Stephen Gold
@s-gold.bsky.social
Wine-country computer hobbyist and yahzee addict.
"Once men turned their thinking over to machines in the hope that it would set them free. But that only permitted other men with machines to enslave them." --Frank Herbert (1965)
November 23, 2025 at 5:41 AM
"Once men turned their thinking over to machines in the hope that it would set them free. But that only permitted other men with machines to enslave them." --Frank Herbert (1965)
I've lived in California for 39 years. Generally speaking, I love it. However, I still find the state's tolerance of drunk driving a bit difficult to swallow...
calmatters.org/investigatio...
calmatters.org/investigatio...
6 takeaways: California’s deadly failure on drunk driving
As DUI fatalities surge, a CalMatters investigation finds state leaders have shown little willingness to address the issue.
calmatters.org
October 30, 2025 at 11:31 PM
I've lived in California for 39 years. Generally speaking, I love it. However, I still find the state's tolerance of drunk driving a bit difficult to swallow...
calmatters.org/investigatio...
calmatters.org/investigatio...
Anyone who believes they live in the best of all possible worlds
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is welcome at my casino.
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is welcome at my casino.
October 16, 2025 at 7:37 PM
Anyone who believes they live in the best of all possible worlds
.
.
.
is welcome at my casino.
.
.
.
is welcome at my casino.
I can't help wondering: am I living the life Godzilla intended me to have?
October 16, 2025 at 7:35 PM
I can't help wondering: am I living the life Godzilla intended me to have?
And now Tom Lehrer, who predicted we would "all go together when we go!"
I was barely done mourning Ozzy when I was asked to Give It All. Maybe the slow version? open.spotify.com/track/4C68Lq...
July 27, 2025 at 7:55 PM
And now Tom Lehrer, who predicted we would "all go together when we go!"
I was barely done mourning Ozzy when I was asked to Give It All. Maybe the slow version? open.spotify.com/track/4C68Lq...
July 25, 2025 at 8:19 PM
I was barely done mourning Ozzy when I was asked to Give It All. Maybe the slow version? open.spotify.com/track/4C68Lq...
I hate websites where the only way to change your password is to pretend you've forgotten it. It's demeaning.
July 24, 2025 at 6:53 PM
I hate websites where the only way to change your password is to pretend you've forgotten it. It's demeaning.
Maybe it's not too late/To learn how to love
July 23, 2025 at 3:14 AM
Maybe it's not too late/To learn how to love
On my morning walk today I saw a flock of 6 wild turkeys.
July 10, 2025 at 4:19 PM
On my morning walk today I saw a flock of 6 wild turkeys.
Why can't we just admit the "Anyone can grow up to be President" story has gone too far?
July 8, 2025 at 7:17 PM
Why can't we just admit the "Anyone can grow up to be President" story has gone too far?
TIL: if you followed someone (on Bluesky) to keep in touch, but you don't want their posts in your Following feed, you can "mute" them using the 3-dot pull-down menu.
June 1, 2025 at 4:45 PM
TIL: if you followed someone (on Bluesky) to keep in touch, but you don't want their posts in your Following feed, you can "mute" them using the 3-dot pull-down menu.
For the 1st time, my observance of Mothers Day will be mainly about people other than my mom, trapped in a hospital & unable to speak clearly. Happily, I have fond memories and friends who are mothers. However imperfect the mothers in one's life are, one may still cherish the ideals of motherhood.
May 11, 2025 at 4:32 PM
For the 1st time, my observance of Mothers Day will be mainly about people other than my mom, trapped in a hospital & unable to speak clearly. Happily, I have fond memories and friends who are mothers. However imperfect the mothers in one's life are, one may still cherish the ideals of motherhood.
On Saturday, H&I watched "A New Hope"; on Thursday, we got a new pope!
May 11, 2025 at 4:26 PM
On Saturday, H&I watched "A New Hope"; on Thursday, we got a new pope!
Today is Cinco de Mayo, which commemorates a battle fought a long time ago (1862) and far, far away (Mexico) when (French) imperial forces attacked republican bases (Loreto and Guadalupe) in a war started by a trade alliance (the Convention of London).
Lucas's dramatization is, alas, ahistorical.
Lucas's dramatization is, alas, ahistorical.
May 5, 2025 at 5:16 PM
Today is Cinco de Mayo, which commemorates a battle fought a long time ago (1862) and far, far away (Mexico) when (French) imperial forces attacked republican bases (Loreto and Guadalupe) in a war started by a trade alliance (the Convention of London).
Lucas's dramatization is, alas, ahistorical.
Lucas's dramatization is, alas, ahistorical.
After watching Disney's dramatizations of "Mulan" I've concluded the (animated) 1998 has too much comic relief and the (live-action) 2020 has too little. I've watched the 1998 maybe 3 or 4 times; I walked out on the 2020 about halfway through. But the difference goes deeper than that one issue.
May 3, 2025 at 3:57 PM
After watching Disney's dramatizations of "Mulan" I've concluded the (animated) 1998 has too much comic relief and the (live-action) 2020 has too little. I've watched the 1998 maybe 3 or 4 times; I walked out on the 2020 about halfway through. But the difference goes deeper than that one issue.
Police dog up for adoption. No refunds, no returns.
www.pressdemocrat.com/article/news...
www.pressdemocrat.com/article/news...
