mjb

mjb here, there, but not everywhere. not your mom's account. nor mary j blige's.

Public Key

npub1nna864c27hw7r4umga4v9j94gwcewqr964yg7nvxlteuxnqk0ccs0l3t00

NIP-05 Address

mjb.divine.video

Profile Code

nprofile1qqsfe7na2u90th0p67d5w6kzez658vvhqpja2jy0fkr04u7rfst8uvgpz3mhxue69uhhyetvv9ujuerpd46hxtnfduqs6amnwvaz7tmwdaejumr0dsu4a040

Publishing to

relay.damus.io

nos.lol

Author Public Key

npub1nna864c27hw7r4umga4v9j94gwcewqr964yg7nvxlteuxnqk0ccs0l3t00

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Last Notes

2026-03-29 21:02:24 UTC

The red foam glider finally landed behind the fence of 94-year-old Mrs. X. This particular fun is over for now, until her home health aide comes along tomorrow, sees it as she brings out Mrs. X’s trash and tosses it over the tall chain link back our way.

2026-03-22 13:11:18 UTC

Today, we ride (because they're making D.C. shitty again) https://machination.org/2026/03/22/today-we-ride-because-theyre/

2026-03-18 20:38:41 UTC

Fuck this stupid war. Grieving Parents in Iran Spend Every Night at the Graves of Their Children, Killed by U.S. Strike. https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/minab-iran-elementary-school-airstrike-cemetery-families

2026-03-17 14:22:41 UTC

🍀✊
"From Dublin City to San Diego
We witnessed freedom denied
So we formed the Saint Patrick Battalion
And we fought on the Mexican side" https://www.davidrovics.com/songbook/st-patrick-battalion-2/

2026-03-09 13:16:56 UTC

Fuck this stupid war https://machination.org/2026/03/09/fuck-this-stupid-war/

2026-02-28 21:09:31 UTC

Flickr’s API was the first (besides the internal Jython API of the Grassroots Multiplier product I deployed services on) I worked with. Embedding crowd-sourced photos and maps into advocacy campaigns. https://mjtsai.com/blog/2026/02/28/flickrs-url-scheme/

2026-02-25 10:39:34 UTC

Zero regrets having fallen asleep in the process of getting the kiddo to sleep rather than my intention of enduring the Putin-esque nearly hours-long fictitious free styling of Donald Trump. However, there is a now a flat beer as a casualty.

2026-02-19 16:03:15 UTC

I imagine the Board of Peace being kind of like Dragon’s Den/Shark Tank/The Apprentice. Just dumber, crasser, and if we exclude the launching power of The Apprentice in even given Trump visibility, more negatively impactful on the world.

2026-01-21 01:45:56 UTC

Clippings for January 20, 2026 https://machination.org/2026/01/20/clippings-for-january/

2026-01-19 14:20:29 UTC

Clippings for January 19, 2026 https://machination.org/2026/01/19/clippings-for-january/

2026-01-19 01:53:00 UTC

Clippings for January 18, 2026 https://machination.org/2026/01/18/clippings-for-january/

2026-01-18 00:32:37 UTC

Clippings for January 17, 2026 https://machination.org/2026/01/17/070000.html

2026-01-12 17:21:25 UTC

The United States' current most overarching policy is ecocide. https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/12/climate/trump-epa-air-pollution.html

2026-01-11 18:31:36 UTC

Aaron Swartz, ¡presente! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aaron_Swartz

