Chan Fry
@chanfry.bsky.social
AKA "Random Chess Person" on YT. Happily married parent of two Texans. Science fiction, chess, DIY, Maidiac. I'm not a stickler for my own pronouns, but I'll respect yours.
Appliances are weird. Our 15-year-old dryer's light hasn't worked for 10 years but today it came on like it's been working the entire time.
November 21, 2025 at 3:10 PM
Appliances are weird. Our 15-year-old dryer's light hasn't worked for 10 years but today it came on like it's been working the entire time.
This tracks. Seriously, who would name their own country "Ancient Greece"?
Historians Admit To Inventing Ancient Greeks https://theonion.com/historians-admit-to-inventing-ancient-greeks-1819571808/
November 20, 2025 at 2:30 AM
This tracks. Seriously, who would name their own country "Ancient Greece"?
Turns out it wasn't today (Monday) either.
I saw several news stories that said civilian employees of the Dept. of Defense would get paid today (Sunday).
It didn't happen.
So we're still crossing our fingers until the un-shutdown government can get its ducks in a row.
It didn't happen.
So we're still crossing our fingers until the un-shutdown government can get its ducks in a row.
November 17, 2025 at 7:08 PM
Turns out it wasn't today (Monday) either.
I saw several news stories that said civilian employees of the Dept. of Defense would get paid today (Sunday).
It didn't happen.
So we're still crossing our fingers until the un-shutdown government can get its ducks in a row.
It didn't happen.
So we're still crossing our fingers until the un-shutdown government can get its ducks in a row.
November 16, 2025 at 11:16 PM
I saw several news stories that said civilian employees of the Dept. of Defense would get paid today (Sunday).
It didn't happen.
So we're still crossing our fingers until the un-shutdown government can get its ducks in a row.
It didn't happen.
So we're still crossing our fingers until the un-shutdown government can get its ducks in a row.
Not "soon". Already been happening for months.
New hip insult you'll be hearing everywhere soon:
"Was this made by Al?"
Especially effective when mentioned while watching a film (especially a big budget one) or listening to the new release of a song (preferably by a big pop star).
"Was this made by Al?"
Especially effective when mentioned while watching a film (especially a big budget one) or listening to the new release of a song (preferably by a big pop star).
November 15, 2025 at 2:06 PM
Not "soon". Already been happening for months.
That's better than my town's library, which is known for being in the "bad" part of town, and has full time cops with metal detectors at the door.
I just saw an online description for a library that said that it was "known for its books."
Damn, I've got to check that place out.
Damn, I've got to check that place out.
November 13, 2025 at 11:57 PM
That's better than my town's library, which is known for being in the "bad" part of town, and has full time cops with metal detectors at the door.
In 1993, I got a speeding ticket for 60 in a 40-mph zone. Still waiting on my presidential pardon.
November 12, 2025 at 1:44 PM
In 1993, I got a speeding ticket for 60 in a 40-mph zone. Still waiting on my presidential pardon.
I get that progressives are upset over the "deal" some senators made. On the other hand, thousands of hard-working govt employees are going without paychecks (incl my household), and we can't hold out forever, hoping for a better deal that the GOP will never make.
November 11, 2025 at 3:10 AM
I get that progressives are upset over the "deal" some senators made. On the other hand, thousands of hard-working govt employees are going without paychecks (incl my household), and we can't hold out forever, hoping for a better deal that the GOP will never make.
I don't think I really understood bicycle gear ratios and why "24 speed!" is just a marketing gimmick until I counted the teeth on my bike's sprockets and made this handy graph. (Upper left is fastest downhill; lower right is easiest uphill.)
November 9, 2025 at 1:33 AM
I don't think I really understood bicycle gear ratios and why "24 speed!" is just a marketing gimmick until I counted the teeth on my bike's sprockets and made this handy graph. (Upper left is fastest downhill; lower right is easiest uphill.)
Why do reporters/editors keep pushing irrelevant CEO opinions on us? If the CEO has an opinion, she can vote like the rest of us.
Citadel CEO Griffin says the people of NYC deserve better than Mamdani's talking points reut.rs/4p0JaA9
Citadel CEO Griffin says the people of NYC deserve better than Mamdani's talking points
Ken Griffin, the CEO of Citadel, said on Wednesday he prays the policies that Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani uses to lead New York City are different from his talking points.
reut.rs
November 6, 2025 at 5:18 PM
Why do reporters/editors keep pushing irrelevant CEO opinions on us? If the CEO has an opinion, she can vote like the rest of us.
