Long time no post. I had let my mastodon instance bitrot quite a bit. Maintaining a server is kind of a pain. But I asked an AI agent to fix it up and it seems to have done a good job. Also, I just had brain surgery. Weird times.
Ian McKellar
@ian.mckellar.org
Leftist Dad. Immigrant nerd. Musician, husband. Was @ian on Twitter. Is ian@mckellar.social on the fediverse.
It doesn't matter whether you pick DST or ST, and there isn't a "better one"; it's geographically dependent on where you are inside the timezone anyway. What matters is that you don't switch midyear.
what’s the Odyssey about? I’m so glad you asked
I've been watching traditionalist catholic YouTube coverage of the SSPX excommunication. How do you say schadenfreude in latin?
Holding all the cards, but it's a poker game and you have a bunch of super rare, expensive baseball cards. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
JD Vance claims US holds all the cards in Iran and will win ‘either way’
Vice-president appeared on Bill Maher’s show hours before more military strikes were exchanged in strait of Hormuz
theguardian.com
As Pride Month 🏳️🌈 draws to its conclusion, KDE and @gnome.org want to pay tribute to LGBTQA+ people that have contributed and continue to contribute to making our lives better through their work in the field of digital technology. We start with one of the greatest computer scientists of all time...
All the killing is awful, but Trump's closest allies laughing at his weakness to his face is a silver lining.
Eric Columbus@ericcolumbus.bsky.social · 2mo ago
Maybe don't celebrate the Nakba if you don't want to share a platform with advocates of genocide. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
Democrats who marched in New York’s Israel Day parade decry attendance of far-right minister Smotrich
Politicians’ statements reflect difficulty facing pro-Israel Democrats as voter support for country falls
theguardian.com
Is it anti-semitic for for Itmar Ben-Gvir to post videos of an Israeli government minister (himself) abusing detained peaceful protesters?
MeidasTouch@meidastouch.com · 3mo agoDisturbing new video posted by Israeli Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir shows him taunting detained pro-Palestinian flotilla activists being held in horrifying conditions. In the footage, Ben-Gvir can be seen shouting at the handcuffed activists while appearing to gloat over their detention.
It’s weird that Helen of Troy being played by a black actress is a problem, but most of the rest of the Mediterranean, Greek and Turkish characters being played by incredibly fair and blond haired people of British, Irish and Scandinavian descent isn’t. And by weird, I mean entirely predictable.
The hardest problem in computer science is navigating the emotions of grown ass men.
Dershowitz is genuinely loathsome and has been for a long time.
Justin Baragona@justinbaragona.bsky.social · 3mo agoDershowitz complains that the names of many Epstein victims are redacted, making it difficult for him and Trump to sue them. Calling the victims "criminals," he then says that if he testifies before Congress, he'll "name names and tell you who's saying these things."
I still don’t know if social media stimulates mental illness or simply simulates it
Old dude at the open mic night in the Palestinian owned Irish bar where I was having dinner with my daughter was wearing an IDF sweatshirt. These days I associate that look with Jeffrey Epstein. But was he going for a child killer rather than pedo vibe? Who knows. Berkeley is weird.
I didn't think Trump could achieve an unconditional surrender, but I guess I didn't consider us surrendering.
Australia investigates and charges one of its most decorated veterans with war crimes for murdering civilians in Afghanistan (www.abc.net.au/news/2026-04...) while the US President proudly threatens genocide. It's a contrast.
Ben Roberts-Smith in custody at Silverwater jail after war crimes charges
One of Australia's most decorated soldiers, Ben Roberts-Smith, has been charged with five counts of the war crime of murder.
abc.net.au
Once again I'm annoyed by the slogan "No Kings", when we have a problem with a president. Very few kings have as much power in their countries as the US President has in this one under our constitution. Americans seem to like it though.
Antigravity is most of the way through getting a fully featured(ish) Wayland backend for JUCE written today, with just a little poking from me. It's crazy how tractable fairly large, but bounded engineering work becomes.
We at are such a weak country to be running to the people we've been trying to pick fights with for help when we bite off more than we can chew. www.theguardian.com/world/live/2...
Middle East crisis live: Trump calls on China, France, UK and others to send ships to keep strait of Hormuz open
US president earlier warned strikes on Kharg Island oil facilities would follow hit on military targets if Tehran did not allow maritime traffic through key channel
theguardian.com
It's not a surprise when you compare the Iranian and US leadership. Iran's cabinet is dominated by PhDs, lots from western universities. The US cabinet is mostly JDs and lightweight bachelor degrees. gemini.google.com/share/9e8184...
Daniel Drezner@dandrezner.bsky.social · 5mo agoThe truth is, these are not very bright guys, and things got out of hand. www.wsj.com/world/middle...
Reuters Exclusive "U.S. military investigators believe it is likely that U.S. forces were responsible for an apparent strike on an Iranian girls' school." "The strike would rank among the worst cases of civilian casualties in decades of U.S. conflicts in the Middle East."
Exclusive: US investigation points to likely US responsibility in Iran school strike, sources say
Military investigators believe it is likely that U.S. forces were responsible for an apparent strike on an Iranian girls' school that killed scores of children on Saturday, two U.S. officials told Reu...
reuters.com
Are we supposed to keep pretending that the ZTE and Huawei bans are for legitimate national security rather than transactional political reasons?
Some randoms: - When I was a baby we had a pet kangaroo. - McKellar Crater on the moon is named after my great uncle Andy.
Kayla Cromer Official@kaylacromer.bsky.social · 5mo agoTell me a random fact about yourself that sounds fake but is 100% true.
You learn that country A is about to illegally attack country B. On what planet do you use that to justify attacking country B rather than warning them, preemptively attacking country A, staying out of it, etc? www.theguardian.com/us-news/live...
Rubio says US ‘preemptively’ attacked Iran after learning Israel was about to strike as Democrats decry ‘Trump’s war’ – live
State secretary frames strikes as necessary to protect US forces from retaliation; Chuck Schumer tells reporters ‘this is Trump’s war’ and ‘he has no strategy’
theguardian.com
This is a policy of genocide.
Aleksandra Vaca@transiticsnews.com · 5mo agoUnder a new policy released Thursday, the Trump Administration will test conversion therapy on trans people in prisons. It explicitly states that it aims to help trans people “recover,” all the while forcibly detransitioning them both medically and socially. transitics.substack.com/p/the-trump-...
