Michael W Lucas :flan_on_fire:

https://io.mwl.io/@mwl

Kvetching, not complaining.

Writes books. Pet rats. Martial arts. Punch Nazis & terfs. If it wasn't on Industrial Records it's not industrial music, it's just sparkling noise. He/him. Bangpath old. Detroit, MI, US. Gelato!

Website: https://mwl.io
Crowdfunding: https://mwl.io/ks
Bookstore: https://mwl.io/shop
Link Index: https://mwl.link

Public Key

npub1ksfsk7zf88lk37thy0w5254empykpkw2aenr3chpnjv7wp2usyjsgmr6s6

NIP-05 Address

[email protected]

Profile Code

nprofile1qqstgyct0pynnlmgl9mj8h2922uasjtqm89wue3cutseex08q4wgzfgprpmhxue69uhhyetvv9ujumt0d4hhxarj9ecxjmntqyqqtsuegj

Publishing to

relay.momostr.pink

Author Public Key

npub1ksfsk7zf88lk37thy0w5254empykpkw2aenr3chpnjv7wp2usyjsgmr6s6

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Last Notes

2026-07-11 17:28:08 UTC

Amazon raised the $9.99 ceiling for full royalty on ebooks to $12.99.
If it had kept up with inflation since the Kindle's 2007 launch, that ceiling would be $16.16. They're still squeezing authors.
So no, my newer tech books still won't be on Amazon KDP.

2026-07-11 16:31:02 UTC

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so I guess that's out now? Cool.

2026-07-11 13:18:37 UTC

Today: morning dojo, evening Little Shop Of Horrors at community theater.
I'll probably sing along, because I have zero shame.

2026-07-11 13:14:02 UTC

Home is now *really* for sale. With photos.
https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/1416-N-Renaud-Rd-Grosse-Pointe-Woods-MI-48236/88108812_zpid/?

2026-07-11 11:31:23 UTC

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hey, I'd have money left over for refurbishment!

2026-07-10 19:55:00 UTC

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Yep! You just can't get quality hauntings in modern houses, so if you want apparitions this is the place!

2026-07-10 11:48:29 UTC

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I don't address those questions in my FAQ, because I don't use those services. They are overwhelmingly scams. The only worthwhile one is Netgalley.
Announce your book on your web site and your social media, then write the next book.

2026-07-09 20:46:54 UTC

Why was I not informed about Chelsea Wolfe?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L0o2GraeMlo

2026-07-09 15:11:21 UTC

Morning greetings from The Horde. #petRats #rats
https://cdn.hosted.spacebear.ee/sb-53d788bcd8441bb97cfb7a64f2552521/media_attachments/files/116/890/655/254/033/892/original/fb6a57ff0dbc7008.mp4

2026-07-08 21:29:54 UTC

dojo o'clock!

2026-07-08 12:13:54 UTC

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Our day is downhill from here. We should both go back to bed.

2026-07-08 12:07:49 UTC

Truffle is stashing fresh sheets, and if you get in his way he will correct you. #petRats #rats
https://cdn.hosted.spacebear.ee/sb-53d788bcd8441bb97cfb7a64f2552521/media_attachments/files/116/884/271/055/904/096/original/8abc8531403f7eda.mp4

2026-07-08 12:00:22 UTC

John Oliver as a General Hospital villain?
The role he was born to play.
https://type-click-type.ghost.io/john-oliver-general-hospital-video-character/

2026-07-06 20:52:01 UTC

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oh, if I move to NL I won't live in Amsterdam. I'm cheap. Definitely gonna explore. But one of the cities seems a decent forward base.

2026-07-06 20:40:02 UTC

If the Netherlands are on my bug-out list, maybe I *should* consider FOSDEM?
Fly into Brussels. Hop the bus for Amsterdam. Poke around for a week, see what I think. Have stroopwaffle for my 60thh birthday. Hit the con, go home.
But 8,000 people? :flan_yikes: That promises to be utterly overwhelming.

2026-07-06 14:40:54 UTC

RE: https://mastodon.bsd.cafe/@peteorrall/116873481787949853
I don't care if this is true or not, I'm going with it.
#note1htk…4qkv

2026-07-06 12:45:03 UTC

Seems the Discourse Wheel has landed on "I don't have time to write, I'm not a full time writer, it's not fair, so I use AI to write." How did I become a full time writer?
By #writing and traditionally publishing a dozen books while employed, plus 14 failed books. I wrote many more failed books in college.
I gave up nights, weekends, holidays, TV, in favor of writing.
Some folks cannot do that. Many aren't *willing* to.

