@jda@social.sdf.org cover
@jda@social.sdf.org avatar

jda

@jda@social.sdf.org

Liberal computer geek, hockey nut (and goalie), web 2.0 fanatic, dad of 2 and husband of 1. Veteran (ie, old) software developer and computer hacker.

Medford MA USA

#nobot

My posts are licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/)

This profile is from a federated server and may be incomplete. For a complete list of posts, browse on the original instance.

futurebird , to random
@futurebird@sauropods.win avatar

The time genie will bring back one (1) extinct animal from any time in all of earth's history. The animal will be integrated into an ecosystem seamlessly with no major negative consequences. You get to pick the creature.

Do you feel obligated to pick something like a sauropod just so people can experience the awe?

Do you bring back something more recent to correct the crimes of mankind?

Or are you selfish and you ask for hell ants so you can finally see how their mandibles work?

jda ,
@jda@social.sdf.org avatar

@futurebird I want to bring back something from Australia's "megafauna" era, like the Diprotodon (rhino-sized marsupial) or the Procoptodon (10' tall kangaroo) or even the giant koala. One of the most interesting facts in Harari's Sapiens was of the 20+ Australian species of magafauna, only 1 survived contact with humans.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_megafauna

kimlockhartga , to bookstodon group
@kimlockhartga@beige.party avatar

Since we are coming up on June, it seems like a good time to check in with everyone here on @bookstodon regarding favorite reads of 2024 so far. Whatcha got?

My top five reads of 2024 so far:

The Criminal series of graphic novels by Ed Brubaker (ten primary works)

James, Percival Everett

The Book of Love, Kelly Link

Poor Deer, Claire Oshetsky

Prequel, Rachel Maddow

jda ,
@jda@social.sdf.org avatar

@kimlockhartga @bookstodon

  • Prequel by Rachel Maddow

  • Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands by Kate Beaton

  • Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie (finally got around to reading it - actually, the Branagh narrated audiobook)

  • The Waltham Murders by Susan Zalkind (triple homicide probably done by Dzhokhar Tsarnaev)

  • Easy Money: Cryptocurrency, Casino Capitalism, and the Golden Age of Fraud by Ben McKenzie

  • Knife Creek (Mike Bowditch, #8) by Paul Doiron

https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/1766263-jonathan?ref=nav_mybooks&shelf=read

jda ,
@jda@social.sdf.org avatar

@kimlockhartga @bookstodon I just started Erasure by Percival Everett (the movie version, American Fiction, is my fave Oscar movie) and it's really good

jda ,
@jda@social.sdf.org avatar

@catswhocode you should check out Orwell's Roses, a wonderfully meandering book by Rebecca Solnit, describing her love for Orwell's words and her research into his life

@kimlockhartga @bookstodon

jda ,
@jda@social.sdf.org avatar

@willelm that's quite a flex to say you don't read much any more but then go on to list a Michener book as a fave this year! 😺 I've been meaning to reread some of them. My dad and I used to read them at the same time way back when.

@kimlockhartga @bookstodon

jda ,
@jda@social.sdf.org avatar

@willelm I loved all his historical fiction, so I'd toss in Texas, Centennial, Poland and Hawaii. My dad loved The Source as well, but it had too much religion for me.

@kimlockhartga @bookstodon

jda ,
@jda@social.sdf.org avatar

@willelm @kimlockhartga @bookstodon Just a caveat - I read these a very long time ago and, unfortunately, thus far many of my rereads from that period have not held up well. Neither Ludlum nor Heinlein have stood the test of time 😹

vampiress , to random
@vampiress@eigenmagic.net avatar

Burnout Paradise remastered version on PS4/PS5 is currently going for a mere five Australian dollarydoos digitally if anyone doesn't have it and wants a good time crashing cars in slow motion.

jda ,
@jda@social.sdf.org avatar

@vampiress one of my favorite games of all time! What a blast to play

flexghost , (edited ) to random
@flexghost@mastodon.social avatar

** IT’S HERE! FRIDAY NIGHT MUSIC THREAD ON **

Tonight’s theme is:

✨🏅☄️ TOP SHELF! 🎀🏆✨󠁯󠀭

—
🎵 Post FULL ALBUMS that are a 10/10 all the way through along with what you’re drinking. 🎶
—

  1. Iron Maiden - The Number of the Beast
  2. Genesis - Selling England By The Pound
  3. Aesop Rock - The Impossible Kid
  4. Fleetwood Mac - Rumours

