iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Dan Q

@dan.m.danq.me.ap.brid.gy

40 followers 4 following 608 posts

Blogs at danq.me. Founded threerings.org.uk. Based between Oxford and Witney, UK. Queerer than the average bear. Blog auto-syndicates to @blog. :heart_pride […] 🌉 bridged from ⁂ m.danq.me/@dan, follow @ap.brid.gy to interact

Posts Replies Media

Dan Q @dan.m.danq.me.ap.brid.gy · 12/10/2026

Last time I made a dental insurance claim, Aviva insisted on sending me a cheque. So I asked them via live chat if I could claim via bank transfer. Yes, they say, although apparently I have to ask every time because "they can't store bank details". Sigh. Fine. At […] [Original post on danq.me]

Live Chat gatekeeping chatbot saying that live chat is open until 6:30pm, which is in the future, but it's claiming that it's closed.

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Dan Q @dan.m.danq.me.ap.brid.gy · 11/10/2026

Ruth and I stopped at Hanley Swan for a picnic lunch on our way home from our weekend of Argentine Tango classes. Within seconds our lunch had attracted a large flock of ducks from the little duck houses on the village's adorable duck pond. But better yet: I managed […] [Original post on danq.me]

A slightly dried-up duck pond with ducks and cute like pontoon duck houses.

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Dan Q @dan.m.danq.me.ap.brid.gy · 10/10/2026

On the window sill of the bar at the hotel where Ruth and I are learning to tango... this morning I made a squirrel friend! At least now I'll have succeeded at something today even if I can't get the hang on not-treading-on-toes! #note #animals #tango #windows Via […] [Original post on danq.me]

A grey squirrel lies against the glass pane of a stone-framed window.

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Dan Q @dan.m.danq.me.ap.brid.gy · 09/10/2026

The bed in my hotel room tonight is made up for not one, not two, but three occupants. Did they... see me and instantly clock me as polyamorous? #note #polyamory #relationships #photo #funny #tango Via: 🔗 danq.me/2026/10/09/30499

Wide bed with three sets of pillows laid out.

Dan Q @dan.m.danq.me.ap.brid.gy · 09/10/2026

18 months ago, Halifax leaked my financial information when they addressed a letter about my (single-signatory) personal credit card to other people I live with. When challenged, they blamed a computer error that had now been fixed, and promised it wouldn't happen again. Guess what: it just […]

Original post on danq.me

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Dan Q @dan.m.danq.me.ap.brid.gy · 07/10/2026

I just realised that I never shared this anecdote online before - One time, I got locked-in at the V&A Museum after closing-time. I'd been there for a museums & cultural institutions event and I'd probably had a few too many glasses of champagne before I excused myself to return to my hotel […]

Original post on danq.me

Dan Q @dan.m.danq.me.ap.brid.gy · 07/10/2026

Fuck you Ted Lasso season 4 finale, I hadn't planned on crying today. 😭 #note #tvSeries #television #football Via: 🔗 danq.me/2026/10/07/ted-lasso-s04e10

Ted Lasso S04E10

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Dan Q @dan.m.danq.me.ap.brid.gy · 05/10/2026

234 days since we got flooded out of our house, and it sometimes feels like we'll never get to move back in. Delay after delay, problems with the construction, disputes over the quality of the repair work... and then yet more delays for good measure. Last month, the insurers insisted that we […]

Original post on danq.me

Dan Q @dan.m.danq.me.ap.brid.gy · 03/10/2026

A Three Rings development sub-team seems to have developed a habit of making production server changes at in-person events, right before meals are served. On at least one previous occasion this has led to them missing out on dinner as they monitored and maintained at-risk servers when they ought […]

Original post on danq.me

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Dan Q @dan.m.danq.me.ap.brid.gy · 30/09/2026

TIL that I dance Argentine Tango with Ruth better... when I close my eyes. It's a fundamentally intuitive and semi-improvised dance built on connection and communication and it turns out that, for me at least, the best way to stop trying to visually predict what a partner (I know well enough to […]

