Jessamyn

Rural tech geek. Researcher. Librarian resistance. Moss collector. Postcard enjoyer. I own MetaFilter. ✉️ box 345 05060 ✉️ (she/her)

Public Key

npub17l342afnwq0u8d6v7h320t52rys8m3hw45kl47jmgd4m3dtrw2vsnzgx3s

NIP-05 Address

[email protected]

Profile Code

nprofile1qqs00c64w5ehq87rkax0tc48469pjgracmh26t06lfd5x6ack43h9xgpz4mhxue69uhhyetvv9ujumt0wd68ytnsw43q0wvx9c

Publishing to

relay.mostr.pub

Author Public Key

npub17l342afnwq0u8d6v7h320t52rys8m3hw45kl47jmgd4m3dtrw2vsnzgx3s

Show more details

Last Notes

2024-08-14 03:07:44

- reply

@npub1s0u…s3us Maybe once a woman is president we will no longer have to manage the ridiculousness that is two types of shirts: "unisex" and "women's". (just describe them! gosh I am such a crank sometimes) 👊

2024-08-05 23:01:14

- reply

@npub1m3t…sek2 I love the juxtaposition of these things, as someone who is always grumpy about Title 28 whenever I remember it

2024-08-04 05:16:14

- reply

@npub1znv…9gqv absolutely with you on the Massachusetts drivers. I learned to drive there and it's always a challenge to go back.

2024-07-03 17:50:22

- reply

@npub1gsp…996h Oh that is a good framework for this.
Oh Randolph's a beautiful borough
I love my nice live in this town
It's quiet except for how always
Somebody is mowing their LAAAAAWWWNNNNNNN

2024-06-23 17:37:58

- reply

@npub1gch…00vs "Picture a world where you can walk around New York City and everything you need is falling out of windows onto you." 🙄

2024-06-22 00:58:58

- reply

@npub1hj5…v74l Oh man they seem to have ones that are smaller too. I have tiny chicken wrists and I couldn't make the Apple Watch work for me.

2024-06-22 00:33:02

- reply

@npub1ej6…pvaa Awwww, what a story. Thanks for sharing it. (also there's a small bit of cruft on the end of the URL, may want to check it and edit. I was able to figure it out but it might be tough for folks on mobile)

2024-06-21 22:17:04

Friday afternoon reminder to not empty your inbox at the expense of someone else's. I've got travel plans this weekend. I'm already scheduling those emails for Monday. We've just had the summer solstice in the northern hemisphere, and Juneteeth this past Weds in the US. Enjoy this seasonal shift and have a good weekend.
Image credit: State Library of NSW, on Flickr Commons
https://www.flickr.com/photos/statelibraryofnsw/53805443809/
https://cdn.masto.host/glammrus/media_attachments/files/112/656/450/956/203/454/original/8d1c601735d717c0.jpeg

2024-06-21 04:57:37

- reply

@npub1h7l…sgwn I have definitely watched that within the last year. There's a guy I sometime watch on Facebook live who uses that as a happy birthday song. And now it's the only way I think of it. 🎂

2024-06-20 16:54:01

- reply

@npub1k7q…3lrw I usually forget it's happening but my friend does a bi-annual poem+song_photo of the sunrise which I always appreciate and amplify. You can see it here.
https://homemadejam.org/mix/summersolstice-2024.html

2024-06-20 16:43:00

A picture and a poem and some music to start your Summer Solstice off right, from my friend Matthew.
https://homemadejam.org/mix/summersolstice-2024.html
https://cdn.masto.host/glammrus/media_attachments/files/112/649/473/222/583/864/original/5bb72065485f5b2b.png

2024-06-20 02:22:19

- reply

@npub1qu5…qel2 I went straight to clocks when I found out about it.

2024-06-20 02:15:45

- reply

@npub1590…fqdh Aww thanks for writing that. I remember when this happened and what a big deal it was.

2024-06-19 21:47:15

- reply

@npub1ch0…7gec My fave book on the topic, from a Texan perspective.
https://annettegordonreed.com/

2024-06-19 21:43:19

- reply

@npub1uf8…7y7z My house does this and it sure is unsettling. I like to envision that I am on a big ship!

2024-06-19 21:36:59

- reply

@npub1nt7…z00k Neato!

