Took my Homebrew package manager upgrade script and rewrote it in #GoLang from #Perl. Way simpler to share as a binary, and I got a crash course in error handling and type safety along the way. Fun little #PlatformEngineering experiment. #DevOps #SoftwareEngineering #OpenSource

Sometimes you just want a quiet upgrade. I built `brew-patch-upgrade.pl` to keep #Homebrew updates patch-only -- no surprise jumps. Along the way, I patched my own #macOS #Perl log adapter. Quieter upgrades, clearer logs, happier devs. #OpenSource #programming #coding #automation #DevOps

I turned a tiny #Mac mini into my own #Mastodon server—secure, low‑maintenance, and running like a dream. Here’s the full build, from #Docker to #Cloudflare Tunnel, and why #SelfHosting doesn’t have to be a headache. #Fediverse #ActivityPub #HomeLab #DevOps #SysAdmin

The #FTC’s “Green Guides” have turned “100% #RenewableEnergy” into a marketing illusion: https://open.substack.com/pub/alexepstein/p/how-to-end-the-100-renewable-fraud * Buying paper credits for others' #cleanenergy lets companies take false credit—and shift fossil fuel blame onto citizens. * […]

In a world where processes die screaming, one language refuses to terminate. From the twisted minds of P5P and the vision of Larry Wall comes the nightmare sysadmins fear to `ps aux`: #perl. You cannot `kill -9` what is already dead. Coming soon to a terminal near you.

#aynrand is quoted, misquoted, praised, and vilified — often by people who haven’t read her. _The Ayn Rand Reader_ offers excerpts from her #fiction and #nonfiction: her ideas, her voice, her terms. If you’re serious about understanding her — whether to agree or disagree — start here […]

👋 Hi, I’m Mark! Here’s my latest #introduction. I share a mix of #philosophy (#objectivism), #perl coding, and the occasional nonsense. You might also catch posts about #ballroom #dance, #cosplay, and making #music on #bassguitar. If you want to talk #aynrand, start with _The Ayn Rand Reader_ […]

#perl: older than some #programming careers, younger at heart than you think. It’s evolved a lot since 1999 — modern features, cleaner syntax — yet it still runs code you wrote decades ago. (And if you’re wondering: #perl6 was renamed Raku in 2019 — it’s a different sister language, not a […]

Here we go again. The #fcc chairman is drunk with power. Abolish this #censorship agency entirely. https://mastodon.social/@arstechnica/115232366373961648

For the full essay where #aynrand develops the principle behind that attached quote: https://courses.aynrand.org/works/mans-rights/ #objectivism #philosophy #politics #individualrights

The only difference between #fascism, #communism, and #socialism is the degree to which the state pretends there is private property. Everything else is just arguing over the color of the jackboots […] [Original post on mastodon.phoenixtrap.com]

#FCC chair threatens ABC affiliates’ broadcast licenses over #JimmyKimmel’s remarks — and the show vanishes “indefinitely.” This is exactly what #AynRand warned about in “The Property Status of Airwaves” (first published April 1964, reprinted in […] [Original post on mastodon.phoenixtrap.com]

We are on the threshold of artificial general intelligence, given sufficiently broad definitions of “threshold,” “artificial,” “general,” and “intelligence.” #ai #agi

Apparently, it's bad luck to mention a "MacBook" in a software company. You have to call it "the Scottish laptop".

It’s always cute when someone replies, “If you don’t want responses, you shouldn’t publicly post.” Don’t worry, friend, it’s not hard to make sure I never darken your inbox again.

My mother-in-law is selling on this app called #whatnot. Check out her store: https://www.whatnot.com/s/nFTcGb75

Q: How many project managers does it take to change a light bulb? A: Currently 1, but we're aiming for 0.76 in the next sprint.

Just enabled #elasticsearch on my single-user #selfhosted #mastodon instance and… whoof. These #java things like their RAM, don’t they?

Imagine being on the Teams team and getting a team Teams call that your team needs to work on Teams onsite because working on Teams on Teams isn't a good way to work in teams […]

I miss going to #tprc. https://share.butterflies.ai/OxGr/bu7ky98k #perl

This #mastodon server is now running v4.4.4: https://github.com/mastodon/mastodon/releases/tag/v4.4.4

Coming tomorrow on https://phoenixtrap.com… I've parked the #Perl for a week to share how I built a single-user #SelfHosted #Mastodon server on a low-spec Mac mini—no #VPS, no port-forwarding, all with #Docker Compose. What you'll see: * Efficient […] [Original post on mastodon.phoenixtrap.com]

Twenty years after 9/11, ARI warned that evading the *ideological* nature of the enemy—#Islamic #totalitarianism—and fighting self‑sacrificial wars would end in failure. From #afghanistan to #freespeech, the cost of evasion is now #history. Ideas matter […]

Get you somebody who calls you “The Golden One.” https://a.co/7x4yF2R #anthem #aynrand #love #bookstodon #kindlequotes

It’s been a week and I’m still decompressing from #dragoncon2025. Good thing there’s this supercut of #lofi Hotel Room Party to keep me chill. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KPb195kv9rw&feature=youtu.be #dragoncon #cosplay #music

Tragedies on the other side reveal the nihilists among us.

