Dr. Sean Munger :verified:

Ph.D. historian, metalhead, author, teacher, history YouTuber, climate change thinker, citizen of the world. American/Canadian. Bi (he/him) and rabidly antifascist. Sometime crime and mystery author. #histodons

Public Key

npub1dcwh95y5ph8l62ew7p378jm4jm9k75z2lzptaec50yz600s6psdqytsq55

NIP-05 Address

seanmunger_at_metalhead.club@mostr.pub

Profile Code

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Author Public Key

npub1dcwh95y5ph8l62ew7p378jm4jm9k75z2lzptaec50yz600s6psdqytsq55

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Last Notes

2023-08-18 14:51:28

No, phone, I do not want a "tour" of the new software that you interrupted everything I was doing to force me to download.

2023-07-19 15:22:40

Ran a background check on myself. I'm happy to report I am neither a sex offender nor a convicted felon. What a relief!

2023-05-07 23:51:56

Today on the blog. 108 years ago today, May 7, 1915, a German submarine torpedoed the British liner Lusitania, killing 1200 people. This monstrous act of war was actually the culmination of a deadly psychological poker game between Britain and Germany where the stakes were innocent lives. Here's how Germany's chutzpah collided with Britain's naïvete and led to disaster. #histodons #oceanliners #worldwar1 #todayinhistory https://www.gardenofmemory.net/sailing-toward-disaster-the-moral-gamble-surrounding-the-lusitania-sinking/

2023-04-24 14:36:32

Monday: growl and bare your teeth, and maybe it will go away. #[0] #[1] #[2] #[3]
https://media.metalhead.club/media_attachments/files/110/254/285/341/412/980/original/3c8ce94b1a96ed56.png

2023-04-22 17:22:58

I need to find an #[0] who can create covers for Kindle Shorts books, science fiction, in a style that evokes the pulps of the 1930s/40s/50s. Will have to be relatively inexpensive, as (hopefully) there will be a lot of them. Does anyone have any recommendations before I spin the roulette wheel on Fiverr?
#[1]

2023-04-22 16:55:56

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#[0] "The Greatest Love of All." 🥴

2023-04-22 16:46:21

Hey, why is everything suddenly upside down? #[0] #[1] #[2] #[3]
https://media.metalhead.club/media_attachments/files/110/243/466/197/074/678/original/1aef742f1ce73936.png

2023-04-21 17:23:08

I just got my official TEFL & TESOL certification! I'm now an English teacher as well as a history teacher.

2023-04-21 15:10:44

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#[0] Maybe they could kill SpaceX and go form another company worthy of their talents that doesn't have the toxic associations.

2023-04-21 14:53:53

I'd like to introduce my blog/newsletter to you, if you don't know about it already.
Here's what it is:
- History
- Books and writing
- Historic paintings and photos
- Occasional comments on current events
- Fun, informative, interesting.
Here's what it's not:
- Journalism
- Daily "hot takes"
- Supporting transphobia like Substack is
- Like every other newsletter.
Sign up and help me reach more folks!
#[0] #[1] #[2] #[3]
https://www.gardenofmemory.net/

2023-04-21 02:11:05

I don't think antivaxxers really believe that half or 70% of the population is going to die from COVID vaccines. Have you ever seen a single one of these nutters act like they think this? If only scheming to pick up nice property on the cheap once the "sheeple" die off? You'd think they would be at least a little worried at how the world will function with a sudden 70% population crash. As paranoid as they are you'd expect this. But none of them seem to care.

2023-04-21 00:59:18

Today's blog is for subscribers, but if you want to sign up for my newsletter I thought I'd offer it. Back in 1999 I had lunch with classic science fiction writer Robert Sheckley at a famous Portland restaurant. He sadly passed away in 2005, but left a fascinating legacy of work behind. I've been thinking a lot about this encounter now that I'm working on some SF of my own.
#[0] #[1] #[2]
https://www.gardenofmemory.net/my-lunch-with-robert-sheckley-classic-sf-writer/

2023-04-20 16:18:50

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#[0] You could flip the script at the end. Commodore Perry discovers unexpectedly that he has a genius for dry comedy and becomes a Hollywood romcom star. Meanwhile the actor Perry violates orders, opens peaceful relations with Japan and the Pacific War is avoided.

