David Todd McCarty

Brand Mechanic + Raconteur

I live in Cape May County, New Jersey, USA, where I write about culture, science, history, food, religion, travel, and writing. I hate bullies no matter what side they’re on. I'm kind, until you push me. Three kids. Seven grands. AI Hater. American NOT USian. Pizzaiolo Extraordinaire. I have been known to counsel brands for cash and tell stories. Former photographer and filmmaker. Quickly running out of fucks.

Phillies. Eagles. Sixers. Flyers. Liverpool.

Public Key

npub1xyn9pkz7dwuz64ukag3dny00l7uc9qzk5jku9g8kqv394htduteqqdrpr2

NIP-05 Address

dtm@mastodon-cc.mostr.pub

Profile Code

nprofile1qqsrzfjsmp0xhwpd27tw5gkej8hllwvzspt2ftwz5rmqxgj6m4k79uspz3mhxue69uhhyetvv9ujuerpd46hxtnfduqs6amnwvaz7tmwdaejumr0ds69nagr

Publishing to

relay.damus.io

nos.lol

Author Public Key

npub1xyn9pkz7dwuz64ukag3dny00l7uc9qzk5jku9g8kqv394htduteqqdrpr2

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Last Notes

2026-10-24 12:44:16 UTC

I don’t use AI in any facet. Not willingly or knowingly, anyway. I don’t care if it’s “sometimes useful.” I hear heroin feels great but I’m not going down that road either.
I do ask Siri to set timers for me for cooking. I trust I’m not depleting the water resources of a small island nation.
#AI

2026-10-22 12:33:54 UTC

I was happy to see my service providers completely on top of the PHP updates. The reason why Y2K wasn’t a problem is because a lot of people made it all work.
That’s the way society is supposed to work.
#PHP

2026-10-16 16:26:37 UTC

Choosing not to publicly broadcast an execution does not make America look any better at this point, just because the administration decided it wasn’t worth the heat. They’re not doing it because THEY think it’s a bad idea. They’re not doing it because too many others think it’s a bad idea. The intention was already there, and the damage is already done. https://www.theatlantic.com/national-security/2026/10/pete-hegseth-livestreamed-execution-plan/689020/?gift=9FB5zFuufC5MAoTwjL2-FEkbZswdeECDRBLdr9uGkAg

2026-10-15 23:50:03 UTC

I’m sure this is exclusively an American thing, but whatever happened to Potato Skins as an appetizer? They were everywhere, and then one day, poof. Gone forever.
God, I used to love TGI Friday’s. Broccoli cheese soup.
https://mastodon.cc/system/media_attachments/files/117/447/602/927/078/797/original/31a358a5a2f8211d.jpeg

2026-10-13 14:50:44 UTC

The first time I heard about the trapped miners in Chili (2010) was in an airport lounge. It was early and I was distracted. I heard the television talking about a bunch of minors trapped in an underground mine and my immediate thought was, “What were children doing in a mine?”

2026-10-13 12:05:31 UTC

This is my type of meme, even though I generally do not post them. This one, I couldn’t pass up. Definitely a good representation of my ducks.
https://mastodon.cc/system/media_attachments/files/117/433/508/005/167/183/original/6bd33d310b7af9f4.jpeg

2026-10-12 19:17:15 UTC

I’m really just over the human race. I’m not all that fond of bugs either.
https://youtu.be/PFRGYrQ5xeY

2026-10-03 21:35:17 UTC

I think I mostly agree with Cory Doctorow, but I can’t decide if I like him or not. I’m also not sure how relevant that is.

2026-10-02 19:30:46 UTC

My wife asked me to write an obituary for our “Granddog” who passed onto the other side yesterday, so I did. She loved this little blue dog beyond reason and logic. He is now lord of all creation.
#DogsOfMastodon #Obituary #Writing https://www.davidtoddmccarty.com/a-dog-named-seven/

2026-10-02 16:51:00 UTC

Food delivery is out of hand. It now costs between $30-40 to get a mediocre pizza delivered, and it’s not like you’re enjoying it.
The delivery cost shouldn’t be equal or more than the cost of the food.

