Nostr notes by Waldo Jaquith

This is an actual clause in an actual software contract that is ...

2026-08-27T20:44:43Z

This is an actual clause in an actual software contract that is currently in force with the Commonwealth of Virginia.
https://inkcap.us-east.host.bsky.network/xrpc/com.atproto.sync.getBlob?did=did:plc:7vmqlqtvqkkmuegzp7efeptu&cid=bafkreicim4cugu2edciftczojihdrhkw5eipvq5inpjqpyagttsdlp5ooi

Optimist: The cup is half full Pessimist: The cup is half empty ...

2026-08-22T18:20:59Z

Optimist: The cup is half full

Pessimist: The cup is half empty

Graeber and Wengrow: We find evidence from Cahokia, Tlaxcala, and the Wendat that there was a time when everybody had the same amount to drink—the real question is how we normalized this inequality

RE: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:7vmqlqtvqkkmuegzp7efeptu/post/3mtoju3yrvk2v

quoting
note1325…4km6

Optimist: The cup is half full

Pessimist: The cup is half empty

James C. Scott: The cup was created by government to control the people

RE: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:b7jcbvi3tgc4zgcixxf3rxow/post/3mtnbnxsnhs2c

Optimist: The cup is half full Pessimist: The cup is half empty ...

2026-08-22T14:56:10Z

Optimist: The cup is half full

Pessimist: The cup is half empty

James C. Scott: The cup was created by government to control the people

RE: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:b7jcbvi3tgc4zgcixxf3rxow/post/3mtnbnxsnhs2c

Three years ago, EPA proposed cybersecurity rules for municipal ...

2026-08-05T16:32:48Z

Three years ago, EPA proposed cybersecurity rules for municipal water systems. Republicans sued to prevent the rules from going into effect, and that was the end of that. Now seven states' water systems are under attack by Iran.

[Suspected Iran Cyberattacks on...](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/05/us/politics/water-supply-warnings.html?unlocked_article_code=1.3FA.3ADJ.8iwZlPdxtlI5&smid=url-share )

95% of my communications from the Democratic Party look like ...

2026-07-24T12:30:30Z

95% of my communications from the Democratic Party look like this. I have never in my life signed up to be texted by a campaign or the party, and I spent fruitless months attempting to unsubscribe from these. These are functionally identical to scam texts.
https://inkcap.us-east.host.bsky.network/xrpc/com.atproto.sync.getBlob?did=did:plc:7vmqlqtvqkkmuegzp7efeptu&cid=bafkreibym3ibcydsfvsn5mpbagqfuebfnwcetwt7opnx4gipfceqte52gm
https://inkcap.us-east.host.bsky.network/xrpc/com.atproto.sync.getBlob?did=did:plc:7vmqlqtvqkkmuegzp7efeptu&cid=bafkreibdjsu7my4jerrc2ih2zk53witd4ortuylyjrxd7xgqmuacvw4ezm

The claim “RFK Jr. does not fuck chickens” is not an ...

2026-07-24T00:57:14Z

The claim “RFK Jr. does not fuck chickens” is not an evidence-based claim because studies have not ruled out the possibility that RFK Jr. fucks chickens.
https://inkcap.us-east.host.bsky.network/xrpc/com.atproto.sync.getBlob?did=did:plc:7vmqlqtvqkkmuegzp7efeptu&cid=bafkreif3cdowuujuhmr67sgs7ommpa6ghzaiimx2mqxceufbocn43zafnq

New post: Going beyond plug-in solar. ...

2026-07-21T02:47:37Z

New post: Going beyond plug-in solar. https://waldo.jaquith.org/blog/2026/07/beyond-plug-in-solar/

It is very funny to see Trump repeating the language that was ...

2026-07-20T12:44:36Z

It is very funny to see Trump repeating the language that was used to convince him to stop flying on this unsecured, secondhand Qatari plane.

“We need the plane back, not to comply with standards but to…uh…to *max it out*!”

