Nostr notes by simonbp

#ToiletsWithThreateningMenageres

2026-04-20T02:46:25Z

In reply to nevent1q…476w
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#ToiletsWithThreateningMenageres

Turns out, Americans actually do want trains, even in Louisiana, ...

2026-04-19T23:46:58Z

Turns out, Americans actually do want trains, even in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama.

#trains #amtrak

https://www.fox8live.com/2026/04/18/amtraks-mardi-gras-line-exceeds-expectations-nearing-100000-passengers-since-august

Thinking back to 2022 when there were reports that New ...

2026-04-19T23:25:18Z

Thinking back to 2022 when there were reports that New Glenn's upper stage was in development hell and they were actively funding two separate upper stage efforts (the apparent loser was a reusable upper stage codenamed Jarvis). This was around the same time that it came out publicly that the ex-Honeywell Blue CEO was a massive sexist jerk.

At any rate, AST's most recent comm sat will be converted to upper atmospheric ozone-destroying aluminum more rapidly than planned.

Lot of competition these days

2026-04-19T23:16:55Z

In reply to nevent1q…88pr
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Lot of competition these days

Can confirm, the seats are comfy, with plenty of room. ...

2026-04-19T19:33:37Z

In reply to nevent1q…ftkd
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Can confirm, the seats are comfy, with plenty of room.

Oh running away from problems he himself created is the most ...

2026-04-19T05:03:33Z

In reply to nevent1q…pa87
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Oh running away from problems he himself created is the most expected thing.

Both better and worse. Lunar rock, and thus dust, is really ...

2026-04-18T12:12:56Z

In reply to nevent1q…7z8p
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Both better and worse.

Lunar rock, and thus dust, is really angular compared to the same minerals on Earth, down to microscopic scales. That's bad if you inhale it.

At the same time, at least known lunar minerals don't form long threads like asbestos, which is what really destroys your lungs. Asbestos requires molten rock in contact with water, which is possibly something that has literally never happened on the lunar surface.

I distinctly remember having discussions about the Ewok Genocide ...

2026-04-17T23:47:19Z

In reply to nevent1q…63sx
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I distinctly remember having discussions about the Ewok Genocide in undergrad

Every day we get closer ...

2026-04-17T23:39:14Z

In reply to nevent1q…ah03
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Every day we get closer

Goose unimpressed ...

2026-04-17T19:35:46Z

In reply to nevent1q…fsca
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Goose unimpressed

Starting to look a lot like Christmas #cowx #boulder ...

2026-04-17T19:34:53Z

Starting to look a lot like Christmas
#cowx #boulder

One of my favorite Pluto Fun Facts is that the weaker gravity and ...

2026-04-16T17:43:36Z

In reply to nevent1q…vzhk
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One of my favorite Pluto Fun Facts is that the weaker gravity and weaker solar wind all balance out such that Pluto and Mars have an exosphere and tail almost exactly the same size.

Yeah that's an important question.

2026-04-14T17:42:43Z

In reply to nevent1q…hke3
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Yeah that's an important question.

A nice thing about gasoline is that it doesn't easily mix ...

2026-04-13T21:26:18Z

In reply to nevent1q…eh27
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A nice thing about gasoline is that it doesn't easily mix with water, and is heavier than it. So when ground water inevitably leaks into underground gasoline tanks, it just forms a free vapor barrier on top, but still allows you to collect pure gasoline from the bottom of the tank.

When groundwater or humidity from the air gets in contact with pure methanol, it just gets absorbed, increasing the volume of the mixture and changing its combustibility. That's part of why it was so dangerous for racing, you never actually knew what you were putting in the tank, and how much was already there...

Lol. My dad's master's thesis back in 1974 was about how ...

2026-04-13T19:32:15Z

Lol. My dad's master's thesis back in 1974 was about how methanol, despite being a promising fuel, was a nightmare to transport and distribute consistently because it's so ridiculously hygroscopic.

https://carnewschina.com/2026/04/12/geely-doubles-down-on-methanol-says-lithium-evs-too-heavy-for-future-transport/

I assume anything to do MoW on LIM track is super custom.

2026-04-13T18:52:53Z

In reply to nevent1q…umux
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I assume anything to do MoW on LIM track is super custom.

I am really glad we fought back when the IAU tried to make the ...

2026-04-13T18:13:20Z

In reply to nevent1q…6xyf
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I am really glad we fought back when the IAU tried to make the convention for Pluto to names related to death and dying. Their provisional list was a cultural insensitivity nightmare.

Someday the Z scalers will convince me to join them (At the Rocky ...

