Sign in

Pip! Gold :qubes: :debian:

@asciipip.fosstodon.org.ap.brid.gy
20 followers 10 following 49 posts

I'm a nerd in the Baltimore area with a variety of interests, including reading, programming, GIS, OpenStreetMap, hiking, camping, typography, and—most […] 🌉 bridged from fosstodon.org/@asciipip on the fediverse by fed.brid.gy

PostsRepliesMedia
Pip! Gold :qubes: :debian: @asciipip.fosstodon.org.ap.brid.gy · 30/09/2026
We used to teach that Pluto was a planet. Over time, we learned more about it and realized its “planet” classification didn't really make sense. Astronomers reclassified Pluto as a dwarf planet. Lay people had two common responses to this change: “Okay; there are eight planets now,” and, “I […]
fosstodon.org
Original post on fosstodon.org
100
Reposted by Pip! Gold :qubes: :debian:
Rob Carlson @vees.jawns.club.ap.brid.gy · 30/07/2026
If someone at Anthropic posted a torrent of the raw images/OCR of every book they scanned before feeding them into models, it would be a bigger contribution to distributed human knowledge than anything the model will ever bring.
020
Pip! Gold :qubes: :debian: @asciipip.fosstodon.org.ap.brid.gy · 28/04/2026
More Miles for Maryland hiking yesterday! 21.3 miles hitting every trail in Greenbrier State Park over the course of ten hours with about 3200 feet cumulative elevation gain. The elevation definitely took its toll on me; I was seriously dragging for the last […] [Original post on fosstodon.org]
000
Pip! Gold :qubes: :debian: @asciipip.fosstodon.org.ap.brid.gy · 30/03/2026
Did a bit more Miles for Maryland hiking today, in Patapsco Valley State Park. Goal: 250 miles in 2026 YTD target: 63 miles Actual distance: 41 miles I'm hoping to get caught up over the summer.
110
Reposted by Pip! Gold :qubes: :debian:
Tom Chadwin @tomchadwin.en.osm.town.ap.brid.gy · 03/03/2026
RE: en.osm.town/@openstreetmap/11616533… This is an immaculately written response. It has calm, quiet authority, and seeks to respond not in the terms of the other interested party, but in a scope of worldwide community openness and empowerment. It does so with complete respect […]
en.osm.town
Original post on en.osm.town
006
Pip! Gold :qubes: :debian: @asciipip.fosstodon.org.ap.brid.gy · 28/02/2026
This is fascinating. A story told in increasingly archaic English, starting with 2000s vernacular and progressing back through the English used in the 1000s, in 100-year jumps. There's also a discussion of how the language has changed over time, plus a summary of the story for anyone who […]
fosstodon.org
Original post on fosstodon.org
000
Pip! Gold :qubes: :debian: @asciipip.fosstodon.org.ap.brid.gy · 03/02/2026
This is pretty sad. www.thebanner.com/culture/food-drin… I spent a lot of time at the Brewer's Art in the late 1990s and early 2000s. It sucks that they suddenly closed after so long, and it's extra bad that they pushed […]
fosstodon.org
Original post on fosstodon.org
100
Reposted by Pip! Gold :qubes: :debian:
nycki @nycki.bark.lgbt.ap.brid.gy · 27/01/2026
I'm #colorblind and I use xkcd.com/color/rgb frequently. Randall 'xkcd' Monroe did a survey of over 100,000 readers where he showed them random rgb colors and said "what would you call this?" and afterwards he did his best to sort the results into the most popular color names and the […]
bark.lgbt
Original post on bark.lgbt
932143
Pip! Gold :qubes: :debian: @asciipip.fosstodon.org.ap.brid.gy · 10/01/2026
We were watching _Flow_, a short film about a cat navigating a post-apocalyptic world, and our cat got very interested in the cat making cat sounds on the TV.