2026-01-11 01:43:24 UTC

Rest in peace, Bob Weir.
Yeah, that’s him out of focus, dead center. Lording over the changing of a tire on Abraxas in Washington, D.C (the black robes of John Perry Barlow frame the right on the image). https://live.staticflickr.com/4126/5130020409_250d72197f.jpg https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/bob-weir-grateful-dead-dead-obituary-1234810106/ https://www.flickr.com/photos/mjb/5130020409/in/photolist-8PnvaC-8Q314Q-8PjyMt-8Pp1ns-8PiSVR-8PjdFD-8PjhFP-8PoKS7-8PkbQ6-8PohHs-8PozGb-8PoiUL-8Pogvs-8PkEav-8PkLWx-8PojeW-8PkVni-8PrjH4-8PtcdC-8Pj2pH-8PoKDb-8PjGkK-8Pn7qh-8Pn7S1-8Pkvz2-8PjGZ8-8PqRcp-8PkcZR-8Pkdek-8Pp1zy-8PjdpX-8PjhtH-8PjLsp-8Prfaa-8PumiA-8Poizy-8PkEoV-8Prezn-8Puq4Q-8PjuNP-8PtVC1-8PjuxB-8PnvDW-8Pjq8P-8PukgL-8PkNUp-8PtbXw-8PoTDu-8PjL8t-8Prg8t/ https://flickr.com/photos/mjb/albums/72157625276468152/

2026-01-08 02:47:41 UTC

Current status: Living and working in a ecocidal necrostate.

2026-01-03 09:42:24 UTC

[Sarcastic, not so naive, actually critical of most sanctions as a tactic the U.S. has used, but frustrated as fuck at the lack of… agency, principles, justice.] So now, finally, this is the part where the U.S. gets sanctioned, right? https://cdn.uploads.micro.blog/9494/2026/fb5dbf54b9.jpg https://www.bbc.com/news/live/c5yqygxe41pt

2025-12-31 17:35:46 UTC

I have things to be optimistic about that I am apart of and I worked to support others' efforts that were meaningful to me this past year. That will all be my fuel to push even harder this coming year. Despite all that, at every level, same: Dan Sinker’s exit interview with 2025. https://dansinker.com/posts/2025-12-31-exit-interview/

2025-12-31 02:40:09 UTC

This household has had to fight off something right up to the end of the year. Good riddance 2025, except for every moment The Childe has grown up through and past… too fast.

2025-12-26 14:37:24 UTC

Today I have a family gathering but it may also need to be a day for de-conflicting local git repositories and iCloud and some dumb things that happened by accident with 2 laptops in play. It is helpful to have a project to go heads-down on, separate from both local and remote obligations.

2025-12-24 00:49:15 UTC

https://cdn.uploads.micro.blog/9494/2025/85be463b8a.jpg

2025-12-23 14:56:14 UTC

Remember when end-of-year emails from your services were novel and useful? Yeah, I’m not sure I do either…

2025-12-21 14:19:51 UTC

Happy Solstice! ☀️🌏

2025-12-09 15:57:56 UTC

I’m listening to the Supreme Court and those arguing before it debate the color and size of the cups in the shell game of campaign finance. The most hilarious claim is that there is no quid pro quo bribery.

2025-11-25 13:27:04 UTC

Pete Hegseth only wishes they were more like the Hitler Youth. https://www.npr.org/2025/11/25/nx-s1-5615164/pentagon-scouting-hegseth-cut-ties

2025-11-23 00:19:56 UTC

The original machination.org was kind of a relentless real time (as soon as I consumed something and gave it some sort of credence in my mind) link log. The post yesterday was a more emblematic of a later stage, a slightly more sanely paced round-up. Thought about doing it again today. No. I’ve got other s... machination.org https://machination.org/2025/11/22/the-original-machinationorg-was-kind.html

2025-11-21 15:51:28 UTC

What a horrible habit, reading the news https://machination.org/2025/11/21/what-a-horrible-habit-reading.html

2025-11-18 16:32:55 UTC

When a shield becomes a shackle https://machination.org/2025/11/18/when-a-shield-becomes-a.html

2025-11-18 15:41:19 UTC

Gardens vs. giveaways https://machination.org/2025/11/18/gardens-vs-giveaways.html

2025-11-12 00:03:19 UTC

By A. Litteri in Union Market https://cdn.uploads.micro.blog/9494/2025/5421a948b0.jpg