Don't worry, I won't cross the picket line.
(True story: it was trying Starbucks coffee 20+ years ago that inspired me to buy a cheap coffee maker and supermarket grounds.)
(True story: it was trying Starbucks coffee 20+ years ago that inspired me to buy a cheap coffee maker and supermarket grounds.)
BREAKING: After months of stonewalling by Starbucks, unionized baristas just voted 92% to authorize a ULP strike unless Starbucks finalizes fair contracts & stops union busting.
If forced, our baristas will strike in dozens of cities on November 13 – the company's busiest sales day of the year.
If forced, our baristas will strike in dozens of cities on November 13 – the company's busiest sales day of the year.
Starbucks unionized workers say they'll strike on Nov. 13 if coffee giant doesn't finalize contract
Union members say they are ready to strike on the chain's Red Cup Day if Starbucks doesn't finalize a contract with their union by then.
www.cbsnews.com
November 6, 2025 at 5:03 PM
Don't worry, I won't cross the picket line.
(True story: it was trying Starbucks coffee 20+ years ago that inspired me to buy a cheap coffee maker and supermarket grounds.)
(True story: it was trying Starbucks coffee 20+ years ago that inspired me to buy a cheap coffee maker and supermarket grounds.)
*reads the news*
My brain: Maybe Skynet was the good guy this whole time.
My brain: Maybe Skynet was the good guy this whole time.
October 24, 2025 at 1:03 PM
*reads the news*
My brain: Maybe Skynet was the good guy this whole time.
My brain: Maybe Skynet was the good guy this whole time.
Further evidence that the U.S. is not a functional nation. I live in a place where the government doesn't even know how to keep itself running.
October 19, 2025 at 2:07 AM
Further evidence that the U.S. is not a functional nation. I live in a place where the government doesn't even know how to keep itself running.
I had no idea this was a "flop". When it came out, my friends and I saw it multiple times and thought it was the best sci-fi movie in years. So much "news" since then makes me say "just like in that movie Strange Days."
It's about time Strange Days finally begins getting the retrospective love and respect it deserves. To me, it's the best pre-Matrix cyberpunk film other than Blade Runner and Robocop, and still better than most cyberpunk films made since.
www.polygon.com/strange-days...
www.polygon.com/strange-days...
30 years ago, Katherine Bigelow made a sci-fi flop that changed her career for the better
Strange Days is a noir-soaked science-fiction thriller set against a backdrop of racial tension, police brutality, sexual assault, and disruptive tech
www.polygon.com
October 15, 2025 at 6:34 PM
I had no idea this was a "flop". When it came out, my friends and I saw it multiple times and thought it was the best sci-fi movie in years. So much "news" since then makes me say "just like in that movie Strange Days."
Unfortunately it's under the Paramount umbrella, and I'm not giving them any money for the foreseeable future.
The new trailer for THE RUNNING MAN is up. My IT guy will post it. I don't "get" posting on Bluesky. That's okay. I've seen the movie, and it's a balls-to-the-wall thrill ride. The feel is like a modern-day DIE HARD.
October 14, 2025 at 1:46 AM
Unfortunately it's under the Paramount umbrella, and I'm not giving them any money for the foreseeable future.
Maybe they meant to say "American popular music", and meant to add "I've made no effort whatsoever to listen to good music lately."
I heard someone on a podcast say that music is boring now and, look, I am saying this as kindly as I can…skill issue.
October 10, 2025 at 4:06 PM
Maybe they meant to say "American popular music", and meant to add "I've made no effort whatsoever to listen to good music lately."
Looking for a fitness tracking app, I spent hours sifting thru "free" (but you have to pay) apps, apps that only track some things, apps that need your email/location in order to function, and apps that didn't work at all.
Turns out the best fitness tracking app is already on my PC: a spreadsheet.
Turns out the best fitness tracking app is already on my PC: a spreadsheet.
October 8, 2025 at 7:48 PM
Looking for a fitness tracking app, I spent hours sifting thru "free" (but you have to pay) apps, apps that only track some things, apps that need your email/location in order to function, and apps that didn't work at all.