2023-04-20 15:04:20

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#[0] There has to be a flip side to that story where the real Commodore Perry has to try to clown his way through an episode of Friends which he can't do because he's a humorless imperialist.

2023-04-20 14:56:04

I have generally always been a booster of space exploration, so it takes a lot for me to cheer actively at a major space failure. But fuck that guy, I'm glad his rocket blew up and I hope his dumb space company goes bankrupt. He is not the kind of human being we want to bring us into space.

2023-04-20 14:48:51

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#[0] They'll cave, like they always do. Then they'll spin it as a great victory because they compromised. And go back to fundraising. Nancy needs your help to defeat the Republicans.

2023-04-20 14:46:12

The week is exhausting! #[0] #[1] #[2]
https://media.metalhead.club/media_attachments/files/110/231/675/737/344/314/original/be5ae2cf4c9cb826.png

2023-04-19 17:46:31

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#[0] And I think he was in the Waffel, er I mean Waffen-SS.

2023-04-19 17:36:26

I know a "stroopwaffel" is a tasty Dutch snack, but its name makes it sound like some nightmarish elite Nazi death unit that was involved in mass killings or something.

2023-04-19 06:08:32

I made bucatini with carbonara tonight, and the sauce came out absolutely smooth as silk and the egg didn't scramble. This is a huge win.
Don't care about fascists right now. Don't care about Fox News or Dominion. Don't care about the birdsite. My carbonara triumph is honestly the most important thing that happened to me today and I'm not ashamed of it.

2023-04-18 21:41:56

New blog! 117 years ago today was the great San Francisco earthquake and fire of 1906. This painting by William Coulter, like something out of a modern disaster movie, captures the magnitude of the spectacle. It's incredible the city managed to survive at all. Post is for subscribers but is not paywalled; you can still see the amazing historic painting.
#[0] #[1] #[2] #[3]
https://www.gardenofmemory.net/historic-painting-san-francisco-fire-by-william-a-coulter-1906/

2023-04-18 20:05:18

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#[0] I'd end global warming instantly and draw down CO2 in the atmosphere to 250 ppm.

2023-04-18 16:30:38

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#[0] It's impossible, unfortunately. I hate April.

2023-04-18 16:08:09

Imagine being one of those boring people who thinks about money all the time, has friends who only talk about money, reads nothing but stuff related to money, and deliberately cultivates all your surroundings to keep your focus on money.
I couldn't imagine a more horrible life.

2023-04-18 14:59:33

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#[0] #[1] Sounds very U.S.-centric. Not a lot of cutting edge scientific developments that helped the Soviets win at Stalingrad which Americans tend to forget was the pivot of the whole thing.

2023-04-18 01:06:55

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#[0] History Channel fans who will be outraged that I don't say that aliens built the pyramids or taught agriculture to the Mayans.

2023-04-18 00:17:05

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#[0] My first entry into the genre will be a song titled, "You're Tearing Me Apart, Lisa!"

2023-04-18 00:15:06

Looks like my next historical video will be "The 50 Most Important Things in History," a quick n' dirty, greatest-hits survey of world history for lay people. Idea morphed out of a class I was working on years ago but didn't finish. Might be fun. #[0]

2023-04-17 16:53:33

In other news, I may become TESOL/TOEFL certified this week, which sounds minor but is actually a big thing for me.

2023-04-17 14:41:16

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#[0] I'm sure they mean well, but holy hell this game sounds depressing.

2023-04-17 14:28:19

When Monday again arise
And it's calumnies reprise
Into despair we doth not fall
Doggo sleepeth through it all.
#[0] #[1] #[2] #[3]
https://media.metalhead.club/media_attachments/files/110/214/607/206/799/607/original/5a66c23fd642e269.png

2023-04-17 06:20:25

So, #[0] has a great blog that riffs off my observations today about the role of spammers and bad actors in tech, and how we have failed to keep up with them. I'm glad I'm not the only one who feels a bit outclassed. Definitely worth a read!
https://jackyan.com/blog/2023/04/the-techs-been-captured-by-the-bad-actors-and-we-havent-caught-up/

2023-04-17 00:42:07

Today's blog is more current events than history. I got hit up by another scammer pretending to be a hot Asian lady. The pig butcher scam that is using her face is now a global business, involving human trafficking as well as racketeering and crypto fraud (all crypto is fraud). The internet has not made us smarter, more democratic or enlightened. It's made us greedier, stupider, lonelier, and more inclined to follow fascists. These scams are just a symptom. https://www.gardenofmemory.net/her-cheating-heart-the-beautiful-woman-who-wants-me-to-buy-crypto/

2023-04-17 00:04:14

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#[0] I could do it or at least make a try at it, if it doesn't have to be done today.

