There is a video by Gamers Nexus making the rounds that makes me really angry. It reports about LG’s latest practise to add blatant spyware to a monitor. Or to be precise to the *software* application associated with that monitor. The icing is that Windows apparently automatically downloads this software by default and this thing starts – without consent – to display ads. It’s ToS also explicitly allows “wiretapping” and “eavesdropping” and it’s the user’s responsibility to obtain consent from…
There may not have been any new art from me in the month of July, but at least I’m starting off strong in August. This one really should have been wrapped up a little bit earlier, but between enjoying my vacation and really struggling to wrap up the last 10% it took a few days extra to get it done.In the end there are still some part here and there that could have used a bit more polish, but I was getting close to the point where I really did not want to spend more time on this thing so I gave…
To break up our long drive back to Tokyo from Mt Haku, we decided to stop off at Kanazawa's National Crafts Museum. Actually I'd never visited Kanazawa - my only impression of it had been that huge structure that lives outside Kanazawa's train station. This was a really lovely museum! It was a good mix of traditional and more modern art pieces. Quite amusingly there's this rather unassuming tapestry-style piece. But if you zoom in... It's Pokemon! Can you see it? There was also this cube titled…
It’s getting hard to avoid LLMs these days. Even if you avoid social media (or at least curate a follow list that avoids the bulk of the slop factory) and shrug off grandiose marketing statements that end up taken at face value in the news, it will likely come and find you at your place of work. Unlike the silver bullets of the past (like microservices or NoSQL), AI adoption seems to have been mandated in many places from the top layer of management, regardless of how many of them ever worked…
The four-post thread starts here. The article that was linked in the second post isn't quite a gift link because you need to have a Washington Post account to read it, and Jeff Bezos sucks. Thankfully, archive.ph exists, so if you want to read the piece, here you go. If you're American and you'd like to know if you have been Flocked, head over to Have I Been Flocked? and do the thing. 🌲 gonna 🌼 go 🌱 touch 🌳 grass 🌷 now Be good to yourself. If you enjoyed this post, click the little up arrow…
Someone on HN pointed out how clever it is, as an advertising strategy, for Claude Code to claim co-authorship over commits that it generates, given the exposure it would garner on GitHub and the like. It reminded me of the Sent from my iPhone sign-off that Apple’s mobile Mail app would eagerly tack on to emails that you send. Back when smartphones were first emerging, emailing from one meant that you were on the bleeding edge. But with a screen and keyboard no larger than a humble postcard,…
Back in my YouTube days [ie before I went cold YTurkey in Jan 2026], I went on a sub-jag watching, with fascinated horror, Adam "Beard Meats Food" Moran engaged in gluttonous food challenges usually against the clock. Restaurant will account it positive publicity to offer food for free IF the punter clears their enormous platter. 5kg of coleslaw, a 40oz steak with chips and trimmings, a gumboot full of fried clams. It is gross on many levels but Moran is affable and funny and the variety of…
This spring E took down her WordPress blog and replaced it with a static website. In the past weeks she did the same for her business website (and added her own sales channel to it, with just the payment provider as third party element). Now I have static website envy. Until 2002 I had static websites, hand coded in a text editor. Still the easiest way for simple websites, I’m amazed to say. Then from 2003 I used a CMS for my blog, first Movable Type for about a decade and then WordPress from…
This is a Blaugust 2026 blog post. I have a moderately sized home automation network, running Home Assistant. I support devices on WiFi, Z-Wave, Zigbee, and Matter/Thread. I am using the Nabu Casa ZBT-2 Thread radio for these devices. Matter has not been a delightful experience. Yet, recently, when I’ve added new devices, I’ve opted for Matter. Initially, I was in pairing hell. New devices almost never added. But I got over that. Turns out that Thread requires IPv6 networking and I had that…
