book can be!

Wow, that is a hardcore edition when there's a whole section ...

2026-01-29T21:41:23Z

In reply to nevent1q…0627
_________________________

Wow, that is a hardcore edition when there's a whole section in the info page just for the font!

I was excited to learn that the TV show ends with... the 6th ...

2026-01-29T20:53:25Z

In reply to nevent1q…urn0
_________________________

I was excited to learn that the TV show ends with... the 6th book? So 7, 8, 9 are all unknown story horizons for me! Hadn't expected that much to be left hanging off the edge.

But also trying to not overcommit my time to just this one series. I'd fallen so far out of any kind of reading habit for so long, but now that I'm reading again I don't want to pigeonhole myself.

For me, the price diff of the pretty hardcover was an easy YES. ...

2026-01-29T20:41:46Z

In reply to nevent1q…5xmq
_________________________

For me, the price diff of the pretty hardcover was an easy YES.

I've decided that as long as the hardcover edition of a book isn't grossly overpriced, I'll shell out the extra bit for it.

After reading three sci-fi books in a row, it's time to ...

2026-01-29T20:36:51Z

After reading three sci-fi books in a row, it's time to change things up.

Here's my current queue:

Yes, I'm a typical programmer nerd sci-fi geek. But I also studied Literature at UCLA and loved my two Shakespeare classes. The buzz on "Hamnet" is insane and it's a shorter read. And I'd rather read the book first before seeing the film.

Excited to keep working my way through The Expanse series, but a 9-book series is a heavy load. I'll keep them spaced out a bit so I don't go stale.

---

Aside: I haven't read all of Shakespeare's works, but I think Hamlet is the best written while The Tempest is probably my favorite (it's pretty intense to read it as Shakespeare speaking almost directly for himself via Prospero).

Finished reading my THIRD book this year! Leviathan Wakes (The ...

2026-01-29T20:21:33Z

Finished reading my THIRD book this year!

Leviathan Wakes (The Expanse book 1)

Gorgeous 10th anniversary edition!

Loved the TV show but only now getting around to reading the books.

The authors are very good writers. Reading this right after Andy Weir and John Scalzi is a night-and-day difference. Abraham and Franck (aka "James S. A. Corey") are adults who write like they've thoroughly experienced the real world.

The tight pacing caters to short attention spans (they imposed their own target of ~3k words per chapter) but isn't insultingly dumbed down like a Dan Brown novel (he intentionally writes for a ~6th grade reading level).

The chapter structure alternates between the two main characters' POV, giving us a very rich look inside their very different minds.

These are writers who understand people in a deep way that a lot of (most?) sci-fi nerd authors totally lack. Their characters have depth, grit, imperfections, hard-earned wisdom. Dialog and especially their inner thoughts are spot-on. They're not trying to create characters, they're just letting these "real" people speak and act for themselves.

That being said, since I saw the TV show first, I can't say how disorienting or not it might be for completely noob eyes to take in and keep track of the wide variety of characters. I complained that with "Redshirts", an ensemble cast doesn't work in a novel. You'll have to tell me if this succeeds where "Redshirts" failed.

The sci-fi elements are of course fascinating and so richly detailed and well thought out; everything in this first book is foundational to why the TV series was so successful (btw: this book is roughly the first 1.5 seasons).

I did not expect to be this impressed. Read it.

That all being said, your note about engaging via writing is ...

2026-01-29T16:18:37Z

In reply to nevent1q…pt4u
_________________________

That all being said, your note about engaging via writing is spot-on.

I got to teach "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" to the most advanced AP kids in the high school where I did my student teaching. We would read a few pages each night and their homework was to identify a passage that intrigued them (there is NO shortage of thought-provoking passages in that book!!!).

We'd then spend the first 10 minutes writing a reflection on whatever passage we chose. We'd spend another 5-10 minutes sharing some of those reflections and discussing.

I would write a reflection as well w/each class and then post them to our class website.

