@dpbsmith.bsky.social
Badlands National Park, 2016. Long camping road trip, Boston to Yellowstone and back, but really Badlands was the highlight of the trip.
November 9, 2025 at 10:58 PM
Badlands National Park, 2016. Long camping road trip, Boston to Yellowstone and back, but really Badlands was the highlight of the trip.
Gooseberry Badlands, near Worland, WY.
November 8, 2025 at 2:06 AM
Gooseberry Badlands, near Worland, WY.
The only "emergency" is Trump's collection of tariffs which might need to be refunded. But the tariffs were collected from American businesses and, if refunded will be refunded to American business. The money would stay within the US and refunding it would not be an economic catastrophe.
November 5, 2025 at 6:01 PM
The only "emergency" is Trump's collection of tariffs which might need to be refunded. But the tariffs were collected from American businesses and, if refunded will be refunded to American business. The money would stay within the US and refunding it would not be an economic catastrophe.
ISN'T THAT A LOW-FLUSH TOILET? Did Trump install a low-flush toilet in the renovated bathroom of the Lincoln Bedroom? Isn't we worried that his honored guests will "need to flush ten times?"
November 5, 2025 at 3:18 PM
ISN'T THAT A LOW-FLUSH TOILET? Did Trump install a low-flush toilet in the renovated bathroom of the Lincoln Bedroom? Isn't we worried that his honored guests will "need to flush ten times?"
Save me from badly integrated IT systems. My 2025 Toyota Camry has a dashboard clock. Although the car is connected to the Internet, to satellites, and to my smartphone, it is unable to automatically adjust the clock for the time change. The time cannot be set by any of twenty-odd settings groups
November 2, 2025 at 10:13 PM
Save me from badly integrated IT systems. My 2025 Toyota Camry has a dashboard clock. Although the car is connected to the Internet, to satellites, and to my smartphone, it is unable to automatically adjust the clock for the time change. The time cannot be set by any of twenty-odd settings groups
Donald Trump wants the US to resume bomb tests. But he's my age, he remembers ATMOSPHERIC testing. Bomb tests were tourist attractions. Announcers said "Welcome to the valley where we grow the giant mushrooms!" He loves spectacle. I bet he will demand ATMOSPHERIC testing when he figures that out.
October 30, 2025 at 12:53 PM
Donald Trump wants the US to resume bomb tests. But he's my age, he remembers ATMOSPHERIC testing. Bomb tests were tourist attractions. Announcers said "Welcome to the valley where we grow the giant mushrooms!" He loves spectacle. I bet he will demand ATMOSPHERIC testing when he figures that out.
The last poem in Carl Sandburg's "The People, Yes," slightly abridged for Bluesky's three-minute limit. "The people will live on. The learning and blundering people will live on. They will be tricked and again sold, and go back to the nourishing earth for rootholds.
October 28, 2025 at 12:38 PM
The last poem in Carl Sandburg's "The People, Yes," slightly abridged for Bluesky's three-minute limit. "The people will live on. The learning and blundering people will live on. They will be tricked and again sold, and go back to the nourishing earth for rootholds.
It was a big deal in 1962 when all three networks aired "A Tour of the White House with Mrs. John F. Kennedy." Donald Trump would have been 15. I think the ballroom is about Camelot envy. If it is completed, I fully expect Donald Trump to conduct a TV "Tour of the White House with Donald Trump."
October 26, 2025 at 12:22 AM
It was a big deal in 1962 when all three networks aired "A Tour of the White House with Mrs. John F. Kennedy." Donald Trump would have been 15. I think the ballroom is about Camelot envy. If it is completed, I fully expect Donald Trump to conduct a TV "Tour of the White House with Donald Trump."
My language companion in Peru hadn't heard about the destruction of a third of The White House, found it difficult to believe, and said "This couldn't happen in Lima because there are laws against changing historic buildings."
