Nostr notes by Isocat!

Wow! Where's this?

2026-08-23T14:31:56Z

In reply to nevent1q…6njc
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Wow! Where's this?

I did it, I finally did it! Rode my bike, I mean, for the first ...

2026-07-28T16:09:22Z

I did it, I finally did it! Rode my bike, I mean, for the first time in 13 years or so. Last Autumn I bought a new helmet – a very good one with top safety ratings – to eliminate that excuse, but by the time it came in the weather wasn't conducive.

Saturday would've worked if I'd got off my butt and got on my butt, but I didn't before it got drizzly out. Sunday it downright rained. Yesterday was the day. I found that the Kryptonite key on my key ring doesn't fit the lock I'd put on the bike's rack, but that lock had a key in it; fine.

There's no taillamp and no working headlamp (ahem-hem), but I wasn't planning on being out after dark. A big chrome DING-DONG! bell, there is.

The bike is a 1950 Raleigh ("The ALL-STEEL Bicycle"), made in Nottingham, England. I've had it since 1997 or so, and that's about when I put on the Brooks sprung leather saddle. In ~2012 it got new aluminum wheels, built up with new Sturmey-Archer hubs: drum brake front, epicyclic 3-speed + drum brake rear.

First I rode up and down our street: okeh, I can still do this; I guess it's like riding a bicycle. Then over to the community policing station to register it against theft. They were enthusiastic about the cool old bike and took extra pics of the bike with me to promote the registration program, which seems a good one.

Then some more riding. Not a lot; just about a kilometre, as none of these muscles are accustomed to any of this, so easy did it to start. I'm not as flexible as I was; I'll want to see about a rearview mirror of some kind. Maybe they make them as helmet attachments.

Huh. I wasn't aware the plastic-chicken cartel have been ...

2026-07-22T17:53:00Z

In reply to nevent1q…c0hp
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Huh. I wasn't aware the plastic-chicken cartel have been working against the dominance of the plastic-flamingo syndicate, but I guess it stands to reason.

Anyhow, I say it "LinkèDin".

2026-07-14T06:19:17Z

In reply to nevent1q…z4f6
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Anyhow, I say it "LinkèDin".

LinkedIn is inenumerably creepy and yucky and awful. Always has ...

2026-07-13T15:57:44Z

In reply to nevent1q…6rhn
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LinkedIn is inenumerably creepy and yucky and awful. Always has been. Life got better when I deleted my account.

RE: https://toot.wales/@aegir/116817566342082105 Fridge failure ...

2026-06-26T19:05:30Z

RE: https://toot.wales/@aegir/116817566342082105

Fridge failure due to heat is real in homes, too. You can likely prevent it easily. And it's not just fridges. Read on.

About 5 years ago here, a "heat dome" event pushed temps into the 40s °C. We were holed up in the bedroom with the portable aircon cranked, and that just made it a bit less broiling. My computer (Macbook) was dragging and hanging for no apparent reason. It sucked.

I went to the kitchen to refill my water. The fridge was screaming, its (variable-speed) compressor running at a pitch alarmingly far higher than I'd ever heard, and it wasn't cooling down to its setpoint.

I pulled the fridge away from the wall, took off the back cover, and found the consenser coils clogged up with lint and dust and cruft. So I used the vacuum cleaner and a canned-air duster to clean them. Immediately the compressor pitch dropped. Still high, but not as high.

I pointed a floor fan so as to push air past the back of the fridge, and the compressor slowed down further. I put the fridge's back cover back on; it serves to guide air through the condenser coils. I left the fridge spaced further from the wall than usual, to allow more airflow.

I went (sweatily!) back to the bedroom, opened the Macbook, and found it similarly full of lint and cruft. Canned air, etc; powered back up, it ran at normal speed without hanging.

Half an hour later, the fridge was at setpoint and holding.

Speaking of air conditioners: those, too!
nostr:note1gg4glk23t7q4msgpsg0nlhacngvtylgzy53fa6ljcf8a9dmf8mjqnlegqf

One-horned, one-eyed, flying purple poppy mallow?

2026-06-25T17:07:57Z

In reply to nevent1q…x04j
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One-horned, one-eyed, flying purple poppy mallow?

That looks just perfect!

2026-06-21T22:58:04Z

In reply to nevent1q…fapa
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That looks just perfect!

