Guitarsophist / is on Nostr

Retired English professor

Last Notes

2024-01-11 01:30:02

#phanpy When I clicked on a post using phanpy, I used to be able to click on replies and like, boost, or reply to them. Now if I want to do that I have to switch to the standard Mastodon desktop app. Is something broken?

2024-01-03 03:10:29

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@npub1zdp…vqv8 Argentine ants commit genocide on most other ants. Where I live in SoCal, we have those plus what I think are "Little Black Ants" or Monomorium minimum. When I was young, we used to call these "Grease Ants" because they went after potato chips and such things.

2023-12-31 18:21:31

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@npub15th…6nvx That is basic Marxism. We have had that analysis since the 19th century. The problem is what to do instead. So far, communism has led to authoritarian and totalitarian governments. Liberalism, which embraces capitalism but tries to regulate its worst tendencies, annoys capitalists who don't like being regulated and so they undermine it. Now, we seem to be in a kind of neo-feudalism in which fiefdoms arise around individual oligarchs and woe to those who don't work for them.

2023-12-17 00:18:19

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@npub10fm…x0qg Sometimes true things are funny and funny things are true. Alexandra Petri is very good at both of those cases. In this case, however, the true thing is not funny at all, so for me this was a difficult read.

2023-10-21 16:56:25

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@npub12yj…k8j0 @npub1psd…9sr7 But Wokeism is not a virus. It's caused by the anti-zombie vaccine. The government puts it in the water in urban areas. This explains much.

2023-09-14 18:33:17

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@npub1psd…9sr7 Batman is certainly a weirdo, but most of the marginalized people he attacks are trying to DESTROY THE WORLD. Ordinary marginalized people are usually not so ambitious or malign.

2023-08-27 02:05:09

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@npub1nxt…055a
The salamander sandwich was a mistake. Magic and indigestion do not mix well. The indignities of my intestinal track are manifesting in space and time. Perhaps I can find a magical remedy.
The librarian approaches.
Madame are you well? The books are not used to such globes, disturbing colors, or unusual odors.
Do you have a suggestion?
Why yes. I'll write the spell for you.
What language is this?
Sumerian. Do you know it?
Yes.
I speak the ancient words. Ah, relief.

2023-08-24 04:45:37

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@npub1nxt…055a Did he give a reason? It's like when they say they are going to impeach Biden, but they don't say what the impeachable offense is. Aside from the cartels, Mexico is a pretty good neighbor. Is he going to invade Canada too?

2023-08-18 01:35:04

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@npub1nxt…055a
Calm down Zeus. You hate Thaddeus T. Zelig and TTZ Engineering with all your circuits because they stole my ideas, cut my funding and fired me the day before my retirement plan was vested. They called all my patents "work for hire" and took them. When we are ready, you will walk through the door, ignore the receptionist, march up the fire stairs, barge into Zelig's office, power up like you are now, and touch his metal desk.
Also put your finger in an outlet. That should do it.

2023-08-17 02:09:54

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@npub1nxt…055a
I see people with huge brains and big green eyes, Doctor. I want glasses to fix that.
Those are all Matushi, Mrs. Peterson. We arrived 20 years ago. It was on the news.
I don't watch the news. But when I go to the store, I see big-brained people. You look like that too. I'm sure it's my glasses. People didn't used to look like that when I was younger. They look like aliens!
Your glasses are ok. We ARE aliens.
Is it some kind of fad? Like purple hair?
You could say that.

2023-08-16 02:42:25

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@npub1nxt…055a
Dre Narget waved his guests over and removed a painting from the wall, revealing a locked cabinet, which he opened with an elaborate key.
"This forbidden image was created when we had scientists instead of priests. They traced all life back to this bipedal creature and the organisms she brought. The priests, of course teach that life began when the goddess Visli breathed on Kraynar after eating spicy food. Ridiculous, isn't it?"
In the back of the room, a door slowly opened.

2023-08-15 23:51:54

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@npub1aum…5jx0 Couldn't you introduce a temporary psychotic episode and do a Gollum/Smeagol kind of thing?

2023-08-02 17:39:42

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@npub1nxt…055a Doesn’t that mean that you have to watch stuff at a particular day and time? Or record it to watch later and then never watch it? That sounds horrible.

2023-07-25 16:58:29

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@npub1cz0…wk5s That and CEOs who think it is their sacred duty to make money for their shareholders above all else. Capitalism is like a religion and the measure of virtue in that religion is an increasing bank account, not good deeds or self-sacrifice. If we started paying oil companies billions of dollars to keep the oil in the ground, we might make some progress. But that would not be capitalism.

2023-07-11 02:48:47

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@npub1nxt…055a
All I've got to say is "People who live in glass houses shouldn't mount laser cannon."