It was absolutely amazing.

Plato is a beast to read. If I'm remembering right, the style ...

2026-01-29T16:13:14Z

In reply to nevent1q…zjqm
_________________________

Plato is a beast to read. If I'm remembering right, the style is to have paragraphs-long winding, complex tangents that take forever to loop back and make a point.

Like you need SO MUCH RAM while you're reading to keep that all in your mental stack before he actually starts using it.

I think of the "Great" books (for whomever's definition or list) like I do the AFI Top 100 Films list. So many of them are on there because they were significant influences on film, BUT... are they actually good / impressive / enjoyable to watch NOW? For so many of them, my answer is: nope nope nope.

It shouldn't be the "Top" film list. It should be the "Most Significant" or "Most Influential" film list.

In the typical American book canon, I have no idea why we make kids read Huck Finn. There are just so many better, richer, and more enjoyable books out there.

When I was going through my UCLA Lit courses, I loved loved loved Jane Austen. But I was also a huge Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Gilmore Girls fan (iykyk). Austen was right up my alley. I gave my sister a copy of "Pride & Prejudice" but I told her: If the first paragraph doesn't strike you as funny, put the book down and move on.

This is all a long way to say: I'm skeptical that any list of "great" or must-read "classics" can ever make sense. At best, you could say, "IF X or Y or Z appeal to you, THEN you should check out A or B or C."

"Dune" is one of my favorite books. I'd recommend it to almost no one.

Reflection now that I'm actually reading books again: But ...

2026-01-28T14:51:34Z

Reflection now that I'm actually reading books again:

But first some eye-candy: Third book of the year in progress!

(and what a beauty she is!)

My years-long reading dry spell seems to have been at least partially because the books I was trying to read were just too hard and/or not engaging enough.

I can listen to endless hours of bitcoin podcasts, but it turns out that reading bitcoin books and nonfiction just puts me to sleep.

I also had a snobby resistance to popcorn fare (light entertainment that isn't trying to be Jane Austen).

But now here I am devouring fun sci-fi page-turners.

I also forgot that a book can be as short as a 6-10hr read; it doesn't have to be a weeks-long / months-long slog.

So reading a book can be roughly on par time-wise with watching a TV season. But is more mentally active and, added bonus: less associated with snacking. 😂

My worries about having a pinch of permanent cognitive decline are lessening.

So it's been awesome to rediscover reading. Can recommend.

---
And notably / sadly / redemptively(?), this is coming from a guy who had gone back to school to do UCLA's entire undergrad Lit program. And holds a Master of Education to teach high school English. And taught for two years. 🤷‍♂️

Finished a SECOND book this year! ...

2026-01-22T21:00:40Z

Finished a SECOND book this year!

Fun, quick read. Basically a must-read for any Star Trek nerd. It's a riff on some of the more absurd elements of Trek, but it's not trashing on Trek and has its own story to tell .

It's consistently interesting and entertaining, but I think it's a bit oversold as a comedy. Writing comedy is hard and I think maybe most sci-fi nerd authors are just kinda mid when it comes to their sense of humor.

I'm also not convinced that Scalzi is a great writer. He's certainly crafted a fun concept, but the word-by-word execution is just... fine... but not exceptional. He has about two main characters too many and never manages the load of all their weight; pretty much right up to the end I was still struggling to remember who was who. Ensembles work way better on TV.

However, the final coda is lovely and lovingly written. It actually is pretty exceptional (reminded me of Ann Patchett which is an absurd, unexpected compliment to Scalzi).

Overall well worth the short time commitment. It's not a masterpiece, but that's okay.

TIL not to touch the exposed contacts of a 24V led strip! Feels ...

2026-01-19T18:36:04Z

TIL not to touch the exposed contacts of a 24V led strip!

Feels like when you get a strong static electricity shock. Not horrible, but just never encountered that with 12V strips.

I pretty much only learn from experience/mistakes. 🤣 🤷‍♂️

💯. I was born in Chicago and football has always been the only ...