Turns out the best fitness tracking app is already on my PC: a spreadsheet.
Turns out the best fitness tracking app is already on my PC: a spreadsheet.
I registered a 32% decrease in stress and an 8% increase in money when I quit flying altogether. Life isn't perfect, but that part, at least, is better now.
One of my boomer opinions is I miss TVs on airplanes. I don’t want to watch movies and tv on my own device! Don’t make me!
September 21, 2025 at 3:54 PM
I registered a 32% decrease in stress and an 8% increase in money when I quit flying altogether. Life isn't perfect, but that part, at least, is better now.
Day 830-something of wishing I'd seen Band-Maid live in Austin when they were last in the Western Hemisphere (2023).
September 14, 2025 at 5:19 PM
Day 830-something of wishing I'd seen Band-Maid live in Austin when they were last in the Western Hemisphere (2023).
I don't always go to CVS, but when I do, they give me a 28+ inch long receipt for three items.
September 13, 2025 at 5:42 PM
I don't always go to CVS, but when I do, they give me a 28+ inch long receipt for three items.
I'm not at all surprised at the speedy shutdown of public discourse by the side that complained loudest about "cancel culture". But I am surprised at how many adults forgot to self-censor.
apnews.com/article/dowd...
apnews.com/article/dowd...
Matthew Dowd's firing begins flood of people facing consequences for their comments on Kirk's death
Former MSNBC analyst Matthew Dowd opened a floodgate of people who faced consequences for statements in the media — social or otherwise — in the wake of conservative activist Charlie Kirk's assassinat...
apnews.com
September 12, 2025 at 12:27 PM
I'm not at all surprised at the speedy shutdown of public discourse by the side that complained loudest about "cancel culture". But I am surprised at how many adults forgot to self-censor.
apnews.com/article/dowd...
apnews.com/article/dowd...
Not that this site's "Discover" feed has ever played to my interests, but it's been down for me all morning, both on the app and in my PC browser.
September 8, 2025 at 3:59 PM
Not that this site's "Discover" feed has ever played to my interests, but it's been down for me all morning, both on the app and in my PC browser.
Every day is a good day to make sure your child's phone has parental controls installed, and that they don't have access to your credit card(s).
japantoday.com/category/nat...
japantoday.com/category/nat...
Parents of 10-year-old in Kyoto who spent ¥4.6 million on TikTok and more seek reimbursement
It’s not uncommon for exhausted parents to let their kids play on a smartphone as a quick and easy way to provide a distraction. We can only imagine, however, the reaction of one set of parents in Kyoto when they finally realized exactly what their son had been up to…
japantoday.com
September 8, 2025 at 12:48 PM
Every day is a good day to make sure your child's phone has parental controls installed, and that they don't have access to your credit card(s).
japantoday.com/category/nat...
japantoday.com/category/nat...
Quite an interesting read, from someone I only knew of previously as "that guy who dresses up as a green pawn".
A chess prodigy trapped in a religious cult.
Read our Co-founder and Chief Chess Officer @danielrensch.chess.com's story with @theguardian.com , and learn more in his book, 'Dark Squares'. ♟️
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2025/sep/07/chess-prodigy-trapped-religious-cult-danny-rensch
Read our Co-founder and Chief Chess Officer @danielrensch.chess.com's story with @theguardian.com , and learn more in his book, 'Dark Squares'. ♟️
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2025/sep/07/chess-prodigy-trapped-religious-cult-danny-rensch
September 7, 2025 at 6:00 PM
Quite an interesting read, from someone I only knew of previously as "that guy who dresses up as a green pawn".
I stopped because of the assigned seating. Previously, if the person next to me was an antisocial jackass, I would simply move to another seat, but that's no longer an option.
Reasons people disdain going to the movies:
The endless advertisements, now even in the middle of previews.
The endless previews, with no regard for audience targeting (don't show a kids movie preview during a horror movie!).
1/2
The endless advertisements, now even in the middle of previews.
The endless previews, with no regard for audience targeting (don't show a kids movie preview during a horror movie!).
1/2
September 5, 2025 at 1:23 PM
I stopped because of the assigned seating. Previously, if the person next to me was an antisocial jackass, I would simply move to another seat, but that's no longer an option.