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Brian Fitzpatrick

@therealfitz.com

4.5K followers 600 following 2.4K posts

Chasing Wonder, Engineer, Author, ORD Camp Instigator, Feminist. Previously: Founder & CTO of Tock, Xoogler, Ex-Apple. He/Him. Optimizing for kindness wonder.voyage debuggingteams.com

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Brian Fitzpatrick @therealfitz.com · 10h

You should read this essay. This quote. This quote.

People only complain about the turkey being dry when the company is terrible. There is never enough gravy to make regret feel like anything but your soul leaving your body.

Brian Fitzpatrick @therealfitz.com · 14d

I thought the same thing. Gratefully, the Mission's burrito game is world class.

Brian Fitzpatrick @therealfitz.com · 15d

This was just the best.

Karen Wickre @kvox.bsky.social · 15d

What a relief! Finally caught up with the one and only @therealfitz.com after too long.

Brian Fitzpatrick + Karen Wickre smiling at a taqueria lunch.

Brian Fitzpatrick @therealfitz.com · 17d

Buy once cry once and get the Briggs & Riley backpack! :)

Brian Fitzpatrick @therealfitz.com · 22d

Today's moment of ai zen

Tim Krief @timkrief.com · 23d

Brian Fitzpatrick @therealfitz.com · 23d

It's all ones and zeroes, Maaaaahty.

Brian Fitzpatrick @therealfitz.com · 27d

#fact

Brian Fitzpatrick @therealfitz.com · Sep 10

ARE YOU A SPY????? 😂

Brian Fitzpatrick @therealfitz.com · Sep 10

yup and yup!

Brian Fitzpatrick @therealfitz.com · Sep 9

But what about the *brands* Molly.

Brian Fitzpatrick @therealfitz.com · Sep 9

Ooooh I don't! Got any lying around? :)

Reposted by Brian Fitzpatrick

Brian Fitzpatrick @therealfitz.com · Sep 9

End of an era. The Storage Media Boneyard is headed off to storage for a while.

What's the oldest piece of media in here that you have used?

(detailed photos here: photos.app.goo.gl/oPwSvGqyJhKu...)

Half of my collection "The Storage Media Boneyard"

A History of Analog and Digital Storage Media
This is a sampling of the thousands of types of media that humans have used to store information over the past several hundred years. From punch cards that stored a few dozen bytes to flash drives that store tens of billions of bytes, storage media have gotten smaller, lighter, cheaper, and faster to read and to write.
The majority of this collection consists of paper, tape, spinning disks, solid state (cartridge), and film storage media, but you can find a few more unusual media types, such as wax cylinders, recording wire, and ferrite core memory.
Today, the entire contents of this exhibit could fit onto a single hard drive that you could buy at the average computer store.

Formerly part of the Google Chicago museum

The other half of my collection "The Storage Media Boneyard"

A History of Analog and Digital Storage Media
This is a sampling of the thousands of types of media that humans have used to store information over the past several hundred years. From punch cards that stored a few dozen bytes to flash drives that store tens of billions of bytes, storage media have gotten smaller, lighter, cheaper, and faster to read and to write.
The majority of this collection consists of paper, tape, spinning disks, solid state (cartridge), and film storage media, but you can find a few more unusual media types, such as wax cylinders, recording wire, and ferrite core memory.
Today, the entire contents of this exhibit could fit onto a single hard drive that you could buy at the average computer store.

Formerly part of the Google Chicago museum

The empty case that housed The Storage Media Boneyard for over a dozen years. I've packed it up and will be storing it until I find a new home for it.

Brian Fitzpatrick @therealfitz.com · Sep 9

Yep, there's one in there... like 1/4" thick!

Brian Fitzpatrick @therealfitz.com · Sep 9

If I had to guess, > 75%, but only because there are arcane machines squirreled away all over the world...

Brian Fitzpatrick @therealfitz.com · Sep 9

oh man ARCHON!!!

Brian Fitzpatrick @therealfitz.com · Sep 9

Did you play Star Raiders on the 800 too? I have that cart and put SO MANY hours into it... but not as many as I put into Atari Adventure on the 2600 :)

Brian Fitzpatrick @therealfitz.com · Sep 9

Correct. Tho there's at least one punchcard with a microfiche in it!

Brian Fitzpatrick @therealfitz.com · Sep 9

How much could they have really researched NeXT if they don't put the logo at 28 degrees?

Brian Fitzpatrick @therealfitz.com · Sep 9

End of an era. The Storage Media Boneyard is headed off to storage for a while.

What's the oldest piece of media in here that you have used?

(detailed photos here: photos.app.goo.gl/oPwSvGqyJhKu...)

Half of my collection "The Storage Media Boneyard"

A History of Analog and Digital Storage Media
This is a sampling of the thousands of types of media that humans have used to store information over the past several hundred years. From punch cards that stored a few dozen bytes to flash drives that store tens of billions of bytes, storage media have gotten smaller, lighter, cheaper, and faster to read and to write.
The majority of this collection consists of paper, tape, spinning disks, solid state (cartridge), and film storage media, but you can find a few more unusual media types, such as wax cylinders, recording wire, and ferrite core memory.
Today, the entire contents of this exhibit could fit onto a single hard drive that you could buy at the average computer store.

Formerly part of the Google Chicago museum

The other half of my collection "The Storage Media Boneyard"

A History of Analog and Digital Storage Media
This is a sampling of the thousands of types of media that humans have used to store information over the past several hundred years. From punch cards that stored a few dozen bytes to flash drives that store tens of billions of bytes, storage media have gotten smaller, lighter, cheaper, and faster to read and to write.
The majority of this collection consists of paper, tape, spinning disks, solid state (cartridge), and film storage media, but you can find a few more unusual media types, such as wax cylinders, recording wire, and ferrite core memory.
Today, the entire contents of this exhibit could fit onto a single hard drive that you could buy at the average computer store.

Formerly part of the Google Chicago museum

The empty case that housed The Storage Media Boneyard for over a dozen years. I've packed it up and will be storing it until I find a new home for it.

Brian Fitzpatrick @therealfitz.com · Sep 6

Sure do! docs.google.com/document/d/1...

Grandpa's Gumbo (last updated 1/2025)

Grandpa Alvin “Nick” Fitzpatrick’s Gumbo (last updated 1/2025) Much ink has been spilled in the discussion of Creole food when it comes to gumbo: which roux is better, whether or not filé is the devi...

docs.google.com

Brian Fitzpatrick @therealfitz.com · Sep 6

My family gumbo recipe is an okra gumbo and it's THE BEST

Brian Fitzpatrick @therealfitz.com · Sep 6

😂

Brian Fitzpatrick @therealfitz.com · Sep 5

Not on my list of things to do today: open up an email and start sobbing. This is just beautiful.

Thank you Dan.

dan sinker @dansinker.com · Sep 5

With the Trump Administration about to roll its ugly occupation into Chicago, I wanted to write a little lyrical love letter to the city. dansinker.com/posts/202…

Reposted by Brian Fitzpatrick

shing yin khor @shing.bsky.social · Aug 30

We made our goal, with about two weeks left to go! Please continue to support us, because that means I can hire more fabricator labor which means I will personally have time to build very small and indulgent pieces of furniture.

www.kickstarter.com/projects/shi...

The Last Fifteen Minutes

A marionette opera and short film about having dinner together before a giant kaiju steps on you.

www.kickstarter.com

Brian Fitzpatrick @therealfitz.com · Sep 3