I donβt generally approve of graffiti, butβ¦
Retired software developer. Proud parent. Runner, hiker, snowboarder, pickleballer. LGBTQIA+ and ND adjacent. Mid-left suburbanist. Prostate cancer survivor (I think).
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I donβt generally approve of graffiti, butβ¦
Headline: Are tradwives rebranding feminism? I don't even need Betteridge's Law to know the answer is no. There's nothing feminist about them at all. They're trying to rebrand womanhood, by definition in a very traditional (i.e. patriarchal) way.
The old Sun facility in Burlington MA is now Blue Sky Center, with its own eponymous road and everything. This amuses me on several levels.
Also, there will always be a West - both geographically and philosophically. No chance of either going away. What might disappear is the supremacist/colonialist West, and that would be a good thing. Isn't it funny when N@zi Salute Boy admits that the thing he values is something moral people scorn?
Zeus was a horny jerk, but the fact that the Judeo-Christian-Islamic-Mormon god *isn't* horny (except I guess for That One Time) has created lots of problems too.
I believe a declining birth rate is a good thing, because I've met people.
Reminder that today is the anniversary of the Beslan siege, which ended with *Russian security forces* killing hundreds of children and then burying the evidence. Putin is and always has been a monster, and he's pulling Trump's strings.
This should be getting far more attention from the media, and it should be investigated as a hate crime. A 14-year-old Black teen was targeted, beaten, and dehumanized with racial slurs by white teens while people stood around cheering. 1/4
On top of everything else, I just made biscuits from scratch to go with the soup. Who is this person?
If you're 60, 69.1% of all job growth since your birth occurred under Democratic administrations. If you're 45, that number is 74.7%. If you're under 28, the number is 100%. Happy Labor Day.
Today I gave the fridge and freezer a long-overdue cleanout, gave the kitchen one of its most thorough cleanings since we moved into this house, went for a run, cooked a batch of soup, and even cleaned the dishes for that. So, clearly, I've been replaced with a pod person who has extra spoons.
A batch of broccoli cheddar kielbasa soup is on its final simmer. π Dishes already washed, even. π
Finally, an issue on which runners and cyclists can agree: acorns are evil.
For no reason I can think of, I'm feeling very dissociative today. I just can't get my mind into interacting with other people, or really much of anything.
Today's #running report: back on track. I've *really* been slacking off lately. That was reflected in way too much zone 5 time, including several high-heart-rate alarms. On the other hand, I finished at a good overall pace despite two (planned) walking breaks. I'll call that a win.
Well, she's the leader of the free world now. Of course Putin wants her killed.
People are re-learning how to do things that benefit society independently of federal government, or often unconnected to any government at all. This is a good thing. It sucks that it's being forced on us, and it's no substitute for a functional federal government, but it's a bit of a silver lining.
#Humor π
Three authoritarians unite against a fourth. Bad news for the US, and not all that great for anyone else either. We really need to bring democracy back.
If I lived in a place like Des Moines, Syracuse, or Richmond (decent places for which I already have data available) I could live on a $15/hour minimum wage. Rent would chew up nearly half of my income, but it would be better than I was doing in Ann Arbor in the 80s.
If we tied minimum wage specifically to housing costs, BTW, the 1967 equivalent today would be $15.68/hour. That's pretty close to the CA/WA figures and seems about right to me.
At the very least, minimum wage should be $10.92/hour to stay at the 2009 level plus inflation. If we go back to 1967 (because the 1938 act was quite insufficient) we get $13.54/hour. And that's not even accounting for how prices for necessities like housing have inflated even more.
Fridge space ... the final frontier. His infinite mission: to seek out strange new smells. To boldly go where no other family member will ever go.
Is there really that much difference between having your life controlled by fascist-allied monopolists vs. having your life controlled by the politburo? Between direct state surveillance and "private" surveillance paid for and consumed by the state? Different jackboot styles, but still jackboots.
It's the most eternalest of Septembers.
Typical red hat wearer - eager to fight, but stunningly bad at it.
I love how sites still say "refresh your browser" as though multi-tab browsing hasn't been darn near universal for a decade.
There are practically no authoritarian centrists because they don't need a dictatorship to force fringe policies on the majority. Authoritarianism is the province of the extremists, both left and right. Tankies would like everyone to think the horseshoe theory is dead, but *that part* remains valid.
Thinking about body doubles for some strange reason.
Hmm, what order should we use for reporting scores? How about: today, then every other day of the past week *starting with the first*? 0 6 5 4 3 2 1 (days ago) makes perfect sense. What crack-head at @espn.com thought of this?
TIL way more than I wanted to about frog farts, and now everyone else can too. articles.hepper.com/can-frogs-fa...
A small insect just flew *out* of my nose, and now my brain doesn't want to let it go. How long was she in there? DId she have friends? Eggs? Do I have headworms now? Am I going to start spouting hateful garbage like RFKJr?
While USB-C is an improvement over the mess of connectors that existed before, they really missed the boat when it came to labeling ports and connectors. There are many different power/data combinations, none of which can be determined visually, so clear marking should have been mandatory.
