Brendan Halpin

Bostonian, writer, teacher, parent, spouse. Fan of public libraries, public transit, horror movies, punk rock, and bikes.

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npub1z68dc4zeep3wu8u7vf8n3flvqt8fng48af276fml9akxknay85xqg7j0ah

NIP-05 Address

bhalpin_at_better.boston@mostr.pub

Profile Code

nprofile1qqspdrku23vuschwr70xynec5lkq9n5e52n7540dyalj7mrtf7jr6rqpz4mhxue69uhhyetvv9ujumt0wd68ytnsw43qcfc9td

Publishing to

relay.mostr.pub

Author Public Key

npub1z68dc4zeep3wu8u7vf8n3flvqt8fng48af276fml9akxknay85xqg7j0ah

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Last Notes

2024-08-02 15:25:40

Anyone, at any scale, who nurtures a cult of personality around them is suspect. High school teachers, pastors, writers, actors, whoever. If they're actively cultivating a bunch of people who think they're wonderful I always assume it's because they're secretly terrible.

2024-07-11 14:43:38

Third in my series of pieces on fighting fascism. This time: women are people! https://write.as/brendanhalpin/fighting-fascism-3-women-are-people

2024-07-10 20:44:22

The human need to belong to something is so powerful that we create this fake generational affinity. Like, yeah, I'm GenX, I guess. And so is every dickhead I encountered from ages 5 to 22! We remember the same sitcoms! I guess that makes me bros with the guy who tried to make me eat his jockstrap!

2024-07-10 14:29:31

Wet Bulb Summer

2024-07-10 13:04:04

Forgot to put water in the moka pot this morning. And that, kids, is why you shouldn't try to make coffee before you've had coffee

2024-07-09 16:34:55

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@npub165s…r0wj I'm not a librarian, so I was genuinely curious!

2024-07-09 14:16:14

Question for #librarians . Does it bug you at all that Brewster Kahle, who has no training or degree in library science, calls himself a librarian?

2024-07-08 13:08:11

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@npub10k6…ew8f if you're not joking, Wikipedia can give you a far more thorough intro than I can. If you are joking, I don't really get it.

2024-07-07 21:53:30

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@npub1jxh…e7wy happy to help!

2024-07-07 18:20:32

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@npub1d6u…rc5j the podcast didn't get into this, but it did sound kind of like she procured vulnerable women for him.

2024-07-07 18:19:33

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@npub1qnz…wwgh Glad it was helpful! I just don't want this to fall into a memory hole because people like him. I suspect we'll start hearing from more women.

2024-07-07 15:28:50

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@npub1txm…xp6c Not only that, but we've seen pretty conclusively that you can, in fact, fool the children of the revolution.

2024-07-07 13:57:31

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@npub13nf…84zh I am a dad, and I approve this joke

2024-07-06 15:58:41

If you're curious about the Neil Gaiman allegations but don't want to listen to the entire podcast (or don't want to/can't hear the explicit details to protect your own mental health), I wrote a little wrapup with my conclusions. https://write.as/brendanhalpin/neil-gaiman-podcast-wrapup-and-reflections
#NeilGaiman

2024-07-06 10:37:57

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@npub16t6…zt3q I agree. I get why it would be next to impossible to make a legal case, but it seems pretty clear to me that he's a bad person.

2024-07-05 13:49:46

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@npub1mdk…aptk I like it!

2024-07-05 13:44:01

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@npub1mdk…aptk say more. I need hope

2024-07-04 23:43:07

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@npub129n…3062 Well, there are 2 accusers, and the first one easily fills 2 eps

2024-07-04 22:41:41

Was texting with an old friend about how Pet Sounds is overrated and I liked this bit a lot:
https://files.better.boston/media_attachments/files/112/730/624/912/890/568/original/dde7f4321e7d2d14.jpg

2024-07-04 22:19:53

Don't much car for the holiday, but I do like this song https://youtu.be/BLInAn1LwZU?si=BhlgwfBXMMHNjjik #4thofjuly #xtheband

2024-07-04 22:13:09

If anyone has thoughts about the #neilgaiman podcast, hit me up. I'm 2 episodes in and want to talk about it!

2024-07-04 21:40:25

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@npub1arg…9jvm I could never get into American Gods. Graveyard Book, Neverwhere, and Coraline are good. But at this point I wouldn't recommend

2024-07-04 21:34:49

This podcast is really thoughtful and even-handed and, of course, deeply disturbing. Also Evan Stark is the coolest. https://www.tortoisemedia.com/listen/master-the-allegations-against-neil-gaiman/

2024-07-04 21:33:16

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@npub1arg…9jvm I like a couple of his books. Never cared for AP's art or her public persona. Seems like they're both too self-absorbed to understand that other people are people.

