Chris Trottier

Putting the sauce in awesome! This is my fully-managed family Akkoma + Mangane server.

I primarily talk about the Fediverse, movies, books, photography, video games, music, working out, and general geekiness.

I’m a proud husband and father.

Location: Richmond, BC, Canada

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Last Notes

2026-10-30 17:06:32 GMT

With rapt attention, I'm watching the stock market today!
Because, so far, the NASDAQ 100 ($QQQ) has declined 3.20%—and keeps falling!
But it's not a stock market drop that fascinates me because, all things considered, the NASDAQ 100 is still up 11.29% YoY.
No—what interests me is that forward P/E is now **20.0×* and falling!
Translation: investors are now paying approximately $20 for every $1 of earnings companies are expected to generate over the next 12 months for the world's *largest* tech companies!
In other words, buying tech companies is getting cheaper and cheaper. Investors are paying *less* relative to the earnings growth they're *expecting*.
"But Chris, isn't that what you should expect in a speculative bubble?"
Nope! Typically in a speculative bubble, if there are earnings, the forward P/E is *much* higher—sometimes at a forward P/E of 20.0×. That is, *if* they have any earnings at all!
However, now we're in a moment where speculation is out the window. There's no debate that these tech companies can deliver earnings. The bigger question is whether capital expenditure required to support can generate sufficient profits.
And it's the word "sufficient" that's doing the heavy lifting here because "sufficient" isn't an objective measurement. It is entirely about sentiment. Because how much profit is sufficient *enough*?
What we're seeing now is that *growth* companies are now being viewed as *value* companies. Historically, investors attracted to *value* target companies with a P/E ratio of 5-20×. That's considered the sweet spot.
Which means that investors are now being offered *two* things at once: relatively inexpensive valuations associated with value stocks *as well as* substantial earnings-growth expectations associated with growth stocks.
**We can see this with today's current PEG of 0.89.**
PEG ratio compares a company's price-to-earnings multiple with its expected earnings-growth rate.
A PEG of 1.0 means the numerical P/E multiple equals the expected annual earnings-growth percentage. A PEG below 1.0 means investors are paying a comparatively low earnings multiple relative to projected growth.
For the NASDAQ-100, today's figures illustrate this:
- Trailing P/E: 26.77×
- Projected annual earnings growth: 29.98%
- PEG: 26.77 ÷ 29.98 = 0.89
This means investors are paying approximately 26.77 times current annual earnings for companies collectively expected to grow earnings at nearly 30% annually.
Put another way, a traditional value stock might trade at 10× earnings but only grow earnings by 5% annually, producing a PEG of 2.0. The NASDAQ-100, by comparison, has a PEG below 1.0 because its anticipated earnings growth is unusually high relative to its current earnings multiple.
"But how likely is expected earnings growth to be wrong?"
Well, since we're talking about *expectations*, there's no certainty. It is entirely possible to overestimate long-term earnings growth.
However, the NASDAQ-100's *recent* actual earnings performance has been exceptionally strong. In Q1 2026, NASDAQ-100 earnings per share grew 45.6% year-over-year.
And as of October 23, 2026, 95% of the 20 NASDAQ-100 companies reporting had beaten earnings expectations.
Of course, one has to take recency bias into account too.
So out of an abundance of caution, let's assume that the forward P/E ratio of the NASDAQ 100 should be 5× instead of 20×. This would be unprecedented, but let's consider it anyway.
In that scenario, the NASDAQ would lose 75% of its current valuation. That would be terrible—but not catastrophic because a fall in share price does *not* equate to a fall in earnings.
But a P/E ratio of 5× has *never* happened. Not once, even in our worst financial crises. Consider the historical record of the NASDAQ 100:
* 2002 dot-com aftermath (September) – 11.9×
* 2008 financial crisis (December) – 13.3×
* August 2011 historical low – 11.23×
Today's forward P/E is actually *lower* than the bear market of December 22, which was 20.1×.
This is why today's sell-off fascinates me. The market is behaving as though the NASDAQ-100's growth prospects are deteriorating, yet the actual earnings data tells a very different story.
Could earnings expectations prove wrong? Absolutely. Could prices fall further? Of course.
But the more the market falls without a corresponding deterioration in earnings, the stronger the investment case becomes.
https://atomicpoet.org/media/453fb196eae19726a970e202f4551a097fba7b025a526e6db29b412d585d05ce.png

2026-10-05 03:27:44 GMT

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I don't think anyone should look at this as a zero sum game of gender.
Women aren't the reason there's a mental health crisis amongst men. There's many reasons why it's happening, but women aren't the cause. Because, let's be real---it's not women's job to fix men.
HOWEVER... I think we all do ourselves a disservice by burying our heads in the sand, and believing that addressing this problem diminishes women's equality.
Because the truth of the matter is, that if we don't address this problem, where will young men go to seek help? To the Andrew Tates of the world.
Do we want 13-year-old boys to look at Andrew Tate as a role model?

2026-07-23 00:25:38 GMT

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Based off sales, I think most people at least like Pink Floyd, Styx, and Supertramp.
Genesis sold a lot of albums, although most people are completely unaware of that they’re a prog band. But even their 80s pop albums have prog elements.
I would definitely say that Journey and Toto have some prog elements, though they’re more pop-rock in practice.

2026-06-24 19:16:26 GMT

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Soccer is a bigger deal in Europe. Hey, we didn't even score a goal in the World Cup until this tournament. To most Canadians, it's a revelation we're as good as we are.

