David Rodriguez
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strakul.bsky.social
David Rodriguez
@strakul.bsky.social
620 followers 120 following 170 posts
Astronomical Data Scientist at STScI/MAST in Baltimore.
Opinions are my own.

Mastodon: @VirStrakul@mstdn.social
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strakul.bsky.social
Made a simple little #game with #Godot Engine over the past month, inspired by the old Ski Free. Just something to show off to my nieces when I visit them next.
You can play it at strakul.itch.io/penguin-sled...
Source code available at github.com/dr-rodriguez...
Title screen for a game called Penguin Sledding. The title is in bold blue letter, with the background a solid white. There are three buttons with the text Start, Credits, Quit. The Start button is blue while the others are grey. There are a few pixel art sprites in the screen, including green trees, grey clouds, a dark grey rock, and a penguin to the left.
September 20, 2025 at 1:40 PM
strakul.bsky.social
Oh no, I'm becoming a dice goblin. Send help.... or send dice.
Moar dice! #TTRPG
A pile of different-colored polyhedral dice
September 18, 2025 at 9:45 PM
strakul.bsky.social
Got my books and materials for the #Cosmere #RPG! I could have used this a few weeks ago when I ran a one-shot 🤣
Now I get to do a deep dive (I only skimmed the PDFs I got earlier).
#TTRPG
A collection of books, handouts, dice, and cards for a role-playing game. Some of the text reads Stormlight World Guide and Welcome to Roshar. They sit atop grey and black bedding.
September 13, 2025 at 10:00 PM
strakul.bsky.social
Fun day at the #Maryland Renaissance Festival with work friends. Very hot and crowded, but got to buy some dice and see music and shows, including Jacques ze Whipper's show, which pops up from time to time in my YouTube Shorts.
#RennFaire
Folks (I believe all costumed cast members) open the festival with dancing around the pole King Henry VIII inspects a "painting" of an eligible noblewoman to consider her for marriage. This was part of this year's storyline. Jacques ze Whipper, internet sensation, with some opening remarks and whipping action. Alas, no Kpop Demon Hunter song requests were permitted this time. Ses Carny on stage throwing knives at his assistant. Well, technically around the assistant- no one wanted to get hurt.
September 6, 2025 at 11:21 PM
strakul.bsky.social
Watched a few videos and tutorials on #Godot after seeing a developer talk about their process. It's quite interesting and after only a few hours I made something: a simple dice roller.
Not sure how far I'll take this- I've never done any game development, but now I have all sorts of ideas. 😅
August 30, 2025 at 6:35 PM
strakul.bsky.social
Getting all set up for tomorrow's #TTRPG session! We're trying out the #Cosmere rule set, which I've been excited to play in. 🗡⛈️🌟
A table set up with a white poster board and many tokens and dice ready for a role-playing session. Several sheets are in the foreground for player handouts. In the background are some blue cups filled with glowing marbles as props.
August 23, 2025 at 11:28 PM
strakul.bsky.social
Got my goodie box for Sanderson's Secret Project #5- Isles of the Emberdark. Did not expect the book to be so cool- hardcover, color art, and a third of it in black pages! Very neat. Plus sticker, pin, and bookmark. 🙂
#Books 💙📚
A book open to show black pages with white text. The second page shows a color image of a woman obscured by a bookmark. A black and gold hardcover book next to a bookmark, a pin in its wrapper, and a sticker. The book features a golden bird and reads Isles of the Emberdark, Brandon Sanderson, Illustrations by Esther Hi'Ilani Candari.
August 9, 2025 at 10:05 PM
strakul.bsky.social
Some young sparrows at my bird feeder. Old enough to fly and peck at the seeds, but they really want their momma to feed them. And they are loud about it! 🐦
May 26, 2025 at 8:22 PM
strakul.bsky.social
Got a chance to see a bit of the Kinetic Sculpture Race this morning. Always cool to see the wacky contraptions every year; plus this year a few friends and colleagues from work were participating!
#Baltimore
Bicyclists on the LEGO my Eggo sculpture. It's like a toaster but with yellow lego waffles. The large Play2-Pu5 sculpture featuring a platypus at the top and a bunch of people in kilts powering it. Pink Poodle Club, featuring Fifi, the large pink poodle is always a fan favorite. Safe Space! A blanket fort turned into a cycling sculpture. Made by some STScI staff!
May 3, 2025 at 5:45 PM
strakul.bsky.social
Was walking around my neighborhood when I spotted a pair of baby foxes. Then a fox parent and two more kits showed up!
A pair of brown baby foxes playing in green grass. An adult fox watches over four kits as they play near some fallen tree branches.
April 30, 2025 at 10:37 PM
strakul.bsky.social
The sparrows have been growing crazy over the bird feeder the past few days. Sometimes there are 5 of them all fighting for a spot. 😄🐦
April 7, 2025 at 11:19 PM
strakul.bsky.social
Finished running my first #DnD one shot. It was fun and not too bad since I was using the One Shot Wonders book for most of the prep. My players were suspicious of everyone, though 🤣
Looking forward doing this again! #TTRPG
A white board with a variety of tokens and some lines drawn in blue to represent the battlefield. Several character sheets and dice can also be seen. At the bottom is a ruler for judging distances.
March 30, 2025 at 11:54 PM
strakul.bsky.social
There's enough seeds for everyone.
My bird visitors: No! All mine!
March 19, 2025 at 10:41 PM
strakul.bsky.social
I had installed a bird feeder not too long ago but was struggling to attract them. With a temporary modification (putting it on the floor), I now have tons of bird friends! 😄🐦
A male northern cardinal in bright red plumage feeding on a balcony floor. Some evergreen trees are behind him. A pair of dark-eyed juncos in dark plumage with white bellies hanging out near the bird feeder. Green trees are in the distance beyond the balcony.
