iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

madbodger.bsky.social @madbodger.bsky.social · 18h

Replacing hydrogens in hydrocarbons with halogens yields halocarbons, a bunch of very similar seeming molecules, but one's a fire extinguisher, one's a refrigerant, and one's an anæsthetic.

bromotrifluoromethane, one variant of halon, is based on methane, replacing 3 hydrogens with fluorine, and one with bromine.

dichlorodifluoromethane, one variant of Freon, is based on methane, replacing 2 hydrogens with fluorine, and two with chlorine.

bromochlorotrifluoroethane, an anæsthetic known as Halothane, is based on ethane, replacing 3 hydrogens with fluorine, one with chlorine, and one with bromine.

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madbodger.bsky.social @madbodger.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Why yes, I have TOUCHED some GRASS.

Right hand, palm down, with grass stains on the hand and fingers, and fingernails dark with debris.

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madbodger.bsky.social @madbodger.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

I was looking for a fairly specific set of transistor characteristics (bipolar, 4A current, gain of 1000, TO-220 package, at least a few watts of power dissipation, complementary pair) and not coming up with much. Then I discovered the TIP142T (NPN) and TIP147T (PNP), which fill the bill nicely.

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madbodger.bsky.social @madbodger.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

So, six things I should do? The article implies that spiders eat clothes moths, and I'd much rather have the spiders.

Headline reading "6 Things That Secretly Attract Spiders Into Your Bedroom–and How to Put a Stop to Them", with the tagline "A few simple fixes can help keep eight-legged visitors out this autumn."

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madbodger.bsky.social @madbodger.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

Took a trip up to Lancaster, PA to meet up with a friend, eat and buy Amish food, see the sights, enjoy ice cream, and ... visited a few bookstores. #booksky

Books: top row, "The Song of the Cell: The Story of Life", by Siddhartha Mukherjee; "Nebula Awards Showcase of 2017", edited by Julie E. Czerneda; "UseLess Etymology: Offbeat Word Origins for Curious Minds", by Jess Zafarris; and "Molecules at an Exhibition: The Science of Everyday Life", by John Emsley. Middle row: "Never Say Die", by Ke Huy Quan (signed); "The Wesleyan Anthology of Science Fiction"; "The Year of Living Constitutionally", by A. J. Jacobs; and "The Genesis Machine", by K. J. Gillenwater. Bottom row: "Digits & Dastards", by Frederik Pohl; "The Lives of Dax" (ST:DS9), anthology edited by Marco Palmieri; "The Garbage Chronicles", by Brian Herbert; "Star Hunt", by David Gerrold (originally published as Yesterday's Children); and "Blood and Fire", also by David Gerrold.

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madbodger.bsky.social @madbodger.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

Why does a hotel HVAC have both a complete set of controls, and a light that says "Use Wall Thermostat" that comes on if any of them are operated?

Control panel marked GE Zoneline®, with Temperature + and - keys, along with a digital readout, a "Mode Select" key, with LEDs for Heat, Fan, and Cool, a "Fan Speed" key, with LEDs for High and Low, and a Power button, with "Use Wall Thermostat" illuminated between the mode LEDs.

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madbodger.bsky.social @madbodger.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

Acquired some weird old electronics. Not really sure what it's supposed to be or do, but I gave some power to it and was rewarded with some symbols. Perhaps it's telling me my fortune?

Trio of rectangular boxes with thick bundle of cable, leftmost box shows an image of a star, center box shows a four leafed clover, rightmost box is dark.

Trio of rectangular boxes with thick bundle of cable, leftmost shows a red circle with a spidery hook from the right and angling town, like a skeletal finger or scythe. Center and right boxes are dark.

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madbodger.bsky.social @madbodger.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

I sometimes see bumper stickers like "In case of Rapture, this car will be unmanned". I'm tempted to make my own, reading "In case of Rapture, this car will SEEM unmanned, as I am now treating all cars as bumper cars!"

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madbodger.bsky.social @madbodger.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

Even if the $5k wasn't a lie like the others and it wasn't illegal, it would be a net loss. Either the govt would get the money back, costing every working person around $12k, or just create the money, devaluing the dollar, making everything more expensive: one payout, higher cost forever.

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madbodger.bsky.social @madbodger.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

Back in the 1970s, I decided to produce a video sign for a science fiction convention. In those days, 64x32 graphics were kinda futuristic.

TV screen showing text reading BASF CON III on the left, along with a blocky Enterprise and shuttlecraft and a somewhat round "planet" outline on the lower right.

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madbodger.bsky.social @madbodger.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

Two firemen, big strong guys, they grabbed me under the arms --- 'got to get our of here!' -- and they lifted me up, and they started running with me. We ended up in a hotel room and they started playing with my hair and undressing me. After some kissing, they both peed on me, which I enjoyed. DJT

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madbodger.bsky.social @madbodger.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

It appears TiVo is taking away their commercial skip feature, and moving it into a "premium" pay tier. As I have lifetime service, they aren't making any money on me, so apparently they'd like to alter the deal so they can.