2026-06-17 20:41:34 GMT

Great goal by Croatia! England had no chance to save that one!
Well, I may not want them to win but at least Croatia keeps things interesting.
England 1-1 Croatia
#WorldCup #soccer
#note14c5…cn6x

2026-06-17 20:19:50 GMT

I'm cheering for England.
Not because of the Premier League or colonialism or because the #soccer was invented there. I don't even know any of the players on the English team.
Nope, the only reason I'm cheering for England is because I like this song.
https://youtu.be/Re4aDJL3heA
#WorldCup
#note10sp…3djv

2026-06-10 04:11:47 GMT

There’s always studies about the health benefits of tea but they don’t always give you the full picture.
It is true that green tea is high in catechins, tannins, polyphonels, and antioxidants—and this reduces heart disease risk.
But it’s also true that if you have gastrointestinal sensitivity and acid reflux, green tea can be absolutely brutal for you and a complete no go.
This is why yellow tea is worth exploring. It is similar to green tea but without the acidic edges.
https://www.msn.com/en-ca/health/other/the-best-tea-for-heart-disease-backed-by-dietitians/ar-AA22k2hI

2026-06-06 18:48:06 GMT

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Sorry, that was meant to be a reply, not a quote boost.
Anyway, I don't agree with catcalling. No "ifs" or "buts" about that.
I actually don't think anyone should be talking to anyone they don't know unless they've somehow blatantly signalled that they want to be approached. And some women *do* want to be approached, they just don't often have a socially acceptable mechanism for this signal.

2026-05-27 20:12:00 GMT

Today’s tea is ChaTraMue Brand Thai Tea Mix (Extra Gold).
In my quest to drink all the tea in my house, many of you might find this a shocking departure from the pu’ehr and oolongs I’ve been showing off recently.
This is a finely milled, heavily flavored commercial blend designed to punch through a lot of sugar, milk, and ice.
ChaTraMue is most famous for its standard "Red Tin," which produces the vibrant, neon-orange Thai iced tea found in restaurants worldwide. But this Extra Gold version I have represents their premium blend. It uses a higher grade of Assam black tea and is formulated to have a much more robust, earthy tea flavour.
Typically, I don’t like teabags. But there are exceptions. This is one of them because the tea is deliberately astringent so it can survive the spices and flavours: star anise, crushed tamarind seed, cardamom, and vanilla.
Extra Gold is often used for iced teas. But today, I’m drinking this hot with condensed milk.
First, I put a teabag in a mug.
Then I pour the boiling water directly over them and let it steep for 4 to 5 minutes. Before removing the teabags, I press them firmly against the side of the mug with a spoon to extract the concentrated, dark tea and the remaining spices. Afterwards, discard the bag.
While the tea is still piping hot, I add two teaspoons of condensed milk.
This makes for a wonderful dessert tea.
https://atomicpoet.org/media/4e990cbecaa5cdc11d9471cf9a36510a7a4312dfb06db910e58e04c14ce463bf.jpeg

2026-05-17 01:11:57 GMT

Really scary concussion just happened to a Houston Dynamo player. An ambulance just came out to the field. I hope he’s okay.
#MLS #soccer.
#note1h5j…74yc

2026-05-13 05:31:52 GMT

Googlebooks are silly, and they sure as hell don't replace MacBooks.
https://blog.google/products-and-platforms/platforms/android/meet-googlebook/

2026-04-24 20:55:59 GMT

Going for a second helping of Ying De Hong black tea, but I'm doing something different.
I'm putting the leaves directly in the mug. No filter. Adding milk and sugar.
How do you think this will go?
#note1k6g…lxzf

2026-04-15 20:19:51 GMT

If DOA was the band that defined hardcore punk, Pointed Sticks is the band that defined Canadian pop punk.
But don't let their catchy tunes fool you. Anyone who saw the Dennis Hopper movie Out of the Blue—set in Vancouver—can tell you that Pointed Stick was just as gritty and outrageous as DOA. In many ways, even more so.
Pointed Sticks were also the first Canadian band to find an international following, landing on the celebrated Stiff Records.
https://youtu.be/fe8eRf6m-IM
#note1q8x…ft6m

2026-01-11 00:49:43 GMT

So many thoughts still on Chorus, a game I beat yesterday---and it still lingers in my imagination.
We're not going to see another game like it ever again.
There will be no official sequels. There will be no film adaptations. There will be no novelization.
I'm not sad about that. Rather, I'm thankful for a unique experience. In this day and age where everything has to be a franchise, it feels nice to have something that's one of a kind.
#note1a3e…zelr

2026-01-04 02:00:51 GMT

Cantonese people, I need your help!
This is a great song. And it’s about my hometown of Richmond, BC, Canada.
But half of it is in English, and half is in Cantonese. Can someone please tell me what the Cantonese is all about?
https://atomicpoet.org/media/91d599dac1a9e9e89be044385eded3869e7debe513494e3332975dabd34ecca8.mp3

2025-12-15 05:37:43 GMT

All right, let me list all the consoles I own in order that I got them:
* NES
* SEGA Genesis
* SEGA Nomad
* SEGA Saturn
* Sony PlayStation (two of them!)
* Game Boy Color
* Game Boy Advance
* Sony PlayStation 2
* Microsoft Xbox (two of them!)
* Game Micro
* Nintendo DS (three of them!)
* Nintendo Wii
* Microsoft Xbox 360
* Atari Flashback 5
* Nintendo 3DS
* Famicom Mini
* Sony PSP
* Hyperkin RetroN 5
* Nintendo Switch
* The C64 Mini
I thought about counting the Steam Deck and Legion Go. But no, those are handheld PCs. It’s the same reason I don’t count my Amazon Fire Stick as a console either—even though it can play games.
So actually, I have 24 consoles in total.