2024-06-19 19:40:55

- reply

You get a bill in September and it includes two "coupons" for when taxes are due. One in Oct and one in March. He had sent both in with his Oct payment. Then he tried to figure pout why he was seeing TAXES DUE signs in March. He tried going to our town offices which were often closed (illnesses mostly). He emailed the Town Clerk to ask. He never heard back. At the meeting, we discovered that he had put a typo in the clerk's name, email never arrived. [2/3]

2024-06-19 19:38:33

I'm the chair of our town's Board of Abatement. If you think your property tax or your water/wastewater bill is too high, you come to us. I joke that it's the closest thing I can be to Robin Hood, giving people their money back, or lowering their debt, courtesy of the state. But we don't always give people money back. Last night there was a man who missed the tax deadline by a few days and had a few hundred bucks in penalties/fees. The town's payment structure is confusing. [1/2]

2024-06-19 17:57:22

- reply

My favorite book on the topic is Annette Gordon-Reed's book On Juneteenth, sort of a combination of her family's history interwoven with the history of the country.
https://annettegordonreed.com/

2024-06-19 02:02:10

- reply

@npub16j3…qpnj So clickity!

2024-06-18 19:30:02

- reply

@npub14ep…cpuj I loved that book. I can also suggest the two books by Waubgeshig Rice, not quite mysteries but not quite not either.
https://www.goodreads.com/series/338171-moon

2024-06-18 00:39:49

- reply

@npub1yn5…h50w Oh gosh I would have and then wish I hadn't!

2024-06-17 22:52:34

I am often complaining about bad user interfaces here. Today I am filing some older reports for a charity I help run. This involves accounting. I had a few charges I couldn't identify from 2021 that we paid via WePay. No clues in my email. They have a Charge Lookup tool which was stunningly simple and Just Worked.
The date should have tipped me off but it posted a few days later....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qfi9JpgMc2U
#OnAndOn

2024-06-14 22:17:14

- reply

@npub16j3…qpnj It's not entirely different but this is more like delving into the way-distant past so you get a few characters from the 1800s 1900s and even 1600s. It's well done.

2024-06-14 22:14:11

- reply

@npub1rkj…ufed Oh gosh, same. We did not have any guys in our class and I was likewise the only woman in our computer programming class (we had a VAX back in the 80s). I still type a bit like Bugs Bunny but very very quickly.

2024-06-14 22:03:04

Friday afternoon reminder to not empty your inbox at the expense of someone else's. We've got the last nice weekend before the oppressive heat wave coming up and I plan to spend at least some of it by the river. I've been getting better at setting my away times but it's still something all of us can pitch in on. Enjoy your weekend.
Photo credit: US National Archives on Flickr Commons
https://www.flickr.com/photos/usnationalarchives/7152595317/
https://cdn.masto.host/glammrus/media_attachments/files/112/616/759/727/737/757/original/257eddb5c6b12dae.jpeg

2024-06-14 18:32:27

- reply

@npub180x…j0pv Yeah it was interesting in that way, it telegraphed a lot of things which made you think it was a sort of obvious book and then, yeah....

2024-06-14 17:20:36

"The Queer Liberation Library (QLL) is, specifically, books by and about queer people. Anyone in the US can apply online to get a free library card. Their collection is available through Libby."
https://www.queerliberationlibrary.org/
via this always great newsletter https://www.theinfophile.com/
:better_pride:

2024-06-14 05:04:07

- reply

@npub1ald…9kqp seems like it. He had worked on the campus and it was a crime of opportunity initially and then he figured out it could actually be a job and just went for it. Pretty interesting.

2024-06-14 00:57:37

"Texas Christian University police later determined that [former TCU employee] stole 105 antiquities valued at $266,200 [FROM THE LIBRARY BASEMENT]."
"...over 400 individuals had access to the [LIBRARY BASEMENT] room that housed the objects"
(emphasis mine)
And of course as with a lot of foreign antiquities, these were donated to TCU for shady-ish purposes by a guy who probably shouldn't have "owned" them in the first place. An interesting heist recap story.
https://www.texasobserver.org/the-heist/

2024-06-13 21:53:20

Kid/YA librarian snuck me a bird sticker in advance of the official launch of the Summer Reading Program. So cute and smol. #SummerReading #library #borb
https://cdn.masto.host/glammrus/media_attachments/files/112/611/055/315/447/490/original/8f847f5b8ef95db2.jpg

2024-06-13 20:41:31

- reply

@npub175r…xs2t Yay thanks for that work. I love that you and Matthew are the two people who I know on that jury and also the two who have graphic-novel-esque user pictures.