2025-11-11 19:08:53 UTC

"“The more you push me, the more I’m not going to do what you want,” said the New York governor, Kathy Hochul, in response to a public outcry to tax the rich."
Hochul can go, just like Jeffries and Schumer and Gillibrand. https://harpers.org/2025/11/government-shutdown-super-typhoon-tough-guy-zohran-mamdani-curtis-sliwa-animal-lovers-emotionally-disturbed-beast-land-super-horsey/#:~:text=%E2%80%9CThe%20more%20you%20push%20me%2C%20the%20more%20I%E2%80%99m%20not%20going%20to%20do%20what%20you%20want%2C%E2%80%9D%20said%20the%20New%20York%20governor%2C%20Kathy%20Hochul%2C%20in%20response%20to%20a%20public%20outcry%20to%20tax%20the%20rich.28

2025-11-11 14:55:46 UTC

The best way we can honor service members is to send the National Guard home https://machination.org/2025/11/11/the-best-way-we-can.html

2025-11-04 19:08:42 UTC

Dick Cheney’s death should be a reminder that we must fix the process of politics whatever content we would advocate for. Cheney is, as much as anyone else, the godfather of Donald Trump. As Jonah Goldberg put it, Trump is kind of his “Frankenstein’s Monster.” https://www.npr.org/2025/11/04/nx-s1-5597830/jonah-goldberg-remembers-former-vice-president-dick-cheney

2025-10-21 13:41:13 UTC

What happens when we all put our heads in the cloud https://machination.org/2025/10/21/what-happens-when-we-all.html

2025-10-20 15:27:06 UTC

I am a technologist but a morning like this encourages my Luddism (understanding technology’s impact, valuing autonomy, adopting it intentionally). I had cash; while Venmo was down, our visit to the PTSO coffee table outside school happened anyway & The Childe did some practical math. https://tech.slashdot.org/story/25/10/20/140248/aws-outage-takes-thousands-of-websites-offline-for-three-hours

2025-10-18 19:04:39 UTC

I appreciate the ecumenical critiques. Not to “both-sides” it: there are significant differences and fairly one-sided undemocratic reasons for the complete deadlock, but this sign could very well stand the test of time. I had my ear out for process and not just content critiques from the stage. https://cdn.uploads.micro.blog/9494/2025/e4d49ea2b9.jpg

2025-10-16 19:53:56 UTC

I have to wonder, with Donald Trump’s particular enthusiasm for McDonald’s, and his self-aggrandized narrative about his role in real estate, does Trump play their Monopoly game? https://www.huffpost.com/entry/donald-trump-mcdonalds-order-rnc-chair-joe-gruters_n_68ef28a2e4b03d246404f70a#:~:text=%E2%80%9CHe%20had%20hot%20fries%20waiting%20for%20him%20from%20McDonald%E2%80%99s%20...%20And%20then%20he%20had%20a%20Filet%2DO%2DFish%2C%20a%20Quarter%20Pounder%2C%20and%20a%20Big%20Mac%2C%20and%20I%20think%20he%20combined%20two%20of%20them%2C%E2%80%9D%20said%20Gruters%2C%20who%20did%20not%20reveal%20which%20two%20sandwiches%20Trump%20put%20together. https://corporate.mcdonalds.com/corpmcd/our-stories/article/monopoly-returns-more-chances-towin.html

2025-10-09 14:34:06 UTC

I took Metro this morning. Got on a Silver Line train in the direction of Ashburn. Operator pronounced it ASSburn.
Yeah we’re all on the train to ass burn these days.

2025-10-08 16:13:19 UTC

Paul Clement pretty much said it out loud https://machination.org/2025/10/08/paul-clement-pretty-much-said.html

2025-10-07 22:35:43 UTC

https://cdn.uploads.micro.blog/9494/2025/img-6855.jpg

2025-09-26 13:13:50 UTC

Bruce Schneier on Digital Threat Modeling Under Authoritarianism https://machination.org/2025/09/26/bruce-schneier-on-digital-threat.html

2025-09-26 12:49:20 UTC

It’s always good news when the boss schedules a senior leadership meeting on short notice with no agenda. https://apnews.com/article/pentagon-hegseth-meeting-military-commanders-4ceb8026bff7c652b08c08e8afb1df99

2025-09-23 00:21:58 UTC

The seasons change, but I am always anti-fascist. https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/09/designating-antifa-as-a-domestic-terrorist-organization/