2026-09-29 12:33:56 UTC

That first half was wild, but we finished the half only down 10-7. I went to bed thinking that the Eagles might very well turn it around in the second half, something they’re known to do. I was not expecting to wake up to a 27-7 beatdown. That 38yo third string QB was not too shabby. I’ll bet QB1 and QB2 are a little nervous.
#NFL #Eagles #Bears

2026-09-03 16:11:48 UTC

One of the many reasons why you can’t let private enterprise handle public services is that they are incentivized by profit and one of the ways they increase profitability is to find new ways to deny or limit service, while taking the same amount of money. Corporations are not more efficient in delivering service, they are more ruthless in denying it.

2026-08-29 15:18:31 UTC

We need a NoAI logo/badge that is simple and elegant and not simply a circle with diagonal line across the letters AI. Something human perhaps, like a fingerprint. In fact, it shouldn’t reference AI at all, it should focus on being made by humans. It’s not digital versus analog. It’s handcrafted versus artificially conjured.
It should be a badge of honor.
#NoAI

2026-08-28 02:32:27 UTC

Hanlon’s Razor:
“Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity.”
https://mastodon.cc/system/media_attachments/files/117/170/788/289/032/221/original/d3d44947aa1905ea.jpeg

2026-08-21 22:34:55 UTC

I’ve met a few people who ran for local and even statewide office who I thought were good people and in it for the right reasons, but they never made it very far. The ones who make it and stay, are mostly worthless cunts. Even the good ones are a bit narcissistic, which you have to be, to believe you’re the one person everyone needs.
Politics is the business of the people and important.
Politicians are power hungry fuckwits and not.
#Politics

2026-08-16 22:24:01 UTC

Can we at least make a law that says that everyone in America gets the same consideration for sick leave as a US Senator? But also make a rational restriction that there is a limit for those in elected office? It’s one thing to hold your job for you while you’re out. It’s quite another to leave your job empty, when someone else could fill it. You don’t get to be absent indefinitely with no repercussions.
Also, no more old people. You can work. You don’t get to run shit. I’m nearly 60. Fuck em.

2026-08-14 12:18:09 UTC

I write about politics at times because it affects all our lives, but I miss having a separate outlet for it. I don’t like it when my blog gets filled up with politics just because that’s what stirred me up that week. It’s not what I want to be about.
Ugh, I don’t want another site. Or do I? If I did, should it be a separate brand, or just a subdomain?
#Politics #Indieweb #SmallWeb #Writing
https://www.davidtoddmccarty.com

2026-08-13 00:19:46 UTC

There have always been greedy people, but they didn’t seem to be out to ruin everything before. Now, it seems to be the primary goal. Die with the most toys and break everyone else’s first, then burn the place down.
#EatTheRich
https://mastodon.cc/system/media_attachments/files/117/085/331/947/898/906/original/5c3803e7ea5905af.png

2026-08-12 19:49:11 UTC

Just learning about this. Mary Oliver. #Cinema #Poetry
https://youtu.be/uHNKK5RuTTs

2026-08-12 11:49:28 UTC

A shot of the last solar eclipse visible in my part of the world (April 2024). From my backyard, through the trees. It was partially cloudy but moving fast, so the clouds acted as a perfect filter as they moved across the sky.
https://mastodon.cc/system/media_attachments/files/117/082/381/633/486/854/original/4f8b5e002bf74d13.jpeg

2026-08-04 17:21:25 UTC

Beware foreign influence in our elections, especially from Israel. They have no ethical or legal limitations and don’t care how much anyone else suffers. The evil is real. #USPol

2026-07-29 16:11:51 UTC

The hard part in maintaining your own website, is that it’s difficult to find an audience. No one is finding you through search anymore, and there is no mechanism for driving traffic. The only real option we have is promoting it on platforms such as this.
I would like to invite you to check out my indie website. Eventually, I want to rebuild it from scratch and make it simpler and cleaner. For now, it’s a repository for my writing.
#Writing #IndieWeb #Introduction
https://www.davidtoddmccarty.com

2026-07-16 09:48:01 UTC

Now I REALLY don’t care who wins the World Cup.