2023-04-16 23:44:08

So I posted that toot about the theme from Remington Steele and got a snarky reply from a crypto scam bot.
What a strange, irritating world we live in.

2023-04-16 22:10:58

Why do I have the theme from "Remington Steele" going through my head when I haven't seen the show in 15 years? 🤔

2023-04-16 17:56:49

I think I'm going to close down my Patreon. Try to shift everything toward my new blog/newsletter.

2023-04-15 22:04:20

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#[0] Pure joy in this picture!

2023-04-15 20:26:22

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#[0] Yeah, I was afraid something like that would happen with mine. I'm lucky enough to know a guy who runs a huge Discogs store and he was interested in the whole thing.

2023-04-15 19:35:55

So, yesterday I sent off the final batch of my mostly-metal CD collection, which I sold in bulk to a friend and music dealer in Australia.
I bought my first CD in 1993. If I count right, over the years I bought CDs in six different countries. The collection represents a huge part of my life, especially my life in metal. Now it's gone.
Happy I did it--I couldn't take the collection with me where I'm going--but it's bittersweet too.

2023-04-14 02:19:28

Wow. That Verge reporter certainly turned the Substack CEO into a sputtering pile of goo, didn't he? That horrendous interview has validated my decision to stop using Substack. Clearly we can't trust them to do the right thing when it comes to moderation and hate speech.

2023-04-13 17:17:36

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#[0] #[1] #[2] I don't know, how *do* you teach racists who hate people that they shouldn't be racists who hate people?
Soft-pedaling it and trying to make it palatable to people who hate you is something between a fool's errand and a unicorn hunt. Asking the author to compromise her message--when her message precisely *is* that the subject of her book is a part of the racist spectrum of American society--is eviscerating it.
She was right to tell Scholastic to go pound sand.

2023-04-13 16:33:02

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#[0] #[1] How exactly does one "acknowledge racism" without "fanning polarization"? To me this sounds suspiciously like a plan to defang the author's story and drain it of every bit of its essence...which is exactly what Scholastic wanted to do.

2023-04-13 15:53:56

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#[0] It's instinctive, the teacher in me makes me want to correct their errors.

2023-04-13 15:46:42

The incompetence of email spammers is overwhelming.
Supposedly I have "Awaiting Doc to be review."
Actually, it says I have 3 new "docuements" from some shady "Doc Shearing" website.
Spammers, would it kill you to do basic spell check? In this day and age it's not that hard.

2023-04-13 02:45:35

Tonight's blog post is a pretty picture, and the story behind it. The next in my Historic Painting series: "Star Road and White Sun" by Ernest Blumenschein, painted in 1920. This is an exemplar of the Taos School of art, which Blumenschein co-founded after what turned out to be a lucky wagon accident on a desert road in 1898. There's even a photo of the accident in the article! Lovely painting, brings back memories of living in New Mexico. #[0] #[1] #[2]
https://www.gardenofmemory.net/historic-painting-ernest-blumenschein-star-road-and-white-sun-1920/

2023-04-13 02:31:48

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#[0] Ugh, I'm not sure I even want to know.

2023-04-13 02:31:04

Let's see who I can piss off with my blog article tonight.

2023-04-13 01:18:18

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#[0] "NO BLAH BLAH BLAH!"

2023-04-13 01:12:04

- Conspiracy theorists
- Carlos Castaneda cultists
- Amway distributors.
Means I'm doing something right! 👍

2023-04-12 20:27:00

Years ago, when I was active in debunking conspiracy theories online, a group of nutters became convinced that I was so evil I must be a Satan worshiper. One of them sent me friendly emails pretending to be a "fellow" Satanist, presumably so he could expose me later. Another wrote, "We know all about you," and went on a laundry list of standard Satan worship clichés that he was convinced I did. 🤣🤣 All because I didn't believe in 9/11 Truther nonsense. It was amazing how convinced they were.

