Kinene⭐🐻

https://social.linux.pizza/@c_merriweather

•Classical musician, specializing in medieval & Renaissance music and instruments.
• </sewing nerd>, spinning, weaving, knitting.
-Other:
History, Linux, ttrpgs (Traveller), gardening, cockatiels, chickens, woodworking, fractal art, & Rotary.

Born: CO2 = 315 ppm. Don't own a TV. No fascists allowed.

Languages: 🇺🇲🇩🇪, learning Persian
Distro: anti-X

Lake County, Bear Flag Republic

<returns to sharpening pitchfork>

Public Key

npub1824r0vzrp8nas7dk3gy9frdqyu3nj6jvq5ezs5c5eh9rmustncasdlljts

NIP-05 Address

c_merriweather_at_social.linux.pizza@momostr.pink

Profile Code

nprofile1qqsr423hkppsne7c0xmg5zz53kszwgeedfxq2v3g2v2vmj3a7g9euwcpz3mhxue69uhhyetvv9ujuerpd46hxtnfduqs6amnwvaz7tmwdaejumr0dsw00wjt

Publishing to

relay.damus.io

nos.lol

Author Public Key

npub1824r0vzrp8nas7dk3gy9frdqyu3nj6jvq5ezs5c5eh9rmustncasdlljts

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Last Notes

2026-06-09 17:33:00 UTC

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COBOL ain't dead yet.

2026-04-08 18:38:15 UTC

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One comment made me think of a work-around:
Register the OS maintainers as "religious" organizations in the US. Religious organizations have exemptions to a number of laws. Age verification of "church materials" is likely illegal, under freedom of speech laws.
Just a thought.

2026-04-08 17:06:17 UTC

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How about anti-X? It doesn't use systemd, and works on lots of older computers.

2026-04-02 01:59:12 UTC

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No, not yet.
I have my doubts that humans pull their heads out of their collective asses in enough time.
@npub1xf6…hdxg @npub1mvc…pkp6 @npub18md…qnq3

2026-04-02 01:50:54 UTC

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I'm tired of pointing out that "The Limits to Growth" predicted this, in 1972.
Arrrgh.

2026-03-27 00:19:38 UTC

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I bought my copy of The Limits to Growth when it was published. I still have it.

2026-03-08 20:35:24 UTC

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Get thee a Carona sharpener.
It is what the Ag Extension people use to sharpen pruning equipment. Most blades are hollow ground on the edge, so using a stone flattens the grind, and makes the edge harder to keep sharpened.

2026-03-08 19:22:27 UTC

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Invasive plants are a serious problem in California. They choke out natives and are often fire hazards.
There are a number of volunteer and government agencies which are educating the public on what to avoid planting, and how to remove invasives when they are found.
Just a few local examples, near me:
•Star Thistle. It can grow a tap root up to 3' long, if not removed. An infested area takes around 3 years to clear of plants and seeds.
•Scotch Broom
•Tamarask
•Reed cane/Arundo donax (brought to California by the Spanish!)
•Pampas grass

2026-03-08 18:53:14 UTC

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But please, make sure the seeds are from native plants. You don't want to spread invasive, non-native plants.
(former member of California Native Plant Society)

2026-03-03 23:21:08 UTC

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Don't forget Olie North. Yeah, that (Iran-Contra) Olie North. Another one.

2026-02-23 16:45:26 UTC

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Crows simply wait for cars to run over the walnuts.

2026-02-22 00:27:08 UTC

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I am also a professional costumer, where knowing how to hand sew is necessary.

2026-02-22 00:16:03 UTC

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I have 3 sewing machines (each for specific uses), a serger and an older embroidery machine. I am one of the rare people who still take in alterations for local clients.

2026-02-22 00:00:17 UTC

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I have been sewing since I was about 10, so over 55 years.

2026-02-21 23:55:38 UTC

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There are a bunch of them. The early Butterick sewing book is good. The books before and around 1900 have instructions only for hand sewing, later editions of the same books introduce basic (treadle) sewing machine use.
I sent this one off to be printed and spiral bound; it uses only hand tools, and is fairly thorough:
"Progressive Lessons in Needlework, For use in Schools" by Catherine F. Johnson, D.C. Heath & Co., Boston, 1895.

2026-02-21 23:28:45 UTC

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I downloaded an old sewing manual from ~ 1911 from the Internet Archive. You might be surprised at how much useful information is in public domain books.

2026-02-07 22:34:52 UTC

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Goats can eat poison oak.

