Brian Hawthorne

New English naturalist descended from generations of privileged white European settlers, now living on lands of the Pocumtuck and Nipmuc. Anti-racist, anti-fascist.
Long Covid/PASC since Oct. 2022.

Header pic: Coastal Plain Pond in southeastern Massachusetts.
Thumbnail pic: Me sitting on a 1982 Honda Goldwing GL1100 motorcycle, wearing a reflective safety vest over full gear and holding my helmet under my arm.

Public Key

npub18jt7vx3r7cj4pq95eq9p5tq8ms7ps53ty7e3zmtypcd7hdjyq47q5qv76g

NIP-05 Address

bhawthorne_at_infosec.exchange@mostr.pub

Profile Code

nprofile1qqsre9lxrg3lvf2ssz6vszs69srac0qc2g4j0vc3d4jquxltkezq2lqpz4mhxue69uhhyetvv9ujumt0wd68ytnsw43qsffr2l

Publishing to

relay.mostr.pub

Author Public Key

npub18jt7vx3r7cj4pq95eq9p5tq8ms7ps53ty7e3zmtypcd7hdjyq47q5qv76g

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Last Notes

2024-03-13 15:57:06

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@npub1xpc…3t05 The Allies also firebombed cities in Germany during WWII. Darmstadt, Dresden, etc. with massive loss of civilian lives

2024-02-06 18:39:06

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@npub1psd…9sr7 I want to know how long it takes before they are inundated by the spam accounts that admins here have been battling.

2023-11-19 16:28:15

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@npub1psd…9sr7 Ohhh. This is their way of asking about abortion‽ That thought literally never entered my mind. Why do these fundies spend so much time fantasizing about abortion? Their preoccupation with one specific set of medical procedures is really bizarre. At least the Christian “Science” practitioners have the intellectual honesty to avoid all medical procedures.
So, what, they think this is some sort of “gotcha” question?
That would be like me posting:
Theists, imagine that you are on a trolley, and the driver is your devout pastor/minister/priest. Ahead you see an atheist lying on the tracks. There is enough time to stop the trolley. You shout, “Stop the trolley, there is someone on the tracks!” and your pastor says, “If it is God’s will that the person live, they will get off the tracks before we hit them. Anyone who interferes will burn in hell forever.” Then he hits the accelerator. What do you do?
Hmm. That’s actually not a bad answer to the parachuting baby question.

2023-11-19 16:08:29

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@npub1psd…9sr7 I’m not sure what is so hard about this one. The whole “talking, skydiving, baby” thing and the prompt to “imagine,” make clear that I am in cloud-cuckoo land.
Accordingly, I pull my ripcord, and after landing safely, I check my SpO2, and call my prescribing psychiatrist for a medication review, because something was making me hallucinate at a time that could have endangered my safety.

2023-11-01 13:29:17

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@npub1ccn…czwu Because we all know that their Jesus of Nazareth never preached charity, kindness to strangers, feeding the hungry, etc. oh wait, he did? Jesus was a socialist.

2023-10-22 15:51:22

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@npub108x…8n99 Not at all. Fish often float upside down when they are dead and you certainly wouldn’t want to put a live fish in the oven!

2023-09-18 16:05:26

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@npub1xpc…3t05 Because the autopilot was still on when he ejected. And those things fly fast.

2023-09-18 15:41:16

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@npub1xpc…3t05 Yes, but the tracker isn’t responding. That’s why they have to go out and physically look for it.

2023-09-15 13:47:16

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@npub19fc…ay3c @npub1fs2…97ag Will do my best!

2023-09-15 13:40:03

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@npub1fs2…97ag @npub19fc…ay3c I’m trying to figure out how dried mud as mortar could possibly be earthquake proof.

2023-09-14 14:10:17

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@npub1pwx…xk5j Only one I could find. Had to go back a ways.
https://media.infosec.exchange/infosecmediaeu/media_attachments/files/111/063/899/405/365/526/original/2662d800e080f9d8.png

2023-08-31 16:18:35

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@npub19fc…ay3c King Augustus, for whom the month is named, decided that his month needed more days, so he stole one of the days from February.
Julius Caesar did the same thing, which is why February now has only 28 days.
At least I think that’s how @npub16mz…uzxf explained it to me.

2023-08-30 19:45:26

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@npub1k4q…3lsq @npub1p7v…m2wl @npub1aku…edya I suspect he knows damn well that it is bigoted. It’s all part of the white supremacist big lie. “We solved racism years ago, and anyone who says otherwise is a racist.”