2026-07-06 02:30:37 UTC

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ty!

2026-07-05 14:41:16 UTC

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yep, there's complications in folks staying. But the lower cost of living makes them much more surmountable.

2026-07-05 14:10:52 UTC

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it is! But it's hard for people to follow me.
Offering shelter to friends who must flee the US is a vital concern.

2026-07-05 13:36:07 UTC

Researching countries to reliably emigrate to, where I can work as a writer and I can provide an way station for friends who must leave the US in a hurry. (I know, I know, "the midterms will fix everything," but I want to prepare.)
Many countries that are advertised as expat-friendly require resources I lack.
I keep winding up with the same list: Netherlands and Thailand.
I have friends in the Netherlands, but housing is challenging and Dutch is notoriously difficult to learn. I could probably manage it financially, but am concerned about those who would follow me.
Thailand is cheap and they welcome anyone but the weather... holy crap, the weather.
"Just leave the US." Ha!

2026-07-02 12:30:12 UTC

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they do!
but one side's leader was chosen in consensus. The other side objected to the consensus, so it's time for them to wander off and do their own thing.

2026-07-02 10:27:00 UTC

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yes, letters. not code.

2026-07-01 21:44:23 UTC

dang it, I meant to ask the BSDNow folks if I could do an interview on episode 666, but life overwhelmed me and I lost track of... everything.

2026-07-01 20:44:22 UTC

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ooh! my favorite bit of all this?
"We don't excommunicate people. We warn them of the consequences of their planned actions and they might excommunicate themselves."
So... they DO understand boundaries! WOW.

2026-07-01 18:46:26 UTC

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it would let me use a subtitle like "What the Hell Is Going On???" :flan_XD: Hmmm...

2026-07-01 18:44:05 UTC

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That's not bad!

2026-07-01 13:59:40 UTC

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good for her!
lots of tricks to get them comfy with you!
The biggest tricks are bribery and consent, which are very difficult for humans.

2026-07-01 13:37:42 UTC

#FreeBSD #pkgbase wish list:
make freebsd-update its own package, so it can be easily removed.

2026-07-01 13:31:11 UTC

Fermi ran up and stretched out for pets. Of course I obliged. I'm not a monster. Well, not *that* kind of monster.
His brothers had to investigate, but finally decided it was fine and they could proceed with their escapades. #petRats #rats
https://cdn.hosted.spacebear.ee/sb-53d788bcd8441bb97cfb7a64f2552521/media_attachments/files/116/844/963/569/205/504/original/c3a2d46db3b8ac71.mp4

2026-06-28 15:00:44 UTC

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The author of this piece does not understand the point or purpose of MIT/BSD licensing.

2026-06-27 16:49:06 UTC

Looks like Comcast routed only the first /64 of my /56 to me. :flan_rage:
Getting their helpdesk to accept a call, let alone explain IPv6 to them, is a freaking nightmare.

2026-06-24 17:45:39 UTC

#Rats discover watermelon. #petRats
https://cdn.hosted.spacebear.ee/sb-53d788bcd8441bb97cfb7a64f2552521/media_attachments/files/116/806/326/442/217/794/original/ccdecfdca5bbc7f4.mp4

2026-06-22 16:13:48 UTC

Apparently Amazon wish lists work better if you put a shipping address on them? Wow.
Anyway, I have a mid-divorce post-moving wish list now. The best way to help me out is to buy books, of course, but if you feel like sending a random dude a gift there's https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/RNUWCH64WZ2I?ref_=list_d_wl_lfu_nav_1

2026-06-21 15:38:20 UTC

The code to operate the big saw at the Saint Claire Shores Home Depot is 1234* pass it on

2026-06-21 00:23:08 UTC

Me: "Visiting a friend four miles away, and traffic is stupid. I'm gonna ride my bike! I will swoop around all the stupidity and be there about as quick as driving could get me there! Nothing can stop me!"
Reality:
https://cdn.hosted.spacebear.ee/sb-53d788bcd8441bb97cfb7a64f2552521/media_attachments/files/116/785/237/987/011/201/original/d4ee692e773b814b.jpg
https://cdn.hosted.spacebear.ee/sb-53d788bcd8441bb97cfb7a64f2552521/media_attachments/files/116/785/238/166/088/004/original/7d994e98c1fbf165.jpg

2026-06-19 13:12:15 UTC

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yes, 1160

2026-06-19 13:08:21 UTC

anyone else still on hold for the #bsdcan plenary stream, or is it just me?

