@moira@mastodon.murkworks.net cover
@moira@mastodon.murkworks.net avatar

moira

@moira@mastodon.murkworks.net

She/her :blobcatheartlesbian: ex-software dev now writing words for money, fun, and/or survival. I like new people but may be too busy to follow back.

Republicans have campaigned on killing me and mine my whole life, so "Democrats are just as bad" crap gets a fuck off and an unfollow.

I write long-form on my Federated blog at @solarbird. If you want to support me or this instance, have my patreon: http://patreon.com/solarbird

https://justmytoots.com/@moira@mastodon.murkworks.net

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

TheNeedling , to random
@TheNeedling@newsie.social avatar

Report: 90% of Prospective Seattle Homebuyers Have Settled For Kent, They Just Don’t Know It Yet: https://theneedling.com/2024/05/21/report-90-of-prospective-seattle-homebuyers-have-settled-for-kent-they-just-dont-know-it-yet/

moira ,
@moira@mastodon.murkworks.net avatar

@TheNeedling One-stop shopping for all your dead-body-in-a-trunk needs!

fulelo , to random
@fulelo@journa.host avatar

V The Economist:

has become a scientific superpower

https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2024/06/12/china-has-become-a-scientific-superpower

According to the Leiden Ranking of the volume of scientific research output, there are now six Chinese universities or institutions in the world top ten, and seven according to the Nature Index. They may not be household names in the West yet, but get used to hearing about Shanghai Jiao Tong, Zhejiang and Peking (Beida) Universities in the same breath as Cambridge, Harvard and ETH Zurich.

moira ,
@moira@mastodon.murkworks.net avatar

@futurebird @wa7iut @fulelo j0 computer science/math/studio art says hi! (not from CMU tho.) the place where I got the actual papers had to write new rules and that’s how I have a BACS xD

nus , to palestine group
@nus@mstdn.social avatar

"I'm not gonna vote for because he's gonna help Netanyahu."

Okay, but have you considered who wants more? Just look up the posters HE puts up in , and who he's trying so hard to emulate.

@israel @palestine

A similar billboard by a street with Benjamin Netanyahu striking a pose almost identical to Donald Trump wearing a suit with the exact same iconic blue jacket and bright red tie.

moira ,
@moira@mastodon.murkworks.net avatar

@burnoutqueen @nus @israel @palestine Biden’s done more to restrain Israel militarily than literally any other US president. This is not arguable. He’a taken steps that as small as they are were previously unthinkable and foreign policy does not change quickly.

If you punish the one who makes a step - even if you think it’s only a small step - in the direction you want (by removing power from him) while rewarding the one who sends minions to write genocidal slogans on bombs (by helping grant him power), the message WILL NOT be “do more of what we want.” The message will be “more genocide please.”

I wrote about this in long form last week, I hope you’ll consider it:

https://solarbird.net/blog/2024/06/06/lets-talk-about-the-only-punishment-that-matters-to-politicians/

moira ,
@moira@mastodon.murkworks.net avatar

@burnoutqueen @nus @israel @palestine I’m not saying he shouldn’t do better.

I’m saying that what politicians care about first and foremost is being in power, and that if you punish one who takes steps towards your position by removing them from power while you reward the one doing the opposite by giving them power, the message received will be “doing the opposite of what you want gains us power.”

As I wrote at the link, Biden is in political trouble for doing as much (or as little) as he has. Now remove him for it and see what happens.

(You won’t like what happens.)

moira ,
@moira@mastodon.murkworks.net avatar

@burnoutqueen @nus @israel @palestine If you do read that post I linked, understand that even using this situation as an example lost me a previously chell follower who completely frothed out and declared me a supporter of “killing all the Jews.”

We are no longer online friends. I can link you that exchange if you want to see it, it was genuinely a “holy shit” moment to me.

This is what Biden is having to deal with, I am just saying.

moira ,
@moira@mastodon.murkworks.net avatar

@burnoutqueen @nus @israel @palestine His base, yes. The low-information voter that’s proudly in the muddled middle, however, is at best 10-15 years behind the situation and generally more.