2025-12-05 23:20:11 GMT

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I strongly disagree. If you can listen and transcribe effectively in a matter of minutes, you are truly exceptional—better than the majority of transcribers getting paid to do it.
And regardless of how effective you are, if you’re going to transcribe, you should be proofreading anyway. Humans, too, are prone to errors.
AI is shockingly accurate to the point that I really just have to change spelling here, fix formatting there. Which, yes, takes less time and effort than transcribing myself.
Regardless, here’s the main flaw in your argument: it’s better to have transcription than no transcription at all.
I genuinely hope you’re not suggesting that the blind should depend on the goodwill of humans for transcription.

2025-11-24 17:29:41 GMT

When I grew up, I used to hate Vancouver because it rains all the time and it doesn’t have the same cultural circuitry as a New York or a Montreal.
Now—it’s not that I *love* Vancouver—but I can’t leave because it rains all the time and it doesn’t have the same cultural circuitry as a New York or a Montreal.
But the older I got, the more I realized Vancouver *does* have a culture. It’s just not the kind that gets written up in glossy magazines.
It’s the kind that involves eating ramen at 2AM during a downpour so aggressive it feels personal. You duck into some tiny shop where the entire interior is about three chairs and a pot of broth, and everyone in there looks like they were rescued from the Pacific five minutes earlier. You sit down, soaking wet, and nobody reacts because everyone else is also soaking wet. That’s the Vancouver bond. Shared dampness.
And while people love to tell you Vancouver “has no culture,” find me another city where you can walk into a thrift store and walk out with a LaserDisc player, a stack of city pop albums, three VHS tapes of Hong Kong action movies, and a jacket that somehow smells like cedar and Marlboros at the same time. Montreal can keep its poetry slams. We have entire aisles dedicated to technologies even museums forgot about.
Vancouver’s not lacking culture at all—it just runs on a completely different operating system. It’s just a different breed. Less “Broadway show” and more “accidentally found a perfectly functioning 90s mountain bike with a Whistler lift-pass sticker still on it, buried behind a stack of old rain jackets at a Salvation Army.” Less nightlife, more night noodles. Use this:
Less neon glamour, more neon reflected in puddles big enough to get their own postal codes.
https://atomicpoet.org/media/9abeba2457b1a3445f1c81506e92d76273ab8d9c2a6c5c4c97a8f8e1eab5b0b8.jpg

2025-11-13 09:15:52 GMT

It is so funny when people claim Linux authority by saying, “I’ve been using Linux since the 2000s…”
Sit down. My first distro was Slackware on a 200Mhz Pentium MMX. And back then, window managers were the hotness, not desktop environments. Back in my day, we fiddled with Xeyes in IceWM—and we liked it.
But none of that vintage cred actually matters, because Linux never wins people over with nostalgia. It wins people over when it finally does the thing they care about.
I abandoned Linux in the early 2010s for the same reason most people did: it didn’t have the apps or the games I needed. The OS was fine. The software ecosystem wasn’t.
What brought me back? Gaming. Not philosophy, not ideology, not a love of fiddling with config files.
Gaming forced Linux to solve real, modern problems—drivers, performance, Vulkan, translation layers, graphics pipelines. And once those problems got solved, the benefits spilled into everything else: creative apps, productivity apps, niche tools, Windows compatibility layers that actually work.
This is what people still don’t get: regular users don’t care about Wayland vs Xorg, package formats, compositor drama, or kernel minutiae. They care about whether the apps they need will run with minimal friction.
An operating system succeeds when it disappears into the background and lets people use their software. For the first time, Linux is genuinely doing that—and that’s why the momentum is finally real.

2025-11-12 19:11:26 GMT

The biggest—and most *shocking*—tech news of the year just dropped!
Valve just unleashed a **triple thunderclap** of hardware announcements that will shake not just gaming, but the *entire* tech world.
**1. Steam Controller (2nd Gen)**
The legendary controller returns—now with a D-pad, dual trackpads, capacitive sensors on both thumbsticks *and* the back grips, plus magnetic charging via the new **Puck**. This thing is built to *feel* like the future.
**2. Steam Machine (2nd Gen)**
Forget the old days of third-party builds—Valve’s *own* machine is here. It’s a cube-shaped hybrid: discrete AMD GPU, full SteamOS (Linux-based, *not* Windows), and it runs as both console and PC. Sleek, powerful, and ready to dethrone the living room.
**3. Steam Frame (VR Headset)**
Valve’s next-gen VR revolution. Streams *every* Steam game—VR and non-VR alike—with cutting-edge camera tracking. Ships with a specialized VR Steam Controller, but compatible with the regular one too. And the included dongle means you can stream *everything* from your PC with zero friction.
So what’s really happening here?
Valve isn’t just coming for **Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo** anymore—they’re aiming squarely at **Apple**.
The **Steam Machine** challenges the Mac Mini.
The **Steam Frame** challenges the Vision Pro.
And both do what Apple never could: capture the gaming crowd.
Here’s why this changes *everything.*
Valve has quietly become the single greatest force in Linux adoption. Ever since the Steam Deck launched, Linux desktop usage soared past 5%. If *any* of these devices hit even a fraction of the Deck’s success, we’re looking at a full-on tectonic shift in the tech industry.
This isn't just about gadget. Valve is reprogramming the future of computing.
And personally? I’m *ready to buy every single one.*
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OmKrKTwtukE

2025-09-30 05:29:28 GMT

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That’s a fair point—but this isn’t about liking or disliking Google, or about picking the “perfect” tool from day one.
It’s about **building something through consensus**. I’m not the one setting tool policy. This is a **co-op**, which means decisions like what platforms or software to use aren’t mine to dictate.
If you want a say in that—whether it’s LibreOffice, Nextcloud, or anything else—that happens collectively, at the table, as a member-owner. Personally, I believe that process makes it better.

