Trump’s Sons Roll in the Drone Industry Dough Powerus, a drone firm funded by President Trump’s sons, Eric Trump and Donald Trump, Jr., received an Air Force contract for an unspecified number of interceptor drones last week. Bloomberg reported last month that Powerus is also in talks with the […]

Donald Trump is a goldbrick. And such a goldbrick that if you told him so, he'd probably find it flattering. #uspol

The 炊飯器 has taken it upon itself to eighty-six my rice this evening. 🤷‍♂️ #japan

To make the first train connection on the Sado excursion, I need to leave in 17 hours or so. It's a good thing I have everything organized. #BikeTooter

After listening to Secretary of War-of-Choice Hegseth repeat "nuclear weapons" as an excuse for everything short of drinking on the job, I'm developing a profound affection for them. In fact, if they have such magical potential, I think everyone should have them. And if he really thought about […]

Since dialing in ticketing for an upcoming trip to Sado Island, I've noticed that the specific ferry I'll be relying on does suffer occasional outages on account of weather. Fortunately it looks like I'm going to thread the needle this time, but I'll need to keep this in mind if I make the trip […]

A fresh approach to diplomacy: the stern talking to. #iranwar https://mastodon.social/@thejapantimes/116498139752981549

Liberals are now considering privatizing airports. The phrases "broadening ownership" and "getting full value of our assets" are doing a lot of ideological heavy lifting. Translation: The things the public built together are being sold to people who can […] [Original post on mastodon.online]

Feeling pretty good about riding bicycles everywhere and growing some of my own food. #uspol https://mastodon.social/@thejapantimes/116487121850311175

Fox News: "If you take a majority in the House, will it be a top priority to impeach the President?" Jeffries: "Of course not." The plan instead? To "actually [do] the type of things necessary to ensure that people in this country cannot simply survive, but they can thrive." Through the agency […]

Been thinking this for, I dunno, fifty-four days or so. https://mastodon.social/@thejapantimes/116480987679885165

I got carried away with bike packing porn a few days ago, and the kit arrived today. The tail bag contains the entire house—tent, mattress, pillow, and summer sleeping sack. Better than I expected. So now for the Sado trip I need to decide between this rig […] [Original post on indieweb.social]

[uspol, humor] Trump maybe: ~"Look, I'm not a pedophile. What a horrible thing to say. A pedophile is a person that likes having sex with children, right? Well, I don't like that, and I've never liked that. Let me tell you how I know …"~ #uspol

Before/After Photo 1: painted with wild clay decorating slips, unglazed, unfired. Photo 2: glazed and fired. The earth tones are clay slips (terra sigillata), the glossy aqua and white are glaze. #pottery #process #transformation #alchemy #ceramics

[uspol, mention of mortality, humor] Well this raised a smile "Thiel’s decision to establish a beachhead in Buenos Aires … [is] the latest move for Silicon Valley's most prominent apocalypse enthusiast, who seems to be wandering the earth anxiously in search of refuge." I have a modest […]

I think I've figured this one out. Changes since first attempt: * no bulk rise, shape immediately * slow rise 7 hours+ in the fridge * warm water to activate yeast only … * most of the water at room temp * dampen string ends before join * jab join with small […] [Original post on indieweb.social]

Google's antonymous taxi company says it won't obey traffic safety laws because its customers want convenience, so screw those bicyclists who don't want to be injured or killed. https://road.cc/news/driverless-taxis-veering-into-cycle-lanes-normal-practice-says-waymo

Hello, the garlic shoots have begun to bolt. ニンニクの芽 is a favorite. 🍽️😋 #japan #gardening

Atlantic writer sued by Kash Patel says she’s been ‘inundated’ with new sources corroborating her reporting | The Independent https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/kash-patel-atlantic-sarah-fitzpatrick-b2964245.html

Since sprucing up the old road bike with a fresh paint job last year, I've been dreaming about using it on camping excursions. I've never been a fanatic about weight savings, but the thought of burdening sew-up tires with tent, water, rations, tools, and a […] [Original post on indieweb.social]

Fire from The Morbid Zoo: "Palantir Twitter Manifesto" https://youtu.be/DIMS5FSZoAw

Pfft, a mere flesh wound! #japan #cars

The daily teapot seemed okay when I dropped it in the sink yesterday, but it got a hairline crack near the base, and this morning it's leaving a puddle of tea on the counter. Rats. Morning rain has cleared, I've made good progress with the garden, I could use a break, and a broken seto-mono is […]

I've already reduced my personal footprint. I don't do business with billionaires. I deleted my accounts with all the social media sites, shut down my AWS instances, and moved my Kiwisaver out of all US equities. How much impact has any of this had on CO2 levels in the atmosphere? Sweet […]