2025-09-22 00:00:52 UTC

I am not so naive, but one did hope that “if he can’t see it, it isn’t happening” would be limited to Trump’s tiny geographic orbit in DC and what he saw through the warping windows of The Beast. But no, whether its climate, people, labor numbers, or hunger, there will be no official seeing-of-it. https://apnews.com/article/trump-ending-america-hunger-report-snap-cuts-750f90757f50ab2d8bc97dfca5a917dd

2025-09-20 21:51:26 UTC

It’s grift all the way down for these clowns. https://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/news/tom-homan-cash-contracts-trump-doj-investigation-rcna232568

2025-09-18 19:05:43 UTC

Hell, a Man Show era Jimmy Kimmel who also did blackface would be in the cabinet. https://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/updated-trump-administration-fcc-guidelines-for-late-night-tv-hosts

2025-09-18 15:40:01 UTC

Just some curious bullshit https://dcdispat.ch/2025/09/18/just-some-curious-bullshit.html

2025-09-18 00:13:24 UTC

What did he fight for? https://dcdispat.ch/2025/09/17/what-did-he-fight-for.html

2025-09-05 10:45:00 UTC

I think I remember when it seemed that a president would very likely and quickly get impeached for ordering a murder… but honestly, I’m not sure anymore. https://www.npr.org/2025/09/05/nx-s1-5528890/international-crisis-group-adviser-on-legality-of-u-s-strike-on-venezuelan-boat

2025-06-22 13:31:46 UTC

The climate crisis, slow-roll-WWIII, no better than band-aids on the social safety net between axe swings at it, and a duopoly political system oscillating between making it all happen or doing nothing people actually need to stop it, and an economy teetering on realizing it.

2025-06-18 15:42:52 UTC

Imagine, in terms of the kinds of things being cut in proposed House and Senate GOP budget bills, what we could pay for already (accepting ludicrous premises) if we just weren’t flying all those KC-135s and C-17s constantly at $20k+/hour/plane re: Israel/Iran. Or you know, the fucking parade.

2025-05-13 14:42:12 UTC

Oh, neat. Democracy. (h/t kottke.org https://www.sixthtone.com/news/1017072 https://kottke.org/25/05/0046829-in-shanghai-a-new-crowd-s

2025-04-30 14:17:28 UTC

If you told me 30 years ago that an adult me, not a lawyer, would listen to Supreme Court oral arguments “for fun,” I’d have spit my Mountain Dew in your face.

2025-04-01 13:58:13 UTC

Did a filibuster happen if no one being opposed had to bat an eyelid? https://dcdispat.ch/2025/04/01/did-a-filibuster-happen-if.html

2025-03-25 13:20:11 UTC

The Signal chat seems to be evidence of a war crime, right? https://dcdispat.ch/2025/03/25/the-signal-chat-seems-to.html

2025-03-24 14:40:33 UTC

I've been quiet here (not so much directly on Bluesky). I hope I can say it is because I have been busy in worthwhile efforts.

2025-03-24 14:39:20 UTC

I have to hope that enough enthralled by fascism are not fascists https://dcdispat.ch/2025/03/24/i-have-to-hope-that.html

2025-02-11 22:23:40 UTC

We’re getting snowed but I don’t mean the weather. https://cdn.uploads.micro.blog/9494/2025/6ea5c51b2d.jpg

2025-02-06 14:51:28 UTC

The blowback is going to come in all forms https://dcdispat.ch/2025/02/06/the-blowback-is-going-to.html

2025-02-05 18:06:08 UTC

USAID shutdown reportedly styming anti-human trafficking direct service efforts https://dcdispat.ch/2025/02/05/usaid-shutdown-reportedly-styming-antihuman.html

2025-01-03 16:09:02 UTC

I hear the ghost of Ed Sullivan: “We have a very big shew today!” https://live.house.gov

2024-12-24 01:44:40 UTC

We finally got here—I’ve got a double Manhattan, a lit tree, most things cleaned and cooked before the holiday, only some wrapping (and lots of Santa-ascribed assembly) to sneak in tomorrow … so, eff it, now I will kick back and watch A Very Murray Christmas.