2023-04-11 20:43:46

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#[0] That could be part of why his gall bladder blew up during the production!

2023-04-11 18:11:20

It's up! Here's my latest video, a deep dive, historical and background analysis of the classic 1955 World War II comedy/drama "Mister Roberts." Though a beloved film, it has a dark and troubling backstory and subtext which involves the fate of its original author, Thomas Heggen, and how society failed the so-called "Greatest Generation." Possibly a controversial take.
#[0] #[1] #[2] #[3]
https://youtu.be/hJXYJr0oMUQ

2023-04-11 15:10:10

That feeling when a toot you posted gets boosted all over the place and then you notice you made a typo in it: 😳

2023-04-11 14:48:19

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#[0] Maybe they're secretly signalling that Pigasus would be a better nominee than Joe Biden.

2023-04-09 02:14:09

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#[0] That's quite an album cover!

2023-04-08 17:19:13

What is the name of that instance where all the conspiracy nutters and rightwing propagandists are congregating? I saw it yesterday but forgot what it was and I want to block it. Started with an N.

2023-04-07 05:55:09

Here is a first class stateroom aboard the Italian liner SS Michelangelo, circa 1965. This was one of the last ships ever built with North Atlantic service primarily in mind. You can see this as an end point in passenger liner interior design. Honestly, doesn't look very comfortable, but I bet the Italian food on this ship was awesome! #[0] #[1] #[2]
https://media.metalhead.club/media_attachments/files/110/155/974/835/038/736/original/dbeb3651bc2588df.jpg

2023-04-07 00:08:57

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#[0] That's what I've been doing wrong all these years!

2023-04-07 00:05:27

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#[0] I don't get it either. I'm far to the left of where I was even 20 years ago.

2023-04-06 23:03:20

I'm not one for conspiracies generally, but I can't help thinking that if it wasn't for the big toilet manufacturers medical science would have found a cure for pooping a long time ago.

#[0]

#[0]

#[0]

Just chillin in the park, sporting a yellow scarf. Source: schwifty_in_the_city on Instagram. #[0] #[1] #[2]
https://media.metalhead.club/media_attachments/files/110/152/393/771/084/997/original/8b6f957400bba39a.png

2023-04-06 02:33:50

I think it is generally bad to refer to entire wars, historically, by their U.S. military operation names.
E.g., don't say, "He was a veteran of Operation Desert Storm," but rather, "He was a veteran of the Persian Gulf War."
Operation names are ephemeral and often propagandistic, and in any event have no resonance for non-U.S. people. #[0]

2023-04-06 02:05:23

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#[0] Now that has me imagining a Korean War-themed redo of "Chess," such as a number called "One Night in Incheon" with Douglas MacArthur dancing around a chess board.

2023-04-06 01:22:47

Teaching is so weird sometimes. I went in to my 8th grade class today ready to discuss the Korean War and somehow came out of the classroom with Falco's "Rock me Amadeus" stuck in my head. I have no idea what the connection between those two things are.

2023-04-05 20:20:29

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#[0] Oh sure. It would not be a funny or light hearted thing.

2023-04-05 19:03:35

For my next historical video (after I finish Mr. Roberts, the one I'm on), I'm thinking of doing a documentary on something fairly recent--say, the Iraq War--but in silent movie style. Sepia tones, 1920s visual style, no dialogue or voice over, with title cards, soundtrack all classical music and antique jazz. Call it "The Iraq War: The Silent Documentary." What do you think? Good idea or dumb idea? #[0]

2023-04-05 17:34:41

So, who can I piss off with articles from my blog today? Lotta grumbles yesterday. 😜

2023-04-05 12:18:53

#[0]

2023-04-05 01:22:47

I did an article a while back on the anniversary of the invasion of Ukraine. I'm still dumbfounded that so much of the world misunderstands Putin, what he wants and how he thinks. The key to understanding him is seeing him in the context of Russian rulers of the past. He's losing the war, and that's good, but it will still be a long haul til it's over. His best option is to wait out the West. It might work. #[0] #[1] #[2] #[3] #[4] https://www.gardenofmemory.net/frozen-giant-putins-options-one-year-into-the-ukraine-war/

2023-04-04 18:00:50

Well, once again, my historical analyses seem to have made me some enemies...this time among the "vote blue no matter who" crowd. Not that I'm surprised.