[Trump Says New Air Force One W...](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/19/us/politics/trump-air-force-modifications.html?unlocked_article_code=1.zFA.UG-o.7pqhPNtPsZSg&smid=nytcore-ios-share )

Hey, New Yorkers: Mayor Mamdani is recreating the city's ...

2026-07-13T14:28:16Z

Hey, New Yorkers: Mayor Mamdani is recreating the city's digital service, after Mayor Adams destroyed it. They're hiring devs, designers, and product folks to work on-site in Brooklyn, starting now. You don't even have to be a city resident. Get on it!

[NYC PIT Crew](https://www.nyc.gov/content/pitcrew/pages/ )

Nostr event nevent1qqsvydvesrpqcfthvak0r8xf5nuygzhud4xxaxqgu50hnx6zmdhwdzqzyzdv3ry46gsqqy7t9spuc072rnrkhdrnksd4ar973yh9sd8nw68ectgsj8v

2026-07-10T18:38:42Z

[@emily.gorcen.ski](https://bsky.brid.gy/ap/did:plc:5hwy5afvfhonj6mrpcxm3rfy ) I'm a Counting Crows fan, but leaning really heavily on a nineties love of "August," and my attention waned after there. Years ago you extolled the virtues of "Mrs. Potter's Lullaby" and I thought "OK, I'll give it a try." Years later, I gotta say, you're right, this is great.

Iran charging for Hormuz Strait passage: Offensive, unacceptable, ...

2026-06-17T12:37:05Z

Iran charging for Hormuz Strait passage: Offensive, unacceptable, an act of war, a non-starter

The U.S. charging for Hormuz Strait passage: Upscale, chic, muscular, patriotic

[‘VIP pass’: Trump administrati...](https://www.politico.com/news/2026/06/16/trump-administration-oil-tankers-hormuz-passage-00963910 )

My family has two EVs and two solar arrays, so powering our cars ...

2026-04-22T15:49:56Z

My family has two EVs and two solar arrays, so powering our cars costs nothing. I want the entire country to feel like we do about gas prices.

We have an apparent cure for most people with pancreatic ...

2026-04-19T01:09:47Z

We have an apparent cure for most people with pancreatic cancer—a profoundly swift, deadly cancer—and the position of the U.S. government is that it should be banned. This is real fall-of-empire stuff.

[Pancreatic cancer mRNA vaccine...](https://www.nbcnews.com/health/cancer/pancreatic-cancer-mrna-vaccine-shows-lasting-results-early-trial-rcna331969 )

I have been frustrated by the lack of protest songs in popular ...

2026-04-16T12:50:05Z

I have been frustrated by the lack of protest songs in popular culture. Enter Massive Attack and Tom Waits.

[Massive Attack, Tom Waits - Bo...](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-57FrioeuE )

We didn’t even take a beat between “it is wrong for any ...

2026-04-12T14:20:09Z

We didn’t even take a beat between “it is wrong for any country to claim authority over the Strait of Hormuz” and “we are claiming authority over the Strait of Hormuz.”

In case you thought that everything that could possibly happen ...

2026-04-02T02:10:12Z

In case you thought that everything that could possibly happen today has happened, nope, there's one more thing: Eugene Mirman crashed his car into a toll plaza in New Hampshire and was pulled out of the wreck by the state's governor, Kelly Ayotte.

['Bob's Burgers' Voice Actor Eu...](https://www.tmz.com/2026/04/01/eugene-mirman-hospitalized-after-bedford-car-crash-fire/ )

The investigation into the murder of Renee Good was terminated ...

2026-02-07T17:37:48Z

The investigation into the murder of Renee Good was terminated because the findings might undermine Trump’s declaration that she had driven over an ICE officer.

If you’re tracking signs of fascism, “no research that might have findings counter to Dear Leader’s claims” is a big one.
https://inkcap.us-east.host.bsky.network/xrpc/com.atproto.sync.getBlob?did=did:plc:7vmqlqtvqkkmuegzp7efeptu&cid=bafkreidslmfeju5xodzb2x62uwm3feul7kto2jna6vfkkifharluveg7nu

You don't have to be a vegetarian! Just have somewhat less ...

