Matthew Dessem
@matthewdessem.bsky.social
I’m the enchanting wizard of rhythm. I came here to tell you about the rhythms of the universe.
The Scientologists have a Cybertruck.
December 1, 2025 at 10:59 PM
The Scientologists have a Cybertruck.
Strong Floor, No Ceiling!
November 30, 2025 at 6:54 PM
Strong Floor, No Ceiling!
So that’s what that was about.
November 30, 2025 at 3:54 AM
So that’s what that was about.
It is accomplished!
November 28, 2025 at 1:08 AM
It is accomplished!
This is our dog. I profiled her for the Dissolve once! Since then she has been in seclusion from the media.
November 28, 2025 at 12:49 AM
This is our dog. I profiled her for the Dissolve once! Since then she has been in seclusion from the media.
You’ve gone too far this time, Woolgar (2002)!
November 24, 2025 at 9:52 PM
You’ve gone too far this time, Woolgar (2002)!
Excited about “Golgo 13,” but I want to point out that consumer home video recording technology began in the 1960s, not the 1970s. The Sony CV-2000 is from 1965.
November 20, 2025 at 7:15 PM
Excited about “Golgo 13,” but I want to point out that consumer home video recording technology began in the 1960s, not the 1970s. The Sony CV-2000 is from 1965.
TFW it is 1985 and you are an academic who does not sell as many books as Marshall McLuhan.
November 17, 2025 at 6:40 PM
TFW it is 1985 and you are an academic who does not sell as many books as Marshall McLuhan.
Ghost blimp. Ghost blimp!
November 17, 2025 at 6:30 PM
Ghost blimp. Ghost blimp!
Los Angeles briefly had a newspaper called “The Fool Killer.” Newspapers.com has only two issues. Despite having a cool name, it was anti-Chinese, anti-women’s suffrage, and had no connection to the comic book character.
November 14, 2025 at 11:30 PM
Los Angeles briefly had a newspaper called “The Fool Killer.” Newspapers.com has only two issues. Despite having a cool name, it was anti-Chinese, anti-women’s suffrage, and had no connection to the comic book character.
Although it spent subsequent decades as the rottenest of rotten boroughs, there was a brief moment when the people in Vernon actually wanted people to move to Vernon.
November 10, 2025 at 9:16 PM
Although it spent subsequent decades as the rottenest of rotten boroughs, there was a brief moment when the people in Vernon actually wanted people to move to Vernon.
TFW you are a librarian who must reluctantly concede that “Jazz” music was more than just a fad.
November 9, 2025 at 8:31 PM
TFW you are a librarian who must reluctantly concede that “Jazz” music was more than just a fad.
You know what has much better looking night shots than that kind of digital mud? The Blob, a movie where the focus puller keeps screwing up. It still looks miles better than most modern cinematography.
November 8, 2025 at 12:27 AM
You know what has much better looking night shots than that kind of digital mud? The Blob, a movie where the focus puller keeps screwing up. It still looks miles better than most modern cinematography.
“Land of Sunshine,” a magazine dedicated to California boosterism, once ran a contest for selling subscriptions in which the grand prize was a 10 acre fig orchard. Bring back fig orchard contests, bring back journalism, simple as.
November 7, 2025 at 10:11 PM
“Land of Sunshine,” a magazine dedicated to California boosterism, once ran a contest for selling subscriptions in which the grand prize was a 10 acre fig orchard. Bring back fig orchard contests, bring back journalism, simple as.
Diane Ladd did all kinds of amazing work over the course of her career, but if you haven’t seen her in “Enlightened,” I think you should.
November 3, 2025 at 9:48 PM
Diane Ladd did all kinds of amazing work over the course of her career, but if you haven’t seen her in “Enlightened,” I think you should.
I am reading “Introduction to the Library and Information Professions” for class and apparently there’s a whole alternate career track called “Information Entrepreneurs,” which pretty clearly includes blackmailers.