2026-04-11T23:54:05Z

Someday the Z scalers will convince me to join them

(At the Rocky Mountain Train Show, Denver)

#ModelRailway #ModelTrain #ZScale

Doggy dispatch duties

2026-04-11T23:51:22Z

In reply to nevent1q…p7gy
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Doggy dispatch duties

If you're wondering who the #Artemis2 recovery ship is named ...

2026-04-10T21:36:14Z

If you're wondering who the #Artemis2 recovery ship is named after...

787 ZA002, the oldest 787 left in the US! Also the one that ...

2026-04-10T17:07:54Z

In reply to nevent1q…4jmd
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787 ZA002, the oldest 787 left in the US! Also the one that caught on fire in 2010, putting the program back a few years.

I've been to Darwin three times now, can't remember ...

2026-04-10T05:17:34Z

In reply to nevent1q…sjs2
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I've been to Darwin three times now, can't remember seeing a bus once.

Half the movie is Statham just sitting there waiting for a bus.

And last weekend, at it's forever home ...

2026-04-10T05:11:54Z

In reply to nevent1q…lt95
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And last weekend, at it's forever home

there's a lived in feel that I think movies/TV rarely ...

2026-04-09T14:47:11Z

In reply to nevent1q…wh6q
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there's a lived in feel that I think movies/TV rarely capture. Coffee cups and water bottles all over the place. Print outs of things you think you might need but probably don't. So many computers.

The canonical channel wing is the Custer CCW-5, first flown in ...

2026-04-09T14:25:47Z

In reply to nevent1q…a0mh
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The canonical channel wing is the Custer CCW-5, first flown in 1953. It had remarkable STOL (short takeoff and landing) performance (Popular Mechanics compared it to flying an autogyro), but the effect was limited by the engines of the time. It apparently still exists, in the Mid Atlantic Air Museum in Pennsylvania.
#avgeek

OMG it's a channel wing! Channel wings are one of those goofy ...

2026-04-09T14:17:21Z

OMG it's a channel wing!

Channel wings are one of those goofy aero gimmicks that were briefly popular in the 20th century without any real adoption. It's funny to see drone makers cycle through them to see what sticks.

https://www.yankodesign.com/2026/04/07/semicircular-wings-give-this-hybrid-evtol-an-800-mile-range-with-30-less-power-consumption/
#avgeek

Of course Canada also bought out the UK part of Gemini for ...

2026-04-08T02:22:47Z

In reply to nevent1q…j8f2
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Of course Canada also bought out the UK part of Gemini for basically nothing...

I mean, Canada is "cooperating state" in ESA with its own ...

2026-04-08T02:19:42Z

In reply to nevent1q…xnxq
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I mean, Canada is "cooperating state" in ESA with its own bespoke agreement and everything.

Boo.

2026-04-08T02:12:56Z

In reply to nevent1q…z2gh
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Boo.

Cats care not for human obstacles

2026-04-07T19:32:29Z

In reply to nevent1q…qh9l
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Cats care not for human obstacles

Yeah, not the worst view. I have no idea how the NASA lunar ...

2026-04-07T17:31:40Z

Yeah, not the worst view.

I have no idea how the NASA lunar program will play out from here. It almost certainly won't be as frenetic as the current administration would like, but the success of Artemis II will certainly be a kick to keep it going. The current mission is the culmination of two decades of hard work by many people, but it's also the first step of hopefully many more over the coming decades.

Ex Luna, Scientia.

#nasa #astrodon #Artemis2

My usual morning commute is on a Gillig, a very standard American ...

2026-04-07T14:14:36Z

My usual morning commute is on a Gillig, a very standard American local bus. But today we got upgraded to one of the big Motor Coaches used for highway service. Feels fancy.

Some bored Starfleet officer spent years getting the grass that ...

2026-04-06T03:39:48Z

In reply to nevent1q…jv5s
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Some bored Starfleet officer spent *years* getting the grass that shade of brown

(His ancestors were really into model train scenery...)

Some memories from back then ...

2026-04-06T03:30:29Z

In reply to nevent1q…lxq3
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Some memories from back then

Saw an old friend yesterday. I got to fly on SOFIA for the ...

2026-04-06T03:20:39Z

Saw an old friend yesterday. I got to fly on SOFIA for the Arrokoth occultation in 2017. I calculated the ground track we used, and extracted the occultation light curve from very noisy data.

Now at the Pima Air & Space Museum, Tucson, Arizona, USA.
#astrodon #avgeek

APT-E, Locomotion, Shildon, UK, 2025 ...