(Multiple submissions welcome)

Oban 14

Post often • share • make some friends

jda ,
@jda@social.sdf.org avatar

@flexghost

  1. The Courtneys - II
  2. Pink Floyd - Dark Side of the Moon
  3. Elton John - Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (double album of goodness!)
  4. The Cars - The Cars

The best selling album of all time. More than that, it's an integral part of my being. The classic image of an upside down prism, with rainbow lighting coming in from the left and a single white light coming out from the right.
A tremendous effort from the Canadian trio. All toe tapping delights. A pink and white wash.
The classic double album of greatness. A cartoon of Elton John striding out of a door down a yellow brick road.

GottaLaff , to random
@GottaLaff@mastodon.social avatar

Well we have a showing tomorrow which means my #TrumpTrial coverage will be interrupted tomorrow and today, because today we have to scramble to finish painting all the areas that we need to "touch up" including an entire wall.

Just a heads up.

jda ,
@jda@social.sdf.org avatar

@GottaLaff good luck!

jda ,
@jda@social.sdf.org avatar

@GottaLaff a friend of mine got his Canadian citizenship a few months ago but a move isn't currently planned. Good for him and his family to have the option anyway

Jennifer , to bookstodon group
@Jennifer@bookstodon.com avatar

I need some new science fiction to read, who has some suggestions? I don't like military sci-fi. For reference, my favorite series is the Expanse, I also enjoyed Scalzi's Collapsing Empire, I love Robert Charles Wilson's books. I mostly enjoy space operas and unique stories about technology, for example I really liked the recent book Mountain in the Sea about AI and intelligent octopus. Suggestions from the awesome Bookstodon community? @bookstodon #Bookstodon #Scifi #ScienceFiction

jda ,
@jda@social.sdf.org avatar

@Jennifer @bookstodon some suggestions:

  • The Long Way To A Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers

  • Winters Orbit by Everina Maxwell

  • The @murderbotbot series by Martha Wells

  • Seven of Infinities by @aliettedb

  • A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine

  • Ancillary Justice by Anne Leckie

Not all of them were my cup of tea but I'm in the minority

jda ,
@jda@social.sdf.org avatar

@Jennifer @bookstodon

While I'm on a roll (and having read the other replies) let me add:

  • Hell Divers by Nicholas Sansbury Smith

  • The Autobiography of Benjamin Sisko by Derek Tyler Attico

  • Spinward Fringe series by Randolph Lalonde

jda ,
@jda@social.sdf.org avatar

@Jennifer @bookstodon

Looks like Goodreads saw your question:

Fresh Fantasy and Sci-Fi Recommendations for (Nearly) Every Kind of Reader

https://www.goodreads.com/blog/show/2757?ref=SFFRecs24_sa

jda , to random
@jda@social.sdf.org avatar

Morning Mastodonians!

Had a pretty quiet weekend, as I tried to stay off my wicked sore knees. Saturday was particularly awful, but they do seem to be ever so slowly getting better. I stayed in bed, took ibuprofen, kept them both iced down and played on my ROG Ally. It plays very well on the little Z1. Amazing how they have kept the game relevant and getting better, after all these years. It is getting a little grindy, but I should probably push off my start planet and get exploring.

jda OP ,
@jda@social.sdf.org avatar

has already been very busy and will only get busier. I drove my wife to work and took a foster kitty to the vets. Later, I'll meet some ex-coworkers for lunch about an hour away and hopefully pick up my wife on the way home. And then I will need to rest up for the playoff game tonight. They looked really good on Saturday night. I really hope Coach Montgomery learned his lesson from last year and just sticks with the goalie rotation.

jda , to bookstodon group
@jda@social.sdf.org avatar

Not really what I needed but I just added about 10 books to my ginormous Want to Read pile, courtesy of The Fantasy Review site. I'm such a sucker for book lists.

https://thefantasyreviews.com/2024/04/06/7-underrated-fantasy-books-with-unforgettable-worlds/

https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/1766263-jonathan?shelf=to-read

@bookstodon

flexghost , to random
@flexghost@mastodon.social avatar

** IT’S HERE! FRIDAY NIGHT MUSIC THREAD ON **

Tonight’s theme is:

☁️🪩 PARTY TIME, EXCELLENT!🍸🤍

—
🎵 Post songs you’d play if you were throwing a party along with what you’re drinking 🎶
—

