Tim McCormack

Gardener, software developer, and nature enthusiast.

I use hashtags instead of CWs for uspol (US politics).

I have other accounts, but this one tends to be more for Boston-area things, MA and US politics, and nature stuff.

#nobot

pronouns: he/they
website: https://www.brainonfire.net
location: Somerville, MA, USA
languages: 📖 en, es; ✍️ en, ~es

Public Key

npub164maav34lemd0e64k2myx0skdlvk8qy0cgj98qdac5e7xzfpzkls5k9vad

NIP-05 Address

[email protected]

Profile Code

nprofile1qqsd2a77kg6luakhua2m9djr8ctxlktrsz8uyfznsx7u2vlrpys3t0cprpmhxue69uhhyetvv9ujumt0d4hhxarj9ecxjmntrycsse

Publishing to

relay.momostr.pink

Author Public Key

npub164maav34lemd0e64k2myx0skdlvk8qy0cgj98qdac5e7xzfpzkls5k9vad

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Last Notes

2026-10-29 14:09:55 GMT

New food waste dropoff bins in Somerville! Really excited for this.
It has never really made sense to me for a bunch of trucks to go around collecting compost buckets from individual houses. It's really cool to see these distributed collection points being deployed.
https://www.somervillema.gov/foodwaste
#SomervilleMA #compost
https://files.better.boston/media_attachments/files/117/524/558/342/601/013/original/63eca85c90b09bab.jpeg

2026-10-14 22:10:34 GMT

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There's computers and there's computers—I'm sure that 2009 car was already heavily computerized, at least in the way the engine was managed.
I assume you're referring to either "someone wedged a big stupid tablet into the dashboard" or "why the fuck is this car connected to the internet".

2026-09-29 18:42:17 GMT

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Wait what? Tell me more, I didn't know anyone was doing bike-watering of any kind!
So is the idea that they carry around a long, hydrant-compatible hose and use the hydrant directly to water the trees?

2026-09-29 15:43:15 GMT

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Whereas I was failing to water trees at all because I was so mad at how unnecessarily annoying the process was. 😆
I'm actually not totally thrilled with my result here. 5 gallons is heavy as fuck. I'd rather carry two 3 gallon watering cans, if I can find some with removable spouts (making them high-flow).
But these buckets could go on a bike trailer, which is the eventual goal. Then carrying isn't a problem.

2026-09-29 14:55:26 GMT

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(It's a prototype for a tree-watering system I'm experimenting with. Lift the bucket and it dumps all 5 gallons into the bag in 20 seconds flat.)

2026-09-29 14:53:14 GMT

hhhehehe the city's never gonna know what hit 'em
all that free water, left unguarded
the fools
https://files.better.boston/media_attachments/files/117/354/886/464/296/197/original/6591ad0a18071311.png

2026-09-14 14:32:23 GMT

Last year I threw some cattail seed heads into the muddy, marshy area next to the CPX flyover. Looks like some have taken hold!
I think the area is intended as a stormwater detention basin, but I'm not sure. Sometimes there's a pipe flooding water into the area even when it's not raining, so maybe it has another purpose. But plants are growing in there in any case, and so I'd rather seed it with native stuff so it doesn't end up full of invasives.
https://files.better.boston/media_attachments/files/117/269/840/360/540/218/original/965e9077cb6773a9.png

2026-05-14 00:44:13 GMT

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Right?! And yet there are all these details that are wrong. My spouse points out that the beak is not very warbler-y, in particular.

2026-05-13 23:42:02 GMT

Hey, who the heck is this cutie? Can't find them in the bird book or in image search.
I saw several along the Mystic River on the Medford side. (Eastern Massachusetts, USA.) One was in the grass, another was flitting about in the trees.
Maybe a yellow warbler? Closest I can find, but no picture quite matches.
#BirdID
https://files.better.boston/media_attachments/files/116/569/843/040/946/307/original/27a22f4c50820a84.png
https://files.better.boston/media_attachments/files/116/569/903/881/664/524/original/63d9b6289afed816.png

2026-05-13 02:41:57 GMT

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Oh, hello fellow minister! 😀
Massachusetts actually has an interesting program whereby non-clergy can get a one-day designation allowing them to officiate weddings, so I don't know if I will ever actually need this ability, but... it's still potentially useful.

2026-05-09 04:19:29 GMT

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looks like a reminder not to empty your sinuses at the expense of someone else's

2026-03-27 02:14:34 GMT

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Somerville is usually *pretty* responsive to plowing requests, so this was kind of baffling. I feel like DPW just sort of gave up with that last storm.

