The Mandelbear's Musings

Done Since 2026-03-29

Sun, 05 Apr 2026 21:14:25 GMT

I walked every day this week! And they were good walks -- the shortest was .64km. We'll see whether I can keep it up. My blood count is still low (as of my appointment Wednesday), but it's stable and high enough that they aren't going to recommend a bone marrow biopsy. Whew! I mentioned the hip/back pain that limits my walking; I need to ask my GP for a referral to PT.

On the other hand, they didn't have my compression socks ready by my Tuesday appointment, so it got rescheduled to next week. Another week of uncomfortable leg wraps. Still better than it was before they started.

Still no action on Lizzy's repair or Scarlett's charger.

I posted a Songs for Saturday yesterday -- the last post tagged with s4s was in January. I need to write more.

Linkies: Desolation (One Small Step) by Mike Whitaker made me cry. And from Friday, A Dandelion on the Seder Plate - Keshet For trans love and celebration.

And then there's What’s The Difference between Utopia, Eutopia and Protopia? In case you were wondering what Naomi's book -- subtitled "Stories from a protopian future" -- is all about.

( Notes & links, as usual )

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Songs for Saturday: The oldest known song

Sat, 04 Apr 2026 15:03:51 GMT

... is Hurrian Hymn #6, addressed to the goddess Nikkal (wife of the moon god Nanna) and dates to around 1400 BCE.

Here it is on YouTube. The actual song, with lyrics in Hurrian and English, starts around 8:20. That's what I encountered first.

Here's an article on OpenCulture.com, which quite a few different videos; the first of which has the lyrics all on one screen (under the cut). I'm going to assume that the song is public domain. By a lot. The article has a quite a few good related links.

( lyrics, if you don't want to click through: )

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Thankful Thursday

Thu, 02 Apr 2026 16:35:40 GMT

Today I am thankful for...

The successful launch of NASA's Artemis II mission.
Contact forms -- when they work.
The fact that I can dry-roast almonds in the microwave.
For that matter, microwave ovens. And convection ovens. And let's not forget dishwashers and other kitchen appliances we didn't have when I was a kid.
Blue cheese.

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Rabbit rabbit rabbit!

Wed, 01 Apr 2026 07:22:34 GMT

Welcome to March 32, 2026!

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Done Since 2026-03-22

Sun, 29 Mar 2026 12:05:29 GMT

Not a bad week, though not nearly as productive as it should have been. (I know -- I shouldn't should myself. But still, some stuff needs to get done.) I have noticed that my brain doesn't distinguish well between work and health-care-related stuff like appointments. And to be fair there have been a lot of those. Explanation, not excuse.

Part of the problem may be that writing and music aren't getting done because they're prioritized behind tax and other business paperwork, email, phone calls, and similar unpleasant and sometimes difficult things. So while I'm "busy" not doing those, the more pleasant things aren't getting done either.

I did walk six out of the seven days last week, so there's that. And I got (laptop)Lilac configured to the point of being usable on extended trips. (See Tuesday.) That's probably worth a curmudgeon post at some point -- it involved setting up an encrypted directory tree, and installing a DongleHider+ to put the (Logitech)mouse and (Lenovo)keyboard dongles on the same expansion slot.

From Monday, A Boy And His Atom: The World's Smallest Movie. From Tuesday, Geneva's CERN takes antiprotons for a spin in a never-before-tried test (there has to be a country music filk in there somewhere). Also, did you know there's a Socks Wiki?

( Notes & links, as usual )

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Thankful Thursday

Thu, 26 Mar 2026 14:05:37 GMT

Today I am thankful for...

A safe trip home (Saturday afternoon through Sunday morning).
Finding out from my urologist yesterday that my bladder appears to be fully operational. NO thanks for my pelvic floor needing more exercise. I hate exercise.
x2x (1) and ssh (1), letting you share your keyboard and mouse seamlessly between two linux boxes.
Enough space in the kitchen area for two recycling bins.
A plethora of chargers with known locations, that I can lay hands on if I need one. (I also have a plethora of corresponding cables, but I don't know where all of them are.)