Let me start by saying happy belated anniversary to Absurd Pirate and Mrs. Pirate! I enjoyed reading their post, What I Learned About Relationships After Being With My Wife For 8 Years, which got me thinking about my own relationship advice. I'm in my 50s, and I'm on my 3rd marriage, so I've had a few bites at the apple, as it were. This is the relationship advice I'd give to my younger self. Start your life before you start having kids # My daughter was born when I was 17. Our pregnancy wasn't…
be my invisible mirror that opens when i write. with words, wonder; hope, dreaming. be my literary pillow; bear the brunt of the i (eyes) the questions, of self. be the messy middle of my mind on paper, that speaks of life. blank, until it is not. Inspired by Tim Kiely's prompt. Tim Kiely's prompt
Anthony Kenny, professor emeritus of philosophy at the University of Oxford, well-known for his work on the philosophy of mind and history of philosophy, has died. Professor Kenny wrote widely on the philosophy of mind, history of philosophy, and philosophy of religion. He is especially recognized for his work on Wittgenstein, Thomas Aquinas, and Descartes, including his critique of Cartesian dualism. Professor Kenny is the author of numerous articles and books. Some of his more well-known…
As some readers of this blog may know, or remember, I used to operate a pizza company that was sold in 2018. We had 14 units and did about 10,000 pizzas a week at our peak. 300 people. We knew what we were doing operationally. And I would say on the human resources side too, but that’s not what this post is about. Since I was from the real estate world, and knew about that, and knew a bunch of people, I would get sent folks looking to get into the restaurant business--the restaurant curious. I…
Submission for AuguStory 2026. I thought I'd make several posts for AuguStory. Not sure if they will all take place this month, because I assume there will be another AuguStory next year and I don't want to run out of ideas.* * Though I do think Chloe's prompts will keep me covered for a while.In this introductory post, I'll cover these questions that Robert asks. ✎ Story timeHow did you first start blogging (what got you into it)? The timeline and details are all a blur, but I believe I…
Over the years, I've bought a lot of tech. Some good, some bad, but not a whole lot that I've been crazy about. I've spent countless days researching, pouring over reviews, videos, and the like only to buy a piece of equipment that ultimately ends up collecting dust (I'm looking at you RetroPocket 2S and Y1 Mp3 Player). You know, pieces of tech that I convinced myself would be daily uses and fill some strange gap in my day. Yet, outside of my phone, iPad, MacBook, Xbox and Playstation, nothing…
Get the information you need right at your fingertips with Lost Art Press pocket books – and right now, you can get all six for the special price of just $99. Though our pocket books are small in size – just 4″ x 6-1/2″ – each one is full of expert guidance on a given topic. Here is what comes in the complete set of six books: “Woodworker’s Pocket Book”Edited by the great Charles H. Hayward and first published in 1949, “Woodworker’s Pocket Book” is a guide to everything from finishing recipes…
english feels simple and comfortable, i have to translate some phrases in my head before speaking out. it feels so weird! i am spending a lot of time with my russian-speaking friend this week, and i found myself slow in expressing some things. it feels... bizzare. not negative or positive, just bizzare. i guess since i never really speak russian for prolonged periods of time anymore, it makes sense that i never had to face this. at the same time, russian feels more emotional, russian humor is…
🍕 I’m JA Westenberg. I write essays about technology, philosophy, productivity, and what it means to be human. If you like ideas that take their time, you’re in the right place.While you’re here, a few things I’ve built: Kerouac, a writing app | Post Through It, a solo microblogging tool | Distributism.ai, my MCP platform | Laterware, all the AI news you need | Studio Self, a thought leadership agency for founders x VCs.You can buy my book Permissionless here.Nothing we avoid ever actually goes…
Some books are heavy. Others have weight in them. I just finished a book of the second kind, a book I’d been meaning to read for a long time, a book I waited to buy a copy of even though my college library had it so that I could mark it freely with my pencil, a book I’d started reading yesterday. Even before I’d turned to the last page, I’d started feeling the weight of it settle into my chest, my head, my heart. Coming back to the real world to drink the evening tea, to have dinner, was…
A selection of street portraits taken on Portra 400. Grassmarket, Edinburgh, July 2026.
