Alexandre Muñiz
@two-star.bsky.social
Math puzzles, choral singing, Irish and Morris dancing, SF, fantasy, and romance reading, shiny object collecting.
"The arc of the moral universe is short, and heading straight to hell." Abraham Lincoln, 1855
Abraham Lincoln, 1855.
www.abrahamlincolnonline.org/lincoln/spee...
www.abrahamlincolnonline.org/lincoln/spee...
![I am not a Know-Nothing. That is certain. How could I be? How can any one who abhors the oppression of negroes, be in favor or degrading classes of white people? Our progress in degeneracy appears to me to be pretty rapid. As a nation, we began by declaring that "all men are created equal." We now practically read it "all men are created equal, except negroes" When the Know-Nothings get control, it will read "all men are created equal, except negroes, and foreigners, and Catholics." When it comes to this I should prefer emigrating to some country where they make no pretence of loving liberty -- to Russia, for instance, where despotism can be taken pure, and without the base alloy of hypocracy [sic].](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:egd33s7iuqsmwlwab6mbtrqi/bafkreiaaicjid4jg3oongeah73ukqvwsqv4vwbp75q4f755nldtcfermhi@jpeg)
November 28, 2025 at 11:04 PM
"The arc of the moral universe is short, and heading straight to hell." Abraham Lincoln, 1855
There are 22 ways to connect two half-weight cells to a tromino. To get a proper generalized tiling where all cells have weight 1, the half-weight cells must overlap. Here they are tiling a 11×8 rectangle such that that the overlaps form a single loop. #TilingTuesday
November 25, 2025 at 10:22 AM
There are 22 ways to connect two half-weight cells to a tromino. To get a proper generalized tiling where all cells have weight 1, the half-weight cells must overlap. Here they are tiling a 11×8 rectangle such that that the overlaps form a single loop. #TilingTuesday
I highly recommend this series if you like fluffy fantasy with sapphic romance and a deeply worked out system of gods and associated divine magic.
November 23, 2025 at 5:17 PM
I highly recommend this series if you like fluffy fantasy with sapphic romance and a deeply worked out system of gods and associated divine magic.
Oh, life
It's bigger,
It's bigger than you and you are not me,
The lengths that I will go to,
The distance in your eyes.
Oh no, I've said too much,
I set it up.
It's bigger,
It's bigger than you and you are not me,
The lengths that I will go to,
The distance in your eyes.
Oh no, I've said too much,
I set it up.
What have I become
My sweetest friend
Everyone I know goes away
In the end
And you could have it all
My empire of dirt
I will let you down
I will make you hurt
My sweetest friend
Everyone I know goes away
In the end
And you could have it all
My empire of dirt
I will let you down
I will make you hurt
November 23, 2025 at 4:07 AM
Oh, life
It's bigger,
It's bigger than you and you are not me,
The lengths that I will go to,
The distance in your eyes.
Oh no, I've said too much,
I set it up.
It's bigger,
It's bigger than you and you are not me,
The lengths that I will go to,
The distance in your eyes.
Oh no, I've said too much,
I set it up.
Reposted by Alexandre Muñiz
Portland: Highly damaging transit service cuts may be coming in the next year. Still no sign of a plan on how to prevent them.
No, there is not a lot of waste in the system; almost all service is justified by ridership or equity (we did that work).
trimet.org/servicecuts/...
No, there is not a lot of waste in the system; almost all service is justified by ridership or equity (we did that work).
trimet.org/servicecuts/...
Planned Bus and MAX Service Cuts
Due to a growing budget gap, we must cut some TriMet service starting in November 2025.
trimet.org
November 19, 2025 at 11:06 PM
Portland: Highly damaging transit service cuts may be coming in the next year. Still no sign of a plan on how to prevent them.
No, there is not a lot of waste in the system; almost all service is justified by ridership or equity (we did that work).
trimet.org/servicecuts/...
No, there is not a lot of waste in the system; almost all service is justified by ridership or equity (we did that work).
trimet.org/servicecuts/...
Reposted by Alexandre Muñiz
tax the empty (lots)
November 16, 2025 at 9:56 PM
tax the empty (lots)
Reposted by Alexandre Muñiz
Mathematics can free minds in the tightest of constraints.
"Every time I opened a textbook or read a research paper, every day I stayed clean, every time I showed compassion to the people around me, I was fighting a system that wanted me to fail."
Read: www.prisonmathproject.org/blog/the-pri...
"Every time I opened a textbook or read a research paper, every day I stayed clean, every time I showed compassion to the people around me, I was fighting a system that wanted me to fail."
Read: www.prisonmathproject.org/blog/the-pri...
November 18, 2025 at 10:07 PM
Mathematics can free minds in the tightest of constraints.
"Every time I opened a textbook or read a research paper, every day I stayed clean, every time I showed compassion to the people around me, I was fighting a system that wanted me to fail."
Read: www.prisonmathproject.org/blog/the-pri...
"Every time I opened a textbook or read a research paper, every day I stayed clean, every time I showed compassion to the people around me, I was fighting a system that wanted me to fail."