2026-06-15 01:20:21 UTC

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"we saw Night of the Living Dead and thought hey, let's do *nuclear* zombies without any icky social commentary." #monsterdon #intheyear2889

2026-06-15 01:17:39 UTC

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Yes, let's explain the basics of nuclear annihilation to the 1969 audience. And geothermal fallout resistance.
#monsterdon #intheyear2889

2026-06-15 01:13:59 UTC

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"The nukes have fallen. Let me preen on the balcony!" #monsterdon #intheyear2889

2026-06-15 01:05:58 UTC

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yes, yes, you were right. You are very smart. Now please shut up about it.
#monsterdon #intheyear2889

2026-06-15 01:04:21 UTC

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Three million people dead? Nobody's left?
If the world population is that low, why are we fighting at all? #monsterdon #intheyear2889
And now, we're in a peaceful backyard listening to birds and the last radio transmission.

2026-06-15 01:01:38 UTC

Oh look. It's the same nuclear blast we always see. #monsterdon #intheyear2889
At least they're not quoting Oppenheimer.

2026-06-14 19:31:14 UTC

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I think I'd need a pair? Never owned them, but it seems like that's how they work?

2026-06-14 19:26:19 UTC

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ah well, thanks anyway! If they mysteriously reappear, do keep me in mind.

2026-06-14 18:36:21 UTC

First attempt at cargo bike, suggested by @npub1hyj…avly.
Yes, yes, Sam Vimes is my favorite economist, but if a cheap rack buys me a year or two so my finances stabilize, it's worth it.
https://cdn.hosted.spacebear.ee/sb-53d788bcd8441bb97cfb7a64f2552521/media_attachments/files/116/749/904/048/169/260/original/fee613fc9aafe2a1.jpg

2026-06-13 22:41:34 UTC

The plus about my life blowing up: I can join Monsterdon tomorrow night! That'll be nice.
(checks hashtag, sees what's lined up)
Oh. My. Dog. I haven't seen this in forty years. For reasons.
Oh well, at least it's not Laserblast.

2026-06-13 12:04:04 UTC

I need a low-power NAS to serve music. Most of my test gear is waaay overpowered.
Just remembered that I still have a Soekris net4801. I could install netbsd & samba. USB storage isn't ideal, but if I put the OS on the CF and the overwhelmingly-read-only music on USB it'd last a while.

2026-06-13 11:49:51 UTC

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cats can't have garlic? Wow, didn't know that.

2026-06-12 16:08:24 UTC

Baked a pack of bacon for dinner BLTs on these hot days.
The guys live about ten feet from the kitchen now. I turned around to see... this.
Yes they got tidbits, I'm not a monster. #petRats #rats
https://cdn.hosted.spacebear.ee/sb-53d788bcd8441bb97cfb7a64f2552521/media_attachments/files/116/737/998/075/998/387/original/8cb0b7fb6cb8f77b.jpg

2026-06-06 10:16:33 UTC

Moving day!

2026-06-05 19:21:06 UTC

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<blink> <blink> You got IPv6 on WOW? I've begged for 20 years...

2026-06-05 17:54:16 UTC

"Hello Comcast, I need a static IPv6 block."
"Static IP, no problem."
Paperwork lists single IPv4. Nice, but unnecessary.
"Hello Comcast Business Support, I need a static IPv6 block."
"Uh... let me escalate."
Escalate.
Escalate.
Escalate.
Clue achieved, nice chat with knowledgeable person. Can't issue a /56 without a /32 for stupid reasons, though. Okay, fine.

2026-06-03 13:40:34 UTC

When the list of marital assets to be divided includes "the dictionary"

2026-06-01 11:51:10 UTC

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yeah, you gotta fix your relationship issues to be secure. Ask me how I know...

2026-05-31 16:51:05 UTC

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Congratulations, you are a proper sysadmin, well done. :flan_strong:

2026-05-29 11:17:21 UTC

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I mean, crying over nobody liking your art is a universal experience. Acclimating to that is part of the gig.