Original post on danq.me

Dan Q @dan.m.danq.me.ap.brid.gy · 30/09/2026

@Edent I use mine to tell the time, receive and preview notifications from my phone, as a step counter and fitness tracker, and for pointing the way to GPS coordinates when geohashing. I don't need a touchscreen to do any that, nor a colour display, and so the smartwatch I use has neither […]

Original post on danq.me

Dan Q @dan.m.danq.me.ap.brid.gy · 27/09/2026

My newly-revamped personal site has an almost full suite of slash pages; something I'd been meaning to do for a while: danq.me/slashes Still no /now, but I'll get that sorted someday, perhaps! #note #blogging #meta #web #indieweb #standards Via: 🔗 […]

Original post on danq.me

Dan Q @dan.m.danq.me.ap.brid.gy · 25/09/2026

After months of minor tweaks, on-and-off, I finally bit the bullet and hit "publish" on my new theme for DanQ.me. It's not perfect; it's got all kinds of bugs... but what's the point of having a personal webite if you can't trash it once in a while with an […] [Original post on danq.me]

Screenshot of DanQ.me with comic avatars of Dan, pride colours, and a 'fun'-feeling theme (plus semi-retro 'under construction' banner!).

Dan Q @dan.m.danq.me.ap.brid.gy · 25/09/2026

Here's a neat trick. I've got a web page with many HTML popovers, styled as modals to create a no-JS gallery/lightbox. But LCP suffers because the browser tries to reserve space for the images within (even though they're within not-yet-shown popovers). This CSS one-liner saved the day. It […]

Original post on danq.me

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Dan Q @dan.m.danq.me.ap.brid.gy · 19/09/2026

@Edent Hah! That makes more sense. I was never clear. Also "Wooden" etc.: is that intended for wooden BENCHES or wooden PLAQUES?

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Dan Q @dan.m.danq.me.ap.brid.gy · 19/09/2026

Complete list of uniquely "#US-centric" concepts (things the developers believe have no analogue elsewhere in the #anglophone world) according to #ChampdUp by #JackboxGames: - the Midwest - High School - Bachelorette Parties - Country Music - Orlando - Misdemeanors - Margaritaville - the […]

Original post on danq.me

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Dan Q @dan.m.danq.me.ap.brid.gy · 17/09/2026

Every time I see Sainsburys comparing the value-for-money of different brands of toilet roll, the abbreviation they use catches me out and I think they're telling me how much paper I should be "using". #note #supermarkets #shopping #funny Via: 🔗 danq.me/2026/09/17/pence-per-sht

Online supermarket showing several brands of toilet paper with the price displayed alongside a breakdown showing the price (in pence) per hundred sheets (of toilet paper), but "sheet" is abbreviated to "sht" which looks like... a different word I associate with the product.

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Dan Q @dan.m.danq.me.ap.brid.gy · 16/09/2026

I'm doing some (tedious) debugging of how an automated email gets rendered in #Microsoft #Outlook... boring and frustrating work (especially as I don't even normally-use nor like Outlook in the first place!). So imagine my delight when I discover the undocumented chain of […]

Original post on danq.me

Dan Q @dan.m.danq.me.ap.brid.gy · 15/09/2026

It's been 214 days since I had to evacuate my house following a flood, and repair work is (intermittently) underway. And there are so-many moving pieces to this dance that... it's little wonder that people are getting confused. Like: Our insurance company appointed a relocations specialist to […]

Original post on danq.me

Dan Q @dan.m.danq.me.ap.brid.gy · 15/09/2026

OMG my latest #Postcard From The Internet came from @HiMYSYeD, who turns out to be a real life LABYRINTH ARTIST. Super cool. 🔗 More: danq.me/postcards-and-labyrinths #postcards #labyrinth #labyrinths #art