Read: www.prisonmathproject.org/blog/the-pri...
Reposted by Alexandre Muñiz
Part 158 of 200 in historically interesting things to inspire your ttrpg
16th century German ring that unfolds into an astronomical sphere
16th century German ring that unfolds into an astronomical sphere
November 18, 2025 at 1:14 AM
Part 158 of 200 in historically interesting things to inspire your ttrpg
16th century German ring that unfolds into an astronomical sphere
16th century German ring that unfolds into an astronomical sphere
There's a "What perfect album came out the year you turned 16?" meme going around, and for various reasons, that was a terrible year to pick. Many bands I still like had a 1989 album followed by a '91 or '92 album. 1990 hits right at the cassette / CD transition... 1/2
November 17, 2025 at 8:56 AM
There's a "What perfect album came out the year you turned 16?" meme going around, and for various reasons, that was a terrible year to pick. Many bands I still like had a 1989 album followed by a '91 or '92 album. 1990 hits right at the cassette / CD transition... 1/2
There are 20 ways (up to rotation and reflection) to make polyiamonds where each cell edge has one or two notches, and the total number of notches on the perimeter is 7. These have a total of 81 cells, and tile a triangle nicely. #TilingTuesday
November 11, 2025 at 5:36 PM
There are 20 ways (up to rotation and reflection) to make polyiamonds where each cell edge has one or two notches, and the total number of notches on the perimeter is 7. These have a total of 81 cells, and tile a triangle nicely. #TilingTuesday
This is how you get "С лёгким паром!"
Single-stair plus multifam zoning on single-fam lots might be what prefab needs to take off. Manufacturing processes require scale and repeatability; only single-family lots deliver those. Homeowners want too much customization in ADUs, but developers might be profit-minded enough to see the vision.
We could panelize it and assemble the whole thing with mass timber
November 6, 2025 at 7:11 AM
This is how you get "С лёгким паром!"
Reposted by Alexandre Muñiz
How do mRNA vaccines help fight cancer?
A @nature.com paper today tells the story, one with big implications, as reviewed here
erictopol.substack.com/p/how-mrna-v...
A @nature.com paper today tells the story, one with big implications, as reviewed here
erictopol.substack.com/p/how-mrna-v...
How mRNA Vaccines Can Help Fight Cancer
Turning "cold" tumors "hot"
erictopol.substack.com
October 22, 2025 at 3:19 PM
How do mRNA vaccines help fight cancer?
A @nature.com paper today tells the story, one with big implications, as reviewed here
erictopol.substack.com/p/how-mrna-v...
A @nature.com paper today tells the story, one with big implications, as reviewed here
erictopol.substack.com/p/how-mrna-v...
Remember during the Clinton/GWB transition, when some outgoing Clinton staffer removed the W keys from some keyboards in the White House and folks were mad, because those were the people's keyboards?
Scoop: Trump has started demolishing the White House's East Wing facade to build his ballroom. The president had claimed construction of the $250 million building wouldn’t ‘interfere’ with the existing White House structure. /W @ddiamond.bsky.social wapo.st/4hqBNiU
White House begins demolishing East Wing facade to build Trump’s ballroom
The president had claimed construction of the $250 million ballroom wouldn’t ‘interfere’ with the existing White House structure.
wapo.st
October 20, 2025 at 10:12 PM
Remember during the Clinton/GWB transition, when some outgoing Clinton staffer removed the W keys from some keyboards in the White House and folks were mad, because those were the people's keyboards?
Never Gonna Give You Up
To shut down rude behavior instantly, try a simple yet powerful five-word response.
Use this 5-word phrase when someone is rude to you—it's like 'holding up a mirror,' says public speaking expert
When we encounter a rude person, our first instinct might be to fire back with a snarky comment. But that's not the right move, says public speaking expert John Bowe. Here's the perfect response to instantly shut down rude behavior.
cnb.cx
October 6, 2025 at 2:59 AM
Never Gonna Give You Up
Well, quite. Just be careful not to turn the camera the other way when you're on the Eastbank Esplanade. (Yes, seriously, Portland is not war-ravaged, but at the same time, if you wanted to argue that it is, some of the best shots you could get are within 200 meters of where that picture is taken.)
September 28, 2025 at 9:58 PM
Well, quite. Just be careful not to turn the camera the other way when you're on the Eastbank Esplanade. (Yes, seriously, Portland is not war-ravaged, but at the same time, if you wanted to argue that it is, some of the best shots you could get are within 200 meters of where that picture is taken.)
The Story So Far:
South Portland used to be a neighborhood. Then came cars. There was a very narrow flat zone between a big steep hill and a river. Traffic from the suburbs to downtown had to be funneled through it. The neighborhood was cut into strips between highways and a freeway.
South Portland used to be a neighborhood. Then came cars. There was a very narrow flat zone between a big steep hill and a river. Traffic from the suburbs to downtown had to be funneled through it. The neighborhood was cut into strips between highways and a freeway.
