Dan Neuman 🇨🇦

🇨🇦Recovering engineer, ex-military (#RMC), ex-Jazz musician, triggered by injustice. Everyone should have the same rights and privileges that I have. Born 318.5 ppm CO₂. Raised in BC, but in Ottawa since 1990. Generation Jones, but never conservative. Joined Mastodon in April 2022.

Profile pic: myself (white middle-aged male with graying hair) against Canada's warming stripes
Banner: Cityscape of Cyberpunk 2077's Night City at twilight

GitHub: http://github.com/dneuman
Blog: https://dmn613.wordpress.com
Pronouns: He/Him

Public Key

npub1ges2jgch3gzlcwslstwqs5wqrhjffty4qnppy8axpzhsgxqjct2qjv8kzg

NIP-05 Address

dan613_at_ottawa.place@momostr.pink

Profile Code

nprofile1qqsyvc9fyvtc5p0u8g0c9hqg28qpmey54j2sfssjr7nq3tcyrqfv94qpz3mhxue69uhhyetvv9ujuerpd46hxtnfduqs6amnwvaz7tmwdaejumr0ds3et6wk

Publishing to

relay.damus.io

nos.lol

Author Public Key

npub1ges2jgch3gzlcwslstwqs5wqrhjffty4qnppy8axpzhsgxqjct2qjv8kzg

Show more details

Last Notes

2026-02-10 15:55:00 UTC

- reply

I’ve never once said they weren’t neoliberal. That has nothing to do with Carney’s peach, which was about changes in trade relationships, a feature that also exists in socialist and communist societies.

2026-02-04 18:26:43 UTC

- reply

There would still be the largest economy in the world right next to us, extractive or not. And moving *away* from it is the opposite of perpetuating neo-liberalism.

2026-02-03 03:40:52 UTC

- reply

My point continues to be that his speech would be the same if every single country on the planet was socialist.

2026-02-02 03:41:18 UTC

- reply

I was questioning this: "offers only a hardened neoliberalism as an alternative" from your original post, which wasn't in his speech. Trade with other countries is not neoliberalism, and I don't understand why you think it is.

2026-01-30 23:33:52 UTC

- reply

You can't answer a simple question?

2026-01-29 21:57:08 UTC

- reply

Where was that in the speech?

2026-01-28 19:37:43 UTC

- reply

That was the only thing on that page I could find that might be the least bit objectionable. Now you're calling trade imperialism?

2026-01-28 04:08:49 UTC

- reply

You're saying a socialist country wouldn't need a stable financial system??

2026-01-26 13:19:38 UTC

- reply

There was trade long before there were empires.

2026-01-24 12:40:29 UTC

- reply

It was very much about continuing *trade*.

2026-01-23 19:01:00 UTC

- reply

Davos is about trade. It doesn't matter what your country's political philosophy is, it still needs to trade for things it doesn't have itself.

2025-11-27 23:17:32 UTC

- reply

We'll hit peak fossil fuels in five years or less. After that it will be a free-for-all as existing producers try to sell what they can. I'm not sure Canada or the US will be able to compete with the Middle East fields for lowest cost production.

2025-11-22 18:18:13 UTC

- reply

Is this because of that ostrich farm that didn't care about the livelihood of any of the bird farms around it?

2025-11-11 04:04:48 UTC

- reply

Not that I disagree with your point, but many scholars believe that section was added after the fact. Which means the Bible can't be seen as univocal, God's voice, but rather the voice of many writers. I mean, you only have to read The Gospels to get that impression.

2025-11-02 17:05:22 UTC

- reply

I found the treatment of The Mule in the series completely unnecessary. The twist at the end could have been left out, and it raised so many questions. It's the biggest failing of the series, though it occupies maybe 20 minutes. It does make you think back to previous scenes and make you wonder what was going on.

