Bob Thomson

Glaswegian who left for The Dordogne at 50, devopsing remotely for Euros for a job. Likes many things outside work and STEM, writing, drawing, synths, dogs. Living with chronic illnesses since 2007, Crohn's from a dodgy pizza, chronic kidney disease from the Crohn's medication. So it goes.

Web: https://about.me/bob.thomson
Blog Scot Living in France: https://bobthomson70.substack.com
Blog other non French topics: https://medium.com/@bobthomson70/

Public Key

npub132e2h283j9xacnnelmqhcg9mfgfwnu7q7selg9t2l3qwt23fc7hql4kc3x

NIP-05 Address

bobthomson70_at_mastodon.social@momostr.pink

Profile Code

nprofile1qqsg4v4t4rceznwufeulastuyza55yhf70q0gvl5z440cs894g5u0tsu2e50j

Author Public Key

npub132e2h283j9xacnnelmqhcg9mfgfwnu7q7selg9t2l3qwt23fc7hql4kc3x

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Last Notes

2024-07-08 12:56:32

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lol, my first computer, cassette tapes :)

2024-07-08 05:19:18

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aren’t we all knock offs in the end? #philosophy #thoughtfortheday

2024-07-07 20:43:26

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here it is 50/50 for NFP RN :/

2024-07-07 18:11:18

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moi aussi, a relief.

2024-07-07 16:36:39

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got to make room for that Halloween tat.

2024-07-05 07:09:03

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as with most things, Starmer not terribly clear or decisive on such issues and trying to please all. Wiki -
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/732/623/925/899/082/original/747add936b6e9d48.jpeg

2024-07-02 04:39:45

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only saw this when it was on TV the first time, would like to again.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0353104/?ref_=ext_shr_lnk
Literally what they do at the end of it :)

2024-07-01 05:00:34

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devs now are all fuelled by protein shakes, keto diets and the odd cognitive enhancing drug I would say :)

2024-06-30 18:21:36

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I just hope the seats pan out a lot differently than those percentages suggest and the 3 way 2nd round races work out against them also.

2024-06-27 19:30:45

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uname -n before issuing any shutdown is a good habit IMHO.

2024-06-26 00:09:49

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I think that the thing that keeps humans going, despite knowing about their own mortality is the ability to deny it regularly and, unfortunately most who have the spare time to do so, overuse that ability to retreat into every day minutiae and culture in order to avoid difficult issues. Same thing that allows populism / conspiracy to flourish too I’d say: the world is horrific and complex, make it binary and simple like a good guy / bad guy action movie please they say.

2024-06-24 04:41:10

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that sure goes for, a lot, most/all, of the people who are elevated to the stop of end stage capitalism, a system that venerates folks who are part of the problem and not the solution.

2024-06-16 02:52:38

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some library love from my childhood. https://medium.com/@bobthomson70/me-well-read-not-really-dc868d9d49df libraries so important.
“Libraries gave us power
Then work came and made us free
What price now
For a shallow piece of dignity?”

2024-06-15 04:51:56

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only white folks who use grand in a pleasing way are the Irish so.

2024-06-15 04:12:50

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Bob Mortimer, beloved U.K. Gen X TV funny man, loves TV in general and was talking on a pod about how he detests TV execs who never watch TV he loves like Hoarders or Real Housewives. Said it’s their business and just that; that they don’t live and breathe it, like they should in his view, and it does his nut in.

2024-06-15 04:08:18

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what a fantastic simile, love it ❤️
“Yeah, I’ll have a survivorship bias grande, and a a small humble brag with the sprinkles, thanks”.

2024-06-13 00:04:43

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Ciotti though 🙄what a sad wee tin pot dictator.

2024-06-06 19:33:44

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don’t let the door skelp yer arse on the way oot the door muskrat

2024-06-05 17:35:22

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never saw Mrs Davis either. Interesting. The Leftovers blind sided me. Didn’t think I’d like that at all but too many folks of taste like Rab Florence raved about it, so made a point of watching. Still struggle to say what it is about it. Yet I feel I’d better add it to my TV post series.

2024-06-05 02:50:25

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the best thing about the finale of Lost, is that Damon Lindelof seemed to grow and learn from it, and gave us the excellence of “The Leftovers” and “Watchmen”, and I’m more grateful for those than anything in Lost in the end.

2024-06-04 02:38:35

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just did my own tribute to “Halt and Catch Fire”, inspired by @npub13rc…ww3f ‘s love of it, as much as my own.
A much under-seen series, and I have a couple more, similarly over-looked and under-seen gems to write about also next.
https://medium.com/@bobthomson70/the-greatest-tv-youve-never-seen-halt-and-catch-fire-4a85d1ae83b0
#television #entertainment #tv

2024-06-01 19:38:15

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give it a pizza once a week. Probably do the trick.