OFFSHORE WAVES APPROACHING IWATE AND HOKKAIDO PACIFIC COASTLINES. IF YOU ARE IN THESE AREAS YOU MUST EVACUATE NOW. #eartquake #iwate #japan

A neighbor came by with bamboo sprouts this morning, and I picked one out. After a trip to the coin-op rice polisher to grab some rice bran, it's now simmering away. Tomorrow will be a rice day. #japan #cooking https://www.mizkan.co.jp/ouchirecipe/feature/takenoko/

This "before" shot may not get an "after" companion. Among the packets in the seed stash, I found a little ziplock bag with tiny seeds and the label "Cooking Tomatoes 2017" in Mieko's handwriting. If I recall, cooking tomatoes worked well for sauce, and were […] [Original post on indieweb.social]

outraged essays demanding Trump be put back on in NY Mag (Chait), Slate (Lawrence Lessig), NY Times (Sam Moyn), all leading up to a motherfucking 9-0 Supreme Court decision. worthless

I think the moment I fully lost it with American elite culture was when there was a no-shit bipartisan panic attack over Colorado throwing Trump off the 2024 ballot because of this stipulation

I don't get the big deal about the Kash Patel news. That's just locker room drinking. #uspol

Is it too late to give Iran the same deal given Israel, by just pretending forever that they don't have any nuclear weapons? #uspol

Viet Nam’s largest city is about to make buses free. Ho Chi Minh City, home to 14 million people, is preparing a $280 million annual plan to make all intra-city bus travel free, aiming to increase ridership by about 30% and reduce traffic and emissions. The policy builds on existing subsidies […]

In one generation, the signifier of value in software has gone from "It just works" to "It almost works". #loweringthebar

Manosphere influencer guys should check out exlaxxing.

The spiritual equivalent of blinding yourself on methanol as a self-proclaimed two-fisted drinker. #uspol https://bsky.brid.gy/r/https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:rjmjkblu6mbdmufkfyqoslu6/post/3mjnc5rvkk22m

A question for the political commentariate: "So … what's the difference between a shape and a form?"

The City of Adelaide is considering pop-up bike lanes as a way to help more people ride safely through the fuel crisis: https://www.indailysa.com.au/news/just-in/2026/04/14/pop-up-bike-lanes-mooted-for-adelaide-streets “a pop-up cycleway gives people who otherwise may not feel confident or safe […]

TIL that "bevy" and "bevvy" are both words. As a four-letter word, it means what I thought it meant. With an extra "v" it isn't misspelled, it's just an affectionate word for "beverage."

~"I was disappointed when Trump posted that picture looking like Jesus Christ. That and all the people offended by it make me think twice about the whole thing. I mean, he's so much better than that guy."~ #uspol

The fire that took this shop in Imaike was a tragedy for its owner, and I hope no one was caught in the blaze. I didn't ask at the senbei shop across the way (もち吉), but from what I can glean from the Web, the fire seems to have hit on March 22. All of which […] [Original post on indieweb.social]

I replanted a large cluster of bulbs into a border, thinking them to be narcissus, but they've bloomed a bit after the narcissus finished, and they look like this. By noon, the flowers will open up fully into a star pattern. The garden was maintained by my […] [Original post on indieweb.social]

"Blue Origin will take all feasible steps to reduce the probability of collision by at least 1.5 orders of magnitude for any collision risk above a threshold which will be no higher than 1E-5" I'm an orbital debris expert and I'm not sure I can parse this sentence. But I'm sure it'll be fine!! […]

I'm confused. If the US plan is to blockade the Strait, why bother with demining? Wouldn't you leave the (threat of) mines in place, so that you'd know that any vessels emerging from the Strait *must* have paid the toll, and therefore be subject to interdiction and, I dunno, seizure or scuttling […]

I solved this JoWordle 1522 with 5/6 attempts. ⬜️🟪🟪⬜️⬜️ ⬜️🟪⬜️🟪⬜️ ⬜️⬜️🟪🟦🟪 🟦🟪🟪⬜️🟪 🟦🟦🟦🟦🟦 https://word.rodeo/JoWordle/

Gooood morning! (audio NSFW) https://youtu.be/4HmJX11_AQE

Someone in the neighborhood has begun sticking their rubbish in the city cages on the wrong days. To save the rubbish crew a headache, I put the latest off-day burnable rubbish bag inside the carport, near the gate. In the carport proper, I'd spread out a […] [Original post on indieweb.social]

Yesterday I finished cleaning up the mess on the back porch. This morning it's a brand new day. #japan #gardening

Fidesz' massive defeat comes despite: - multiple active Russian disinformation campaigns - the US government actively supporting Fidesz - Fidesz owning the majority of TV & radio stations + newspapers - Fidesz having gerrymandered the crap out of the country - many documented cases of voter […]

Good morning! https://youtu.be/TdvGpoAa-lI