Potempkin Village Idiot
@ixak.bsky.social
Baltimore climate dad anthropologist fighting existential terror w/ existential counter-terrorism. The soft underbelly of the cutting edge. Working on resilience, local governance, urban gardening, tool repair, fermentation.
https://medium.com/@ixak
https://medium.com/@ixak
Pinned
Conversation w/ my son:
Him: What was your favorite movie when you were a kid?
Me: Short Circuit
What's it about?
A robot who comes to life.
What was your favorite movie when you became a grownup?
Blade Runner
What's it about?
A guy who hunts and kills robots who have come to life.
Him: What was your favorite movie when you were a kid?
Me: Short Circuit
What's it about?
A robot who comes to life.
What was your favorite movie when you became a grownup?
Blade Runner
What's it about?
A guy who hunts and kills robots who have come to life.
Got another night here at a family member's house, so I'm not going to talk shit about the music they like. But, MAN, this post malone halftime show is garbage. Just mediocre garbage indistinguishable from AI-slop.
November 27, 2025 at 11:19 PM
Got another night here at a family member's house, so I'm not going to talk shit about the music they like. But, MAN, this post malone halftime show is garbage. Just mediocre garbage indistinguishable from AI-slop.
Reposted by Potempkin Village Idiot
On this day, Indigenous people and allies confront the settler-colonial narratives of “Thanksgiving,” observing it instead as a National Day of Mourning.
November 27, 2025 at 3:12 PM
On this day, Indigenous people and allies confront the settler-colonial narratives of “Thanksgiving,” observing it instead as a National Day of Mourning.
Introduce yourself with 5 concerts you’ve been to:
David Bowie/NIN
Thievery Corporation/Manu Chao
J. Roddy Walston and the Business (NYE in Baltimore)
Soul Coughing (reunion tour)
Flaming Lips (Yoshimi 25 year anniversary tour)
David Bowie/NIN
Thievery Corporation/Manu Chao
J. Roddy Walston and the Business (NYE in Baltimore)
Soul Coughing (reunion tour)
Flaming Lips (Yoshimi 25 year anniversary tour)
Introduce yourself with 5 concerts you’ve been to:
Less Than Jake
The Get Up Kids
Jets To Brazil
My Chemical Romance
Manchester Orchestra
(All of these were in sub 250 cap venues)
Less Than Jake
The Get Up Kids
Jets To Brazil
My Chemical Romance
Manchester Orchestra
(All of these were in sub 250 cap venues)
Introduce yourself with 5 concerts you’ve been to:
The Aquabats
The Vandals
My Chemical Romance
AFI
Coheed and Cambria
The Aquabats
The Vandals
My Chemical Romance
AFI
Coheed and Cambria
November 27, 2025 at 6:39 PM
Introduce yourself with 5 concerts you’ve been to:
David Bowie/NIN
Thievery Corporation/Manu Chao
J. Roddy Walston and the Business (NYE in Baltimore)
Soul Coughing (reunion tour)
Flaming Lips (Yoshimi 25 year anniversary tour)
David Bowie/NIN
Thievery Corporation/Manu Chao
J. Roddy Walston and the Business (NYE in Baltimore)
Soul Coughing (reunion tour)
Flaming Lips (Yoshimi 25 year anniversary tour)
Reposted by Potempkin Village Idiot
This is a good insight. No computer could have predicted, nor can it properly replicate: Esthero, Leikeli47, Missy Elliott, Björk, Jill Scott, Big KRIT, UGK, The Roots (definitely not Black Thought on his own), Brandy, The Clark Sisters, HAIM, Fiona Apple … there’s a strong indication here.
I’ve been trying to find ways to articulate my hatred of AI-generated music that won’t come across as snobbish, but most of what I have to say about it can be boiled down to this:
None of the artists I like in any genre, regardless of era, make music that can be accurately predicted by a computer.
None of the artists I like in any genre, regardless of era, make music that can be accurately predicted by a computer.
November 27, 2025 at 1:41 PM
This is a good insight. No computer could have predicted, nor can it properly replicate: Esthero, Leikeli47, Missy Elliott, Björk, Jill Scott, Big KRIT, UGK, The Roots (definitely not Black Thought on his own), Brandy, The Clark Sisters, HAIM, Fiona Apple … there’s a strong indication here.
21st century political violence in the US doesn't really come from the left. It comes almost entirely from one of two places:
1. The far right.
2. Neurotic weirdos overwhelmed by pain and chaos with unmappable political opinions.
1. The far right.
2. Neurotic weirdos overwhelmed by pain and chaos with unmappable political opinions.
Breaking News: The suspect in the shooting of two National Guard members had worked with CIA-backed units during the war in Afghanistan, officials said. Follow live.
