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Aural Sturgeon

@aural-sturgeon.bsky.social
98 followers 9 following 1.2K posts

That guy again. Formerly umbral-owl. Parent, retired software engineer, broadly socialist but only by democratic means, pickleball player, runner, occasional snowboarder, even more occasional hiker.

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Aural Sturgeon @aural-sturgeon.bsky.social · 33m
"They only notice when it affects them." An observation so common nowadays it's almost trite, but the more I think about it and what it means about US culture the sadder I get. I've commented on USians' fundamental selfishness many times. It's not going to change when Trump dies. Fix yourselves.
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Ms T 🐘💙🎵📚 @elephantlass.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
Sunday
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Aural Sturgeon @aural-sturgeon.bsky.social · 15h
Neurodivergent folks: when an autistic person is adding extra details to a story, it's not to annoy you. It's because they think those details are important to convey the intended message. Instead of rushing them (so you can one-up with your story 🙄) reflect on how the details color that message.
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Aural Sturgeon @aural-sturgeon.bsky.social · 15h
Today's #running report: surpising. I started uphill right at the start, then went over the hill and back (so uphill both ways 🤣) without stopping. Then I did another there-and-back to make 5km, and it all seemed weirdly easy. Not sure why. Maybe the cooler fall weather.
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Aural Sturgeon @aural-sturgeon.bsky.social · 23h
Do people not realize that Kirby is short for Kirberos?
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Aural Sturgeon @aural-sturgeon.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
Yep. Pretty much.
Five young boys holding red sticks from a box labeled "AI" and "dynamite". Their shirts say Anthropic, Google, Meta, xAI, and OpenAI. A speech bubble from out of frame says "What are you boys doing out there?" The OpenAI boy replies "Don't worry mom, we can police ourselves!"
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Aural Sturgeon @aural-sturgeon.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
The phrase Heated Library just popped into my head, and I think they should make that movie.
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Aural Sturgeon @aural-sturgeon.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
Just finished Veilguard. That was a trip. Very impressed by how there seems to be dialog for every possible permutation of decisions. Now to start over with a completely different character. Maybe I'll even watch some of the *many* cutscenes near the end this time.
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Aural Sturgeon @aural-sturgeon.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Today's #fishhorror submission.
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Aural Sturgeon @aural-sturgeon.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Roast pork and asparagus for dinner tonight. Just because. Got one more solo dinner tomorrow, then using up whatever leftovers we can on Sunday, before the Big Road Trip. Gonna see the kids, and my brother. ❤️
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Aural Sturgeon @aural-sturgeon.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
It bothers me more than it should that medicine uses "cervical" to mean two very different things.
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Aural Sturgeon @aural-sturgeon.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Just did some calculations, and it turns out that my wife and I are getting close to a billion seconds of marriage. Just a few more months.
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Aural Sturgeon @aural-sturgeon.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
I've reached the stage of social-media disengagement where I've (mostly) stopped posting about contentious issues. Unfortunately that doesn't mean I've stopped spending an inordinate amount of time writing those posts before I throw them away.
"Is this a pigeon" meme. In this one, a human ("me") is gesturing toward a butterfly ("letting posts go"). Underneath it says, "Is this progress?"
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paulpro @mariopro.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
@bodycartoon.bsky.social
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Aural Sturgeon @aural-sturgeon.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
I'm 61, but as far as I'm concerned "MDNI" is almost as big a red flag as "MAGA" is. Never had a good experience interacting with anyone who has either in their profile. Are "accidental" inappropriate interactions with minors a problem for you? 🤢 Not for me. Mute, mute, mute.
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Aural Sturgeon @aural-sturgeon.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
I'm playing Veilguard, because I have the patience to wait until games are cheaper. Has anyone else coined "Emmlich" yet?
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Aural Sturgeon @aural-sturgeon.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
He regrets it because he wishes they were worse. I regret it because I wish they respected the constitution, legal principles in general, morality, or even basic decency. We are not the same. www.counton2.com/news/nationa...
counton2.com
Trump says he regrets nominating Gorsuch, Kavanaugh, and Barrett
The president’s latest comments come after he criticized the three justices for voting with the majority of the court to block his mail-in voting plan last month.
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Aural Sturgeon @aural-sturgeon.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Today's #running report: meh. Still fighting my way back into semi-decent shape. This route takes me right past some pickleball courts, and I could definitely hear one of my friends laughing.
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Aural Sturgeon @aural-sturgeon.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Dubbing fart noises over every clip of Trump speaking would be very childish, but also 100% appropriate. Still better than his sewage-stream of lies, insults, threats, and utter nonsense.
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KittyKatGirl😻🙏💞🐞 @mary1kathy.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Love this story! 💕💕💕
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Aural Sturgeon @aural-sturgeon.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Semi-random thought: raves in converted churches, with pulpits like this one, would be awesome.
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Aural Sturgeon @aural-sturgeon.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Today's #fishhorror post.
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Aural Sturgeon @aural-sturgeon.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Made all my hotel reservations for our midwest road trip next week. I wasn't trying to do it this way, but it turned out that at all four stops the best choice was IHG so I just booked directly through them. Kind of nice having everything listed in one place.
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Aural Sturgeon @aural-sturgeon.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Today's #pickleball report: wet. Not quite wet enough to preclude any play at all, but definitely enough to constrain movement around the court. Some excellent games nonetheless.
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Aural Sturgeon @aural-sturgeon.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
The meatballs were surprisingly mild, considering how much five spice and pepper and ginger and basil went into them, but they went great with a bit of hoisin so all is good. And "greebies" (roasted green beans in my household) are always good.
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Aural Sturgeon @aural-sturgeon.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Happy Retirement Day to me. A little belated, because apparently the official date is September 25, but still ... six years. Since then my kid has graduated from both high school and college, I've had cancer and surgery, traveled a *bit* more, but overall my life is remarkably like it was before.