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Done Since 2026-03-15

Sun, 22 Mar 2026 14:44:45 GMT

Not a bad week. Home from the US Sunday noonish (was not keeping careful track, because at that point I'd been more than 24 hours without sleep). Predictably, sleeping better (or at least longer) than usual all week. Walks 6 days out of 7, plus bonus st/roll with N and (new scooter)Gizmo on Wednesday.

Gizmo is heavier than Lizzy, and doesn't fold as well, but he's more than twice as fast. N went and bought a helmet -- purple with flowers. Her name is Kore, which is "Colleen" translated from Irish to Greek. Lizzy is still in the shop - no telling when she'll be back. Yes, we name a lot of our stuff.

N and I have been checking out book marketers. A bit expensive, but we want to do a good launch for her next one, and need someone who knows what they're doing.

Linkies: 41-Year-Old Woman Celebrates One Year With Her AI Octopus Boyfriend and Says She’s “Fully Satisfied”

( Notes & links, as usual )

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Thankful Thursday

Thu, 19 Mar 2026 10:00:59 GMT

Today I am thankful for...

Colleen, whose birthday was Monday. We had about fifty years together, and most of that time was good. Even the bad times taught me a lot.
My kids, and a chance to sit down with them and eat ramen for lunch. NO thanks to the sushi place that was closed for the afternoon because of a little snow. In Seattle?! Come on!
J, M, et. al., who gave me a place to stay last week. Also, being able to sleep in unfamiliar places. Also, CPAP.
Whales.
Translation software built into browsers and phones. And flashlights built into phones. One less thing to carry.

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Done Since 2026-03-08

Sun, 15 Mar 2026 21:37:32 GMT

Note: I haven't had more than a short nap in over 36 hours. So this is going to be a really short and possibly incoherent post.

The main thing this week was my (short) trip to the US -- first solo transatlantic flight. Far easier than I'd been afraid it would be. The bank errands didn;t get run, but I got to the Wednesday grief group gathering in Third Place Commans, got my driver's license renewed (and had a nice long chat with MG from the Tuesday group, while she drove me down to the DOL in Tukwilla), and had lunch with my kids on my (79th) birthday. The sushi place was closed, but we went next door and had ramen and pork buns.

I took Lilac, and got everything done that needed to be done, but it was a struggle. Some scattered commentary below. There are links below but you'll have to dig them out yourself -- I'm going to bed. With my cats.

( Notes & links, as usual )

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Thankful Friday March Thirteenth (79)

Sat, 14 Mar 2026 02:26:18 GMT

ags: thanks, birthday, travel Picture: turkey Music: Mongol birthday song, of course Mood: grateful Location: the

Today is my 79th birthday. I am thankful for...

Making it this far, alive and I suppose about as well as can be expected, for someone who doesn't really take good care of themself.
An uneventful flight to the US, without any of the problems at the border that I was worried about. NO thanks for apparently-current-limited back-of-seat power sockets.
Having remembered to bring extra-absorbent paper underwear. NO thanks for forgetting toenail clippers and a multitool, among other things.
Uber, Lyft, and Crown Limo.
A ride to my DOL (Department of Licensing) appointment, with good conversation.

NO thanks for mid-March snow -- isn't it almost spring now?

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Done Since 2026-03-01

Sun, 08 Mar 2026 16:10:48 GMT

Hello, welcome to Women's History Month, which started last Sunday, and International Women's Day, which is today. See also, EFF: Admiring Our Heroes for International Women’s Day: Five Women In Tech That EFF Admires

Not a great week, but on the whole not too bad. Next week will either be pretty good, or a disaster, depending. See below.

There was also the little matter of my monthly pension deposit not arriving, because the address confirmation mail they sent was busy chasing me across two continents. Blarg, but sorted out now. Good thing I'm on a new blood pressure prescription. Which has not been delivered, but fortunately I have enough to get me through the week.

I have spent the entire week worrying about my impending trip to Seattle on Tuesday (coming back a week from yesterday). In addition to worrying about the possibility of getting sick in a country without good health insurance, and other problems it might be best not to mention in public right now, there's the fact that my nice new Travelpro suitcase is 5cm too wide to fit Delta's carry-on requirements. So I'll have to check it. Fortunately my meds all fit in my (old) CPAP case, under the (new) CPAP.