2026-07-13 11:17:14 UTC

Bummer. I always liked him. Good career. Good life. See ya on the other side pal. https://apnews.com/article/sam-neill-obituary-91f11b230d06771fb4680c0916b0c876

2026-07-11 15:34:54 UTC

Why do I see so many accounts liking my posts that have blank avatars? It’s not always because they don’t have them, because sometimes if I interact with them, it shows up. I think it’s a glitch of some sort. Also, some usernames don’t come through from certain instances. Just a string of characters. #Mastodon

2026-07-11 12:22:06 UTC

Because Mastodon is more global, I’m learning a lot about what is happening politically in other countries, specifically when it comes to public sentiment. They’re just little glimpses but taken as a whole are quite interesting. This is just the English speakers I’m exposed to, of course.
A lot of it I glaze over, but you pick up a lot.

2026-06-27 00:22:53 UTC

Look at this drive. It’s a 6TB SSD. Six fucking terabyte. That’s 6,000,000,000,000 bytes. Palm of my hand.
https://mastodon.cc/system/media_attachments/files/116/819/215/626/820/595/original/704bdd74f01e9f29.jpeg

2026-06-24 19:05:30 UTC

Helped a box turtle across the road today. Had to stop a big box truck in the middle of the road.
You can call me Francis.

2026-06-19 21:54:59 UTC

You might be shocked to hear it, but I don’t knowingly use any AI products and turn it off whenever I can, and I don’t seem to be suffering at all. In fact, I’m incredibly productive and might I say, even a little successful.
I’ve had to tell all my clients at some point that I don’t believe in it, don’t trust it, and won’t use it. They all get sheepish and try to tell me it’s good for some things.
“That fine. But I won’t use it.”
So far, so good. #NoAI
https://mastodon.cc/system/media_attachments/files/116/778/997/745/228/359/original/eb47c88153fc5da5.jpeg

2026-06-19 14:38:48 UTC

We seem to be getting rather soft even as the world feels a little spikier every year. It’s hard to know how we will survive as a species if this keeps up. Maybe I’m wrong, but it’s almost as if it’s no longer culturally permissible to ridicule, mock, shame, disparage, deride or denigrate your fellow man any more.
#Writing #Culture #Language
https://www.davidtoddmccarty.com/the-death-of-the-insult/

2026-06-14 17:24:08 UTC

I ain’t scared of you.
https://youtu.be/1xhMRTluqNc?feature=shared

2026-06-05 12:46:13 UTC

It seems a bit disingenuous to clutch your pearls at the demise of “60 Minutes,” given the sale of CBS to Paramount and the hiring of Bari Weiss. What did you think was going to happen? Of course it’s all going to shit. The old system no longer works. We’re going to need a whole new idea, not a 20th century news magazine on the tee-vee. If you allow the Taliban to be in charge of media, this is what you’re going to get.
https://mastodon.cc/system/media_attachments/files/116/697/567/689/912/541/original/ae1db9ef76b133ef.jpeg

2026-06-02 22:06:06 UTC

AI makes you stupid in ways that many other tech has made us stupid. You don’t know anyone’s phone number anymore because it’s in your phone. If you use GPS you stop paying attention how to get somewhere. They’re not big things, but we continue to relinquish cognitive function to corporately owned machines. We’ve only been writing books and making movies about this for 75 years.

2026-05-27 03:25:46 UTC

FUCK insurance companies. I’m insulted any time they try to pretend to be human or caring. They’re parasites. Nothing cute about insurance. It’s the mob.

2026-05-09 00:26:08 UTC

Why would you ever believe that aliens exist but our government is keeping this information from us? What would possibly be the global interest in this?