2026-01-19T18:32:00Z

In reply to nevent1q…shw2
_________________________

💯. I was born in Chicago and football has always been the only pro sport I care about.

I feel great even after the loss last night. Will be a TON of fun the next couple of years!

Ha, unfortunately the most exciting part of Bears games is the ...

2026-01-16T20:07:36Z

In reply to nevent1q…gh9t
_________________________

Ha, unfortunately the most exciting part of Bears games is the last 5 minutes or so of a 2.5hr game!

It's both awesome and completely ridiculous that Chicago ...

2026-01-16T17:42:04Z

It's both awesome and completely ridiculous that Chicago Bears fans have to actually think about how they're going to survive the conditions at the game.

That being said, if they win, the cold will be a huge part of it.

So, good for the Bears, people shouldn't have to live this way! 🤣

@nprofile…s847 is enjoying the peace after all the screaming ...

2026-01-11T05:53:23Z

KumaDawg (nprofile…s847) is enjoying the peace after all the screaming tonight.

Fun fact: her name means "bear" in Japanese. But she hates football!

Violent movies, big explosions, she's right there next to me on the couch. But when football is on, she's outta there! 😂

Oof, I definitely don't have the attention span for that! I ...

2026-01-09T13:48:31Z

In reply to nevent1q…vc25
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Oof, I definitely don't have the attention span for that! I think the longest book I've finished was the ~2000 page(?) longer edition of "The Stand". And that was back in high school.

"Project Hail Mary" was probably a ~6-8hr read over the course of a week. 🤣

Yeah, I really enjoyed The Martian as well. Weir is such an ...

2026-01-09T13:44:00Z

In reply to nevent1q…l4s8
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Yeah, I really enjoyed The Martian as well.

Weir is such an oddball writer in terms of his skill set. Aside from excelling at building his plots and solutions around real or plausible-enough science, his strengths as a writer are... meh?

But the end results so far (his 2nd book, "Artemis" is the weakest of the three, but also enjoyable enough) are still overall pretty great. It's just so weird to read a book and have 20% of my brain note, "Yeah, he's not an amazing writer" while the other 80% is thoroughly enjoying it.

Ug, my AP Lit teacher and all my UCLA profs are crying out right ...

2026-01-08T20:37:18Z

In reply to nevent1q…uwsp
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Ug, my AP Lit teacher and all my UCLA profs are crying out right now that I can't even write the book's actual title correctly: It's "Project Hail Mary".

Protagonist from roughly our-ish time frame wakes up with no ...

2026-01-08T20:35:38Z

In reply to nevent1q…ejsd
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Protagonist from roughly our-ish time frame wakes up with no memory. On a spaceship. Nearly at the end of a trip to another star (like, wut, he knows we don't have the tech for that). He slowly recalls that our sun is inexplicably dimming which will basically end life on Earth in a matter of decades. But why the heck is he way outside of our solar system and how tf is that even possible?

Obv dude has to figure out what his mission was and somehow save our sun.

I actually read an entire book! First time in YEARS! Pretty sad, ...

2026-01-08T20:29:50Z

I actually read an entire book! First time in YEARS!

Pretty sad, considering that once upon a time I completed UCLA's entire undergrad Literature curriculum. Or way back in high school in AP English Lit we tore through a novel a week! 👀🤯

The last book I finished might've been The Bitcoin Standard or Popper's "Digital Gold". Focusing on nonfiction and narrowing to mostly just bitcoin books is likely a huge part of my nonexistent reading pace.

Aside from being fiction, I wonder if "Hail Mary" being told in the first person also helped combat my bad attention span. Third person: you're being told what's happening. First person, you're inside someone's thoughts and part of your brain receives it as if it was happening to you ("Ouch, that hurt!" vs "he burned his finger").