2026-02-01 19:23:59 UTC

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In the coming (climate/political) chaos, the simplest currency, besides cash, may be canned food. It holds its value, it is useful, and has a long shelf life. You can't eat digital money or gold bars, but canned food may save your life. Plus, it is already cooked.
I trust nothing I cannot hold in my hands. When the power goes out,* cash still works.
* I have been through a number of fire-caused blackouts. Even the power companies suggest having emergency cash in one's bugout bags.

2026-01-28 19:37:35 UTC

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And no one is talking about the insane price of gold.

2026-01-17 19:28:06 UTC

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From a certain historical perspective, the US Civil War never really ended, it went underground. The attitudes were cultivated and channeled into institutional racism and Jim Crow laws.
The 20th century "Confederates" (fascists) never forgave the US government for Civil Rights and equality laws. The 21st century Confederates are trying to unmake the human rights advances in order to institute a white Christian theocracy. (Blame John Calvin.)
All empires eventually fall, as hubris takes its toll.

2026-01-06 21:42:46 UTC

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How fortuitous.

2026-01-05 21:41:08 UTC

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Thank you. I don't think there are any European countries interested in low-income elders from the US, even if they can speak the local language (like German).

2026-01-02 18:32:35 UTC

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File her case under "Useful Idiot."

2025-12-31 04:08:37 UTC

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BBQ sauce.

2025-12-24 20:05:29 UTC

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Early tunings (up to 1600±) were based on the concept of pure intervals; perfect 5ths, to start with. The documented history comes from European church music; early folk music may have been different, but there is no way of knowing. But when keyboard instruments became usable, around 1500, tuning became a problem. Working through a circle of perfect 5ths to tune an early harpsichord or organ produced the Pythagorean comma: Starting on middle C and tuning 7 perfect 5ths, the ending C is not a perfect octave. If you use a system of perfect 3rds, then you wind up dealing with the syntonic comma.
So various tempered systems developed to work around the comma. <insert ½ semester on early keyboard tunings> I have tuned instruments in meantone and Werkmeister III systems. The idea of everything except octaves being "not pure" was a compromise to allow music to be played in any key.
The piano mechanism we know was developed by Erard in 1821, and improved through the early 19th century. In the 1840s, builders added a heavy iron frame to support high tension strings. <insert ¼ semester section on the history of keyboard construction>
The final decision to use A440 as a standard was only settled upon in 1939. Early music performers sometimes use A415 or A435.
(/music historian, organist, instrument builder)

2025-12-21 18:55:31 UTC

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They were saying the same things in the 1960s. Same old crap.
@npub12pw…zvxn

2025-12-05 19:32:13 UTC

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The French nobility tried to ignore/crush the poor. It went rather badly for them.
Observed by an investment advisor:
When people have nothing left to lose, they lose it.
(When you are starving to death, the penalties for killing the rich have no meaning.)

2025-10-28 18:03:00 UTC

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He drops the pins in random places in the house. Then gives me this really smug, "See, I can help!!" look. It is hard to get mad at a bird person like him.
#cockatiels #birds
https://cdn.social.linux.pizza/system/media_attachments/files/115/453/081/646/606/407/original/9ea61e78548cd7b8.jpg

2025-10-28 16:46:43 UTC

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My cockatiel tries to "help" by stealing the pins and flying away with them.

2025-10-10 17:56:59 UTC

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What may come next:
Kent State, 1970
We have been here before.
https://cdn.social.linux.pizza/system/media_attachments/files/115/351/153/593/276/065/original/6bedae21fd0b281d.jpeg

2025-09-14 20:01:35 UTC

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I am the opposite, I need to see stuff in writing, take notes, or see still pictures to retain process information. Show me a technical diagram, and I have no problem. I also think in pictures, in 3D.

2025-09-14 19:52:20 UTC

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Sorry I can't help with videos, but there are plenty of free, downloadable, out-of-copyright books on the Internet Archive on learning to sew on machines. If you have a borrowing account, you can check out newer books, as well.
The older books are actually better, because they address basic techniques that work on older/basic modern machines. I learned sewing before videos, so already have a collection of how-to books published between 1975 and 2000.

2025-09-08 18:55:05 UTC

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Here is a fun article on the history of garment size standardization, and why modern sizing is so unreliable.
(I have a facsimile copy of Alcega's pattern book, with translations.)
https://medium.com/sizolution/a-brief-history-of-sizing-systems-aee6bd066834

2025-09-08 18:41:03 UTC

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Like what happened to Joann's and Rite Aid.