2026-05-04 11:34:40 UTC

Tin soldiers and Nixon's comin'
We're finally on our own
This summer I hear the drummin'
Four dead in Ohio
May 4, 1970. Kent State University. Ohio.
https://mastodon.cc/system/media_attachments/files/116/516/092/411/650/456/original/f4d12fb2ab940894.jpeg

2026-05-03 00:47:28 UTC

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@nprofile…wdzu You can disagree but I don’t believe there is a right or wrong answer. Ask any comedian who took heat for a joke that went wrong. Are we allowed to think that Robert Frost’s poem was about taking the harder road?

2026-05-03 00:10:54 UTC

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@nprofile…v9wr That stands to reason. June is still pretty early for the warm weather here. It’s more likely to be warmer in October. I equate long days with summer. The longest days should be in early August. For the shortest, most depressing option, it should be in February.

2026-05-03 00:07:38 UTC

I’m following a bunch for fishing brands on social media for work and I have to say that I’m starting to get squeamish about using live bait for fishing. It’s like watching someone barbecue a kitten. I’m not saying you can’t do it, but I don’t think I want to do it. Not anymore.

2026-05-02 23:54:51 UTC

I’ll never not be shocked that the days are longer in May than they are in August.

2026-05-02 22:22:16 UTC

The thing about art is, we don’t have to get out of the art what the artist intended. The art is free to be interpreted however we see fit. It can mean what we want it to mean. That cuts both ways.
#Art #Creativity

2026-05-01 22:09:53 UTC

Making the transition from a long commute for work to embracing the local community I’ve been living in but not a part of.
#Writing #MentalHealth #Balance #Success https://www.davidtoddmccarty.com/becoming-a-local/

2026-04-26 00:05:28 UTC

A nice Chianti is the wine of choice, I’m told, but I’d also consider Frank’s Hot Sauce.
#EatTheRich
https://mastodon.cc/system/media_attachments/files/116/468/093/012/472/402/original/8999464f509eee46.png

2026-04-23 11:05:04 UTC

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@nprofile…hsl0 That’s pretty crazy. I have to be <100. But also a lot of real books. Nowhere close to 2k+. Good hustle.

2026-04-19 21:32:37 UTC

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@nprofile…d3nc Why is that a fucked up question? He’s been asking the same set of questions for years. You think that’s why the highest rated late night show is going away?

2026-04-19 20:18:06 UTC

Stephen Colbert: What do you think happens when we die?
<big pause, deep breath>
Keanu Reeves: I know that the ones who love us will miss us.

2026-04-18 22:22:11 UTC

Despite the obvious backlash I am sure to endure, I feel I need to write an article on the rise of Toxic Feminism. Feminism is simply the idea that women are equal to men, and while I can’t believe this is even still a question, this hasn’t stopped the culture from blasting masculinity as toxic. There is no such thing. Being an asshole might be the only gender neutral thing there is.
But we need to address the attack on men as the root of all evil and what it’s doing to young men. It’s wrong.

2026-04-18 11:32:45 UTC

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@nprofile…vdqg @nprofile…rm7c
But questions remain.

2026-04-13 18:57:25 UTC

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@nprofile…cckg @nprofile…72p6
Another fun brand I haven’t heard mentioned in many a moon.

2026-04-12 19:49:12 UTC

I saw a comment that made sense. Rather than banning kids from social media because it’s harmful, why not regulate social media because it’s harmful.
#socialmedia

2026-04-12 17:48:29 UTC

They don’t have an image problem. This isn’t a PR issue. They have an overhyped product that doesn’t work. https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/apr/12/ai-image-problem-policy-papers-thinktanks?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

2026-04-11 09:56:38 UTC

Today in 1945: The German prison camp at Buchenwald is liberated.
What will you say when they liberate that former Walmart warehouse in Peoria or the camp outside of Tampa? All stacked with desperate refugees the state considered undesirable?
“I didn’t know?”
You knew. Everyone knew.
https://mastodon.cc/system/media_attachments/files/116/385/473/737/687/581/original/9d736220420a117a.jpeg

2026-04-10 19:46:59 UTC

Can we all at least agree to wipe all evidence of him from the face of the earth once he’s vanquished?
#nevent1q…hj6c

2026-04-08 11:25:43 UTC

I fear that we will one day get to a place where they show that Trump was suffering from some debilitating brain function, and he won’t get due credit for just being a stupid, evil motherfucker. He gets no insanity defense with me. Light him up.