2025-09-20 01:15:31 GMT

The problem with self-identified “gamers” is that they don’t much like games.
What they really like is outrage. Endless Twitter threads about Ubisoft. YouTube rants about EA. It’s the same cycle every year—and every year, they eat it up.
Now, yes—sometimes outrage does move the needle. Loot boxes got attention because people wouldn’t shut up about them. Steam’s refund system only exists because players demanded it. Fair enough. But let’s be honest: that’s the exception. Most of the noise is just outrage as lifestyle.
Because while gamers are busy fuming over Assassin’s Creed DLC, thousands of games are releasing—many of them incredible. Games that will never get a spotlight, because gamers would rather keep hate-watching the same corporations they claim to despise.
Kicker is, Ubisoft and EA don’t actually matter unless you make them matter. They don’t have a constitutional right to your wallet. If you stopped buying Assassin’s Creed, it wouldn’t exist. Yet you do buy it. Then you complain about it. Then you buy it again.
Meanwhile, you could be playing Baldur’s Gate, Silksong, or any of the other masterpieces sitting right there waiting. But no—better to log on and shout about how much you hate the thing you voluntarily gave $60 to.
So sure, outrage has its uses. But don’t pretend it makes you some champion of the medium. If you care about games—actually care—play the good ones. Otherwise, drop the gamer label. Because what you’re really into isn’t games. It’s the drama.
@npub1dtn…jx8k

2025-09-19 01:08:04 GMT

Puzzle Quest: Immortal Edition just hit Steam—and I wish this franchise had been given more respect.
Back in 2007, the first Puzzle Quest was genuinely groundbreaking. It was one of the first games to fuse match-3 puzzling with RPG progression. Quests, loot, spells—all mapped onto Bejeweled-style mechanics. It worked. It was influential. It spawned a hundred imitators. And the bitter truth? Some of those imitators ended up outshining Puzzle Quest’s own sequels.
Now comes Immortal Edition, trumpeted as the “definitive Puzzle Quest”—a banner release bundling nearly twenty years of content. That means you get Challenge of the Warlords, its expansion Revenge of the Plague Lord, plus all the Switch-only content from The Legend Returns. Add in a new Swordmaster class, 40-plus items, and redrawn 4K art, and on paper this looks like the ultimate package.
But let’s talk execution.
The new character models are flat and lifeless. The match-3 gems look like assets ripped straight out of a generic mobile game. If you’re going to lean into retro, lean hard. Instead, this looks halfway modern and halfway cheap.
And the music—oh boy. They swapped it out. Which is madness. Imagine if Nintendo re-released Super Mario Bros. with a different soundtrack. Or if Street Fighter II came back with all the stage themes replaced. You don’t mess with the auditory memory of a game people have carried for almost two decades.
Mechanically, it’s still Puzzle Quest. Keyboard and mouse work fine. Xbox and DualShock controllers are supported.
This is verified for Steam Deck. Has the green check mark. And that means it plays on Linux without a hitch.
Specs are microscopic. An old Intel i3, 4 GB of RAM, 2 GB of space—you can run this on a potato. Infinity Plus 2 is still at the helm, now tucked under 505 Games. They’re the same crew behind Puzzle Quest 3, which landed with a thud thanks to its free-to-play grind.
As expected, reception is mixed. On Steam it’s sitting at 69% positive from 26 reviews. To be fair, this is still Puzzle Quest—there’s fun to be had. But it should have been better.
Introductory price is C$15.19. And I can’t believe I’m saying this, but you might be better off hunting down the original Puzzle Quest.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/3236710/Puzzle_Quest_Immortal_Edition/
@npub1dtn…jx8k
https://atomicpoet.org/media/32339a83cecf8f3c129c49bba35f8adf184e0d80a2c6a4d8b7d132511c2d851b.png

2025-09-05 23:15:30 GMT

No government has ever been “publicly owned and operated.”
If that were true, I’d be getting quarterly dividends instead of tax bills.

2025-08-28 18:48:23 GMT

Released today, Metal Gear Solid Δ: Snake Eater is finally on Steam—and honestly, I’m not thrilled.
Don’t get me wrong: the original Metal Gear Solid 3 is a classic. Kojima magic, Cold War jungle espionage, that “Snake Eater” theme song you can belt at karaoke—legendary.
And yes, the Δ remake looks gorgeous. It’s running on Unreal Engine 5, the graphics are modernized, the wounds you take now visibly scar and heal, and the controls have been overhauled with both a Legacy Style (old fixed-camera) and a New Style (modern free-camera).
Even the quirky extras are back—like “Snake vs. Monkey” on PlayStation and PC, or the new “Snake vs. Bomberman” mode on Xbox. Accessibility’s been improved, and both Xbox and PlayStation controllers are supported out of the box.
So what’s the problem? The price: C$93.49. That’s not collector’s edition, that’s just the standard edition. For a remake of a game from 2004. And while Konami did put in the work, this is still fundamentally the same story beat-for-beat—the same boss fights, the same cutscenes, the same legacy. You’re basically paying AAA pricing for nostalgia in HD.
Reviews are strong right now. Critics are praising it as a faithful retelling, the original voice cast has returned, and it’s hitting 87+ on the aggregator charts. That’s great—for people willing to pay almost a hundred bucks for what is still Metal Gear Solid 3.
Me? I’ll wait. When this drops to a sane price, sure, I’ll join Snake in the jungle again. But until then, this is one Cold War I’m sitting out.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2417610/METAL_GEAR_SOLID_D_SNAKE_EATER/
@npub1dtn…jx8k
https://atomicpoet.org/media/a476f5cfd060b125adffe152b4bfa7d265ba8091c5d7dea3eed086f5f3ed8c09.png

2025-08-05 23:29:15 GMT

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Based on whose testimony? Name names.

