Category: Notes
We finally had the chance last night to check out Novo Asian Food Hall in the Strip District. Very cool spot. Since it was our first time, we grabbed several dishes and shared. Solid Banh Mi, delish dumplings, amazing sushi, exquisite ramen and a great bar with local spirits. Highly recommended.
This has been an insane week at work & I feel like I’ve been neglecting you, Fediverse. Next week is shaping up to be equally crazy (traveling), but I am looking forward to dipping my toes in the Pacific Ocean (Do we still call it that?) for the first time & eating some solid tacos in SoCal.
New tunes from Great Grandpa! And a forthcoming full-length due next month! Love this band. Thought they were over. Thankful they’re not!
Holy crap, I slept so hard on this new(ish) Merce Lemon record Watch Me Drive Them Dogs Wild. It would have easily made my top records of ‘24 had I jumped on it sooner.
I’m trying really hard to claw my way back to a consistent running regimen. It’s been tough sledding, with lingering injuries being the story of the past year. I got 5 miles in this morning, but I feel like I’m back at square one after so much time away. The journey begins anew I suppose.
I’ve started importing some very old posts from my previous blogs into the current iteration of Static Made, because historic preservation, ya dig? Revisiting some of these, I’m struck with how much photo quality has progressed in 20 years. This post & photo are from Halloween 2004. Wild.
Pittsburgh dark-pop outfit Animal Scream released their new EP, Otherworldly Pictures, last week and it’s very good. Featuring x-members of The Juliana Theory and The Takeover UK, the new songs are layered, dense and carry some really great melodies. Worth checking out if you dig this vibe.
I must admit, the new Light Phone III has peaked my interest. Have any of you used Light Phone? Thoughts? I currently have my iPhone 12 Mini configured similarly to the Light Phone, but it is starting to die on me and any of these new iPhones with AI slop all up in ’em turn me off.
Achievement unlocked. I handed down a domain I bought decades ago to my son today and he will be using it for his portfolio site. Super cool to see the next generation of the surname URL taking shape! Will drop a link when it’s published.
It’s 3pm on a Friday headed into a long holiday weekend. Why not rip some Neutral Bling Hotel? Finish strong.
How long until login.gov is deprecated in favor of authentication via X?
Less than stellar bouldering session tonight. No flow. Not feeling it. Rather than pushing for more and frustrating myself further, I called it quits early. Sometimes letting go, acknowledging it wasn’t your time and saving yourself for a new day is the best move.
Destroying or creating access barriers to data that was once freely and publicly accessible is the modern equivalent of book burning. History will hold these people to account.
The Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council will begin serving AI slop to their patrons via a customer service chatbot and auto-generated events calendar. This is a bad look for an organization whose mission is to grow “a more resourced, connected, and informed arts sector, empowering artists and arts organizations throughout Southwestern PA.”
Back in 2010, Robin Sloan wrote about the concepts of “stock and flow” as they relate to digital media. This economic metaphor draws lines between the ephemeral stream of updates (flow) and the durable lasting content (stock) that builds value over time.
I think this piece is more important now than ever and – 15 years later – I wrote about how the modern open web can power media that endures.
Huge shout out to the folx at Masto.host for the amazing support delivered during my migration to a self-hosted instance. I am not super technical & they made the transition easy. They replied to support emails within minutes. Recommended for anyone considering self-hosting a Mastodon server.
Come work with me at REI! If you are passionate about the outdoors & product strategy, our Customer Experience team is hiring a Principal Product Manager who will set the course for key customer journeys, including our foundational offering Co-Op Membership. LMK if you have questions!
I got chased by — not one — but two different dogs on this morning’s run. Both left their yards, ran into the street & followed me until I turned around & returned them to their owners. Luckily they were both friendly & there were no passing cars. People, please keep your dogs (& runners) safe!
Super cool! Counterforce has published a punk rock guide to Mastodon & the Fediverse. IMO the Fedi is so tightly aligned to the punk / hardcore / underground ethos and I’m surprised there isn’t more of a punk community established. Maybe this is a start.
Wish Defense, the new release from Chicago-based FACS, is out today. These guys have been in my heavy rotation the past few years and I’m stoked on this new record. Recommended if you like angular, minimal, slightly weird, art rock.