“404 Page Not Found” by Kate Wagner

Posted on January 8, 2019 by Ian

Kate Wagner put together an absolutely amazing essay on the state of the web today and how it got that way. It’s achingly sad in a lot of ways, pointing out how much of the internet we’ve just straight up lost over the years, and how capitalism has ground much of the older web era’s creativity to a pulp. Don’t worry, though, it offers a little hope at the end, too.

A line I particularly liked from the section on vaporwave:

The pastiche compositions of Arizona Iced Tea cans and old Windows desktops were very quickly made available on all these commercial interfaces, which were not only feeding on a countercultural art movement—they were likewise consuming the ghosts of an internet they had long since murdered.

Read it here: https://thebaffler.com/salvos/404-page-not-found-wagner

And here’s a PDF in case that original link ever goes away:
404 Page Not Found by Kate Wagner PDF

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New Year, Short Post

Posted on January 2, 2019 by Ian
Jerry the leopard gecko looking at the camera, chin up, from behind his little rock vitamin dish.

Always a cutie.

Behold, the obligatory post about the new year.

My actual new year’s eve was nice. Snoozed, hung out with Jerry (who was being very photogenic), woke up in time to watch the countdown at the space needle. Quiet and simple, pretty much all I wanted.

To be honest, though, I’m super fucking intimidated by the new year. Mostly because I have too many options as far as ways my life could go right now. I’m single, I’ve got no job, I haven’t even signed up for my spring semester MLIS class yet. (I might not take a class this semester, because $$$ + stress, but that’s another post.) So I can do anything! So oh god what should I do?

I really don’t have a solution right now, except to start poking at infosec stuff again because a) computer skills, and b) I’ve wanted to learn it for a long time. So I guess that’s what I’m going to do? Even though I don’t know where to start? And I should probably apply for jobs.

Yeah, analysis paralysis is fun. I will now take suggestions from the audience, if y’all have any advice/ideas.

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Unfortunate Actions that Cannons Do

Posted on December 20, 2018 by Ian
A flatbed truck with side and back walls attached, full of lumber and junk. The back wall and the rearmost sidewalls are made from scrap lumber.

The surprising instrument of my doom.

*sigh*

It really hasn’t been a banner week so far.

Things started off on Monday with the guy I’ve been seeing (and having a very good time with) breaking things off with me while he works on some personal stuff. I understand, and it’s good to know I wasn’t the problem, but it’s still a disappointing state of affairs.

My week couldn’t get worse, right? Continue reading →

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Week Wrap-up: 03 December 2018 – 09 December 2018

Posted on December 9, 2018 by Ian

It’s been forever since I did one of these, but I like them, so too bad, people who were happy for their absence!

The Good

  • Had a good date time with a good guy who I’ve been liking very much
  • Had a different good date time with a guy playing board games and getting cupcakes. Yay, cupcakes!
  • Invited some friends over and despite the fact that like none of them knew each other, they all hit it off right away
  • Finally played the tutorial of Overwatch and am ready to jump into a practice game next time I play
  • There was a new Monster Factory! And it was great!
  • I think I figured out what my ideal living situation consists of, and it’s actually feasible. Though I need the right combination of people to live with, which is a hell of a needle to thread even at the best of times.

The Bad

  • My final paper for class is due in a couple days and I haven’t edited my first draft yet. I’m probably just going to do some basic revision and not add too much more research to my work queue unless I feel like I really have to, but still.
  • Saturdays have established an unfortunate pattern of being really difficult for me. I tend to get really depressed, I think in part because I tend to not see anyone on Saturdays so I just sort of death spiral as I stay in my room and don’t go outside. :\ This one was a special level of downer because I didn’t get all my homework done like I planned, despite doing nothing else that day.
  • I’ve been struggling to get out bed on time for work, which is also bad.
  • Got stuck in gridlocked traffic and so got to attend only 10 minutes of my therapy appointment despite leaving on time according to the Google Maps estimate.
  • Watched an old Awful Squad and dangit I miss that series. And Polygon’s older style of video content in general, where it was longer and less polished and less (on the surface) like what everyone else on Youtube does.
  • That whole Tumblr…thing. It’ll be interesting to see where everyone ends up, though.
  • Got real lonely and touch starved, perhaps unreasonably quickly

And that’s it for now! How were your weeks? Tell me your tales.

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Broken Buttons

Posted on November 27, 2018 by Ian

The footwell of the passenger side of a 2006 Ford Ranger. Visible is the fuel interrupt reset button and the fuse panel. The interior plastic panels have been removed. On the fuel interrupt reset is a big red button.

Today I managed to break one of the company trucks by bracing my foot wrong as we went through an intersection. Turns out a certain vintage of Ford Rangers has a device in the passenger footwell that detects if you been in an accident by, essentially, having a ball bearing pop out of a socket inside the device if it’s jostled too hard. This kills the fuel flow to the engine until you reset it. This would be fine, except you a) can kick it on accident, and b) ours promptly broke. Normally, you can press a button down to pop the bearing back into place, it resets, you restart the car and you’re on your way.