And while they might be low-info they do vote and that really, really matters.

(I’ve been going on about how important it is this year to make them actually aware about what’s going on, too, like:

https://solarbird.net/blog/2024/06/14/this-is-important-low-information-voters-redux/

)

rbreich , to random
@rbreich@masto.ai avatar

Office Hours: Tomorrow’s big election https://robertreich.substack.com/p/office-hours-tomorrows-big-election?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=mastodon

moira ,
@moira@mastodon.murkworks.net avatar

@rbreich I don't know why I haven't seen anybody do this yet but actual elon musk:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cf7uJDhVZIE

gavi , to random

What time is it where you are right now

moira ,
@moira@mastodon.murkworks.net avatar

@gavi 10:40pm

moira , to random
@moira@mastodon.murkworks.net avatar

it be WIMDY

futurebird , to random
@futurebird@sauropods.win avatar

So much of the lives of ants and what they do is a mystery because they live underground in structures, that though resilient for their purposes are rather fragile from a human perspective.

The making of plaster and aluminum casts of ant nests has exposed the complex architecture of their nests.

Many cast-makers go for abandoned nests some of the youTube channels attract ant-haters who just want the poor things to burn.

Is there a less destructive way to see the structure of the nest?

moira ,
@moira@mastodon.murkworks.net avatar

@futurebird Ultrasound maybe. RF antennas would be literally grounding the signals so it's kind of a hard problem. I looked this up for a novel once and where you end up with any range in RF at all is like literally 20hz and below.

Green_Footballs , to random
@Green_Footballs@mastodon.social avatar

Republican shitheads are now calling for Dr. Fauci to be arrested.

I’m at a loss for words to express how disgusting and evil this party has become.

moira ,
@moira@mastodon.murkworks.net avatar

@Green_Footballs That's not new, that's just back again. They need anything to take their base's attention off Trump's felony convictions.

moira , to random
@moira@mastodon.murkworks.net avatar

okay I'm not sure how to get the attention of any #Seattle local people involved with the #LocalTalk #RetroComputing network BUT

a localtalk-talking laserjet just showed up on Free Stuff on Seattle craigslist and I thought maybe someone might be interested:

https://seattle.craigslist.org/est/zip/d/mill-creek-vintage-hp-laserjet-2100m/7753245455.html

#VintageMac #Accessories

Nonilex , to random
@Nonilex@masto.ai avatar

8 senators announced Fri they would boycott priorities & nominations as payback for ’s .
In a joint statement, the senators said they would not “allow any increase to non-security related funding for this administration, or any appropriations bill which funds partisan lawfare.”

moira ,
@moira@mastodon.murkworks.net avatar

@Nonilex that's carefully worded, isn't it.

They "will not... vote to confirm" - which is not the same as "will use filibuster to block."

They "will not... allow expedited consideration and passage." The key word is underlined.

What they're not saying says more than what they are saying in this case, I think.

moira , to random
@moira@mastodon.murkworks.net avatar

doing this does include all of Seattle's map...

#BikeMap #BikeTooter #renton

moira OP ,
@moira@mastodon.murkworks.net avatar

mind you what i really need for this is a dragon that's riding a bicycle

but i'm not commissioning that i don't have any money right now xD

moira OP ,
@moira@mastodon.murkworks.net avatar

oh dang i forgot

king county's map only does major regional recrational trails but that still gets you a link area that I can use for the big gap area

AND

gets me a complete Lake Washington Loop

LET'S GOOOOOOOOOO

futurebird , to random
@futurebird@sauropods.win avatar

The fate and future of a former president is in the hands of 12 regular citizens and really whatever they decide (which I only hope they do earnestly and with a focus on the law, as if this was just some guy) that's a lovely thing isn't it?

I hope it happens again and again and again!

moira ,
@moira@mastodon.murkworks.net avatar

@futurebird Indeed. Well put.

moira , to random
@moira@mastodon.murkworks.net avatar

I hope people get that Nikki Haley went over there to make everything as much worse as possible.