2025-06-10 22:10:55 GMT

A social network where you have to solve a captcha every time you try to post…

2025-05-18 20:00:23 GMT

Just had a surprisingly impressive retail experience:
* Ordered a 512GB micro-SD card from Amazon for $22.
* It arrived completely dead—wouldn’t even mount.
* Initiated a return. Amazon gave me the option to drop it off at Staples—no need to print a label or bring packaging. Just a QR code.
* Walked into Staples, they scanned the code, done in under a minute.
* Then they handed me a $5 coupon for any in-store purchase over $20.
* Ended up grabbing a Lexar 128GB micro-SD card for $20. Used the coupon. Paid $15.
So essentially:
Staples turned Amazon’s failed product into a chance to win me as a customer. And it worked.

2025-03-17 23:11:00 GMT

Trump's threat to annex Canada actually isn't "crazy".
The USA has *always* wanted to annex Canada. It's wanted to annex Canada since it came into existence.
The Quebec Act—a British law that gave Québécois people civil rights—was deemed one of the "intolerable acts" that led to the American Revolution:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quebec_Act
Not only was this a major catalyst for the revolution, but it also led to the invasion of Quebec by American forces—an attempt to force Canada into becoming the 14th Colony:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Invasion_of_Quebec_(1775)
That invasion failed. But America's enthusiasm for annexation remained undeterred. In 1812, Thomas Jefferson confidently declared:
> "The acquisition of Canada this year, as far as the neighborhood of Quebec, will be a mere matter of marching, and will give us experience for the attack on Halifax, the next and final expulsion of England from the American continent."
Spoiler alert: It was *not* a mere matter of marching. Despite numerical strength, American forces were beaten back:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_of_1812
This prompted a realization—maybe Canada couldn't be taken by force. So, Americans pivoted to diplomacy. In 1842, former Secretary of War (and eventual Senator) Lewis Cass assured:
> "The Canadas will yet be a part of this great republic. The laws of nature render it impossible that a few hundred thousand people should continue to hold the mouth of the St. Lawrence in opposition to the will of the millions who must, in process of time, fill this northern continent."
Translation: "It's just a matter of time, guys."
In 1848, President James K. Polk wrote:
> "The acquisition of Canada would be a great blessing to the people of that colony, and I have little doubt that they would gladly unite with us if the opportunity presented itself."
William H. Seward confidently proclaimed in the 1850s:
> "Our population is destined to roll resistless northward, and the British provinces of Canada, from sheer weakness, will be compelled to gravitate towards us."
When Canada became a country in 1867, Americans didn't see it as an end to annexation dreams—just a temporary roadblock. That same year, Senator Charles Sumner announced:
> "Canada must be ours. It belongs to us by the title of continental neighborhood, and I trust that the day is not distant when, under the laws of manifest destiny, it will be ours peacefully and with the consent of its inhabitants."
Two years later, President Ulysses S. Grant agreed:
> "I regard the acquisition of Canada as a foregone conclusion. The people there will come to us, and if we are wise, we shall make their coming easy and agreeable to them."
Speaker of the House (later Secretary of State) James Blaine echoed the sentiment in the early 1870s:
> "The destiny of Canada is absorption in the American Union, and no statesmanship can prevent it. Her natural resources, her trade, and her people all point to that inevitable result."
These weren't just empty words.
During the Oregon boundary dispute, President James K. Polk considered pushing for the annexation of Canada. The Reciprocity Treaty, which enabled free trade between the USA and British North America, was seen as a stepping stone toward economic integration—and, ultimately, political annexation. When it didn't work, the USA canceled the treaty in 1866 to pressure Canada into joining.
In 1865, William H. Seward even proposed that the UK hand over Canada as compensation for supporting the Confederacy during the Civil War. The British politely declined. Seward, undeterred, suggested that Canada would "naturally" become part of the USA through economic and political force.
Plot twist: It did not. Instead, with the British North America Act of 1867, Canada became its own federal dominion.
Even then, the USA continued attempts to absorb Manitoba and British Columbia. William O'Donoghue, an Irish-American with Fenian connections, wanted Manitoba to join the United States. In 1871, he even tried to invade Manitoba to incite a rebellion against Canadian rule. American officials such as James Wickes Taylor (a U.S. consul in Winnipeg) saw this as a diplomatic opportunity for annexation.
Meanwhile, American immigrants in British Columbia lobbied for annexation. Canada, in response, took on British Columbia’s debt and promised a transcontinental railway to keep it in the fold.
The dream of annexation persisted into the 20th century. In 1911, Champ Clark, Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, declared:
> "I hope to see the day when the American flag will float over every square foot of the British North American possessions, clear to the North Pole."
Canadians were *not* thrilled. His remark led to the collapse of a trade agreement.
Public talk of annexation faded, but the USA kept contingency plans. Enter War Plan Red, a 1927 U.S. military strategy for invading Canada. The plan included occupying key cities and even using poison gas on Nova Scotia. It was never enacted, but it proved that the idea still lingered.
Fast-forward nearly a century. No U.S. politician (officially) talked about annexing Canada—until Trump. And now, in very public statements, he’s expressing the same old desire.
America’s desire to annex Canada is as old as the country itself. They first tried force. Then economic and diplomatic pressure. The "inevitable" annexation never happened.
As history has shown, nothing is inevitable—Canada is still here.