2024-07-04 21:25:54

I'm on episode 2 of the podcast about the Neil Gaiman accusations. It's a really thoughtful, respectful treatment of a complex situation. Also Evan Stark is fantastic https://www.tortoisemedia.com/listen/master-the-allegations-against-neil-gaiman/

2024-07-04 20:56:16

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Amanda never paid the nanny who made the accusations. SO on brand.

2024-07-04 20:50:19

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Ah. Well, listening to the podcast, and it's pretty clear Amanda Palmer was complicit. Which of course is why she's not saying anything.

2024-07-04 20:06:24

We're in that point of the celebrity scandal cycle where you'd expect Neil Gaiman's ex-wives to come out with "No, no, Neil's not like that" statements. Silence, especially from someone like Amanda Palmer, who is not known for being shy, can be a statement.

2024-07-04 11:27:58

MC5, The American Ruse https://youtu.be/oTOvHcDWNkg?si=qwiRBKABPft7ysE8

2024-07-04 11:21:19

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@npub16am…scuf just too early in the morning! Not too many of us up at this hour!

2024-07-03 22:49:17

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@npub177f…fdyp ugggh

2024-07-03 14:55:07

FIghting Fascism, Part 2: on the importance of letting your freak flag fly!
https://write.as/brendanhalpin/fighting-fascism-2-let-your-freak-flag-fly

2024-07-02 16:42:55

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@npub14ep…cpuj Ah. The place I work is pretty broke, so it's not much of a resume builder for those types.

2024-07-02 16:15:00

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@npub14ep…cpuj You don't make anywhere NEAR enough money in that to attract the scented douchebags.

2024-07-02 16:14:23

A lot of understandable alarm about the state of the USA lately, but not too much in the way of advice on what we can do. So I wrote some! First in a series! https://write.as/brendanhalpin/fighting-fascism-1-a-better-world-is-possible

2024-07-02 15:36:40

I work in an academic institution and there's almost no one in the office today and still there's an overpowering smell of aftershave in the air. Like we're being haunted by the ghost of douchebags past or something

2024-07-02 14:38:21

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Okay, maybe you don't want 14 versions of Louie Louie. At least check out Julie London's DEEPLY weird cover: https://open.spotify.com/track/0utNsL4Ys5MgXkp5FakIRS?si=11744455fd4d40db

2024-07-02 14:34:02

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@npub1vny…n9q4 Congrats!

2024-07-02 14:26:56

14 Versions of Louie Louie. Just because you can: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7nO1CfnIK7HHtIhAx4wrYK?si=6e1110adc35c4873

2024-07-02 11:06:04

Some good news at last!!
https://files.better.boston/media_attachments/files/112/716/567/217/729/564/original/b2b7c123dd3379c1.jpg

2024-06-29 23:40:42

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@npub13de…9thp Glad to know the old ways are still with us

2024-06-29 23:05:14

Here is a weird thing about being a kid in the 70's and a teen in the 80's. If you went into the woods, playing army or whatever, there was a nonzero chance you'd find a plastic bag full of porn mags out there.

2024-06-29 14:17:50

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Remarkably efficient and pleasant process. Strangely festive atmosphere!

2024-06-29 13:52:08

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ENORMOUS line. Get here early.

2024-06-29 13:26:14

Hey #boston: hazardous waste, e-waste dropoff at the west Roxbury dpw (right at the entrance to millennium park) till 1230 today! Get rid of your old tvs, computers, phones, roombas, clothes, whatever! Bring ID to prove Boston residency.

2024-06-28 00:12:26

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@npub1k0e…dwh0 whatever the fuck

2024-06-27 23:27:51

I'm not watching the debate, but I do have a question: has there ever been an intra-party presidential debate before the candidates have been officially nominated at a convention before?

2024-06-27 21:49:45

The Internet Archive is not a library. https://brendanhalpin.com/from-the-vault-debunking-the-brewster-kahle-myth

2024-06-27 17:27:18

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@npub1x9g…jxqh I'm actually quite excited to be able to get rid of some old computers and phones and TVs on Saturday. https://www.boston.gov/calendar/zero-waste-day-drop-0

2024-06-27 13:28:17

There are comedians on Instagram whose work I enjoy and I don't follow them because I don't want to stop seeing their posts

2024-06-27 13:27:19

About ten months ago I was frustrated at the lack of urgent action on the climate emergency. I still am. Here are the two proposals I made then that would bring results and be popular. https://write.as/brendanhalpin/free-the-t-close-hanscom

2024-06-25 18:35:06

Notable alumni include Cotton-Eyed Joe.
https://files.better.boston/media_attachments/files/112/678/698/521/510/727/original/4e963f721d9257a9.jpg

2024-06-25 16:16:52

Was talking with a friend about The Facts of Life (the show, not, you know, sex ed), and looked up some episode descriptions. That show was like, ALL Very Special Episodes!

