Steve Roth
@steve.rothskeller.net
Disaster Preparedness Specialist for Sunnyvale, CA. Retired software architect for Hewlett-Packard. Sing tenor in Schola Cantorum Silicon Valley.
My chorus is doing a concert of music from holiday movies, and we're supposed to dress in something from our favorite holiday movie. I don't think our director understands what he's asked for... 😈
November 30, 2025 at 5:03 AM
My chorus is doing a concert of music from holiday movies, and we're supposed to dress in something from our favorite holiday movie. I don't think our director understands what he's asked for... 😈
The hubris is different only in degree, not in kind, from our having AI-driven cars on the road.
November 30, 2025 at 5:00 AM
The hubris is different only in degree, not in kind, from our having AI-driven cars on the road.
Corollary: if your "news" article is about a court decision, it should have a link to the actual court opinion so we can read it for ourselves.
October 27, 2025 at 8:42 PM
Corollary: if your "news" article is about a court decision, it should have a link to the actual court opinion so we can read it for ourselves.
I honestly can't remember the last time I saw an actual, literal phone book. Do they even still make them anymore?
September 29, 2025 at 6:49 PM
I honestly can't remember the last time I saw an actual, literal phone book. Do they even still make them anymore?
I hadn't thought of it as implying privilege, but yes, I suppose it does. I'm not greatly different in that regard from our host for this thread, which is partly why I was asking for his thoughts on the matter.
August 24, 2025 at 9:16 PM
I hadn't thought of it as implying privilege, but yes, I suppose it does. I'm not greatly different in that regard from our host for this thread, which is partly why I was asking for his thoughts on the matter.
No and yes, respectively.
August 24, 2025 at 9:11 PM
No and yes, respectively.
I hear you. That's exactly *why* I'm torn. If it weren't for the ongoing, and escalating, destruction of our society, I wouldn't even consider voting for the redistricting. As matters stand, I have to consider it. As I said, Hobson's choice.
August 24, 2025 at 6:31 PM
I hear you. That's exactly *why* I'm torn. If it weren't for the ongoing, and escalating, destruction of our society, I wouldn't even consider voting for the redistricting. As matters stand, I have to consider it. As I said, Hobson's choice.
A planet where two wrongs don't make a right, where the phrase "Hobson's choice" exists, and where some people could stand to be more courteous.
August 24, 2025 at 4:53 PM
A planet where two wrongs don't make a right, where the phrase "Hobson's choice" exists, and where some people could stand to be more courteous.
I'm curious for your thoughts on his CA redistricting effort, because (as a CA voter) I'm torn. I like our independent districting commission and hate to see it killed. But I also don't want to see Trump/Texas steal the House in 2026.
August 24, 2025 at 3:47 PM
I'm curious for your thoughts on his CA redistricting effort, because (as a CA voter) I'm torn. I like our independent districting commission and hate to see it killed. But I also don't want to see Trump/Texas steal the House in 2026.
Would be nice if bsky had an option to block any post with images that *don't* have alt tags. It would block inconsiderate authors and that could only be a good thing.
August 18, 2025 at 11:10 PM
Would be nice if bsky had an option to block any post with images that *don't* have alt tags. It would block inconsiderate authors and that could only be a good thing.
I googled her to find out if she actually won, and the first result told me that she was sentenced to jail in 2023 for running a business without a license. (And no, she didn't win sheriff in 2020, or state legislator in 2022.)
June 22, 2025 at 10:53 PM
I googled her to find out if she actually won, and the first result told me that she was sentenced to jail in 2023 for running a business without a license. (And no, she didn't win sheriff in 2020, or state legislator in 2022.)
I had a hard-to-reschedule optometrist appointment, scheduled long before this became a protest day. Spent the day closeted in a dark room waiting for my dilated eyes to recover. A protest would have been preferable in several ways...
June 15, 2025 at 1:39 AM
I had a hard-to-reschedule optometrist appointment, scheduled long before this became a protest day. Spent the day closeted in a dark room waiting for my dilated eyes to recover. A protest would have been preferable in several ways...
I am disappointed that the local government department I work for still only posts on X, Facebook, and Instagram. It's not for any reason other than inertia. Our social media person is overworked with three outlets and isn't up for adding more.
May 23, 2025 at 10:52 PM
I am disappointed that the local government department I work for still only posts on X, Facebook, and Instagram. It's not for any reason other than inertia. Our social media person is overworked with three outlets and isn't up for adding more.
While we were waiting outside the Council chambers on Tuesday for the delayed start of the DPS awards, I commented to several people about how Tuesdays are a marathon for you all. Thanks for doing a job I would not want!
May 23, 2025 at 2:01 PM
While we were waiting outside the Council chambers on Tuesday for the delayed start of the DPS awards, I commented to several people about how Tuesdays are a marathon for you all. Thanks for doing a job I would not want!
Sounds like you're on the A-side of an A/B test. It hasn't been imposed on my Gmail, at least not yet. It's available in the toolbar but not intruding or interrupting.
May 22, 2025 at 1:10 AM
Sounds like you're on the A-side of an A/B test. It hasn't been imposed on my Gmail, at least not yet. It's available in the toolbar but not intruding or interrupting.
I knew you as an author first. Went from that to your blog, and from there to your social media.
May 14, 2025 at 7:44 PM
I knew you as an author first. Went from that to your blog, and from there to your social media.
Interesting. When I saw this, I thought, "that could simply be 'most confusing.'" And "most grumbling" almost works, but not quite. Yet "most winning" doesn't work without another word, like "most often winning" or "most frequently winning." The lack of parallelism is odd.
May 4, 2025 at 8:35 PM
Interesting. When I saw this, I thought, "that could simply be 'most confusing.'" And "most grumbling" almost works, but not quite. Yet "most winning" doesn't work without another word, like "most often winning" or "most frequently winning." The lack of parallelism is odd.
I have seen much evidence that confirms you are not, in fact, the grumbliest man on Bluesky. And I would hate for any interaction with me to lead you there, so I will hide my distaste for "winniest" behind a "de gustibus." 😀
May 4, 2025 at 6:38 PM
I have seen much evidence that confirms you are not, in fact, the grumbliest man on Bluesky. And I would hate for any interaction with me to lead you there, so I will hide my distaste for "winniest" behind a "de gustibus." 😀
Is the meaning clear? Is there a preferable alternative that is equally clear and equally concise?
May 4, 2025 at 5:52 PM
Is the meaning clear? Is there a preferable alternative that is equally clear and equally concise?
It still makes sense when writing in a monospace font — fairly common in software even if nowhere else.
April 13, 2025 at 9:20 PM
It still makes sense when writing in a monospace font — fairly common in software even if nowhere else.
This way the Braille readers know it isn't the bathroom?
March 14, 2025 at 1:02 AM
This way the Braille readers know it isn't the bathroom?
I'm looking forward to hearing your first organ composition.
March 13, 2025 at 6:06 PM
I'm looking forward to hearing your first organ composition.