nostr:npub1eulxt0p36rpn0gdsr99tn2pcvv8ne4prf0qz3k3s9pcn3qe0htqq36cndk Yeah, it seems they sold to a new owner, who based the new decor on *LA* delis (call me suspicious), but the food I tasted was entirely acceptable to my NYC-raised palate.


As a native NYer, it pains me enormously to have to admit this, but the bagel palace next door to the Las Vegas Convention Center is entirely passable.


Today is like Christmas for social engineering scammers posing as IT support.


Should Biden drop out based on his debate performance?  I don't know. Answering that sensibly requires two things that are not currently publicly known:

- The actual state of Biden's health, with an informed prognosis.

- If he's fit (see above, I don't know), the political landscape, based on highly granular polling data and informed analysis.

I'm neither an MD nor a political analyst, and I've neither examined Biden nor have access to the kinds of political data that campaigns use.


I was just told that I should "have a more constructive attitude" about Mastodon. Maybe if I smiled more?


Basically, the PM/DM mechanism is a "missing stair" of usability design. It's possible for experts - experienced users - to avoid being tripped up by it, because they've already made their mistakes or have been warned. But that doesn't help newer, less sophisticated, or less experienced users.

It's almost like hazing.

Just make it work the way people expect, please.


There's a vocal minority of folks here who get really pissed off when you mention this (or any other bug or misfeature on this platform). They think users who get tripped up by violations of the "rule of least surprise" like this are the problem, and that privacy and security shouldn't be made safe by design. Screw those people.


Moynihan Train Hall, Pennsylvania Station, NYC, 2021.

A trainload of pixels at https://www.flickr.com/photos/mattblaze/51205135362

#photography

https://cdn.masto.host/federatesocial/media_attachments/files/112/480/172/758/952/472/original/93b93f7d33974e44.jpg


Spent a nice morning not sitting at the defense table listening to opening statements in a criminal trial against me for financial shenanigans involving hush money payments I made to cover up an affair with an adult film star. I have to say that was a good way to not spend the day.


Captured with a small mirrorless camera and 50mm lens on a lightweight tripod.

I normally prefer lower contrast, but here I think the high contrast, coupled with the tight composition, contributes to the abstract, decontextualized look of the image.


Ruins of Carfloat Tracks, Port Richmond, CA, 2011.

All the slightly-charred pixels at https://www.flickr.com/photos/mattblaze/5485081030

#photography

https://cdn.masto.host/federatesocial/media_attachments/files/112/298/425/737/656/414/original/5553630eb9cb365b.jpg


nostr:npub1kkwfr70hcmdxcqp0tm7kwc5l2zk6x0w6vxulr2esncewr9p239tsfdhfrq  Neat!


nostr:npub1rkjpxkg78c7pqdzvlgx0w6uw0puccz44gwr80v6lem0kdstgn64shjufed I believe the reason for warnings like that have to do with off-label use.


Taft (Connecticut Avenue) Bridge, Washington, DC, 2019.

Portly, presidential pixels at https://www.flickr.com/photos/mattblaze/49245011451

#photography

https://cdn.masto.host/federatesocial/media_attachments/files/112/083/945/840/252/978/original/3d8510a569d7e9fd.jpg


Contrary to predictions, almost 18 hours later, Steamboat Willie's entry into the public domain does not appear to have literally caused the sky to fall.


I will admit I still don't understand what's so offensive about my pointing out the unsafe, confusing semantics of the Mastodon PM mechanism, or why this topic seems to provoke so much anger.

Basically, I have learned nothing from your yelling.


Matt Blaze

Scientist, safecracker, etc. McDevitt Professor of Computer Science and Law at Georgetown. Formerly UPenn, Bell Labs. So-called expert on election security and stuff. https://twitter.com/mattblaze on the Twitter. Slow photographer. Radio nerd. Blogs occasionally at https://www.mattblaze.org/blog . I probably won't see your DM; use something else. He/Him. Uses this wrong.


nostr:npub10aq4hq909429grj4jkmne82vhrl3ahrd30cym38kxrzyt2zj6x6qgz03k2 I think at this point we just have to allow for the possibility that these people simply aren't very bright.


Hurray! We chased the moon away again.