Those pics of her scribbling those obscenities on bombs will circulate for years.

This was intentional.

You get that, right? She's a former UN ambassador. Like Nixon sabotaging peace talks in Vietnam and Reagan working to keep US hostages in Iran, she knows exactly what she did.

This was intentional.

Biden's been pushing Netanyahu towards a two-state solution for months and despite the "Genocide Joe" crowd's crap, he's pushed back more on Israeli militarism more than any US president ever just by doing it at all.

This was sabotage. It was intentional. AGAIN.

DON'T repeat the same mistakes. DON'T reward it AGAIN.

#uspolitics #uspol

Nonilex , to random
@Nonilex@masto.ai avatar

Tues 28 May 2024 🧵 #ClosingArguments to Begin in #TrumpTrial

#Trump faces 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in connection w/a #HushMoney payment made to a porn star to influence the 2016 election. The case could be in the jury’s hands as early as Wed.

#law #ElectionInterference
https://www.nytimes.com/live/2024/05/28/nyregion/trump-trial-closing-arguments?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare&sgrp=c-cb

moira ,
@moira@mastodon.murkworks.net avatar

@Nonilex Thank you as always for the play-by-play.

Now I suppose we wait.

moira , to random
@moira@mastodon.murkworks.net avatar

folklife says hello

#seattle #folklife

moira OP ,
@moira@mastodon.murkworks.net avatar

#seattle #folklife

GottaLaff , to random
@GottaLaff@mastodon.social avatar

After a long morning of loading the POD, stuffing the car, cleaning, scrubbing, double-checking, all on very little sleep… we’re off! here we come.

loves these long road trips.

First night: Sacramento-ish.

moira ,
@moira@mastodon.murkworks.net avatar

@GottaLaff A little envious, not gonna lie. Bon voyage et bonne chance!

futurebird , to random
@futurebird@sauropods.win avatar

I have a soft spot for Libertarians even though I shouldn't and they don't deserve it. When I was a kid I had a weird neighbor who was always giving me Libertarian books... I wish I still had some of them they were WILD. He was a thorn in the side of the local, school board as well insisting that if they had an event at the school that involved politics Libertarians had to be included.

And in defense of the guy, he was about as likable and earnest as a Libertarian could be.

1/

moira ,
@moira@mastodon.murkworks.net avatar

@futurebird There was a real "left libertarian" movement. A lot of it was queer, and a lot of it died before AZT.

The survivors and most of the rest of it either went to the Democrats for survival, with a few going anarcho-leftist of one sort or another.

That left the "right libertarians" who no longer had to bargain with the left and, well, we know how that went.

moira ,
@moira@mastodon.murkworks.net avatar

@futurebird @ehproque and while I don't call myself an anarchist, I am, as you put it, "skeptical of concentrations of power," and definitely not limited to the state.

I had a lot of arguments with state-focused people and often made some inroads by talking about how non-state actors pick up characteristics of states as they gain power.

moira ,
@moira@mastodon.murkworks.net avatar

@futurebird @jonquass @ehproque for reals. I’ve never got to vote for someone I actually like for President and most certainly never will. I, too, vote to choose my opponent, and can acknowledge less bad is better than more bad.

Speaking more personally, hoping you get the opponent who isn’t actively trying to kill you has been the point of queer voting most of my life. Being able to take an aesthetic position (yes, I’ve peeked further down this thread) means you’re sure you’ll survive no matter who is in power, and we don’t and have never had that - regardless of what some people might pretend.

moira ,
@moira@mastodon.murkworks.net avatar

@darcher @futurebird @richpuchalsky @jonquass @ehproque We need ranked choice voting for extremely reals. Supporting that at the lowest levels and working up is the most effective way to move towards it, like it is for basically everything political in this country. (And in this case that’s not a dig, that’s just a statement I think is reasonably well grounded in reality.)

moira ,
@moira@mastodon.murkworks.net avatar

@HeavenlyPossum @futurebird @jonquass @richpuchalsky @ehproque @glyph Being a regular voter means that every so often they pay attention to your demands. Saying explicitly that you don’t means they write you off because they want power and that means votes.

