Bill, organizer of stuff

Data, privacy, ethics, old houses, and food
And some other things
RN
Entropy repairman
Fendersmith

Nothing I post or do is licensed to Facebook/Meta or its assigns in any way for any purpose, including caching or storage.

Also, gravy.

PRONOUNS: he/him/etc
BLOG: https://datamachinist.dev
COFFEE: Milk only
LOCATION: Boston-ish

Public Key

npub12zrl5fd4802k444qcu92vvyftnj8gl65ctnsf8nh5rtashl02hzqfltqpq

NIP-05 Address

wcbdata_at_vis.social@momostr.pink

Profile Code

nprofile1qqs9ppl6yk6nh4t266svwz4xxzy4eer50a2v9ecynem6p47ctlh4t3qpz3mhxue69uhhyetvv9ujuerpd46hxtnfduqs6amnwvaz7tmwdaejumr0dsquxwqp

Publishing to

nostr.mom

relay.damus.io

nos.lol

Author Public Key

npub12zrl5fd4802k444qcu92vvyftnj8gl65ctnsf8nh5rtashl02hzqfltqpq

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Last Notes

2026-05-13 13:43:01 UTC

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I was so hopeful - The version of Android I have locks the long press to Gemini/Google Voice Assistant and provides no option to power off the phone from the "power" button.

2026-04-29 14:55:29 UTC

We should not have to legislate or litigate whether law enforcement can buy data from brokers that they couldn't get otherwise without a warrant.
It should be illegal for any entity to use data linked to an individual (personal, general, or predictive) without explicit permission for each and every instance in which that data is used.
Want to send me an ad? Ask permission.
Want to send me an email? Ask permission.
Want to include me in a sales forecasting model? Ask permission.

2026-04-27 13:28:23 UTC

Same, tubing in a bag. Same.
https://cdn.masto.host/vissocial/media_attachments/files/116/476/899/512/665/219/original/f53d7c3d18892788.jpg

2026-03-08 13:32:09 UTC

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It's Billy Time.

2026-02-02 16:35:05 UTC

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I think there might be brand confusion between Ododo and Odoo (I misread it at first myself)...

2026-01-16 12:50:34 UTC

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nope! The whole system is garbage built on the profitability of drugs, equipment, and property leasing. Maybe they get in sooner or get a more experienced doc or a cleaner room, but statistically, the whole ecosystem provides some of the worst care in the world.

2026-01-16 11:56:20 UTC

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The very rich do get _expensive_ healthcare in the US, but it is still among the worst in the world for outcomes.

2025-12-27 06:24:27 UTC

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But these types of narrowly-trained models (even assuming the "open licensed and public domain" is accurate, which it mostly isn't) are also very limited and extremely likely to be wrong, especially in sensitive use cases. Even in this case, where all the model can do is generate a particular style of anime images, "The Mitsua Likes struggles with most modern concepts and has difficulty understanding complex prompts"

2025-12-14 15:55:49 UTC

If you're thinking about giving a phone as a gift for a young person (elementary or middle school), consider the Light Phone II. It was fantastic for us. Gave the kiddo access to us and friends, but didn't have any of the attention grabbing nonsense of a "real" phone. Plus, many carriers let you register it as a smartwatch, which is cheaper than a full plan!
https://www.thelightphone.com/shop/products/light-phone-ii-black

2025-11-22 16:53:47 UTC

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An attendee at a @npub1zmv…eush event introduced me to https://octopart.com/ recently. Specifically for obscure coffee machine parts, in fact! I'm fascinated by it...

2025-11-12 04:09:10 UTC

Utterly unable to see the auroras here in the western Boston suburbs... Partly cloudy, partly over-lit, and partly high BZ. 🫤

2025-11-01 19:25:24 UTC

Hand-folded 1/4" Pittsburgh! I knew it was possible, but I'm still trying to find a really good set of instructions/plans.
https://cdn.masto.host/vissocial/media_attachments/files/115/476/069/694/651/446/original/61beaf5b3a81e945.jpg

2025-09-14 18:36:23 UTC

So, our town has now voted TWICE to decline to borrow the funds needed to replace one of our fire stations in which the floors under the fire trucks are literally falling down into the cellar and are held up by a growing collection of jack posts. It would cost us something like $20 a month in additional taxes for a few years, which nets to basically zero when we pay off an old bond issue next year. This is one of the richest towns in Massachusetts. I don't understand what people are thinking.

2025-08-23 17:11:54 UTC

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Thank you for your service!

2025-08-19 15:01:09 UTC

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As I recall, the language from this potential employer was something like "getting legal documents reviewed shows that you aren't willing to commit to the <redacted> family." 😬

2025-08-19 02:53:15 UTC

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I had a job offer retracted because I asked to see the document that the agreement I was asked to sign said i had read and agreed to.

2025-08-10 01:36:27 UTC

What a great day. Fantastic turnout, great crew of friends and volunteers, just awesome. @npub1zmv…eush is officially open to the public!

2025-07-22 02:21:03 UTC

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Looks like they stole the translations used for training from here:
https://lyricstranslate.com/en/translator/nancy-qunqar
From her:
https://www.instagram.com/nancyrk/

2025-06-27 19:19:20 UTC

Our recycling dumpster repair guy stopped by, and he's got a workshop BUILT INTO A DUMPSTER on the back of a dumpster hauler truck!
https://cdn.masto.host/vissocial/media_attachments/files/114/756/929/208/546/704/original/4a2fce9e68072e8a.jpg
https://cdn.masto.host/vissocial/media_attachments/files/114/756/929/269/214/695/original/fa21a82d61a21726.jpg

2025-06-17 17:26:00 UTC

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good gawd, don't do this.

