Nostr notes by Ethan J. A. Schoonover

Climbed a cold war era warning siren tower today, one of ...

2026-04-20T00:53:23Z

Climbed a cold war era warning siren tower today, one of Seattle's Phinney Ridge landmarks (you can see the bulk of the massive decommissioned siren above). Installed a solar #meshcore node on it for our emergency/disaster-response hub next door. #hamradio

Honestly I think if Apple released an iPod that only did audio it ...

2026-04-10T16:58:21Z

Honestly I think if Apple released an iPod that only did audio it would slay. People are so desperate to leave their phones.

Yes but where ...

2026-04-08T01:57:22Z

Yes but *where*

The number of folks I meet who "work in tech" but do not ...

2026-03-29T18:43:07Z

The number of folks I meet who "work in tech" but do not UNDERSTAND technology is approaching majority. They know corporate tech structures and a smattering of systems. Same w/designers who don't design, just decorate (looking at you liquid glass).

Simulacra without meaning. Paging Baudrillard.

Me: Siri remind me to put more lens wipes in the truck Siri: No ...

2026-03-08T00:46:29Z

Me: Siri remind me to put more lens wipes in the truck

Siri: No problem boss

My 85 yr old dad unloading his pottery from a kiln and 100% also ...

2026-02-16T02:08:05Z

My 85 yr old dad unloading his pottery from a kiln and 100% also looking like a dwarven craftsman you meet in a dungeon who will sell you wares.

Forget about just boycotting the world cup. Fucking shut down X ...

2026-01-25T02:34:53Z

Forget about just boycotting the world cup. Fucking shut down X in every country outside the US. Bleed it dry of users.

The Rightwing-AI-Industrial-Complex must be dismantled.

Just put my kid on a flight to St. Paul. Checked she had her ...

2026-01-21T21:20:59Z

Just put my kid on a flight to St. Paul.

Checked she had her travel stuff:

* Water bottle
* Travel pillow
* Hidden airtag in case feds steal her phone so I can find her
* Charm bracelet I made w/my tel # so that she can throw it to someone in case she is getting grabbed by ICE

So, the 2026 basics

I know exactly who needs to hear this: anyone that has a boat ...

2026-01-19T01:36:32Z

I know exactly who needs to hear this: anyone that has a boat load of airtags like me. You can get cases that take lithium AA or AAA batteries for multi year lifespan. As long as weight isn't a factor, these are a total upgrade.

caught her in the act of trying to transmit on my #hamradio ...

2026-01-04T05:02:44Z

caught her in the act of trying to transmit on my #hamradio unlicensed (she's failed her license test twice)

My folks asked me what present I, a grown man, wanted them to ...

2025-12-25T06:19:59Z

My folks asked me what present I, a grown man, wanted them to send me for Christmas from back home in Wisconsin. BEHOLD:

Zuckerberg has never been able to “skate to where the puck will ...

2025-12-08T23:37:21Z

Zuckerberg has never been able to “skate to where the puck will be”. His whole game is standing in one place and spending billions of dollars to have a skating rink constructed around him so he is standing directly in front of the goal.

And even with that he flubs the shot again and again.

If you are thinking now is a good time to know about things like ...

2025-12-05T03:54:35Z

If you are thinking now is a good time to know about things like #hamradio & alt communications tools, here's a reminder that I co-founded an inclusive, welcoming ham radio community based in the Pacific Northwest. Available via Discord: https://discord.gg/mJmsV5jGxz

Learners are welcome. No haters :)

I've always been averse to DIYing torsion springs but ...

2025-12-04T23:43:57Z

I've always been averse to DIYing torsion springs but thinking I might do it (safely) this time.

Read somewhere that Americans wear clothing items on average 7 ...

2025-11-24T03:45:43Z

Read somewhere that Americans wear clothing items on average 7 times before tossing them (no idea how accurate) but if I don't wear any given clothing regularly for a minimum of a decade I feel like I'm the world's most wasteful person. Honestly did not realize I was that far off norm? Anyone else?

You don't need wifi, the internet or bluetooth to sync your ...

2025-11-03T03:19:23Z

You don't need wifi, the internet or bluetooth to sync your clocks automatically. All you need is 1950s radio tech.

All our wall clocks are synced via a big antenna in Colorado. WWVB does all the work. Atomic accurate.