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Quick review:

"Hail Mary" is pretty engaging (good job starting *in medias res*) with chapter length tailored to short attention spans (🙋‍♂️). Never gets to "omg I can't put this down" intensity but obv kept me hooked enough to enjoy coming back to it each day.

As is usual with Andy Weir, real-world science is baked into the story's bones. Though as it gets more speculative, it can seem a bit disappointingly simplistic. Something like the movie "Arrival" spends all of its focus on solving ONE really complex problem, but Weir's protagonist too easily overcomes what should be a number of near-impossible barriers.

I forgot that Weir is just never as funny as he thinks he is, or perhaps more favorably: his characters have a pretty lame, predictable 4-out-of-10 sense of humor. His protagonists also never talk or think like a normal person and the "it's 'cause I'm a super science nerd" excuse can only take him so far.

But the story is well told, pretty cool and interesting from a sci-fi perspective, moves fast, and never gets boring. The protagonist isn't as annoying as I'm making him sound and he gets a lot more accessible (and even funny!) after his disorienting beginning.

Critiquer gotta critique, but I really enjoyed it.

Recommended for sci-fi nerds who can ease up a bit and take in a nerdy-but-not-super-nerdy story.

Yikes, that's a bad ngu. Too much travel the last few months. ...

2025-11-22T13:59:19Z

Yikes, that's a bad ngu.

Too much travel the last few months. But pretty uneven 2025 in general. Looking forward to staying home for a while and getting back to some discipline.

12-13% is my usual comfortable target. Pretty easy to get there without doing anything extreme.

Tried to tell @nprofile…h24a not to look at the bitcoin price ...

2025-11-19T23:57:10Z

Tried to tell KumaDawg (nprofile…h24a) not to look at the bitcoin price but she looked anyway.

Hodling her and our sats. Everything will be okay.

💯

2025-11-11T07:11:57Z

In reply to nevent1q…u6gj
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💯

Plane landed safely in Panama City, but seeing this while ...

2025-11-10T23:35:39Z

Plane landed safely in Panama City, but seeing this while boarding did give me a few doubts.

Wha...? (no, I don't actually want to know) ...

2025-11-10T23:29:57Z

Wha...?

(no, I don't actually want to know)

Chilling in a cafe in São Paulo* and just as I'm about to ...

2025-11-09T12:24:45Z

Chilling in a cafe in São Paulo* and just as I'm about to leave, the opening riff to Franz Ferdinand's "Take Me Out" starts playing.

Had to stay the extra ~4 minutes. Of course. So f'n catchy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ijk4j-r7qPA

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*(yes, that's Japanese text; huge Japanese community here)

I have never tried Fedi, but I am a fan of their efforts!

2025-11-06T02:16:31Z

In reply to nevent1q…72au
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I have never tried Fedi, but I am a fan of their efforts!

BREAKING: There are banana vending machines in São Paulo! ...

2025-11-06T01:59:41Z

BREAKING: There are banana vending machines in São Paulo! 👀🤯

Find yourself a girl who looks at you like @nprofile…hvc5 looks ...

2025-10-03T14:57:44Z

Find yourself a girl who looks at you like KumaDawg (nprofile…hvc5) looks at bread.

Laundry day for @nprofile…6nw5 is always kind of hilarious. ...

2025-09-28T15:15:59Z

Laundry day for KumaDawg (nprofile…6nw5) is always kind of hilarious.

When she's at home she always has a toy in her mouth. So pretty quickly they all reek of dog saliva. 🤢

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Bonus: Kuma with her croissant overlooking Nashville last week!

Been a rough couple of years. I mean, decades, really.

2025-09-22T00:35:39Z

In reply to nevent1q…htsk
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Been a rough couple of years. I mean, decades, really.

Really f'n fun to watch a Chicago Bears game at a hardcore ...

2025-09-22T00:15:43Z

Really f'n fun to watch a Chicago Bears game at a hardcore Bears bar in Nashville!

Crowd thinned out a bit as, unusually for the Bears, the game was well in hand by the time the 3rd quarter ended.