2026-04-06 12:18:33 UTC

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@nprofile…wtal The need to create is innate.

2026-03-28 11:35:59 UTC

Last stop before complete fascism kids. This is your chance to do something. You don’t have to get crazy. Don’t need to do anything illegal or morally dubious. Don’t even need to make a sign. Just show up and let your presence speak for itself.
Here’s to breaking the 3.5% barrier. Wish us luck!
#NoKings #Protest #Resist https://www.davidtoddmccarty.com/can-the-3-5-rule-save-america/

2026-03-22 11:15:18 UTC

Israel may never recover their reputation as being one of the good guys. They’re the worst country on earth.
https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-west-bank-settlers-9ded87da79b032cff60ddd8797846f0e

2026-03-03 23:11:51 UTC

I don’t know anyone who got more conservative as they got older. Usually the opposite, in fact. However, wealthy people do seem to get more conservative as they move to protect more and more of their wealth. It coincides with age, so it seems like a causation.
We aging and still working people are compassionate because we’re still working hard just to survive.

2026-03-02 19:02:57 UTC

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@nprofile…4w8z I can’t help you but it does seem about par for the course around here.

2026-02-27 02:13:22 UTC

If you tell me you’re using AI, all I think is, “You are cutting corners and not paying attention. You are going to get taken down so quickly by anyone offering anything resembling anything close to reality.”
I have heard all sorts of arguements for its value, but none that make me think you can beat me by using AI. Maybe it allows you to beat a dumber man. The whole greater fool argument.
Bring it on. Let’s do it. Let me show you how the human mind actually works.

2026-02-26 20:25:51 UTC

#resist
https://mastodon.cc/system/media_attachments/files/116/138/806/301/248/553/original/0fd62decacc5c178.jpeg

2026-02-24 17:13:17 UTC

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@nprofile…nekg Thanks. This is what I was told. Yamaha that is. I was wondering about size and handling. I guess you’re right. I will go try them out.

2026-02-24 17:01:48 UTC

Considering buying a guitar. I do not play, or haven’t since I was child. Thinking about a Yamaha FJ800 or FS800. Dreadnaught or Folk. They’re both about $250. Assume I am a beginner. Which is the better choice? I just want to learn to play again. Finger picking is my preference.
Do you have thoughts?
#Guitar #Musicians
https://mastodon.cc/system/media_attachments/files/116/126/679/377/818/429/original/29605758c6924eae.jpeg

2026-02-22 23:07:01 UTC

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@nprofile…tlrx When did I say it was a problem for other people? Fuck off.

2026-02-22 22:11:56 UTC

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@nprofile…tlrx We should all probably be wearing helmets all the time because we are so poorly designed, but I’m just not going to do it. Just as I am not going to walk around with a mask because people think I should. There’s a limit.

2026-02-22 21:44:16 UTC

I realize it’s a bit like being a 1970s ice hockey player but I don’t see the point of wearing a helmet to ski or ride a bicycle. Maybe learn how to not fall down.

2026-02-08 18:29:50 UTC

As the enshittification of the internet hits its apex and begins to collapse under the weight of a tsunami of AI slop, humanity may very well find itself back where it started, rediscovering the genuine world of books, art, music, travel, entertainment, food, and nature. Authentic experiences that have the…
#Community #Culture #Rewilding #ThirdSpace
https://www.davidtoddmccarty.com/a-great-social-rewilding-is-coming2/

2026-02-08 00:54:21 UTC

I guess all those stories about Substack were true. There are few good options other than doing it yourself. #indieweb

2026-02-05 01:01:59 UTC

You know if this administration is suggesting body cameras, they have decided how to use this to their advantage. There’s no way they’re offering to incriminate themselves for bad behavior.

2026-01-31 21:59:17 UTC

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@nprofile…emk6 I’ve been really on the ball with writing 2026.

