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Darren Kirby

@dragonbyte.ca
4.6K followers 3.4K following 2.9K posts

Lodged against an abutment.

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Darren Kirby @dragonbyte.ca · 28/09/2026
A lot of words to avoid saying 'I realize there's close to %0 chance of me getting elected as an NDP in this riding'.
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Fair Vote Canada 🗳️🍁 @fairvote.ca · 22/09/2026
Just like in ON and NS, first-past-the-post incentivises parties to trigger snap elections when polling shows an increased majority, even without majority voter support. Proportional representation fixes this toxic dynamic, encouraging cooperation over political gamesmanship.
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Darren Kirby @dragonbyte.ca · 22/09/2026
This is accurate except I've seen the show, and thought it was terrible.
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Darren Kirby @dragonbyte.ca · 22/09/2026
Shitty move by Eby, IMO. I'll be sitting this one out, or maybe waste my vote on Green, as in my riding the NDP candidate will be a formerly Conservative floor-crosser, rather than the actual NDP candidate I FUCKING VOTED FOR in the last election. Get bent, Eby.
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Darren Kirby @dragonbyte.ca · 20/09/2026
And on the other end they want you to use AI to crunch the data, a different AI to author the paper, and yet another AI to 'peer review' it. So by the end there's no scientific discovery, no dissemination of knowledge, just the world's stupidest game of hallucinogenic telephone.
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Тsфdiиg @tsoding.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
To all the people asking me about what Architecture I use for my Software: my brothers and sisters in Christ, I program in C. The Architecture is obviously Brutalism.
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Darren Kirby @dragonbyte.ca · 11/09/2026
American exceptionalism is downplaying a structured attack on a whole other country's sovereignty as the trolling of a 'bored' individual. I have no patience for this kind of patronizing American liberal/leftist. I'd rather deal with MAGA. At least they're honest about their contempt for Canada.
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Darren Kirby @dragonbyte.ca · 01/09/2026
See, the entire premise of this poll is fucking stupid because you don't forgive someone for egregiously harming you after some arbitrary event or some arbitrary length of time. You *might* forgive them when they stop the harm, show genuine remorse for the harm, and make things right. So...never.
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Darren Kirby @dragonbyte.ca · 27/08/2026
Clown country full of clowns exhibit B:
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Darren Kirby @dragonbyte.ca · 27/08/2026
Clown country full of clowns. I think a $100K fee to transit the St Lawrence, and another $100K fee to transit the Welland Canal for American shipments is in order. If the yanks don't like it, ship your shit on the Erie Canal. Clowns.
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Darren Kirby @dragonbyte.ca · 25/08/2026
I guess I shouldn't be surprised that the billionaire shopify douchebag who thinks poor people shouldn't get to vote and rich fucks like him should get multiple votes is involved in noted eugenicist douchebag DHH's "Linux for Fascists" Omarchy garbage.
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Darren Kirby @dragonbyte.ca · 22/08/2026
Season 4's Last Exit to Springfield is the best episode by far and this is non-negotiable. From the era when they packed five episodes worth of jokes in 22 minutes.
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Darren Kirby @dragonbyte.ca · 19/08/2026
I'm a bit annoyed, as it would appear that some bored taxonomists have taken the noble Bison bison (classified by Linnaeus himself) and lumped them into genus Bos, which is shared with domestic cattle. Bos bison? Ugh.
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Darren Kirby @dragonbyte.ca · 09/08/2026
Sikhs are always the best. When I was trapped in Chilliwack for a week during the atmospheric river, they came by the truck stop every day to make sure we had food and anything else we needed.
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Darren Kirby @dragonbyte.ca · 08/08/2026
Evacuation Alert area (Alert, not Order) has been extended 10km south of Summerland all the way to the western edge of Penticton.
The yellow shaded areas represent evacuation alert areas. The area begins directly to the west of Penticton city limits.
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Darren Kirby @dragonbyte.ca · 08/08/2026
