Linux. I don’t want “using the computer” to turn into a hobby that I need a computer science degree for.

I’ve been enjoying bookbinding. You can get started just with some paper, glue, craft knife, and a ruler. Add some needle and thread, cover board, and bookcloth and you can make some nice custom pieces.

https://youtu.be/q4i05EaML44

I’ve been trying to think of a way to have a nuanced discussion about art and AI, but hesitant to do so since people online can get incredibly vitriolic about it if they suspect that I’m in favor of AI. For the record I dislike AI being shoved in my face, from the uncanny-valley line art to the shovelware game apps that I keep seeing ads for.

To get to the point, I’m struggling to understand the moral difference between an AI model scraping art to use as training data, or an aspiring artist studying it to learn how to make it themselves. In both cases, the original artist has posted their work to a public website fully knowing that people will look at it. What’s the difference between an AI model vs a human learning from it? And how is it theft when the product is demonstrably different from the original?

I want to be clear that I just want to understand the logical underpinning of the arguments, and not arguing for one side or the other.

Maybe I’m biased, but the late 90s were just about perfect for cars. If you could get your hands on something like a Ranger or S10, it would be extremely practical. Automatic transmission, air conditioning, great fuel economy, and extremely easy to maintain and repair. And if it’s made after ‘96, it would have a OBD2 port that any modern scanner could read codes from.

In the typewriter community, the “holy grail” differs from person to person, but for me it was a 1930s Royal P equipped with a rare typeface called Vogue. Very, very rarely they’ll pop up from people who don’t know how significant that is, and that’s the only way to get one at a reasonable price - because those who do know what it is will ask thousands of dollars for it.

Eventually I found one for a comparatively cheap price (sub 1k), and the only reason someone else didn’t snap it up before I saw it was because the guy refused to ship it. Local pickup only. So I took the chance to drive the 10 hours round trip to snag it, and it sits proudly as the crown jewel of my collection:

A coworker of mine is from Louisiana. We’re in Washington state, and he told me that all the people here bitching about wind turbines and environmental regulations don’t know how good they have it. He’s from a town on the gulf which is basically one giant oil refinery. The stink and chemical pollution is unbelievable. He showed me the “Welcome to Whatever-ville” sign in his hometown, and it’s literally attached to a gantry that carries several chemical pipes over the road.

I’ve been learning Dutch, since the Netherlands seems like a nice place to go if I ever have to flee the US. Thinking about joining some Dutch communities here so I can get more “natural” language exposure.

That’s what everyone was saying in 2024.

When my truck’s clutch cylinder blew, I managed to limp it to the shop just by rev-matching and slipping it into each gear. I couldn’t stop without stalling, so I definitely blew a couple stop signs, but I made it.

The magic wears off as soon as the first expensive thing breaks.

Allow me to suggest the humble typewriter. There are dozens of us (dozens!) who enjoy the tactile feeling of hammering out a few pages with no electronics or distractions of any kind.

If you set it on fire it makes a rainbow. There’s something profound in that.

My parents used to have an old Amana Radarange. Built like a tank, wood paneling and chrome, warm incandescent lighting…I miss it. It didn’t have a beep or a bell or anything. Once it was done it would just…turn off.

There’s nothing more majestic than a galloping herd of wild chaise lounges…

Curse a lot. Think of how google’s AI summary won’t appear if you include the word “fuck” in your search, or how everyone on social media is self-censoring naughty words for fear of The Algorithm. The internet has been carefully curated and manicured to be marketable to every possible demographic, so they can milk data from everyone; from the six year old watching Fortnite videos to the pearl-clutching suburbanites worried about the Gays corrupting their Family Values. Become unmarketable by swearing like a sailor. Make communities with your fellow potty-mouths. Rebel against censorship by saying “fuck” a lot.

Yeah, I wish there was a company that made a fully dumb electric car

I’ve been thinking this too. How hard is it to start a car company, I wonder?

A pizza shouldn’t require you to fold it in half to eat it. I didn’t ask for a sheet of paper with cheese on it.

It’s part of a typewriter discord group I’m in. We’re all looking for excuses to use our typewriters, so writing letters to each other seems logical.