2026-02-02T14:56:46Z

You don't have to be a vegetarian! Just have somewhat less meat, or eat lower on the food chain. Instead of beef, this time, have chicken. Instead of chicken, this time, have fish. Etc. Meat-eating isn't an all-or-nothing proposition.

RE: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:a5kyzplew76jaj4dhnqsosjv/post/3mdudr2ph3s2k

My whole life, fascism was defined as being stopped by armed, ...

2026-01-14T13:19:54Z

My whole life, fascism was defined as being stopped by armed, masked agents of the national government who demand your papers, on pain of arrest, injury, or death.

That’s now here, and the group of people who warned about that the most are either silent or in favor of it,

Look, there’s a simple solution to private equity buying up and ...

2025-12-14T21:57:54Z

Look, there’s a simple solution to private equity buying up and enshittifying the software that keeps us safe: a handful of municipal fire/rescue departments should team up, collaboratively build and share better software, and release it into the public domain. This is a common pattern!

[Private Equity Finds a New Sou...](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/14/us/fire-department-software-private-equity.html?unlocked_article_code=1.8k8.Gb5B.gD0lVreY6jAP&smid=nytcore-ios-share )

We're half a decade into studies finding that improving ...

2025-12-08T04:23:51Z

We're half a decade into studies finding that improving airflow in classrooms will reduce disease transmission enormously, and that bleaching surfaces etc. does very little. And yet nothing changes. Waves of flu and colds wash over schools, and the schools pretend it's an act of God.

[The relative contribution of c...](https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-66719-3 )

This is how I learned that Meta has been continuing its bizarre, ...

2025-12-05T03:14:14Z

This is how I learned that Meta has been continuing its bizarre, $70 billion "metaverse" spending *years* after I assumed they'd given up. It's possible that this is, in dollars spent, the biggest waste of money in history.

[Meta Weighs Cuts to Its Metave...](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/04/technology/meta-cuts-metaverse-unit.html )

Fox News should be understood as the Murdochs broadcasting for an ...

2025-11-14T03:20:37Z

Fox News should be understood as the Murdochs broadcasting for an audience of one man, who is descending into dementia, and is increasingly unable to discern reality from fiction. The Murdochs wanted Trump to invade Portland, so they pulled on his strings, and he did it.

[“Riots Raging”: The Misleading...](https://www.propublica.org/article/portland-protests-national-guard-fox-news-coverage )

The most important lesson for Democrats from Mamdani's ...

2025-11-05T02:54:24Z

The most important lesson for Democrats from Mamdani's victory is this: abandon the decades-old practice of triangulating to win the center. Instead, grow the base with a positive, joyful vision for what government can do when it gives up on being shackled to a Republican base.

The Democratic Party would do well to look to the social programs ...

2025-10-30T17:55:20Z

The Democratic Party would do well to look to the social programs of the Black Panther Party as inspiration if SNAP disappears on Saturday. Just running party-sponsored food drives and regular party-sponsored spaghetti dinners in some major cities would be both helpful and good PR.

A president who can tear down 1/3 of the White House can tear ...

2025-10-24T12:54:42Z

A president who can tear down 1/3 of the White House can tear down the entire White House. A president who can steal $230M from the treasury can steal $1T from the Treasury. We have both legalized and tolerated Trump’s crimes, so they will only get bigger.

My most controversial government IT position is that the federal ...

2025-10-20T20:23:07Z

My most controversial government IT position is that the federal government should run its own server farms.

I want to state plainly that the Supreme Court has created a ...

2025-10-17T00:11:30Z

I want to state plainly that the Supreme Court has created a special process for Trump's legal cases, with which they rapidly issuing rulings in his favor, without any explanation, establishing no precedent for future presidents. This is a profound violation of the nation's foundational concepts.

It turns out that what Todd Gilbert meant by "that escalated ...

