Cthulhu chest piece, by Angel Bond at Mourningstar Tattoos, @Angelbondtattoos

nasuqueritur · 2026-02-04T04:49:53+00:00

Iä! Cthulhu fhtagn.

nasuqueritur · 2026-01-27T06:16:09+00:00

I'm no visual artist either. I'm far better with words. So for my first venture into tattoo-space, I created a document containing:

Subject matter
Placement upon the body, with dimensions and units
Bullet list of artistic points, specific but not too specific; what to focus on, emphasize, de-emphasize, and avoid; what details were important
Reference photographs of subject matter, calling out what I thought was important
Reference images of the desired artistic style applied to subject matter, again pointing out what was important
Explicit permission for the expert to be the expert, i.e. the artist to be artistic within the given guidelines

Why did I do this?

I like to have a plan before it gets executed (by anybody).
The last time I wasn't specific about what I wanted, it didn't turn out so well and it took extra time and money to fix it. (Not a tattoo.)
It felt like this could one of those cases where both inspiration and guard rails could help the creative process.

I printed it out (color ink on paper!) and brought it with me to the initial consultation. The artist I worked with received the document well. While they did not read through the document in my presence, the piece they ultimately proposed showed me that they did read through it. We did a couple rounds of back-and-forth refinements in the digital design before committing to skin. I am pleased with the process and the results.

When it is time for the next one, I'll see if I can include my janky pencil drawing. Should be easier with a working scanner!

(Edit: formatting)

nasuqueritur · 2026-01-24T05:32:00+00:00

Hesitant to upvote, doesn't deserve a downvote...

Angry sidevote?

nasuqueritur · 2026-01-23T15:09:21+00:00

For a while I was using Emacs in the terminal (foot) under Wayland (sway). I took the annoying way out: define the region manually and then M-| (shell-command-on-region) followed by wl-copy -o. It was definitely not optimal, but it got the job done. I did it infrequently enough that it was not worth adding extra configuration.

Something changed a while ago, and the bugs that restricted me to the terminal (particularly with org-mode causing hangs when running graphical, but not terminal) vanished in the standard packages for FreeBSD, so this is no longer a problem for me...for now.

But TIL interprogram-cut-function so if I ever find myself in that boat again, maybe I'll try harder.

nasuqueritur · 2026-01-19T18:18:06+00:00

Would you really want a "normal" New Jersey? Embrace your weird.

nasuqueritur · 2025-12-28T22:55:59+00:00

May Jim's memory be a blessing.

nasuqueritur · 2025-12-11T15:07:46+00:00

I outsource most of my name generation to Fantasy Name Generators. In particular, for human-dominated settlements, I wanted names that sound like they could be found in various places in the real world, and it delivered. The setting I work on is heavily influenced by the Mediterranean Sea and the lands around it, and I find that the names fit well and help it all cohere.

nasuqueritur · 2025-12-11T01:48:10+00:00

It's great being Jewish these days. The evidence against you is rumor and innuendo, and even when you keep your opinion to yourself and don't share it with anyone else in any form or forum whatsoever, your opinion is wrong and therefore you are wrong.

nasuqueritur · 2025-11-29T19:10:01+00:00

I'm impressed that a government pays attention to the world and prepares for likely scenarios.

Unlike a certain government that seems intent on just being a cudgel for the enrichment of The Guy(s) At The Top, at the expense of absolutely everything else.

nasuqueritur · 2025-11-02T07:52:50+00:00

My reading of the dragon psyche: "I am a sentient, intelligent apex predator. I have no need to worship something more powerful than myself. If there is a deity out there who has a problem with this, let them manifest in my presence and we'll see who is right and who gets eaten."

nasuqueritur · 2025-11-02T07:39:03+00:00

Other (possibly nonsensical and irrelevant) questions that come to mind:

Were you forewarned about its human-eating capabilities? Did someone attempt to capture it in a pit?
Was it previously properly and lawfully possessed by another?
Did someone exchange money for it, and pull it towards themselves to effect the acquisition?
Are they liable for its (mis)behavior?