010
Pip! Gold :qubes: :debian: @asciipip.fosstodon.org.ap.brid.gy · 01/01/2026
Happy new year! The Maryland Department of Natural Resources is running a "Miles for Maryland" challenge this year! To celebrate Maryland's 250th anniversary (coinciding with the US's 250th, naturally), they're challenging people to hike 250 miles in Maryland state parks during the year […]
fosstodon.org
Original post on fosstodon.org
000
Pip! Gold :qubes: :debian: @asciipip.fosstodon.org.ap.brid.gy · 31/12/2025
Grumble, grumble. I got a PHEV, so I needed a home EV charger. I found exactly one on Amazon that (1) works with my available power and (2) is ETL listed. But it has a smartphone app, connects to WiFi, and there's an OpenHAB binding with completely local control of the charger. So yay! But the […]
fosstodon.org
Original post on fosstodon.org
110
Pip! Gold :qubes: :debian: @asciipip.fosstodon.org.ap.brid.gy · 30/12/2025
The wind yesterday knocked over a large tree in our backyard. No one was injured, but it destroyed our shed and some lawn furniture. I haven't had a chance to check the tools in the shed yet. It didn't take out our power, but it ripped the power line (and the […] [Original post on fosstodon.org]
110
Reposted by Pip! Gold :qubes: :debian:
Rob Carlson @vees.jawns.club.ap.brid.gy · 23/12/2025
Arbitrary List of Popular Flashlights - Winter Solstice 2025 Edition zakreviews.com/arbitrary-list.html
zakreviews.com
Arbitrary List of Popular Flashlights - Winter Solstice 2025 Edition
In honor of Winter Solstice, I've made an updated list of popular flashlights.
001
Pip! Gold :qubes: :debian: @asciipip.fosstodon.org.ap.brid.gy · 06/11/2025
My old phone finally became unusable after four and a half years—a record lifespan for me—and I had to replace it. Now I'm discovering all the programs that have disappeared from the Android ecosystem in that time and need to be replaced with something new. I'm really going to miss my podcast […]
fosstodon.org
Original post on fosstodon.org
100
Reposted by Pip! Gold :qubes: :debian:
Jon Lasser is Hanging in there @disappearinjon.wandering.shop.ap.brid.gy · 18/10/2025
I'm sad to write that Jon Lasser passed away on September 23, 2025 after six years living with cancer. I'm writing as his partner of 21 years, and wanted to make sure that I posted in the places he specified in his wishes. His colleagues are working on an anthology of his stories, and he still […]
wandering.shop
Original post on wandering.shop
112
Pip! Gold :qubes: :debian: @asciipip.fosstodon.org.ap.brid.gy · 27/09/2025
www.clarionwest.org/2025/09/25/in-m… Jon was, at least to my newcomer's eyes, a central person in the Baltimore Linux/sysadmin community in the late 1990s and early 2000s. I have many memories of him hosting Old Bay Sage meetings. I think he was involved in organizing […]
fosstodon.org
Original post on fosstodon.org
034
Pip! Gold :qubes: :debian: @asciipip.fosstodon.org.ap.brid.gy · 21/07/2025
I got nerd sniped by an abandoned building I saw while I hiking. It turned out to be relevant to the local history of rail and power infrastructure, which are area of particular interest to me. So I found out everything I could in a couple of days about the building. Now you, too, can read […]
fosstodon.org
Original post on fosstodon.org
000
Pip! Gold :qubes: :debian: @asciipip.fosstodon.org.ap.brid.gy · 14/07/2025
Today's long hike: 17 miles along the C&O Canal near Great Falls, including side trips to the falls overlook and the (pretty strenuous) Billy Goat Trail.
010
Reposted by Pip! Gold :qubes: :debian:
Erin Reed @erininthemorning.com · 16/06/2025
Big protests and marches don’t change things by themselves magically. But they do help show solidarity that may be able to eventually be tapped into if and when things escalate.
1180857
Pip! Gold :qubes: :debian: @asciipip.fosstodon.org.ap.brid.gy · 07/06/2025
I've been meaning to compile this for a while. I've collected the various resources I use when deciding on a color scheme for a project or data visualization. Picking good colors is hard, y'all! aperiodic.net/pip/archives/Geekery/…
aperiodic.net
Color Schemes for Data Visualization
A collection of resources I use for choosing color schemes for data visualizations.