2025-11-02 16:53:33 UTC

I just finished "Foundation", the first book of Isaac Asimov's Foundation Trilogy (though several more books were added on later). I hadn't read it since the first time in high school, so I wanted to see how it differed from the excellent Foundation series on Apple TV.
The first thing that stood out was Asimov's assumption of a male-dominated pan-galactic society. That was disappointing, but I recall Asimov expressing discomfort writing female characters adequately. Fortunately, the series updated the world so that a woman, a re-imagined Gaal Dornick, could be the greatest mathematician of her generation, and the greatest general of the Empire, Bel Riose, is married to a man. I don't recall skin colour being mentioned in the book, but the series is replete with people of all shapes, sizes, and colours.
The books span several centuries and are essentially anthologies of stories from the same universe, with a hologram of Seldon Harding and his psychohistory uniting them. Of course, the writers had to come up with story devices to keep the audience interested by providing continuity with the main characters rather than just Harding. So Dornick is in suspended animation between episodes, and the Emperor (who didn't play much of a role in the first book) is three clones* advised by a wise, timeless android.
Anyway, I enjoyed the show more than the book, which seemed dated. Asimov had great ideas, but his writing struck me as just okay. Though his stories do move along, and I'm never tempted to give up.
* I'm just starting Foundation and Empire, but I don't recall the emperor being so uniquely characterized.

2025-10-27 16:14:08 UTC

- reply

Ooh, beautiful shot!

2025-10-18 17:37:15 UTC

Chinese battery giant CATL has announced a new Sodium Ion battery pack for EV that is game-changing. It features:
⦁ 10,000 charge cycle lifetime to 85% capacity
⦁ 90% power capability at -40℃
⦁ 175 Wh/kg energy density, behind Li-Ion at 300 Wh/kg
⦁ no thermal runaway danger
⦁ cost $19/kWh, compared to $50/kWh for Li-Ion
This will be ideal for mid-range, low cost EVs, and for grid batteries. They start mass production in 2026.
#Energy #EVs #Batteries
https://carnewschina.com/2025/09/18/catl-says-next-gen-sodium-ion-battery-supports-500-km-range-readies-for-2026-mass-production/

2025-09-27 18:56:23 UTC

- reply

Do you have kids at home? That is the worst, sorry.

2025-09-27 18:18:07 UTC

- reply

Already?? I knew cases were increasing, but it's still decent outdoor weather.

2025-09-20 11:55:41 UTC

- reply

Conservative leaders were once feudal land lords who decided that if they couldn't maintain control through a king, the next best thing is by owning industry.

2025-09-13 11:49:57 UTC

- reply

Groypers aren't a gang, just fervent fans of Nick Fuentes, an even further-right podcaster. Like the Swifties, but with poor hygiene, bad manners, and racism. The name comes from a round green cartoon frog. Not Pepe, but similar.

2025-09-11 04:38:54 UTC

Whoa
#Mars
https://www.sciencealert.com/life-on-mars-perseverance-discovery-is-the-best-evidence-yet

2025-08-26 11:51:27 UTC

- reply

There's no way an economist could avoid making a demand-side argument, of course 😜, but I think we have to consider the social environment of the addicted. Rich and middle class people rarely have a problem with drugs used recreationally. The poor who use the drugs for escape are most at risk. A Canadian study found that the poorest areas were roughly 4x more at risk than the richest areas, though the rate difference was decreasing over time. https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/reports-publications/health-promotion-chronic-disease-prevention-canada-research-policy-practice/vol-42-no-6-2022/canadian-opioid-crisis-longitudinal-analysis-correlation-socioeconomic-status-population-rates-mortality-hospitalization-emergency-department-visits-2000-2017.html

2025-08-15 02:59:23 UTC

Bernard Williams thought that most people would not want an exceedingly long life. Obviously this is not a representative sample of "people", but it seems to speak to a greater openness than what Williams saw. #Philosophy https://ottawa.place/@dan613/115011952289991739

2025-08-11 20:11:59 UTC

The Makropulos Case is a thought experiment by Bernard Williams based on the Janáček opera The Makropulos Affair. The thought experiment is this: you are given a potion (without your knowledge) that extends your life by three hundred years. During this time your loved ones age and die, empires rise and fall. At the end of the 300 years you are offered the potion again. Do you take it and live another 300 years? #Philosophy
https://philosophicaldisquisitions.blogspot.com/2015/01/longer-lives-and-alleged-tedium-of.html

2025-08-03 16:45:53 UTC

- reply

Wildfire smoke does have a way of making landscapes photogenic.