2023-08-30 13:49:39

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@npub1lf4…kcjr This is the Daily Star. You think they actually have a Russia correspondent that they dispatch? At this point they are just feeding prompts into ChatGPT. Here, I’ll “dispatch my Russia correspondent.”
Please write an article in the style of the Daily Star to accompany the headline “Wagner Boss Prigozhin ‘alive’ after ‘body double’ on plane as he plots ‘revenge’”
ChatGPT
Wagner Boss Prigozhin ‘Alive’ after Alleged Use of Body Double on Plane as He Plots ‘Revenge’
In a shocking turn of events, Wagner Group's enigmatic leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin, has allegedly pulled off a daring ruse involving a body double to evade what seems to be a carefully orchestrated assassination plot. The infamous Russian oligarch, often referred to as "Putin's Chef," is said to be alive and well, leaving both his enemies and supporters bewildered.
Sources close to the situation have reported that Prigozhin may have employed a body double on a private plane, effectively deceiving potential assailants and throwing them off his trail. The meticulously planned maneuver has not only showcased Prigozhin's cunning, but also raised questions about the lengths he's willing to go to ensure his survival.
Speculation is rife about Prigozhin's motives for faking his own death. Some suggest that he might be plotting a major act of revenge against his adversaries, using this opportunity to reassert his dominance in the shadowy world of private military contractors. Others contend that this might be a strategic ploy to divert attention from his activities, allowing him to operate more discreetly.
Experts in the field of espionage and international affairs have been quick to point out the complexity of such a deception. "This isn't your average spy novel plot," says Dr. Isabella Martinez, a geopolitical analyst. "If true, it underscores Prigozhin's capabilities and resources, which are substantial."
The incident has caused a ripple effect across intelligence agencies worldwide, with governments scrambling to gather information and make sense of the situation. While some are treating this news with skepticism, others are taking it as a grim reminder of the lengths some powerful figures are willing to go to protect their interests.
As the world watches and waits, it remains to be seen whether Yevgeny Prigozhin's alleged use of a body double is a one-off event or a sign of things to come. If reports are accurate, the Wagner Group leader's audacious move could mark a new chapter in his saga, one filled with intrigue, revenge, and an even deeper level of international intrigue.

2023-08-21 17:41:55

I am not the first one to say this, but it bears repeating over and over again. When the right uses the word “woke”, they are using it as a racist-dog whistle for “black.”
DeSantis’s “war on woke” is a war on black Americans. When they refer to “woke ideology”, they mean the ideology that black people should have the same rights and privileges as white people. Make no mistake; this is just the latest term they have adopted to continue their racism.
[ Update: as mentioned by many people in the comments, the MAGAts are also using the term to dis LGBTQ+ people. It has become an all-purpose right-wing dog whistle for “people we don’t like and wish didn’t exist.” ]

2023-08-18 02:22:05

Is the NLRB finally remembering why they exist?
https://substack.perfectunion.us/p/american-workers-are-about-to-get?utm_source=profile&utm_medium=reader2

2023-08-17 00:01:51

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@npub1xpc…3t05 You sound like a pretty handy guy!

2023-08-16 23:54:05

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@npub1xpc…3t05 Pretty sure you mean that it is about 30 MILLION light years away!

2023-08-12 00:35:22

I am reading Eric Liu’s novelette/short story Re:union and encountered an absolutely wonderful and artful turn of phrase: “a faded photograph whose printed paper had managed to outlast the corporations which had hosted our memories.” There is so much world-building encoded in just 17 words!
#AmReading

2023-08-11 23:30:08

Apparently, iRobot is worried that their products are going to try to register themselves.
https://media.infosec.exchange/infosecmediaeu/media_attachments/files/110/873/581/987/278/936/original/a1a42fc29ef988b5.jpeg

2023-08-11 19:44:49

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@npub1s69…l9l2 I went from a very active lifestyle to nearly completely sedentary due to #LongCovid. When I die of a heart attack, my death will be deemed to have been cardiac related due to a sedentary lifestyle, but the ultimate cause is post-viral syndrome from infection by SARS-CoV2.

2023-08-11 17:30:48

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@npub1ze8…pnjy @npub1k4q…3lsq Of course! And the demon at the start is the Magic Farter. I’m glad we got this straightened out.

2023-08-11 17:26:49

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@npub1k4q…3lsq Now that you mention that, it occurs to me that the glyph at the beginning may not be purely decorative either.
Demon Magic Ship Fart?

2023-08-11 17:18:31

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@npub1k4q…3lsq I think you are misreading that. There is a ship’s wheel between the two words, so it is likely the Magic Ship Fart or the Magic Wheel Fart.

2023-08-11 16:11:18

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@npub1epf…5py0 @npub1k4q…3lsq And once we have that enacted, we can get rid of the failed “carbon offsets” markets. If you want to claim your company is zero-emissions, it actually has to be zero, not “net” zero, with emissions offset by illusory offsets. Carbon capture credits should only apply once you have actually stopped emitting carbon.

2023-08-10 22:58:47

Another story of how LongCovid destroys lives. Gift link to avoid the paywall.
#LongCovid
https://wapo.st/3YvlJTp

2023-08-10 13:53:09

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@npub1js0…8m4d @npub18t8…h8fj Well done!