A Postcard from a Labyrinth Artist

Dan Q @dan.m.danq.me.ap.brid.gy · 10/09/2026

My favourite article about #MattMullenweg's involuntary ousting as CEO of #Automattic is the one by @ernie. I used it as a launching-off point to write my own thoughts about why this change is the best possible thing for Automattic... but also, perhaps, for Matt. And that perhaps we should see […]

Original post on danq.me

Dan Q @dan.m.danq.me.ap.brid.gy · 10/09/2026

@edent.tel I'm in a Slack with a ton of ex- (and a few current) Automattic folks and we're all just sat, popcorn buckets in lap, watching this drama unfold. It's like a car crash; you can't look away. If you haven't XCancel/Nitter'd 'photomatt' yet you might like to: people are describing it as […]

Original post on danq.me

Dan Q @dan.m.danq.me.ap.brid.gy · 10/09/2026

Pixel Area (@pxlarea) launched a couple of weeks ago, and DanQ.me was selected to be one of the initial "seed" blogs that were there at the outset (I'm at pxlarea.com/x38y34). I'm... honestly not sure what to make of it. Organising personal websites […] [Original post on danq.me]

Screenshot from Pixel Area, showing a blue 'pixel' representing Dan Q.

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Dan Q @dan.m.danq.me.ap.brid.gy · 10/09/2026

That moment when you realise that you forgot your sunglasses but figure you'll just squint. #note #dog #dogs #photo #weather #eyes #vision Via: 🔗 danq.me/2026/09/10/sundog

A fawn-coloured French Bulldog sits on the wooden decking outside a back door, squinting as she looks towards the sun (evident from the direction of the shadows).

Dan Q @dan.m.danq.me.ap.brid.gy · 09/09/2026

Needed to renew my driving license. My new one doesn't have an EU flag on it. The sad reminders of Brexit just keep coming. 🇪🇺💔 #note #driving #eu #brexit #sad Via: 🔗 danq.me/2026/09/09/30138

Dan Q @dan.m.danq.me.ap.brid.gy · 09/09/2026

🌶️ Hot take: #AI peaked in 2014 with the invention of the #Taco Bot 3000. With artificial (taco) intelligence and the latest cheese dispensing technology, it truly represented the summit of human technological achievement the likes of which we might not see again […] [Original post on danq.me]

Adapted framegrab. Simplistic colourful art showing a person in an unfastened bike helmet hanging onto the shoulder of a robot and pointing at the words 'taco bot' on its chest, while tacos rain down behind. It's overlaid with the text 'Taco Bot 3000: when you need a whole lot of tacos expertly created by a robot at the highest level of quality'.

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Reposted by Dan Q

MꙬse Allain @mooseallain.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

NEW DETECTIVE COMING TO ITV THIS AUTUMN

Photo of a box of rosemary crackers

Dan Q @dan.m.danq.me.ap.brid.gy · 02/09/2026

A #DVLA employee decided that my #name was a mistake and "Dan Q" must be a COMPANY name, and they registered my #car as belonging to a non-existent company called "Dan Q". And because the paper version of the #V5C form, unlike the database version, doesn't differentiate between the two... it […]

Original post on danq.me

Dan Q @dan.m.danq.me.ap.brid.gy · 01/09/2026

I descaled the coffee machine yesterday. We live in an exceptionally hard-water area and this maintenance was long overdue. This morning I turned the machine on and something felt unfamiliar and wrong. I couldn't put my finger on what, until I realised... ...I'd […] [Original post on danq.me]

Close-up of the buttons on an automatic/beans-to-cup coffee machine.