2025-08-03 14:30:49 UTC

George is working on his cutemaxxing
https://assets.ottawa.place/media_attachments/files/114/965/312/202/668/343/original/9235fa9635091e5b.jpeg

2025-07-29 15:16:14 UTC

- reply

I retired young, and part of my decision was that there was no reason to hold a job I didn't need when a younger person with a family definitely did need it. I am now using the goods and services of our economy without needing a job myself. That sounds like a net gain, no?

2025-07-26 15:40:38 UTC

- reply

That's the thing about evolution. The plant doesn't have to know what a hummingbird looks like to eventually look like a hummingbird. It's the insects who shaped the plant. *They* decided which shapes to avoid, and those shapes did better and better, until the plant evolved into hummingbird shapes. Insects are like accidental gardeners.

2025-07-25 15:32:19 UTC

- reply

Surfaces will polarize* reflections, which is why polarized sunglasses are useful for cutting glare. If the light from the LED is polarized, eg the blue light has a different polarization than the yellow from the phosphor, then reflections will diminish one of the colours.
Reflections from anti-reflection coatings, eg your glasses or a TV, will be frequency-specific, because the coating thickness is on the order of the light wavelengths.
* photons have a wiggle in a certain direction, eg up-down or left-right, as they travel. If all the photons are wiggling the same way, it's called polarized light. Incandescent sources like flames and the sun emit photons that can be wiggling in any direction, ie unpolarized. When light hits a non-metallic surface, only the photons wiggling roughly parallel to the surface get reflected, causing the reflection to be polarized. Metal surfaces reflect the photons perfectly.

2025-07-24 14:52:03 UTC

If any American is complaining about forest fire smoke this summer, remind them that the US is responsible for 24% of the heating caused by CO₂ emissions, more than any other country or group. #ClimateChange https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/share-of-cumulative-co2
https://assets.ottawa.place/media_attachments/files/114/908/772/652/896/623/original/ddcb774e3ae5798d.jpeg

2025-07-02 12:21:34 UTC

- reply

Deport them to where?

2025-07-01 12:14:24 UTC

- reply

Not cheap at all. https://www.utilitydive.com/news/death-of-a-nuke-build-summer-abandonment-leaves-ratepayers-holding-the-bag/448597/

2025-06-30 12:06:59 UTC

- reply

Ukraine is able to resist, whereas people in Gaza being mowed down while accessing humanitarian aid is quite different.

2025-06-26 03:36:58 UTC

- reply

I understand some of that 5% will be reclassification of other department services such as the coast guard (and ice breakers). But it still rubs me the wrong way. This is a naked attempt to by Trump to boost the US defence industry.

2025-06-21 12:48:35 UTC

On #ShowYourStripes day, here is what #Ottawa looks like. This shows the average temperature each year, so our highs and lows are moving upwards. This has particular impact on our water supply, since it is the snow pack that feeds rivers in the summers, and less snow or faster melts means less water for crops and cities, plus potential for spring flooding. The flood plain maps in Ottawa were expanded recently, partly because of this.
Note that land warms faster than the oceans, so land temperature rises faster than the oceans. This is why land temperature rise is well above 2.0 ℃, even though the global average rise is about 1.3℃ above the pre-industrial average.
https://showyourstripes.info
https://assets.ottawa.place/media_attachments/files/114/721/430/763/033/097/original/6c8401cc9e69d215.png
https://assets.ottawa.place/media_attachments/files/114/721/430/931/218/052/original/05dcfa7dce716807.png

2025-05-22 20:27:22 UTC

- reply

The sorcery is the higher voltage. The power lost in the wires (ie the amount of wire heating) is always I²R, regardless of the voltage. So you can deliver as much power as you want as long as you keep the current below 5A.

2025-04-30 16:42:08 UTC

- reply

That reminds me to get some flax seeds for my guerrilla gardening this fall. We have some that grow wild nearby, but no reason they couldn't find a home in more local tall grass patches.