It is in no way the most effective way, particularly in the general. Primaries and locals are far more important - and carry more weight. But it’s a tool, and - well, where Republicans don’t have power - an easy one to use.

moira ,
@moira@mastodon.murkworks.net avatar

@HeavenlyPossum @futurebird @richpuchalsky @jonquass @ehproque @glyph Let’s give that entirely, sure. As unquestionable fact. (There’s a great deal to be said about a disinterested and uninvolved electorate there that the No Voting crowd encourages, but we’ll leave that aside.)

That’s why you vote based on their policies (actual) vs. what you want.

Because they’re gonna do what they want.

And when there are actual differences, and there are, that’s why you need to lend your tiny little push of a vote.

That study backs my position, not yours.

moira ,
@moira@mastodon.murkworks.net avatar

@HeavenlyPossum @futurebird @richpuchalsky @jonquass @ehproque @glyph Also also, that study talks about the populace (greater, most of whom in the US regularly don’t bother to vote) and public pressure groups, which is a different and/or superset vs voters.

moira ,
@moira@mastodon.murkworks.net avatar

@HeavenlyPossum @futurebird @jonquass @ehproque @glyph @richpuchalsky Most people at most levels in my experience do not do the work and do not want to do the work.

Insofar as they are willing to do some part of the work, they see that first work as voting. This is wrong, but saying "wrong" doesn't fix that.

Discouraging them from voting does not encourage them to take up other work; it encourages them to disengage, which is what they want anyway.

Anarchists IRL are particularly prone at working this with people who trend left but aren't engaged leftists who in my (again, personal) experience are much more easily discouraged.

(See also why I'm not an anarchist: Anarchism as would be practised requires a lot of engagement and work.)

moira ,
@moira@mastodon.murkworks.net avatar

@HeavenlyPossum @ehproque @jonquass @futurebird @glyph @richpuchalsky I didn't say it was the intended (or favoured) outcome; I said it was the effected outcome.

moira ,
@moira@mastodon.murkworks.net avatar

@HeavenlyPossum @jonquass @ehproque @futurebird @glyph @richpuchalsky I'm saying that I have observed that anarchist (and in some cases other types of leftist) disparagement of voting - often vocal - has this effect.

This is not saying it is the intended effect, I am saying it is the actual effect as I see it.

I've had to do repair work on people so affected, so have experience in this.

This is not scientific study, however; it is simply, as I have repeatedly stated, my own observation.

moira ,
@moira@mastodon.murkworks.net avatar

@futurebird @HeavenlyPossum @jonquass @ehproque @richpuchalsky @glyph State and local politics is 100% where you can do your best work.

I can go poke at city council pretty easily.

A group of about 20 of us who actually would show up and wear T-shirts got us vastly improved transit buildout approved a few years ago.

It's the kind of thing that's going to take a lot of cars off of roads and was another step towards getting us off oil which will eventually

guess what

get us out of the middle east, because the only real reason we're there is oil.

State and local is where you have the most leverage and hey guess what that includes voting since, after all...

... we got the transit build out by popular initiative, which is to say

voting

moira ,
@moira@mastodon.murkworks.net avatar

@futurebird @HeavenlyPossum @jonquass @ehproque @richpuchalsky @glyph It is!

But as you note - it's doable. It's something a lot more people think they have a shot at doing.

You won't always win but you will know you've actually been in the fight.

moira ,
@moira@mastodon.murkworks.net avatar

@futurebird @violetmadder @darcher @richpuchalsky @jonquass @ehproque People who follow me are probably a little sick of seeing all my bike map shit.

What's the bike map shit about?

Promoting biking as a viable option, showing people they can actually get places. Showing where those places are and how to get there.

Particularly the MEGAMAP - a map the size of most people's commutes.

Who have I been shopping these maps to?