There's a word for someone who reflects your own biases and prejudices and wishful thinking back at you while you continue to do nothing that actually helps anyone. That's not an ally; that's an enabler. A true ally might not make you feel as comfortable, but does *get something done*.
Crazy idea: what if we make electricity cost more for non-residential use.
The secret to a happy life is being able to get good baklava.
Making plans to visit Baltimore, Richmond (VA), Pittsburgh, Columbus, Milwaukee, and Minneapolis. That's probably three trips, the last probably including Madison as well to visit the kids. All acording to my city-info study.
I know pre-season games aren't supposed to mean anything, but my rating system tells me to pick Browns, Ravens, and Giants - all against the spread. I don't actually bet, but I like seeing how the algorithm performs. #nfl
Please read β€οΈ #jumpingspiders
I'm starting to see "critical theory" as the recognition signal du jour among the local Bolsheviks. Which is funny, since a distinct *lack* of critical analysis is their hallmark when it comes to their favorite texts or the real-world events those texts inspired.
Being disliked by someone this awful is a badge of honor. (Also, that's a *lot* of projection.)
MAGA behaviors: (1) Dogmatic (faith or theory over observable fact) (2) Intolerant of even small ideological difference (3) OK with suspending democracy in favor of pure party rule These *exact same* beliefs also define the online Bolsheviks, and being "left" doesn't make them any better.
If it's ideologically ultra-conformist (which is hypocritical in supposed defense of diversity), and especially if it's authoritarian, I cease to care about left vs. right. That end of the horseshoe is shit too. I believe in diversity and democracy.
Does this account for the people who don't need to cut off their families because their families stopped having anything to to them first? I know a fair number, at both extremes.
Ha. Haha. Haaa. I get it.
In Which Nadine Amuses a Dragon and Makes Autumn Happen
As much as I like Madison, and even more the feeling of being useful, it's also nice to be home.
Circling. #Trump
Good night to everyone except the tiny-dicked tool whose Wagoneer has been parked in an EV spot in the already-too-tight hotel parking, making every other guest's life more difficult.
As always, New Hamabama is at odds with their neighbors. Not New England so much as New Hungary.
At Vintage Brewing Company, rewarding myself for a job well done (IMNSHO). This pork schnitzrlnis *amazing*. So are the spuds. And the ... broccoli? Did I just say that? Yes I did. Beer's not bad either. π€£
Boxes from equipping my daughter's apartment. I call it Mount Boxmore. Wifi is set up, desks amd chairs assembled, basic groceries acquired and put away. It looks like a real home, albeit still a messy one. π₯Ή
Were they protection, though? In her shoes, I wouldn't trust any kind of government agents near me TBH.
Does anyone else have experience with blood pressure meds affecting sense of taste? Italian sausage is suddenly intolerable to me, and even burgers or breakfast sandwiches don't hit as well as they used to. π
Another errand day. I knew there would be some stuff we'd miss, or not have energy to get/do. Fortunately very little. Knocking some of those off before kid gets up, so we can spend more time making the apartment look like less of home-goods explosion.
"Somebody's going to die on this hill, but it won't be me." Bit too long for a shirt, unfortunately. Maybe I'll check out the Latin version.
Most of us do, but not those people. Would *you* want to be their friend?
Sounds like we just lost a transformer in the Tenney-Lapham part of Madison. I heard a bang outside, then everything in my hotel room rebooted. I guess the good news is that bypass/switchover circuits did their job so the interruption was only momentary.
You can't defeat an ideology or its supporters by adopting their assumptions ... like the one that a non-democratic police state could *ever* be a good thing. Doesn't work when it's fascist, doesn't work when it's communist.
The person who shot her, saving congresspeople who Ashli and her friends clearly intended to murder, is the one who deserves honor.
Dragging and dropping is strictly *less* convenient than an old-fashioned file selection dialog, especially with a touchpad. Opening or switching to another window, making sure it doesn't overlap the drop target, focus issues ... bleh.
A beautiful young woman (OK I'm biased because that's my daughter) in front of a ridiculously large inflatable skeleton-dog and some other (more reasonably sized) Halloween decorations at a store.
Grammar tip of the day: the phrase is "home in" like a homing pigeon. "Hone in" is an abomination that makes no sense.
Solid choice IMO. Obviously neither he nor Elon is a match for Feyd-Rautha *physically*, but they both have the right relationships to Vladimir or Glossu/Donald and also the requisite nastiness. Miller even has more of F-R's intellect, but F-R and Elon share (sick) charisma and Miller has *none*.
In terms of policy beliefs, I'm closer to the left than to the centrist Democrat establishment. The proximity to one and distance from the other explains why I find both insufferable.
Who *is* Feyd-Rautha in this world, including the relationships to Vladimir/Vladimir and Glossu/Donald? ShadyPants is the only other candidate preserving those connections, but is an even worse match than Elon in other ways. Sometimes you just have to work with what's already on the canvas.
Today's random thing that's massively over-represented in my Discover feed is: Liverpool. The city, not the team. I'm sure it's lovely and you're all lovely but ... why?
I have a roll of "for rectal use only" stickers at home. Don't ask. My point is that I passed up a *huge* opportunity by not bringing them on this Madison trip.
