David Megginson

Former medieval philologist (Ph.D, Centre for Medieval Studies, University of Toronto, 1993). Living on unceded Anishinabe Algonquin territory.

Header picture: Large reddish-orange letters spelling "Hintonburg", some lying flat on the sidewalk for use as benches.

Me: #tea #gardening #classicalGuitar #vegetarian #language #disabled #aviation #flightSim #slideRules #tech #Linux #Ottawa

Society: #socialJustice #nonViolence #aid #urbanism #accessibility #transit #standards #FOSS

Location: Ottawa, Canada
Politics: Humanitarian, non-partisan
Pronouns: He/him
Languages: English, français, español, Deutsch, etc. etc.

Public Key

npub1a8vslhe6nkpp0mwraupm5mch2jdh207lsechc06y9kr00fr0njqq29w88h

NIP-05 Address

david_megginson_at_mstdn.ca@momostr.pink

Profile Code

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Publishing to

yabu.me

relay.damus.io

nos.lol

Author Public Key

npub1a8vslhe6nkpp0mwraupm5mch2jdh207lsechc06y9kr00fr0njqq29w88h

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Published at

2026-03-30T12:27:50Z

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Last Notes

2025-09-19 13:17:32 UTC

Canada has traditionally distinguished itself from the U.S. mostly through the [narcissism of small differences](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narcissism_of_small_differences ), because our cultures and day-to-day lives weren't really all that distinct
Now that we're diverging sharply — our southern neighbour has become a tinpot dictatorship where most people and orgs with public responsibility are abdicating it to try to anticipate the whims of a vain elderly kleptocrat and head off his wrath — instead of feeling vindicated ("look, we really *are* different!"), we just feel sad and uncomfortable.
Being genuinely different isn't as much fun as being pretend-different. 😢
#Canada #US #USpolitics

2025-09-02 19:22:51 UTC

#Tomatos off the vine, still warm from the sun, taste like summer.
That is all I wanted to say.
#gardening

2025-08-20 21:21:31 UTC

**Random advice:** If the cilantro in your garden is bolting, harvest some of the seeds while they're still green. They're juicy, delicious, and pop in your mouth.
They're also something that (AFAIK) you can't buy in stores, so pat yourself on the back for being a gardener. Use them in salads, as a garnish, or however you want.
#advice #gardening #lifeHacks

2025-08-19 12:37:03 UTC

Even if there weren't a trade dispute with the U.S., I don't see why Canada *ever* considered buying the F-35, a limited-range, single engine fighter that has a history of problems operating in cold weather. 🤦‍♂️
As the saying goes, fighter jets just are machines for converting tax dollars into noise and smoke. That was already true in the ICBM age when Dief cancelled the pointless Avro Arrow, and it's even more true in the drone-swarm age now.
Unlike (say) military transport or patrol aircraft, fighters serve little purpose in 2025.
#military #trade #aviation #F35

2025-06-25 18:04:06 UTC

For Canada, the trick to the (absurd) 5% GDP NATO commitment will be reclassifying lots of stuff as "military spending".
Canada Border Services? Military spending.
Air Traffic Control? Military spending.
Ice breaking in shipping lanes? Military spending.
Arctic research? Military spending.
Mapping and geo surveys? Military spending.
CSIS? Military spending.
High speed rail? Military spending (infrastructure to move troops quickly).
See if I'm wrong.
#NATO #military #CanPoli

2025-05-02 14:49:03 UTC

This is the plan for the accessible garden that I designed and built last year, with aisles wide enough for a wheelchair or walker, and most of the garden easily reachable while kneeling on the edge.. Most of it is in full sun, but the northeast corner (top left) has partial filtered shade, which is better for growing greens.
Each square represents 1 ft² (3x3 squares =~ 1m²).
#gardening #accessibility #Ottawa
https://cdn.mastdn.ca/media_attachments/files/114/438/767/640/051/774/original/513b642446f301f2.jpg

2025-04-30 21:31:28 UTC

The accessible garden is turned over, composted, raked, staked, and ready for May!
#Ottawa #gardening #zone5
https://cdn.mastdn.ca/media_attachments/files/114/429/037/831/154/031/original/f21d9d6191f9537b.jpeg

2025-04-24 13:20:38 UTC

- reply

The important take-away for those of us in the rest of the world is to remember that none of this has any logic behind it. We can make a deal today, and it's gone tomorrow, so there's really no point trying to placate or make concessions.
Some world leaders still think they can somehow negotiate with a random walk.