September 28, 2025 at 3:24 AM
The Story So Far:
South Portland used to be a neighborhood. Then came cars. There was a very narrow flat zone between a big steep hill and a river. Traffic from the suburbs to downtown had to be funneled through it. The neighborhood was cut into strips between highways and a freeway.
South Portland used to be a neighborhood. Then came cars. There was a very narrow flat zone between a big steep hill and a river. Traffic from the suburbs to downtown had to be funneled through it. The neighborhood was cut into strips between highways and a freeway.
Reposted by Alexandre Muñiz
New dice from The Dice Lab (me and Robert Fathauer), which may (?) be useful if you regularly write equations. youtube.com/shorts/fgMox...
September 24, 2025 at 5:11 PM
New dice from The Dice Lab (me and Robert Fathauer), which may (?) be useful if you regularly write equations. youtube.com/shorts/fgMox...
Got it by the skin of my teeth on the first try, but only because math was a ridiculously easy major. (The only one at my college that didn't require a thesis.)
then there's the ADHD wing which flunked out of minimum 3 colleges before possibly getting a degree or maybe not but there's still time to flunk out of a 4th one!!! I believe in us!
speak for yourself, propter. some of us flunked out of community college like respectable adults.
September 11, 2025 at 11:50 PM
Got it by the skin of my teeth on the first try, but only because math was a ridiculously easy major. (The only one at my college that didn't require a thesis.)
Reposted by Alexandre Muñiz
Witnesses Assumed Charlie Kirk Shooter Was Just Ordinary Gunman On School Campus
Witnesses Assumed Charlie Kirk Shooter Was Just Ordinary Gunman On School Campus
OREM, UT—As law enforcement officials search for a person of interest in the assassination of 31-year-old Turning Point USA co-founder Charlie Kirk, witnesses on the scene at Utah Valley University ad...
theonion.com
September 11, 2025 at 7:41 PM
Witnesses Assumed Charlie Kirk Shooter Was Just Ordinary Gunman On School Campus
Pentominoes in a 12×12 grid with a sudoku style cell coloring. (All rows, columns and pentominoes contain all five colors.) This pentomino arrangement was discovered by George Sicherman; I found the cell coloring.
September 10, 2025 at 11:20 PM
Pentominoes in a 12×12 grid with a sudoku style cell coloring. (All rows, columns and pentominoes contain all five colors.) This pentomino arrangement was discovered by George Sicherman; I found the cell coloring.
Reposted by Alexandre Muñiz
get it at stormgold.itch.io/picket-right...
September 9, 2025 at 10:37 PM
get it at stormgold.itch.io/picket-right...
This is simultaneously the pettiest possible bullshit, and also possibly their one action that will do the most to ruin the economy.
The de minimis rule that allowed small packages worth less than $800 to be exempt from tariffs ended on Friday, Aug. 29, 2025.
Postal traffic to US drops more than 80% after trade exemption rule ends, UN agency says
The de minimis rule that allowed small packages worth less than $800 to be exempt from tariffs ended on Friday, Aug. 29, 2025.
n.pr
September 7, 2025 at 10:08 PM
This is simultaneously the pettiest possible bullshit, and also possibly their one action that will do the most to ruin the economy.
Reposted by Alexandre Muñiz
A secular transition is happening in countries around the world. Detailed explanation🧪 www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Many Muslim-majority countries, Hindu-majority India in early stage. Countries with large Buddhist & Christian populations in later stages.
Blog: www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/...
Many Muslim-majority countries, Hindu-majority India in early stage. Countries with large Buddhist & Christian populations in later stages.
Blog: www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/...
September 6, 2025 at 6:28 PM
A secular transition is happening in countries around the world. Detailed explanation🧪 www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Many Muslim-majority countries, Hindu-majority India in early stage. Countries with large Buddhist & Christian populations in later stages.
Blog: www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/...
Many Muslim-majority countries, Hindu-majority India in early stage. Countries with large Buddhist & Christian populations in later stages.
Blog: www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/...
Reposted by Alexandre Muñiz
We needed to wash the dog today, so we cleared out all the math sculptures that live in the bathroom.
September 6, 2025 at 8:58 PM
We needed to wash the dog today, so we cleared out all the math sculptures that live in the bathroom.
Reposted by Alexandre Muñiz
The last time Seattle Opera staged the Ring Cycle around a decade ago, local transit ran the rather impressive announcement "The monorail will continue to operate after GOTTERDAMMERUNG."
If I wanted to watch filmed versions of Wagner’s Ring Cycle (live theater is too big a COVID risk for me) what are the best filmed versions available?
Ideally good for first time viewing (i.e. somewhat standard version, not inverting or deconstructing in ways that that would be lost on the novice)
Ideally good for first time viewing (i.e. somewhat standard version, not inverting or deconstructing in ways that that would be lost on the novice)
September 4, 2025 at 12:29 AM
The last time Seattle Opera staged the Ring Cycle around a decade ago, local transit ran the rather impressive announcement "The monorail will continue to operate after GOTTERDAMMERUNG."