Remote
Milcom Miasma
@mmiasma@mastodon.sdf.org
mastodon 4.7.3∙ Poor Disco skills
∙ Retired in a small town in a big state with no people. That can't be coincidence
∙ Wondering what's next - I hope it's something
∙ I love #books, especially #bannedbooks
∙ Disquieted observer to the human condition
∙ #Atheism, because applied religion is toxic (and those who attempt to explain it only make it worse)
Banner picture: Bighorn mountains, northern Wyoming
Avatar picture: Oscar - he was judgy but I miss him
1312 Followers
1038 Following
50 Posts
Joined November 19, 2022
Location:
Sheridan, Wyoming
About me:
Worked at Sun Microsystems/Oracle
Favorite quote:
What man is a man who does not make the world better?
Currently reading:
Frankenstein: The 1818 Text by Mary Shelley
Three things I knew about firmware updates when I worked for a company that pushed firmware updates to customers
-
Pushing firmware updates to systems out in the wild was a semi-malicious act. Like lighting the fuse on a bomb or a dud, and handing it to the customer to deal with..
-
I never met a single person in the computer/hardware/software worlds that thought firmware on kitchen appliances was a good idea.
-
Do more regression testing... lots more.
It’s true. You can never go home again. Especially if you’ve forgotten how to get there.
After living the majority of my life in the Denver-metro area (55 years), how delightful to discover that in the five short years since moving away, I’ve managed to forget 90% of what I knew about how to get around here.
#Colorado
#OldPeopleOfMastodon
These are America's ten worst states to live in for 2026 according to a recent CNBC article.
- Arkansas (103)
- Oklahoma (103)
- Alabama (99)
- Missouri (98)
- Utah (95)
- Georgia (89)
- Louisiana (89)
- Indiana (82)
- Texas (78) ⭐ Tennessee (64)
I did a bit of light digging and every single state on this list has a Republican governor and a Republican majority in their state legislatures.
Crazy, right?
src: https://www.cnbc.com/2026/07/11/worst-states-to-live-in-america-2026.html
A comparative travel quote I found this morning:
"Seriously, in America, if you travel for ten hours in a car, you might still be in the same state. If you travel by car for ten hours in Europe, everyone's talking funny and the cheese is different."
--KaimeiJay
#Travel
The often used American law enforcement motto "To serve and protect" explained.
“Conservatism consists of exactly one proposition, to wit: There must be in-groups whom the law protects but does not bind, alongside out-groups whom the law binds but does not protect"
--Frank Wilhoit, American Political Scientist
If we make better laws, perhaps we'll start getting better law enforcement. Or we can continue on the path of creating forced labor industries in our penal system.
#Police#Laws
“The trouble with the rat race is that even if you win, you’re still a rat.”
– Lily Tomlin
Wow... we were all so fixated on figuring out Schroedinger's McConnell that we completely missed Lindsey Graham's Irish goodbye.
I'd like to say a few words about Lindsey's passing, but I won't since I can't think of any nice ones.
src: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/sen-lindsey-graham-dies-71-brief-sudden-illness-rcna552722
#Politics#News
My... what a tiny rake you have Grandpa.
My prompt said nothing about a "tiny" rake.
I feel disrespected.
My prompt: An old man holding a rake and shouting at the clouds while standing on the front porch of his weathered house.
#OldPeopleOfMastodon#AIDrawing#AI
Lost.
Something to consider while we watch AI buy and destroy old books - do you think you will ever again have access to what was written in those books?
It's not like they're digitizing the contents of these books and making it available to the public, and if it ever is made available again, you're sure as hell going to have to pay for that access.
I understand what they're using those books for, do we understand what we're losing when they do?
src: https://www.techspot.com/news/113277-ai-firms-quietly-buying-destroying-millions-printed-books.html
#Books
Must've been something in the water.
I was part of a group of four friends that were pretty much always together in Junior High (now called middle school).
From that group:
3 went to college
1 became an alcoholic (now in recovery)
1 died early (just past thirty)
1 got married
0 had any children
So how'd it turn out for you and your set of friends?