Today, we can get "better" (sharper, higher resolution, more reliable, smaller, lighter) cameras and lenses than Ansel had access to. So we have even less excuse.


nostr:npub10ws7vjqg3aqd0vp9dhuy2ls0xsnspwkvgydp94g5j2yxn7szmv8s6c95d0 That's beautiful


nostr:npub149atqvlsdsj5wfewj9n5u4aqxh2g8prsry8xnp9r8km8p7vkxgqq9nalpf nostr:npub1lpxvmxtae5cq05myyy33ku7gewgss2lxa8tsr722janpd6l6wqzsc9htk5 Yes! A nerdy and beautiful book.


nostr:npub1sdtvw8y3yhksws5jf8ttl45vru06krpuuus2fys3u5exucvc4ywquf96z3 It has the new GCT East Side Connection tracks, so,  yes, you do.


nostr:npub1jpr03655k9rxypw57a0hg3xm6dytgsm2t757sy8dhutgrzm56w4shnyals A federated payment system like Apple News would make a lot of sense, but Apple News, which doesn't include quite enough publishers and only works in Apple's ecosystem, isn't there yet.


nostr:npub1jpr03655k9rxypw57a0hg3xm6dytgsm2t757sy8dhutgrzm56w4shnyals I think one of the problems is that the online news pricing model is often "subscribe or nothing". That makes sense for local or national news sources. I personally subscribe to the online editions of four newspapers plus several magazines. I am happy to pay for journalism. But it makes no sense for me to subscribe to, say, the Chicago Whatsit or the Omaha Whatever just to read the rare story someone posts a link to. There's no clear way for me to pay them for the value I'd get.


Taft Bridge, Rock Creek Park. Wahington, DC, 2019.

The largest unreinforced concrete bridge in the world, named for our largest president.

Too many pixels at https://www.flickr.com/photos/mattblaze/49245011451

#photography

https://cdn.masto.host/federatesocial/media_attachments/files/111/189/295/140/718/739/original/5ce25cc7912ab758.jpg


nostr:npub1lj3myfppgsg4m53lfe9gwy8t8mgmswu0qjecpznvz2f4eresmgzqzc2pqt every time I look at it, TBH.


nostr:npub1h0dld9ztskh70gyk4waknsd26fmhpjvfsxzksatpjmaka00syqaq6wqs5p Interesting - I didn't see that (in DC, T-mobile).


nostr:npub10y89jsd4lujh9hlyt6fvaga8tkvqgrmtjkfu8jr24pgrfmtnqeeqehzpec nostr:npub16a3wq0x5ky070sp36ekmz3jwjqj7r2csgd0s97ym58tlvtfnshds6k9dah Thanks for the advice, but I don't think it's productive or dignified to accommodate demands from self-entitled strangers that I attach random labels to completely innocuous photos.

Don't like my photos or my attitude? Block button is free.


nostr:npub1xzmt2d95f7watzyqktl982d7jfe5ptktusv4j20csz8nxxgmhq6q30eykm have fun with it!


nostr:npub10m09f2ss6neu2g5mlrrhydw4faqzq72cqlutaywestpflcu53ezqty3we5 it’s helpful, but mostly this was a matter of trudging around until I found the right perspective.


nostr:npub1f5260td9a56l87nwgkdrsjklj9vjnan8z3whsfn5llcyy0j5ya2sv2ud5z no. I’m not adding labels to suit every possible preference.


nostr:npub1ulmk7rglm7y8cykt7h40zhwnhv9c37qxq5tnna3jqz4wjx52wd8q2whweg Some corners of this place are very, very strange. But so's the world we live in.


nostr:npub15tvv6c5rdcj2z03r5sw5dzl36qx2kkpqe47yscckve5a2h0psstspyp4uz Paul Simon sometimes changed the lyrics he sings for "Kodachrome" from "everything looks worse in black and white" to "everything looks best in black and white".


nostr:npub16a3wq0x5ky070sp36ekmz3jwjqj7r2csgd0s97ym58tlvtfnshds6k9dah It's also (implicitly) asking me to make an artistic decision about how my work conforms to a label. I don't generally categorize my photos that way, and I sometimes use color in small and subtle ways. I would find this kind of labeling burdensome and limiting, as well as of incredibly limited value.


nostr:npub1h6sk2qrfyf0ehg64mj0y9h5w0sj7a4wc6jkeflpamc6m4j05as7q5kel63 And it's free!


nostr:npub1rkjpxkg78c7pqdzvlgx0w6uw0puccz44gwr80v6lem0kdstgn64shjufed I wish. I so wish.


This is the third time I've gotten complaints about this, as far as I can tell, all from actual non-otherwise-troll people. Apparently there's a small but vocal minority here that find black & white photos inherently "depressing", and insist on content warnings and labels for them.