For fifty points – nay, a hundred – who can spot the problem ...

2026-06-15T23:40:25Z

For fifty points – nay, a hundred – who can spot the problem with "ceiling fans should be set to run CLOCKWISE in Summer to create a cooling downward breeze below the fan, and COUNTERCLOCKWISE in Winter to create a central upward breeze to push warm air down around the perimeter of the room"?

Wow! I'd omit the jalapeños because they're against my ...

2026-06-15T23:13:49Z

In reply to nevent1q…rakn
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Wow! I'd omit the jalapeños because they're against my sincerely-held religious beefs, but that's just me. Looks amaze!

How might we build one? Chingadera is a Mexican construction ...

2026-05-29T22:56:50Z

In reply to nevent1q…kwdr
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How might we build one? Chingadera is a Mexican construction which means "fucker" → → "fucking thing". The root verb chingar means to bother or fuck with (someone or something). What's the equivalent verb in Quebecois French?

(I feel like we're on a path to a church-related term for dingus/doohickey/chingadera)

Huh. I was hoping for a French cognate of "chingadera".

2026-05-29T22:42:01Z

In reply to nevent1q…4h7s
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Huh. I was hoping for a French cognate of "chingadera".

Comment dit-on «doohickey» en francais?

2026-05-29T22:00:13Z

In reply to nevent1q…rfaf
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Comment dit-on «doohickey» en francais?

Ah! Good! Excellent question! You see, the world doesn't want ...

2026-05-25T04:40:16Z

In reply to nevent1q…4a86
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Ah! Good! Excellent question! You see, the world doesn't want to offend China, because money.

No shit is given about offending Africa, because systems have long been in place by which for the world to efficiently extract all the money from Africa regardless of how anyone there might feel about it.

Time to figure out where the modems/antennas are and disable them ...

2026-05-24T04:28:39Z

In reply to nevent1q…dyn9
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Time to figure out where the modems/antennas are and disable them (unplug, remove, cut…).

Ooer! Tell about the potato starter.

2026-05-06T01:13:11Z

In reply to nevent1q…hkyl
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Ooer! Tell about the potato starter.

Because it's the (rounded) conversion of 1,000 kilometres, ...

2026-02-14T18:26:26Z

In reply to nevent1q…yuyc
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Because it's the (rounded) conversion of 1,000 kilometres, mayhap?

Alright, could somebody please explain to me what a ...

2026-02-01T02:39:13Z

Alright, could somebody please explain to me what a "subtoot" is?

(Yeah, yeah, yeah, "versus a domtoot or a switchtoot", etc. I'm asking for serious.)

Even more interesting because it's a GTE/Automatic Electric ...

2026-01-05T02:37:23Z

In reply to nevent1q…ce36
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Even more interesting because it's a GTE/Automatic Electric unit rather than the much commoner Western Electric set.

From now on, this is called the applicator. ...

2026-01-04T03:26:47Z

From now on, this is called the applicator.

These are grand!

2025-12-25T17:45:10Z

In reply to nevent1q…zxhx
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These are grand!

This is every kind of a bad idea. This idea is kinds of bad which ...

2025-12-07T07:57:25Z

In reply to nevent1q…p9nk
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This is every kind of a bad idea. This idea is kinds of bad which haven't yet been discovered, invented, or named.

Ah! You must be near Aurora.

2025-11-12T03:38:19Z

In reply to nevent1q…80s0
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Ah! You must be near Aurora.

WABBIT season!

2025-09-16T17:08:00Z

In reply to nevent1q…4lj6
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WABBIT season!

Why not? I use kilomiles and kilowords.

2025-08-03T17:05:53Z

In reply to nevent1q…73gj
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Why not? I use kilomiles and kilowords.

Nostr event nevent1qqsftn4n94wtsfs6ke5zrmcz32c5c7rgt3qnkgksm0glrs9qlclwh9czyphuyvprym70tddcleqyz38uuzd8lnuctyt260x3wcft7c3ay5dcjlaumkr

2025-08-02T17:47:23Z

Steven Hoefer (npub176q…488a)

Prescolite Square (Green & Milk) Seattle, 22 September 2012 ...