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madbodger.bsky.social @madbodger.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

Apparently Ikea sells Qapla' (but they spell it "Koppla" for some presumably Danish reason).

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madbodger.bsky.social @madbodger.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

Has anyone noticed the Walmart logo is basically two opposing arrows?

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madbodger.bsky.social @madbodger.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

Want to mess with some scammers? Call your "agent" at 814-936-9585 about winning an $8.5M prize, claim number 0199. Give 'em a fake name, tell 'em you bank at Bank of America, make up the last 6 digits of your debit card, and give 'em Todd Davis' SSN (457-55-5462). Use a silly voice.

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madbodger.bsky.social @madbodger.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

I've noticed some people are uncomfortable about wearing skimpy swimwear (which is understandable), but are fine being nude. I kind of understand that, while being aware of how it's a little odd. Trying to figure out if it's the concept of being on display, or in public, or feeling judged.

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madbodger.bsky.social @madbodger.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

Chatting with folks at a library table at an event, they asked if I had a library card. I proudly said I had two. One of the people started listing the counties she held cards for. It was an impressive list. It made me smile.

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madbodger.bsky.social @madbodger.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

I understand "LEV" is "low emission vehicle". But what is "HEV"?

Red car with HEV badge left of the rear license plate.

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madbodger.bsky.social @madbodger.bsky.social · 20/08/2026

Looking for information on Vectrex, I tripped across a Grokipedia page filled with rampant inaccuracies. It states the Vectrex draws power from an external supply (wrong), has die-cast metal chassis (wrong), 9x11" CRT (wrong), with electrostatic deflection (wrong), and a P31 green phosphor (wrong).

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madbodger.bsky.social @madbodger.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

Vegas casinos used to display a fancy car you could win immediately by getting the max jackpot from linked slot machines. These days, it's just an econobox you have to wait for some raffle in the future to win. How far we've fallen.

Red Toyota Camry behind velvet ropes with a banner reading "Rio WIN ME!" with "September 6" below.

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madbodger.bsky.social @madbodger.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

Shout-out to Rio Las Vegas, being reasonable and helpful. To get a very late checkout, we had simply booked an extra night. So when our late flight wasn't going to work, we called the Rio and asked if we could get back in after checking out. They were happy to let us.

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madbodger.bsky.social @madbodger.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

You know how private equity can destroy a company by buying it out and loading it up with debt? I think amazon should buy out spacex and wreck it, removing some competition. Then the Walton family (of Wal-Mart) can buy amazon and wreck it, removing some competition.

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madbodger.bsky.social @madbodger.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

Shout-out to Frontier Airlines, who, when a delayed flight would have us miss our connection, let us know, let us rebook for the next day, and retrieved our checked luggage in less than 15 minutes.

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madbodger.bsky.social @madbodger.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

It used to be casinos displayed a fancy car you could win instantly by getting the jackpot in a linked slot machine. These days, it's an econobox you have to wait for a raffle to win.

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madbodger.bsky.social @madbodger.bsky.social · 09/08/2026

Do you pronounce "yoink" with one syllable or two?

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madbodger.bsky.social @madbodger.bsky.social · 09/08/2026

I just realized "fanboy" seems a more pejorative term than "fangirl". Which may be why I describe myself as "fangirling" over various things, even though I'm male presenting.

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madbodger.bsky.social @madbodger.bsky.social · 03/08/2026

Amused by the labelling on these flavour packets.

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madbodger.bsky.social @madbodger.bsky.social · 02/08/2026

The electric tractor stopped charging, so I opened it up to investigate. I found three smoking guns: the wire from the charging connector was corroded through, the internal connector had obvious heat damage, and a wire on the fuse holder was burnt. I replaced everything with upgraded components.

Two-pin Molex connector with red and black wires going to it, the connection for the red wire is obviously darkened, showing heat damage. In the background, you can see the red wire no longer connects, its ends in midair with blue corrosion visible. Split loom tubing also looks melted in one spot.

Black plastic rectangular fuse holder with two red wires going to it. One of the wires has an obvious burnt portion.

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madbodger.bsky.social @madbodger.bsky.social · 30/07/2026

C, Python, Java, XSLT, PostScript, PHP, C++, Objective-C, TCL/TK, FORTRAN, FORTH, COBOL, SNOBOL, assembler, APL, BASIC, lex/flex/yacc/bison, Ruby, Logo, Go, bash, SQL, PL1, HTML/CSS, troff, pic, graphviz, lilypond, ORACL. (referencing an recent xkcd strip)

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madbodger.bsky.social @madbodger.bsky.social · 28/07/2026

I think my vehicle is annoyed with me, it lit up like a Christmas tree. At least the check engine light is (finally) off.

Vehicle dashboard with several warning lights and messages, including "brake", "ABS", a tire pressure warning light, a message reading "TIRE SENSOR FAULT", an orange problem indicator, and the traction control switch light up as "OFF".