2026-05-26 12:28:43 UTC

Fermi wishes you all a nap-filled day. You should boop the snoot for luck. #petRats #rats
https://cdn.hosted.spacebear.ee/sb-53d788bcd8441bb97cfb7a64f2552521/media_attachments/files/116/640/874/921/995/152/original/22b6ffcef70f1cf3.jpg

2026-05-25 12:15:51 UTC

it's the glorious 25th of May, and the lilac is in bloom.

2026-05-25 11:36:20 UTC

But seriously, who do they think they are???
https://www.basicinstructions.net/basic-instructions/2026/5/25/how-to-get-in-touch-with-your-emotions

2026-05-24 21:47:58 UTC

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I recommend Ubik, yes. It's a trip, but you're warned.

2026-05-24 21:33:17 UTC

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Time out of Joint is a decent place to start!
Martian Time-Slip, Clans of the Alphane Moon, The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch, Dr. Bloodmoney.
A Scanner Darkly will break your heart.

2026-05-24 16:06:55 UTC

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My TTRPG company officially died thirty years ago?
I guess I can throw out the business paperwork. #melancholy

2026-05-24 00:52:27 UTC

When you're a creator, your successes vanish but your failures linger forever.
https://cdn.hosted.spacebear.ee/sb-53d788bcd8441bb97cfb7a64f2552521/media_attachments/files/116/626/808/341/616/180/original/75919103129dad7c.jpg

2026-05-24 00:46:44 UTC

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:flan_facepalm:
They say the third time's the charm.
Not sure if the charm is immortality or death, but it's a charm. :flan_luck:

2026-05-23 14:52:39 UTC

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you were inundated with stuff and found mine? wow!

2026-05-23 14:03:54 UTC

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ok then. I'm going with "on brand." Glad you're okay!
Also, looks like you need a new mug...

2026-05-21 02:17:03 UTC

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See also "worked for years to become an overnight success."

2026-05-21 01:30:03 UTC

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This isn't even complete. PKD is a role model among us pulp writers.
Except for the drugs. And five failed marriages. And God striking him in the brain with a phosphine pink laser.
The blue laser I got was MUCH better.

2026-05-20 21:05:31 UTC

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Today's big surprise:
I post something CW'd "dick joke," and the whole fedi didn't immediately leap on it.

2026-05-20 20:56:59 UTC

I have said many times that I have over three feet of Dick.
Turns out it's only thirty-four inches.
I apologize to all the people I have disappointed.
https://cdn.hosted.spacebear.ee/sb-53d788bcd8441bb97cfb7a64f2552521/media_attachments/files/116/608/899/038/420/726/original/45aab8230558a37e.jpg

2026-05-19 14:51:40 UTC

She Who Must Be Obeyed took a bunch of photos of me, trying to get one that's right for a passport.
Losing weight has made shifted my look from "possible psychopath" to "several felonies, goat abuser, probably a Trump fan."
Best if i skip the passport and never leave the house again.

2026-05-19 01:50:39 UTC

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The intellectual consistency is a feature, not a bug.
The smart people spend their time chasing down the logic and missing the real point, while the anti-intellectuals snicker.

2026-05-18 23:59:10 UTC

Trying some essential oil aromatherapy to chill. It's available in many scents!
Think I'll try the chloroform first.

2026-05-18 16:05:04 UTC

If you needed evidence that spammy clankers have no comprehension, here's today's author Laserblasted promo spam:
'the current marketing funnel lacks a high-fidelity cinematic "hook" to instantly establish that "70s Outrageous Sci-Fi" authority.'

2026-05-18 14:57:52 UTC

When management makes unfair demands, what sentences and phrases are statistically likely to follow?
https://futurism.com/artificial-intelligence/crappy-boss-ai-marxist

2026-05-18 12:58:48 UTC

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it's a satirical retelling.

2026-05-18 01:32:11 UTC

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thank you.
see, the difference is I don't try to make my site good. It cannot be good. There are no people like me, so my site is a unicorn.
But every month, I try to make it suck less. One can always achieve less suck.
One day, it will suck so little I can serve it on gopher.

2026-05-18 01:27:27 UTC

Spending the evening bullying another author into fixing his damn web site so I can find the next book in his series.
Yes, yes, pot kettle black.