A goddess on a mountain top
Was burning like a silver flame
The summit of beauty and love
And Venus was her name
She's got it
Yeah, baby she's got it
I’m your Venus
I'm your fire, at your desire

🍷 Venus - Shocking Blue + Cosmo🍸

Post often • share • make some friends

Video of the band shocking blue high on -- I don't even know what

jda ,
@jda@social.sdf.org avatar

@flexghost My first thought is Relax:

https://song.link/us/i/1364954665

And I'm drinking a gin & sonic with a splash of creme de cassis, which I call a Royale gin & sonic (sonic is 50% tonic water and 50% seltzer). I'm going strong tonigh with Bombay Sapphire, which is usually too strong for us, so we stick with regular Bombay. But hey, it's been a long week.

jda ,
@jda@social.sdf.org avatar

@flexghost And then I would go to a song we can all sing along, with parts for both the boys and the girls. I have sung my (terrible voice) heart out many times to this Meatloaf song:

https://song.link/us/i/991385389

jda ,
@jda@social.sdf.org avatar

@flexghost sometimes ya just can't shake your bedrock songs. Although I was able to remove Cat Stevens from all my playlists

jda ,
@jda@social.sdf.org avatar

@flexghost I can only hope...

jda ,
@jda@social.sdf.org avatar

@flexghost And then a song that has been coming up a lot on my "Liked" playlist. Both the original by Katrina and the Waves:

https://song.link/us/i/723501674

And the amazing cover by The Dollyrots:

https://song.link/us/i/1209449836

jda ,
@jda@social.sdf.org avatar

@flexghost a conundrum for the ages - the art and the artist. Gah. It was easier when we didn't know things

jda ,
@jda@social.sdf.org avatar

@flexghost aww. That's the nicest thing anyone has said about me in months!

chahalAman , to random
@chahalAman@mastodon.social avatar

no idea how this works. anyone got a 101 guide for a dummy?

jda ,
@jda@social.sdf.org avatar

@chahalAman be sure to follow @FediTips and read their primer

vampiress , to random
@vampiress@eigenmagic.net avatar

Back when I started making games, a lot of my friends quickly became fellow game devs. Most of my socialising was with them.

It's been interesting as that shifts. The pandemic basically killing in person dev meetups is a factor, as is people moving overseas just to get work.

Now plenty of my friends PLAY games, but very few close friends make them.

jda ,
@jda@social.sdf.org avatar

@vampiress It's a real tough gig! I did it for many years but the 100 hour weeks for AAA titles was way too much for me. I left after Ultima Underworld 1 and haven't looked back. Well, not exactly true. Wish I could do it again some day at a more reasonable pace.

jda ,
@jda@social.sdf.org avatar

@vampiress back in my day, that was a AAA title 😹 I hope the scheduling has gotten better in the intervening hundred years!

GottaLaff , to random
@GottaLaff@mastodon.social avatar

After planning for all these years for our move to after getting our permanent residency, our house is finally being listed tomorrow. The For Sale sign is going up tomorrow.

Open House on Sunday.

Omg.

No stress, right? RIGHT?

jda ,
@jda@social.sdf.org avatar

@GottaLaff good luck!

GottaLaff , to random
@GottaLaff@mastodon.social avatar

Busted..

Via david.heath.writer on Threads:

Journalist Jonathan Katz fact checked Katie Britt’s horrific rape story from her over-the-top rebuttal.
Despite all the drama, it turns out to be a story that happened 20 years ago - and not in the U.S. but in Mexico. It’s a story that was recounted in Congressional testimony in 2015.

Katie lied when she blamed this on Joe ’s border policies and when she said it happened in the U.S.

jda ,
@jda@social.sdf.org avatar

@KatM @NataliaArmyOf1 @GottaLaff it's because they got nuthin' else to offer

flexghost , to random
@flexghost@mastodon.social avatar

** IT’S HERE! FRIDAY NIGHT MUSIC THREAD ON **

Tonight’s theme is:

🌈❀🛼 70s ⍟🎙🌈

—
🎵 Post music from the outta sight 70s (any genre, no remixes) along with what you’re drinking 🎶
—

Candy came from out on the Island
In the back room she was everybody's darling
But she never lost her head
Even when she was giving head

She says, "Hey, babe
Take a walk on the wild side"

🍷 Lou Reed - Walk on the Wild Side + Rusty Nail🍸

Post often • share • make some friends

Video with still of Lou Reed album cover. Name a more diverse decade than the 70s

jda ,
@jda@social.sdf.org avatar

@flexghost ohh you're kidding. We could go on all night with the 70s.