I don't want to cause anyone needless depression or grief, but I'm afraid I find this expectation unreasonable and unworkable. No one can possibly anticipate every idiosyncratic thing that someone might react to.


Someone yelled at me for posting monochrome photos again.

That's kind of annonying, but this place still has fewer Nazis than that other place, so I'll be sticking around (along with my dreary monochrome photos, devoid of all color and joy as they may be).


Someone yelled at me for posting monochrome photos again.

That's kind of annonying, but this place still has fewer Nazis than that other place, so I'll sticking around (along with my dreary monochrome photos, devoid of all color and joy as they may be).


Beach, Pescadero, CA, 2014

Several additional pixels at https://www.flickr.com/photos/mattblaze/14832380095

#photography

https://cdn.masto.host/federatesocial/media_attachments/files/111/183/406/184/480/386/original/aaff1c13faab8de0.jpg


nostr:npub1qcvw4k5qn9k9nnqf85ep3le6y3xyk4xkxy20fh5xqzt3ghe68cmqxgj6c7 this is literally the first time I’ve taught my election tech class without it being overtaken by events in the first two weeks of the semester. We’ll see how much longer it holds.


nostr:npub1ehkgl0q5mrqkssdamgkz6l0lfptqh3rl4kze5lfk7zq0tsr82p8q5h7cdy I am quite aware of how cellular networks work. The emergency alerts aren’t delivered over the VoIP subsystem. They’re delivered at the link layer.


nostr:npub12n4rk4ghvwxnrcsf2arv2r07kletfqwhcamcdux6vmj0f627fplqttpphu nostr:npub1vla88mnsua6d20tsaeyll8m7kuv5psluvgq6664smp0dh3r0k06qn92qts It’s treated differently from an SMS - It’s a broadcast from each base station to any handset rather than addressed to each subscriber. So if you’re in range of a base station during the period where it’s broadcast, you get it (once, and then your phone ignores duplicates of the same message). It was broadcast for 20 minutes during today’s test. so if your phone was off from about 2:20-2:40 eastern, you wouldn’t ever see it.


Despite my having been vaccinated multiple times, and despite being in proximity to four different cellular devices during today's test, have not been experiencing any more than my usual level of zombie symptoms this afternoon.


nostr:npub15m3hhsckwvr30j05724ehwk6hc9qx29rutnafxnxmse9kzy207asck9amh It is. But the emergency alert is a particularly unusual risk, since the audible alert generally bypasses "silence" settings.


nostr:npub1vla88mnsua6d20tsaeyll8m7kuv5psluvgq6664smp0dh3r0k06qn92qts Depends on your phone. If the cellular radio is off (or you don't have one in the first place), no WEA alerts for you.


nostr:npub10ndka8lfpun2fxrxzfj39fnzmtn83rwut6yn84kw4z2f3amgtlrsc3vwd2 With the old EBS system, every radio station got a list of daily authenticator words in a sealed envelope once a month. You weren't supposed to open it unless an alert came in, since the authenticators were the same for everyone (since the alerts were broadcast). They had you to return the previous month's envelope unopened, and presumably you'd have some explaining to do if it wasn't sealed.


nostr:npub1efwluvukgaslcx8saajkjh0gu3gwjhr6hrs8xg9e3lwna9t05khq7qtxpe If the cellular radio was on and in range of any service provider, you would expect to get the alert.


nostr:npub124267t9jheej9uem6dfh537vz4kflvkd0hz0dlrr8t23ykm22gkqw2l2hp Being told not to do it again by the judge he has a case before apparently was sufficient to get his attention and motivate him to delete the offending post almost instantly.

I know it's popular to cynically claim Trump is getting away with everything, but objectively, things have actually been catching up with him recently. He's currently facing felony charges in four different jurisdictions, and has been losing civil lawsuits left and right.


nostr:npub145umrlfuf9cppkgkzf08438peevqs8lqrswsu27w3txkeh4n2yysathq7w Unfortunately, there's no standard way to push emergency alerts over VoIP, display them on devices, or even disseminate the messages to the providers in the first place. Cellular providers, devices, and protocols, on the other hand, are much more homogeneous (and more centrally regulated).


nostr:npub145umrlfuf9cppkgkzf08438peevqs8lqrswsu27w3txkeh4n2yysathq7w Unfortunately, there's no standard way to push emergency alerts over VoIP, display them on devices, or even disseminate the messages to the providers in the first place. Cellular providers, devices, and protocols, on the other hand, are much more heterogeneous (and more centrally regulated).


nostr:npub1skzc4hr5f0eq40atjzld86nxwzxtrstkg7ntjk8tlfg8r8gc6xqsvlmvht If you also had the cellular radio on, you'd get it.