2023-04-04 16:51:46

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#[0] I was on the Wacken Metal Battle jury in 2008. There is some stiff competition but so many great bands and they all work so hard. A winner from Mexico would be awesome!

2023-04-04 16:49:19

#[0]

2023-04-04 16:21:47

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#[0] Well, forgive me for drawing conclusions based on historical evidence and imperfect alignments of circumstances (there are no other kinds in history), which is, after all, my job.

2023-04-04 16:13:45

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#[0] Sounds like you didn't read the article. In it I clearly identify my reasons for concluding that democratic societies have a very poor track record of stopping fascism with elections or legal procedures. Didn't work in Italy. Didn't work in Germany. Given the crisis of democracy that's gotten steadily worse in the US in the last 40 years, it doesn't seem to be working too well here either.

2023-04-04 16:01:12

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#[0] I reject wishful thinking, but I'm only looking at the historical track record, so what do I know.

2023-04-04 15:23:30

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#[0] I guess I missed the part where "encouraging civic participation, no matter what" is in my mission as a historian. Thanks so much for telling me how to do my job! 👌

2023-04-04 15:07:27

#[0]

2023-04-04 14:59:55

#[0]

2023-04-04 14:42:01

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#[0] I don't have that answer. I wish I was that smart. As a historian I can only tell you what worked to defeat fascism last time: armed conflict on a global scale.

2023-04-04 01:34:09

It's been a few weeks since I wrote this, but still apropos. Fascism is undoubtedly on the rise in the modern world. Here's why, and here's why it's so difficult to stop. Voting won't stop them. Courts and the legal system probably won't either. It's not pretty, but this is what the historical record shows us. #[0] #[1]
https://www.gardenofmemory.net/why-fascism-is-on-the-rise-again-and-why-we-wont-stop-it/

2023-04-04 00:09:22

#[0]

2023-04-03 22:52:41

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#[0] You're in the Army now?

2023-04-03 14:47:56

#[0]

2023-04-03 14:43:13

Two sleeping Bostons to brighten up your Monday. #[0] #[1] #[2] #[3]
https://media.metalhead.club/media_attachments/files/110/135/404/711/224/095/original/6e0e31b7e606eca0.png

2023-04-03 06:23:58

I teach a free online course all about the attack on Pearl Harbor, its significance, background, context and aftermath. It consists of 17 in-depth video chapters. Someone just signed up tonight. It's still one of the best things I've done! If interested, there's signup info in the link. So glad this is getting traction again! #[0] #[1] #[2] #[3]
https://www.seanmunger.com/pearl-harbor-more
https://media.metalhead.club/media_attachments/files/110/133/441/550/675/548/original/bb55ac47398bf7c4.jpg

2023-04-03 01:37:09

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#[0] Pixabay is the one I was just looking at.

2023-04-03 01:26:35

Ugh. Even the slightest encounter with stock photo banks is an utterly horrendous experience. It goes even beyond specifically searching for photos of women. Looking for photos of landscapes of a foreign country, like Vietnam or China, will bring up dozens of pictures of scantily clad Asian babes lounging in steaming pools or wearing suggestive kimonos. It really is disgusting how biased photo banks are.

2023-04-02 22:25:27

I hate asking for money, but I've launched the paid premium tier of my blog, The Garden of Memory. Thank you #[0] for a little extra inspiration! #[1] #[2]
https://www.gardenofmemory.net/the-premium-tier-has-launched/

2023-04-02 16:10:47

So, I think I'm going to launch the paid tier of my blog today. First paid article will be a behind-the-scenes of my fiction WIP.
Big step for me!

#[0]

#[0]

#[0]

We need more movies where people infiltrate remote Alpine castles and kill lots of Nazis.

2023-04-02 03:32:00

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#[0] I think I gave a lunchtime talk in that room once.
I love the main reading room. My seat was at the very back, far left corner.

2023-04-01 19:53:04

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#[0] Dear God, who said that? 🤦‍♂️ Some journo probably?

2023-04-01 15:37:00

#[0]