Not much word on the state of Summerland yet. Just south in Penticton there is ash and soot on everything. This is the trunk of a white car.
Ash and soot which has rained down overnight in Penticton from the Bald  Range fire 10km north in Summerland.
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Darren Kirby @dragonbyte.ca · 08/08/2026
I drove out to Sun Rock just past Naramata. I saw no flames but the smoke was putrid, and in the 20 minutes that I lingered there the smoke thickened until the lights of Summerland were no longer visible from just across the lake. A town of 12,000, all of whom are now ordered to evacuate.
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Michael Coyle @oplopanax.ca · 03/08/2026
Details of celebration of life for Mike
Image describing details of celebration of life for Michael Coyle. Sunday August 9, 4-5:30 pm Dogwood Pavilion/Community Centre 1655 Winslow Avenue Coquitlam BC. email mfcmemorial2026@gmail.com for link to livestream. Photos of Mike waring red hat hat, in helicopter looking backward, with his partner and son, and hiking.
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Bogshuffler 🐛 @bogshuffler.bsky.social · 20/06/2026
Sundew waiting for dinner to fly in
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Darren Kirby @dragonbyte.ca · 17/06/2026
"The CSAEM producing platforms? Oh, we're not going after them. We don't want to say anything bad about the platforms. The platforms are just some good old boys doing some god-fearing capitalism. We got no beef with the platforms." - our government and law enforcement agencies
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Darren Kirby @dragonbyte.ca · 15/06/2026
From the small unnamed lake: Western Tanager, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Swainson's Thrush, and Townsend's Warbler. 🪶🌿
A bright and cheery western tanager. Pretty sure it's a juvenile. It's perched on a dead snag, and there is grass behind it. The bird Is mostly yellow with a red highlight and dark wings.The yellow and grey yellow-rumped warbler perched on the old snag. The buffy swainson's thrush with light, spotted breast.The striking townsend's warbler with black and yellow striped head, and streaked body.
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Darren Kirby @dragonbyte.ca · 15/06/2026
I walked an overgrown track to the south and soon enough came to a meadow with a smaller lake. I noticed the birds coming in to this fallen snag so I sat with the spot for a while. Soon enough all the birds were coming in for a sip and splash.
A s.all lake with dark, tanic water. The lake is flanked by a green meadow, and further out, a row of conifers. The sky is fairly overcast.
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Darren Kirby @dragonbyte.ca · 15/06/2026
Not the nicest lake. I certainly can't swim in it, but the birds are good, and it's a fine place to escape the heat of the city for a few days.
A shallow lake with a grassy meadow on the shore. The sky is blue with just a faint wisp of clouds. A ridge of conifers runs through the frame.
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Jonathan Ley @jonathanley.bsky.social · 12/06/2026
Lewis’s Woodpeckers are striking birds, especially when the light hits them just right. These are gregarious birds - living communally, looking out for each other. This one was in central Oregon last week. #bird #birdphotography #woodpecker
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Marianne Denton @mariannedenton.bsky.social · 06/06/2026
On our hike this morning, a shadow pattern fell over me. I shouted to Husband (≈100 m ahead), “LOOK UP!!”
A man in the far distance on a hiking trail on the side of a thinly forested mountain slope. The sky above him is filled with circling pelicans that
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Darren Kirby @dragonbyte.ca · 05/06/2026
I've been pondering this and find that I actually hard-disagree. I think requiring by-elections for floor crossers will do little but cost us more in unnecessary elections, and consolidate power for the parties, who may not necessary care about the issues of individuals. thetyee.ca/News/2026/06...
thetyee.ca
Do We Need a Law to Stop MPs Switching Parties? | The Tyee
NDP MP Don Davies defends his bill to impede the aisle crossing he calls ‘corrosive’ to democracy.
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Doug Johnson 🇨🇦 @smikooman.bsky.social · 05/06/2026
Here's to all the environmental practitioners out there protecting, restoring, and enhancing our natural world. #WorldEnvironmentDay is celebrated annually on 5 June as the UN's primary campaign to drive global awareness and inspire urgent public action for environmental protection.
Person in red jacket next to riverbank with cables and equipment box, surrounded by trees and mossy ground in a forest setting.
Bish Creek, Kitimat, B.C.