If your phone uses VoIP (sometimes called "WiFi calling") and you didn't get today's emergency alert test, that's not a bug or error, but rather a (known) limitation of the Wireless Emergency Alerting system that was tested today. WEA only works for cellular phones that are connected over-the-air to a cellular tower. A WiFi connection isn't sufficient. WEA also doesn't work for wireline phones or those connected via a cable modem.

It's not ideal, but it's not unexpected.


Trump using his platform to gratuitously and unjustifiably attack his judge's law clerk is standard operating procedure for him and entirely expected behavior. Remember, this is the same man who, e.g., exposed individual election workers in Georgia to relentless threats and harassment with similarly false accusations on social media.

The only difference is that this time, he was called on it and swiftly held to account.


nostr:npub1glwzevtuggzwvkpn5rs3l2f2ykm7y9wenrsqfxjfervecg3f2yfsgdasnj I'll bet!


nostr:npub1glwzevtuggzwvkpn5rs3l2f2ykm7y9wenrsqfxjfervecg3f2yfsgdasnj Definitely a mistake I wouldn't want to be responsible for!


And speaking of national alerts, one day in 1971 NORAD mistakenly activated the Emergency Broadcast System (predecessor to the EAS tested today), with a warning that suggested the US was under nuclear attack, with "details to follow".

And spare a thought for the late Bob Sievers, the WOWO-AM DJ who nervously stayed at his microphone for a very long five minutes as he wondered if and how the world was about to end. It was captured in this legendary aircheck: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yu4r79l8P8I


Ironically, NOAA Weather Radio, a VHF radio network that exists primarily to disseminate local/regional emergency alerts, does not appear to have participated in today’s test. They have their own alerting broadcast protocol, which is different from the EAS and WEA systems tested today.


Yay I passed the test!

https://cdn.masto.host/federatesocial/media_attachments/files/111/178/177/484/841/371/original/7afbb3f014de0c05.png


nostr:npub1qr3djvrzjt2ywv2hjsdmcqrxy2t0m6qxl86w8sdmkcvv37c8a3ds0ukncy once the test is over, about half an hour after it starts, the cellular networks stop broadcasting the alert. So by 3pm ET it should be safe to turn hidden phones back on.


It's completely absurd that a tiny minority of extremist malcontents can shut down the House like this. It's only supposed to work that way in the Senate.


Reminder: at (about) 2:20pm Eastern time, the US will be testing the Emergency Alert System (for broadcast radio and TV) and the Wireless Emergency Alert system (for cellular phones). The tests don't track recipients, but the audible alarm that will play on phones may cause problems for some people.

If you have a "secret" phone that you're hiding from, say, an abusive partner, you might want to turn it completely off between 2pm and 3pm EDT today (11am and noon PDT).


nostr:npub1u8z7ugp6tf9mn8wyg668mjlqd8pwkh4gfv6zcxcaafcyxhq7k0rqmyvvkz No, because he's not Speaker, just speaker pro tempore. So he doesn't get to make a list.


And yes, everything about this is batshit crazy.


nostr:npub1f3aj762gxc00de4a55adjwycdkyqlgwww259r2ave9eethtc40zql2t0u7 A lot of WTFs here.


Also, even if the parliamentarian goes with the restrictive interpretation of McHenry's powers (where he can only preside over speaker elections), the House still has an option it didn't have in January: they can elect a temporary speaker, who becomes an "elected speaker pro tempore", a position which has specific (broader) authorities. Then they can take their time electing a permanent speaker and conduct whatever other business they want first.


Also, you may wonder why you didn't know that McHenry was the designated Speaker Pro Tempore. It's because the list is kept secret by the clerk until a replacement is needed.

So when they voted to get rid of McCarthy, no one (except McCarthy) knew who the temporary successor would be.


Note There seems to be disagreement on the exact meaning of this House rule (https://rules.house.gov/sites/republicans.rules118.house.gov/files/documents/Rules%20and%20Resources/118-House-Rules-Clerk.pdf)

Some members seem to believe that it means McHenry acts as speaker until a permanent replacement is elected. Others seem to believe that it means he can only run the election. Given the history of the rule (post-9/11 continuity of government), I suspect the parliamentarian will conclude the former interpretation, but there's not yet been a ruling AFAIK.

