Mastodon Feed: Posts

jsonstein@masto.deoan.org ("Jeff Sonstein") wrote:

“A temple was worth a dozen barracks; a militia man carrying a gun could control a small unarmed crowd only for as long as he was present; however, a single priest could put a policeman inside the head of every one of their flock, for ever.”

from “Matter” by Iain M. Banks

mattblaze@federate.social ("Matt Blaze") wrote:

That said, at this particular moment, I am very definitely likely to react uncharitably to strangers advising me to be "nicer" or "more understanding".

Ditto "you have a lot of followers so you have to expect this/accept this". No, I really don't. No one does.

Boosted by mattblaze@federate.social ("Matt Blaze"):
noplasticshower@infosec.exchange wrote:

The law does, in fact, matter.

https://www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/archive/2025/09/trump-national-guard-law-california/684084/

mattblaze@federate.social ("Matt Blaze") wrote:

Anyway, if you're a stranger and I respond uncharitably to a genuine reply from you, I apologize. I know I must do that from time to time, and it's not who I want to be.

mattblaze@federate.social ("Matt Blaze") wrote:

I'm able to keep it under control with unapologetically hair-trigger blocking, but that's the only thing that keeps it bearable for me at this point.

mattblaze@federate.social ("Matt Blaze") wrote:

I'm coming to the conclusion, perhaps late to the party, that the old Twitter troll farms have started to migrate here in earnest. Or this place has recently attracted a much higher than usual number of very angry, unhinged people. Or maybe both.

Boosted by jwz:
adam@elefanti.co ("Adam Isacson") wrote:

Lethal force against a civilian vessel in international waters is a war crime if not in self-defense. If not in self-defense, only non-lethal actions, such as warning shots or disabling fire, are allowed.

"Not yielding to pursuers" or "suspected of carrying drugs" doesn't carry a death sentence.

https://www.cnn.com/2025/09/02/politics/us-military-strike-caribbean

Boosted by jwz:
Viss wrote:

jwz wrote:

The Alleged Sandwich.

We go now to DC:
https://jwz.org/b/ykuu

jwz wrote:

In the last 4 hours, fail2ban has nuked nearly *two thousand* distinct IP addresses for probing .git/config

jwz wrote:

The murderbots need not love us, so long as they fear us.

At one point, three Waymos were all stalled, seemingly confused:
https://jwz.org/b/ykur

Boosted by adam@social.lol ("Adam"):
robb@social.lol ("Robb Knight") wrote:

We hit $3000 raised so the second sticker reveal is here - its omg.lol's _other_ mascot - Penelope!

BUT WAIT - more stickers?! For your $20 you're going to be getting _four_ stickers, which will be revealed at $6k and $8k raised!

Donate now at https://stjude.omg.lol

Boosted by mattblaze@federate.social ("Matt Blaze"):
mattblaze@federate.social ("Matt Blaze") wrote:

@georgetakei Wow, I've haven't seen such a severe case of unbalanced humours in years. He really needs to get to the leech farm soon.

mattblaze@federate.social ("Matt Blaze") wrote:

It's been a pretty weird few days here for me.

mattblaze@federate.social ("Matt Blaze") wrote:

I just spent a solid 20 minutes after class going through my mentions for the day and hitting block, and then one I missed popped up. Like Whack-a-Mole but without having to insert any quarters.

Boosted by jwz:
joe@f.duriansoftware.com ("Joe Groff") wrote:

what does it say that when i hear that "Fooble is forked from Barble" these days, my first question is "which one's the nazi one"

jsonstein@masto.deoan.org ("Jeff Sonstein") wrote:

traitors as victims? riggggggght

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/31/us/politics/trump-jan-6-rioters-compensation.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare

mattblaze@federate.social ("Matt Blaze") wrote:

Captured with a 45mm shifting and tilt/swing lens and a DSLR camera. A bit of swing kept the side of the trestle in sharp focus, and a bit of shift enabled the framing.