National Guard Shooting Live Updates: Suspect Worked With CIA-Backed Units in Afghanistan, Officials Say
The C.I.A. said that the suspect, whom officials identified as a 29-year-old Afghan, came to the United States in 2021 after the American military withdrawal. Two National Guard members were in critical condition after the shooting on Wednesday.
nyti.ms
November 27, 2025 at 1:46 PM
21st century political violence in the US doesn't really come from the left. It comes almost entirely from one of two places:
1. The far right.
2. Neurotic weirdos overwhelmed by pain and chaos with unmappable political opinions.
1. The far right.
2. Neurotic weirdos overwhelmed by pain and chaos with unmappable political opinions.
*Not to claim that I would drive one, but in terms of the Balkan material culture of their era, Yugos were a heroic achievement
www.flickr.com/photos/bruce...
www.flickr.com/photos/bruce...
November 27, 2025 at 12:29 PM
My prediction is that ex-Qanon & disillusioned ex-technolibertarians will be the stoachistic assassins of the next half-decade.
Rejecting their old ideologies, but still enamored w/ guns & violent solutions and no internal or social experience with moral struggle over the ethics of violence.
Rejecting their old ideologies, but still enamored w/ guns & violent solutions and no internal or social experience with moral struggle over the ethics of violence.
November 27, 2025 at 12:17 AM
My prediction is that ex-Qanon & disillusioned ex-technolibertarians will be the stoachistic assassins of the next half-decade.
Rejecting their old ideologies, but still enamored w/ guns & violent solutions and no internal or social experience with moral struggle over the ethics of violence.
Rejecting their old ideologies, but still enamored w/ guns & violent solutions and no internal or social experience with moral struggle over the ethics of violence.
My 9-year-old son has been waiting for T-giving w/ his cousin for weeks. He woke up at 4am this morning and shouted:
"Rebel Squad #2 - Depart for Andy's!"
Then paused and said,
"...after one more sweet breakfast of sleep!"
And then went back to sleep for two more hours.
"Rebel Squad #2 - Depart for Andy's!"
Then paused and said,
"...after one more sweet breakfast of sleep!"
And then went back to sleep for two more hours.
November 26, 2025 at 7:03 PM
My 9-year-old son has been waiting for T-giving w/ his cousin for weeks. He woke up at 4am this morning and shouted:
"Rebel Squad #2 - Depart for Andy's!"
Then paused and said,
"...after one more sweet breakfast of sleep!"
And then went back to sleep for two more hours.
"Rebel Squad #2 - Depart for Andy's!"
Then paused and said,
"...after one more sweet breakfast of sleep!"
And then went back to sleep for two more hours.
Reposted by Potempkin Village Idiot
Pediatricians say vaccines do not cause autism. A bear-eating heroin addict who fantasizes about sucking his own semen out of his lovers' orifices says they do. For busy parents, it can be hard to know who to trust.
November 26, 2025 at 5:14 PM
Pediatricians say vaccines do not cause autism. A bear-eating heroin addict who fantasizes about sucking his own semen out of his lovers' orifices says they do. For busy parents, it can be hard to know who to trust.
"Tell him he knows everything he needs to know and feels everything he needs to feel. And when the day comes, and those two pull together, he will be an unstoppable force for good. Tell him I love him more than anything he could ever do wrong.”
😭
#Andor
😭
#Andor
November 26, 2025 at 4:21 PM
"Tell him he knows everything he needs to know and feels everything he needs to feel. And when the day comes, and those two pull together, he will be an unstoppable force for good. Tell him I love him more than anything he could ever do wrong.”
😭
#Andor
😭
#Andor
Reposted by Potempkin Village Idiot
I want this moment for us
Good morning to Brazilian reporter Manuela Borges, who’s been waiting eleven years for this petty moment. ❤️ 🇧🇷
November 26, 2025 at 3:27 PM
I want this moment for us
Have not learned a scale on the piano since I quit taking lessons at the age of 12. Spent 20 minutes trying to learn the A♭ scale with proper fingering and was ready to cry by the end of it.
November 26, 2025 at 2:48 AM
Have not learned a scale on the piano since I quit taking lessons at the age of 12. Spent 20 minutes trying to learn the A♭ scale with proper fingering and was ready to cry by the end of it.
You know, I'm as much of a believer in keeping the line between the fall holidays and Christmas as firm as possible, but man, sometimes I really just want to play the Vince Guaraldi Charlie Brown Christmas soundtrack before Thanksgiving.
November 25, 2025 at 10:24 PM
You know, I'm as much of a believer in keeping the line between the fall holidays and Christmas as firm as possible, but man, sometimes I really just want to play the Vince Guaraldi Charlie Brown Christmas soundtrack before Thanksgiving.
Breakfast of champions in effect (Plus leftover Halloween light up skull necklaces were only 53 cents apiece)
November 25, 2025 at 1:35 PM
Breakfast of champions in effect (Plus leftover Halloween light up skull necklaces were only 53 cents apiece)
The characters from the last TV show you watched are trying to rescue you. Who's coming to save you?
What can I say? The guy probably has the right tools for the job.
What can I say? The guy probably has the right tools for the job.
November 25, 2025 at 11:29 AM
The characters from the last TV show you watched are trying to rescue you. Who's coming to save you?
What can I say? The guy probably has the right tools for the job.
What can I say? The guy probably has the right tools for the job.
Just spent half an hour watching my 9-year-old just mess around with a keyboard. He's got a very natural ear for music, but he's never really had a chance to just BE with a piano before. Fucking magical.
