Rob Lion
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rnlion.bsky.social
Rob Lion
@rnlion.bsky.social
390 followers 540 following 340 posts
Mechanical engineer building particle accelerators, formerly quantum computers. Technology and infrastructure history; reverse engineering. Cats. He/him.
Also @rnlion@Twitter and @[email protected]
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rnlion.bsky.social
Undefeated; the best of social media.
Screenshot of tweet that says: me: hey does anyone have any readings on medieval north African trade networks 17 follower alcoholic who works at a bakery: [link to 157 page pdf] yeah I think this is pretty enlightening
October 8, 2025 at 8:01 AM
rnlion.bsky.social
Superintendent Chalmers and Principal Skinner on the front porch, from the Steamed Hams bit. "May I see it?" "No."
September 16, 2025 at 4:04 PM
rnlion.bsky.social
Superintendent Chalmers and Principal Skinner on the front porch, from the Steamed Hams bit. "May I see it?" "No."
September 16, 2025 at 4:03 PM
rnlion.bsky.social
Retvrn:
The quintessential late-1990s computer desk. A one-piece medium-brown wood design with integrated hutch. A beige CRT monitor in the center, with a rack full of CDs to its left. Two drawers at the bottom on each side, with a beige PC tower on the right, and some software boxes and paper racks on the left. Small speakers on the middle hutch shelves, and a compact upright inkjet printer on the top right. The center section of the desk with keyboard/mouse drawer appears to pull out separately on small wheels, below the monitor shelf. via https://petapixel.com/2024/01/05/photo-of-classic-computer-setup-taken-when-the-internet-was-still-a-place-sparks-nostalgia/
August 14, 2025 at 6:31 AM
rnlion.bsky.social
Some people have been training for this their entire lives.
Screengrab from Street Fighter II of Ken in the car-breaking bonus stage.
August 11, 2025 at 8:18 PM
rnlion.bsky.social
Highlighting the difference between a Rabbit and a Hare.
A gravel path winding up a hillside of dry grass. In the background, a good-sized brown rabbit, with a low posture and moderately long ears. In the foreground, a hare, much larger, with an upright posture and extremely long ears.
August 2, 2025 at 4:46 PM
rnlion.bsky.social
Walked across town this morning and saw some cool cars.
The rear view of a heavily customized car parallel-parked on a suburban street. Likely based on a late-1980s Toyota Cressida, it has heavily "stanced" tires, suspension, and fender flares, with only a few millimeters of fender clearance. It is painted white with yellow, red, and checkered racing stripes down the side. The left taillight and rear bumper have been completely eliminated by bodywork, with a large decal saying "TOM'S" covering most of the left rear of the car. The exhaust pipe sticks nearly 2 feet past the rear of the body. The rear passenger door has been sealed shut by bodywork, although the stock windows are still present. A large number "3" decal covers the front passenger door. A front view of the same car from the first picture, showing custom bodywork extending the hood and upper fenders nearly a foot past the lower fascia. There are no headlights or grille present, just a large gaping opening. A decal of white Japanese text covers the upper third of the windshield. The interior appears to be left-hand drive and mostly stock. A photo showing the previous car in the background, with another nearly-stock 1980s white Toyota Cressida parked in the foreground. It has side mirrors on the front fenders, black fuzzy dice hanging from the windshield mirror, and possibly a lightly stanced suspension.
March 19, 2025 at 8:18 PM
rnlion.bsky.social
Saw a cool truck the other day.
A white Volkswagen T3 Transporter double-cab pickup truck from the late 1980s. The truck bed has an extra-tall cap painted with "Performance Auto Glass". The front door has a "4WD" logo. It is backing into a parallel-parking space next to a tree.
March 19, 2025 at 7:35 PM
rnlion.bsky.social
Silicon Valley sign of the times: a Range Rover that someone is clearly living out of.
A black Range Rover SUV (model year 2006-2009) parked on the side of the road by a grassy verge, with the windows covered by a large piece of black fabric clamped crudely in the door frames. A dog water bowl sits on the curb by the front tire.
March 19, 2025 at 7:19 PM
rnlion.bsky.social
Screenshot of SimCity 2000 advisor saying, "You can't cut back on funding! You will regret this!"
March 3, 2025 at 4:26 AM
rnlion.bsky.social
Oh. That's probably fine, then.
Screenshot of an article headline from the MarketWatch website: "Investors should avoid 'knee-jerk' reaction to 'World War III' comments from White House, says strategist" Article URL https://www.marketwatch.com/livecoverage/stock-market-today-dow-s-p-500-nasdaq-set-for-cautious-start-ahead-of-key-pce-data/card/investors-should-avoid-knee-jerk-reaction-to-world-war-iii-comments-from-white-house-says-strategist-ZcJNmV3wgJ0nEm1myQds
February 28, 2025 at 9:20 PM
rnlion.bsky.social
Today I learned about FARO Crime Zone, a CAD software package specifically for documenting crime scenes.
A screenshot of a CAD software package, with a toolbar of drawing tools on the left. The main document viewport shows a 2D view of a building floorplan with walls, furniture and a door swing, labeled "Office". In the middle of the room is a collection of ellipses resembling a posed corpse lying on the floor, with icons resembling a knife, a pool of blood, and bloody footprints leading from the corpse and out the doorway. There are numbered balloons with arrows pointing at various of these features.
February 27, 2025 at 10:05 PM
rnlion.bsky.social
Just trying to buy some air filters here, not share god-knows-what personal information with your eight-hundred-and-sixty-eight "partners", thoroughly vetted I'm sure.
Cripes.
screenshot from a website: "We value your privacy We and our 868 partners use cookies and other tracking technologies to improve your experience on our website."
February 5, 2025 at 6:35 AM
rnlion.bsky.social
Twenty-four years and a month or so after my first, Original Tommy's really does make a tasty chili cheeseburger.
A box with a wrapped chili cheeseburger and a tray of fries with a large drink cup sitting on a concrete table.
October 23, 2023 at 2:08 AM