2024-06-13 16:39:04

Firefox updated and all the custom hacks I made to my tabs (which I have very specific feelings about) went all kerblammo. However, unlike the last time I had to get my userChrome.css file back into shape, this time there's a little tool which could help me build it. Thanks Jefferson Scher.
https://www.userchrome.org/firefox-89-styling-proton-ui.html#tabstyler

2024-06-11 21:56:49

- reply

@npub1t8v…k9sj Oh gosh thank you for this. I am a search nerd generally and have wondered some of these things.

2024-06-11 20:25:07

- reply

@npub1qca…ygpg I was not aware of her work and certainly should have been. thank you for sharing this.

2024-06-11 17:38:05

- reply

@npub1h9x…hmaf Night owl counterpoint: closing at 2 means you don't get the town's full potential lunch rush.

2024-06-11 00:58:40

- reply

@npub1n2y…n249 Thanks I will look for it. She was able to see an online table but all they gave me was a PDF to download. Like, I get it, more people can make sense of a PDF than a CSV file but still....

2024-06-10 23:09:22

Got a tetanus shot this weekend b/c I was overdue and my drug store is busy going bankrupt and is looking for ways to make more money (I suspect). My pharmacist, who has been there a while, looked up my vax record in a statewide database to get the date of my last shot. I asked if I could access that info. She wasn't sure (she's a pharmacist, she can access all the records) but told me where to go to contact them. My options were:
- email my personal info
- send a letter with my personal info

2024-06-09 21:06:16

- reply

@npub1hvd…9sq9 I do sometimes wonder. He and my dad did not have a lot in common but they were "of a type" in a way.

2024-06-09 18:27:10

- reply

@npub1096…403p Yes!

2024-06-09 17:08:13

- reply

@npub16j3…qpnj "How to leave your awful boyfriend" "Just stay in the rooms in the house he uses less frequently."

2024-06-09 17:05:27

- reply

@npub16j3…qpnj If that's the same article I read it was... underwhelming also. Because iirc, the author was still using Google in at least some part of their life they just... suggested how to compartmentalize.

2024-06-09 17:04:12

- reply

@npub1096…403p Not at all interested in working on a project with cortex but I AM a huge fan of Myq.

2024-06-09 05:03:41

- reply

@npub1zpz…6530 I'm really glad you liked it. I found it a fairly complex story that was decently paced and wasn't too over the top even though it dealt with a whole bunch of pretty tricky issues.

2024-06-08 05:00:24

- reply

@npub1ej6…pvaa I saw those ads a lot on Instagram and I reported every single one of them.

2024-06-07 22:31:01

- reply

@npub15av…vae3 Yep, I hate it. I was using this for a while.
https://github.com/robaho/seashore

2024-06-07 19:21:36

Vermont publishes their statewide ILL statistics and I always find them pretty interesting.
https://libraries.vermont.gov/services/interlibrary-loan/clover-vermont-ill-system/clover-statistics
Delighted to see True Biz on the "most requested" list, though that could mean that there just aren't a lot of copies for a popular book.
No surprise that three of the books on that list are about books or reading.
Fun to see Beetlejuice on the Top Movies Requested list because they were filming the sequel, twenty-five years later, in my county!

2024-06-07 16:49:42

- reply

@npub1n2e…prhw Yay this brings me such joy.

2024-06-07 03:22:07

- reply

@npub1pa7…7072 Somehow I thought I was going to be hearing this.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OA_pPgwguR8

2024-06-07 00:37:15

- reply

@npub1ktx…dzrr Gotta be hard to go on Wikipedia and look for yourself and just see an article with a guy so old his photo is a statue.

2024-06-07 00:25:58

Drop-in was busy today, mostly library folks.
- Helped a board member get herself an account on her mom's old laptop now that her mom is in assisted living and no longer wants it.
- Helped the library director plan some steps to help the guy locked out of his gmail address who no longer has the phone number he had when he got the email address
- Helped another board member see how far back Version History goes in Google Docs (pretty far but some sets of edits may get collapsed)
Other folks:

2024-06-05 22:23:13

- reply

@npub1jcm…7kud Thanks, appreciate the suggestions fixed!

2024-06-05 22:05:24

- reply

@npub1yse…d9c4 Glad you liked it. Computers in Libraries is an old school magazine which I used to be a regular columnist for but now write the occasional feature. I was so pleased with how this came out.