(one guess which pres tried to kill these stations recently)

Apple you are so close. Here, I helped you out: ...

2025-10-22T20:58:28Z

Apple you are so close. Here, I helped you out:

TTRPG peeps: I'm preparing some TTRPG content for ...

2025-09-22T19:49:21Z

TTRPG peeps:

I'm preparing some TTRPG content for publication. I have a background in print design & layout and can, I think, write a decent art brief, but I am clueless about best practices for actually working w/ (& fairly paying) artists & illustrators. Any relevant advice/resources you know of?

In the interest of "skating to where the fascism puck is ...

2025-09-09T22:33:57Z

In the interest of "skating to where the fascism puck is going to be" can we all agree that the flimsy rationale about moving armed federal operatives into cities is about implementing martial law after a fake emergency (and thus it's about suspending elections). I don't see any other end game here.

More of the Great RPG Scenario Authoring Tooling Migration from ...

2025-09-07T04:49:58Z

More of the Great RPG Scenario Authoring Tooling Migration from devonthink to Obsidian (npub1g6e…h2zd) ... Working on the structured data fields, templates, and other Obsidian goodies.

We saw you from across the space station and were both disturbed ...

2025-09-06T00:34:47Z

We saw you from across the space station and were both disturbed and intrigued by your vibe.

Trying to hire a bunch of older Spanish women who can make good ...

2025-08-15T20:38:40Z

Trying to hire a bunch of older Spanish women who can make good hors d'oeuvres just so I can novelty name my restaurant The Mamas and the Tapas

Can you imagine being the guy who spends decades building a ...

2025-08-15T03:12:16Z

Can you imagine being the guy who spends decades building a company to CONNECT PEOPLE & without doubt this company does reach deep into American's lives & yet after DECADES, by YOUR COUNT the average American has only 3 friends & you don't just think "wow I'm a colossal failure" and close up shop.

reposting my regular "we've moved" message at twitter ...

2025-08-10T01:25:41Z

reposting my regular "we've moved" message at twitter

Once this land was barren & we built a city on it out of pure ...

2025-07-30T00:27:20Z

Once this land was barren & we built a city on it out of pure HTML. Those that came after thought the city had always been here & that another could never be created but this was wrong. We built it. We can tear down & rebuild.

You can leave substack. You can leave twitter. We can make new things.

I just shoved a clean extra tissue up my sweater cuff so it's ...

2025-06-01T00:50:27Z

I just shoved a clean extra tissue up my sweater cuff so it's only a matter of time before I complete my transformation into a matronly spinster solving murders in the british countryside.

I've been a @npub1ak3…t4td customer since v1 & I've ...

2025-05-09T02:57:12Z

I've been a 1Password (npub1ak3…t4td) customer since v1 & I've never been this frustrated with it. The extension experience on macOS is *so unpredictable*. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. The extension is unlocked in this video & it still falls on its face.

I don't need a reply to this from 1P, just disappointed at the lack of current polish on this.

finally took a few minutes to solve a real world UI problem ...

2025-04-21T16:56:40Z

finally took a few minutes to solve a real world UI problem

got 24 eggs from costco for $8 so what I'm saying is my ...

2025-02-25T23:14:54Z

got 24 eggs from costco for $8 so what I'm saying is my membership just paid for itself

i give it a week before you can only buy eggs on X using trump ...

2025-02-07T22:09:09Z

i give it a week before you can only buy eggs on X using trump memecoins

I do emergency disaster response volunteer work & we spend a ...

2025-01-22T19:37:16Z

In reply to nevent1q…af80
_________________________

I do emergency disaster response volunteer work & we spend a lot of time thinking about how to educate people and prepare for disaster on multiple levels: personal level, family level, community level, municipal infrastructure level.

We need to do this for social media as well.
4/4

Example How-tos in the event of those what-ifs: How-to maintain ...

2025-01-22T19:37:11Z

In reply to nevent1q…2l8r
_________________________

Example How-tos in the event of those what-ifs:

How-to maintain your existing social graph
How-to migrate your identity
etc.
3/4

Example What-ifs: What-if the fall of net neutrality makes ...