#Time#Friendship
#OldPeopleOfMastodon
"We express our disbelief at such an unprecedented, incomprehensible and unjustifiable decision."
--UEFA, published statement
"You're just big mad because _YOU_ didn't think of giving Trump a shiny gold-plated FIFA "Peace Prize" like _WE_ did."
--FIFA anti-corruption statement (probably)
Replying to
@VeroniqueB99@mastodon.social
About three years ago we drove Chicago's toll roads to travel back east. There are no toll booths anymore. Everything is handled through license plate cameras and online payment or snail-mail invoices.
Apparently the cowboy icon in the middle of Wyoming license plates (at that time) confused the cameras because we are still waiting for the bill from IDOT.
How come technology only seems to work when it's being used for evil?
Counter service.
Last time I sat at the counter in a restaurant was with my mom in the 1970s.
Fuller's Coffee Shop in downtown Portland is a treat. Diner food with genuine attitude.
Our waitress had the word "Nope" tattooed on her arm.
5/5 We'll be going back soon for a $5 milkshake.
Replying to
@RickiTarr
"Poor Impulse Control"
--Shamelessly stolen from the Neal Stephenson novel 'Snow Crash'
Replying to
@mlanger@mastodon.world
No, I’ve just re-allocated the brain cells that used to store that information to other tasks in my new reality.
My, how icky we've become.
"Go home. Get out! We know our country's better than yours; that's because we filled it with our work ethic and our culture and our values. You being here only dilutes it - for us, those who built it - and live it."
--Megyn Kelly regarding the impending revocation of Haitians temporary protected status in the U.S.
One question Reichsmaiden Kelly, are you familiar with how Irish immigrants were treated in America in the 1850s?
#LostMyAppetite
#Immigration
#Racism
Caffeinated edge.
I was going to post "Can you spot the rogue coffee bean that refused to enter my coffee grinder this morning?" and then something pithy like "Yeah, neither can I."
But then I uploaded the image to my computer and there, bold as brass, the little bastard sat mocking me.
Still, it's kind of a low energy word search if you need a distraction.
Replying to
@overholt@glammr.us
Corporate speak for "we've found a way to monetize access to literature that you used to have access to for free or very low cost", aren't we the clever ones?
The forecast.
Me at breakfast this morning: "Three of the next five days will have high temperatures of 100°F (37.7°C) or more."
Mrs Miasma: "I don't think we can go outside anymore."
Me: "Yeah, it's gonna be hot."
Mrs Miasma: "That and I think the younger generations are going to start throwing rocks at us."
#StubbornlyStupid
#ClimateChange
My former boss is doing this and I am as much of a fan as I can be as a lover of puns and hater of race car culture.
I would even bet heavily on the unicorn-rainbow car.
24 Hours of Lemons
"Endurance Racing
for $500 Cars"
Website: https://24hoursoflemons.com/
#BadHobbies
#OldPeopleOfMastodon#IWasBored
"I put no stock in religion. By the word religion, I've seen the lunacy of fanatics of every denomination be called the "Will of God". I've seen too much religion in the eyes of too many murderers. Holiness is in right action and courage on behalf of those who cannot defend themselves. And goodness - what God desires - [pointing at his head then heart] is here and here. And what you decide to do every day, you will be a good man, [smiles] or not."
--The Hospitaller, "Kingdom of Heaven"
#Quotes
Replying to
@WooShell@chaosfurs.social @Kierkegaanks@beige.party
The item in Figure 2 of the .pdf I just linked to you looks very similar. The picture identifies it as a KFF-58/68 Lochstreifensender?
Also, I think I see an illustration of the data cables in Figure 5.
Not sure how much help that is though.
Replying to
@mahryekuh@hachyderm.io
Who knew "showcasing the ambitiously crazy" wasn't enough to sustain their business model?
Replying to
@VeroniqueB99@mastodon.social
Armed and citrusy... citrusie? Hmmm... maybe just the code name "Angry Marmalade?"