February 20, 2025 at 2:18 PM
strakul.bsky.social
The local evergreen trees are a popular hangout for some of the wildlife here 🦊🦌
A small fox lays down by an evergreen tree. A pair of deer laying down between evergreen trees
January 22, 2025 at 1:00 PM
strakul.bsky.social
A bit of snow from earlier in the day. Not sure exactly how much fell since it was initially rain but then switched to snow for several hours.
Trees covered in fresh, white snow. A pair of evergreen trees with a good amount of white snow on them.
January 20, 2025 at 12:49 AM
strakul.bsky.social
Working from home due to the winter storm. Got a nice shot of the local wildlife here. #Maryland #Snow
A pair of brown deer and a brown fox foraging on white snow.
January 6, 2025 at 6:16 PM
strakul.bsky.social
Another year, another #Steam #Gaming stat distribution!
I think it's more accurate than last year's, in terms of the types of games I tend to play :D
store.steampowered.com/replay/76561...
Image showing some statistics about my gaming habits in 2024, white text on a green background. It says 28 games played, 318 achievements, 450 sessions, 12 new games. The most played games were Rogue Trader, Stardew Valley, No Man's Sky, Victoria 3, and Final Factory. Graph showing the distribution of types of games that I play, pink on a green background with white text. The chart skews heavily towards CRPG, Farming Sim, Automation, and Colony Sim. Bar chart, white text on black background, showing the distribution of playtime by month over the year. The bars are different colors representing which games I played that month, with grey being a catch-all.
December 18, 2024 at 11:16 PM
strakul.bsky.social
Some #DnD with friends today, featuring an impressive 3D-printed train one of them made with multiple cars our characters could walk around in. #TTRPG
A 3D-printed train showing multiple cars in various colors on a wooden table. Some of the cars are to the side to better fit. The front of the train has blue plastic representing lightning. Close-up of the train with the top removed showing small plastic seats and some miniatures gathered in a room.
December 16, 2024 at 1:02 AM
strakul.bsky.social
A few more pictures of Hagar Qim because this place was just too cool.
The tallest remaining megalith of Hagar Qim The temple is protected from the elements by a large canvas tent. The entrance to Hagar Qim. The drilled holes on the top are apparently a mystery. An interior apse of Hagar Qim. On the right is an elliptical hole for morning light from the summer solstice (the same from the other picture of the niche)
November 17, 2024 at 2:56 PM
strakul.bsky.social
Went to visit two temples in Malta from the neolithic period, c. 3600 BCE- Hagar Qim and Mnajdra. Fascinating, and they had some bonus #astronomy! (alignment to the solstices)
Interior left apse of Mnajdra temple, limestones blocks with decorative pitting. The Sun would have shone on it during the summer solstice. Description of the solar alignment of Mnajdra temple. Entry into Hagar Qim temple A niche outside the walls of Hagar Qim. The round opening on the right would let the sunlight in on the solstice
November 17, 2024 at 2:44 PM
strakul.bsky.social
Last bit of tourism as we wrap up #ADASS2024 (and then start the #IVOA interop). I got to visit St. John's Co-Cathedral with impressive Baroque interiors and Caravaggio paintings. Plus a visit to the Grand Master palace and its impressive armory of medieval weapons.
The Sanctuary at the Co-Cathedral. Incredibly rich Baroque style art all over the place. The Beheading of St John the Baptist, by Caravaggio. The largest one he painted and the only one he signed. The floor of the Co-Cathedral is full of inlaid marble tombstones of the Knights of St John. A small glimpse of the armory at the Grand Master's Palace with medieval weapons and suits of armor all across the walls and in display cases.
November 14, 2024 at 4:25 PM
strakul.bsky.social
Next ADASS conference announced: Görlitz, Germany next year in November! #ADASS2024
Slide announcing the next ADASS conference
November 14, 2024 at 11:06 AM
strakul.bsky.social
This morning, instead of immediately going to attend talks at the conference, I visited Fort St. Elmo and learned a ton about the military history of Malta- from the Bronze Age all the way through World War II and the present day.
An entrance to Fort St. Elmo, in brick under a blue sky. A set of soldier statues is at left. View from the fort including a plant-covered moat between many of its brick walls. In the distance, the top of the Basilica can be seen. The sky has patchy white clouds. A red wall extending to the right with placards indicating important historical events. The top row shows events related to Malta, in this case for The Kings of St. John from 1480-1540. The middle rows shows events for the Ottoman Empire. The bottom row shows other world events that happened over the same time period. This style continued all the way until reaching the end of WWII A top-down video presentation showing the harrowing trip of the SS Ohio, carrying supplies, and its convoy escort from Gibraltar to Malta in the middle of WWII. It barely made it and nearly the entire convoy was lost from nearly constant Axis attacks.
November 13, 2024 at 8:47 PM
strakul.bsky.social
Last night at #ADASS2024 was the conference dinner, which included a walking tour of Malta's "silent city"- Mdina. Brief, but informative! Parts of it have been used in movies and shows, including A Game of Thrones.
A black sky with a dimly illuminated brick wall and bridge. The bridge leads up to a bright, large gate to enter Mdina. A red (iron?) door leads to a former Grand Master's residence in Mdina. Dimly lit walls in a narrow street under a black sky in the city of Mdina. St. Paul's Cathedral in Mdina under a night sky.
November 13, 2024 at 8:29 PM