October 24, 2025 at 10:24 PM
My language companion in Peru hadn't heard about the destruction of a third of The White House, found it difficult to believe, and said "This couldn't happen in Lima because there are laws against changing historic buildings."
The web page describing the White House tour begins by explaining that "The site of the new ballroom will be where the small, heavily changed, and reconstructed East Wing currently sits." But it then goes on to say "Tours of The White House include the public rooms in the East Wing!"
October 22, 2025 at 11:06 PM
The web page describing the White House tour begins by explaining that "The site of the new ballroom will be where the small, heavily changed, and reconstructed East Wing currently sits." But it then goes on to say "Tours of The White House include the public rooms in the East Wing!"
Little kids are going to see the diarrhea-bombing video. Some of them are going to be disturbed by it. Nightmare-disturbed. Too-scared-to-ask-parents-about-it disturbed. They will NOT understand that the President only bombs bad people. Or will think that if they are bad, it could happen to them.
October 22, 2025 at 4:40 PM
Little kids are going to see the diarrhea-bombing video. Some of them are going to be disturbed by it. Nightmare-disturbed. Too-scared-to-ask-parents-about-it disturbed. They will NOT understand that the President only bombs bad people. Or will think that if they are bad, it could happen to them.
Why is it called a "ballroom" when the only purpose ever mentioned for it is dining?
October 22, 2025 at 1:41 PM
Why is it called a "ballroom" when the only purpose ever mentioned for it is dining?
"In February 2024, [Paul] Ingrassia wrote: 'The founding fathers were wrong that all men are created equal … We need to reject that part of our heritage.'" That's not "joking" language.
www.politico.com/news/2025/10...
www.politico.com/news/2025/10...
Trump nominee says MLK Jr. holiday belongs in ‘hell’ and that he has ‘Nazi streak,’ according to texts
Paul Ingrassia’s bid to lead a whistleblower agency is set for a Senate confirmation hearing Thursday.
www.politico.com
October 21, 2025 at 10:35 PM
"In February 2024, [Paul] Ingrassia wrote: 'The founding fathers were wrong that all men are created equal … We need to reject that part of our heritage.'" That's not "joking" language.
www.politico.com/news/2025/10...
www.politico.com/news/2025/10...
I ache for at least one Trump supporter to say something like "I still support Trump, but I could have done without the diarrhea-bombing video."
October 19, 2025 at 11:11 PM
I ache for at least one Trump supporter to say something like "I still support Trump, but I could have done without the diarrhea-bombing video."
The price OF EGGS does seem to be down. They weren't up because of Biden, they aren't down because of Trump--but they are down. Oddly, Republicans aren't trumpeting this--probably because ALL OTHER grocery prices are up, so they'd like to avoid discussing groceries.
October 19, 2025 at 4:26 PM
The price OF EGGS does seem to be down. They weren't up because of Biden, they aren't down because of Trump--but they are down. Oddly, Republicans aren't trumpeting this--probably because ALL OTHER grocery prices are up, so they'd like to avoid discussing groceries.
Someone needs to tell Donald Trump that the Nobel Economics medal weighs ten grams more than the Peace medal. THAT should get him going.
October 17, 2025 at 7:51 PM
Someone needs to tell Donald Trump that the Nobel Economics medal weighs ten grams more than the Peace medal. THAT should get him going.
A originalist legal scholar whom the Supreme Court often cites wrote a "bombshell" article denying the "unitary executive" concept. The knell of democracy is that the NYT says "the new article is unlikely to have a practical effect."
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/13/u...
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/13/u...
Originalist ‘Bombshell’ Complicates Case on Trump’s Power to Fire Officials
www.nytimes.com
October 13, 2025 at 1:45 PM
A originalist legal scholar whom the Supreme Court often cites wrote a "bombshell" article denying the "unitary executive" concept. The knell of democracy is that the NYT says "the new article is unlikely to have a practical effect."
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/13/u...