I'll be taking the new Framework 12 laptop. First time traveling with it, so we'll see. There's a lot of state on my Thinkpad, including way too many open tabs in Firefox. Things may be a trifle inconvenient for a while.

We're getting a new scooter tomorrow; Lizzy goes into the shop on Wednesday, and apparently Scarlett is still being worked on.

Linkies: Guide to U.S. Expat Taxes in the Netherlands | H&R Block; HoS qul (The Fire is Strong) | Klingon Warpgrass (Lyric Video) - YouTube, Fritz Lang's 'Metropolis': Milestone in science fiction film,

( Notes & links, as usual )

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Thankful Thursday

Thu, 05 Mar 2026 17:08:08 GMT

Today I am thankful for...

Being in what the medical people I've spoken to lately say is reasonably good health for my age. My blood pressure has responded well to my latest prescription (10mg/day of lisinopril). But walking more than .75km hurts, and I am NOT thankful for that.
Ginger, garlic, chocolate, and coffee. And other tasty things too numerous to mention.
Free faxing with Dropbox.
My mail finally catching up with me. (Too late to prevent problems, but hopefully not too late to prevent disaster.)
My support groups.

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"Rabbit rabbit rabbit!"

Mon, 02 Mar 2026 07:35:42 GMT

Welcome to March, 2026! Beware the Ides!

Does this count if it's a day late? OK, it's still the first in Seattle. I'll take it.

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Done Since 2026-02-22

Sun, 01 Mar 2026 14:08:52 GMT

Not a very good week. Lots of anxiety -- my impending trip to Seattle, income tax, events in the world, and phone calls to repair places. We got (scooter)Lizzy back from getting her flat tire repaired, but now she has an electrical problem and won't go. We were supposed to get Scarlett-the-carlet back this week, but she still has an electrical problem. I need to make another call about Lizzy. Tomorrow.

On the other hand, I did go for a walk six days out of seven this week. It's better than usual, and about time. The only way I can do it appears to be going out before breakfast. Any later and I run into deliveries and appointments.

Substack is using Persona for age verification -- that's the same one that exposed 700,000 Discord users' data a while back. So has LinkedIn. There are plenty of good alternatives to Substack -- you're reading one right now. Discord is another matter, but people are looking. In either case, moving a community never goes well.

I've ordered a copy of "The Magic of Code" by Samuel Arbesman. See also, The World Inside the Crystal. I started working on a book based on that idea, a long time ago.

If you're an Emacs user you might want to look at This bad -- it says so on the tin -- version of emacs implemented purely from Unix shell commands I'm not sure I would advise it. If you're a web developer, you definitely shouldn't look at this 8086 emulation written entirely in CSS and HTML5. There are some things...

If you're into sewing, you definitely should take a look at FreeSewing, a collection of free parametric sewing patterns.

( Notes & links, as usual )

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Thankful Thursday

Thu, 26 Feb 2026 16:37:55 GMT

Today I am thankful for...

Getting Scarlet repaired under warranty by the dealer. I'll be more thankful when we finally get her back. NO thanks for me not being persistant enough contacting Lizzy's dealer -- we sent her out to some random scooter repair place to get a flat tire fixed, and she came back broken. Might be related to an intermittent glitch we've noticed. But still...
Tea. Particularly genmaicha, 100g of which arrived at the house only a few minutes ago.
Also coffee.
Successfully trouble-shooting (home server)Nova -- turned out to be a bad power supply.
Mathematical rabbit-holes. Or else not so thankful, because they take up time that might otherwise be productive
Speed controls on videos. (Except for music videos, of course.)

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Done Since 2026-02-15

Sun, 22 Feb 2026 16:16:32 GMT

It's been a rather stressful week, and most of the time I've been very down on myself, mostly for procrastination. But I got through it. I think I'm supposed to count that as a win, even though it doesn't feel like it.

I did figure something out, though. I often (usually?) procrastinate things that may require a decision, because when I finally get around to them the decision often (usually?) turns out to be wrong. (The decision is sometimes to skip something with a time limit, and then regretting not going for it while I had the chance. Same thing.)