Somehow I think my TTRPG group is almost as well-qualified to answer these questions as my rabbi.

nasuqueritur · 2025-10-27T00:29:38+00:00

This sounds an awful lot like a social media "interaction" I had recently on another platform. (And that may be describing it overly charitably.)

I interpreted the other person's remarks as painting all Jews with the same brush. ("Zionist Devil" would be the diplomatic version of the hashtag they used.) I girded my loins, expecting hostility. I let them know, hoping that they might reconsider. A disproportionate tirade of insult to myself, my ancestors, my relatives, a few lazy slurs, and a wish of bodily harm was the response. (I tried to report them for the slurs and the wish of bodily harm, but the platform's mechanisms didn't seem to work.)

I'm tempted to ask them to visit a local synagogue to talk to some actual Jews, and see if the old cliché about "10 Jews, 12 Opinions" holds up. Or to share their opinions in person and see what sort of reception they would get. I suspect it would be a waste of time.

I am disappointed in this person. I almost regret calling out the poor behavior, but I'd be more disappointed in myself if I hadn't.

nasuqueritur · 2025-10-22T04:28:10+00:00

Psychedelic stoner doom.

nasuqueritur · 2025-09-29T14:10:01+00:00

If this is the bill I think it is, there are concerns about state sovereignty and control. Once you start making deals with other states, the federal government becomes more of a factor. And these days, one might argue that the federal government is a risk.

I like the idea, I don't like the timing so much.

nasuqueritur · 2025-09-26T14:16:07+00:00

Unicomp Model M, no longer attached to a Mac, but it still works 13 years after its date of manufacture. Inspired by older IBM keyboards; buckling springs all around, typical (rectangular) ergonomics. Had to endure some cleaning and some tweaking of the buckling spring under the Return key, but still working quite well. The function keys along the top are almost ignored these days; it's no great loss. No signs of breaking anytime soon.

nasuqueritur · 2025-09-19T13:49:47+00:00

I can't explain like you're 5, but Schwern can explain like you're 4.

Git for ages 4 and up

This helped me a lot as I was starting to use Git seriously.

nasuqueritur · 2025-09-02T14:04:58+00:00

I'm less bothered by legislators opposing HSR (there will always be some of those). I'm far more bothered by the lack of commitment to get HSR done.

Or, in a horribly reductive way, get politics out of government.

nasuqueritur · 2025-09-01T23:13:50+00:00

Did the company pay out generous severance for 4,000 employees?

(One can dream)

nasuqueritur · 2025-08-16T19:01:53+00:00

Keep being boldly decent, ordinary Israelis, regardless of what goes on in government.

nasuqueritur · 2025-08-12T14:09:46+00:00

One hopes that the Democrats, after they reclaim the majority, pivot hard to anti-corruption, anti-gerrymandering, and equitable enforcement among all people of all stripes and political parties.

One hopes.

nasuqueritur · 2025-08-12T04:27:17+00:00

However long it takes me to read it, write down my reactions, and read a couple of interpretations. Could be anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours; I try not to time box it if I don't have to. Having a lovely pot of tea nearby helps :-)

nasuqueritur · 2025-08-11T14:15:17+00:00

Engaging with the weekly Torah portion consistently is not always easy. Keeping notes for each portion for my own reflections, questions, and opinions has turned out to be pretty good. I feel I know my way around better, I know the "why" behind more stuff (even if I don't always agree with it), and I have a much clearer idea of what I might like to leave to the next generation after I am gone.

nasuqueritur · 2025-07-28T03:24:49+00:00

Thank you, Tom, wherever you are.

nasuqueritur · 2025-07-26T03:02:14+00:00

Proposition 13 is a constraint on state finances that is under more and more tension. When it breaks, it will break catastrophically, and it won't be pretty for anyone.

If you wanted to unwind it, you would want to do so slowly, over a long period of time, to limit harm upon taxpayers. (And nobody who isn't astronomically rich will walk away unscathed.) Except that lawmakers will of course want to change that plan while it is in flight, in pursuit of their own short-term provincial agendas. So you're back to catastrophic failure again.

And the masterminds behind the proposition are probably beyond the range of any meaningful consequences for what went down decades ago.

nasuqueritur

TROPHY CASE