2025-07-28T15:30:24Z

Prescolite Square (Green & Milk)
Seattle, 22 September 2012
#MonochromeMonday

Alice McPhotos (npub1xua…s88j)

Stargazer lily, transluminated in the back yard. #BloomScrolling ...

2025-07-12T18:34:05Z

Stargazer lily, transluminated in the back yard.

#BloomScrolling

Oh, and also: ...

2025-06-25T06:24:08Z

In reply to nevent1q…utsx
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Oh, and also:

https://www.sbnation.com/2014/11/26/7281129/radioshack-eulogy-stories

AI6YR Ben (npub1ucv…5a8g) Dan KB6NU 🇺🇦 (npub1k7f…39py) Angie 🇵🇸🇺🇦 (npub1czt…df6e) Anne Ominous (npub1xrs…xdps) Nazo (npub1290…d4el)

Nostr event nevent1qqsptx8f6w4fndlwef7x8t8trp34cgdmkgzcpw0vrfsnv7avvpvkd7qzyphuyvprym70tddcleqyz38uuzd8lnuctyt260x3wcft7c3ay5dcjvkyp72

2025-06-25T04:12:38Z

In reply to nevent1q…qgz4
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https://theonion.com/even-ceo-cant-figure-out-how-radioshack-still-in-busine-1819569077/

AI6YR Ben (npub1ucv…5a8g) Dan KB6NU 🇺🇦 (npub1k7f…39py) Angie 🇵🇸🇺🇦 (npub1czt…df6e) Anne Ominous (npub1xrs…xdps) Nazo (npub1290…d4el)

lookit 🤓

2025-06-20T20:48:03Z

In reply to nevent1q…rp3g
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lookit 🤓

Sunlines 8279 — Seattle, 2014. #FensterFreitag #bnwphotography ...

2025-06-20T20:47:48Z

Sunlines 8279 — Seattle, 2014.

#FensterFreitag
#bnwphotography

Years ago, I suspected the new dishwasher detergent tablets and ...

2025-06-09T18:45:10Z

Years ago, I suspected the new dishwasher detergent tablets and pods being heavily pushed were a ripoff. I put a tablet in a Ziploc bag and crushed it with a hammer, then measured the resultant powder: about 2 tablespoons (30 mL). That struck me as grossly excessive, in line with the "always fill all detergent cups to maximum for best results" instrux on detergent powder boxes (and then liquid/gel bottles).

So I bought a box of regular ol' normal ol' boring ol' dishwasher powder and started experimenting. 1 tablespoon (15 mL): dishes completely clean. 2 teaspoons (10 mL): dishes completely clean. Mind, I scrape off loose leavings, but almost no dishes get rinsed before they go in the dishwasher.

The math quickly showed that yup, the pods and powders are a complete scam. So for years now, we've had this what you see here under the sink, with a teaspoon measure in.

The dishes consistently get perfectly clean, but I've never liked that dishwasher-detergent smell they have after. It occurred to me the other night I'd stopped the experiment without inceeding 2 teaspoons, so I tried 1 teaspoon (5 mL — probably more like 6ish; I don't level off the teaspoon, just scoop-shake-dispense).

Result: dishes perfectly clean. They couldn't possibly be any cleaner, so all the marketing babble about the pods unlocking whole new levels of Ultra Platinum Extreme Clean are bulk wrap. And the dishes now come out smelling of…nothing.

I'm not gonna retire on the savings, but every bit helps. There's a whole lot less waste this way, in money and detergent and packaging and production. The powder comes in a recyclable-for-real paperboard box rather than a recyclable-nudge-wink-lol plastic tub.

As I've done this much schtick, I might's well make a complete job of it: Consumer Reports' latest test of dishwasher detergent doesn't include powders, they say, because most people buy pods and tablets. That's antithetical to CR's nominal mission; decades ago they'd've done my same math and experiments and recommended avoiding the scam and buying the powders they found to work well.

I'll need to edit that yellow label.

#HomeEconomy
#capitalism

I love the lines and colours! There's something unusual I ...

2025-05-29T14:47:56Z

In reply to nevent1q…htkc
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I love the lines and colours! There's something unusual I can't figure out with the shadows and the vertical post, seemingly darker in places than my eye expects; what am I seeing?

Getting an early start…but why?

2025-05-11T16:07:27Z

In reply to nevent1q…mxn3
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Getting an early start…but why?