2024-12-15 02:26:54 UTC

Tonight I’m remembering Phillip Wearne again. A friend in a chaotic time, and perhaps still also a missed opportunity to learn more from him. He introduced me to Graham Greene’s works, for which I’ll always be grateful. https://www.theguardian.com/education/2018/jun/22/phillip-wearne-obituary

2024-12-15 01:11:52 UTC

It’s been a while since I posted an indulgent, vapid photo like this. Cheers, you filthy animals. https://cdn.uploads.micro.blog/9494/2024/69f173f397.jpg

2024-12-13 08:58:44 UTC

Long day, mostly night.

2024-12-10 15:34:26 UTC

Some photos from around a foggy U.S. Capitol this morning. https://cdn.uploads.micro.blog/9494/2024/2604be1830.jpg https://cdn.uploads.micro.blog/9494/2024/41e1502892.jpg https://cdn.uploads.micro.blog/9494/2024/4ffd56f288.jpg https://cdn.uploads.micro.blog/9494/2024/d2b2d254c9.jpg

2024-11-14 16:06:48 UTC

A missed opportunity with The Onion buying Infowars and announcing their plans? What if they quietly acquired & published real critiques of gov’t, political parties, oligarchs' documented corruption and lies? One might succeed in Judo-ing the conspiratorial distrust that isn’t entirely unfounded among some... dcdispat.ch https://dcdispat.ch/2024/11/14/a-missed-opportunity.html

2024-10-28 23:50:29 UTC

Thank you, Noah.
I watch us
in our last, most honest minutes
putting bread on credit, double-
bagging bleach and ketchup, trying
to keep what we love alive.
http://versedaily.org/2013/thebelt.shtml

2024-10-23 13:44:53 UTC

I still struggle with achieving the right balance of exposure to my local nuclear fusion reaction. Sometimes it is due to my own bad choices, but often I can blame systemic causes. Regardless, I managed a good starting dose this morning and it made a difference.

2024-09-11 16:00:44 UTC

This day still fucks with my head.

2024-09-10 17:43:54 UTC

EVP https://dcdispat.ch/2024/09/10/evp.html

2024-09-08 12:00:40 UTC

It’s also Fuck Bell Textron Day, at least for me.
https://dcdispat.ch/2023/09/08/semper-fuck-you.html

2024-09-08 11:42:25 UTC

50F https://dcdispat.ch/2024/09/08/f.html

2024-08-30 13:38:57 UTC

What good comes out of increasing the chasm of the void of help for the innocent? https://dcdispat.ch/2024/08/30/what-good-comes.html

2024-08-28 13:14:31 UTC

I slowly became good at a sort of GTD style of managing my email inbox. Not quite Inbox Zero, but a healthy total count can be managed on a hand or two. Not as good with browser tabs. Painfully declaring tab bankruptcy today. All those novel links, essays, news articles… ‘til we meet again.

2024-08-22 13:28:41 UTC

Assateague National Seashore
https://cdn.uploads.micro.blog/9494/2024/7ff632d218.jpg

2024-08-16 18:17:36 UTC

The Heritage Foundation’s Kevin Roberts can suck it. The vertical playground at Swampoodle is one of The Childe’s favorite places to play.
It is near several places we make regular errand runs to and, in addition to climbing fun, it provides him a vantage point to observe the train traffic coming in and o... dcdispat.ch https://dcdispat.ch/2024/08/16/the-heritage-foundations.html

2024-07-30 12:37:37 UTC

This’ll do.
https://cdn.uploads.micro.blog/9494/2024/daeea98fd9.jpg

2024-07-24 16:16:35 UTC

A lot of security in my neighborhood (or the adjacent one, anyway), including out of town police known for instigating violence with demonstrators, to protect a war criminal running out on a warrant for his arrest.

2024-07-21 21:24:15 UTC

Everyone else's ego running my world https://dcdispat.ch/2024/07/21/everyone-elses-ego.html

2024-07-21 21:16:23 UTC

Here we go… hold on tight!