2026-04-04T03:03:56Z

APT-E, Locomotion, Shildon, UK, 2025

I remember we had a talk when I was in undergrad (in Huntsville) ...

2026-04-02T01:40:27Z

In reply to nevent1q…5pd8
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I remember we had a talk when I was in undergrad (in Huntsville) from one of the guys that designed the urine recycler for ISS, the first of its kind. He absolutely made Kevin Costner Waterworld jokes.

"Have you tried turning off the toilet and turning it back on ...

2026-04-02T01:07:00Z

In reply to nevent1q…7psv
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"Have you tried turning off the toilet and turning it back on again?"

Thinking about the Lockheed Martin engineer who has been working ...

2026-04-02T00:49:45Z

Thinking about the Lockheed Martin engineer who has been working on the Orion toilet for 20 years, only to see it fail immediately when someone tries to use it.

#Artemis2

Same factory, same people. Quality control is critical for solid ...

2026-04-01T23:46:32Z

In reply to nevent1q…nntv
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Same factory, same people. Quality control is critical for solid rockets that can't be tested before flight.

The two Vulcan SRB failures are very fresh

2026-04-01T23:24:25Z

In reply to nevent1q…5ms0
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The two Vulcan SRB failures are very fresh

I was personally most worried about the SRBs, so that's good. ...

2026-04-01T22:39:26Z

I was personally most worried about the SRBs, so that's good.

#Artemis2

Somehow #Artemis2 beat me to finishing ...

2026-04-01T22:33:32Z

Somehow #Artemis2 beat me to finishing

Merge points are almost always what create chronic traffic jams, ...

2026-04-01T16:21:06Z

In reply to nevent1q…35jp
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Merge points are almost always what create chronic traffic jams, because people never want to give way

Yeah, when you built it as a station, trains by definition ...

2026-03-31T16:54:25Z

In reply to nevent1q…apdl
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Yeah, when you built it as a station, trains by definition don't rumble through.

Americans seem stuck thinking about elevated trains in terms of New York and Chicago's ancient noisy Ls, rather than Vancouver's vastly quieter, much more lightweight system.

Beefy

2026-03-31T12:57:17Z

In reply to nevent1q…4ajv
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Beefy

IIRC they use radar primarily, so I bet it means they didn't ...

2026-03-30T20:06:16Z

In reply to nevent1q…02fp
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IIRC they use radar primarily, so I bet it means they didn't see anything moving fast until they suddenly saw a lot of things moving fast

"Internal energetic event" It done blown up

2026-03-30T20:03:14Z

In reply to nevent1q…mm6e
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"Internal energetic event"

It done blown up

"Most blocked" and "125k blocks" imply that blue ...

2026-03-30T18:49:04Z

In reply to nevent1q…d5qr
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"Most blocked" and "125k blocks" imply that blue slop might have a bit more of a bot problem than its human users might care to admit.

Yikes. Stage 1 fire restrictions are starting tomorrow. ...

2026-03-30T18:43:05Z

Yikes. Stage 1 fire restrictions are starting tomorrow. That's way early. We're going to be in for a scary summer in Colorado.

#cowx

Concorde 001 prototype in the Musée de l'Air et de ...

2026-03-30T01:33:52Z

Concorde 001 prototype in the Musée de l'Air et de l'Espace, Paris, 2018
#avgeek

Well, no rush then

2026-03-28T01:20:31Z

In reply to nevent1q…s0d9
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Well, no rush then

s/\:q//g is a 90% solution

2026-03-28T00:46:49Z

In reply to nevent1q…flez
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s/\:q//g is a 90% solution

It's Friday evening and the packed pub just started randomly ...

2026-03-28T00:41:31Z

It's Friday evening and the packed pub just started randomly playing the Shire theme from Lord of the Rings. It works.

that too

2026-03-26T12:31:34Z

In reply to nevent1q…36nw
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that too

Colorado springtime ...

2026-03-26T03:29:18Z

Colorado springtime

It was Mercury spacecraft serial number 7, McDonnell model ...

2026-03-24T21:50:57Z

In reply to nevent1q…qarh
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It was Mercury spacecraft serial number 7, McDonnell model numbers were already in the hundreds by that point.

But I was just thinking of the "dry technical name with a number followed by a propaganda name" format.

Космический реактор-1 «Свобода», a product of the Cleveland Tractor and Aircraft Plant No. 57 "Glenn".

(An ultimate source for early NASA lore) ...

2026-03-24T20:13:25Z

In reply to nevent1q…wlz5
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(An ultimate source for early NASA lore)

Space Reactor-1 "Freedom" is the most Soviet name ...