2024-06-05 22:03:58

- reply

@npub1qry…lck0 I love to blame the computer :D

2024-06-05 22:03:12

- reply

@npub1tng…dd6p I think my image was too low-res to make it into the article but LOOK.
https://cdn.masto.host/glammrus/media_attachments/files/112/565/797/877/407/028/original/513226f1b568f630.png

2024-06-05 19:39:12

"This more recent sense of the digital divide—a systems thinking divide, in which users’ lack of understanding of the interrelatedness of things is being weaponized against them—is what I work on the most."
Me talking about what I perceive to be the latest digital divide in this month's Computers in Libraries.
https://www.infotoday.com/cilmag/jun24/West--The-Latest-Digital-Divide-Systems-Thinking-vs-Misinformation-and-Malfeasance.shtml

2024-06-05 16:58:44

- reply

@npub1096…403p It is very funny listening to the things they get wrong about the US. About once and episode I am tempted to write in and say "Well, actually..." and usually don't.

2024-06-05 16:54:30

- reply

@npub1096…403p That's how I learned about him.

2024-06-05 16:53:41

- reply

@npub1jyw…0khz Yep that's exactly where I heard about him. It's funny, in writing the article I'm pretty sure I can tell which sources they used (and didn't use)

2024-06-05 03:40:11

- reply

@npub1v4y…hm0u Jimmy Buffet wore one of those shirts!

2024-06-05 01:09:53

- reply

@npub12cq…pua7 I think with this guy you're never quite sure of anything

2024-06-05 01:03:52

- reply

This guy's name is Bum Farto and the categories on his Wikipedia article are: 1919 births, Missing people, People declared dead in absentia, 20th-century American criminals, and Firefighters. I don't think I have anything more to add except amazement no one had written this article before.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bum_Farto
https://cdn.masto.host/glammrus/media_attachments/files/112/560/844/846/920/002/original/abf6ef9e48bc15c2.jpg

2024-06-04 20:22:45

- reply

@npub1v82…t2au Oooh neat, I've only seen swallowtails so far.

2024-06-04 19:35:32

Saw my first fireflies on Sunday night, one of those markers of spring-into-summer. 🪰💡

2024-06-04 00:49:11

- reply

@npub1kjd…0uke Yeah it's really hard to be a librarian in Alabama. I do not think your assessment is at all incorrect.

2024-06-04 00:26:03

- reply

@npub15av…vae3 No argument there.

2024-06-04 00:14:53

- reply

@npub15av…vae3 I mean... John Bolton was my most recent big-mustache referent.

2024-06-03 22:29:11

- reply

This was the result of a HUGE effort put forth by our state's DOL, the Working Group on the Status of Libraries in Vermont and all the library workers who testified and offered their lived experiences. I am grateful to them (and I helped a little!)
Text and progress of the bill
https://legislature.vermont.gov/bill/status/2024/S.220
More about the working group
https://libraries.vermont.gov/services/initiatives-and-projects/working-group-status-libraries-vermont

2024-06-03 22:27:07

I am getting somewhat emotional reading about all the parts of S.220, An act relating to Vermont’s public libraries, which was signed by Vermont's governor today.
- empowers the Department of Libraries to develop model selection and retention policies for public libraries (PL)
- requires the DOL to provide Continuing Ed for public library staff (they do this already)
- extends enhanced penalties for criminal threatening in all PL
- lowers the age of patron confidentiality in PL from 16 to 12

2024-06-03 17:03:17

- reply

@npub1k4u…0yfm I like how Siri acts like it's my fault when my network connection is weak and it wants to do a thing that it shouldn't need internet to do.

2024-06-01 03:08:17

- reply

@npub12ss…c7zf Chemical engineering. Close but not quite.

2024-05-31 22:23:22

- reply

@npub12wd…nxnx Allo little nibbler.

2024-05-31 22:15:05

Friday afternoon reminder to not empty your inbox at the expense of someone else's. Your email has found me bird watching and I can highly recommend it. Patience and sometimes silence can achieve great results. Have a good weekend.
Image credit: State Library of New South Wales, on Flickr Commons
https://www.flickr.com/photos/statelibraryofnsw/50289134466/
https://cdn.masto.host/glammrus/media_attachments/files/112/537/534/607/710/952/original/f74dd1118eb10530.jpeg

2024-05-31 03:14:37

- reply

@npub1t8v…k9sj Turns out I was misreading Wikipedia edits and my apologies to ImYourTurboLover (which is possibly an even better username)

2024-05-31 01:52:00

- reply

@npub1src…m97p I really like this.

