iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Mike Sux 🍁 @distraction.engineer · 02/05/2026

Ya, I've only had luck with the tiniest amount of length. Anything more is unusable. I'm allergic to gel, so I just DIY a lacquer and expect no more than a week out of a mani. With maintenance and a bit of care I can get a bit more than a week sometimes.

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Mike Sux 🍁 @distraction.engineer · 27/04/2026

But but...there is no OK! (And confirm doesn't work, lol)

Sign in to add this item to your wishlist. Clicking OK redirects to the sign in page

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Mike Sux 🍁 @distraction.engineer · 27/04/2026

I've been thinking about adding bechamel to a grocery-store frozen lasagna FOR MONTHS, because the last one I had was just so bland. If I had some fresh basil or spinach this would have been even more amazing, but otherwise I am extremely happy with the result. 🤤💜

Casserole side view with a very lasagna-like look

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Mike Sux 🍁 @distraction.engineer · 27/04/2026

I've had a hankering for some sort of sausage casserole and lasagna. I ended up with this. I used these massive penne-like tubes as a noodle. They broke apart, creating a nice erratic texture. Mixed with a filling of tomato, mushroom, sausage. The bottom layer: oat milk bechamel. Cheese on top. 🤤

Extremely happy with this casserole, nicely browned cheesy top. 🤤

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Mike Sux 🍁 @distraction.engineer · 24/04/2026

It came with a jalapeno pickled slaw and a thin salsa (perfect for dipping, like a Birria taco in consume). I usually wolf these down during the car ride home, but I'm glad I waited. Folding them like a taco with the slaw in the middle made me feel less guilty about devouring these pockets of food.

Wife shot showing the sides, a plastic container of the coleslaw, and another of the salsa, as well as the pupusas

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Mike Sux 🍁 @distraction.engineer · 24/04/2026

I probably couldn't handle the weather—the heat—of living somewhere like Mexico. Luckily I found a place where I can get a really good pork and cheese Pupusa (or any Mexican staple really), and they open at 10 AM. 😋

A pair of pork pupusas... They were delightful

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Mike Sux 🍁 @distraction.engineer · 23/04/2026

Screw it, it's my turn to make a big deal out of nothing...

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Mike Sux 🍁 @distraction.engineer · 22/04/2026

In the summer, I can literally sandwich a 100W solar panel between my windows, and bank enough power to run a laptop and charge my phone every sunny day! This is *PEAK* worst case scenario too, as I need direct sunlight and I only capture half a day of sun due to where my panel faces!

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Mike Sux 🍁 @distraction.engineer · 22/04/2026

I'm drinking mine from a can like a pleb. 😋

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Mike Sux 🍁 @distraction.engineer · 21/04/2026

I found this at the bottom of the glass.

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Mike Sux 🍁 @distraction.engineer · 19/04/2026

Agreed! The sort of "finding media they enjoy" thing is actually EXACTLY what helped me learn to read. I did not care about the classical literature I was handed growing up. What did I care about? This rag. ...I'm such a trope. 😅

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Mike Sux 🍁 @distraction.engineer · 19/04/2026

Psst! I got a secret. See this in my bio? That's not hyperbole, I co-created Ludum Dare. Yes I wasn't the sole person responsible on day 1, but have you ever wondered why "Compo" and "48 hours"? Why April? Why #LDJam has "rules"? Gosh, its almost as if a co-founder was a Demoscene nerd... 🤔

the text "caretaker / co-creator of the ludum dare dot com online game jam". The text co-creator is highlighted in red.

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Mike Sux 🍁 @distraction.engineer · 19/04/2026

Have you tried doing it while impaled by an arrow? Two works best.

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Mike Sux 🍁 @distraction.engineer · 17/04/2026

I'm alive. 💜 Ludum Dare 59 kicks off in ~10 hours! Final Round Theme Voting is on! My sincere apologies if this is the first you've heard (It's been a difficult few days 😅). ldjam.com Invite code is "FIVENINE". I'm about to catch-up account approvals, and will continue throughout the day. #LDJam

In big bolt text "Final Round Theme Voting"

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Mike Sux 🍁 @distraction.engineer · 15/04/2026

Tuesdays my wife is on a specific work duty that may cause them to run late. If I have to wait, the temptation to grab a "Taco Tuesday" special is strong. Less so since inflation jacked prices. 😔 Anyway, they recently introduced a "Value Menu", which is the other reason I'm getting Taco Bell vibes.