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Aural Sturgeon @aural-sturgeon.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
"Stop posting about XYZ online. Go out and talk to your RL friends about it." "Why aren't you talking about XYZ here? You must not take it very seriously." 🙄
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Luca @lucagalletti.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Both parents feed & protect the chicks. “One of my all time favorite loon clips. This was the first time that I got 2 chicks on the parent’s back at the same time several years ago.” Canon R5 and 100-500mm lens IG: @harrycollinsphotography www.instagram.com/harrycollins...
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Aural Sturgeon @aural-sturgeon.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
"We meant to do that." www.aljazeera.com/video/newsfe... Yeah, whatever bro. The reusability claim is still key to getting all of that sweet taxpayer money, and I don't think they'll be reusing much of that one. 🤣
aljazeera.com
Fiery end for SpaceX Starship mission
Elon Musk’s SpaceX's next-generation Starship rocket reached orbit for the first time despite an engine shutdown.
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Aural Sturgeon @aural-sturgeon.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
As another person who has had prostate cancer, I approve this message.
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Aural Sturgeon @aural-sturgeon.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
I know it's a long shot, but does anyone have any experience with Lucky Louie's Beer Wiener in Erie, PA? Found it while looking for a spot exactly half way between here and kids' place, menu and reviews look good, but ... is it?
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Michele @funnymichele.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
😂😅😆🤭
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Michel Dinel @padder.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
saw something that felt so "classic 2ks' internet"
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Aural Sturgeon @aural-sturgeon.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Is "antisocialization" a word yet? Because it would well describe a gathering of people who aren't allowed within 500m of a school. www.washingtonsun.com/national/ai-...
washingtonsun.com
The AI Bros Are Partying
Hundreds gathered at a bitcoin-themed bar in D.C. to counterprogram the national backlash against data centers and AI.
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Aural Sturgeon @aural-sturgeon.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Every community has things that are essential and things that just happen to be popular among members. You don't have to be into the latter to be a member or ally of that community. Gatekeepers aren't looking for peers or allies. They're looking for acolytes, cannon fodder, punching bags. Always.
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Aural Sturgeon @aural-sturgeon.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
me: What's up with the smashed-looking egg in the fridge? family member (who acts like the expert on all things food- or kitchen-related): I left it in my pocket... me: 😮 them: ...for a week. me: 🤢
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Aural Sturgeon @aural-sturgeon.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Looks like tomorrow is going to be wet all day because of the nor'easter, so no pickleball or running. Just did two days of manual labor, so definitely gonna be Slug Mode.
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Aural Sturgeon @aural-sturgeon.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
I know this will make me seem old, but I will *never* stop being annoyed when content that is basically just words is only available as a fucking video. Makes me think you're illiterate. Learn to write.
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justdeirdre.bsky.social @justdeirdre.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
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Aural Sturgeon @aural-sturgeon.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Some day I'd like to live in a city again, but it would have to be on a high floor with solid walls. Hearing people yapping at each other at all hours drives me insane. Why can't these assholes (currently in N Woodstock NH) speak at a normal human volume?
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Aural Sturgeon @aural-sturgeon.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Dragon's Milk (by New Holland) is one of my favorite beers, and I often spike it with Rumhaven coconut-water rum. But their own coconut-rum variant - which shouldn't even be as strong - has left me a bit loopy. I guess ABV isn't the whole story.
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Aural Sturgeon @aural-sturgeon.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Guy at the bar looks like a biker, the kind that I would expect to *hate* police, but his shirt is all blue-line and Punisher. Have *all* of the people who used to bleat about "freedom" joined the fascist cause now? (Yes, of course they have. Not even surprising. It was a rhetorical question.)
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Aural Sturgeon @aural-sturgeon.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Today's #pickleball report: spectator. A couple of dominant wins when paired with one of the decent defensive players, but those are too rare. Mostly forced to watch as glass-jaw partners got targeted relentlessly. Unforced errors and total misses galore, mostly from being way out of position.
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Aural Sturgeon @aural-sturgeon.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
While I believe that CNN/MSNOW/Politico should have their White House press passes restored, I'd also prefer that they not use them. We don't need to hear Trump's whining and lies. The official acts are what matters. The last few days have been kind of nice without his voice.
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Aural Sturgeon @aural-sturgeon.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
AFAICT all of the "Android alternatives" run well only on Google phones (a literally insane choice if the point is to de-Google), $1000 phones, or phones more than three years old. Almost makes me want to get back into software development, so I can do something that actually helps people.
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Matt @nosoupforgeorge.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
If Trump ignores a ruling from a federal judge to allow CNN, MS NOW, and Politico their first amendment free press rights to cover the White House... What will he do when the next election doesn't go his way?
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Aural Sturgeon @aural-sturgeon.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Tonight's pineapple upside-down cupcakes aren't quite life changing, just damn good. 😋
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Aural Sturgeon @aural-sturgeon.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
App store rules are pretty meaningless when so many apps are just shells that fetch the real code from a server somewhere (with no signing or other kind of verification) when they start up. Google would close that loophole if they actually cared about security and not just maximizing their take.
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Aural Sturgeon @aural-sturgeon.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Got a triple jab today - COVID, flu, pneumonia - then a nice protein-rich lunch. Let's see how long I can go before I crash.
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Aural Sturgeon @aural-sturgeon.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Today's #running report: done for the month. Did my two most difficult monthly segments, but the easy way - driving to a start about 0.5km from the start of the first segment, instead of 2.5km from home. Maybe next month I'll go back to the full version.
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