That wasn’t how it happened today. Continue reading →

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Thanksgiving 2018

Posted on November 22, 2018 by Ian

Gobble gobble, motherfuckers. Used under CC-BY-2.0 from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. Source.

It’s Thanksgiving in the US! Which is heeeeeella loaded, given that it’s founded on a myth that covers up historical atrocities. But I do like the parts of the holiday that encourage reflection and being thankful for what we have. So that’s what I’m going to do here! Behold, a small sampling of things I’ve been thankful for this year:

  • Mastodon, both the denizens of wandering.shop and the greater fediverse. I’ve felt very welcome, made friends, and it’s all so much more manageable than keeping up with Twitter. Special shoutout to how wonderful people on there are about selfies, be they standard or lewd.
  • Chromium, for letting my little laptop browse the web without choking on every halfway-complicated page.
  • Emacs, for just feeling good to use. Continue reading →
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Siding Quest

Posted on November 20, 2018 by Ian

Today was a long day, but in one major respect a very good one. I was trusted to do a little bit of exterior work solo! It would be carpentry, except the material was a cement board thing rather than wood. But whatever, I’m going to count it.

I only added a few panels to finish up the siding. A stack of four to the right of a window, one to the left of the same window (which had to have a hole drilled in it to allow a wire through), and the most complicated part: the notched, full-length piece of siding that ran all the way across the section of the house, with cutouts for the door and window.

Pictures below. I had a good time! And it felt great to be trusted with a more complciated project, even if I made some mistakes along the way. (I then learned how to deal with them, so still a net good.) Also, I need way more practice cutting straight lines with a skill saw. The rip across the top board is, uh, a little wavy. >_>;; Continue reading →

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November Has Arrived

Posted on November 2, 2018 by Ian
A view from a house rooftop overlooking Seattle. The space needle, the sound, and several large buildings are visible. The sky is covered by grey rainclouds.

Not from today, but a view I’ve been looking at almost every day at work.

I appear to be in purgatory on this dreary autumn day. And by that I mean I’m waiting at the repair place for the work truck to be fixed, and I’ve been here for about three hours so far. Time has lost all meaning, which feels weirdly appropriate for a day where I can’t see the sun’s position in the sky.

It’s now November, which means the start of a season I always think will be cozy and full of community and love, but instead is often a chaotic overload of obligations and travel to un-cozy places. Despite that, I’m looking forward to it. At least for now, the only plans I’ve made are for Thanksgiving, and they’re great. They’re simple (I just need to show up), in the Seattle area, and I will get to see my dear friends who I don’t get to see very often. More holidays like this, please. Though maybe drop the celebration of genocidal imperialism.

Another big obligation that comes up in November is NaNoWriMo, which I’m cutting off at the pass by deciding not to participate this year. Don’t get me wrong, I’m tempted, but with school I have too much on my plate. My time is overcrowded right now as it is. Plus, I just finished the beta draft of The Shivering Deeps and I don’t think I’m up for creating a new novel length work just yet. Short stories and fluff projects, please!

Meanwhile, in the cracks of free time I’m going to attempt to make my living space cozier and easier to exist in. Hygge it up. Because nothing makes the holidays better than having a great home of your own to return to after the festivities are done.

Wishing everyone a happy November. Stay warm and try (if you’re in the northern hemisphere) to enjoy the last days of Fall before Winter shows up in full force. ❤

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Mastodon Appreciation

Posted on October 29, 2018 by Ian

In the wake of the shootings in Pittsburg over the weekend, I popped over to Twitter last night.

Hoo boy. The tone of hysteria and hopelessness layered over the (quite justified) fear and anxiety was a lot to take in and emotionally process. It was overloading, and I had to quit after just a couple minutes. And a lot of it felt performative. Endless RTs and yelling and the clutching of pearls overpowered the posts of grief, selflessness, and determined anger in my timeline.

I really appreciate the tone of political discussion on Mastodon, and Twitter last night threw why into sharp relief. People on Masto are sharing their experiences and opinions sincerely. They’re ready to hit the streets (if able) to help. And they’re willing to change or even tear down the system, and have a plan to improve it after it’s done. Mastodon users support each other as individuals far more often (in my experience). And all of that gives me hope in a way Twitter never does.

I know these same things happen on Twitter, but I can see it on Mastodon in a way I can’t over there. It’s what makes Mastodon special to me in a way Twitter has lost over the years. And I appreciate that very much.

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Shambling Mound of News

Posted on October 18, 2018 by Ian
Jabberwocky the iguana inside her carrier, with her front feet hooked onto the door grate.

Jabberwocky was READY TO BE HOME.

The blog, it sings to me from the darkness. It craves manifestation. It craves…AN UPDATE.

But seriously, it’s been a hot minute and I want to get back on the damn wagon. Life’s been nuts lately, but that’s always true. Doesn’t mean I can’t take time here and there to bang out a post. Continue reading →

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