2024-06-25 15:13:23

Okay, so as a person with an anxiety disorder, I like to game out worst case scenarios. It's obviously important to work against a fascist victory in November, but I think it's also important to have contingency plans in place. So, if it happens, what real, concrete steps can we take other than paying centrist grifters to sell us "resist" bumper stickers?

2024-06-24 22:28:18

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@npub1auc…090n when the guy was like "there's no evidence he was hit by a car," I was like, well, that's the case then

2024-06-24 19:35:00

Defense has rested in #KarenRead trial. Pretty much no way she can be convicted at this point. Inspiring reminder that in our system of justice, if the cops try to frame you, all you need is a)to be white b) to have access to a couple hundred thousand bucks and c) get the feds interested in what a horrible job the local cops did. (see a, above). I wrote about it the other day: https://write.as/brendanhalpin/karen-read-and-burrell-ramsey-white
#boston

2024-06-24 14:23:34

Watched American Fiction the other day. Here's my review! https://write.as/brendanhalpin/review-american-fiction

2024-06-24 12:53:05

Spotify just laid off a bunch of people and now they're raising prices. So I guess all the extra money is going to go to artists, right?

2024-06-23 19:56:54

The other day I was driving thru Mission Hill and saw a Black kid, maybe 14, wearing a hoodie with the hood up. 95 degrees out. "Kinda odd," I thought, but then a cop car pulled around the corner to harass the kid. Breaking no laws, just being Black and not dressed for the weather. Cops, man. Bored and racist is a bad combo.

2024-06-22 22:36:10

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@npub1842…0kn3 I did a 3-day solo writing retreat at a tiny house in the woods. It was absolutely delightful. I spent the days in the company of imaginary friends I was writing about, so I didn't get lonely.

2024-06-22 22:30:46

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@npub1jwz…d2ah let us know when your mixtape drops

2024-06-21 18:56:09

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@npub14ux…jx88 Yakety Sax

2024-06-21 10:13:40

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@npub1drv…auf7 Roll a deception check 😁

2024-06-21 00:33:51

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@npub1drv…auf7 btw, I mentioned you (in an entirely complimentary way!) in this piece: https://brendanhalpin.com/my-first-encounter-with-3-ttrpgs

2024-06-21 00:10:30

Y'all seem pretty down tonite. Please enjoy this pix of my new dog. He is 7 months old.
https://files.better.boston/media_attachments/files/112/651/704/989/097/624/original/062a69a81dcc43d9.jpg

2024-06-21 00:08:43

Saw this actual restaurant in NYC a couple weeks ago. Pro tip: don't order the fish
https://files.better.boston/media_attachments/files/112/651/696/176/469/534/original/ea95f2e2cbb18512.jpg

2024-06-20 23:48:51

I wrote about injustice and police misconduct in the case of Karen Read and the case of Burrell Ramsey-White, my former student who was shot dead by Boston Police in 2012. Lots of people know about the injustice done to the white woman; few people know about the injustice done to the Black man. It would mean a lot to me if you read this one: https://write.as/brendanhalpin/karen-read-and-burrell-ramsey-white

2024-06-20 16:00:24

OK, serious question--why do all new TVs come with motion smoothing on by default? Does anybody want this?

2024-06-20 15:56:12

I wrote about the #KarenRead trial, and how coverage of this trial compares to coverage of the death of Burrell Ramsey-White. https://write.as/brendanhalpin/karen-read-and-burrell-ramsey-white
#boston #BosPoli #BLM

2024-06-14 21:25:57

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@npub1drv…auf7 🤣 My daughter said, "you don't have the chin to pull that off."

2024-06-14 18:49:31

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@npub137g…vk75 I think a lot of people don't understand that hiring a lawyer to hold an employer accountable is simply out of reach for most people.

2024-06-14 18:32:37

Today I remembered the point during lockdown when I decided to rock the Chester A. Arthur look. Don't worry--there are pictures.
https://files.better.boston/media_attachments/files/112/616/397/850/068/572/original/e90b4674af4fac34.jpeg

2024-06-13 22:14:34

Just sitting here pondering the big questions. What's life all about? Why does evil prosper? Is Glenn Danzig a goddamn sonofabitch?