Bike stores, which have a vested interest in selling bikes and biking. They love them. They think they're fantastic and that I should sell them, but I don't, because that would restrict their availability, which would make them less effective at what?

Promoting biking, which means what?

(1/2)

moira , to random
@moira@mastodon.murkworks.net avatar

big oof

#ai #google #gemini

moira , to random
@moira@mastodon.murkworks.net avatar

woah okay not much with the naked eye but the phone is getting some colour

#seattle #wawx #northshore #aurora

futurebird , to random
@futurebird@sauropods.win avatar

That’s it. This summer i’m getting big arms again!

moira ,
@moira@mastodon.murkworks.net avatar

@futurebird fuck yeah lift

moira , to random
@moira@mastodon.murkworks.net avatar

Nothing like hanging the thing and just looking at it to make you think about what needs addressing

(Yes this is the previous, narrow version - not the absolute latest. it’s what I have printed out.)

#art #BikeTooter #BikeMap

lowqualityfacts , to random
@lowqualityfacts@mstdn.social avatar

Look, I get it. Jack wants the freedom to sport that godawful beard and Twitter is genuinely the only place where wannabe billionaire simps won't roast him for having facial hair that somehow screams "white supremacist billy goat".

moira ,
@moira@mastodon.murkworks.net avatar

@lowqualityfacts this is a high quality fact but I’ll allow it

Kierkegaanks , to random
@Kierkegaanks@beige.party avatar

I leg day, therefore I am

moira ,
@moira@mastodon.murkworks.net avatar

@falcennial @futurebird yeah but what about those bigger carts over there?

moira ,
@moira@mastodon.murkworks.net avatar

@futurebird @falcennial definitely a lot to talk about there xD

moira , to random
@moira@mastodon.murkworks.net avatar

ha HAAAAAA

#meme #bear

moira , to random
@moira@mastodon.murkworks.net avatar

HEY #SEATTLE LOOK EAST RIGHT NOW

loren , to random
@loren@flipping.rocks avatar

I still can’t believe that pigeons are one of the few birds that can slurp

moira ,
@moira@mastodon.murkworks.net avatar

@loren I didn’t know any birds could slurp!

lowqualityfacts , to random
@lowqualityfacts@mstdn.social avatar

If you want a nice dark stout, you need to give the goat lots of chocolate liquor.
https://patreon.com/lowqualityfacts

moira ,
@moira@mastodon.murkworks.net avatar

@lowqualityfacts ...yeah I'd buy that

Teri_Kanefield , to random
@Teri_Kanefield@mastodon.social avatar

I am still getting hate mail for my blog post, this time from a neighbor. She was so angry it took her a few days to calm down enough to write to me (in all caps!)

(I shut down comments yesterday)

When I wrote analysis for the Washington Post, I sometimes got angry email from MAGA people.

I did get a memorable letter from a librarian in Tennessee who was enraged at how I portrayed Andrew Jackson in one of my books.

But this has never happened.

I think it's interesting.

moira ,
@moira@mastodon.murkworks.net avatar

@mastodonmigration @Teri_Kanefield There's a huge, and I do mean huge, difference between "We'll get away with this without being punished so it's 'legal'" and "this is actually legal," and I think McDaniel had to know exactly where that line was and that they were over it.

GottaLaff , to random
@GottaLaff@mastodon.social avatar

😢#RIP “Louis Gossett Jr., the first Black man to win a supporting actor Oscar and an Emmy winner for his role in the seminal TV miniseries “Roots,” has died. He was 87.

Gossett’s nephew told The Associated Press that the actor died Thursday night in Santa Monica, California. No cause of death was revealed.”

https://apnews.com/article/louis-gossett-jr-dies-1e86e1441ec8b614a282f3de22490a07?taid=6606bb32f963d30001514cc1&utm_campaign=TrueAnthem&utm_medium=AP&utm_source=Twitter

moira ,
@moira@mastodon.murkworks.net avatar

@GottaLaff oh dang I didn’t realise he was in his 80s even

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