Quesada banner with the text "craving a deal?", promoting their new $3.99 and $4.99 menu. Pictured are a tiny cheese + bean + rice burrito, and another with vegetables+ guacamole + beans + rice.

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Mike Sux 🍁 @distraction.engineer · 15/04/2026

🤨. I think the burrito chain Quesada is slowly becoming Taco Bell. 🇨🇦🌯

Promotional ad for Quesada. They now offer what they call a "El Grande Qrunch" (i.e. crunch with a Q). This menu item looks exactly like a crunch wrap supreme, which itself resembles a flat burrito wrapped in an octagonal shape, sealed shut by grilling the top and bottom.

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Mike Sux 🍁 @distraction.engineer · 13/04/2026

I'll be writing postmortems of Ludum Dare later. Those designing a #NewLD, here's a pattern I want to share: How Theme Slaughter results tend to look, sorted by votes. Red/orange match previous themes or are nearly identical to them. Yellows are very similar to a higher rated theme. #LDJam

after that, it's common to hit themes that are similar

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Mike Sux 🍁 @distraction.engineer · 13/04/2026

If you're curious, these are the theme suggestions from Ludum Dare 59 that were flagged as inappropriate. NOTE: This list contains offensive and suggestive language. DO NOT CLICK THIS if you could be triggered. #LDJam

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Mike Sux 🍁 @distraction.engineer · 09/04/2026

How I'm unwinding: matching virtual bowls and spoons in an attempt to unlock $1.50 in credit I can spend on nick-nacks from China. 😅

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Mike Sux 🍁 @distraction.engineer · 05/04/2026

Hahahaha! I just noticed that Alibaba (AliExpress) snuck a jab into their "world tour" game that mocks a certain DC resident. 🤣

A caricature of the Washington monument with a hamburger on top

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Mike Sux 🍁 @distraction.engineer · 04/04/2026

MY NOMIMATION FOR HYPEST TRACK OF ALL TIME: THIS SPACE JAM + FIST OF THE NORTH STAR THEME MASHUP! 🏀👊🎺🎻

Now playing song: slam of the North Star - quad City DJs vs crystal kings, by gar

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Mike Sux 🍁 @distraction.engineer · 03/04/2026

Yep, I lost it an hour or so ago (then got busy). Had to scrounge around the apartment to find a USB-C charger that supported PD 20V. I really need to find a deal and stock up on PD 20V+ chargers, cause I think I have no more than 2 without a home. 😳 I have a dozen old-style Thinkpad chargers. 😅

Light gone out. Even plugging into my phone it's pooched.

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Mike Sux 🍁 @distraction.engineer · 03/04/2026

lol, new problem! My laptop works, but my charger does not. 😅 If I discharge the charger for a while (not sure how long...an hour?), it's able to charge things again. But at some point today it will stop working. I'm still figuring out a routine for keeping my ageing computer battery juiced. 😅

Photo of two Thinkpads stacked, with one plugged in and charging

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Mike Sux 🍁 @distraction.engineer · 03/04/2026

Her beef was always paired with polish potato dumplings (Kopytka), and a delightful light beef gravy (like an au jus). As a kid I adored Grandma's dumplings. Think of them as giant gnocchi. They made amazing leftovers...gosh, we'd visit her and leave with lunch/dinner for the next couple days. 🥲🥔

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Mike Sux 🍁 @distraction.engineer · 03/04/2026

I don't cry...or I didn't used to (thanks toxic masculinity). I'm also not religious, but grandma was. Catholic Easter weekend she'd do her thing, then we'd gather as a family for a big meal. This weekend as I dine on rolled cabbages and jowely bird, I celebrate her. 🥬🦃 Love & miss ya grandma! 🥲❤️

Photo of a defrosted and plated cabbage roll. A signature feature of grandmas recipe is how tender the cabbage is: it can be cut with a fork! The way we cook our large batches also cooks up the cabbage scraps to this same tenderness, so when I portioned and packed my cabbage rolls, I filled the zip-locks with as much of the delicious sweet tomato'y cabbage scraps as I could. It's honestly not a pretty dish (at least how we make it), but topped with sour cream (and a bit of ketchup) it's mind-blowingly good.