Whoahhhhhh. I'm preëmptively voting YES. What-all went in ...

2025-04-30T00:52:24Z

In reply to nevent1q…y3ql
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Whoahhhhhh. I'm preëmptively voting YES. What-all went in the raspberry filling?

• Unpredictable, uncontrollable, explosive diarrhœa. • ...

2025-04-24T15:37:00Z

In reply to nevent1q…kl48
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• Unpredictable, uncontrollable, explosive diarrhœa.

• Irresistable compulsion to tell the truth.

• Obscurity. Sorry, you're…who?

All of those quite useful on politicians and the like.

• Severe, insatiable addiction to Oreo cookies combined with a debilitating phobia of Oreo cookies alternating with a tendency to forget Oreo cookies exist.
This one's heavy-duty, for very bad people.

Clearly, thiz a buncha Crocus-focus locus hocus-pocus. ...

2025-03-03T17:36:38Z

In reply to nevent1q…9cgr
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Clearly, thiz a buncha Crocus-focus locus hocus-pocus.

Brava! Reminds me: https://flic.kr/p/pprU3F

2025-02-19T18:08:21Z

In reply to nevent1q…k78v
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Brava! Reminds me:

https://flic.kr/p/pprU3F

aHA! Got it. Yup, that's the same car. It's a Fiat 850, ...

2025-02-17T18:19:43Z

In reply to nevent1q…ch2s
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aHA! Got it. Yup, that's the same car. It's a Fiat 850, probably '70-'73, like this one (scroll down):

https://www.beverlyhillscarclub.com/1971-fiat-850-c-16313.htm

Well seen! I am usually pretty good at identifying old cars, but ...

2025-02-17T17:21:14Z

In reply to nevent1q…ht40
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Well seen! I am usually pretty good at identifying old cars, but this one's got me stumped. Something with the engine in the rear, as it seems (no radiator grille here on the front) and it's a US-market model (sealed-beam headlamp, hole where a side marker light used to be, which makes it a '68 or newer), but beyond that I'm stuck.

»POUNCE!«

2025-02-15T19:01:54Z

In reply to nevent1q…5jn6
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»POUNCE!«

H'mm. I'm trying, but so far no luck. I feel like if ...

2025-02-12T18:48:03Z

In reply to nevent1q…hvxy
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H'mm. I'm trying, but so far no luck. I feel like if someone would demonstrate how this graph works with a few letters, I'd get it.

You're many kinds of right. I fervently wish US regs ...

2025-01-16T01:23:29Z

In reply to nevent1q…akac
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You're many kinds of right. I fervently wish US regs weren't deliberately configured to cater to the market-control preferences of the American automakers (+ those international ones who pay the steep cover charge to participate in this market), at the expense of things like pedestrian safety (and many other kinds) and on-road fleet fuel economy, but that's the fetid reality we live with here on the North American regulatory island of Ferenginar.

There's also more nuance and complexity to it, though. Road and traffic conditions in Japan really are significantly different to those in North America in ways that heavily affect the practical safety of a Kei truck. That would still be the case even if LHD Kei trucks were a thing, and the fact that privately-imported Keis are RHD makes them significantly more unsafe and incompatible with North American traffic.

Some states and provinces are now refusing to register Japanese-specification vehicles imported under the 25-year-old cutoff exempting imported vehicles from US safety standards, the 21-year cutoff for US emissions standards, and the 15-year rule for Canadian safety and emissions standards. That really is a sound decision by those states and provinces, bitter though it be for those who think a Kei truck best meets their needs.

It also sucks that the Australian-type "ute" (formally "coupé utility", a station wagon but with a truck bed instead of enclosed rear cabin + wayback) withered and died in North America after the Chev El Camino and Ford Ranchero went away by the late '70s, as nudge/wink CAFE regulations spurred automakers to pivot to trucks and truck-based SUVs (and miscategorize certain cars as "trucks"). A ute would much better, more safely, and more economically serve a great many North Americans' needs than the F-990 Super Duty King Ranch Canyonero types they're more or less forced into. Subaru's Baja was a more recent halfassed effort at at ute, but as a 4-door its bed was too small to be useful for more than Harry Homeowner's smaller pickups at the garden centre.

KITTY!!!

2024-11-20T18:38:18Z

In reply to nevent1q…y2as
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*KITTY!!!*