2026-05-17 18:54:27 UTC

I'm noodling over the final "git commit murder" book, and there's a tidbit that keeps whispering to me but I will absolutely not use.
In book 1 there's a tertiary character that's a blatant self-insert. He's setting, nothing more.
For book 3, part of me wants to have that character return and immediately get killed. We go on to solve the other twisty murders but that guy's murder? It remains unsolved. Nobody remarks on it again. He's dead, and that's fine with everyone.
Funny to me? Yes. Leaves the reader hanging? Also yes. Too meta, won't do it. (Mind you, Midsomer Murders does this crap all the time.)
There! I've spoiled it! Maybe this will expunge the idea?

2026-05-17 18:31:04 UTC

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this is absolutely a spite novel!

2026-05-17 17:54:43 UTC

"I grew up seeing the Laserblast VHS box in the video rental store, and I could sense the Bad radiating from it. I never actually touched it. Then, decades later, MWL found a monkey's paw and wrote this as one of his wishes." -- Goodreads review
It's summer. You need a summer read. Like my latest novel. Because the 1980s *deserve* to be blown up. #ebook #scifi
https://mwl.io/static/books/laserblasted.html

2026-05-16 22:14:24 UTC

RE: https://io.mwl.io/@quotebot/116586550431444800
it's bottlenecks all the way down
#note103q…edj2

2026-05-16 13:56:04 UTC

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Fair is in August.

2026-05-16 01:01:49 UTC

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...goddammit, the Muse just kicked me in the scrote.
"We've got to hold her together or we lose everything..."

2026-05-16 00:54:21 UTC

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Dear Children: blink twice if you need help.

2026-05-16 00:47:07 UTC

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I mean, extraordinary claims DO require extraordinary proof...

2026-05-15 20:40:44 UTC

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Kung fu

2026-05-15 19:53:59 UTC

Tonight's plan: dojo until I feel better. #martialarts
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wdoGVgj1MtY&t=247s

2026-05-15 17:52:59 UTC

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Huh. Mind you, I'll believe it when the check bounces...

2026-05-15 17:40:23 UTC

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what in the name of Dog have those mofos done NOW

2026-05-15 16:28:42 UTC

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Fried my boot loader trying to update it.
#FreeBSD has decades of archives on boot loader updating, which means that searches are full of noise. "gpart bootcode" is not a thing today. Possibly complicated further because this was installed as 14.0 and upgraded to 15.0.
Reboot and got "missing boot loader"
Start over by hand:
gpart add -t efi -s 100M nda0
newfs_msdosfs -F 32 -c 1 /dev/nda0p1
attach to /mnt
mkdir -p /mnt/EFI/BOOT
cp /boot/gptboot.efi /mnt/EFI/BOOT/BOOTX64.efi
Reboot and again: "missing boot loader"
Anyone know the current incantation?

2026-05-15 14:57:38 UTC

Quercy provided Rat Therapy during my outage, so he got a treat for being a very good boy even though he clearly thinks I'm being a drama squeak. Who cares about stupid email, anyway? #petRats #rats
https://cdn.hosted.spacebear.ee/sb-53d788bcd8441bb97cfb7a64f2552521/media_attachments/files/116/579/175/350/649/766/original/c74c34911e9536f6.jpg

2026-05-15 12:26:12 UTC

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dammit

2026-05-15 12:13:34 UTC

One of the few #sysadmin things that worries me any more is updating boot code after a zpool upgrade. #FreeBSD
I'm sure it'll be fine, but if I disappear forever you know what happened.

2026-05-15 11:14:41 UTC

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💔 :ratstand:

2026-05-14 20:32:59 UTC

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I'm glad I could bring you comfort in damnation

2026-05-14 10:36:18 UTC

Do not buy a car from this rat. The seats will be gnawed and it will have a distinct odor of rodent. #petRats #rats
https://cdn.hosted.spacebear.ee/sb-53d788bcd8441bb97cfb7a64f2552521/media_attachments/files/116/572/485/232/159/433/original/d406953179e2f81e.jpg

2026-05-14 00:12:37 UTC

Hey martial arts peeps! New guandao just dropped. Spent the day with it and gotta say, I'm impressed.
https://cdn.hosted.spacebear.ee/sb-53d788bcd8441bb97cfb7a64f2552521/media_attachments/files/116/570/031/674/050/272/original/ad0e07ab453e135c.jpg