2026-03-24T20:11:24Z

Space Reactor-1 "Freedom" is the most Soviet name imaginable for a NASA spacecraft.

Though a reminder that of the early NASA missions, the "Pioneer" series was named by a USAF officer to spite the US Army, and the "Ranger" series was literally named after one of the JPL engineer's Ford Ranger truck.

Upstate New York was a hotbed of utopian communes and ...

2026-03-24T17:16:32Z

In reply to nevent1q…x3nu
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Upstate New York was a hotbed of utopian communes and idiosyncratic cults in the 19th century. So I guess that's probably the least strange place he could've put it.

Second deepest trench in the ocean, literally the fastest plate ...

2026-03-24T05:12:30Z

In reply to nevent1q…e7pe
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Second deepest trench in the ocean, literally the fastest plate tectonic motion on Earth as the Pacific plate subducts under the Indo-Australian plate

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tonga_Trench

Indeed

2026-03-23T17:34:07Z

In reply to nevent1q…560r
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Indeed

Yeah, always an excuse to ride trains in Switzerland. I need to ...

2026-03-23T15:13:09Z

In reply to nevent1q…uhxc
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Yeah, always an excuse to ride trains in Switzerland.

I need to do some proper Balkans trips, though.

Spend the weekend adding a ton of old trips to ...

2026-03-23T14:14:30Z

Spend the weekend adding a ton of old trips to [@viaduct_world](https://mastodon.social/@viaduct_world )

Been on a lot, a lot still to go!

#trains

While wearing a cork hat and yelling Waltzing Matilda at the top ...

2026-03-23T04:56:44Z

In reply to nevent1q…x5pe
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While wearing a cork hat and yelling Waltzing Matilda at the top of your lungs!

Based on my experience last week, it's a lot more common in ...

2026-03-23T04:46:45Z

In reply to nevent1q…v269
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Based on my experience last week, it's a lot more common in cities, especially on crowded trains. Outside that's, it's mostly older people.

Satellites tend to graze the atmosphere and burn, versus meteors ...

2026-03-22T02:41:18Z

In reply to nevent1q…gyas
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Satellites tend to graze the atmosphere and burn, versus meteors that come in higher angles.

And what you're seeing satellites, it's aluminum for the most part. Which is a problem because aluminum particles damage the ozone layer...

American graffiti, circa early 2026 ...

2026-03-21T01:13:00Z

American graffiti, circa early 2026

Did you send them a fax?

2026-03-21T00:23:11Z

In reply to nevent1q…uadk
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Did you send them a fax?

#JustCppThings

2026-03-20T23:50:40Z

In reply to nevent1q…l35f
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#JustCppThings

How icy was it?

2026-03-20T23:49:54Z

In reply to nevent1q…57f9
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How icy was it?

Honestly curious how they're funded, since that sounds like ...

2026-03-20T21:57:57Z

In reply to nevent1q…c909
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Honestly curious how they're funded, since that sounds like someone that would've been DOGE'd

If you're up for it, the new Nightjet capsules are fun, and ...

2026-03-20T21:55:34Z

In reply to nevent1q…t9zj
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If you're up for it, the new Nightjet capsules are fun, and my US hard carryon fit perfectly in the luggage space.

That's a reminder to go to the one near us (that's always ...

2026-03-20T15:03:06Z

In reply to nevent1q…c6vf
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That's a reminder to go to the one near us (that's always full of Chinese grad students). Can't remember them having fried bread or "garlic scape" though.

"Orbital data centers" are not, will not be a thing. Musk ...

2026-03-20T05:06:58Z

"Orbital data centers" are not, will not be a thing.

Musk is claiming he's going to launch them as a stock market scam before the SpaceX IPO. He won't. It's a lie.

And every other company claiming that they are going to do it are either lying or dupes.

And thus the push for centralized data centers that only a ...

2026-03-19T23:45:23Z

In reply to nevent1q…jg4m
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And thus the push for centralized data centers that only a billionaire could own.

If an AI could profitably run on a small local machine, the dynamic inverts and the wealth creation goes to a multitude of small specialists.

Moore's Law would seem to favor the latter.

And buying Flintstones vitamins makes you addicted to chalk

2026-03-19T03:22:22Z

In reply to nevent1q…99an
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And buying Flintstones vitamins makes you addicted to chalk

I mean, who among us hasn't spent $80 billion on a failed ...

2026-03-19T03:09:05Z

I mean, who among us hasn't spent $80 billion on a failed terrible useless VR chat knock off that's now cancelled and will be a tax write off?

I mean, is there any possible innovation that isn't just a banner ad with extra steps?

/s

When I first spent a summer in Pasadena in 2006, I do remember ...