Bay Area city settles excessive force suit after police dog refused to let go of man’s throat
The San Jose incident is among a rash of settlements by Northern California law enforcement agencies in K9 bite cases over the past few years.
www.pressdemocrat.com
April 3, 2025 at 6:47 AM
Police dog up for adoption. No refunds, no returns.
www.pressdemocrat.com/article/news...
www.pressdemocrat.com/article/news...
Today I learned that my local hospital now offers valet parking. Next time I visit, I'll try this out.
March 28, 2025 at 10:17 PM
Today I learned that my local hospital now offers valet parking. Next time I visit, I'll try this out.
Each day I receive multiple e-mails claiming to be from someone other than the actual sender. Most appear to be clumsy fraud attempts. (These days, scammers don't bother to forge e-mail headers.) Why do we (as a society) tolerate such behavior?
March 27, 2025 at 4:17 PM
Each day I receive multiple e-mails claiming to be from someone other than the actual sender. Most appear to be clumsy fraud attempts. (These days, scammers don't bother to forge e-mail headers.) Why do we (as a society) tolerate such behavior?
National Sleep Awareness Week ended yesterday (March 15th). Despite some trouble caused by hunger and anxiety, I'm happy with the sleep I got. Some crazy dreams, though ...
How did you sleep last week?
(No, I'm not selling anything.)
How did you sleep last week?
(No, I'm not selling anything.)
March 16, 2025 at 9:33 PM
National Sleep Awareness Week ended yesterday (March 15th). Despite some trouble caused by hunger and anxiety, I'm happy with the sleep I got. Some crazy dreams, though ...
How did you sleep last week?
(No, I'm not selling anything.)
How did you sleep last week?
(No, I'm not selling anything.)
I've been in the nationwide Do Not Call registry since at least 2014. Adding yourself won't completely eliminate marketing calls, but I believe it's worthwhile.
www.donotcall.gov
There's a 31-day wait before your registration takes effect, after which telemarketers are supposed to stop calling you.
www.donotcall.gov
There's a 31-day wait before your registration takes effect, after which telemarketers are supposed to stop calling you.
National Do Not Call Registry
Register your phone number to report stop or block unwanted, annoying,telemarketing, spam calls, robocalls to the FTC
www.donotcall.gov
March 16, 2025 at 7:13 PM
I've been in the nationwide Do Not Call registry since at least 2014. Adding yourself won't completely eliminate marketing calls, but I believe it's worthwhile.
www.donotcall.gov
There's a 31-day wait before your registration takes effect, after which telemarketers are supposed to stop calling you.
www.donotcall.gov
There's a 31-day wait before your registration takes effect, after which telemarketers are supposed to stop calling you.
I may be starting to get the hang of Bluesky. Every time I log in I switch from "Discover" to "Following" or "Mutuals".
March 16, 2025 at 4:16 PM
I may be starting to get the hang of Bluesky. Every time I log in I switch from "Discover" to "Following" or "Mutuals".
A writer who refers to "both parties" when (in California) we have 6. An officer who testifies a suspect had "an odor of alcohol" when alcohol is odorless. A writer who uses "assure" when they meant "ensure".
I get what they're trying to say, but stupid errors make me doubt their reliability.
I get what they're trying to say, but stupid errors make me doubt their reliability.
March 15, 2025 at 9:25 PM
A writer who refers to "both parties" when (in California) we have 6. An officer who testifies a suspect had "an odor of alcohol" when alcohol is odorless. A writer who uses "assure" when they meant "ensure".
I get what they're trying to say, but stupid errors make me doubt their reliability.
I get what they're trying to say, but stupid errors make me doubt their reliability.
Like many of my generation, I was trained to answer the phone within 3 rings: "Hello, ___ residence, Steve speaking". These days, most phone calls are unwanted interruptions. I ignore the phone when I'm busy and assume the worst of callers I don't recognize. But it runs against the grain.
March 15, 2025 at 7:05 PM
Like many of my generation, I was trained to answer the phone within 3 rings: "Hello, ___ residence, Steve speaking". These days, most phone calls are unwanted interruptions. I ignore the phone when I'm busy and assume the worst of callers I don't recognize. But it runs against the grain.
H&I celebrated Pi Day yesterday with Chicago pizza and a store-bought fruit pie. We also watched the live-action "Jungle Book" movie, which I enjoyed: awfully cute, though not easy to suspend my disbelief. My vague plan of baking from scratch fell through, due to family drama and my own apathy.
March 15, 2025 at 3:52 PM
H&I celebrated Pi Day yesterday with Chicago pizza and a store-bought fruit pie. We also watched the live-action "Jungle Book" movie, which I enjoyed: awfully cute, though not easy to suspend my disbelief. My vague plan of baking from scratch fell through, due to family drama and my own apathy.
Lunar eclipse begins at 8:57 pm PDT and ends at 3:01 am PDT. Maximum eclipse at 11:59 pm PDT. Clear skies here in Sonoma County---should be a gorgeous view!
March 14, 2025 at 3:29 AM
Lunar eclipse begins at 8:57 pm PDT and ends at 3:01 am PDT. Maximum eclipse at 11:59 pm PDT. Clear skies here in Sonoma County---should be a gorgeous view!