old grump fka proportionwheel.
@proportionwheel.bsky.social
Artist who did graphic design for money, now making art again and bringing in no money. Old. Left-liberal politics, amateur telescope maker, pretty good cook. With no idea how this is all going to turn out, but deeply frightened for my grandkids.
Pinned
Fair notice: I do not follow back accounts that follow thousands, have hundreds of “follow backs,” but no posts or replies.
I regret to inform you that there is indeed a village in Vermont called “Felchville”
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Felchvi...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Felchvi...
Felchville, Vermont - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
November 22, 2025 at 6:18 PM
I regret to inform you that there is indeed a village in Vermont called “Felchville”
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Felchvi...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Felchvi...
I would find it pleasant if there were a little flag that came up when you hovered over “blocked post” with the name of the blocked account, just for the satisfaction
November 22, 2025 at 4:58 AM
I would find it pleasant if there were a little flag that came up when you hovered over “blocked post” with the name of the blocked account, just for the satisfaction
are we, at last, to be saved by the sheer absurdity of it all?
November 22, 2025 at 3:07 AM
are we, at last, to be saved by the sheer absurdity of it all?
recommended
The alicublog Friday 'Round-the-Horn is up, with one ROY EDROSO BREAKS IT DOWN freebie (Ya want more? Subscribe, it's cheap!) and some deep thought about Trump's patty-cake with Mamdani. alicublog.blogspot.com/2025/11/frid...
<B>FRIDAY 'ROUND-THE-HORN: TRUMP EMBRACES SOCIALISM EDITION.</B>
Where they spend their se-molians / Just to watch those cre-olians / Skippin', hippin′, doin' the uptown lowdown. (Chick Webb!) The week w...
alicublog.blogspot.com
November 22, 2025 at 2:57 AM
recommended
short 🧵
holy shit Marjorie taylor greene is resigning. 1
November 22, 2025 at 2:27 AM
short 🧵
There was a period in my life when I could with reasonable accuracy predict what was coming next, politically. That period is definitely over.
November 22, 2025 at 1:44 AM
There was a period in my life when I could with reasonable accuracy predict what was coming next, politically. That period is definitely over.
I sort of love that “see more replies” always opens the dumbest possible comment
November 22, 2025 at 12:07 AM
I sort of love that “see more replies” always opens the dumbest possible comment
Either we toss the Trumpists out, prosecute their crimes, punish the convicted severely, & rebuild the constitutional guardrails legislatively—a decade long process at least, and dependent on continuing public support, but necessary for democracy & regaining allies’ trust
or
we’ll never recover.
or
we’ll never recover.
We’ve endured 10 months of Trump’s mayhem so far. A question I’ve been asking various people is how long they believe it will take for America to recover from Trump — if the nation ever will recover?
What do you think? https://robertreich.substack.com/p/office-hours-how-long-will-it-take
What do you think? https://robertreich.substack.com/p/office-hours-how-long-will-it-take
Office Hours: How long will it take us to recover from Trump?
If we ever will?
robertreich.substack.com
November 21, 2025 at 3:57 PM
Either we toss the Trumpists out, prosecute their crimes, punish the convicted severely, & rebuild the constitutional guardrails legislatively—a decade long process at least, and dependent on continuing public support, but necessary for democracy & regaining allies’ trust
or
we’ll never recover.
or
we’ll never recover.
1) I think my “defining feature” is a bit hyperbolic, but obviously I was talking mainly about AI promoters.
2) I took 5-credit courses in calc., phys., & chem. before deciding to go full liberal arts.
3) a couple intro courses in Lit & History
don’t make you conversant w/ liberal arts in general
2) I took 5-credit courses in calc., phys., & chem. before deciding to go full liberal arts.
3) a couple intro courses in Lit & History
don’t make you conversant w/ liberal arts in general
I’m liberal arts all the way and I honestly don’t remember any professor holding technology in disdain, much less trying to “indoctrinate” that attitude. But contempt for liberal arts is practically the defining feature of tech bros.
November 21, 2025 at 3:29 PM
1) I think my “defining feature” is a bit hyperbolic, but obviously I was talking mainly about AI promoters.
2) I took 5-credit courses in calc., phys., & chem. before deciding to go full liberal arts.
3) a couple intro courses in Lit & History
don’t make you conversant w/ liberal arts in general
2) I took 5-credit courses in calc., phys., & chem. before deciding to go full liberal arts.
3) a couple intro courses in Lit & History
don’t make you conversant w/ liberal arts in general
stick season mood
November 21, 2025 at 2:12 AM
stick season mood
“My dog doesn’t like me”
There are tens of millions of criminal illegals in our country.
“I put my beer down somewhere and now I can’t find it”
There are tens of millions of criminal illegals in our country.
There are tens of millions of criminal illegals in our country.
“I put my beer down somewhere and now I can’t find it”
There are tens of millions of criminal illegals in our country.
this defies parody. also helps explain why Sec Bessent bizarrely blamed immigrants when confronted with a question about high beef prices
November 20, 2025 at 5:46 PM
“My dog doesn’t like me”
There are tens of millions of criminal illegals in our country.