November 3, 2025 at 7:20 PM
I am reading “Introduction to the Library and Information Professions” for class and apparently there’s a whole alternate career track called “Information Entrepreneurs,” which pretty clearly includes blackmailers.
Leon’s Cigar Store was the least successful ice cream parlor in town, until the day Leon decided to try something new.
October 31, 2025 at 8:40 PM
Leon’s Cigar Store was the least successful ice cream parlor in town, until the day Leon decided to try something new.
You could be building a pirate AM radio station from the plans found in Western Electric’s 1923 catalog of radio telephone broadcasting equipment RIGHT NOW. But you’re not. And so I think it’s time to ask yourself some tough questions.
October 29, 2025 at 11:11 PM
You could be building a pirate AM radio station from the plans found in Western Electric’s 1923 catalog of radio telephone broadcasting equipment RIGHT NOW. But you’re not. And so I think it’s time to ask yourself some tough questions.
Italian nobleman Rinaldo dei Bonacolsi, a 14th century ruler of Mantua, had a taxidermized hippopotamus (pictured) in his private collection. When he was overthrown and killed by the Gonzagas, they kept the hippo, but displayed it with Rinaldo’s taxidermized body sitting astride it (not pictured).
October 18, 2025 at 9:21 PM
Italian nobleman Rinaldo dei Bonacolsi, a 14th century ruler of Mantua, had a taxidermized hippopotamus (pictured) in his private collection. When he was overthrown and killed by the Gonzagas, they kept the hippo, but displayed it with Rinaldo’s taxidermized body sitting astride it (not pictured).
If your headline is “BONES, BONES, EVERYWHERE,” and your kicker is “I don’t see what toes have to do with dentistry,“ you should get an automatic Pulitzer no matter what the rest of the article is about.
October 17, 2025 at 11:14 PM
If your headline is “BONES, BONES, EVERYWHERE,” and your kicker is “I don’t see what toes have to do with dentistry,“ you should get an automatic Pulitzer no matter what the rest of the article is about.
Technically, he’s right, they didn’t turture her. As far as I know they’ve never turtured anyone!
![Text from the OED, reading:
OED
•turtur
NOUN
First published 1916; not fully revised
Obsolete.
= turtle n.
Old English-1649
OE Speara gemoeted him hus & turtur nest hwer gesettao briddas his.
Vespasian Psalter Ixxxiii. 4 [Ixxxiv. 3] ...
OE Patte sealdon..tuoe turturas vel tuoge
birdas culfras.
Lindisfarne Gospels Luke ii. 24 ...](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:f2sg3ygf633embjv5c6xvybb/bafkreidm3nkw5tz377bio4ius55olzhytwzdfiyomihobhomyj6et4dtzm@jpeg)
October 16, 2025 at 5:37 PM
Technically, he’s right, they didn’t turture her. As far as I know they’ve never turtured anyone!
“Cruel” is a slippery word here because it brings in a lot of concepts that aren’t really in play when you insult a computer program! But yeah, we just disagree on this.
October 5, 2025 at 6:36 AM
“Cruel” is a slippery word here because it brings in a lot of concepts that aren’t really in play when you insult a computer program! But yeah, we just disagree on this.
Using “cruelty” is slippery. Can inanimate or lifeless objects suffer, or feel pain or misery? It might not be good to destroy objects, but it also isn’t cruel, at least not to the objects.
October 5, 2025 at 5:52 AM
Using “cruelty” is slippery. Can inanimate or lifeless objects suffer, or feel pain or misery? It might not be good to destroy objects, but it also isn’t cruel, at least not to the objects.
We don’t come up for customized slurs for inanimate objects at all, because “slur” is reserved for people.
October 5, 2025 at 3:26 AM
We don’t come up for customized slurs for inanimate objects at all, because “slur” is reserved for people.
A few small beers!
October 4, 2025 at 6:02 AM
A few small beers!