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Joined 1 year ago
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Cake day: November 19th, 2023

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  • We used to have good, strong open source tools made out of C (which is a lot like steel - it can only be worked by blue collar computer nerds with muscly brains). Now that steel core is corroding because of the influence of hackers and other white collar computer sorts with their creative problem solving, and unintended uses of memory.

    That new corrosion is called rust, and it eventually appears on every C project that’s left outside, unless someone comes along to brush it off occasionally.








  • I’m fortunate to work at a place that offers some leave for paternity, but with the option of being “flexible” about it. I’ve seen most of my coworkers take off for 2-4 weeks (out of 6), then return to work half time or so once things start settling. Two have taken all 6 weeks, one for medical reasons (baby needed follow up), and one purely to spend more time with baby/wife.

    I haven’t needed paternity leave, so I don’t know how much more money you get for returning to work early, but I think I’m inclined towards taking 3 weeks, then coming back to work unless there’s something wrong. There’s a bunch to admire about prioritizing your time bonding over money, and I don’t want to take anything away from that - it’s just not me.


  • Same sex marriage was such a good example of democracy working. MA stood alone, defiant and proud, for years. Then some of the neighboring states went “You know what? They didn’t get smote with fire and brimstone. Maybe I can do that too.”

    Only 10 years after Massachusetts took the first step, it was growing past the recently blue states as voters came around to accepting it, and if it had another 5 years, we would’ve been taking would-be holdouts like Texas.

    That process was cut short, but I haven’t seen any polling that suggests we’re not still collectively sliding that direction, so even if the supreme court reverses Obergefell v. Hodges, I don’t think there’s popular support for bans this time.








  • If I were just a little rich, I would work less, and spend more time traveling.

    If I were rich (but not rich-rich) I would retire, move further away from the city, and make my own saw mill. Also spend more time traveling.

    If I were rich-rich, I would fund Vasalgel, lobby for that project to make mosquitoes extinct, and fund a few low budget films per year, outside of Hollywood. I don’t know where I would move, but I would probably still travel more.