Barring a handful of exceptional cases I will go to the mat on the opinion that chopsticks are the best eating implement.

Roaming vibrant Hakone, I came upon a spectacular vantage point. As I looked out at the breathtaking vista, I knew that I wished to share it with all the world.

While AI is a blight on humanity, I think that the gas pedal needs slammed to the floor. Dump that shit everywhere. Why? Because models need training data, and ai ingesting ai slop makes its output way worse. The snake eats its own tail and causes model collapse.

Kitakyushu’s castle was adorable. But it also had a pretty rad statue of Musashi.

This bridge felt very Italian inspired for some reason.

Also I wish I spent more time in Kyushu it’s amazing. They actually have breakfast. They call it “Morning” and if you order a coffee you get a free light breakfast item.

Achievement unlocked; I wrote my name in Japanese on a waiting list and the waitress was super happy about it.

Zoomy boi.

The red building in the center is the hypocenter museum built where the bomb went off.

Mt Takao looking down at Nagasaki.

So anyways, Kitakyushu.

Random thought; it’s been a little over twenty years since I got the worst sick drunk hangover of my life on whisky sours and I’ve never touched Jack Daniel’s since.

Sayonara, Osaka.

Yodoyabashi, Osaka

"Merciful are the rains that fall, for they give succor to the thirsting land, and comfort the old wounds of one who journeyed too far from home." Such were the botanist's words, and I would see as she saw.

Kyoto

Kobe skyline from the roof of the port tower.

Kobe port

Kobe port.

Have you ever had gyoza that made you cry?

Just Japan things. Have your breakfast in the local rose garden on an island in the middle of a river.

Liminal subway entry points.

Nara

Nara

More Osaka

Osaka

Waking up at 4 am local means it’s time for a ritual konbini breakfast.

Well that was a nice birthday present; I got upgraded to Business class on my JAL flight tomorrow.

I sometimes exploit how normie coded I am at cons. “What’s all this weird shit?” “Oh haha yeah but you know they’re not hurting anybody.”

Walked by a convention area that a business is using and heard “We have some outstanding action items.” And took 30 psychic damage.

When the bartender drops a line about a live band event happening near by, is that the adventure hook? Am I on a quest now?

A couple things told to me in school that still live rent free in my head: A 3rd grade teacher told me not to drink water with meals because "The water washes away the vitamins." A 10th grade teacher told me that the reason our bodies are warm is "Because of food rotting inside our stomach."

Chocolate malt is the best milkshake flavor. Fight me.

Oh no Silksong is really good. There goes the rest of my week.

I managed to clear out the ~12000 unread emails I had cluttering my inbox so it really feels like I have my shit together right now.

Japan trip more or less finalized. My base cities: Osaka 🚄 Kitakyushu 🚄 Nagoya 🚄 Hakone 🚄 Tokyo

Has anyone used proton as a full stack replacement for GAFYD? Any complaints/alternatives you liked?

One of my direct reports from my last job just passed away. Dude was unflappable; got cancer, beat it. Had a stroke, recovered (as well as one does from a stroke). Through it all he was always smiling, always positive. Rest in peace, Tony, the world is a little darker without you in it.

*Googles the maximum age for the draft* Oh thank dog.

Is there some kind of patent on good UX that forces everyone to make garbage UI? Why does the bluesky app jump to the head of the timeline when it refreshes? Stop that. I want to keep reading things from where I left off last time.

I take it as a sign of being a good manager that several of my old reports still ping me out of the blue to have catch up phone calls.

I don't know why I never noticed it earlier, my internet poisoned brain forced me to make this and share with you all.

A single chatgpt query generates two to five grams of CO2. Anyone want to take a crack at an estimate on the carbon footprint of all the gooning sessions character.ai has produced?

Watched Spirited Away again because it’s been a few years. What an incredible masterpiece.

Found some folks playing riichi mahjong in the airport and I got a thirteen orphans in our first game.

1 am Waffle House in downtown Atlanta is lit.

Listening to the folks at the bar next to me “Nobody in Japan has a drivers license because they’re really hard to get!” Tell me you’ve never taken mass transit in Japan without telling me you’ve never taken mass transit in Japan.