2025-04-29 18:17:33 UTC

When you fire your graphics design department:
https://assets.ottawa.place/media_attachments/files/114/422/621/592/061/144/original/c9df1c7362d23c29.mp4

2025-04-18 22:32:26 UTC

- reply

These guys...
https://assets.ottawa.place/media_attachments/files/114/361/338/825/576/890/original/8e2b482af8a44976.jpeg

2025-04-09 14:59:03 UTC

- reply

The CPC is so obsessed with looks. With hair, with socks, with genitals. So freaking weird. #CanPoli #CdnPoli

2025-04-09 11:40:54 UTC

- reply

She learned from the best.
https://assets.ottawa.place/media_attachments/files/114/307/816/112/004/783/original/16c5578836dd9769.jpeg

2025-03-21 17:09:30 UTC

Why do today's conservatives never seem to consider the consequences of their actions? In the past I considered it "next quarter thinking", ie the propensity of business people to only be concerned about what it takes to get good results in the next quarter only.
But now I'm starting to think it has to do with empathy. When you care about other people, you've spent your whole life thinking about how your actions affect others, at least to some extent. You look for evidence, and you see the chain of events. But if you don't care about other people, you just see the steps needed to fulfil your wants.
Is it that simple? Or am I just patting myself on my back?

2025-03-13 12:50:33 UTC

- reply

Nice to see a Wikipedia article on the use of "iel" as a French non-gendered pronoun to replace "il" and "elle". https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iel_(pronoun)

2025-03-11 19:21:31 UTC

- reply

One more snow storm until spring!
There's almost always 2 storms in March. Sometimes even one in April.

2025-03-11 19:17:41 UTC

- reply

I've done that. Dirt over the snow also works (salt-free).

2025-03-11 18:31:56 UTC

Not satisfied by the response from Canada for Trump shooting his left foot, Trump retaliates by shooting his right foot. #CanPoli #CdnPoli

2025-03-11 15:47:22 UTC

- reply

Beavers look *identical* to their anthropomorphic cartoon representations. No change necessary. Like, if they knew I could hold my breath long enough, they'd invite me into their lodge for a spot of tea.

2025-03-11 12:09:24 UTC

- reply

I (an engineer) learned this the hard way with climate science. It seemed counterintuitive (wrong) because I didn't have all the facts. Fortunately I trust experts and was willing to learn. I ran across too many people who were the opposite.

2025-03-10 15:05:07 UTC

- reply

Tree or shrub? Your choice!

2025-03-10 15:02:06 UTC

- reply

I didn't know the name of the nannyberry, but I recognized it when I looked it up. Very pretty! Sounds like you'll have enjoyable experience.

2025-03-10 14:56:05 UTC

- reply

Someone once said your tree is pruned when you can throw a hat up through the branches and it comes back down. That's not terribly helpful, but there are plenty of online resources to get help. My tree always had loads of small branches that I would prune back to give more resources to the main branches.

2025-03-10 14:47:39 UTC

- reply

A native cherry would be nice, especially in May. A pole pruner is all you need. I had one in my back yard (years ago) and I found it meditative and satisfying to imagine how I wanted the tree to grow.

2025-03-04 20:17:34 UTC

- reply

<shakes fist at sky> JOHN CARLOS BAEZZZZ!!!!

2025-03-04 17:40:28 UTC

- reply

The courts have law enforcement officers, don’t they? They don’t have to pull in the President for contempt, but certainly his lackeys.

2025-03-04 17:29:15 UTC

- reply

But most protests are legal.

2025-02-21 15:43:33 UTC

- reply

Ah, I'll ask her. She's probably getting a lot of bots on BS.

2025-02-21 15:42:43 UTC

- reply

It seems to be some quote post problems. Can you follow her from my comment here? https://ottawa.place/@dan613/114042546944526234

2025-02-21 15:33:18 UTC

- reply

Where the heck was this? Great to see such details for the windows.

2025-02-21 15:29:48 UTC

This is my spouse, Laura-Lee. If you like knitting, sewing, or spinning, please give her a follow. Show her that the Fediverse is the place to be. She also is an organizer for the local Ottawa fibre guilds, if you have any questions.
#sewing #knitting #spinning #Ottawa https://fed.brid.gy/r/https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:7ckgtzlofwd54zrfnkb7n7jm/post/3ling6korns2x

2025-02-20 16:13:50 UTC

- reply

I don't think I could have ever imagined a config file with over 50 lines.

2025-02-18 16:57:52 UTC

- reply

Fascists can't survive in their cocoons during our winters. Hope they don't evolve.

2025-02-18 16:55:35 UTC

- reply

I'm out of one of my meds. Even the plowed sidewalks feel like taking a StairMaster. I'm not looking forward to it.