Ironically, there is now a LNG plant on this site. 😔Alt-text:
A helicopter parked on a rocky riverbank with trees and mountains in the background. Alaska-BC Boundary Waters.

Long Description:
The image depicts a rugged natural landscape with a red and white helicopter parked on a rocky riverbank. The foreground is dominated by a bed of smooth, multicolored stones leading to a flowing river on the right. On the left, the helicopter is parked beside a large driftwood log, with dense, evergreen trees rising sharply in the background. The sky is overcast, and the distant mountains are partially obscured by low-hanging clouds. Two people are visible walking along the riverbank.

Three people handling a large fish in a metal tank filled with water outdoors near a riverbank. Columbia River White Sturgeon Recovery Initiative. Columbia River, Waneta, B.C.Two people in outdoor gear examine something by a lake, surrounded by greenery and mountains under a partly cloudy sky.

Kootenay River, B.C.
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Darren Kirby @dragonbyte.ca · 03/06/2026
Now if only you could purchase a new vehicle that doesn't require navigating the menus on an obnoxious and distracting 6" touchscreen just to adjust the temperature in the cabin. Some (most?) things just need to stay analog.
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Darren Kirby @dragonbyte.ca · 01/06/2026
In a similar vein, I've drawn up plans for three possible expansions of my patio into my neighbour's back yard. www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
cbc.ca
Where will Alberta's oil pipeline go? Documents reveal possible B.C. routes | CBC News
The Alberta government has considered three different pipeline routes through northern British Columbia for a new major oil export pipeline, according to documents obtained by CBC News which provide a...
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Darren Kirby @dragonbyte.ca · 30/05/2026
www.youtube.com/watch?v=uey8...
youtube.com
Sir Dub Plate
YouTube video by Twilight Circus Dub Sound System - Topic
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Darren Kirby @dragonbyte.ca · 29/05/2026
I have pushed a new release of my Cozenage Scheme interpreter. Now supports import modifiers (only, except, rename, and prefix) plus various bug fixes. Grab the newest 0.18.2 release from GitHub, and write some Scheme code! Or just help me daylight bugs. #scheme #lisp github.com/DarrenKirby/...
github.com
GitHub - DarrenKirby/cozenage: A Scheme-derived Lisp written in C.
A Scheme-derived Lisp written in C. Contribute to DarrenKirby/cozenage development by creating an account on GitHub.
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beespeaker @loriweidenhammer.ca · 25/05/2026
Managed to catch a really horrible bug, (of the flu variety) but at least I saw a beautiful Bombus centralis foraging in buffalo beans on our bird (and bee) tour of Glenbow Ranch Provincial Park.
Female B. centralis nectaring on buffalo beans.
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Aves y Naturaleza de México @pajareandoen.bsky.social · 25/05/2026
Pato tepalcate (Oxyura jamaicensis) Macho y hembra Bosque de San Juan de Aragón, CDMX #aves
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Marianne Denton @mariannedenton.bsky.social · 20/05/2026
Let’s start #WorldBeeDay with the most important meme about the disparity between bee conservation efforts. Nearly all bee conservation efforts represent honeybees, a managed agricultural product easy to identify. Fortunately, bumblebees are getting some conservation love nowadays.
A meme with a kid drowning in a swimming pool with an adult nearby happily helping another little kid.