2025-08-31 18:57:09 UTC

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Quoting the late, great Tom Lehrer:
"We will all go together when we go."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=frAEmhqdLFs

2025-08-24 20:37:50 UTC

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Plant fibers require a base solution to fix the dye (soda ash), animal fibers need acid (usually a vinegar solution) to set dyes.
One can dye wool with food coloring and diluted vinegar. Even Kool Aid (has citric acid in it) will work as a dye on wool, if you don't mind the odd smell for a while. I have to avoid toxic dyes and mordants in the house, because I have a cockatiel, and the fumes could kill him.😟

2025-08-24 20:20:39 UTC

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Supply chains. Logistics are everything; without them, strategy and tactics fail.

2025-08-10 21:07:11 UTC

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I was in elementary school at the time... long ago.

2025-08-10 20:41:17 UTC

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I would watch reruns of Zoro.

2025-08-10 05:46:52 UTC

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Suggestion: Read the works of John Kenneth Galbraith, who was an advisor to FDR. He was an astute man, especially for an economist.
As he told it, FDR and administration were scared that there would be a "communist" revolt that would tear the county apart. (And... would interfere with business.) That is the reason for FDR's programs to help people. In essence, it was a form of bribery: We help you out, so you don't overthrow the government. It worked for many decades, much to the disgust of the far right.
The Republicans, however, wanted to continue the financial hardships caused by Hoover. Poor, desperate people will do (almost) anything for food, which means the evil right-wing rich white male bastards can exploit them. Ever since the Depression, they have been trying to destroy everything from the New Deal. They want a nation of serfs. An educated middle class is a threat to their power.

2025-08-09 22:08:25 UTC

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Given what is going on with supply chains (container cargo ships), the US is going to hit a wall, some time this fall. Christmas purchase orders have not been placed, or are greatly reduced. We may not have long to wait.

2025-08-04 22:15:55 UTC

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One of the problems with the study of history is it is backwards-looking from the historian's current viewpoint. What might look barbaric to them may have been an adaptation to the study era's unique conditions, given what knowledge was available to people the time.
@npub1u57…dl4n

2025-08-04 22:03:20 UTC

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I have a bookcase full of books on the period between ~500 and 1620 CE, plus a degree minor in Medieval Studies.
@npub1u57…dl4n

2025-08-04 21:59:19 UTC

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Without understanding even a small part of Machiavelli's history and world, much of the context is lost, as is the case with many historical authors. They were writing for a knowledgeable audience in their time, not people living in 2025.
Dante's Inferno is much the same; without historical commentary, much of the meaning is lost.

2025-08-04 21:46:54 UTC

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I have a background in Medieval and Renaissance history, so yes, Machiavelli's works can be considered ironic. Anyone who was around during the breakdown of the Florentine Republic would have understood what he was really saying.

2025-08-04 21:34:06 UTC

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They are mercenaries. And mercenaries are only loyal as long as they are well paid. There is a long history of mercenaries stabbing their non-paying "employers" in the back.
Machiavelli has a whole chapter in The Prince condemning mercenaries.
@npub1u57…dl4n

2025-08-04 21:22:48 UTC

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However... Gaza did not have the gangbangers and armed citizenry that LA has. Mad King TACO put on a big show, but they recently withdrew a lot of the "enforcers."
For some reason, troops/ICE keep getting kicked out of hotels.

2025-08-03 18:22:07 UTC

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The cherry tomatoes here are going great.
I am growing them in converted 40 gal. feed store plastic watering troughs, which I made into elevated planters by placing them on concrete bricks.
I chose the troughs for cost, size, depth, durability, and the ability to lift one in and out of the back of my little car. I drilled several 1/2" drainage holes in the bottom, and one on the side.

2025-08-03 18:01:14 UTC

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Ah, another punchable Nazi.

2025-07-22 19:13:37 UTC

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And those blue states subsidize the red states.

2025-07-20 18:52:04 UTC

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Let us not forget that the Christofascists have been trying to destroy public education (and science education) since desegregation. The private "Christian" schools for their precious white babies </sarcasm> took off in the 1970s.
Of course, like everything else in US public life, it is all about racism (then classism). And profit.

2025-07-19 18:30:13 UTC

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Another of near the same age here (also NorCal, farther south). I got here the hard way, by losing my spouse before my 50th birthday, and spending the last 16 years keeping the Depression Monster at bay. I have no patience with BS, and will call it out when I see it.
I am just happy to have a place to live, and my birds and garden.

