Posts by trachelipus@masto.ai
(DIR) Post #AnR1mALEsfJQo8YJ6G by trachelipus@masto.ai
2024-10-27T14:52:45Z
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@futurebird A while back I found someone online offering a subscription to unusual banana varieties. It was very tempting. I like bananas and I've rarely tasted anything that isn't a Cavendish. Plus, ya know, support commercial growers who are diversifying away from blight prone varieties. Alas, I had just gotten a layoff notice and didn't feel comfortable signing up for a several hundred dollar subscription.
(DIR) Post #Anb1kqvubC7OmCqAXw by trachelipus@masto.ai
2024-11-01T10:39:38Z
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@futurebird It depends. Am I the one receiving the potato or supplying it? I personally prefer potatoes to blow pops, my role in the transaction would be make a difference.
(DIR) Post #Anut6XZk2H8LmOovey by trachelipus@masto.ai
2024-11-11T00:36:55Z
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@futurebird Someone I used to know had a weekend gig in Uni driving an ambulance around Moscow scraping unconscious drunks off the streets. He said the eldest would wake up hallucinating witches were coming for them. The middle aged would hallucinate the KGB was coming. The youngest would hallucinate UFOs were coming. #OldStories
(DIR) Post #Ao7B9Zwpnjud4ujueO by trachelipus@masto.ai
2024-11-16T22:55:42Z
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@futurebird One of the things that finally made Algebra click for me was when my 8th grade Earth Science instructor used it in the intro chemistry section of the class: "You know how to do this already; you studied it last semester in your math class." Imagine if we taught basketball the same way we teach math, by making kids do eight years of conditioning drills before letting them play their first game.
(DIR) Post #Ao9i5S4koW1sJA0HMe by trachelipus@masto.ai
2024-11-18T04:14:08Z
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@futurebird @Moss @eosfpodcast @HumToTable I'm happiest on web boards. No algorithm needed, because you know the purpose of the board. My brief experience on bsky made me feel unwelcome like the nerd at a high school dance. My experience on masto has a different issue. Interesting stuff gets buried in the deluge of wambulance calls. Maybe I just follow a lot of energy vampires, dunno. I stick around because I want info diversity, but man it's tiring some days..
(DIR) Post #AoM6AytGxwTWKHK0ZM by trachelipus@masto.ai
2024-11-24T03:40:36Z
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@futurebird @jturiano Years ago I was at a conference with songwriter Eric Lowen when he went public about his ALS. He led a frank discussion about how he & Dan Navarro were laying down as many demo tracks as possible while he was still functional enough to do so. "This is my kids' college fund," he said bluntly. It was a sobering moment. He died at 60. Ya, Disney is evil. Ya, we should have better societal support for creatives and orphaned kids. Until we do, tho, let's not eff up copyright.
(DIR) Post #AoaVdNxTtGgB3P7ppY by trachelipus@masto.ai
2024-12-01T02:31:48Z
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@futurebird I used a Pentel .5mm mechanical pencil during the period when I was still graphing quadratic equations by hand. No, the point was never as sharp as a freshly sharpened wood pencil. However, it never got as dull as a wood pencil either.
(DIR) Post #AojbMgPEOiTLUcACJc by trachelipus@masto.ai
2024-12-05T11:48:25Z
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@futurebird I used to have a newsboy cap with ear flaps that could be flipped up. I've also seen broad brimmed hats, vaguely fedora but more feminine, with a thin scarf sewn to the interior lining of the hat. You tie the scarf under the chin to keep the ears warm and also prevent the hat from blowing off.
(DIR) Post #ApcdgyHJaXJYmwpUpc by trachelipus@masto.ai
2025-01-01T01:03:35Z
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@futurebird I hadn't heard it phrased like that. The traditions I'm aware of always involve eating pork for prosperity. There should also be some form of greens and/or peas or beans to symbolize money. My family did spare ribs and sauerkraut. A cousin by marriage came from a family that made hoppin' John.