2024-05-31 01:43:00

- reply

@npub1lp8…4rrw Appreciate this reference.

2024-05-31 01:41:32

- reply

@npub1t8v…k9sj JeffSpaceman (who made that edit) is the hero we deserve today.

2024-05-31 01:39:34

- reply

@npub12ss…c7zf I very much wish I did but my grandfather would have gone to college with him!

2024-05-31 01:36:55

- reply

@npub1xfh…awf9 Couldn't agree more Rob.

2024-05-31 01:30:14

- reply

@npub1typ…c8hh Between this and the news about the IRS and Direct File being available in all 50 states it's been a not-entirely-terrible-to-be-American day.

2024-05-30 21:52:23

- reply

@npub1rxa…q0ud I am stupidly excited about this.

2024-05-30 19:25:25

- reply

@npub1us2…u74s These have a number of good flavors and are decently priced. I'm a fan of the vanilla ones but they have a variety pack that can be good for trying some things out.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07MCCVZYC/

2024-05-30 02:11:52

- reply

@npub1e0a…eww0 Oh gosh Emily, and this is so timely since Seattle Public is dealing with a ransomware attack this week, on top of all the other attacks on libraries. Thanks for writing it.

2024-05-29 19:53:08

- reply

@npub1f2v…x2wv Oh neat that looks really interesting. Thanks for the review.

2024-05-29 19:52:09

- reply

@npub1y4n…25mf I'm an inclusionist on Wikipedia. If you'd like to point me towards a few reliable sources that have recent info I'd be happy to take a look. If you want to go another direction, ok too!

2024-05-28 20:37:55

- reply

@npub16j3…qpnj Jim.

2024-05-28 19:51:39

- reply

@npub1g3c…y7kx Sure, good luck. I use a great mail merge tool that I like a lot as well which is this one.
https://developers.google.com/apps-script/samples/automations/mail-merge

2024-05-28 18:28:26

- reply

After some back and forth with my email host, they sent me a cryptic "this issue should be fixed" message and sure enough, it seems to be.
I got DMARC set up (now tweaking the settings) and checked a few more things with this handy tool.
https://www.learndmarc.com/
Thanks to everyone who offered constructive feedback.

2024-05-28 16:33:20

- reply

@npub1up2…k6en Love it. We were assigned this in library school.

2024-05-27 01:53:04

- reply

@npub1a0u…h3us Just lovely.

2024-05-26 22:51:09

- reply

@npub18uh…7xlx "propitious and consequential"!

2024-05-26 18:16:25

- reply

@npub17vx…agau Thank you for writing all that out. I grew up near Perkins School and knew some of the local history but not all of it. I appreciate the extensive background you shared.

2024-05-25 21:34:05

- reply

@npub1ehh…kn7v That was helpful, thank you. I think I've managed to set up DMARC that will work in "relaxed" mode and I know how to change it if I need it to be different.

2024-05-25 18:46:46

- reply

@npub1uxl…5f6m Thank you, I am ridiculously happy with it and very surprised it was available

2024-05-25 18:44:39

- reply

@npub1u70…x2ts I envy your work life if that is true.

2024-05-25 02:19:38

- reply

@npub1wky…6c6c Me and Ask MetaFilter, exactly.

2024-05-25 00:17:27

- reply

@npub1zsc…qw5z That is my feeling but it's that weird uncanny valley of payment where I'm not paying *much* so I maybe need to just find a company I can pay more reasonable amounts to and just get this sorted.

2024-05-24 22:39:29

- reply

@npub1w7l…vw02 Oh how great, thanks for the CC license.

2024-05-24 22:27:24

- reply

@npub1933…jggw I, too, was surprised it was available.

2024-05-24 22:02:05

Friday afternoon reminder to not empty your inbox at the expense of someone else's. I happen to be battling an entirely other email issue this sunny Friday afternoon before a US holiday weekend when what I would like to be doing is driving my truck down to the river and not doing any typing at all. We can all do our part.
https://cdn.masto.host/glammrus/media_attachments/files/112/497/847/323/661/097/original/f2641dd0bf63124f.jpeg