2025-01-22T19:37:05Z

In reply to nevent1q…5zma
_________________________

Example What-ifs:

What-if the fall of net neutrality makes accessing distributed social media harder?
What-if a billionaire tries to buy out bluesky or a major mastodon instance?
What-if a primary distributed social media domain is seized?
2/4

We need FEMA for social media. And by “FEMA” I mean ...

2025-01-22T19:37:00Z

We need FEMA for social media.

And by “FEMA” I mean structured, actionable plans for when social media disasters strike. What-if scenarios that allow us to recover without losing everything.

(And by disasters, I mean the present oligarchy.)
1/4

low power fun: #hamradio contact with Portugal on 10 watts ...

2025-01-18T20:37:50Z

low power fun: #hamradio contact with Portugal on 10 watts

This was the Big Present for my (teachers' union rep) wife ...

2025-01-02T02:06:46Z

This was the Big Present for my (teachers' union rep) wife this year: a TOTALLY metal pro-public school poster from self-described "milwaukee union thug" (we need more of those) Emma Roller (emmaroller.bsky.social)! Thanks to her for this amazing gift (soon to be in a classroom). This print goes hard and we need this energy going into the new year. SOLIDARITY IN 2025!

I say this as someone running a sizable Discord: We have to move ...

2024-12-20T19:40:57Z

I say this as someone running a sizable Discord: We have to move past Discord for community.

2025 let's bring back BLOGS, RSS, and FORUMS

The best single-line of #TTRPG GMing advice in any book I own ...

2024-12-07T20:23:17Z

The best single-line of #TTRPG GMing advice in any book I own (from Mothership RPG's Warden's Operation Manual).

Yes, at FIRST it may seem like a contradiction that my ...

2024-11-28T03:27:48Z

Yes, at FIRST it may seem like a contradiction that my "Billionaire Hunting Club" has no members who are billionaires but let me explain

For those unfamiliar with U.S. politics, the period from ...

2024-11-02T05:41:30Z

For those unfamiliar with U.S. politics, the period from Halloween till election day is known as Zeno's paradox.

It is, I believe, at this point in the Gibson Dystopian Culture ...

2024-10-30T04:35:21Z

It is, I believe, at this point in the Gibson Dystopian Culture Timeline where we stop calling them billionaires (as in look how much they've earned) and start calling them "klepts" (as in look how much they stole)

listen i'm usually a use-fewer-words kind of guy but ...

2024-10-28T22:02:07Z

listen i'm usually a use-fewer-words kind of guy but

My cat is really not very smart as you can see by how easily she ...

2024-10-27T05:29:08Z

My cat is really not very smart as you can see by how easily she was taken in by the French Defense.

That's close enough, friends. (Virginia forest in autumn, ...

2024-10-22T05:07:19Z

That's close enough, friends.

(Virginia forest in autumn, #Fujifilm X-E4 16mm ƒ2.8)

PNW folks: If you are HAM RADIO INTRIGUED by shows like Stranger ...

2024-09-29T23:19:17Z

PNW folks: If you are HAM RADIO INTRIGUED by shows like Stranger Things and Only Murders in the Building, check out our inclusive, welcoming ham radio community at https://cascadiaradio.org . Learners, amateur sleuths, and kids with weird powers all welcome.

Hey #seattle if you lost your keys on the backtrails at the ...

2024-08-25T22:44:21Z

Hey #seattle if you lost your keys on the backtrails at the arboretum I left them at the visitor center

Stop thinking of Twitter, TikTok, IG, (et al) as social media ...

2023-03-07T22:40:57Z

Stop thinking of Twitter, TikTok, IG, (et al) as social media sites.

They are **Content Refineries.**

Like processed food manufacturers they take user content & extract the most addicting/engaging content. Brains eat it up but in an unhealthy “devour the whole bag of chips” way.

They make hyper-processed social media junk food.

Mastodon is more like a potluck. We're all bringing dishes. It's a mess. Kids are running all over. But we are, at least, real people sharing real things.

1980 Computers are for nerds 1990 Computers are for everyone 1995 ...

2022-11-29T20:03:44Z

1980 Computers are for nerds
1990 Computers are for everyone

1995 The internet is for nerds
2005 The internet is for everyone

2005 Smartphones are for nerds
2015 Smartphones are for everyone

2006 Twittr is for nerds
2016 Twitter is for everyone

2022 Mastodon is for nerds