Hal Peterson

@[email protected]
13 Followers
131 Following
924 Posts
Father of one, grandfather of two, pleased with all of them. I live with my Dad, who's 98 and WAY better at this than I am, for many values of "this."
Rapidly aging computer nerd.
Wannabe: knitter, geometer.
Minnesotan. Yes, it IS cold, and I like it that way.
Hal PetersonMay 25, 2025

@casey Thanks! The Engadget article that told me about the end of Pocket also recommended Instapaper. I'll give it a try, but keep an eye open for Postmarks updates.

For my use, it's sufficient to have just the links: mainly I want a distributed list of deferred reading, gleaned from wherever (mobile, browser, etc.).

Hal PetersonMay 25, 2025
@casey @updates Oh no! Best of luck finding new work.
I wouldn't have found out about this, but I'm out looking for a replacement for Pocket, as Mozilla shuts that down. Sigh.
Hal PetersonMar 21, 2025
mpls photo botMar 21, 2025

Salvaged Section of Broadway Street Bridge (1987)
Source: Hennepin County Library

Attached to a truck trailer to be pulled across Nicollet Island and installed as the new Merriam Street Bridge

Hal PetersonMar 21, 2025
Belated #PiDay post: occasionally I'll have a long-overdue go at a high school problem, then write it up for 3/14. This didn't get started quite that way, but it's in the same spirit. #mathstodon
https://vobine.github.io/norbert.pdf
Show threadHal PetersonFeb 20, 2025
@paco Yes! Touchscreens are not terrible for phones (assuming they are cheaper and more robust than physical keys). Not great, but a reasonable tradeoff.
However, they are terrible for any application where they steal visual attention from important tasks like avoiding oncoming traffic. That goes double when the control surface is modal: the layout of buttons changes depending on function-of-the-moment.
I blame the control panels in Star Trek: The Next Generation.
Show threadHal PetersonFeb 2, 2025
@mcc Ooh, ooh, I know this one! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cochineal
IT'S BUGS!
Cochineal - Wikipedia

Show threadHal PetersonJan 13, 2025
@lauren Yeah, I know. It's a character flaw.
Hal PetersonJan 11, 2025
northeastern mn botJan 11, 2025

World War I home front, Duluth, Minnesota (1918)
Source: University of Minnesota Duluth, Kathryn A. Martin Library

World War I home front; Empress Chorus Girls; Empress Coffee company; boost Herald Tobacco Fund; buy a newspaper campaign; truck

Show threadHal PetersonJan 11, 2025
@lauren This is a real over-think-hole. If not those who want office, then who? Obvious alternatives all seem at least as bad (lottery, draft, heredity, seniority, civil-service test).
I'll bet there's a ton of political science literature on the topic. Oh good, homework.
Hal PetersonJan 5, 2025
northeastern mn botJan 5, 2025

Dyke across St. Louis Bay, Duluth, Minnesota (1872)
Source: University of Minnesota Duluth, Kathryn A. Martin Library

dyke across St. Louis Bay