That Old Guy with the Beard

IanAMartin@thecanadian.social

photographer ▩ polyamorous ▩ he / him / hey you ▩ reincarnation of Robert Benchley (look him up, kids)— — — — — — — — — 🚫 Low interaction toots deleted after 90 days 🚫 — — — — — — — — —GEN. MURRAY: I can't make out whether you're bloody bad-mannered or just half-witted. T.E. LAWRENCE: I have the same problem, sir.   T.E. LAWRENCE: It's my manner, sir. GEN. MURRAY: Your manner? T.E. LAWRENCE: Yes. It looks insubordinate, but it isn't really.

Posts

Post #4387915
Anyone who thinks guinea pigs are cute little harmless potatoes who are as slow as a tortoise needs to try to pick one up. Man, they do not want you to do that! I always forget.
Post #4365519
TIL about Schrader and Presta valves. They are not the same! I have Prestas on my bike’s inner tubes! Tomorrow I get to replace the inner tube on my back wheel, because that one doesn’t want to do a dang thing with the air I shove into it! LEARNING IS FUN!
Post #4234253
I read @cstross@wandering.shop's essay, linked to below, recently, having read the novel which appeared in the pages before it. I thought it prophetic, and clearly the man himself has as well. It’s really thoughtful, and very much deserves to be read today, two decades after its creation. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m headed back to his site to learn where in the line of #LaundryFiles books I should read “A Conventional Boy” (Tor, 2024). [EDIT: read before book currently reading] https://...
Post #4120599
I’m just barely past the ½-way point of this by @cstross@wandering.shop and it is already fantastic. There is a scene involving a vicar, a bureaucrat, and an intern who happens to be a v̶a̶m̶p̶i̶r̶e̶ sorry, a person with PHANG. It is hilarious due to — in equal parts — social norms, office politics, and marginalized communities. Some may find the story disjointed and slow to start, but it merely needs the time and space to create the foundation of the action. Excellent. ★★★★★ #reviews #BooksTodon...
Post #3866299
RE: https://thecanadian.social/@IanAMartin/116931244981997317 I wonder if you can Ouroboros a toot?
Post #3781714
RE: https://infosec.exchange/@josephcox/116850379352639328 So let me see if I’ve got this clear. 1️⃣ we’re told ‘everyone should use AI’ 2️⃣ we’re told ‘everyone has to use [x] tokens every day / week’ 3️⃣ we’re told ‘stop using so much AI because the company’s losing its ass on this’ Have I got all that right? This is the future? The one we should be investing all our money and hopes in the continuance of? Cold fusion had a more promising lifetime than this.
Post #3435648
I finished this, №4 in @cstross@wandering.shop’s #LaundryFiles series a few days ago. It’s extremely good. Mr. Stross’ control of action, description of setting, inner monologue, and narrative thread continue to improve and are increasingly excellent. The pages practically turn themselves. The characters continue to mystify, as further details of their past are revealed and the hero moves up the job ladder. Nothing in this ages badly. Very highly recommended. ★★★★★ #reviews #BooksTodon
Post #3405062
I have not yet seen a Goose Value-themed version of the guy checking out the woman over his shoulder meme. Not yet.
Post #2334298
Very much enjoying this. Past the ½-way, the story structure @cstross@wandering.shop is referencing — and references to others in the same series — is clear to the reader. This is no knock-off or parody in any manner, however; merely a pondering of “what if you put that guy in *this* situation?” It’s incredibly well-done. References to other great works — especially a mid-’30s German mesmer — are also intelligently included. This is a work of great skill. #reviews #BooksTodon #CineMastodon...
Post #2309319
CURRENTLY READING: Book 2 of the #LaundryFiles by @cstross. Nothing beats a book that starts with Lovecraftian horrors blended with CIA ‘black operation’ Project Azorian. #BooksTodon #LaundryFiles
Post #1882013
Today is both May Day (Labour Day in places other than Canada and the USA), as well as USian’s opportunity for a #GeneralStrike against current fascist governmental tendencies. So, here’s a poll! Are you marking today by not working and/or buying, or having the day off due to regular official holiday?
Post #1738888
I’ve been slowly working my way through this as a light way to finish an evening off. Star Trek can get a bit too full of itself sometimes and this is definitely a fine cure for that. Some bran for the brand, if you will. However, I do have one continuing question: why are they so obsessed with koalas…‽ ★★★★☆ #review #CineMastodon #TV #StarTrek #STLD #IOwnThis
Post #1670765
I have no personal experience with the sort of feelings and thoughts and emotions that @grrrr_shark is going through at the moment. I hope she is finding some comfort being with friends right now. If not, I am willing to help make her feel better by dancing naked to songs by Simple Minds, Howard Jones, and Bronski Beat. Other artists are also possible, but no “Funky Cold Medina,” no “Push It,” no “Mambo №5.”
Post #1101777
Viktor Orbán has proven himself to be an awful person. But I’ll give him this: when faced with election results in someone else’s favour, he concedes to his opponent. Felon47 has lowered the bar that far.
Post #1080967
I’m learning so much by reading @cstross@wandering.shop’s first book. Not only is there a collection of evil majik artifacts in the basement of a museum on Amsterdam (unlikely to be real), there is a herd of cows in Milton Keynes which are made of concrete and have been moved around town occasionally (actually exists; cf link below). Books learn you things! Try Books Today!™ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concrete_Cows?wprov=sfti1#Significance
Post #874136
RE: https://flipboard.com/@cbcnews/politics-2qr4m137z/-/a-fcs7aZzyQ-2ZNg0wRJ96jA%3Aa%3A107108217-%2F0 Getting there… getting there… okay, let’s turn a little further east and look at Iran… c’mon, you can do it…