Somehow it's up to the Harris campaign to get the Trumps to have a normal American presidential campaign, not a prelude to a second attempted coup, which is what the Trumps are doing. I can see the op-ed they run in September saying that it's Harris's fault that the Trumps are fascist. #
I reinstated my subscription because I need to actually read their words, not because they cover news, but because they are news. The news is that the fourth estate in the US is gone. They have lost their minds. They aren't even trying. Their op-eds don't reflect facts, such as Trump will never be a serious candidate in the sense that the NYT thinks a candidate should be serious. The Democrats still will. But there's no need as far as I'm concerned, for a legitimate candidate to respond to their taunts. #
They completely lost many of us in their extended campaign to force Biden to step aside. I knew they wouldn't stop there, because abusers never stop when you give in to them. They are the tragedy of America now, even more than Trump. We must replace them. The real question is who's going to step up to help restore journalism to our country. #
I lost my iPhone a few days ago. I think all the data is safe. First time I ever lost a phone. I ordered a new iPhone 15 Pro with 256GB, it will arrive on Monday hopefully. #
In the meantime I've needed to use my Android phone to record voice memos. Google's product is called Recorder. It's just what I wanted. #
It has a website, so you don't have to export your recording to get it where you need it to be, and it automatically does a transcript. There's an editor on the website, which again is exactly where I want it. #
XML-RPC, in particular, is very much in the Unix spirit. It's deliberately minimalist but nevertheless quite powerful, offering a way for the vast majority of RPC applications that can get by on passing around boolean/integer/float/string datatypes to do their thing in a way that is lightweight and easy to to understand and monitor. This simple type ontology acts as a valuable check on interface complexity.#
It's very true, my design goal for my whole 50+ year career has been to factor my code so well so it was as clean as Unix is, from top to bottom#
The virtue of relentless factoring is you can build higher if each layer of the stack lets through the functionality that's needed, and no more. Ideally there should be one way of doing something. and it should work pretty well. #
I realized that the web, RSS and podcasting are also a Unix-like things. #
Because they can be made to do anything, but are simple, not a lot to understand.#
But -- there's been this huge proliferation of languages and frameworks, and incredibly complex and underspecified formats. #
Meanwhile core functions like storage combined with identity for end users, has not been implemented, because of course if the users had their own networked data independent of any platform vendor there would be no lockin. that's 2024 version of the cathedral, to follow your analogy.#
Anyway, seeing you here made me think of this, I've wanted to say this to you for a long to you and now I have. ;-)#
It's quarter till eleven. Physically I've been feeling much better: my voice has almost completely returned, and I have enough energy to work out again for the first time in about a week. Sadly, my return to health coincides with my roommate's decline. He took yesterday and today off from work and went to the doctor's office this morning. On my way out this evening I ran into his girlfriend who came to deliver hot food.
One week out, my brother still hasn't found a place to live. I helped him by touring two apartments today, an unremarkable 1 bedroom at noon during my lunch break and a two bedroom one which came onto my plate quite suddenly in the evening. I was on my way out to play soccer after work when my mom called and urged me to visit an unusually cheap 2 bedroom nearby she wanted me to look at immediately. I was beyond miffed to miss out on Friday night plans to tour another apartment, but showed up to the walkup in my tank top and gym bag in spite of all my groans.
The apartment was recently renovated and in surprisingly good shape. I thought that there would surely be something wrong with a 2 bedroom apartment for so cheap, but I didn't see anything in the apartment itself that tipped me off. I did find it a bit strange that they didn't let me take pictures or videos and made me go to a tiny unmarked office a few blocks away to file an application, but I just wanted to get it all over with and Mom was hurrying me along. I went and filled out the paperwork and stepped out to get some cash for the background check.
In hindsight there were so many blatant red flags I ignored. No online application. No photography of the apartment allowed. No Google Maps listing for the realty address. No website. Cash only for the background check. I'm kicking myself for handing over so much sensitive personal information like that, and I wish there were a better way to do this whole apartment search. How are you supposed to tell the difference between a slightly sketchy but legitimate realtor and a complete scam, especially when good apartments go in mere hours? And why did we set up our society set so that a bad actor can wreak so much havoc on your life with access to some basic information about you and a few identifying numbers?
Anyway, I'm sick and tired of dealing with this nonsense, even though I tried my very best to hide it by doing what I usually do, going quiet. I always feel guilty when I can sense my annoyance bubbling up, because while they're understandable emotions to feel, what good does it do to express it to anyone? I told Mom that I'm not doing any more of these apartment tours and she didn't protest. I think even she felt bad for all she's put me through these past few weeks.
I've spent the night annoyed over what otherwise could have been a good Friday night, worrying about having my identity stolen by what likely were some scammers and thinking about Socrates's observation that we suffer more in imagination and in reality. It's not been of much comfort. Late nights like these my dissatisfaction with my social circle rears its ugly head. I love my friends, and I have a decent number of them to make plans with and chat each week, but it's been months, maybe years since I've had one I felt comfortable calling late at night to talk through things like this.
Highlight of the week:ย seeing a pink pineapple at the Volunteer Park Conservatory
Looking forward to: Bellingham trip!
Stuff I did:
2.25 hours consulting
6.5 hours writing
researched new personal computer
updated my portfolio tracker, reviewed amortization estimates for when we can pay off the house, took care of financial tasks, transferred a retirement account between brokerages to consolidate more
corn crepes with cotijo cheese + air fryer corn ๐ (inspiration – I used chili powder instead)
Chickpea pasta soup from Cucina Povera + crusty bread + rosemary, garlic, and red pepper flakes sauteed in oil as a finish + rosemary-elderberry-honey mocktail in a can
Camping at Lake Somerville State Park. Lots of dense trees and bushes around each site, makes for nice privacy if anyone was actually here except me. Not pictured: the lake.
Morning Swim ๐ Low of the high 20โs this week had me skip a run and I could hear myself trying to convince me to not go out this morning. Heโs dumb. Donโt listen to him. Comment by email
Somehow it's up to the Harris campaign to get the Trumps to have a normal American presidential campaign, not a prelude to a second attempted coup, which is what the Trumps are doing. I can see the op-ed they run in September saying that it's Harris's fault that the Trumps are fascist. #