2024-07-07 22:19:59 UTC

Caught up with the most recent episode of Maron’s podcast & enjoyed the bit in his usual rambling opening where he called out Trump on not citing his sources, being a coward for not giving credit to Hitler.
https://overcast.fm/+7lcxgAnuo

2024-06-14 13:23:53 UTC

Design to survive the sacrifice https://dcdispat.ch/2024/06/14/design-to-survive.html

2024-06-08 18:00:07 UTC

A good trick is not being too high on being present, when one is lucky enough to experience that, to not capitalize on what you might notice.
I don’t think I’ve learned that trick yet.

2024-06-07 17:37:21 UTC

Accountability, hope, gratitude https://dcdispat.ch/2024/06/07/accountability-hope-gratitude.html

2024-05-29 13:45:25 UTC

Rock and roll and news radio https://dcdispat.ch/2024/05/29/rock-and-roll.html

2024-05-17 15:08:22 UTC

I haven’t been to a punk show in a while, let alone one at 9:30 in the morning. It was of course, all ages—and my Childe’s school Spring Pre-K/Kindergarten concert.

2024-05-10 09:53:24 UTC

Foo

2024-05-09 22:07:15 UTC

War Culture Hates the Ethical Passion of the Young https://dcdispat.ch/2024/05/09/war-culture-hates.html

2024-05-08 23:31:32 UTC

The clock ran out on "if" a long time ago. https://dcdispat.ch/2024/05/08/the-clock-ran.html

2024-04-14 00:00:04 UTC

The worst cynicism https://dcdispat.ch/2024/04/13/the-worst-cynicism.html

2024-03-21 16:38:42 UTC

I do want more aggressive antitrust action from the Department of Justice, including in the industry’s Apple is in, and possibly against Apple itself with well-crafted, technical and market literate arguments, if applicable… but calling Apple a monopoly still seems like a stretch. This DoJ action seems lik... dcdispat.ch https://dcdispat.ch/2024/03/21/i-do-want.html

2024-03-08 02:03:28 UTC

I’ve been knocked on my ass a bit this week, and it’d probably be better for my mental and physical health to not consume SOTU coverage, but, bless the anti-genocide demonstrators who seemed to force a motorcade detour on the way to the Capitol tonight. It barely counts as close, but this is the closest I... dcdispat.ch https://dcdispat.ch/2024/03/07/ive-been-knocked.html

2024-02-26 17:01:35 UTC

[Before we put these questions to a sperm whale unit, we’d have to think hard about whether we’d act on the answers. Kristin Andrews told me a heartbreaking story about a chimpanzee named Bruno who was taught sign language at the University of Oklahoma. Bruno was encouraged to build his whole life around the practice of asking humans for things. But after a few years, the scientists’ grant ran out and he was transferred to a different facility. When one of the lab’s scientists visited him there, he was distressed to see that Bruno seemed upset. He kept signing Key and Out. The scientist had taught th... dcdispat.ch https://dcdispat.ch/2024/02/26/before-we-put.html

2024-02-26 15:33:52 UTC

Dragging myself forward. https://dcdispat.ch/2024/02/26/dragging-myself-forward.html

2024-02-21 19:31:16 UTC

New truths, fuel for future models https://dcdispat.ch/2024/02/21/new-truths-fuel.html

2024-02-18 21:31:46 UTC

I pay for Apple News+ partly because the ad experience is better than the open web. If it weren’t for that, I’d prefer Apple just be a payments middleman negotiating micropayments on the open web. It could be a better walled garden—give me Books features like highlights and notes!

2024-02-06 15:20:46 UTC

A sigh of relief. I think I have a backlog of something on the order of 15,000 suspended sighs of relief—that is, breaths held—but I let that one rip. And gulped in a new one for the Supreme Court appeal to come.
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/06/us/politics/trump-immunity-appeals-court.html

2024-01-31 17:00:25 UTC

To be fair, I am worried when I see hashtags on my tictacs.
…but I wish this hearing wasn’t so full of grandstanding to promote poor solutions to horrible problems. Not that I am particularly sympathetic to the witnesses.
But what’s new?
https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/committee-activity/hearings/big-tech-and-the-online-child-sexual-exploitation-crisis

2024-01-19 18:07:33 UTC

Snow day https://dcdispat.ch/2024/01/19/snow-day.html