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/13/u...
"Trump Administration Will Rehire Scores of Experts Fired in Error"
Friday’s layoffs swept up scientists involved in responding to the measles outbreak and running an influential journal. An official acknowledged the mistakes on Saturday." This is 100% on Russell Vought.
Friday’s layoffs swept up scientists involved in responding to the measles outbreak and running an influential journal. An official acknowledged the mistakes on Saturday." This is 100% on Russell Vought.
October 12, 2025 at 12:15 AM
"Trump Administration Will Rehire Scores of Experts Fired in Error"
Friday’s layoffs swept up scientists involved in responding to the measles outbreak and running an influential journal. An official acknowledged the mistakes on Saturday." This is 100% on Russell Vought.
Friday’s layoffs swept up scientists involved in responding to the measles outbreak and running an influential journal. An official acknowledged the mistakes on Saturday." This is 100% on Russell Vought.
What I want to know is why alien foreign Briticisms are creeping into our All-American English. For example... why is an injection now a "jab" when it always used to be a "shot?"
October 8, 2025 at 8:45 PM
What I want to know is why alien foreign Briticisms are creeping into our All-American English. For example... why is an injection now a "jab" when it always used to be a "shot?"
I was puzzled as to how "rocking" a piece of clothing can mean "wearing" it, until I realized that it makes exactly as much sense as "sporting" it.
October 7, 2025 at 12:58 PM
I was puzzled as to how "rocking" a piece of clothing can mean "wearing" it, until I realized that it makes exactly as much sense as "sporting" it.
Remember the "generic" supermarket items briefly popular in supermarkets in the early 1980s, possibly a response to inflation? They were typically cans with all-white labels and no brand name, simply carrying a word like "peas" or "corn" on them. They often used a typeface resembling a stencil,
October 7, 2025 at 1:56 AM
Remember the "generic" supermarket items briefly popular in supermarkets in the early 1980s, possibly a response to inflation? They were typically cans with all-white labels and no brand name, simply carrying a word like "peas" or "corn" on them. They often used a typeface resembling a stencil,
Waves of topics seem to come and go, without obvious reason. One week, posts about cats; then a lot about dreams people say they had; then a lot about autism. I can't relate these to posts I've marked "like." Am I doing something to attract these topics, or is that just how Bluesky is?
October 6, 2025 at 8:40 PM
Waves of topics seem to come and go, without obvious reason. One week, posts about cats; then a lot about dreams people say they had; then a lot about autism. I can't relate these to posts I've marked "like." Am I doing something to attract these topics, or is that just how Bluesky is?
Old guy here. PLEASE tell me that there are young programmers who care about getting stuff done with a minimum of bugs, not just flamewarring about language snobbery.
October 6, 2025 at 3:05 PM
Old guy here. PLEASE tell me that there are young programmers who care about getting stuff done with a minimum of bugs, not just flamewarring about language snobbery.
I remember how exciting the special effects were in "Destination Moon" (1950), particular one scene where they solve some critical problem by opening oxygen cylinders and using them for propulsion. They are floating, they crack the valve, something sprays out and hisses, and they move the other way!
October 3, 2025 at 12:58 AM
I remember how exciting the special effects were in "Destination Moon" (1950), particular one scene where they solve some critical problem by opening oxygen cylinders and using them for propulsion. They are floating, they crack the valve, something sprays out and hisses, and they move the other way!
The wonders of technology have brought us the Virtual Locked Groove. Please, if you have music on hold, and your server farm can't spare space for more than 30 seconds of music, and ten-minutes holds are common, choose and edit the music to that the loop repeats at a natural place in the music.
September 25, 2025 at 2:03 PM
The wonders of technology have brought us the Virtual Locked Groove. Please, if you have music on hold, and your server farm can't spare space for more than 30 seconds of music, and ten-minutes holds are common, choose and edit the music to that the loop repeats at a natural place in the music.