2025-02-13 20:19:39 UTC

- reply

Yes, advertising and some goodwill help from grocery and general stores could make a big difference immediately. Mercer's Independent on Somerset has always had a small aisle dedicated to Ottawa products. You can get sauces from The East India Company, for example, as well as jams, salsas, and hot sauces from others.

2025-02-13 20:12:28 UTC

- reply

It's hard to make those changes in a timely fashion, but they could start. Consultation, enactment (possibly after the election, depending on existing authority) and implementation all take months each.

2025-02-08 22:12:02 UTC

- reply

The death panels are private health insurance companies.

2025-02-06 15:57:48 UTC

- reply

The xenophobes would absolutely support the BQ to get rid of Quebec.

2025-01-29 14:24:22 UTC

- reply

The ADL got pushback on its lack of pushback. If it looks like a Nazi salute, it doesn't matter what Musk intended. Musk needs to make a very vocal apology for it and the ADL should hold him to task.

2025-01-26 01:16:49 UTC

- reply

You don't have to remember commands in a GUI. It takes longer to remember commands in a CLI. Maybe if they put commands into categories that I can down-arrow through.

2025-01-25 12:50:46 UTC

- reply

No armed invasion of Canada, then?

2025-01-24 13:28:39 UTC

- reply

The enclave of Vanier

2025-01-24 13:27:58 UTC

- reply

It's currently NDP, so that shouldn't be a problem for the Ontario election. And Joel Harding is up against Naqvi (LPC). I hope that goes to Harding but who knows these days. Naqvi never struck me as a strong campaigner.

2025-01-24 13:07:25 UTC

Disappointed that the Ontario NDP only has two candidates listed for all of Ottawa. At least ex-councillor McKenny is one of them (Ottawa-Centre). #ottawa #ONPoli #ONDP https://www.ontariondp.ca/candidates

2025-01-15 23:53:46 UTC

- reply

Do you have the source of this chart? I was unsuccessful in my searches.

2025-01-15 19:34:43 UTC

- reply

Baby steps

2025-01-13 19:03:37 UTC

- reply

I started mine last night. @npub192a…kuy5
I just went with the major one. If a local or Canadian ones starts up I might switch to that. I'm trying to get my spouse and her textile-making friends to join. I'm half tempted to start up a textiles-focused site for her, but it's in PHP (ugh!!) and I honestly have no experience with the backend stuff. I can read documentation, though. There's a danger that this might be just a new ADHD obsession.

2025-01-13 16:53:37 UTC

Slowly filling up my pixelfed account. I'm trying to convince my spouse and her many textile friends to join. https://pixelfed.social/p/dan613/784461812132999372

2025-01-12 16:27:07 UTC

- reply

Oh nice!

2025-01-12 16:10:40 UTC

- reply

My adult step kids went to the Zelda show and loved it. Nice to see the NAC Orchestra keeping people interested in orchestra music.

2025-01-09 03:45:02 UTC

- reply

Turns out he got approval to come in. I have no idea he got the approvals though.

2024-12-30 23:20:20 UTC

- reply

I had a separate Dolby noise reduction system for my TEAC reel-to-reel, and when using metal tape at 2x recording speed, it was completely indistinguishable from source. It was glorious, but a bit expensive for my budget. It had a rated 40 kHz range, and I believe it.

2024-12-28 13:31:35 UTC

- reply

I was just contemplating that. One of the important reasons to write essays is to learn critical thinking. LLMs absolutely cannot help you there. Allowing them just shortcuts the learning process and turns the university into a paper mill. The point isn't to churn out essays, the point is to *understand* how to churn out essays.

2024-12-28 12:31:18 UTC

- reply

That's a normal size reel, right? I got rid of mine a few decades ago. It was fantastic at the time, but once multi CD players came in I no longer used it. Though I can see jazz fusion being the right vibe.

2024-12-26 15:47:06 UTC

- reply

This is already being used by power companies, particularly ones with high renewables penetration. Note that the value is unique to each location and situation, it is not something of value to the public.

2024-12-22 17:23:18 UTC

- reply

AOC says the US already is an oligarchy. You can't cross US gun companies, oil companies, insurance companies, war machine companies, bomb companies, mining companies, prison companies, and social media companies. Children get far less justice for their deaths than US CEOs.