When you see the same ol' "happy birthday" butchered day after day, you learn to cherish the cakes that break the mold and say something truly unique. Whoah, thought that said something a little off-color for a sec!(Who else saw "Jerk?") Anyway, I've been collecting some of the better examples for ages now, and as I started scrolling through them today I realized they told a kind of story.It helps if you imagine them as a conversation between two people.And also if you're a little drunk.BEGIN!…
I've mostly tuned out of reading the news. But, once in a while, a headline will be shared on social media and I'll momentarily stare into the abyss. There has recently been a change in UK Prime Minister. I neither know nor care whether that's a good thing. What I do know is that Senior Political Correspondents collectively shat their pants with excitement at being able to breathlessly report any half-baked gossip which would drive clicks. I saw "Rumours suggest so-and-so will be appointed…",…
Ron Charles tells us that British singer and songwriter Dua Lipa has created a collection of banned books — called The Manifesto Library. It’s in Portugal. The new library is housed in the basement of Livraria Lello, in Porto. In a statement printed on the wall, Lipa writes, “This library is a shrine to books that have disappeared, to authors whose courage unmasks structures of power and control, and to readers who refuse to be told what book they are allowed.” Apparently people are queuing up…
I stopped by a Filipino/Hawaiian (mostly filipino) restaurant/bar that was recommended to me a few months ago by someone I met at an AANHPI event. One of my friends that was eating with us had gone many times before and said they enjoyed the menu. We looked up the menu before heading over. As a Filipino-American I always get curious about Filipino restaurants because a lot of our dishes are family-style/comfort food, so it’s always interesting to see what foods will be on the menu. To our…
A lot of my time is spent in reading technical blogs and news. Mostly from my RSS feeds and Hacker News, Lobsters, and Reddit. My browser has dozens of open tabs of articles I want to read, but think they’re too deep for just a quick scan. A lot of these texts require some further research on the subject or new concepts I’ve never heard before. So I realized that taking notes of these articles is the best way of understanding it, along with the further links I’ll follow, improving my chances of…
🤖 This post includes some LLM-derived content 🤖 I've been recently thinking about how Open Source maintenance seems to be becoming a little more a slog recently - largely with the increased amount of contributions possible with AI agents - and how it impacts being a maintainer. I'm very fortunate that my literal job is to be an Open Source project maintainer (among other things) and that it's a privilege not many others have. That being said, it still doesn't mean that undoes the amount of work…
Heather Williams on covertracklistAbbie Neal & Her Ranch Girls - Newton's Law.mp3 Babe Wayne - Dance The Whiz Wosh.mp3 Barbara Compton - Mining Men.mp3 Bonnie Bombshell Lee - My Rock And Roll Man.mp3 Choo Choo Collins - Baby's Gone.mp3 Dusty Springfield - La Bamba.mp3 Heather Williams - Celebration.mp3 Lady Nell - Loving Daddy.mp3 Marva Allen - I'm Thru With You.mp3 Mona Kerry - Don't Hang Around My Door.mp3 Peggy Phillips (& The Patterns) - Is That So.mp3 Tanya Day - His Lips Get In The…
When I was about to park my car for a house inspection, all the spots were taken. I asked the homeowner if it was ok to park on the lawn. She didn't mind, and then added: "We need to be a little flexible in life." Imagine how many of our so-called problems would vanish with a little flexibility. Simply adapting to the current situation instead of resisting it. We might even make some new and interesting discoveries by being open-minded and curious instead of stiff and stubborn. — I'll have the…
Lately, I'm just over it. The madmen, the tyrants, and the greedy have taken over the wheel, and I feel like darker times are ahead. I got to thinking about what hobbies I do that aren't reliant on a computer. Photography can be decoupled easily enough - go back to film and chemicals. Music making depends on digital tools, but could also be taken offline via instruments and recording. Writing can always be offline, and certainly was for many years. Painting and drawing don’t depend at all on…