2025-03-10 01:55:06 GMT

Yes - 90125 (1983)
Found this in a thrift store today, almost pristine. So I bought it for $2. Totally worth it.
https://atomicpoet.org/media/7e91dcff43bd53a0e6afab59b189039d10dfd24472360fb36588ea56f46896a1.jpeg

2025-03-09 05:18:42 GMT

Finally got my mitts on Nightdive Studio's 2024 remaster of Doom!
And I'm happy to report that it is Doom in *every* way that matters. It looks spectacular in HD while *still* looking like Doom.
The controls, especially with WASD, feel great. At the same time, this still feels like Doom.
The music? Still one of the greatest soundtracks of all time, and sounds pristine.
Even now, the level design with Doom is fantastic. It holds up even now. It's stood the test of time for a damn good reason.
This game has a 96% positive rating on Steam, which means that Nightdive definitely did something right.
@npub13am…rqtc
https://atomicpoet.org/media/0e090c04cbb15d14a776e19f02ec0dcc0f8f92106e5309359ae02d341a4762dc.png

2025-03-02 06:15:42 GMT

Doom 64 on a projector was a complete surprise to me.
But now that I think about it, the lighting effects complement a projector so well. The way everything ebbs and flows is beautiful.
https://atomicpoet.org/media/04b4af62e30fb5363514b84039e01382ad72447a7a7a8545bd96b221574d6eeb.jpeg

2025-03-01 18:44:21 GMT

All my heroes keep dying.
RIP David Johansen. You were an original.
https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/david-johansen-new-york-dolls-singer-buster-poindexter-dead-obituary-1235284539/

2025-02-25 15:38:59 GMT

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You got to stop assuming everyone lives in the USA. For example, I don’t live in the USA so American rules don’t apply to me.

2025-02-24 23:06:46 GMT

Group actors are essential to the Fediverse.
They’re the best way to create a community and have a topical discussion.
For example, I might want to talk about PC gaming. Without group actors, I have to hope someone who follows me also likes PC gaming which, considering the demographics of people who tend to follow me, is not so likely.
I also like to write about aesthetic things. Which is also an interesting that isn’t generally mainstream enough for the Fediverse.
And music? People on #Mastodon don’t want to talk about that either.
So how to solve this problem?
By tagging a group actor on #Lemmy, #Piefed, or #NodeBB. Preferably, one that has to do with the topic you want to discuss. And believe me, this is more effective than hashtags.

2025-02-13 00:15:16 GMT

I've been playing with #Friendica in mobile mode, running in web mobile mode with #Bookface UI.
If this app ever gets a dedicated mobile client, it's likely to become the next breakout #SocialWeb platform. It really does offer most of what you want in a #Facebook-like service.
Events? It has that. Groups? It has that too. The only thing that's actually missing is a marketplace feature. However, someone could probably build that too.
However, once a mobile app is made, I have no doubt we'll lots of adoption.
https://atomicpoet.org/media/c24cd13d5922f4968958332f4d779a9accd1f8bae427c2726fdca0f7283cac7d.png

2025-02-12 19:58:25 GMT

I am a #SocialWeb advocate, not a #FediGatekeeper.
Social web advocates want everyone to have access to the social web.
Fedi Gatekeepers want #ActivityPub to be inaccessible, reserving it as the inner sanctum for an elite few.
What about you?

2025-02-10 17:30:06 GMT

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Well, I’m addressing doomerism and the sense things are permanent and set in stone, so therefore the opposite of what you think I’m implying.

2025-02-10 01:10:12 GMT

I love arguing with DeepSeek about Communism.
When it comes to this topic, it’s not very good at reasoning.
At this point, I must be on some kind of list.
https://atomicpoet.org/media/9e6776bcdca02c7a6976d452c179733a92567cbd032b8ba722b2c197769a24d8.png
https://atomicpoet.org/media/987a20a62b10e56e1618f2bd5cc58b04d247b26a45d08a282f7e2257786260f3.jpeg

2025-02-05 00:04:31 GMT

#Tapestry by @npub19yc…6avn was just released today!
I have installed it, and it looks impressive.
I’m also happy to report is works seamlessly with #Akkoma, though it calls it #Mastodon — which I’m absolutely fine with. 🙂
https://apps.apple.com/ca/app/tapestry-by-iconfactory/id6448078074
https://atomicpoet.org/media/3227c7cf5738e6d4a058da9e860a1a81c033de06d9fc8dc81c3c6e99520f8a6a.png