2024-05-31 05:50:43

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oh man, fucking end stage crapitalism, speaking as a privileged gen X who is burning through savings having had no work since Xmas and with this shit going on ofc, but still, could always be worse, so I'm very grateful I've not run out yet, but retirement? haha, a joke even for me.
This system is a zombie that disnae know it's a'ready deid.
https://bobthomson70.substack.com/p/mise-a-jour-tres-tardive-surtout

2024-05-31 05:39:11

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as a Scot, I always wanted the America of The West Wing, another millenial white privileged dream that was sadly delusional.
How's it going with you generally?

2024-05-27 21:48:11

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a noble goal. Others just talk.
I always remember reading a study, think it was Harvard, said goals made no difference to achievement. One of those myths folks want not to believe like the one that statistically it makes little difference who is CEO or football manager on the whole.

2024-05-26 21:10:08

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vache de le sud ouest: moo quand même.
As ubiquitous as chocolatine here.

2024-05-26 21:01:04

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Glasgow cow: Ah’ll gie you fuckin’ moo ya cunt.
Probably.
https://youtu.be/M0w4JojTlB4?si=ET_rz3vGffiSVez0

2024-05-26 04:43:06

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if you’re a morning person, no, and vice versa. Another argument in favour of remote and asynchronous woke for tech folks where it is appropriate, that is most folks.

2024-05-25 21:13:38

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are there any slack communities for it? I have been in a French devops one since before I got here. No work from it but it is interesting for me to get the French perspective and practice reading and writing.

2024-05-25 21:11:58

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on for sure. Not even hoax I’d say, just blatant piss taking by those who’d benefit, just like -
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/503/784/387/257/425/original/880debd565577ce8.jpeg

2024-05-25 21:06:31

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sent you a LinkedIn, feel free to ignore. Happy to share posts and such if it helps. My network in France is nascent though :)

2024-05-25 20:56:51

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is it content management / marketing type of thing you do then?

2024-05-25 20:56:08

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Fingers crossed. I feel wages here in France seem pretty low compared to the U.K. but they are going down there too these days. Too much inverse wealth redistribution in the world. Not so much trickle down as hosepipe up 😡

2024-05-25 20:50:14

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totally understand, it’s a rough old time for so many. Lucky I have had well paid work but not worst year ever for me so far, no work since Christmas. Worse than 2001 and 2009 were but this time I went and moved somewhere where I really need remote work and not hybrid and everyone wants hybrid after 2 years or no problem with remote
😤

2024-05-25 20:45:05

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my partner does plenty of those sites, partly because Apple TV+ inexplicably wont play reliably. On her iMac 🙄Great eh!

2024-05-25 20:43:38

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fair, I am lucky I can afford to pay to support it so don’t mind waiting ;)

2024-05-25 20:40:02

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I wanted to catch that in the cinema but I find I have to go in the first few days to catch the VOST and my French is nowhere near up to following a film with no subs :) I’ll catch it on rental.

2024-05-25 05:50:49

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That is fantastic. Do you feel physically better for it? I always think when folks share news about this it’s often the case that people focus on your changed appearance and not how you feel in your self and your health, the latter of which is so important I think.

2024-05-21 19:07:09

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Happily agree, except the job market is as wedded to it as boomers are to FB sadly. Network effects and all that.
There are many reasons I look forward to retiring, if it's ever possible, deleting my LinkedIn account is just a tiny one. 😀

2024-05-21 18:47:11

LinkedIn hot take. 🔥
Someone should fork LinkedIn eh?
Have LinkedIn for C suite + manager fannies and LinkedIn for individual contributors, folks who actually produce work and don’t talk pure shite every post. *
* yeah some do but those boss types, oh boy. 🙄🤡
#linkedinbullshit #linked #stateoflinkedin #socialmedia

2024-05-20 18:02:16

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someone got a cease and desist letter.

2024-05-17 21:42:31

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I would have. Never sure how much it helps though. LinkedIn as per all algorithmic social media seems entirely powered by argument instigating posts and nothing very constructive or useful 🙄

2024-05-17 21:39:33

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that’s fantastic. Hope they shared it on their LinkedIn to get you more eyeballs. Not that I am saying you eat eyeballs but they can be useful. Or something. Bonne nuit.

2024-05-15 10:20:11

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arguably he is a 90s comic book bad guy for some :)

2024-05-15 10:19:49

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looks like a 90s comic book bad guy.

2024-05-14 14:22:41

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last gig I had they did use podman (A finance industry client).