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Mike Sux 🍁 @distraction.engineer · 02/04/2026

🫪 Nashville. We need to talk. If I toss some fried chicken bites in a slightly boiling sauce made by combining melted "butter", garlic powder, paprika, cayenne (I used Kashmiri), pepper, salt, and BROWN SUGAR, why do I think I'm eating your signature hot chicken? 🫪 I wasn't even trying. #cooking

Casual attempt at turning my go-to chicken bites into Nashville Hot Chicken...it worked too well

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Mike Sux 🍁 @distraction.engineer · 02/04/2026

Only 3 more weeks of this and the 6" USB cable is mine. 🔥

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Mike Sux 🍁 @distraction.engineer · 01/04/2026

New term: Fragile Stack. A product stack built on 3rd party services you can't replace, or you carelessly assume you can. This idea is a twist on the XKCD comic, but the issue is what the larger blocks are made of. My point: I don't think enough people see or appreciate the glass in their stacks.

Xkcd comic about how modern infrastructure depends on so many parts, that the whole thing can be brought tumbling down if the smallest piece is removed. I scribbled over one of the blocks and wrote glass on it, suggesting that I think it's even more dangerous that we build on BIG things we haven't truly considered their fragility.

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Mike Sux 🍁 @distraction.engineer · 01/04/2026

Updating our monthly pun calendar and—my gosh—April GOES HARD! 😳 Happy egg month. Support your eggs. 🥚

Two eggs in a psychiatrist's office. Psychiatrist egg asks "what are you really hiding from". Client egg is a decorated egg, the kind you'd typically hide for children to hide on Easter morning, staring blankly as if in deep contemplation.

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Mike Sux 🍁 @distraction.engineer · 31/03/2026

Sharing this for no particular reason (I had a coupon). ☺️🍍🦈

Pepperoni and pineapple pizza from Domino's. Nothing out of the ordinary here. Very ordinary. It's just what you see in front of you.

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Mike Sux 🍁 @distraction.engineer · 31/03/2026

AI is without a doubt a Pandora's box situation; Nobody is turning back the clock. IMO silo'ing is a greatly underestimated and dangerous issue though, this gravitation towards a few key providers and their frequent update cycles. Folks get complacent and comfortable. If one block breaks, so do they

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Mike Sux 🍁 @distraction.engineer · 30/03/2026

I have 4: Neuromancer, Seventh Cross, Exploding Fist 2, Tony Hawk Pro Skater

Title screen of the Commodore 64 port of Neuromancer

Seventh Cross, a game where you evolve (and eventually fight mechas)

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Mike Sux 🍁 @distraction.engineer · 30/03/2026

Monday #PunDay! Let's play. Name an ingredient in "Disco Stew". I'll start: 4 Beats, on the floor. 🥁

Stock image of beef stew with carrots, potatoes, peas, green garnish, and a deep red broth.

Disco Stu from the Simpsons, a frizzy haired Afro dude with tiny shades and some exposed chest hair

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Mike Sux 🍁 @distraction.engineer · 30/03/2026

Attie is fast approaching 100k blocks. Then its only a matter of time before there are 100+ blocks per follower. Nice ratio. 😉

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Mike Sux 🍁 @distraction.engineer · 29/03/2026

Yeah, until I started looking into buying chips, that's all I knew too. Every DDR4/DDR5/LPDDR4/LPDDR5 chip on Mouser has this note. Digikey has all but a few marked as obsolete or "last chance buy". There are 4 DRAM chips in stock not market obsolete, but I'm not convinced these are an exception. 🤷

4 stocked micron chips that curiously haven't been marked obsolete

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Mike Sux 🍁 @distraction.engineer · 29/03/2026

Of course, buying components directly is best. But when I look at the Radxa Rock 2F, a Raspberry Pi-like board with 4GB of LPDDR4 memory for ~$27, I wonder "for how long"? LCSC, a Chinese component distributor, offer many better prices than Digikey/Mouser. Their cheapest 4 GB chips are $75-$80! 😥

Radxa Rock 2F store page on AliExpress, available with 4 gigabytes for only $27 USD

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Mike Sux 🍁 @distraction.engineer · 29/03/2026

This doesn't account for Rayson (Chinese RAM/Flash manufacturer), but the price of individual RAM chips is astronomical! 😵 Your Raspberry Pi's often feature a single one of these chips (in USD): $10-$15 for 512 MB ~$35 for 1 GB (~$20 for Micron) $60-$65 for 2 GB (~$35 for Micron) WTF for 4 GB+ 😐

everything else larger that fits on one page

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