The AC in my daughter'a apartment creates some very noticeable flute-like sounds (mostly on the wall opposite the vent) when it runs. I made some adjustments and I'm waiting for it to run again. How dad is that?
If you truly want to put something in the past, you stop talking about it. You stop complaining about the people who talk about it. You stop complaining about the complainers, and so on. You all think you're on different sides, but you're all together in keeping it alive.
Love the commentary about Klein. I'll add that the best thing about him is that he's not Matt Yglesias.
Yeah, except Trump isn't the Baron. Putin is. Trump is Rabban, and Musk was Feyd-Rautha.
Exhausting day of moving and shopping, but now my daughter can reasonably spend her first night in her own apartment. Victory achieved. π
Onerous process, but lets even the most obviously red-flagged miscreants through. Almost like there's some goal other than safety involved.
Absolutely a violation if "full faith and credit" in the constitution. Everyone involved in making or implementing such a policy should be prosecuted.
Just noticed this lamp in my hotel room. Yes, it's fuzzy. Quirky, but I like it.
Accepting help from flawed people does not *at all* mean condoning their other behavior. That reduces people to one dimension - or two points which is even more limiting - and it's not healthy. It's a huge part of the *problem* not the solution. Splitters (the political kind not the BPD kind) suck.
What is happening to SEPTA is really sad. It was one of the better US transit systems I've ridden on. And the worst part is that it's likely to repeat in the other - already too few - cities that have decent transit. Not the most important reason to consider emigrating, but one more on the pile.
No one is saying that they're cool with that. Say your house is on fire & your kids are still inside. The ONLY people who show up to help are people with serious flaws. Do you tell them no thanks, I'd rather my kids burn alive than accept help from you? This arguing will end our freedom, period.
Is being trans your *whole* identity? Are you immune to diseases, or guns? Do you not read books? Are you unaffected by rising prices, or community members being disappeared? Yes, his statements re: trans people are despicable, but he still is fighting against people who hate you even more.
Mix it with some batter and make fritters ... yeah, I could eat that. π
Kind of like the people who have "live laugh love" on the walls but have never really lived or loved or laughed without sneering too. Or the people who adorn themselves with crosses while they lie and spew hatred (hi Pam and Karoline). It's a "methinks they doth protest too much" thing.
At home, I use network-wide ad blocking. It's so effective that I don't have an ad-blocker installed on my main computer. Whenever I'm away from home, therefore, I'm stunned by just how many ads are splattered across every site. What a trash fire the internet has become.
First day of senior move-in was a success. Got to Madison without incident, early enough to get the apartment keys (which was by no means certain). Checked out the nearest grocery store, which was actually pretty good, then found a great place for dinner (Salvatore's). Tomorrow will be busy.
Are we forgetting the cybertruck already?
For at least the last ten years before I retired, I could (and occasionally did) say that I loved programming but hated the industry. That was five years ago and my impression is that it's *way* worse now.
Sound, wifi, and sleep/resume are usually the biggest problems IMX. I was a UNIX kernel developer before Linux existed, then Linux for ~25 years. It was fine 99% of the time, but 1% is still too much breakage. Neither Windows nor MacOS ever required as much of my time/effort to fix broken OS stuff.
True enough, and the US is rapidly becoming more authoritarian than China, but also China has committed plenty of violence against its own citizens (especially ethnic minorities) and provoked its share of border clashes (Taiwan/Spratly/Galwan. Let US and China fight; EU will lead.
How many electric sedans are out there? How many gas/diesel pickups and SUVs? Which are heavier? Which produce more tire dust *in addition* to emissions/safety? Which one deserves to be the focus of our calumny? "EVs are still bad" reminds me of leftists stabbing the nearest liberal instead of MAGA.
Apparently the Silicon Valley aristocracy are quietly pouring billions of dollars into pro-AI PACs. This raises the uncomfortable possibility that allying with them might be necessary to prevail in the midterms. Trump or Skynet? Tough choice, but I guess Trump *and* Skynet would be worse.
The infamous "color theory" tumblr post is going around again. Despite all the horrors, we remain silly.
Today's #running report: relieved. I was a bit worried that I was coming down with something, but running is always a good indicator. Finished a continuous 5km (first in a while), no HR alerts, felt strong at the end, better than usual time. Definitely feel better about my upcoming trip now.
Kinda gross, sorry, but has anyone else noticed earwax as an indicator of other things going on in their body? Felt the need to clean my ears this morning, and now I'm worried about getting on a plane this afternoon.
There simply isn't enough housing in non-car-dependent places in the US to empty out the 'burbs, even if you could persuade everyone that we should. We need to build more. We all know this. Acknowledging it (or not) is the difference between a real urbanist and a dilettante (or a troll).
I don't think anyone would appreciate this being said about their engagement, so I don't know why anyone would think it's OK.
When this report is released, I hope we all *laugh* at it. Consider the kooks he recruited to do it and the fact that - even if they were honest and competent which they're not - they would never *dare* present conclusions contrary to his. They deserve only our derision. www.upi.com/Top_News/202...
