Sean O'Hara
@noculottes.bsky.social
Author, translator. Polyglot, polyamorous, polygonal. Knower of things. Mostly real.
My posts may be licensed for training data in large language models and generative AI at a cost of US $1000 per word.
My posts may be licensed for training data in large language models and generative AI at a cost of US $1000 per word.
Republicans: "Sure the President lost the popular vote by five points, but the vast amount of red on the map proves that we have a popular mandate."
Democrats: "Unless we win by a 2:1 margin, we must assume that all our policies are unpopular and we should enact Republican policies."
Democrats: "Unless we win by a 2:1 margin, we must assume that all our policies are unpopular and we should enact Republican policies."
December 20, 2025 at 10:45 PM
Republicans: "Sure the President lost the popular vote by five points, but the vast amount of red on the map proves that we have a popular mandate."
Democrats: "Unless we win by a 2:1 margin, we must assume that all our policies are unpopular and we should enact Republican policies."
Democrats: "Unless we win by a 2:1 margin, we must assume that all our policies are unpopular and we should enact Republican policies."
Better than that: the book's named after an Irish ballad about the Troubles.
December 19, 2025 at 7:01 PM
Better than that: the book's named after an Irish ballad about the Troubles.
Half the DMV still calls the airport National.
December 18, 2025 at 6:54 PM
Half the DMV still calls the airport National.
Wow, Summers left before he got implicated in the Epstein stuff?
December 17, 2025 at 1:43 PM
Wow, Summers left before he got implicated in the Epstein stuff?
Most likely he means that at some point they expropriated land from the United Fruit Company.
December 17, 2025 at 12:16 AM
Most likely he means that at some point they expropriated land from the United Fruit Company.
I've seen too many posts on writer forums from people who are obsessively constructing magic systems with hard snd fast rules because that's how Brandon Sanderson does it. To me, that's the antithesis of magic. Magic is numinous, not mechanistic.
December 16, 2025 at 1:46 PM
I've seen too many posts on writer forums from people who are obsessively constructing magic systems with hard snd fast rules because that's how Brandon Sanderson does it. To me, that's the antithesis of magic. Magic is numinous, not mechanistic.
The fatal flaw of modern fantasy is writers decided to make the wizards and witches their POV characters instead of mysterious figures who did cool shit nobody understands. Once you cross that bridge, it's inevitable that the mechanism of magic must be explained.
December 16, 2025 at 3:37 AM
The fatal flaw of modern fantasy is writers decided to make the wizards and witches their POV characters instead of mysterious figures who did cool shit nobody understands. Once you cross that bridge, it's inevitable that the mechanism of magic must be explained.
And his eighth film at least inspired one of Roger Ebert's best reviews.
December 15, 2025 at 3:14 AM
And his eighth film at least inspired one of Roger Ebert's best reviews.
They might still be new to Scalzi, either because he's lighter than what they'd read in print but that makes him better suited for driving, or because they have more time for listening than reading and are able to sample more writers.
December 14, 2025 at 11:52 PM
They might still be new to Scalzi, either because he's lighter than what they'd read in print but that makes him better suited for driving, or because they have more time for listening than reading and are able to sample more writers.
I can see the germ of a good idea in the trailer (Animal Farm as a metaphor for an idealistic tech startup that gets co-opted by venture capitalists) but I don't have faith in the movie pulling it off.
December 13, 2025 at 7:35 PM
I can see the germ of a good idea in the trailer (Animal Farm as a metaphor for an idealistic tech startup that gets co-opted by venture capitalists) but I don't have faith in the movie pulling it off.
No, they're only the distributor. Apparently nobody else would touch the film.
December 13, 2025 at 7:31 PM
No, they're only the distributor. Apparently nobody else would touch the film.
The book's barely in the top 10 for biographies of journalists on Amazon, and is getting beaten by decades old books by David Eggers and Hunter S. Thompson.
December 13, 2025 at 5:39 PM
The book's barely in the top 10 for biographies of journalists on Amazon, and is getting beaten by decades old books by David Eggers and Hunter S. Thompson.
This might be true on open highways between urban areas, but in the places where most people do most of their highway driving an extra 10mph significantly increases the likelihood of getting in an accident.
December 13, 2025 at 3:03 PM
This might be true on open highways between urban areas, but in the places where most people do most of their highway driving an extra 10mph significantly increases the likelihood of getting in an accident.
Speed limits for surface streets are calculated based upon decades of data. They are set lower than the actual safe speed because the data shows that 90% of drivers go 5 over the limit.
December 13, 2025 at 2:48 PM
Speed limits for surface streets are calculated based upon decades of data. They are set lower than the actual safe speed because the data shows that 90% of drivers go 5 over the limit.
Chomsky did know Epstein was a pedo. They met after Epstein pleaded guilty. Chomsky talked him up as late as 2017.
December 13, 2025 at 2:39 PM
Chomsky did know Epstein was a pedo. They met after Epstein pleaded guilty. Chomsky talked him up as late as 2017.
I routinely drive on roads where the posted speed is 75mph. Driving 60 would get me pulled over for obstructing traffic.
December 13, 2025 at 5:47 AM
I routinely drive on roads where the posted speed is 75mph. Driving 60 would get me pulled over for obstructing traffic.
The picture from the Epstein files, which also includes emails he sent to Epstein. But other than engaging with pedophiles and fascists...
December 13, 2025 at 5:31 AM
The picture from the Epstein files, which also includes emails he sent to Epstein. But other than engaging with pedophiles and fascists...
He's not a fraud, he's a shadowy reflection of a fraud?
December 13, 2025 at 5:28 AM
He's not a fraud, he's a shadowy reflection of a fraud?
The movie Dave contains the origins of Doge in the popular consciousness: the fake Prez calls his small town accountant and they balance the budget over some beers by cutting all the "waste."
December 12, 2025 at 7:26 PM
The movie Dave contains the origins of Doge in the popular consciousness: the fake Prez calls his small town accountant and they balance the budget over some beers by cutting all the "waste."
Remembering the Asimov story about the guy who invents a chronovisor for historic research, but users immediately realize the past ends one second ago and start creeping on each other.
A perfect encapsulation of AI usecases.
A perfect encapsulation of AI usecases.
December 12, 2025 at 2:07 PM
Remembering the Asimov story about the guy who invents a chronovisor for historic research, but users immediately realize the past ends one second ago and start creeping on each other.
A perfect encapsulation of AI usecases.
A perfect encapsulation of AI usecases.
There was one obscure academic at the University of Colorado who called people in the World Trade Center "little Eichmanns," and that's all Fox talked about for a month.
December 11, 2025 at 12:34 AM
There was one obscure academic at the University of Colorado who called people in the World Trade Center "little Eichmanns," and that's all Fox talked about for a month.