020
Pip! Gold :qubes: :debian: @asciipip.fosstodon.org.ap.brid.gy · 20/04/2025
I definitely feel like I pushed myself to my limits today. I set out to hike all of the east side of Catoctin Mountain Park. I didn't finish. After about 17 miles, I was too worn out to try to do any more slope climbing. My tracking app estimates I had about […] [Original post on fosstodon.org]
010
Pip! Gold :qubes: :debian: @asciipip.fosstodon.org.ap.brid.gy · 07/04/2025
For my long hike yesterday, I hiked Calvert Cliffs State Park. All of it. Every foot of every trail, including several that weren't on any map I had. It took me 10 hours and 24 miles. That works out to an overall average pace of about 25 minutes per mile. I […] [Original post on fosstodon.org]
010
Pip! Gold :qubes: :debian: @asciipip.fosstodon.org.ap.brid.gy · 31/03/2025
Every March 31 is a Trans Day of Visibility. This year's TDoV marks a year since I came out publicly, but of course my transition isn't defined by a single day. By last year's TDoV, I'd been out at work for months, out to friends for months before that, had a year+ working with a therapist […]
fosstodon.org
Original post on fosstodon.org
110
Pip! Gold :qubes: :debian: @asciipip.fosstodon.org.ap.brid.gy · 17/03/2025
The German government has issued a travel advisory for its trans citizens about travel to the US. Let me repeat that. Trans European citizens are being warned that travel to the US might not be advisable. What does that say about those of us already living here? […]
fosstodon.org
Original post on fosstodon.org
020
Pip! Gold :qubes: :debian: @asciipip.fosstodon.org.ap.brid.gy · 26/02/2025
The one thing I wish everyone to understand about trans people is: Trans people just want to live the truth of their own identities. aperiodic.net/pip/archives/General/… There's more—far more—of course, but I feel like that's really a core facet […]
fosstodon.org
Original post on fosstodon.org
020
Pip! Gold :qubes: :debian: @asciipip.fosstodon.org.ap.brid.gy · 19/02/2025
Our power's back! BGE got it fixed a little after 9:00 this morning. The furnace has been running continuously since then and the temperature's now up to 60°F, from a low of about 40°F. All told, the power was out for roughly two days and 18 hours. Most of the fallen tree is still there, but […]
fosstodon.org
Original post on fosstodon.org
110
Pip! Gold :qubes: :debian: @asciipip.fosstodon.org.ap.brid.gy · 18/02/2025
Documentation of the erasure of trans people and LGBTQ+ people more broadly across thousands of government pages. www.madycast.com/p/not-just-stonewa… They want to remove evidence of the existence of trans people, and they want to remove resources that help us keep […]
fosstodon.org
Original post on fosstodon.org
000
Pip! Gold :qubes: :debian: @asciipip.fosstodon.org.ap.brid.gy · 17/02/2025
BGE briefly updated our estimated time to restoration of power to be 11:00 pm tonight; they said they expected to have taken care of 80% of their customers by that time. They they later revised their estimate for us back to Wednesday, so I guess we're in the other 20%.
000
Pip! Gold :qubes: :debian: @asciipip.fosstodon.org.ap.brid.gy · 16/02/2025
Thefh wind knocked down a tree in the neighbor's hard that took out our power. BGE's been notified, but who know how long it'll be until power's back. We should be fine n the meantime.
000
Reposted by Pip! Gold :qubes: :debian:
Rob Carlson :ally: :BLM: @vees.epistolary.org.ap.brid.gy · 10/02/2025
How is anyone at NSA supposed to explain cryptography with two Bobs?