Interesting (yet stupid) times.

https://cdn.masto.host/federatesocial/media_attachments/files/111/175/038/397/119/951/original/ebcdcfd873a8a560.png


nostr:npub1z9fpwswn6c2p5hsaw6tyz9j0uucvwxxhk9qc0z6useapfqsl0g5sq7tdeq I don't think that's right. I believe the position was created specifically to allow Congress to continue to efficiently conduct urgent business of the speaker is incapacitated or killed.


Last year's election of McCarthy as Speaker (with ten zillion endless rounds going into the night) was more procedurally urgent than this Speaker election will be. With the new congress, there was no speaker, and the House was basically unable to conduct business until they elected one. But now, mid-term, there's an acting speaker pro tempore (McHenry), and so the House can do other things if it chooses.


Subwoofer of the House: capable only of shaking things up, but not actually conveying anything intelligible.


nostr:npub1h6sk2qrfyf0ehg64mj0y9h5w0sj7a4wc6jkeflpamc6m4j05as7q5kel63 Do  it!


I believe that while it's constitutionally possible for the House to elect a nonmember as speaker (it's never actually happened), there would be no congressional salary or benefits for the person elected.


nostr:npub1kkwfr70hcmdxcqp0tm7kwc5l2zk6x0w6vxulr2esncewr9p239tsfdhfrq How long have you had that ready?


nostr:npub1sdtvw8y3yhksws5jf8ttl45vru06krpuuus2fys3u5exucvc4ywquf96z3 Yup.


US Capitol, Washington DC, 2021.

Apropos nothing in particular.

More pixels than rounds of voting for speaker at https://www.flickr.com/photos/mattblaze/51221569646

#photography

https://cdn.masto.host/federatesocial/media_attachments/files/111/173/457/737/533/621/original/2ff5c98c4e5a55f7.jpg


Seriously, what a crappy job that must be right now.


For the record, I’m not available for the House Speakership. If elected I will not serve.


nostr:npub13sd34tgqtvnc72k9gm8hr8sk57nmpzp0swl22u22wmk50ycpv3zst8shmt Yes, Marble Hill. (If you look at an aerial photo, you can make out the original route of the river.)

They get Bronx phone numbers (the realignment happened before area codes), but a Manhattan Zip code (even though Zip codes happened after the realignment).


nostr:npub106am40kmcqxjz058vyvumg36a94uvjdkan2yzac8nlau25kqnwdqsf28fw Celebrate according to your own traditions.


nostr:npub1q29q54zhvwx0a4jzrv7yshendte8d8x9jsqkymxxu3ur0nsdkpus9ldrgn No, there's no 38 precinct. The northernmost precinct in Manhattan Island is the 34. Marble Hill is covered by the 50.


nostr:npub1mz8pcyukdvjsav64xfec06glzfc95v7wpkvc7uuqzd5dyewx6agqmey3lg That requires PhD-level NYC knowledge.


nostr:npub1kkwfr70hcmdxcqp0tm7kwc5l2zk6x0w6vxulr2esncewr9p239tsfdhfrq It's so crazy.


So if you get arrested at a crime scene in Marble Hill (the Manhattan neighborhood physically located in the Bronx mainland), you'll be taken into custody by a Bronx cop, taken to the 50th Precinct in the Bronx, but then booked in Manhattan and tried in Manhattan's Supreme Court (but, remember, that's not where you'll appeal your conviction).

(This is probably to your advantage if you can't make bail and end up being held pending trial, since the Bronx courts are notoriously backed up.)


So if you get arrested at a crime scene in Marble Hill (the Manhattan neighborhood physically located in the Bronx mainland), you'll be taken into custody by a Bronx cop, taken to the 50th Precinct in the Bronx, but then booked in Manhattan and tried in Manhattan's Supreme Court (but which is not where you'll appeal your conviction).

(This is probably to your advantage if you can't make bail and end up being held pending trial, since the Bronx courts are notoriously backed up.)


And the Borough of Manhattan (New York County) tries even harder to be confusing. It consists of what we normally think of as Manhattan Island, plus all of several small surrounding islands (eg, Randall's Island) and PART of Ellis Island (the rest of which is in New Jersey). And a small piece of the Bronx (because part of the Harlem River between the Bronx and Manhattan was filled in and moved 125 years ago).