2025-10-15T01:12:40Z

It turns out that what Todd Gilbert meant by "that escalated quickly" is that he was unwilling to support a grand jury investigation into the origins of the Trump/Russia case. I'm surprised and impressed that Gilbert took this stand. [www.nytimes.com/2025/10/14/u...](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/14/us/politics/doj-trump-russia-inquiry-prosecutors.html?unlocked_article_code=1.tk8.LdsY.32UWuaFVeJ2n&smid=url-share )

RE: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:7vmqlqtvqkkmuegzp7efeptu/post/3lwxgq43cec2t

[U.S. Attorney Was Forced Out A...](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/14/us/politics/doj-trump-russia-inquiry-prosecutors.html?unlocked_article_code=1.tk8.LdsY.32UWuaFVeJ2n&smid=url-share )

quoting
note1hkz…ym23

A very funny thing that happened here is that long-time VA Delegate Todd Gilbert was nominated for U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Virginia, stepped down from his seat, a special election was scheduled, he became the acting attorney, and then quit yesterday, after 5 weeks, with this tweet:
https://inkcap.us-east.host.bsky.network/xrpc/com.atproto.sync.getBlob?did=did:plc:7vmqlqtvqkkmuegzp7efeptu&cid=bafkreietldv7t3xfj4zb27bch57ws6sarelfdfbrsru44qxnqsmirk6s6y

This is Marina, an Eastern box turtle. A month ago we found her ...

2025-09-06T22:12:37Z

This is Marina, an Eastern box turtle. A month ago we found her immersed in our little frog pond, which is not something she should do. We brought her to the Wildlife Center of Virginia, who diagnosed her with an abscess in her head, and healed her. She’s back home now, free to do turtle things.
https://inkcap.us-east.host.bsky.network/xrpc/com.atproto.sync.getBlob?did=did:plc:7vmqlqtvqkkmuegzp7efeptu&cid=bafkreiex24mabzvg7b2b3hii65unkuu7aphe2k3cp74mzvq7dfutge6b2q

I was the executive director of U.S. Open Data, a non-profit that ...

2025-08-28T00:11:45Z

I was the executive director of U.S. Open Data, a non-profit that I created at the behest of the Obama White House. I worked as one of the nation's leading experts in open data. Putting open data on the blockchain is a profoundly stupid idea that fails nearly every test of good open data.

[The White House Is Going to Pu...](https://gizmodo.com/the-white-house-is-going-to-put-government-statistics-on-the-blockchain-yeah-we-dont-know-why-either-2000648428 )

A very funny thing that happened here is that long-time VA ...

2025-08-22T02:43:35Z

A very funny thing that happened here is that long-time VA Delegate Todd Gilbert was nominated for U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Virginia, stepped down from his seat, a special election was scheduled, he became the acting attorney, and then quit yesterday, after 5 weeks, with this tweet:
https://inkcap.us-east.host.bsky.network/xrpc/com.atproto.sync.getBlob?did=did:plc:7vmqlqtvqkkmuegzp7efeptu&cid=bafkreietldv7t3xfj4zb27bch57ws6sarelfdfbrsru44qxnqsmirk6s6y

They’ve got to protect their Special Little Boy ...

2025-07-30T21:59:13Z

They’ve got to protect their Special Little Boy
https://inkcap.us-east.host.bsky.network/xrpc/com.atproto.sync.getBlob?did=did:plc:7vmqlqtvqkkmuegzp7efeptu&cid=bafkreicw4jp6oy3hjwxosnpg4zbec7rifz6bbjtpopsxdye66xnruz4xae

Starlink's connection speeds drop below the federal ...

2025-07-21T14:15:20Z

Starlink's connection speeds drop below the federal definition of "broadband" at a density of ~7 customers per square mile, according to recent research. The more the customers in an area, the slower everybody's connections get. Data shows that 83% of US Starlink customers get sub-broadband speeds.

[thexlab.org/wp-content/upl...](https://thexlab.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Starlink_Analysis_Working_Paper_v0.2.pdf )

In 2011, FEMA's National Flood Insurance map was updated to ...