Queen was my jive, at least thru Night at the Opera

https://song.link/us/i/1440657943

jda ,
@jda@social.sdf.org avatar

@flexghost and we have to go with a couple local bands. My best musical legacy is making sure one of my girls' favorite bands is The Cars

https://song.link/us/i/1088527358

jda ,
@jda@social.sdf.org avatar

@flexghost and I have to wrap it up with the best of the local bands, Boston. No one before or since has sounded like them

https://song.link/us/i/913902137

jda ,
@jda@social.sdf.org avatar

@flexghost sorry, one more. How can I not add the song I first kissed to?

https://song.link/us/i/1065973704

jda ,
@jda@social.sdf.org avatar

@flexghost one more. You have to get the biggest selling live album of all time right?

Oh, and I'm drinking what I call a Royal gin and tonic. Add a splash of creme de cassis to it.
https://song.link/us/i/1561830432

jda ,
@jda@social.sdf.org avatar

@flexghost no one is close

jda ,
@jda@social.sdf.org avatar

@flexghost yes! Tom Schiltz was an MIT graduate and did some incredible engineering on their albums. Check out this video for an in depth view of the song:

https://youtu.be/mrJ0xnXv_IQ?si=NV8bUKKofye0mTTO

jda , to random
@jda@social.sdf.org avatar

I got too close to the library today. I've been doing good, holding off on getting library books because I have 1 quadrillion books at home. But I went into the library today to drop off a couple of bags of books (not mine!) for the book sale next month and figured I peruse the New Book shelf. Sure enough, I came back with 2 books -

At least they were on my Want to Read list

vampiress , to random
@vampiress@eigenmagic.net avatar

[Thread, post or comment was deleted by the author]

    •
    jda ,
    @jda@social.sdf.org avatar

    @vampiress it's the only RTS I ever finished. Mostly probably because I played it at work with my office mate!

    GottaLaff , to random
    @GottaLaff@mastodon.social avatar

    OFFS #MSNBC, you cut to #Trump speaking… live?? Unfiltered??

    F.U. click

    jda ,
    @jda@social.sdf.org avatar

    @GottaLaff same here! I ran into the next room to turn it off. What's the f'ing point?

    jda , to random
    @jda@social.sdf.org avatar

    Morning Mastodonians!

    Hockey is a funny game. Before the puck drop, my D said to me "You're going to see a lot of shots.". And it did look like the other team had 3, maybe 4, of the best players on the ice. But instead, we crushed them, 7-1, and the lone goal I gave up was a bouncer from the second line I should have had. We worked hard, but still, I would have never guessed. I wasn't even stressed too often. Funny how that works out sometimes.

    jda OP ,
    @jda@social.sdf.org avatar

    But even behind my mask, the guys were commenting on how red my eyes are. They are scary red. Maybe conjunctivitis, maybe just a reaction to my long-lasting head cold, maybe both but they are ugly right now. Not very itchy but the eyelids were stuck closed this morning. Odd. I've never had this before. Still have a hacky cough and stuffed-up nose. I wish I could shake this. Maybe if I could get more sleep it would help!

    jda OP ,
    @jda@social.sdf.org avatar

    So I am hoping for a quiet day . Work for a bit, then reward myself with an ice-cold gin & tonic this evening - ! Go to bed early and read. I've been trying to close out some of my Currently Reading list and not doing a bad job of it. I'm back to reading Dickens' Pickwick Papers. Pretty amusing. I would like to read more classics. It's been a while. Found "Dark Earth" by Stott to be pretty boring. Maybe the most boring I've ever finished! @bookstodon @books

    jda OP ,
    @jda@social.sdf.org avatar

    @nnscott @bookstodon @books oh, that sounds interesting! I read Claire Tomalin's wonderful biography of him but I've never really read any of his books.

    GottaLaff , to random
    @GottaLaff@mastodon.social avatar

    GOP Fascist Party once again proves their desperation, unfitness:

    Via Jennifer Bendery:

    This hearing went on for ~15 HOURS.

    What on earth did they talk about?

    Dems laid out why there is no legal basis for impeaching the DHS secretary.

