Rob Tow
@robtow.bsky.social
Ex Xerox PARC scientist and part-time New Mexico desert rat.
This sort of thing is why I run my own Linux email server, under my own domain.
Since 1989.
Since 1989.
November 21, 2025 at 8:54 PM
This sort of thing is why I run my own Linux email server, under my own domain.
Since 1989.
Since 1989.
Let’s not neglect application of the Maillard reaction.
November 21, 2025 at 2:36 PM
Let’s not neglect application of the Maillard reaction.
Don't forget the hair.
November 19, 2025 at 11:52 PM
Don't forget the hair.
Clearly this is a "sincerely held religious belief", and therefore must be deferred to. Despite evidence.
November 19, 2025 at 11:26 PM
Clearly this is a "sincerely held religious belief", and therefore must be deferred to. Despite evidence.
Have you considered emigrating to Solaria?
November 14, 2025 at 10:17 PM
Have you considered emigrating to Solaria?
I encountered RFK Jr - in an unpleasant way - back around the millennium, in a discussion on The Hacker's List about North Korea and why they would want BOTH U235 enrichment AND plutonium (Hint: think W54 design). Once he sensed he was technically wrong he went into innuendo and character attacks.
October 31, 2025 at 5:57 PM
I encountered RFK Jr - in an unpleasant way - back around the millennium, in a discussion on The Hacker's List about North Korea and why they would want BOTH U235 enrichment AND plutonium (Hint: think W54 design). Once he sensed he was technically wrong he went into innuendo and character attacks.
Now I smile with memories from my days of clearance at Northrop.
October 30, 2025 at 5:56 PM
Now I smile with memories from my days of clearance at Northrop.
Like Casaba Cannon devices?
October 30, 2025 at 5:35 PM
Like Casaba Cannon devices?
I use BBEdit on my MacBook. But I mostly work with flavors of Linux, some embedded and sparse. Are you familiar with BusyBox?
...
BBEdit is a nice tool :-)
...
BBEdit is a nice tool :-)
October 25, 2025 at 8:19 PM
I use BBEdit on my MacBook. But I mostly work with flavors of Linux, some embedded and sparse. Are you familiar with BusyBox?
...
BBEdit is a nice tool :-)
...
BBEdit is a nice tool :-)
I prefer vi to emacs. I started terminal editing with ed.
...and I started my career as a computer scientist/engineer with punched cards :-)
Later I was in the SmallTalk-80 group, at PARC.
Now I'm "old as dirt".
...and I started my career as a computer scientist/engineer with punched cards :-)
Later I was in the SmallTalk-80 group, at PARC.
Now I'm "old as dirt".
October 22, 2025 at 8:00 PM
I prefer vi to emacs. I started terminal editing with ed.
...and I started my career as a computer scientist/engineer with punched cards :-)
Later I was in the SmallTalk-80 group, at PARC.
Now I'm "old as dirt".
...and I started my career as a computer scientist/engineer with punched cards :-)
Later I was in the SmallTalk-80 group, at PARC.
Now I'm "old as dirt".
Perhaps you might try Emacs.
...joke.
...joke.
October 22, 2025 at 7:09 PM
Perhaps you might try Emacs.
...joke.
...joke.
Social media? Like the coffee houses and newspapers of the Age of Revolution?
www.secondbestcoffee.com/blog/2025/3/...
www.secondbestcoffee.com/blog/2025/3/...
Revolution in a Cup: Coffee House Rebellions Through History — Second Best Coffee
Throughout history, coffee houses have been much more than places to enjoy a caffeinated beverage. These establishments have served as incubators for revolutionary ideas, gathering spots for dissident...
www.secondbestcoffee.com
October 15, 2025 at 12:19 AM
Social media? Like the coffee houses and newspapers of the Age of Revolution?
www.secondbestcoffee.com/blog/2025/3/...
www.secondbestcoffee.com/blog/2025/3/...
Lovely.
I still have my Macbeth chart from the mid 1980s when I was working on "getting the colors right" with some of the first digital color printers (Shlumberger Palo Alto Research and Xerox PARC). I used a very high end spectrophotometer in that work.
I keenly appreciate the elegance of this.
I still have my Macbeth chart from the mid 1980s when I was working on "getting the colors right" with some of the first digital color printers (Shlumberger Palo Alto Research and Xerox PARC). I used a very high end spectrophotometer in that work.
I keenly appreciate the elegance of this.
September 23, 2025 at 3:23 PM
Lovely.
I still have my Macbeth chart from the mid 1980s when I was working on "getting the colors right" with some of the first digital color printers (Shlumberger Palo Alto Research and Xerox PARC). I used a very high end spectrophotometer in that work.
I keenly appreciate the elegance of this.
I still have my Macbeth chart from the mid 1980s when I was working on "getting the colors right" with some of the first digital color printers (Shlumberger Palo Alto Research and Xerox PARC). I used a very high end spectrophotometer in that work.
I keenly appreciate the elegance of this.
Yesterday I asked Elon Musk's Grok AI for a rewrite of the Horst Wessel song from 1930s Germany but featuring Charlie Kirk, framing his public speeches and writings (BTW, ChatGPT refused to do this).
This is what it gave me:
This is what it gave me:
September 19, 2025 at 7:26 PM
Yesterday I asked Elon Musk's Grok AI for a rewrite of the Horst Wessel song from 1930s Germany but featuring Charlie Kirk, framing his public speeches and writings (BTW, ChatGPT refused to do this).
This is what it gave me:
This is what it gave me:
This is precisely why I have long opposed "hate speech" laws and "trigger warnings".
September 18, 2025 at 7:05 PM
This is precisely why I have long opposed "hate speech" laws and "trigger warnings".
Sometimes one needs to make alliance with Stalin against Hitler.
September 4, 2025 at 8:25 PM
Sometimes one needs to make alliance with Stalin against Hitler.
I explored this - see www.facebook.com/groups/aiass...
AI Assisted Programming | FROM BLUEBERRY TO VERIFIED MODE V1.3 — HOW A TRIVIAL QUESTION BECAME A SCIENTIFIC AI PROTOCOL IN ONE HOUR | Facebook
FROM BLUEBERRY TO VERIFIED MODE V1.3 — HOW A TRIVIAL QUESTION BECAME A SCIENTIFIC AI PROTOCOL IN ONE HOUR
In about an hour, a simple letter-counting question to ChatGPT escalated into the creation...
www.facebook.com
August 9, 2025 at 4:27 AM
I explored this - see www.facebook.com/groups/aiass...
Japanese “Kami”. Shinto.
July 23, 2025 at 1:23 PM
Japanese “Kami”. Shinto.
Vietnam does NOT pay the tariffs. He lied.
Importers - i.e. American companies - pay the tariff.
Importers - i.e. American companies - pay the tariff.
July 2, 2025 at 7:56 PM
Vietnam does NOT pay the tariffs. He lied.
Importers - i.e. American companies - pay the tariff.
Importers - i.e. American companies - pay the tariff.