“I put my beer down somewhere and now I can’t find it”
There are tens of millions of criminal illegals in our country.
There are tens of millions of criminal illegals in our country.
“I put my beer down somewhere and now I can’t find it”
There are tens of millions of criminal illegals in our country.
I came in at 90 after admitting that I have read books in public, and apparently reading, like sex, should be done in private. I’m so embarrassed.
It helps when you're so old you don't know even know what most of these things are. I read and have read Pride and Prejudice, which appear to be crimes now.
November 20, 2025 at 2:58 PM
I came in at 90 after admitting that I have read books in public, and apparently reading, like sex, should be done in private. I’m so embarrassed.
Guessing Summers wasn’t greeted cordially by his students this week
November 20, 2025 at 1:19 AM
Guessing Summers wasn’t greeted cordially by his students this week
I couldn’t make myself read more than the beginning of that Texas case dissent, so I only learned about his Soros fixation from others. Aside from the antisemitic essence, the number of un-evidenced assertions is unprecedented and deeply problematic for a sitting *judge,* isn’t it? I mean, wow.
November 19, 2025 at 10:41 PM
I couldn’t make myself read more than the beginning of that Texas case dissent, so I only learned about his Soros fixation from others. Aside from the antisemitic essence, the number of un-evidenced assertions is unprecedented and deeply problematic for a sitting *judge,* isn’t it? I mean, wow.
It is incumbent upon this entire community to make sure that Phil gets his “DAMMITPHIL” every day—and upon Phil to deserve it.
A day without a DAMMITPHIL is like a day I don’t have the internet.
DAMMITPHIL
November 19, 2025 at 10:34 PM
It is incumbent upon this entire community to make sure that Phil gets his “DAMMITPHIL” every day—and upon Phil to deserve it.
Reposted by old grump fka proportionwheel.
The article I've been wanting to write.
Opinion | How to Utterly Miss the Point of the Jeffrey Epstein Story
www.nytimes.com
November 19, 2025 at 1:24 PM
The article I've been wanting to write.
Sad news.
That said, and I mean no disrespect, I re-posted this mainly because apparently “Nigersaurus taqueti” had a gigantic toenail clipper for a jaw.
That said, and I mean no disrespect, I re-posted this mainly because apparently “Nigersaurus taqueti” had a gigantic toenail clipper for a jaw.
The paleo community is mourning the passing of giant. Philippe Taquet passed away on Sunday at 85. I was honored to meet him in his Paris office in 2007. Later that year, we published on a sauropod from his beloved Gadoufaoua in Niger, Africa, & named for him—Sereno et al. 2007: bit.ly/3WZLKdF 🦕
November 18, 2025 at 9:28 PM
Sad news.
That said, and I mean no disrespect, I re-posted this mainly because apparently “Nigersaurus taqueti” had a gigantic toenail clipper for a jaw.
That said, and I mean no disrespect, I re-posted this mainly because apparently “Nigersaurus taqueti” had a gigantic toenail clipper for a jaw.
worth remembering that Trump could just release the files, no need for Congressional action.
November 18, 2025 at 5:20 PM
worth remembering that Trump could just release the files, no need for Congressional action.
Reposted by old grump fka proportionwheel.
I know it's hardly the top priority, but could is there any way we could add "mandatory headphone jack on every smartphone" to the Woke 2 agenda?
November 18, 2025 at 3:37 PM
I know it's hardly the top priority, but could is there any way we could add "mandatory headphone jack on every smartphone" to the Woke 2 agenda?
There are a lot of prominent people who really should STFU, but no one should STFU more than this guy.
That there was a time when I liked him is embarrassing.
That there was a time when I liked him is embarrassing.
Btw about this from Lizza's reply: Olivia and I lived together for 4+ years (4 b'days, 4 Xmases, 4 anniversaries). That's like $1250 of jewelry per celebration. And her apartment was a writing studio. And I made an f-ton then. What was I supposed to do? Get her a lot of Gift Certificates from Kmart?
November 18, 2025 at 3:20 PM
There are a lot of prominent people who really should STFU, but no one should STFU more than this guy.
That there was a time when I liked him is embarrassing.
That there was a time when I liked him is embarrassing.
...and for her turgid prose. Maybe rename the Bulwer-Lytton prize after her.
We’re not slut shaming her! We’re shaming her for her choice of one very specific partner!
Everyone in my feed is shitting on Nuzzi. Meanwhile, the other person in the saga is now destroying the medical community and endangering public health.
But let’s slut shame Nuzzi.
But let’s slut shame Nuzzi.
November 18, 2025 at 5:15 AM
...and for her turgid prose. Maybe rename the Bulwer-Lytton prize after her.
acknowledging other humans
vs.
solipsism / narcissism
which do you choose?
vs.
solipsism / narcissism
which do you choose?
November 17, 2025 at 11:41 PM
acknowledging other humans
vs.
solipsism / narcissism
which do you choose?
vs.
solipsism / narcissism
which do you choose?
It’s distilled narcissism in the form of a book
November 17, 2025 at 8:25 PM
It’s distilled narcissism in the form of a book