2025-07-18 21:57:03 UTC

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Likely row spacing... getting the most plants per acre. The tomatoes one buys for salads are best picked by hand.
There are machine harvested tomatoes, but they have been bred for canning. They are more like red tennis balls than a tomato. (I have been behind a tomato truck. Ever watch a tomato bounce?)
@npub1vyu…6qfw

2025-07-15 16:13:26 UTC

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Birds: Poop happens.
@npub1kca…uclh

2025-07-13 23:06:20 UTC

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It is. When flowering plants go, so does food for humans. All parts of the system are important.

2025-07-13 23:00:59 UTC

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Insect populations have been crashing worldwide. A recent article:
https://scitechdaily.com/the-great-insect-apocalypse-why-are-bugs-vanishing/

2025-07-08 04:22:09 UTC

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The point is the notification method used was totally inadequate, compounded by the dismantling of NOAA.
Cell phones/data plans in the woods are not dependable, and there are dead spots. And using social media? How many people are actively monitoring Facebook in the middle of the night?
At least in the West we have WatchDuty to monitor fires.

2025-07-06 19:19:50 UTC

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So apparently they didn't use "traditional" methods to warn about the flooding.
https://cdn.social.linux.pizza/system/media_attachments/files/114/807/895/503/904/024/original/a27a233686bc3a90.png

2025-07-06 18:27:11 UTC

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One of the places was a "Christian" girls camp. I bet they didn't get the warnings because they didn't use any of those "heathen" information sources. Older campers were uphill, younger ones were next to a river known to flood

2025-07-05 22:34:37 UTC

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Leaded gas in the 1950s-70s, residual lead in house paints, especially in poorer areas. And the elephant in the room... above-ground nuclear testing which didn't end until the early 1960s. The literature on radiation's low-level effects has been suppressed by government and industry.
Gofman's works:
https://ratical.org/ratitorsCorner/09.23.15.html
Sternglass:
https://ratical.org/radiation/SecretFallout/SF.html

2025-06-29 21:24:25 UTC

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"Here, Donnie..."

2025-06-28 21:43:47 UTC

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Late spouse called it that in the 1990s, when he had to use it at work. He was not impressed.

2025-06-23 20:23:14 UTC

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Additionally: Much of US public lands are in places that are uninhabitable. Housing will never be built there. Heck, there are not even roads to the lands. People, look at a map!!!
The wealthy goons want to exploit any mineral or timber claims they can take, destroy the environment, and leave a blighted moonscape behind.

2025-06-20 18:34:53 UTC

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I put the maps into a graphics editor to print out the sections I want. It is not the same as the large maps, but it works.

2025-06-20 17:15:23 UTC

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USGS and Forest service maps are still available digitally, which is better than not at all. I have downloaded some for my area, including older versions to see what was here previously.

2025-06-18 17:31:13 UTC

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"About those paved roads you drive on ..."

2025-06-15 17:53:56 UTC

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Love the guy with the tuba. Attitude.

2025-06-14 22:18:43 UTC

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2 people out of how many? 🙄

2025-06-13 18:22:15 UTC

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Jessica Wildfire has been writing about this for several years:
https://www.the-sentinel-intelligence.net
(She asks for subscriptions, but some articles are free.)

2025-06-12 21:47:42 UTC

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Note to Princess Dog Killer:
Sweetie, Los Angeles (City) has a population of 3.7 million people. Los Angeles (county) has a population of 9.6 million people.
I don't think there are enough troops available to "subdue" that amount of population. Especially if you piss off the gangbangers.

2025-06-09 22:58:54 UTC

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Typical Mad King TACO behavior: Order work and "forget" to pay for it.

2025-06-08 02:03:12 UTC

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Drive v-e-r-y slowly on roads in front of them.
Salt, sugar, or sand are very bad for the fuel systems of internal combustion engines.

2025-06-05 20:12:20 UTC

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True. I have not been around military aircraft.

2025-06-05 17:47:31 UTC

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Wait until the fire tankers jets (a 737 ?) fly ±100' above your house. Everything rattles, including your teeth.

2025-06-04 03:33:03 UTC

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If humans are still around...
industrial civilization is coming to an end, no matter what else happens.
Something everyone misses (except a few who get called crazy) is the possible (likely?) meltdown of nuclear power plants (see: Fukushima), when the natural sources of cooling water become too warm to be used, or if they are flooded by torrential rains, or if their staff suddenly dies.
And now for a bit of ironic humor.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=frAEmhqdLFs

2025-05-17 18:23:12 UTC

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A long deceased friend called them the "quasi-proto-omni-knife"(1980s AD& Dgame).
I own several, and keep one in my car.