2026-03-19T00:15:30Z

In reply to nevent1q…jmzk
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When I first spent a summer in Pasadena in 2006, I do remember being shocked when it suddenly cleared and I could see the mountains.

"the system was driving without issue until it suddenly ...

2026-03-18T17:23:13Z

In reply to nevent1q…m879
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"the system was driving without issue until it suddenly wasn’t"

I believe an actual safety expert would say that it was always driving with issues.

Google Scholar because I have too many ADS doppelgangers. Almost ...

2026-03-17T15:45:51Z

In reply to nevent1q…2wwm
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Google Scholar because I have too many ADS doppelgangers. Almost caught up to you two.

Double charm and a downer, very Irish

2026-03-17T15:26:57Z

In reply to nevent1q…8ue2
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Double charm and a downer, very Irish

Mallard about 5 minutes in, lots more trains besides ...

2026-03-17T00:07:32Z

In reply to nevent1q…vx64
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Mallard about 5 minutes in, lots more trains besides
https://youtu.be/L1G0sRjryTo

Petition to change "python -Wignore" to "python ...

2026-03-16T19:26:21Z

Petition to change "python -Wignore" to "python --stop-complaining-i-know"

Mars in Mars, barely

2026-03-16T15:20:18Z

In reply to nevent1q…atkr
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Mars in Mars, barely

When the article starts to get defensive of Loeb of all people, I ...

2026-03-15T14:36:29Z

In reply to nevent1q…msxm
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When the article starts to get defensive of Loeb of all people, I tuned out.

It's not fundamentally different in the US: the majority of ...

2026-03-15T13:58:47Z

In reply to nevent1q…knce
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It's not fundamentally different in the US: the majority of young men are left leaning, but apathetic to voting. Hillary and Harris both lost because of extremely low turnout from under-40s.

The point when I knew Harris was in trouble was in the summer of 2024 seeing a toilet in a hip coffee shop defaced with "Harris for Genocide". I wonder what fraction of the people in that coffee shop bothered to vote.

Nah, the more esoteric your references, the more distinguished ...

2026-03-15T04:24:49Z

In reply to nevent1q…u2cu
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Nah, the more esoteric your references, the more distinguished you sound

A lesson hard learned

2026-03-15T04:18:18Z

In reply to nevent1q…rg2z
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A lesson hard learned

Not even the most egregious example ...

2026-03-15T04:17:09Z

In reply to nevent1q…7hs7
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Not even the most egregious example

Gratuitous Mallard posting after some fun at the club. The new ...

2026-03-15T02:14:03Z

Gratuitous Mallard posting after some fun at the club.

The new Rapido LNER Dynometer Car is really nice.

#trains #ngauge #modeltrains

I know the guys that have to hit up vintage computer shops for ...

2026-03-14T03:51:36Z

In reply to nevent1q…yq8z
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I know the guys that have to hit up vintage computer shops for parts to keep the circa 2005 New Horizons equipment going. The stuff in space has been a lot more reliable than its ground based analogs.

Somehow the only Brewdog in the US (crammed between a rail yard ...

2026-03-13T23:30:57Z

Somehow the only Brewdog in the US (crammed between a rail yard and a Pepsi bottling facility in Denver) is still open. IIRC they signed the lease for this right before COVID and then took forever to open.

I literally have a family sized passport holder, for myself.

2026-03-13T04:19:58Z

In reply to nevent1q…waqu
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I literally have a family sized passport holder, for myself.

First time I've had three active at once. Technically the ...

2026-03-13T03:34:51Z

First time I've had three active at once. Technically the first passport I traveled under was a page in my mom's Irish passport.

Just a brain, labeled "Normal, Abby"

2026-03-12T05:22:54Z

In reply to nevent1q…79j6
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Just a brain, labeled "Normal, Abby"

Learned this at a young age because I had a Lego Technic ...

2026-03-12T04:34:21Z

In reply to nevent1q…z96y
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Learned this at a young age because I had a Lego Technic excavator powered by pneumatic pistons (and an engineer dad who excitedly explained the difference between pneumatic and hydraulic systems).

At least the mountains got some snow. #cowx #BusWindowViews ...

2026-03-11T14:30:25Z

At least the mountains got some snow.
#cowx #BusWindowViews

That's why he's so confused as to what the whimy sticks ...

2026-03-11T03:14:40Z

In reply to nevent1q…3w4z
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That's why he's so confused as to what the whimy sticks are

Random train in Milano Centrale, last September #trains ...

2026-03-10T22:58:39Z

Random train in Milano Centrale, last September
#trains