The long, tall, Alhambra Viaduct on the BNSF railroad is also known as the "John Muir Trestle". People far bolder than I had tagged it with graffiti.

This is mostly a study in lines and convergence.

Infrastructure is heroic.

mattblaze@federate.social ("Matt Blaze") wrote:

Alhambra (Muir) Viaduct, Martinez, CA, 2010.

All the pixels, none of the hiking or physical activity required, at https://www.flickr.com/photos/mattblaze/4685718995

#photography

jsonstein@masto.deoan.org ("Jeff Sonstein") wrote:

but of course

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/28/well/pediatric-brain-cancer-trial-group.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare

Boosted by mattblaze@federate.social ("Matt Blaze"):
mattblaze@federate.social ("Matt Blaze") wrote:

@aapis I get that you think I’m working on the wrong things. That’s very clear. But I find it unhelpful that neither you nor any of the other people so righteously angry about my personal ineffectiveness have suggested what I should be doing differently, or revealed how their own work does any better

Boosted by mattblaze@federate.social ("Matt Blaze"):
mattblaze@federate.social ("Matt Blaze") wrote:

@aapis Most of my work concerns enabling trustworthy elections in adversarial environments and with imperfect technology. Maybe that’s not the most important thing to focus on at this moment in history - I don’t have sufficient clarity of vision to really know - but I do what I can with the tools I have.

jwz wrote:

DNA Lounge Update, Wherein you vote for us in Best of the Bay
https://www.dnalounge.com/backstage/log/2025/09/02.html?utm%5Fsource=sp%5Fma

jscalzi@threads.net ("John Scalzi") wrote:

Today in "no shit"

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/judge-rules-trump-illegally-deployed-national-guard-l-rcna224779

adam@social.lol ("Adam") wrote:

Thanks to the amazing support and generosity of a bunch of omg.lol members yesterday, we were able to make a really nice (large!) donation to the @robb × omg.lol fundraiser!

There are still some lifetime address upgrades available, so if you’d like to hook yourself up with omg.lol for the long haul and support an amazing cause at the same time, this is your chance!

You can upgrade here: https://home.omg.lol/addresses

🥳

jscalzi@threads.net ("John Scalzi") wrote:

Reminder: The Shattering Peace, my next novel and the 7th installment in the Old Man's War series, is out two weeks from today! Still time to pre-order from your favorite bookstore, and to plan to see me on my US book tour! Here's the link with all the tour info:

https://whatever.scalzi.com/2025/08/16/the-shattering-peace-tour-dates-other-remaining-2025-appearances-now-live/

mattblaze@federate.social ("Matt Blaze") wrote:

What I particularly found interesting is that it doesn't frame him as undergoing a character change or having some kind of epiphany leading him to a new calling. He's the same guy, just now doing something he finds fulfilling instead of something he hates.

mattblaze@federate.social ("Matt Blaze") wrote:

This story, about a successful Wall Street trader who quit in middle age to become an FDNY paramedic, spoke to me in so many ways. It inverts the usual EMS career arc (eager kid becomes a paramedic, burns out after a few years, leaves to get a "real" career) and made me reflect on what it means to lead a fulfilling life. Also, interesting to read about all that has and hasn't changed since I was there (and followed the more typical arc) too many decades ago.

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/02/nyregion/rescue-medic-wall-street-.html?unlocked%5Farticle%5Fcode=1.i08.zSHT.Awf2dLUN1%5FQX [gift link]

jscalzi@threads.net ("John Scalzi") wrote:

This is not a surprise given this administration

Climate scientists find errors in a new DOE climate report : NPR https://share.google/Zafk1imqEGZcF33lu

Boosted by aral@mastodon.ar.al ("Aral Balkan"):
katemorley@hachyderm.io ("Kate Morley") wrote:

Delighted to see Zack Polanski easily winning the Green Party leadership contest (by 20,411 votes to 3,705) and then using the press conference to defend immigration and trans rights. Britain needs unapologetically progressive parties.