2026-03-27 00:32:18 GMT

Somerville finally closed my bike lane plowing requests from a month ago with "DONE".
No. That's not "DONE", that's "no longer applicable thanks to procrastination".

2026-02-24 02:49:40 GMT

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We had whiteout conditions a few times this morning. Snow finally stopped mid-afternoon.
I spent a good part of the day shoveling. We're having to get pretty creative with snow management. :-) My approach now is to cut snow-bricks and stack them as retaining walls for thrown snow.

2026-02-23 22:43:23 GMT

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Boston area status: Every vertical surface is covered in snow.
There's some on the ground too.

2026-02-12 12:35:32 GMT

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Anyway, I've had some fun thoughts about what one could do with a space like this:
- Fill it with about 20 more cones.
- Fill it back in with snow and put the cones on top.
- Harvest space savers from around the city and pile them all in this one spot.
Any other excellent ideas?

2026-02-12 12:33:25 GMT

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For those who aren't from the area: "Space savers" are illegal but some people do it anyhow, usually because they feel entitled to exclusively claim a part of a public road all for themselves.
It's a very hot debate after a big snow storm like this. Occasionally people get violent if "their" spot is taken.
Usually it's just a bucket or a broken chair, though.

2026-02-12 12:22:31 GMT

We've reached new levels of bullshit in the space saver world.
(Spotted on Hudson St in #SomervilleMA)
https://files.better.boston/media_attachments/files/116/057/623/267/683/276/original/2bbc7a394249b12d.jpeg

2026-01-22 02:22:30 GMT

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Update on my bike's broken frame: Trek says I qualify for the warranty! Apparently they're going to give me a $1200 bike (or that much discount on another model) since the original frame is no longer produced.
I have to say, I wasn't expecting that, especially given some other experiences with the brand. But apparently they mean it with the frames.

2026-01-17 03:02:26 GMT

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Is the inbox-emptying thing literal or metaphorical?
(If literal, I don't think it's a phenomenon I've encountered!)

2026-01-16 01:01:20 GMT

...and there goes the frame on my Trek.
#BikeTooter
https://files.better.boston/media_attachments/files/115/902/065/739/282/444/original/3d23d58df0c5456d.jpeg

2026-01-10 21:37:24 GMT

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I don't think there's any generic way to get the prompt—it's probably not embedded in the image, or anything like that.
I'm guessing it's as simple as someone having revealed the prompt they used, then getting mad when people copy it.

2025-12-08 14:34:02 GMT

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I made a minor hobby of catching Star Market in pricing errors and taking home a lot of free stuff.
They eventually improved their practices.

2025-12-08 14:31:59 GMT

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Some stores prey on people who see favorable prices on the shelves or in fliers and don't notice that they get charged more at checkout.
Dollar Store is a big offender, apparently: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/dec/03/customers-pay-more-rising-dollar-store-costs
But if you're in MA, that means you can probably get a lot of free stuff there by keeping an eye out.
(I'm not sure if they're part of the waiver program and have those signs at the register. But either way, they have to give you the lower price.)

2025-12-08 14:28:55 GMT

Next time you're in a grocery checkout line in MA, look for the Consumer Protection Act sign on the register.
It's pretty spicy. If an item rings up higher than the advertised or marked price, you get the first one free, and the rest at the lower price! Small print is here, starting around "discrepancy between the advertised price": https://malegislature.gov/Laws/SessionLaws/Acts/2012/Chapter138
But you have to *notice*. So start keeping an eye out.
Do it enough and they'll fix the pricing for everyone.

2025-11-28 03:30:19 GMT

Question for smartphone owners: If you lost your phone and a kind stranger found it, how would you like them to approach getting it back to you?
(Assume this is on the sidewalk or subway, not a place where there's a front desk to turn it in at. And the phone is locked, of course, with no emergency contact info on the lockscreen.)
I've been the finder a few times and felt *very* conflicted about my options.

2025-11-07 04:07:32 GMT

The tree of liberty must from time to time be watered.

2025-02-02 21:41:54 GMT

New random shittiness just dropped: Bike alarms.
In the process of locking and unlocking my bike from a street pole today, I set off the alarm on someone's e-bike 3 or 4 separate times. Full on WEE-OO-WEE-OO NRRRT NRRRT NRRRT siren for about a minute each time. The slightest vibration of the post was all it took.
What an incredibly obnoxious imposition on public space.

2024-12-11 01:06:27 GMT

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What category did you use? I seem to recall they had a proper form for CAN-SPAM violations but now they want to channel you into reporting scams and such, but not spam.

2024-08-28 17:23:02 GMT

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Relatedly, being easily amused is one of my character traits that I hold most dear. I'm happy every time I see a cool bug, and there are a *lot* of cool bugs! There's no downside!