2024-06-13 19:04:45

I just heard a guy explaining that the Beatles stopped touring because of what happened when the Stones played Altamont, and folks, I held my peace and let this harmless error persist in the world. Music pedantry is a VERY hard habit to break.

2024-06-12 21:41:36

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@npub1ept…d9ml not unless you were on Christina St. in Newton!

2024-06-12 13:36:16

If you, like me, skip the NYT opinion pages because they're usually bursting with bad takes, I'd encourage you check this one out. I only read it because the author is married to a friend of mine. Ignore the dumb, misleading headline the Times put on it. https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/12/opinion/bird-flu-factory-farming.html?unlocked_article_code=1.zE0.WMHD.udE6Gtkt3aft&smid=url-share

2024-06-11 18:00:21

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@npub1zts…uu80 although that sounds more like an emergency and less like some kind of sick compulsion

2024-06-11 16:41:26

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@npub1mv7…8hdc Also, that way lies madness because you can never know what's actually in someone else's head, so you have to just let go of the desire to try to figure it out.

2024-06-11 15:23:22

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@npub1nh9…p2mr WOW. I kind of love this whole story

2024-06-11 14:57:44

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@npub1qxm…mn3t They are exceptionally good bullshit generators--sometimes employers want you to write something that no one will ever read, and LLMs are great for this. Anything that a person will actually read? Not so much.

2024-06-11 14:56:33

People act like voting is necessarily the end of political engagement, but it's actually the beginning. Yes, many people stop there, but you don't have to. Which means the ethical choice in voting is harm reduction. Vote for the less bad and keep working for justice.

2024-06-11 14:51:43

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@npub1nh9…p2mr Sometimes it be like that

2024-06-11 14:48:01

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@npub1nh9…p2mr I guess! Definitely looked like a shart situation

2024-06-11 14:46:46

The other day I saw a guy on a very expensive bike all geared up in lycra doing a track stand at a red light, flexing his admittedly impressive calves and glutes at us. He had a poo stain on his bike shorts.

2024-06-11 13:49:44

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I mean, yes, obviously everyone has a responsibility to use less energy, but I'm just wondering how many of my compost bins it takes to offset the carbon of two million military people spread across 750 bases worldwide and all their planes and tanks and jeeps and shit.

2024-06-11 13:47:10

Are we gonna talk about how the US worldwide military presence is a huge driver of climate change? No? Okay, back to shaming individuals then.

2024-06-10 15:01:52

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@npub1x4z…ne4s yeah, HONK is pretty much a perfect one shot

2024-06-10 14:00:15

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@npub16am…scuf As for me, I'm just sick of the continual Winken and Nod erasure!

2024-06-10 13:55:27

Spent the entire weekend playing games at my friend's house. I played 3 systems I'd never seen before and wrote some thoughts! https://write.as/brendanhalpin/my-first-encounter-with-3-ttrpgs
#TTRPG

2024-06-09 14:43:38

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@npub1mgu…5k75 LOL, I try, but she gets very angry if she catches me at it because she doesn't like how she looks. Which is just another shitty branch of the patriarcy tree I guess

2024-06-07 00:49:43

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@npub18uh…7xlx good call!

2024-06-07 00:49:29

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@npub16w9…ulfu starting a rock band with no guitar is definitely cool

2024-06-06 23:29:33

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@npub1zd7…yta7 also I hadn't heard about the KLF and the sheep. That's quite something!

2024-06-06 23:28:53

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@npub1zd7…yta7 good point about the Stones. Nirvana is right up there with the Beach Boys for me on the "Bands everyone loves but I hate" list

2024-06-06 22:21:43

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For me I think it's the VU. Or maybe the Sonics.

2024-06-06 22:18:15

What's the coolest band of all time? I'm not asking for most influential, or who wrote the best songs (tho that can figure into it), but what band makes you go "DAMN, they're (or they were) cool!" ?

2024-06-06 22:12:24

Read the news about the Human AI pin today, and all I can say is I really encourage everyone to read Barabara Ehrenreich's Bright Sided.

2024-06-06 15:39:12

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@npub1arg…9jvm except it was at work, so possibly my loss since there were bigwigs in the room. Oh well!

2024-06-06 15:37:52

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@npub17qe…rc53 yes! Not so much small talk as a weed out conversation

2024-06-06 14:04:46

I have once again put people off by being authentic before I got to know them well