2025-06-10 01:40:16 UTC

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It's an awesome design, isn't it?

2025-06-09 21:14:07 UTC

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As a fellow New Englander, I am debating planting rice... 🤔

2025-06-01 01:40:46 UTC

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Hey @npub1503…fme5 , whaddya think?

2025-05-29 22:26:58 UTC

One of my favorite maker/hobbyist/weirdness suppliers, American Science & Surplus is really struggling. Between tariffs, big online competitors, and changing consumer behavior, they're having a hard time keeping the doors open.
If you're in the Chicago or Milwaukee area, stop by! If not, check 'em out online.
Get a T-shirt
(https://sciplus.com/american-science-surplus-coffee-mug/?utm_source=Mastodon)
Buy some chickens
(https://sciplus.com/search.php?search_query=chickens&section=product&utm_source=Mastodon)
Donate to their GoFundMe
(https://www.gofundme.com/f/keep-american-science-surplus-alive)

2025-05-26 15:12:04 UTC

I just crushed several carpenter ants in the kitchen (it's the time of year when they come exploring), and they leaked concentrated bright blue ink/dye! It cleaned up like food coloring does. I've never seen anything like it. Are they eating something blue? Has anyone seen this with #ants before?
https://cdn.masto.host/vissocial/media_attachments/files/114/574/771/921/896/589/original/885791aeff4e338a.jpg

2025-04-12 15:48:18 UTC

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[rushes out to buy 53" laser-cutting smartphone]

2025-03-21 16:23:12 UTC

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Wow, @npub1xvv…hgzf is a helluva account. Blocked. Good riddance.

2025-02-28 23:07:01 UTC

@npub1y4d…j3r5 has a fantastic article on Atlas Obscura about the abandoned Bethlehem Steel plant in PA. Gorgeous photography...
https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/abandoned-steel-mill-bethlehem?utm_source=Masto

2025-02-13 19:16:18 UTC

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Hey @npub1n89…4wd8 - looks like this post is repeating over and over again, repetitively, in a redundant way, repetitively.

2025-02-05 18:42:55 UTC

Reminder that as Tesla sales crash and used prices for them plummet, they become excellent sources of motors and batteries for the electrification of classic vehicles! Scrapping a Tesla to electrify your 1970s Toyota Hilux is punk af.

2025-01-12 17:59:32 UTC

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I'm developing a similar marker for parts of my career.

2024-12-22 12:49:06 UTC

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TIL "mazut"
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mazut

2024-12-19 12:11:34 UTC

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I particularly love this 3-variable scatterplot #DataViz showing the relationship between metal bands per capita, happiness index, and GDP. It's striking.
https://cdn.masto.host/vissocial/media_attachments/files/113/679/405/871/805/129/original/f6b274b5ad59eaf8.png

2024-12-09 01:13:53 UTC

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Yep, he has a place in Buckinghamshire, England as well.

2024-12-08 23:19:23 UTC

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Perhaps it's one of many?

2024-12-08 20:25:36 UTC

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His house is interesting:
https://www.urbansplatter.com/2024/10/andrew-witty-house-the-short-hills-estate/

2024-11-19 11:30:07 UTC

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We have several springs in the yard that run year-round. They've been dry for weeks - only the second time it's happened in 10 years, and the first they've ever run dry for more than a couple of days.

2024-11-13 01:44:14 UTC

Our Three Sisters plot of about 15' x 20' of corn, beans, and squash ended up yielding about 1 lb 2 oz of dried black beans (var. Trail of Tears)! Not too shabby for our first year. It also gave us one solid meal's worth of green beans back in September. (And the kiddos discovered that shelling dried beans is strangely satisfying!) #gardening
https://cdn.masto.host/vissocial/media_attachments/files/113/473/105/233/392/820/original/f39d0aced3e6957b.jpg

2024-11-10 15:43:47 UTC

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Looks like an aster to me, but different from my favorite New England asters. Seems like a more compact plant than ours out east here - not sure which of the Symphyotrichum genus it might be. Maybe prealtum?

2024-11-02 11:33:47 UTC

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Just needs a touchbar!

2024-10-28 12:55:06 UTC

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May I quote you on this, and/or would you have additional writing I might quote? I am writing an article about why I switched from data & software to running a maker space, and your experience mirrors mine! (it's so validating ♥️🤜)

2024-10-26 00:12:15 UTC

I'm out. Bezos is interfering, and that's not cool.
https://cdn.masto.host/vissocial/media_attachments/files/113/370/818/219/019/506/original/e0675c7ce64f23d0.png

2024-10-19 20:27:14 UTC

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I could get composted manure, but I don't think it'll get & stay hot enough... 🤔

2024-10-19 12:47:07 UTC

I'm thinking about trying to keep our 0.16" (4mm) twinwall polycarbonate greenhouse warm this fall and winter, but I'd like to do it as efficiently (read: cheaply) as possible. Any suggestions from the #gardening and #greenhouse crowd here?
Ideas I've considered: lots of heating mats, chicken coop heater, aluminum can solar collector, adding thermal mass (water? Concrete? Stone?), dragons

2024-10-03 17:39:45 UTC

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The #wikipedia article details each of the clocks and their functions! It has 57 dials!
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zimmer_tower

2024-10-02 17:18:12 UTC

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This is the perfect parallel analogy. Damn.

2024-08-04 19:20:06 UTC

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I'm trying to have fun with it. Less effort-posting work ideas, more shit-reposting academic and industry research that supports sustainability, equity, and good, human relationships.