2025-02-02 21:42:17 GMT

I was recently watching an Adam Conover video where he argues—quite successfully, I would say—that our perception of time often depends on how we use language.
For example, during the ’80s and ’90s, we tended to segment time into decades. You were living in the ’80s. You were living in the ’90s. And when you were living in the ’90s, it was clear and present that the ’90s were quite different from the ’80s.
Ever since the new millennium started, our language has shifted simply because we didn’t have a word to describe the 2000s apart from saying “the 2000s,” which doesn’t roll off the tongue as nicely as “the ’90s.” We don’t refer to the 2010s as “the tens”; we call them “the twenty-tens.” And right now, we don’t even call our current decade “the twenties.” When you think about “the twenties,” you don’t think about the 2020s—you think about the 1920s.
For this reason, when you look at media made from the 2000s to now, it all seems like one giant era. And I’ve been wondering—okay, this might sound strange, but it’s very, very true—I’ve been wondering when I’m allowed to feel nostalgic about the things I want to feel nostalgic about.
In the ’90s, it was okay to feel nostalgic about things from the ’80s. In the ’80s, it was okay to feel nostalgic about things from the ’70s. Adam Conover even mentions how we had nostalgia for the ’80s during the ’90s. Take *The Wedding Singer*, for example—that movie came out in 1998 but was set in 1985, a 13-year gap. And yet, people were okay with joking about the wild ’80s fashion, music, and culture.
So, it’s 2025 right now. Do we feel nostalgic about things made in 2012? In some ways, I kind of wish we did. The world was very different in 2012, yet it doesn’t feel that way because, again, how we segment time affects how we perceive time. This is a linguistic trick—but a trick that changes our perspective.
---
### Video Games and Generational Shifts
This got me thinking about video games because I play them quite a bit. Looking back, when video games were made between the ’80s and the 2000s, they were segmented into specific generations.
#### The 8-bit Era
The 8-bit generation included the NES, Master System, and Atari 7800. It had a distinct look and sound, with specific games defining the era:
- *The Legend of Zelda*
- *Super Mario Bros.*
- *OutRun*
- *Alex Kidd* (if you were a Master System owner)
#### The 16-bit Era
Sprites became more colorful and detailed, and the era had a distinct 16-bit style. Parallax scrolling was a big thing. Some defining games:
- *Sonic the Hedgehog*
- *Super Mario World*
- *F-Zero*
- *Star Fox*
#### The 32-bit Era
This era introduced polygons as the dominant visual style. Some key games:
- *Final Fantasy VII*
- *Crash Bandicoot*
- *Super Mario 64*
- *Virtua Fighter Remix*
#### Post-32-bit and the End of Bit-Based Generations
Starting from the PlayStation 2 onward, we stopped segmenting console generations by bits. There was no longer a shorthand to describe them. Even though games have changed substantially from the PS2 to now, it doesn’t feel that different linguistically because we lack a way to describe these shifts.
---
### PC Gaming: A Fuzzier History
PC gaming followed a similar path but was even less defined by clear generational markers.
#### The 8-bit PC Era
This included:
- ZX Spectrum
- Commodore 64
- Atari 8-bit family
- Apple II
These systems had a distinct look—anyone can picture their command-line prompts and classic games like *Ultima*, *Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?*, and *Lode Runner*.
#### The 16-bit PC Era
This era included:
- 68K Macs
- Commodore Amiga
- Atari ST
- DOS (which, while not tied to bits, is often associated with this period)
Some defining games:
- *Commander Keen*
- *Flashback*
- *Prince of Persia* (even though it originated on the Apple II, it became a defining game of the 16-bit era)
#### The 32-bit PC Era and Beyond
The 32-bit era for PC gaming was long, but when the 64-bit era arrived, there was little fanfare. The transition started with AMD chips, but the real focus quickly became multi-core CPUs. Unlike consoles, PC gaming lacked clear generational shifts, making it even harder to categorize changes.
For example, what games require a dual-core CPU but not a quad-core CPU? It’s hard to say. Unlike consoles, which have clear hardware generations, PC gaming evolved continuously, making it feel like one long, ongoing era.
Even with major operating system shifts—such as from Windows ME to XP—there’s no clear generational cutoff. Windows XP and Windows 11 feel like part of the same broad era, even though they are vastly different. The same applies to Mac OS: ever since Classic Mac OS ended with version 9, everything since has been branded as OS X/macOS, making it feel like one continuous period despite major architectural shifts (PowerPC to Intel to ARM).
---
### The Problem with Modern Nostalgia
All the time, I hear people say, “Not much has changed since the early 2000s.” But as someone who has played video games consistently, I can confidently say there’s a world of difference.
Take *World of Warcraft* vs. *Path of Exile 2*—huge differences in gameplay, graphics, and design philosophy. Or compare *Halo: Combat Evolved* to *DOOM Eternal*—massive advancements in every aspect of game development.
Yet, we don’t think about it this way because, ever since the 2000s, everything kind of bleeds together.
And this is why I think it’s a big deal. As time goes on, more and more PC games are released every year. Time keeps marching on, and I want to talk about games from the past 25 years—not necessarily new releases, but older games that deserve retrospectives.
Yet, it feels like I don’t have “permission” to be nostalgic about them because, linguistically, everyone treats them as part of the same broad era of gaming.
---
### Games That Deserve a Nostalgic Lens
I’m looking at my PC library right now—thousands of games. Here are some I bought in 2015 (10 years ago!):
- *Geometry Wars*
- *Trine*
- *Gorky 17*
- *Hard Reset*
- *Shadowgrounds*
- *Hotline Miami* (can you believe this came out over a decade ago?)
- *Psychonauts* (wow, that one’s even older!)
- *Aquanox* (came out at the turn of the millennium)
- *Serious Sam 2*
- *Blade Kitten*
- *Advent Rising* (a game with a *crazy* story—it was supposed to be a “Halo killer” with a famous sci-fi writer, but it flopped so hard it destroyed both the studio and the publisher)
---
### We Need a New Linguistic Shorthand
We need a new way to talk about this stuff. A new way to segment and define eras so that we can properly feel nostalgic about the past. We need proper retrospectives for these games—because they *deserve* retrospectives.

2025-01-27 08:38:00 GMT

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You assume there will be another election.

2025-01-26 19:30:12 GMT

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No, that tech is in its infancy.

2025-01-23 08:26:16 GMT

All those fools who said, “Don’t build a website for your company, just set up a Facebook page”—I wonder if they regret that advice.

2025-01-18 04:10:42 GMT

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Take your complaints up with him, not me.