2026-01-31 00:26:16 UTC

I’m not a socialist, communist, or anarchist. Representative democracy still makes the most sense to me and controlled capitalism seems to work best. What you can’t do is allow corruption to run rampant, which is what happened here. We allowed our souls to be sold to corporations for pennies.

2026-01-30 20:58:44 UTC

My wife was driving our 2023 Jeep Wrangler Hybrid, doing errands, and when she got in to start it, it started smoking. Then it immediately caught fire. Someone tried to use a fire extinguisher and it just sort of blew up.
This just happened. Her sister picked her up. Waiting for the tow truck to take it to dealer. Cops calling me. Made a claim with insurance. Need rental. This car was two months from turning in, end of lease. Need a rental, and a new car. This pisses me off.
#Jeep
https://mastodon.cc/system/media_attachments/files/115/986/051/734/346/471/original/39ca119125893e3f.jpeg
https://mastodon.cc/system/media_attachments/files/115/986/052/293/211/288/original/fa39c084bb079a03.jpeg
https://mastodon.cc/system/media_attachments/files/115/986/052/722/304/012/original/0ddfe3332b784d6a.jpeg
https://mastodon.cc/system/media_attachments/files/115/986/053/288/383/260/original/46b877939ea810e9.jpeg

2026-01-27 02:06:13 UTC

These two accounts aren’t even hours apart.
“No, he wasn’t relieved of his duties like everyone said. He’s all good. Why would you say that?”
A few hours later:
“He’s not allowed to tweet anymore. Like, ever.”
https://mastodon.cc/system/media_attachments/files/115/964/612/785/269/393/original/8038fea2dcb1bbdc.jpeg
https://mastodon.cc/system/media_attachments/files/115/964/613/078/960/392/original/30a0df99e0e91780.jpeg

2026-01-25 16:50:52 UTC

Human culture has a long history of public executions designed to terrorize the population and suppress dissent. They’re never on the right side of history. Ice is just what comes next. Someday there will be gallows erected in their honor.
https://mastodon.cc/system/media_attachments/files/115/956/766/842/553/841/original/9cd5f1541d912c6c.jpeg
https://mastodon.cc/system/media_attachments/files/115/956/773/599/144/820/original/1793d20b3617ef68.jpeg

2026-01-24 19:18:54 UTC

All cops and all the military are MAGA. None of them exist to protect civilians. They never did. That’s why the fetishization of them was never warranted. They’re not heroes. They’re not keeping us safe. They’re not defending democracy. We’re a warmongering nation that has turned its violence on its own people, just like so many despots before.
Think about that next time you praise the military or the police. It’s the poison fruit.
#ACAB
https://mastodon.cc/system/media_attachments/files/115/951/737/951/262/536/original/5e9d16bc209cc895.jpeg

2026-01-21 16:27:32 UTC

It’s hard to have a lot of faith in your financial advisor when they’re so embedded in the system that created them that they can’t ever see it ending. He thinks a market correction would be welcomed. I worry about the collapse of the global economy. I don’t suppose putting all my money in gold will be all that helpful in the long run. I guess I just hope for the best. #Finance

2026-01-20 00:24:40 UTC

Have y’all seen this? #GeneralStrikeUS
https://generalstrikeus.com/

2026-01-19 22:52:20 UTC

So, now Trump and Putin are not only going to blow up NATO, but the EU as well. Fuck Hungary.
#nevent1q…t85s

2026-01-18 15:41:29 UTC

Inspired by @nprofile…ugpy
https://mastodon.cc/system/media_attachments/files/115/916/858/052/062/486/original/351022f232cf2df1.jpeg

2026-01-14 05:14:15 UTC

I’m really starting to see the AI slop on YouTube. It’s not as obvious as you would think, and then something will just be off, and then you’re like, “Oh, Jesus. WTF?”
#AISlop #Youtube

2026-01-05 00:13:03 UTC

Have you ever gotten confused over how something is said because you’ve heard so many people say it wrong you begin to question what is right? I struggle with this from time to time. You really have to be vigilant with yourself. #Language #Grammar