2024-12-19 14:55:12 UTC

- reply

This is what will be implanted in the backs of humans when the machines take over. 🤖

2024-12-18 17:55:11 UTC

- reply

I stand corrected.

2024-12-18 17:47:33 UTC

- reply

Trudeau is still pretty young. Why must he step aside when he wants to continue? Just because someone else wants his job? But I suppose that's what leadership reviews are for. Party members can decide then.

2024-12-18 17:18:17 UTC

- reply

Sure, but she can't deny Carney's experience, and she'd be more effective as PM later with Foreign Affairs under her belt. (Granted, someone else said FA and I haven't confirmed, but nothing else makes sense—if it *is* something else I will agree with you).

2024-12-18 14:04:30 UTC

- reply

Trudeau asked Freeland to take on Foreign Affairs at the most crucial time in our foreign policy history since the Cold War, and she feels insulted?? Maybe she spends so much time mocking Poilievre in the House chamber that she forgot to turn that part of herself off when thinking about what Canada needs. #CanPoli #CdnPoli

2024-12-16 17:32:59 UTC

- reply

Dammit! All I want is peace,order, and good government. Is that too much to ask for?

2024-12-16 16:07:31 UTC

- reply

Ottawa Centre was one riding rumoured for Mark Carney to run in. Not sure Naqvi would step down willingly, but the Liberal riding system picks who they want.
Edit: Joel Harden is running for NDP. He beat Naqvi by quite a bit provincially.

2024-12-16 16:00:26 UTC

- reply

There was a retired guy on Twitter who worked in Parliament for quite a while who would know. I have no idea how to find him, now.

2024-12-16 15:58:08 UTC

- reply

Reading between the lines, she sounds pissed. And pundits will soon bring up JWR (they probably have, I just haven't read any stories yet). This election is going to suck.

2024-12-16 15:50:12 UTC

- reply

Stephane Dion started as a cabinet minister without a riding. I don't recall if he was allowed in the House, though. He was elected a few months later, though, in a safe Liberal riding. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stéphane_Dion#Minister_of_Intergovernmental_Affairs_(1996–2003)

2024-12-15 14:04:23 UTC

- reply

It's battery operated with 8 hours of life. I saw it recommended online. https://www.amazon.ca/Westinghouse-Patented-Technology-Portable-Purifier/dp/B087V6CBT4/ref=sr_1_8?crid=2SJJWM35AO5SB&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.ieoU-o3I9MIhZwdxUBS3LxGQhvQYfJofK6Zg2v0U_BZdqSn2htIuAw8M55eL6sTrpUt6AwfLhRaLJFViRamiG12f0ABLZDVnPx0B8U-KuyDon-ZDj_0IWCdpcCEzKk3_tGxkMUZRpdHOm0XxV-O-A1buvJz2TtGPjoJkeWEOS4PmFEttWMiyu2eqK9SaRCYnig6_s7Uw_rZeA9XXF60hKa356Lg_Za21OIUwUxQ6j8aYwrDyySLjB73S1GR_xZc35JFmc4k41aua6RDrxAmRwt5mj51eDUIMxQ0a7dfa9BBx5X82HQz-NVmzeJPFNkBvJVYI2yPMZpb8ngvSsdnqw7y8sC9T_VNqTdCaSNjMymbwM4dEz4tyy44fFzj0Fc2ZdWnLmsWdAmFo_p6eJU22YJWmoVAyQIPnG0Qx_gWYswqvYizsBRb-dx1MMU2xcKu1.3PM4WUARKfTHjnt-U_b-70cgRMkf7dLHUOpr5Ic4mJE&dib_tag=se&keywords=westinghouse+air+purifier+filter&qid=1734271327&sprefix=Westinghouse+filter%2Caps%2C94&sr=8-8

2024-12-15 13:57:33 UTC

- reply

I have a portable filter I use. I don't know how effective it is, but I haven't gotten sick at a restaurant, so far.

2024-12-15 13:10:07 UTC

- reply

More room than most SUVs.

2024-12-13 12:32:01 UTC

- reply

This actually put my jaw as close to the floor as it can get. It's as if they *want* to make the US a shithole country.