    GOPers quoted Supreme Court justices from the 1800s, tied Alanis Morissette to John Adams + criticized policies they don't like.

    jda ,
    @jda@social.sdf.org avatar

    @GottaLaff but my local (Boston) news outlet reported on it like it was a serious inquiry, with not the slightest indication it's a joke. So their plan is working

    jda , to random
    @jda@social.sdf.org avatar

    Morning Mastodonians!

    Ever since I got back from my knee injury, I have been playing some pretty good hockey (hope I didn't jinx myself). Had another solid game in the net this morning, and we pulled ahead to win, 7-5. I didn't have a chance on a couple and a few more were very frustrating, but I felt good, anticipated the play, and made some nice saves. I'm thinking of getting new goalie pads but that's like a $1,000 investment and I wonder how much longer I can keep going?

    jda OP ,
    @jda@social.sdf.org avatar

    I have been doing something pretty amazing, for me at least. Not only am I getting books read and reviewed, I'm actually cutting into my ridiculously long Currently Reading list. It's down to only 6 books! I wrote 3 reviews yesterday. Unfortunately, none of them knocked me out, but hey, they can't all be grand slams. You can find my reviews here:

    https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/1766263-jonathan?ref=nav_mybooks&shelf=read&sort=date_read

    @bookstodon

    breadandcircuses , (edited ) to random
    @breadandcircuses@climatejustice.social avatar

    Here is part of a review of Greta Thunberg's "The Climate Book" that I hadn't seen before...

    Structured in five parts, The Climate Book walks its reader through the basic facts essential to understanding the decision we face today and then provides concrete steps for how one might — and must — move beyond dialogue to act. Thunberg begins with the fundamental science about how climate works, including readable primers on carbon dioxide and our evolutionary impact. She then traces how our planet is changing, from excessive heat and methane to oceanic and glacial dynamics, the proliferation of microplastics, the erosion of biodiversity, and more.

    Thunberg does not claim to do what she cannot. She is not a geophysicist, an oceanographer, an economist, a historian, a physician, an Indigenous leader, a policymaker, or even a young adult of drinking age in the United States. While she has earned honorary degrees, she has not attended university herself, as she’s been purposefully busy in myriad other ways. The Climate Book is not the least of these endeavors. At 464 pages, the edited volume includes contributions from an impressive list of experts.

    One of the most inspiring essays comes from George Monbiot and Rebecca Wrigley, who advocate for “rewilding,” both by allowing ecosystems to restore themselves naturally without interference and by getting back to nature ourselves. They insist that “we can replace our silent spring with a raucous summer.” From climate justice on a societal level down to the logical, manageable, evidence-based sacrifices that we each must make, we have a project on our hands.

    It is wholly appropriate that this volume should simultaneously speak to our sharing a single planet while also reminding us that we are not all in the same boat. That is, we experience climate change differently, depending on our geography and resources. Some bear more responsibility for the circumstances we find ourselves in. Thunberg calls out “people living in rich economies who still act as if they rule the world” before she gives voice to authors who share perspectives and challenges from Bangladesh, Jamaica, El Salvador, Chad, Brazil, and more.

    FULL REVIEW -- https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/not-so-silent-spring-on-greta-thunbergs-the-climate-book/

    jda ,
    @jda@social.sdf.org avatar

    @breadandcircuses She is so incredible. So much so that reading about her latest endeavers invariably reduces to me to tears. She is so inspiring.

    breadandcircuses , (edited ) to random
    @breadandcircuses@climatejustice.social avatar

    The Beatles single "Please Please Me," their first big hit, was recorded at EMI Studios in London on 26 November 1962. Listen to the song now, and it sounds great: catchy, fast-moving, a fine example of their early style.

    But if you place it in context, comparing it to everything else that was playing on the radio at the time — or for that matter, any music anyone had ever heard before — you’ll see why the song is such an important part of history.

    With this recording, the Beatles broke new ground. It’s the creation of a brand new genre, the invention of power pop. Never before had all the elements come together in this way: an urgent melody sung in an aggressive rock style, with strong vocal harmonies, a wall of electric guitars, and Ringo pushing hard on the drums. Wow!

    “Please Please Me” was released in the UK on 11 January 1963, sixty-one years ago TODAY.

    Listen — https://yewtu.be/watch?v=68sJxWxFbcQ

    jda ,
    @jda@social.sdf.org avatar

    @breadandcircuses yeah, I think just how groundbreaking they were is something people forget. Much like a writer who creates a trope, people shrug their creativity off

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