Confusing fact of the day: Trump's trial today was in NY County Supreme Court. Unlike in the federal system and most other states, in NY state the main trial court for most large civil cases and felonies is called a "Supreme Court". Each county has one. ("NY County" is Manhattan). The final appellate court of last resort in NY state is called the "Court of Appeals" (the NY State equivalent of the US Supreme Court).

Yes, this is confusing.


Philadelphia Inquirer Building (Vacated), Philadelphia, 2017.

Built in 1924, the Inquirer Building housed the newspaper until 2012. In 2018, it was leased to the city for use as its new police headquarters.

All the pixels at https://www.flickr.com/photos/mattblaze/32309131520

#photography

https://cdn.masto.host/federatesocial/media_attachments/files/111/166/924/049/511/362/original/2411d7373f4fe9fe.jpg


Cybersecurity awareness month fact: One in three people will suffer from acute cybersecurity during their lifetime.


nostr:npub1q8npdrxmccum74qfwlxwup8wvnj9zp3wyj0z62nrt6fh6sfhl0vq0gmpnv I am, evidently, a witch.


nostr:npub1ury9673uassq8cvguxtpcqwqunfzhhgqzeccud5qep30ql68ukysepm2jf Whether that's an advantage or a disadvantage depends a lot on whether you're a rodent.


nostr:npub1nu40zu93jwuqzg86zvd8ku6dfgrq58acvgx9myej2pyd484ghydsz429ap  Adjusted for inflation, that would be about a month now.


Anyway, it's cybersecurity awareness month, so please be do your part in the fight against cybersecurity.


Someone now lost to history was the first person to exclaim, "I've got it! We can solve this problem with an Awareness Month!".


nostr:npub1hza0f3zq4ngyjl7ev0z8fe2z972ygkw7yyjeq2hhz7wcqwejezrq3cwdp4 A "technical camera" is a compact view-camera emphasizing shift movements for perspective correction. They're optimized mostly for architecture and other subjects that require precise control of geometry in the composition. A modern example is the Cambo WRS-1600. https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1348466-REG/cambo_99162300_wide_rs_body_rotating_incl.html


nostr:npub16n5u3rn4mdekm7fx6f4skanm9qmme9z22mhadsgqr9mwhnlh653qgptdc6 Yeah, I'm just not as young as I used to be. I can fit a 4-5 lens kit, camera, back, filters, etc into a Pelican 1535 roll-aboard (with tripod strapped to the outside). I use these modular insertsm, which I can put into a backpack if I need to hike somewhere, but mostly I just work out of the Pelican case (which can double as a platform if I want to be a little taller).


nostr:npub16n5u3rn4mdekm7fx6f4skanm9qmme9z22mhadsgqr9mwhnlh653qgptdc6 About 30lbs. I use a rolling pelican case.


Technical details: I've been pretty much all digital for the last decade or so. I shoot mostly with a technical camera or a view camera and a Phase One digital back. Almost every photo I make involves a tripod. I work infuriatingly slowly.


You may have noticed I post occasional photos I've made. I try not to be too overwhelmingly voluminous.

My photographic practice is mostly black & white fine art (and fine art adjacent), usually engaging with architecture or the constructed world, often with a mid-century modernist sensibility.

Many of my photos are stupidly high resolution and best viewed as prints. I don't currently sell prints, but you can freely download full versions from flickr and have prints made locally if you want.


nostr:npub134klptktttglwwezyvujmj7f02kvl2t2jzdxwn67x95nzj5ts2ks6nvu6v I will never be ready for this.


De-electrification, Philadelphia, 2005.

More pixels than volts at https://www.flickr.com/photos/mattblaze/2155416560

#photography

https://cdn.masto.host/federatesocial/media_attachments/files/111/162/593/561/655/221/original/d2a5a0b9be7db9d8.jpg


nostr:npub134klptktttglwwezyvujmj7f02kvl2t2jzdxwn67x95nzj5ts2ks6nvu6v Terrifying.


nostr:npub1074dk2mqqxl7kgukea6th3xaa9fdgx7vty2x8zger32uydyf6e3qzhz2j6 nostr:npub1p5qe4mtwxascahtp6szght2nlp06gwwwwllq7e7g6308p4y9dvys8nw2sf that last one is incredible.


Can they use Docusign for laws?


Or maybe the Senate has a better laser printer than I do.


The senate finished voting around 9pm, which gives the president about 3 hours to receive, sign, and return the bill before funding for the federal government expires at midnight.