Dan Q @dan.m.danq.me.ap.brid.gy · 28/08/2026

Almost nobody does #whitelabel #DNS any more (unless they run their own!): rebadging their third-party #nameservers as subdomains of the domain itself. It used to be much more-popular! So out of #nostalgia, for the first time in 15-20 years, I've set up #vanity #nameserver glue records for one […]

Original post on danq.me

Dan Q @dan.m.danq.me.ap.brid.gy · 26/08/2026

Today, my website's PO Box received a #postcard from "Tony", written on card recycled out of a #military ration pack from #Canada. Who the heck is Tony‽ It's a mystery! 🔗 More: danq.me/postcard-from-tony

A Postcard from Tony (who the heck is Tony‽)

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Dan Q @dan.m.danq.me.ap.brid.gy · 25/08/2026

My June blog post about how "my #polyamory is boring" resulted in lots of feedback and questions! Today, I'd like to answer the first of those, which often comes in the following form: > Your partner doesn't get her "own" bedroom, but both of her partners do. How is that fair? Well... 🔗 […]

Original post on danq.me

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Dan Q @dan.m.danq.me.ap.brid.gy · 24/08/2026

Well 'thanks' for the 'simplified' statement, I guess? #note #language #pensions #quotes #funny #letters Via: 🔗 danq.me/2026/08/24/simplified

Letter with headline/subject "Your new 'simplified' Pension Annual Benefit Statement", with quotation marks around the word 'simplified' added for emphasis but giving the impression that it's not simplified, that's just what they're calling it.

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Reposted by Dan Q

210561 ✨ [Q] @q.glauca.space.ap.brid.gy · 22/08/2026

Please remember to pat your cars

Reposted by Dan Q

Erin Reed @erininthemorning.com · 09/02/2026

In an alarming development, it appears the UK Government covered up a massive spike in trans youth suicides after restrictions. Then covered it up again when caught. Now, after fighting for years, the data is public: trans suicide increased 5x in the country. Subscribe to support our journalism.

erininthemorning.com

Trans Youth Suicides Skyrocketed In UK After Care Drawdown; Government Covers It Up

A Freedom of Information request to the National Child Mortality Database reveals that 22 trans children under 18 died by suicide in England in 2021-22 alone.

Dan Q @dan.m.danq.me.ap.brid.gy · 22/08/2026

The clasp on my 'bi pride' watch strap is failing because, in an ironic twist, part of it needs to be made a little bit more straight. #note #sexuality #bisexuality #funny #photos #pride Via: 🔗 danq.me/2026/08/22/a-little-bit-str…

Close up of the buckle end of a worn, grimy watch strap in 'bi pride' colours.

Dan Q @dan.m.danq.me.ap.brid.gy · 21/08/2026

I'm a little fishsmith, Short and stout. Here's my anvil, Here's my trout. #note #poetry #funny #fish #teapot Via: 🔗 danq.me/2026/08/21/fishsmith

Dan Q @dan.m.danq.me.ap.brid.gy · 19/08/2026

I guess it's the laptop and the pile of towels that cause the confusion, but people keep asking me questions (usually in Spanish) about where to get towels from and whether they can use the pool at this hotel. And I have to keep explaining that nope, I don't work […] [Original post on danq.me]

Dan, a white man with a goatee beard and a blue ponytail, sits at a poolside table in a hotel roof terrace, using his laptop alongside a pile of towels.

Reposted by Dan Q

Sara Joy :happy_pepper: @sarajw.front-end.social.ap.brid.gy · 12/08/2026

Say there's a little silent video embedded on a website, largely for decoration. <video> or <source> don't seem to allow for alt text - screen readers also don't read fallback content within <video> as far as I can tell? So what's the best move, use aria-label or aria-labelledby? #accessibility

Dan Q @dan.m.danq.me.ap.brid.gy · 12/08/2026

Well that was pretty spectacular. 🤩 #note #eclipse #spain #photos #photography #memorable #travel Via: 🔗 danq.me/2026/08/12/eclipse

Over the silhouette of hills, a total solar eclipse is just coming to an end, with a 'diamond ring' effect resulting from the sun's reappearance visible.

Dan Q @dan.m.danq.me.ap.brid.gy · 12/08/2026

Of all the architecture with which the devil is (per legend) credited with the construction, L'Aqüeducte Romà de les Ferreres might be the most impressive. Nice work, Satan. #note #archeology #spain #travel #romans #mythology Via: 🔗 danq.me/2026/08/12/laqueducte-roma-…

A Roman aquaduct spans a forested valley.