2025-07-13T03:25:28Z

In 2011, FEMA's National Flood Insurance map was updated to include Camp Mystic in a "Special Flood Hazard Area." Camp Mystic fought that designation, getting 15 of the buildings removed in 2013, and 15 more in 2019–20.

You can change the map, but that doesn't change reality.

[FEMA removed dozens of Camp My...](https://apnews.com/article/texas-flood-camp-mystic-map-records-investigation-e12bee8d5f88301363861ca12c19b929 )

The United States is eliminating support for solar and wind, the ...

2025-07-11T23:56:28Z

The United States is eliminating support for solar and wind, the cheapest and fastest-to-deploy forms of energy generation, because fuck you, that’s why.

[Energy Department to Gut Fundi...](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/11/business/energy-environment/energy-department-renewable-funding-cuts.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare )

I ordered this enormous soup dumpling. It came with a straw? How ...

2025-07-11T17:05:31Z

I ordered this enormous soup dumpling. It came with a straw? How the hell do I eat this?

I’m seriously asking.
https://inkcap.us-east.host.bsky.network/xrpc/com.atproto.sync.getBlob?did=did:plc:7vmqlqtvqkkmuegzp7efeptu&cid=bafkreih673femmuqxzfyceydj5xrbqdel5ctzul6gx6rym5nc5qj5tda6m

"If we defund the police, who is going to solve murders?" ...

2025-07-07T00:58:15Z

"If we defund the police, who is going to solve murders?"

Well, I have bad news and I have good news. [www.nytimes.com/2025/07/06/u...](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/06/us/murder-solve-rate-louisville.html?unlocked_article_code=1.Uk8.FUdl.8Hf1nRiZ6fix&smid=url-share )

[Nearly Half of America’s Murde...](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/06/us/murder-solve-rate-louisville.html?unlocked_article_code=1.Uk8.FUdl.8Hf1nRiZ6fix&smid=url-share )

I’ve never lived in NYC, and don’t follow politics there, but ...

2025-06-28T15:10:27Z

I’ve never lived in NYC, and don’t follow politics there, but I’ve long been aware of Brad Lander as a good guy doing good work, which says something about him (and nothing about me). New York needs to replace both of their senators—I hope Lander seeks one of those seats.

RE: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:wii67cqpghrbjgakp2pzyqbz/post/3lsoa24ewt22i

Yesterday may have been the worst news for the preservation of ...

2025-06-28T13:50:34Z

Yesterday may have been the worst news for the preservation of democracy under Trump yet. Also the S&P 500 hit a record high.

Wanting an analog for understanding, I looked up the performance of the German stock market from 1930–1945.
https://inkcap.us-east.host.bsky.network/xrpc/com.atproto.sync.getBlob?did=did:plc:7vmqlqtvqkkmuegzp7efeptu&cid=bafkreiahljurunipfrj6dlewp45drluad2lesi7slkopwsctblazzbtxxy

A Virginia guy hunted a Latino man, cornered him, questioned him, ...

2025-06-20T14:44:32Z

A Virginia guy hunted a Latino man, cornered him, questioned him, and then shot him and his friend, because he assumed the guy was an undocumented immigrant. He was radicalized by Fox News etc. and, of course, Trump. [www.wric.com/news/local-n...](https://www.wric.com/news/local-news/caroline-county/guilty-plea-thornburg-sheetz-hate-crime-shooting/ )
https://inkcap.us-east.host.bsky.network/xrpc/com.atproto.sync.getBlob?did=did:plc:7vmqlqtvqkkmuegzp7efeptu&cid=bafkreigkmknd4ea23irjxqw2l6kdma7jloi73fzrnenhnq4fkqohzkijwa

Billy Long's sole qualification to run the IRS is that, in ...

2025-06-13T01:31:00Z

Billy Long's sole qualification to run the IRS is that, in 2023–24, he ran a large-scale tax fraud operation.

I am not making this up.