How does this actually work? I'm imagining there's some clerk on the Senate floor furiously re-installing drivers for a frozen-up printer, or perhaps searching for an unexpired cyan toner cartridge in time to get a printout ready to drive down to the White House in time.


One might almost forget that having the government continue to operate is literally the smallest possible thing we pay congress to do.


So, an overwhelming, bipartisan majority of both houses of Congress evidently not only want to keep the government open, they’re actually voting to do so. Democracy is amazing sometimes.


nostr:npub15206fer4u8aavc3qutf8d7edkamgf9dqmfza2fs08h44r6t75deqak9dx4 thanks. As soon as I saw the view I knew there there was a photo paying homage to early/mid century modernism. As an added bonus, Georgia O’Keefe’s NYC apartment is in the frame.


Midtown Manhattan, 2022

Too many pixels at https://www.flickr.com/photos/mattblaze/51893928686

#photography

https://cdn.masto.host/federatesocial/media_attachments/files/111/156/330/629/769/545/original/50d1b3f1d1ea6aee.jpg


Washington Hilton, Washington, DC, 2023.

This Brutalist hotel, opened 1965, features curved facades and winged canopies evokling Eero Saarinen's airport terminals. But the designer was actually William Tabler.

The property currently hosts the White House Correspondents Association Dinner and the Shmoocon hacker conference. It was the site of an assassination attempt on President Reagan,  giving rise to its nickname, the Hinckley Hilton.

All the pixels at https://www.flickr.com/photos/mattblaze/53007102796

#photography

https://cdn.masto.host/federatesocial/media_attachments/files/111/150/566/335/670/222/original/668d5cf20efbc64c.jpg


nostr:npub17ypduc6lh6kf0lamek3da2pyjr7qpqsdmg5n47cp52sh2ur86nkqqs4kl8 I would be very surprised if that were the case. The towers have been pretty well documented at this point, with no sigint role ever mentioned. And a high powered microwave relay would be a TERRIBLE place for an intercept station, with lots of local RF to interfere with wideband receivers.


nostr:npub13dg3q4swwjtjgj824veaxlvhmlhdk3g93rv00peawn230g0jd6eqlgejem yes. If you noticed, I specifically said “(by weight)”.


nostr:npub1590nu6kwqc6t2jt4vr9wg4nz243x9u7s3shur8l0dv2urc3u0wcs2vgnt9 You have several constraining priorities here. Density, liquidity, and not looking really, really guilty.


nostr:npub1590nu6kwqc6t2jt4vr9wg4nz243x9u7s3shur8l0dv2urc3u0wcs2vgnt9 not much better than cash or gold when the prosecutor lays them out on the table at the indictment press conference.


nostr:npub1590nu6kwqc6t2jt4vr9wg4nz243x9u7s3shur8l0dv2urc3u0wcs2vgnt9 that’s usually the plan.


So what's the best way for an entrepreneurial senator to stash their ill-gotten gains? You probably want *some* cash for laming-it level liquidity, but not so much that it looks inherently incriminating in the post-indictment press conference if things go bad.

I'd probably go with moderately valuable art (but nothing TOO rare or recognizable - no Vermeers, etc.). Lots of well off people have art, and sometimes it appreciates in value. Just make sure you have time to sell it in a pinch.


In addition to the density advantage, cash has a significant liquidity benefit, especially if you're going on the lam in a hurry. While it might raise some eyebrows if you show up at the airport and use a bag full of cash to buy a ticket to some country without an extradition agreement, trying that with gold bars is definitely going to require some serious explaining.


nostr:npub1erzu2rn4f9nck3qt5yzva5wezszsph07nk3hxrnfcq8g0njx7cfsrmfpnj On the other hand, more likely to injure you when dropping on your foot.


Anyway, Pete and Ron, I miss you terribly.


22 years later, this day remains painful and raw.


None of the above takes into account interactions with the Bayer filter, which would considerably complicate the analysis. But my experiments today with a resolution chart suggest that the effect there is very modest.


Now, this is less useful than it seems, because while 4724X1873 is a common aspect ratio for film, it's not a common delivery size. It would be scaled down to 4096x1716 to conform to 4K DCI cinemascope format.


Short answer: Let X be the anamorphic squeeze factor (e.g., 1.33, 1.66, whatever).  Scale the width of your sensor up by SQRT(X). Scale the height of your sensor down by SQRT(1/X). That's the largest size you can scale that uses all the information the lens captured.