Dan Q @dan.m.danq.me.ap.brid.gy · 12/08/2026

@daftred Enjoyed your blog post daft.red/2026/08/why-i-use-noscript. I used to use NoScript in basically the same way, and switched to uBlock specifically because it supports saying e.g. "first party JS is trusted unless I say otherwise; third-party JS is untrusted unless I say otherwise".

Why I Use NoScript

Why I minimize JS where I can

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Reposted by Dan Q

Tantek Çelik @tantek.com.web.brid.gy · 08/08/2026

The open web has an amazing amount of free content that is actually free, both freely accessible without payment and free of conditions to access. No tracking cookies needed, no logins needed, no ads needed. A few examples: * blogs. my blog, and every other #indieweb blog (with the exception of […]

Original post on tantek.com

Dan Q @dan.m.danq.me.ap.brid.gy · 06/08/2026

I've always pronounced #GIF with a hard "G" because the G stands for Graphics. But I was today years old before I realised that, by the same logic, #JPEG should be pronounced "jay-pheg" because the P stands for "Photographic". So now, for self-consistency, I guess I'm going to start […]

Original post on danq.me

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Dan Q @dan.m.danq.me.ap.brid.gy · 05/08/2026

[Food (sweets)] No green and only two black wine gums in this bag? Feeling robbed. #note #food #sweets Via: 🔗 danq.me/2026/08/05/no-green-wine-gu…

On a desk, a packet of Maynards' Wine Gums has been emptied out and its contents sorted by colour: there are five orange, two black, and ten red sweets.

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Dan Q @dan.m.danq.me.ap.brid.gy · 04/08/2026

My #mediaCenter #TV's soundbar keeps going into sleep mode, and the #dog ate the #remoteControl so it's an annoyance to pause a film, chat a bit, and then have to get up to switch it back on again. (Oh, and it's not an #IrDA remote so it's a drag to emulate or replace.) So I wrote a little […]

Original post on danq.me

Dan Q @dan.m.danq.me.ap.brid.gy · 03/08/2026

[Food (supermarket; packaged)] Sainsburys grapes confuse me. 500g of white grapes are £2. 500g or red grapes are £2.20. So you'd expect 500g of half-red, half-white grapes to be... £2.10, right? But no, that's £2 too. So buying 500g of white grapes and 500g of red […] [Original post on danq.me]

Online shopping screenshot showing four packets of seedless grapes. 500g red grapes are £2.20; 500g white grapes are £2.00; 500g red & white grapes are £2.00; 900g mixed (red, white and black) grapes are £3.95.

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Reposted by Dan Q

Donncha Ó Caoimh @donncha.mastodon.ie.ap.brid.gy · 02/08/2026

Unseen Movement The bollard is the only thing in the frame that stayed put in this long exposure of a floating pier in Ballycotton Harbour. Everything else is moving, relative to it.... inphotos.org/2026/08/02/unseen-move… #Ballycotton […] [Original post on mastodon.ie]

A long exposure at Ballycotton Harbour, taken from a floating pier: a bright red mooring bollard bolted to a rusted plate on a yellow steel edge, with mooring ropes and green net looped around its base, while behind it small boats blur into smears across still golden water, and stone steps, a slipway, an inflatable dinghy and pastel harbour houses catch low evening light.

Dan Q @dan.m.danq.me.ap.brid.gy · 29/07/2026

I've had #Fabulous by #MEEK stuck on loop in my head most of this year, but I only just got around to watching the #musicVideo. Turns out it traces a route through #Blackpool that I'm somewhat familiar with... it follows what (in my mind) might be Britain's gayest pub crawl! If I wasn't already […]

Original post on danq.me

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Dan Q @dan.m.danq.me.ap.brid.gy · 29/07/2026

I want to write a successful YA fiction where all the characters are boats. Just 'cos I want to see people 'shipping ships. Also, one of my characters will be called Slash. #note #fanFiction #funny #book #books #reading Via: 🔗 danq.me/2026/07/29/shipslasher