Why Trump's Antitrust Has No “Monopoly” on Moral Corruption From Google to Visa, the current administration is targeting productive industries with brutally arbitrary antitrust litigation. Is Trump’s enforcement of these laws corrupt, or is the arbitrariness built into the laws themselves?

If only it were this easy to enlighten #recruiters. source: http://catb.org/~esr/writings/unix-koans/recruiter.html

Yesterday, #DragonCon Artist Alley management removed (with police assistance!) a vendor selling AI-generated slop at #DragonCon2025, after the former were certain the “art” was entirely AI-generated. Following the offender’s removal, another vendor […] [Original post on mastodon.phoenixtrap.com]

As a teenager in Soviet Russia, #aynrand began drafting an untitled precursor to #AtlasShrugged—what she called “the story of the strike.” These early notes reveal a raw, radical phase of her thinking, where moral clarity and creative defiance were still taking shape. A rare glimpse into the […]

Happy #atlasshrugged Day! https://a.co/5B9XDuf #aynrand #bookstodon #philosophy

Farewell #atlanta. We’ll be back next year for #dragoncon2026. #dragoncon

Got me an #ultrasabers #lightsaber at #dragoncon2025! #starwars #dragoncon

And this is why I’m running my own single-user #Mastodon server on the #Fediverse: I don’t have to comply with stupid laws “protecting” others. @mmasnick, you should know better than to demand @Gargron#mastodon#fediverseolice even the subset of the Fediverse that is Mastodon. It’s like asking someone to […]

#DragonCon's schedule is epic—but your scrolling doesn't have to be. I wrote a 45-line #Perl script with #Mojolicious to turn 5,000+ hours of events into one clean list #WebScraping #WebDev #Coding #Programming #SoftwareDevelopment

“Raiders of the Lost Ark” is just an hour-and-55-minute-long unboxing video

#katebush predicted the dangers of #ai obsession in 1989. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nzqF_gBpS84&feature=youtu.be (The #musicvideo is from the 2011 “Director’s Cut” remix/re-record album, which is still pretty damn prescient.) #music

I’m often surprised when people take descriptions of my activity as prescriptions for theirs. It *might* work for you. I don’t know your situation as well as you do, mostly because I try to associate with people who think more independently than that. 😜

Remember, you are enough. We don’t need more of you.

Looks like #apple is letting more countries use its #applemusic transfer service to get your playlists from #amazon #music, #deezer, #spotify, #tidal, and #youtube Music. https://mastodon.social/@macrumors/115094324010942305

Why is the just-released #metalgearsolid Δ: Snake Eater not #SteamDeck-verified when the original #mgs3 is? 😠 https://store.steampowered.com/app/2417610/METAL_GEAR_SOLID_D_SNAKE_EATER/ #steam #metalgear #videogames #gaming

Hundreds of Helen Ropers at #dragoncon2025 #dragoncon #cosplay #threescompany #theropers

Here is the start of our segment of the #dragoncon2025 parade—the #ResidentEvil-themed Umbrella Corporation US Division. I’m one of the research scientists. https://www.youtube.com/live/tsuYXmvrug4?t=36m44s #dragoncon #videogames #movies

#dragoncon2025 parade was fantastic. Marched with the #ResidentEvil-themed Umbrella Corporation US Division as a research scientist. Pictures and videos forthcoming. #dragoncon #videogames #movies

Gave blood with #lifesouth at #dragoncon2025! #dragoncon

Amazing cover of this year’s #dragoncon2025 Quick Start Guide featuring a few of the Helens from last year’s “Mrs. Roper Does #DragonCon” event! #threescompany #theropers #1970s #1980s

#atlanta I AM IN YOU #dragoncon2025 #dragoncon

From bare‑bones #Perl script to a lean, testable #modulino—fast with Util::H2O::More. Instant accessors, built‑in #CLI parsing, and less boilerplate than #Moo. #OOP #testing #OpenSource #coding #programming #SoftwareEngineering #SoftwareDevelopment

Sisyphus: Whisky. Bartender: On the rocks? Sisyphus: Not in the mood, buddy.

An Open Source sustainability story in two slides. (for a coming talk of mine) Slide 1: car brands using #curl Slide 2: car brands sponsoring or paying for #curl support