So if you're using a 1.33X anamorphic lens with a 4K sensor (4096 x 2160), you can scale the result up to as large as (approximately) 4724x1873

Both the sensor and the final image have 8,847,360 pixels, just in a different shape.


nostr:npub1hfnnh08kh2mzn36299talst059xv65vf4rq57uewnc4uhx9g2ues6ev5g0 I'm going to do a blog post, but I'll need to take some time to make proper illustrations.


I feel like I'm the only person on the Internet who took geometry in high school.


Spent the day experimenting with anamorphic lenses to figure out how much resolution you can actually squeeze out of them with digital sensors.

Tl;dr: The theory is pretty simple and actually works in practice, but almost every discussion of it on the Internet gets it wrong.


nostr:npub1ddpukxz4rkcadch7gu5hqre42lju5spyg2ph747yvgysathy4ulqye2tax yep. Pre-2015 Twitter definitely had its problems, but it’s not clear they were any worse than any other platform (including this one).


nostr:npub134klptktttglwwezyvujmj7f02kvl2t2jzdxwn67x95nzj5ts2ks6nvu6v Sorry, middle age starts on exactly the same day your warranty expires.


nostr:npub134klptktttglwwezyvujmj7f02kvl2t2jzdxwn67x95nzj5ts2ks6nvu6v Welcome to middle age!


nostr:npub14c2ym0xv2wjdaq3su2gl8eu6zhjcv77x2ycac3kcxha2t54lz8rq78umaq One of the consequences of our society devaluing humanities and arts education is  people saying idiotic things like this in public.


nostr:npub14c2ym0xv2wjdaq3su2gl8eu6zhjcv77x2ycac3kcxha2t54lz8rq78umaq nostr:npub1lkr5z02gdf4s5tyfj7z5ctgljja6pxv34luw2p6z4jdg5f0467lse8hl0k It seems like a very small ask.


nostr:npub142f57kgxyc8jn9xur6fz4zjp8n432k5wht0d66dx88zlw9lfs95sruqdrj I wasn't asking for advice on finding news. I know how to do that. I find it regrettable that discussion and dissemination of breaking news and official announcements isn't more prevalent here. That's all.


nostr:npub1dyurcx7c2fvjru7tk69nt7vazp3ks4j4702peqn6tprrk6uz897qr79tp5 In fact, if you call it Mastodon, you get people "correcting" you that you should say "fediverse" in exactly the "I believe you mean GNU/Linux" tone.


nostr:npub14p0vcnc2ruljf5t5y3uczxhu33wmcfvpuklk0f9l785kte97cp0qyff5s8 "Actually, I believe you mean GNU/Linux."


You're free to disagree and want other things. Personally, what I want is basically Twitter, but without the Nazis.


nostr:npub1074dk2mqqxl7kgukea6th3xaa9fdgx7vty2x8zger32uydyf6e3qzhz2j6 Looks like a strobed display, in which the lights have a duty cycle shorter than the shutter/capture speed of your phone.  You'll often see the same effect in, e.g, LED information displays in train stations.


I've been essentially off Twitter for almost a year now, and Mastodon has become an increasingly rich, diverse replacement. Many of the gaps that were here a year ago are filling in.

I still miss the extensive breaking news coverage and official government and org accounts I remember from Twitter.

When I've mentioned this in the past, zealots here have suggested I shouldn't want those things and that they'd somehow ruin this "community".

I disagree. We can have those things without Nazis.


The natural inclination of security people focuses on failures and risks, so it's important to occasionally step back and celebrate our successes. And election security is an area where we do have things to celebrate!


Recent discovery: I've long observed that there's a huge, disproportionate price difference between consumer-level and pro-grade still photography equipment, but that didn't even remotely prepare me for the same difference in the pricing of consumer vs pro cinema gear.

Even very well off still photographers have budgets far lower than feature film productions, and the market definitely reflects that.


nostr:npub1s0j6fh5yzkqxr5jn9tlrch23fn8a743vgzfcqgx6wrakuj2nv5kspyt5hz Yes, it's a terrible idea, independent of whether it violates app store rules. The only beneficiaries would be harassers and trolls.


Those of you who stopped by the Village in person no doubt were frustrated by the poor acoustics and ambient noise level in the room, but the videos have much better sound.


nostr:npub1ulmk7rglm7y8cykt7h40zhwnhv9c37qxq5tnna3jqz4wjx52wd8q2whweg Did you scan, upload and distribute that? Shame! Shame!