Now that Discord has started age-gating NSFW channels and servers, many people (including me) are looking for alternatives. Especially since it was revealed that their age verification vendor Persona left frontend exposed, researchers say. In particular, people are looking for open source alternatives, since those are less likely to be enshittified in the future. We have some time, because most fannish discord communities have few, if any, NSFW channels, and because moving a community is always an extremely lossy process (as those of us who left LJ for DW remember well) and not to be undertaken lightly.

It's concievable that matterbridge could help hold things togather. Not counting on it. I hate this timeline.

You should also replace links that use archive.today, which includes archive.ph et.al., which I have lots of links to. That's going to take a long time. See also Wikipedia blacklists Archive.today, starts removing 695,000 archive links.

Links: You can find Babylon 5 on YouTube HERE. OpenFactBook - Country Data & Statistics is the replacement for the CIA's recently-shut-down World Factbook.

( Notes & links, as usual )

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Thankful Thursday

Thu, 19 Feb 2026 15:25:02 GMT

Today I am thankful for...

Getting Scarlett-the-Carlet back (hopefully today, assuming I didn't misunderstand the phone call from the dealer). NO thanks for (folding scooter)Lizzy getting a flat tire.
Naproxen. NO thanks for my lower back.
The microscopic fungi that make bread, booze, and blue cheese. Also the mostly macroscopic ones that produce edible mushrooms and other delights.
Naomi's book finally getting a review. It's a start.

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Done Since 2026-02-08

Sun, 15 Feb 2026 12:08:44 GMT

Well, happy cheap-filled-chocolates-in-heart-shaped-boxes day, for those in a position to take advantage of it. And I hope that any of you who celebrated yesterday had a good Valentine's day, and that the rest of us got through it okay. It isn't a good day for the bereft. The last few days haven't been all that good for my back, either -- no idea what I did to cause muscle spasms, but I wish I hadn't.

I did accomplish a few things last week: getting my legs wrapped in elastic ("Ace") bandages to reduce the swelling, setting up a trip to the US next month (in time to renew my driver's license), taking three walks (not all that good, but something at least), and one guitar practice session (also not all that good, but something).

For those folks affected, or soon to be affected, by Discord's new age checks, or worried about further enshittification over the next year or three, there are some lists of alternatives under the cut for your edification. Almost all on Friday, along with some more commentary. A couple on Tuesday. Tl;dr: there isn't an obvious drop-in replacement, but Stoat comes close and is under active development.

Also of note: A legendary golden fabric lost for 2,000 years has been brought back: it's made from pen shell byssus, which was previously discarded as waste. The color is non-fading because it's structural. Other good news, EU Parliament 🇪🇺 votes to accept a report, that calls for "the full recognition of trans women as women".

( Notes & links, as usual )

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Thankful Thursday

Thu, 12 Feb 2026 13:17:11 GMT

Today I am thankful for...

Finding my lab form and other medical paperwork (right where I left them while packing for my last trip).
Getting compression stockings prescribed for my leg swelling, and home care (paid for by insurance) leading up to getting measured for the above. No thanks for the prescription for amlodipine last year that's probably what caused it.
Also thanks for the problem being easily treatable and not a symptom of something worse.
Getting off my arse and getting plane tickets for a trip to Seattle next month, which includes having lunch with my kids on my birthday.
Having a second machine, Panther, that has Python2 on it. NO thanks for Nova suddenly not booting -- it's probably something trivial, but with Panther running I don't need to care this week. (The ancient program I use at the end of my DW posting toolchain is written in Python2.)

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Done Since 2026-02-02

Sun, 08 Feb 2026 16:26:46 GMT

I seem to have spent a lot of this week catching up on the sleep debt from Contabile plus the overnight ferry trip (three and a half; my usual is more like six). The con itself was a good one -- I had fun, and did some singing. Only three walks as such; however the ferry's gangway is long enough that it counts as walks for Monday and Tuesday, especially the 4.2k steps on Monday. (My goal is 3k/day, and I usually at least come close on days when I actually get out of the house and walk.)

I didn't post about it at the time, but my father died 27 years ago last Thursday. I still find myself wanting to call him to tell him about some recent development in software or science. He got me interested in both, along with science fiction. And wine. He got interested in wine and gourmet cooking to have something interesting to talk about at parties.

