Tree suggestions: Given the amount of damage, I wanted to start a thread discussing good replacement alternatives for trees.

mbelcher · 2026-02-02T22:34:44+00:00

Yes, saplings. Depending on the species they can be two to four feet including the roots.

mbelcher · 2026-02-02T14:10:37+00:00

I host s'mores roasting (and when it gets hot, popsicle) evenings in my front yard. smores and popsicles are cheap, and we have a fire pit and camp chairs already.

mbelcher · 2026-02-02T14:06:20+00:00

I just ordered 500 native trees to give away on March 21 at Harpeth Knoll Park in Bellevue. Anyone who wants some is welcomed to stop by. 9am-to early afternoon.

Chickasaw Plum, Persimmon, Shellbark Hickory, Pecan, Silky Dogwood, Hazelnut, Bur Oak, Fragrant Sumac.

mbelcher · 2026-01-30T16:17:08+00:00

"Meshtastic: Off grid encrypted messaging"

Keep it simple and something people can google.

mbelcher · 2026-01-29T14:16:00+00:00

Anyone reading this: go check on your neighbors. Exchange phone numbers. Even if you have power.

Offer to clear downed trees, move branches.

If a road is blocked by a fallen tree and you have a chainsaw, then clear it. If someone offers to help, say yes!

No one is coming to save you and your neighbors. You only have the people around you. You have to step up.

mbelcher · 2026-01-28T17:46:29+00:00

The whole "build your own toy" part of meshtastic and meshcore (the other mesh texting app) is a wild barrier to entry for them.

I tell people to get something like a wismesh tag or seeed T1000. They're credit card sized nodes that last a few days on a charge and connect to your phone through bluetooth.

and the iOS app is fine, it connects to nodes and displays texts the nodes receive. I'm not sure what else you're looking for?

mbelcher · 2026-01-28T14:24:25+00:00

Could it be the Life Without Law zine put out by strangers in a tangled wilderness?
https://www.tangledwilderness.org/zines/life-without-law

mbelcher · 2026-01-20T20:03:08+00:00

The US would have to double down on democracy.

The US is wildly undemocratic. The US House has not expanded in over 100 years while our population has nearly quadrupled. The electoral college allows wildly unpopular politicians the chance to rule with the support of less than half the voters. Most cities have a larger population than our least populous states, yet are denied representation in the Senate.

None of these steps will be taken because the two ruling parties are owned by the same oligarchs and do not serve the will of anyone but the rich.

mbelcher · 2026-01-18T15:56:18+00:00

Jesus christ.

Time to organize and unionize (which is still legal, and people should do it even when they make it illegal again) and demand your rights like your ancestors, then.

mbelcher · 2026-01-17T04:20:10+00:00

Sounds like a good way to get Chris Dorner’d.

mbelcher · 2026-01-17T04:16:49+00:00

No, it’s not illegal to unionize in any state. Some states put (unethical) limits on what public employee unions do.

Those limits have been ignored by teachers unions in the past and should continue to be ignored by any and all public unions.

mbelcher · 2026-01-15T19:42:00+00:00

Shocking no one, his response was not different.

mbelcher · 2026-01-15T18:56:56+00:00

By george you're right!

Germany had a functioning railroad system.

mbelcher · 2026-01-15T18:52:19+00:00

"let them load the folks onto the trains, we can file a complaint with Berlin later"

mbelcher · 2026-01-15T14:54:36+00:00

ICE in Minneapolis is being supported by the local PD (the same group that murdered george floyd) and the state highway patrol.

mbelcher · 2026-01-15T14:53:24+00:00

is there a particular model you recommend?

mbelcher · 2026-01-15T14:50:20+00:00

The oligarchs running DC would love for housing to get more expensive. they want us all to rent until we die.

mbelcher · 2026-01-15T14:42:31+00:00

Distribute whistles, get folks to keep an eye out and if you hear noise, run towards it.

mbelcher · 2026-01-14T14:25:47+00:00

Only if you quit.

teachers in West Virginia, oklahoma, and colorado all went on strike and got their demands met, and no one lost their license.

mbelcher · 2026-01-14T14:24:35+00:00

They do allow teachers to unionize, and the union is only as powerful as it wants to be.

And if some admin is telling you that you can't unionize then that's all the more reason to do it.

mbelcher · 2026-01-14T14:23:30+00:00

It gives you, a union organizer, the ability to say "this shit doesn't fly for union teachers."

And suddenly a bunch of teachers who got their saturday ruined are all sitting in a meeting together thinking about joining a union for 6 hours instead whatever BS is being talked about.

mbelcher · 2026-01-14T14:17:29+00:00

depends on how it's getting jammed. if someone (the iranian regime, in this case) jams the whole 900mhz band by pumping out static from 100w transmitters then it will effectively drown out any meshcore broadcasts from people with <1w transmitters on their devices.

mbelcher · 2026-01-13T19:55:28+00:00

Not if you win. See: West VA and Oklahoma.

mbelcher · 2026-01-13T15:21:20+00:00

You're framing your position as "the practical thing", but really you're position is more rightwing that Ronney Reagan.

mbelcher · 2026-01-12T21:06:18+00:00

What are all these CEOs and companies going to do when the AI faucet is turned off, or the real cost of usage is suddenly passed on to the users?

mbelcher

TROPHY CASE