2025-03-25 12:36:07 UTC

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Just so. I was ok with old-school conservatives, who still respected the government and constitution, but the current CPC has become a populist party in the U.S. style, performative anger and all, and its current leader seems highly unprincipled (I support the convoy. I never supported the convoy. I'm with you, extremist group. No, I'm moderate, really! etc.).
He seems much less trustworthy than an average party leader, and that's already a low bar.
@npub1pz3…dwqw @npub19ua…53cv

2025-03-22 13:02:48 UTC

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wrote
> this post is about the broader point that the world is currently a dumpster fire and I wish we all had smaller problems.
I agree: little things *do* matter.
When you're stuck in the middle of a burning dumpster looking out, it must seem like the whole world's a dumpster fire, but actually we're not. Most other countries are coping okay. It's hard watching our good friend crawl into a dumpster with matches and a can of kerosene, but we realize it's time to move on. 😕

2025-03-12 12:50:07 UTC

It's wild reading 1930s novels and seeing how reliable rail travel once was in the UK.
"The ship leaves Liverpool for Spain at 7:00 pm."
"There's a train that gets in at 6:25."
"That will allow more than enough time for the five of us to arrive at the station with all our steamer trunks, arrange taxis, and get onboard."
😳
#rail #trains #novels #1930s

2025-03-07 21:02:38 UTC

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Interesting. Mr Carney has associations with a few places, but he lives in Ottawa now, and at least in the past has lived in Rockcliffe Park (which is in Ottawa-Vanier), so he wouldn't feel like a parachute candidate.
In any case, he'll want a very safe seat. The Libs could run a Pet Rock in Ottawa-Vanier or Orléans (just to the east) and still win by a landslide. Gotta love partisan politics. 😞
@npub1jay…80k8

2025-03-07 20:51:54 UTC

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Yes. If Mr Carney wins, watch for someone in a safe Liberal riding (Ottawa-Vanier?) to get a plum diplomatic or senate appointment, opening up a vacant seat. That's a big advantage that the party in power has over opposition parties.

2025-03-05 23:17:38 UTC

#OurAirports now lists the Paracel Islands as a separate disputed territory. China de-facto operates all of the aerodromes in the islands (two airports and a few heliports), but Vietnam and Taiwan also claim the islands.
It's about the possible oil and gas reserves (isn't it always?).
https://ourairports.com/countries/XP/
#gis #geopolitics #airports #resources

2025-02-25 14:58:25 UTC

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I had you in mind especially as I posted this. 🙂

2025-02-25 14:13:32 UTC

I acknowledge the problematic original distribution channel of this video through one of the big, evil social-media sites, but still, 😆.
#CanPoli #language #French
https://cdn.mastdn.ca/media_attachments/files/114/064/914/693/178/574/original/7442e53dd868b12f.mp4

2025-02-17 21:38:25 UTC

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Great to hear!
#DEI isn't charity — it makes organisations stronger and smarter by bringing in a bigger range of views and life experiences. There's only so much additional benefit an org can squeeze out of the 1,001st able white cis male Ivy Leaguer it hires. 😕

2025-02-16 12:40:07 UTC

There is a winter street parking ban in Ottawa effective 10:00 am today (Sunday) until further notice. Bylaw handed out nearly 3,000 tickets in the last one, up to $125 each. If able, leave your car at home and walk or transit (or ski?).
#Ottawa #ONstorm #cars

2025-02-07 01:58:02 UTC

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I'm hoping our lost opportunity for a great mayor will become our new opportunity for a great MPP. I was a huge fan even before all the things they did to support people during the convoy occupation.