2025-05-16 23:32:41 UTC

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I mean, what is wrong with :q ?

2025-05-12 21:05:08 UTC

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Where I live, Hawaiian print shirts are considered "formal" wear (I saw several at a dressy wedding reception).
Carhartt is the favored clothing by many people. Almost everyone wears t-shirts and blue jeans. Fancy shoes are particularly useless, since there are few sidewalks.

2025-03-31 19:09:19 UTC

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NYT and WP are both from the east coast. I'm on the west coast.
Why should I want to read them at all?

2025-03-26 22:32:28 UTC

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I called my Congress Critters and expressed dismay at the obvious illegality and possibly treasonous actions of all involved.

2025-03-07 21:15:06 UTC

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Good word, but would the targeted audience even understand what it means (as a synonym for evil)?
We must use simple words for simple people.
After all, they consider "the others" to be evil, and many even believe in demons. 🙄

2025-03-07 19:14:23 UTC

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Yes, I do.
The fascists here work hand-in-hand with the (christian) Dominionists.
They are both Evil*, in the most broad meaning of the word; they are creatures of the darkness, of ignorance, of hatred, and should be called out as such. Their minds are twisted and warped. <insert portion of a Hieronymus Bosch painting of Hell>
*I am not religious, but English lacks a better word.

2025-02-11 22:55:40 UTC

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I remember watching JFK's funeral at age 5. His children looked so sad and confused. John-John (4) saluted the coffin as it went by. I can't forget that.😢

2025-02-07 19:54:37 UTC

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More people just like themselves. Morons. What a way to make the US a third-world nation (fourth, if they could figure out how).
@npub1l98…gpa8

2025-02-07 19:45:13 UTC

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Looks like the only topics left would be basic mathematics and English classes. They probably want to add in a "Christian Studies" (US evangelical Christian) curriculum.
Gah.🤮

2025-01-30 21:09:19 UTC

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"Which Side Are You On" is already on my phone playlist, along with "Solidarity Forever."
#peteseeger
#almanacsingers

2025-01-15 19:22:57 UTC

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Last sentence in the article:
"Killing people with paperwork instead of a gun doesn't make you any less of a murderer."

2025-01-09 19:48:03 UTC

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A reminder to anyone near the fires: The fires don't burn just wood, they also burn such "wonderful" things like plastics, countertops, flooring, insulation, etc.You don't really want to breathe in the remnants of a Formica countertop, do you?

2024-12-01 22:56:13 UTC

Open Source folks:
I'm trying out FairEmail on Android. I did buy the pro add-ons (feed the dev). I used the GitHub version.
Anyone have any experience with it?
#opensource

2024-11-23 18:36:50 UTC

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Death will still stalk the wealthy, for they are mortal.
In the end, Death (entropy, if you wish) is always the victor, taking both rich and poor alike.
Thermodynamics, it's the law.
...
Bunkers, huh? Like Hitler's bunker. That didn't work out so well.

2024-11-22 03:28:02 UTC

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What?
(source of photo unknown)
https://cdn.social.linux.pizza/system/media_attachments/files/113/524/462/438/511/326/original/9b30bdda3e9fd2a6.jpg

2024-11-20 00:14:48 UTC

Wanna see the real problem with the economy? One chart says it all:
https://cdn.social.linux.pizza/system/media_attachments/files/113/512/374/018/096/553/original/4e92180911ff85f0.png

2024-11-05 17:53:44 UTC

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Well, duh.

2024-10-23 18:17:55 UTC

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I still have a vintage turntable and stereo system. Why replace something that still works? I added cassette and CD players, and, of course, there are plug-ins for cords. I believe in owning "hard copy" as backup.
Also, many of the LPs I own will never be digitized.
-Gen Jones, and always have been low/moderate income. Keep what works and repair it.

2024-09-16 15:04:09 UTC

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Lovely.

2024-07-30 18:19:26 UTC

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Rambling thoughts...
Seems they don't "believe" in public health. Suffering and/or death from disease is "God's will." (If this is the "god" you worship, you are one sick, evil *uckwad. Go back under your rock.)
They are apparently willing to sacrifice their own children to be damaged or die from preventable diseases, rather than vaccinate "those people." (No nice things for the Untermensch.)
But...
All their wealth will neither insulate them from illness, nor provide cures for the illnesses. (They do not understand "antibiotic resistance." "Sorry, sir, we have nothing that can treat this.")
(Getting a real Dickensian Scrooge vibe from these bastards. But they are more like the Calvinist Puritans. Back to the 17th century with a vengeance.)
@npub1u7x…ztt0