102
Reposted by Pip! Gold :qubes: :debian:
Jon Lasser is Hanging in there @disappearinjon.wandering.shop.ap.brid.gy · 04/02/2025
Thinking that my employer’s ambiguous relationship with the Federal Government maybe puts us in the crosshairs. Wondering what else is out there. Python, Go (several years out of date on the latter), and umpteen flavors of shell. Longtime #Linux and #Unix hack. Cattle not pets, but you […]
wandering.shop
Original post on wandering.shop
003
Pip! Gold :qubes: :debian: @asciipip.fosstodon.org.ap.brid.gy · 04/02/2025
If you're in the US and want to oppose the many things the federal government is trying to do, from erasing trans people to Elon Musk effecting a coup and so much else, here's a guide. open.substack.com/pub/epolitics/p/e…
epolitics.substack.com
Epolitics: A Quick Guide to Personal Advocacy in the New Trump Era
Tips for individual activists
000
Pip! Gold :qubes: :debian: @asciipip.fosstodon.org.ap.brid.gy · 02/02/2025
I was too tired to post at the time, but last Monday I took a use-it-or-lose-it vacation day and went hiking. I did the northern 9.7 miles of the NCR trail, plus a little ways into PA, for 20 miles out and back. I took 6 hours and 15 minutes, for an average […] [Original post on fosstodon.org]
030
Pip! Gold :qubes: :debian: @asciipip.fosstodon.org.ap.brid.gy · 30/01/2025
Really tired of waking up to "How is my existence and that of people like me being attacked today?" This morning: Probably not allowed to use the bathrooms in federal facilities without either risking legal consequences or outing myself and risking my physical safety. Passports being […]
fosstodon.org
Original post on fosstodon.org
000
Reposted by Pip! Gold :qubes: :debian:
Erin Kissane @kissane.mas.to.ap.brid.gy · 22/01/2025
I’ve been thinking about this anonymously produced RPG for practicing anti-authoritarian tactics since I ran into it last week. survivethetyrant.infy.uk/?i=1 It dovetails well with my general sense that acting extremely normal online and off is probably a strong move for most people […]
mas.to
Original post on mas.to
3545
Pip! Gold :qubes: :debian: @asciipip.fosstodon.org.ap.brid.gy · 19/01/2025
Today's hike. 😁 Eight miles, 2200 feet elevation gain in Shenandoah National Park. Not quite as rough as last weekend's 20 miles on flat ground, but I'm still tired. The ground was a mix of slippery rocks, packed ice, loose snow, and mud. The views were […] [Original post on fosstodon.org]
230
Pip! Gold :qubes: :debian: @asciipip.fosstodon.org.ap.brid.gy · 13/01/2025
I did a 20 mile hike today. It's a new distance record for me, but it also might have been a bit much. Everything hurts. I hiked on the NCR Trail, in about an inch of snow. The snow made it all even harder. I'm not doing another long hike in the snow if I can […] [Original post on fosstodon.org]
110
Reposted by Pip! Gold :qubes: :debian:
Rob Carlson :ally: :BLM: @vees.epistolary.org.ap.brid.gy · 11/01/2025
"It's an older meme, sir, but it checks out..." #SchrodingersCat #ChekhovsGun #OccamsRazor #MurphysLaw #ScienceHumor
This humorous matrix applies well-known principles — Checkov's, Schrödinger's, Occam's, and Murphy's — to four themes: Gun, Cat, Razor, and Law. Each cell blends philosophy, science, and comedy, creating scenarios like Checkov’s Gun (“If a gun is introduced in the first act, it must be fired by the third”), Schrödinger’s Cat (“An unopened box may contain a dead cat, or an alive one, and you won’t know until you open it”), Occam’s Razor (“The simplest explanation is probably the correct one”), and Murphy’s Law (“Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong”). It’s a witty exploration of these principles through clever reinterpretation.
125
Pip! Gold :qubes: :debian: @asciipip.fosstodon.org.ap.brid.gy · 29/12/2024
I was going to do a 10 mile hike with a group today, but it was canceled because of the weather. So instead I did a 14 mile hike around BWI on my own.
110
Pip! Gold :qubes: :debian: @asciipip.fosstodon.org.ap.brid.gy · 24/12/2024
Fun facts, illustrated: Pluto is about 1,500 miles across. Australia is about 2,500 miles across.
Pluto overlaid on Australia, showing the size difference.
000
Reposted by Pip! Gold :qubes: :debian:
Pirmin Kalberer @implgeo.mapstodon.space.ap.brid.gy · 05/12/2024
Slides of the #FOSS4G2024 talk "Shortbread - the new OpenStreetMap vector tile schema" are available online: pka.github.io/customizing-shortbrea…
pka.github.io
Shortbread - the new OpenStreetMap vector tile schema
014
Reposted by Pip! Gold :qubes: :debian:
AJ Sadauskas @ajsadauskas.bsky.social · 14/11/2024
Here's the simplest way for anyone on BlueSky to set up a Mastodon account: Follow @ap.brid.gy. That's it. That's all you have to do to make all your BSky posts visible on Mastodon. No instances. No futzing around with clunky UIs. Just follow @ap.brid.gy.
62624
Pip! Gold :qubes: :debian: @asciipip.fosstodon.org.ap.brid.gy · 15/11/2024
I recently finished a small organization project with my 3D printer. I took a jumbled pike of stuff in a drawer and organized it with Gridfinity bins. It's a small thing, but I'm happy with it. Longer write up at […] [Original post on fosstodon.org]
A drawer filled with various sizes of rectangular bins, each with a label and containing various objects.
020