(DIR) Post #ApiwY9i2mZLviFbLJA by trachelipus@masto.ai
2025-01-04T02:03:10Z
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@futurebird Most evil swarms in SF make no ecologic sense to me. If the swarm is so unstoppable, why hasn't it expanded beyond the carrying capacity of its niche and starved? If it's so dangerous, how did the hero's species survive long enough to become something organized and sentient enough to fend off the swarm?
(DIR) Post #ApmvoFHYVYQgJ99xmC by trachelipus@masto.ai
2025-01-06T00:13:43Z
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@futurebird @dynamic I buy pre chopped butternut squash and also pre chopped onions. It's partially for convenience and partially for safety. Sometimes I'm just feeling clumsy and just don't want to use a peeler or a sharp knife while hanging onto a slippery vegetable.
(DIR) Post #AqlKgbmnpz2VXM25nU by trachelipus@masto.ai
2025-02-04T03:35:06Z
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@futurebird @farah 🤣 🤣 🏆
(DIR) Post #As9a49MmZLgWVklA5Q by trachelipus@masto.ai
2025-03-17T18:12:39Z
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@futurebird I think play is hugely underappreciated. It's how we explore & practice & strengthen the skills that make us resourceful. A kitten pounces on her brother's tail. He turns around and bowls her over. Both kittens have learned a bit about hunting, fighting, and what their bodies can do. I think human hobbies serve the same purpose: a low stakes way to experiment & learn. Monetizing a hobby changes the focus from my needs to the buyer's needs. Play now needs to compete for headspace.
(DIR) Post #Av7T25haHX6uvEc6M4 by trachelipus@masto.ai
2025-06-14T11:20:43Z
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@futurebird I'm the downwardly mobile generation of my family. Multiple generations of my family have worked white collar jobs in manufacturing: R&D, designing manufacturing equipment, etc. I'm the only one that did assembly work & shipped product. The manufacturing job went away; I'd characterize the rest of my career as service industry, primarily in support of R&D.
(DIR) Post #AytwuFhVEAipwzxazo by trachelipus@masto.ai
2025-10-05T14:17:54Z
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@futurebird I don't know about cats, but I know of an experiment in which a white dog was dyed black on one side to see if the dog would preferentially sunbathe on one side or the other in varying weather conditions. Apparently the experiment was inconclusive: the dog chose to go into its doggy house when the weather was inclement.
(DIR) Post #AzklmpP3tiT5NMcdQ8 by trachelipus@masto.ai
2025-10-31T01:52:59Z
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@futurebird You remind me of Oliver Wendall Jones being consulted for computer support. I don't have the comic panels anymore, but IIRC he first advised the owner, "Please put the computer on the phone." This was followed by a pep talk to the misbehaving computer: "TOASTER PARTS, YOU HEAR ME?! TOASTER PARTS!"
(DIR) Post #B0ChdCsHAwlxdNtmfw by trachelipus@masto.ai
2025-11-13T13:18:21Z
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@futurebird @keira_reckons Back in the day linoleum had a reputation for being high maintenance. Both spouse and I remember our mothers sealing it with liquid floor wax. Then she'd haul out a machine with two spinning pads to buff the wax. Periodically they needed to use a special cleaner to strip the wax buildup.
(DIR) Post #B0DiMe8oclzi4mYpDU by trachelipus@masto.ai
2025-11-14T01:01:18Z
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@futurebird We once had a cat that didn't expect his own plate. He was happy to share from your plate. Well, except that one time we had spicy Thai food. (The betrayal!) And that other time he sniffed the meatloaf from Boston Market, backed up, and hissed at it.
(DIR) Post #B1TkfOnpQf5Y20BFUO by trachelipus@masto.ai
2025-12-21T16:34:34Z
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@futurebird @5tern1 Ouch, but not untrue.
(DIR) Post #B2jD8fNqjgJ1qg6F8a by trachelipus@masto.ai
2026-01-28T01:26:22Z
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@futurebird I once had a cat that was the feline equivalent of the bouncer at a biker bar. Obese, slow moving, right up until he took offense. Then he would ensure you needed medical care. He would answer to no other name but Kitty. Improbably light hearted name for such a badass cat, but that's what he insisted on being called.