Links: Germany and Denmark Just Fired Microsoft: 15 Million Euros Saved | by Can Artuc and Microsoft's Quiet Exodus: Why Enterprise Developers Are Abandoning Windows for Linux Workstations (the last one is from Don Marti, who is well worth following).

And of course Meet Tombili: Istanbul’s Most Famous Street Cat And His Iconic Statue.

( Notes & links, as usual )

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Thankful Thursday

Thu, 05 Feb 2026 15:58:18 GMT

Today I am thankful for...

Finally getting a phone call made, and finding that (as usual) it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. NO thanks to my phone phobia -- should have done it a month ago.
The Harwich - Hoek van Holland ferry. Would be more thankful if the night run afforded more time to actually sleep.
Ordering stuff online.
A nice warm fuzzy blanket to wrap myself in. NO thanks for a body that feels cold in the evening no matter what the air temperature is. ALSO no thanks for deliveries that make me get out of my nice warm fuzzy blanket to answer the door.
Good Drugs.
Filk cons I can get to by public transit.

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Done Since 2026-01-25

Tue, 03 Feb 2026 09:04:04 GMT

Note that this was written on Monday, 2 February, but is being posted on Tuesday the 3rd because posting from just my laptop is tedious and I have no confidencs in Sable's ability to stay up long enough.

Despite it being disaster season, it's been a pretty good week, modulo exhausting travel and (voluntarily) limited sleep, all thanks to Contabile, the main UK filk convention. N and m went last year; this year we all went (m traveling separately because they're living in the UK now). It's been a very good weekend, and not a bad week before that.

As usual, I'm unlikely to write a separate trip report later (one can hope, but...). The trip was definitely an adventure, taking the ferry from Hoek de Holland to Harwich, then two trains and a cab to the con hotel. The premium lounge on the ferry serves surprisingly good food. So does the con hotel, the Wensum Valley Hotel, about a 20 minute cab ride outside Norwich.

My travel planning and prep has definitely declined. The biggest problem was taking a laptop with a grossly inadequate batter -- I should have taken (Framework 12)Lilac, instead of (Thinkpad x230)Sable, which is definitely showing its age, and has a usable batter life measured in minutes. The list of forgotten stuff is under the cut following the entry for Friday.

( Notes & links, as usual )

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Rabbit rabbit rabbit!

Sun, 01 Feb 2026 09:56:48 GMT

Welcome to February, 2026!

Because I am at a con, the weekly "done since" post will be put off to Monday. Also see yesterday's s4s post for today's remembered disaster.

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Songs for Saturday: Disaster season

Sat, 31 Jan 2026 07:39:52 GMT

Music: see post Picture: freas Location: Mood: distressed

Late January through early February is not a good time of year. My mother-in-law died January 20, 1999. My father died a little over two weeks later, on February 5th. In between, we had Challenger, 40 years ago on the 28th (last Wednesday), and Columbia, 23 years ago tomorrow. Meanwhile people are being killed in the US by the Mad King's gang of thugs. So, in order:

The Stuff that Dreams are Made Of -- written for my father, but applies equally well to my late mother-in-law, Shirley Hentzell. I sang it for him a couple of months before he died.
Keep the Dream Alive Written a couple of days after the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster. That was the second Challenger song I wrote; the first was Thrill-Seeker's Waltz. Sorry about that.
Rainbow's Edge written specifically for my father. tl;dr: Dad was highly influential in the field of infrared spectroscopy. See the notes at the end of the lyrics page for more details.
Rocket Rider's Prayer was written in 1986. The line in the fifth verse, beginning "better pray to Hell's own Pluto..." was not intended to be prophetic of what happened to Columbia.
Bruce Springsteen - Streets Of Minneapolis (Official Audio)

Recordings on Bandcamp hopefully in about a week.

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Thankful Friday

Fri, 30 Jan 2026 10:23:51 GMT

Today I am thankful for...

Having lived long enough to see some of my younger co-workers retire.
Being able to walk well enough to handle the rather long trips to and from the ferry, leaving Lizzy for N to use.
Being able to get by on under 6 hours of sleep most of the time.
Good meals on the ferry, and breakfast in the convention hotel today.

NO thanks for Sable's crappy battery, which is even worse than I expected.

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