In my 20s this was my primary keyboard. I was mostly a bass player & a rhythm guitar player, but I kept this around for when I got stuck in a songwriting rut.
An absolute unit, I'm sure it's caused more than a few hernias. It ended up at a friend's studio for 15 years & just came back to me today.
An absolute unit, I'm sure it's caused more than a few hernias. It ended up at a friend's studio for 15 years & just came back to me today.
November 25, 2025 at 3:17 AM
Just spent half an hour watching my 9-year-old just mess around with a keyboard. He's got a very natural ear for music, but he's never really had a chance to just BE with a piano before. Fucking magical.
11 years ago I got sent to Nepal for two weeks to do data collection work. I wonder if I'll ever make it back.
November 24, 2025 at 7:54 PM
11 years ago I got sent to Nepal for two weeks to do data collection work. I wonder if I'll ever make it back.
Lots of angry discourse around this. I'm in a household w/ 2 kids & 2 working parents in an affordable city, w/ decent health insurance, living well within our budget. He's 100% right.
To live with minimal precarity as a classic nuclear fam in the US, you probably need to be making more than $100k.
To live with minimal precarity as a classic nuclear fam in the US, you probably need to be making more than $100k.
Mike Green is writing some amazing stuff at the moment. It's not in the delta, it's in the level and the cost structure. Read this and you will understand Angrynomics on a new level: www.yesigiveafig.com/p/part-1-my-...
Part 1: My Life Is a Lie
How a Broken Benchmark Quietly Broke America
www.yesigiveafig.com
November 24, 2025 at 5:45 PM
Lots of angry discourse around this. I'm in a household w/ 2 kids & 2 working parents in an affordable city, w/ decent health insurance, living well within our budget. He's 100% right.
To live with minimal precarity as a classic nuclear fam in the US, you probably need to be making more than $100k.
To live with minimal precarity as a classic nuclear fam in the US, you probably need to be making more than $100k.
In my 20s this was my primary keyboard. I was mostly a bass player & a rhythm guitar player, but I kept this around for when I got stuck in a songwriting rut.
An absolute unit, I'm sure it's caused more than a few hernias. It ended up at a friend's studio for 15 years & just came back to me today.
An absolute unit, I'm sure it's caused more than a few hernias. It ended up at a friend's studio for 15 years & just came back to me today.
November 24, 2025 at 12:35 AM
In my 20s this was my primary keyboard. I was mostly a bass player & a rhythm guitar player, but I kept this around for when I got stuck in a songwriting rut.
An absolute unit, I'm sure it's caused more than a few hernias. It ended up at a friend's studio for 15 years & just came back to me today.
An absolute unit, I'm sure it's caused more than a few hernias. It ended up at a friend's studio for 15 years & just came back to me today.
Another six months to go. Bloomsday 2026, here we come
November 23, 2025 at 8:02 PM
Another six months to go. Bloomsday 2026, here we come
Let not mankind bogart love.
November 23, 2025 at 1:46 PM
Let not mankind bogart love.
A project that started back on Bloomsday has reached its next stage. Maesil Cheong is ready for use, but Maesil Ju is just beginning.
November 23, 2025 at 1:14 PM
A project that started back on Bloomsday has reached its next stage. Maesil Cheong is ready for use, but Maesil Ju is just beginning.
Was like 25 years old, a few years after dropping out of college.
Was taking a shower and all the sudden my brain said: "Oh, shit. You should be an anthropologist."
So I went back to school and became an anthropologist.
Was taking a shower and all the sudden my brain said: "Oh, shit. You should be an anthropologist."
So I went back to school and became an anthropologist.
November 22, 2025 at 11:51 PM
Was like 25 years old, a few years after dropping out of college.
Was taking a shower and all the sudden my brain said: "Oh, shit. You should be an anthropologist."
So I went back to school and became an anthropologist.
Was taking a shower and all the sudden my brain said: "Oh, shit. You should be an anthropologist."
So I went back to school and became an anthropologist.
One of the saddest things about being the father of small children is that you can't make properly spicy chili if you want them to eat it. Unless you make two separate batches, and who has time for that?
November 22, 2025 at 7:35 PM
One of the saddest things about being the father of small children is that you can't make properly spicy chili if you want them to eat it. Unless you make two separate batches, and who has time for that?
It's national adoption day. Our adoption system is fundamentally fucked up, in no small part because our society basically sees children as property rather than as human beings.
Been working through "Solidarity with Children" by @lalouverouge.bsky.social
A thought-provoking and relevant read.
Been working through "Solidarity with Children" by @lalouverouge.bsky.social
A thought-provoking and relevant read.
Solidarity with Children
www.haymarketbooks.org
November 22, 2025 at 5:17 PM
It's national adoption day. Our adoption system is fundamentally fucked up, in no small part because our society basically sees children as property rather than as human beings.
Been working through "Solidarity with Children" by @lalouverouge.bsky.social
A thought-provoking and relevant read.
Been working through "Solidarity with Children" by @lalouverouge.bsky.social
A thought-provoking and relevant read.