2025-01-17 06:07:54 GMT

Just bit the bullet and bought the FiiO CP13 portable cassette player.
For the past year, I’ve debated whether or not to get this. But the truth is, I have something like five portable cassette players—all used—and they’re not giving me what I need.
Even my Sony Sport Walkman has problems, and I don’t have the mechanical aptitude to fix it.
So I’m just going to buy something new that works. Won’t be as good as a Walkman, but I’m tired of going the used route.
https://atomicpoet.org/media/f71de7b05ef7b86e0d3ddf2f75323370c7782c17d8ded0c74c70e912d1d97661.jpeg

2025-01-14 20:07:23 GMT

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Pixelfed requires a separate account because it’s a separate app. But you can use your Mastodon account to create a Pixelfed account.
Also, because Pixelfed uses ActivityPub, you don’t need to cross post. Mastodon and other ActivityPub enabled apps and servers simply receive a post from Pixelfed.

2025-01-13 00:14:23 GMT

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Here's my question, and be honest -- I ain't arguing with your response, but I'm curious:
Let's say you had a gun in your hand. In one circumstance, a man is intentionally walking towards you. In another circumstance, a bear is intentionally walking towards you.
How likely are you to shoot the bear or the man?

2025-01-09 03:20:21 GMT

I’ll be honest—this isn’t even a joke.
I’m envious that Trump wants to build that wall on the Mexican border.
God damn, do I wish he built a wall on the Canadian border. Come on, build that beautiful wall.

2024-12-21 19:54:46 GMT

Oh, jolly good show, I’m simply astounded by this unexpected turn of events.
Google is killing ChromeOS and migrating all those Chromebooks to Android. Not much outrage here because ChromeOS was absolute garbage. And I know, I used Chromebooks for years.
People chastise Google for all the products in its graveyard and they deserve it. But in ChromeOS’ case—good riddance.
But I don’t have much confidence in Android as a desktop OS either because one thing you want when buying a laptop is confidence it will last you for five years. And I don’t think Google has the cojones to do that.
https://www.androidpolice.com/google-not-good-os-ui-chromeos-to-android-editorial/

2024-12-19 02:32:48 GMT

Faking it till you make it doesn’t mean you’ll make it.
Usually, faking it means you’ll break it.

2024-10-16 22:47:41 GMT

Toys R Us started selling CDs and vinyl.
It’s a music store now.
And I’m legitimately thinking about buying this Joy Division album at Toys R Us.
https://atomicpoet.org/media/b4ffbb77e72a496b0bdd5d17ed5b7309793d4a928aab1ddeb3fe661b94e78e57.jpeg
https://atomicpoet.org/media/e596f3e6da16c31d4689483cd81639ce452989562fcbf4a4f549ad2e756f4b14.jpeg
https://atomicpoet.org/media/09e240ede7ccd55fb1ed51a8e311facbe25b790f63a86dcce45522996e80dab2.jpeg

2024-10-02 08:19:50 GMT

I (mostly) like Nintendo. What I can’t stand are Nintendo fans.
They are like Apple fans—but worse.
At least Apple fans will agree that the hockey puck mouse and butterfly keyboard were awful designs.
The moment you say anything bad about Nintendo—even something made in the 80s—Nintendo fans will come out of the woodwork to tell you that you’re wrong, and not smart enough to appreciate the genius of Nintendo.

2024-09-25 18:14:23 GMT

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Here you go:
https://atomicpoet.org/media/58b645f8dd49def31cc7e5f43950ade922292673cf33284ddb6671106e27c11d.pdf

2024-08-31 16:54:55 GMT

I keep seeing the phrase “voted out of the polycule” everywhere.

2024-08-28 00:31:46 GMT

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Gutenberg has no DRM and even then it is hard to loan books.

2024-08-25 23:38:28 GMT

The Asian spoon is a fundamentally better design than the Western spoon and we should all use it.

2024-08-25 02:10:27 GMT

Mountain goats love to drink human urine.
In 2020, they were removed from the Olympic Peninsula because their taste for urine was too much of nuisance.
https://www.nps.gov/olym/planyourvisit/mountain-goat-capture-and-translocation.htm
https://atomicpoet.org/media/a22dac77a00a9ba77b51582f98861bc1cf75e572491c567b15621057bb028d7f.png

2024-08-22 07:58:20 GMT

I'm craving those midnight hours -- raining.
You know, when the city lights glow on a puddle. When you hear that rhythm of a train echoing through the air and the pitter-patter of raindrops on concrete.
It's enough to make those minutes tick by, and disappear in your own world. Thoughts, like rain, lost in the distance. Taste the solitude of the night.
When you see that bright light in the distance, stabbing the fog. You feel the train draw closer, engine loud in the night. Soon, you'll step inside those doors.
Then you wonder if you hear a ghost crying, muffled by the pouring of midnight.
https://atomicpoet.org/media/6dc94a96ea3501aa43ea4e152d9ba070816f871376759a8da54e7ccf8594405e.jpg

2024-08-18 22:42:24 GMT

My niece told me that she doesn’t like any of the boys in her class because their haircuts make them look like llamas—and now I see teenage llamas everywhere I go. 😆

2024-08-10 20:38:56 GMT

Getting my cat treated for a coyote attack costs me $1,450.
She’s alive, survived, and got lucky.
But this is an unexpected expense.

2024-06-28 19:08:42 GMT

As a retro gaming enthusiast, Nike’s disastrous day is compelling.
I’ve seen this pattern happen so often with the collectibles market: hockey cards, comic books, Beanie Babies, etc.
And now sneakers.
The moment anyone thinks something is valuable, the scalpers and flippers swoop in and try to take advantage. Soon enough, it’s not fans who are buying this stuff, it’s other scalpers. Scalpers, themselves, become cognizant of this fact and they just want to offload the stuff on the “greater fool”.
Eventually, they cannot find a greater fool and the whole thing collapses.