RE: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:7vmqlqtvqkkmuegzp7efeptu/post/3lrh4sdk53c2i

quoting
note1qef…9pna

Boy, I feel for my former IRS colleagues who have to work for this buffoon.

[Ex-congressman Billy Long conf...](https://apnews.com/article/billy-long-confirmed-irs-commissioner-67cd8daaa53a53c4ebf1262de1ede5e6 )

Boy, I feel for my former IRS colleagues who have to work for ...

2025-06-12T23:57:19Z

Boy, I feel for my former IRS colleagues who have to work for this buffoon.

[Ex-congressman Billy Long conf...](https://apnews.com/article/billy-long-confirmed-irs-commissioner-67cd8daaa53a53c4ebf1262de1ede5e6 )

I like Wes Anderson’s film, but after the ~third time I saw it, ...

2025-06-03T19:52:05Z

I like Wes Anderson’s film, but after the ~third time I saw it, I stopped watching it further. Maybe some day he’ll make a second film?

RE: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:gmushwvsiqfqrxwxlhfw7xxk/post/3lqpzokrovs2v

IRS’s Direct File wasn't open source while it was being ...

2025-05-30T00:29:25Z

IRS’s Direct File wasn't open source while it was being developed. But somebody just made it public!

[GitHub - IRS-Public/direct-fil...](https://github.com/IRS-Public/direct-file )

Democrats should run on the platform of making crime illegal ...

2025-05-27T14:16:26Z

Democrats should run on the platform of making crime illegal again.

There are just four Substack-hosted newsletters I've ...

2025-04-24T17:37:43Z

There are just four Substack-hosted newsletters I've subscribed to for many years now. Sometime recently, apparently, Substack declared me to be a "creator," creating a web page where people can subscribe to my non-existent newsletter, and adding me to their "Grow" newsletter for writers.

...What?

So we're seizing innocent people, selling them to El Salvador ...

2025-04-21T03:17:56Z

So we're seizing innocent people, selling them to El Salvador to hold in concentration camps as hostages, and El Salvador is proposing to trade some of them to Venezuela in exchange for Salvadoran prisoners. That's what the U.S. is doing now.

[Bukele Proposes Deal That Woul...](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/20/us/venezuela-bukele-maduro-prisoners-deported-immigration.html?unlocked_article_code=1.BU8.K28n.4xqEfW4v_QOL&smid=url-share )

In January, Musk declared that the IRS must provide a way for ...

2025-04-16T21:18:57Z

In January, Musk declared that the IRS must provide a way for people to file their taxes online for free. Once he discovered that already existed, then he decided that it must be killed, because it is evidence that government worked well under Biden.

[Goodbye IRS Direct File, Hello...](https://fas.org/publication/end-of-irs-direct-file/ )

Musk believes that people are being paid to protest Tesla because ...

2025-03-31T01:57:18Z

Musk believes that people are being paid to protest Tesla because he's paying people to vote for a Wisconsin Supreme Court candidate. Every accusation is a confession.

Hi, I'm the guy who used to oversee the federal ...

2025-03-18T02:53:51Z

Hi, I'm the guy who used to oversee the federal government's agency IT telecommunications contracts. This is extremely bad. There is absolutely no need for this. Not only is it a huge security exposure, but the simplest explanation for this is that it is meant to be a security exposure.

[Elon Musk’s Starlink Expands A...](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/17/us/politics/elon-musk-starlink-white-house.html?smid=url-share )

18F, the federal government’s technology shop, was demolished ...

2025-03-01T14:25:27Z

18F, the federal government’s technology shop, was demolished by Musk’s team shortly after midnight. It was a cost-recoverable org, charging agencies for their expertise, using a consulting model. Its cost to government was negligible, its benefits huge. My team there once saved DoD $500 billion.

This is not a novel observation, but I'm just struck by it ...

2025-02-12T21:16:25Z

This is not a novel observation, but I'm just struck by it again: the administration of "merit, not DEI" has put a series of white male teenagers in charge of many federal agencies with resumes that consist entirely of internships at the Heritage Foundation or SpaceX or wherever.