Happy adult: SAVE THE BEES
Little kid: honeybees
Drowning kid: Native Bees
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Darren Kirby @dragonbyte.ca · 20/05/2026
#WorldBeeDay 🐝
One of the very few times I've managed to coax a bee onto my finger. There are out of focus flowers in the background.
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Cliff in Alberta @klifnotshort.bsky.social · 13/05/2026
Birding buddies were out in force today #AlbertaWildlife
Long-Tailed Weasel watched through the sticks Canadian Beaver munching at dawn at the rivers edgeAmerican Red Squirrel with a mouthful watching from a branch Snowshoe Hare in sun dappled grass.
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Darren Kirby @dragonbyte.ca · 12/05/2026
I had to stand in a larch grove at 1400M for an hour and 15 minutes to see them, but finally got my lifer Williamson's Sapsuckers! Beautiful birds. After 5 minutes of shooting the male, the female flew in. Venner Meadows, high above Okanagan Falls. 🪶🌿
A male Williamson's Sapsucker on a larch snag. The bird is mostly black and white with yellow on its breast, and a dash of red on its chin.Male and female Williamson's Sapsuckers on a larch snag. The male is mostly black and white with yellow on its breast, and a dash of red on its chin. The female is barred and looks more dark brown than black.
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Darren Kirby @dragonbyte.ca · 12/05/2026
Another beautiful day in the south Okanagan.
Scenic view of Vaseaux Lake and MacEntyre Bluff. The sky is blue with white, wispy clouds. There is a nice leafed out tree in the foreground.
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Darren Kirby @dragonbyte.ca · 11/05/2026
Plenty of photogenic and charismatic marmots on the Penticton waterfront. I guess the tourists are feeding them as they are stupidly tame, and the city has erected some signs.
A cute and fuzzy Yellow-bellied marmot relaxes on some rocks. A cute and fuzzy Yellow-bellied marmot relaxes on some rocks. The background has blown out, making it appear like a glamour shot.A cute and fuzzy Yellow-bellied marmot regards the camera.
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Darren Kirby @dragonbyte.ca · 10/05/2026
Asking for my life list, which is becoming increasingly difficult to add to...
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Darren Kirby @dragonbyte.ca · 10/05/2026
Anyone know of a reliable Vaux's Swift roost/colony in the British Columbia interior? Or a reliable spot on the BC coast for Black Scoter in winter?
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Darren Kirby @dragonbyte.ca · 10/05/2026
This TV was guarding the Vaseaux Lake viewing tower/blind. It decided to let me pass. 🪶 BTW, upon reviewing my pics today, I forgot to tally a Kestrel spotted at Haines Lease, and a shot I took of a soaring BoP turned out to be a Bald eagle. So: adjusted count: 92 species for Global Big Day!
A Turkey Vulture perches on an old snag with some greenery surrounding it. The bird has no feathers on its head, and some might consider it very ugly.
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Darren Kirby @dragonbyte.ca · 10/05/2026
Final tally for #GlobalBigDay: 90 species over 16 checklists. Notable absences: Steller's Jay, it's only BC's official bird! Bald Eagle. Goldeneye, Barrow's or Common. House Wren. I put in about 14.5 hours. If you want to see the where and what, I made a trip report: ebird.org/tripreport/5...
ebird.org
Global Big Day 2026 - eBird Trip Report
09 May, 2026. Created by Darren Kirby
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Darren Kirby @dragonbyte.ca · 10/05/2026
Non-avian #GlobalBigDay sightings include a moose cow, a hare, and a big black bear that scurried into the woods before I could grab a picture.
A female moose stands in a bog/marsh, though it just looks like it's standing in a thicket because of telephoto lens compression.A small brown hare crouches on a trail surrounded by grass and other greenery.
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beespeaker @loriweidenhammer.ca · 09/05/2026
“Telling the bees”—Local artist-educator encourages citizen science to save native bees thelasource.com/social/2026/...
thelasource.com
“Telling the bees”—Local artist-educator encourages citizen science to save native bees
Lori Weidenhammer | Photo by Darren Kirby.  Knowing what is in your backyard not only helps bees—it is also empowering and fun, says artist and educator Lori Weidenhammer. She will host a Vancouver Pu...
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Darren Kirby @dragonbyte.ca · 10/05/2026
I'm at 87 species on the day for #GlobalBigDay. Two of the species I saw were this Cooper's hawk, and the Brewer's blackbird that it's eating. 🪶 Taking a bit of a rest, then heading back out to see if I can crack 100!
A mean looking hawk takes a break from eating a smaller songbird whilst deciding if I'm a threat that it needs to leave it's perch for. The hawk decided I was not a threat...and kept munching on the crunchable birdses.
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Darren Kirby @dragonbyte.ca · 08/05/2026
Global Big Day seems to have not reached the zeitgeist on Bluesky. Anyone planning on heading out tomorrow? I'm considering if I have the energy for a full day across many different habitats, or whether it will be a perfunctory effort at a single spot generally good for ~35-40 species.
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Darren Kirby @dragonbyte.ca · 08/05/2026
This Chipping Sparrow is my 10,000th observation uploaded to iNat. Those 10k observations are of 1,334 different species of living organisms. My most observed sp. is Mallard (221). The most observed sp. (not a bird) is Vancouver Bumble Bee (67). Most observed mammal sp. is Red Squirrel (37).
A Chipping sparrow with grey breast and a rufous cap with dark eyeline sits in a spruce bough in Revelstoke BC.A screenshot from iNaturalist which shows 10.002 observations of 1,334 species identified by 1,600 people.
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beespeaker @loriweidenhammer.ca · 05/05/2026
I’ll be doing two talks at Vancouver Libraries this month. Hope to see you! Wed May 6, 2026: 10: 00 am-11:30 am, Kerrisdale Branch Tuesday, May 12, 2026: 2 pm- 3:30 pm, Dunbar Branch Find out how can be a citizen scientist hero that helps make BC a healthy place for bees, butterflies and birds.
Bombus melanopygus on red flowering currant.
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