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madbodger.bsky.social @madbodger.bsky.social · 28/07/2026

Had a dream I was in France and saw an ambulance, but it was labelled with the French word for ambulance, which (in the dream) was "acetabulum". I do know the term (it derives from a Latin term for "vinegar cup", and is used in biology to refer to cup-shaped structures) but in dreamland it's weird.

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madbodger.bsky.social @madbodger.bsky.social · 27/07/2026

Oh cat, why do you have to leave a stinky poop in that litterbox every time I take a shower?

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madbodger.bsky.social @madbodger.bsky.social · 25/07/2026

Having two airstrips near our house means we get a lot of low flying planes. Here's a 1958 Dornier, N211KM.

Small single-engine plane in sky, barely visible is "PE✙114" on the side, and Maltese crosses ✠ on the underside of the ends of the wings.

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madbodger.bsky.social @madbodger.bsky.social · 24/07/2026

Ever had the background music somewhere remind you of another song, and then have that song become an earworm? Happens to me a lot. (current: "Rhinestone Cowboy". You're welcome.)

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madbodger.bsky.social @madbodger.bsky.social · 23/07/2026

One of our cats has the ability to leave vertical fæces in the litterbox. We call them "poop-henge".

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madbodger.bsky.social @madbodger.bsky.social · 22/07/2026

Tapatío products have a helpful pronunciation guide on their packaging, but it doesn't show the emphasis. Is it "tah-pah-TEE-o", or "tah-PAH-tee-o"? Customer support answered: "Sorry about that, we do not have information on the emphasis on how to pronounce the brand name." Wow.

Package graphics showing a bottle of Tapatío hot sauce, with red text reading "HOW DO YOU – PRONOUNCE – TAPATÍO?", and below that, in black, "TAH-PAH-TEE-O".

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madbodger.bsky.social @madbodger.bsky.social · 21/07/2026

I've noticed a weird trend in fundraising texts/emails. For a few months, they'll all ask for "donations". Then they'll switch to asking for "gifts". Then they'll switch to asking to "chip in". Then, back to "donations". I wonder if they're all generated by the same outfit. And why the change.

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madbodger.bsky.social @madbodger.bsky.social · 20/07/2026

I've noticed a recent plague in youtube videos with phrases like "and here's the part you didn't know", often repeated several times in the same video. It's especially prevalent in AI videos, but it's showing up in human created ones too. I'm guessing it showed up in a "here's how to video" guide.

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madbodger.bsky.social @madbodger.bsky.social · 16/07/2026

"Groundbreaking mechanical aesthetics"? You could buy tools like this from Radio Shack decades ago.

Three-armed nutdriver tool, with text below reading "No bulky separate tools required–you can tighten, adjust and repair gear on the go. Best of all, the T.FIX boasts groundbreaking mechanical aesthetics." Underneath that is a green "View on Kickstarter" button.

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madbodger.bsky.social @madbodger.bsky.social · 15/07/2026

Youtube videos that look interesting but have a synthetic voice, I freeze after the first few seconds and read the transcript. It's quicker, less tiring, and gives them very short view times.

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madbodger.bsky.social @madbodger.bsky.social · 02/07/2026

Picked up a laptop at a pawn shop for a demo. Peeled stickers off, but one left persistent sticky residue. Alcohol didn't soften it. Found an ancient bottle of "Goo Gone" sticker remover and gave it a try. "Let soak 3 minutes and scrape off." Ten seconds and a paper towel did the trick.

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madbodger.bsky.social @madbodger.bsky.social · 02/07/2026

"Hey, there's this book..." "I want it! Where can I get it that's not amazon?"

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madbodger.bsky.social @madbodger.bsky.social · 12/06/2026

Trying out these darkbulbs, I kinda like the effect.

Pair of light fixtures, with dark shadows above each one.

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madbodger.bsky.social @madbodger.bsky.social · 04/06/2026

Got spam email from "Metamask security", saying I needed to "verify" for "KYC". Obvious attempt to steal passphrases. A little research revealed they use BIP-29 style passphrases. Coded up a utility to absolutely HAMMER their site, and reported them to their cloud provider.

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madbodger.bsky.social @madbodger.bsky.social · 03/06/2026

Got this ad on my phone, not entirely sure what to make of it. What am I looking at? What does it do? How much does it cost? Where is it for sale? Buh?

White box, marked "Advertisement" at top, with an inner lighter white box with large text at the top reading "Buy now", and a picture of a white hollow ovoid tubular object. The Google ad info triangle icon is visible at the upper right. That's it. No more details.

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madbodger.bsky.social @madbodger.bsky.social · 29/05/2026

Chatting with a friend, a typo created the phrase "sane sex marriage." This amused me, as I'm unaware of any sane sexes.

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madbodger.bsky.social @madbodger.bsky.social · 18/04/2026

Phone camera app should start fast. Easy to activate shutter button (even with a knuckle). No confusing mode screen if you miss. Take the photo quickly, no "please hold your camera still" when you already are. Most important: don't tell me you took a picture when you actually didn't!

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