2025-01-31 03:43:19 UTC

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I hope the recent piano tuning leaves you well-tempered (sorry for the Bach pun).

2025-01-31 03:26:51 UTC

Every week or so I discover a new clue about my recently-acquired guitar. I'm fairly confident now that it's part of a small series of very-rare experimental guitars that José Ramírez IV had produced by hand in his Madrid workshop in the early 1990s, the prototypes for his *Especial* and Amalia Ramírez's later SP(R) series.
What a find, just hanging from a music-store wall on consignment (and *very* cheap b/c of the cosmetic damage). It sounds like a $10K guitar.
#classicalGuitar
https://cdn.mastdn.ca/media_attachments/files/113/920/825/127/029/860/original/bb3bc71892d35476.jpeg

2025-01-18 20:59:00 UTC

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I agree!
For most desk jobs, employees can get as much (or more) done in four days as in five, so there's no downside, even for the employer.
My only concern is that we increase the equity gap between desk jobs and jobs that require physical presence (e.g. nurse, store clerk, truck driver, line cook, security guard). They already don't get to telecommute, and unlike office workers, they can't compress 5 days into 4.
I'm sure we can figure it out. Just let's not forget about them.

2025-01-18 18:20:35 UTC

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Yes, I've been doing the latter, but it gets tiring for hundreds of accounts (I mute boosts from each one as soon as I see uninteresting boosts from someone). I'll look into the grouping -- thanks!

2024-12-21 22:40:59 UTC

I'm gingerly walking the tightrope between loving #emacs for the past 35 years and loathing the behaviour of #RMS over the same period of time.
It requires a very long pole to keep from losing my balance.
#FOSS #harassment

2024-11-22 16:36:45 UTC

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I respect that others feel differently, but I'd be OK if politicians, celebrities, etc *didn't* come here into the fedi. I'm here because want people to talk with me, not at me.

2024-11-21 23:21:09 UTC

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TBF, the idea of the web is that you can link to anything (not just stuff on your platform), so while I join you in questioning the person's choices, they are using it as designed.

2024-11-20 11:27:09 UTC

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Bluesky's big advantage (in many people's eyes) is that they're *not* really federated in any meaningful way, so they have a single corporate source to certify the silly competitive stats that influencers and marketing departments are obsessed with.
I'm happy to leave Bluesky as a honeytrap for those accounts, even if they're the majority, for the sake of keeping the fedi human and non-"viral.".
Here, people talk with me, not at me.
#fediverse #Bluesky #gamification

2024-10-18 13:04:14 UTC

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Also, I'm going to risk a "Not all..." here.
I've attended many interesting tech conferences *not* built around a personality cult. The big XML conferences, for example, never centred around @npub1673…fx9t ; he just sat modestly in the background and helped when he could. If I'd asked him to pour coffee at the break, he wouldn't have hesitated a second.
I've never been to a FlightGear meet-up, but I know that you (Curt) would be very much the same.

2024-10-16 11:03:18 UTC

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I suspect a quasi-anarchist Arab interested in Hebrew and Jewish history wouldn't have seemed so strange in the multiethnic pre-1920s Levant, before we in the West imposed the Mandates, Balfour, the Green Line, etc

2024-07-05 01:49:14 UTC

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The War of 1812 wasn't about enslavement — that was still legal in Upper and Lower Canada at the time.
The Americans were upset about the Royal Navy stopping their ships looking for deserters during the Napoleonic Wars; they were concerned (mostly wrongly, sadly) that the British were supporting Indigenous resistance to their westward expansion; and they thought (also mostly wrongly) that the Canadian settler population would embrace the American military as liberators.
@npub1ay2…exel