Replying to
@wendynather@infosec.exchange
As of this morning, not anymore. That's why he was my favorite. 😆
Replying to
@VeroniqueB99@mastodon.social
And the bus driver should certainly be able to greet me by name at this point.
Replying to
@Kierkegaanks@beige.party
Please can we figure out a way to make the bios play this sound when a secure boot fails?
https://youtu.be/d9kZRdCrtY8
Replying to
@Kierkegaanks@beige.party @WooShell@chaosfurs.social
I assume it's not a T-100? I found the Siemens T-100 manual online at the Internet Archive but it seems to have used a 6 pin connector. I'll see if I can dig around a little more.
T-100 manual fwiw:
https://archive.org/details/t100fullmanual/page/n263/mode/2up
Replying to
@tayfonay@beige.party
Your post got me thinking about recent acts of genocide (say the last 20 years) and yikes.
2023 - Israel invades Gaza
2022 - Azerbaijan's ethnic cleansing of Armenian people
2016 - Rohingya Genocide
2016 - Chinese persecution of Uyghurs
2014 - Ukrainian Genocide
2014 - Yazidi Genocide
2003 - Darfur Genocide
15's history teacher has twenty five years worth of examples of genocide happening "today".
Replying to
@neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
Honestly? I feel like that is where they've always been headed. Once they control the access, it's much simpler to control the content. 🙁
Replying to
@Kierkegaanks@beige.party @tayfonay@beige.party @tantramar@zeroes.ca
True, but then again, neither have we apparently. 😔
Replying to
@jalefkowit@vmst.io
lol. Я глупый, пожалуйста, возьми мои деньги
(I am stupid, please take my money.)
Replying to
@jalefkowit@vmst.io
So contrived with such bad acting and with a 90's Casio soundtrack. I loved it.
Replying to
@jalefkowit@vmst.io
You realize of course, that way lays a level of frustration akin to hell.
Having sampled competence and knowing you'll never see it again, will drive you mad.
Replying to
Ah yes, the "Slovakian Unibrow", I know it well. A gift from my father and one of many reasons I've gone "no contact" *
- Just kidding, the unibrow is not the reason I went no contact.
Replying to
@VeroniqueB99@mastodon.social
What's with the five legs?!? I completely lost the pun because I couldn't turn lose of the five legs!!
I should've been an entomologist or an accountant possibly.
Replying to
@VeroniqueB99@mastodon.social
I personally await the day when "Dr" Phil is sued into abject poverty.
That'll be a blue-letter day worthy of a drink (or two) and a happy dance.
Replying to
@VeroniqueB99@mastodon.social
You know I've always thought that too but...
"As the percentage of people with low literacy in each county increases, voter turnout tends to decrease (2016: r = -0.57, p < 0.0001; 2018: r = -0.57, p < 0.0001; 2020: r = -0.58, p < 0.0001). Conversely, as the percentage of people with higher literacy skills goes up, voter turnout increases (2016: r = 0.60, p < 0.0001; 2018: r = 0.60, p < 0.0001; 2020: r = 0.61, p < 0.0001 )."
src: https://www.propublica.org/article/voter-participation-literacy-accessibility
🤷♂️
A god for me but not for thee.
Homo neanderthalensis, homo heidelbergensis and Denisova hominins all lived during the same time as early homo sapiens. Apparently, as cousins sometimes do, they even interbred with us. (Not sure how I feel about that "cousin" allegory now that I've written it. Ick.)
Now I'm wondering why God seemed to love them a little less than he supposedly loves us.
He didn't even give them an associate producer credit in the bible.
#ReligiousMysteries
#Atheism
#Evolution
I was today years old when I learned the 1985 song "Cloudbusting" written and sung by Kate Bush was about the relationship between psychiatrist Wilhelm Reich and his son Peter (as told from Peter's adult perspective). Apparently they attempted to make rain using a machine they'd created called a "Cloudbuster".
Always loved that song.
https://youtu.be/pllRW9wETzw
#SongMeaning#Music
Replying to
Replying to
@mcnado@mstdn.social
Last week we bought four jars of Mt. Olive pickles we don't currently need because Mrs Miasma is a fan of their actions at the "Fair".