Tom VanAntwerp 🔵
@tomvanantwerp.com
💻 code things, mostly TypeScript
🏡 hyperlocal Alexandria VA drama
🔮 building bizarre things nobody wants
Please don't make me run for office, I do not want to run for office.
🏡 hyperlocal Alexandria VA drama
🔮 building bizarre things nobody wants
Please don't make me run for office, I do not want to run for office.
Yeah man, that's the whole point of me being here!
i have said this before but if you are actually interested in influencing people beyond a narrow circle of too-online journalists you will be making direct to camera videos on tiktok, instagram and youtube. if you primarily post on text-based social media then you're just dicking around.
December 15, 2025 at 11:58 PM
Yeah man, that's the whole point of me being here!
Reposted by Tom VanAntwerp 🔵
The “you have to be on X to fight the Nazis” is an argument that comes from people whose brains have been broken by being on social media. The way you defeat the Nazis is with IRL organizing, good reporting, calling elected officials, and other tangible actions. Posting ain’t it.
December 15, 2025 at 6:02 PM
The “you have to be on X to fight the Nazis” is an argument that comes from people whose brains have been broken by being on social media. The way you defeat the Nazis is with IRL organizing, good reporting, calling elected officials, and other tangible actions. Posting ain’t it.
Reposted by Tom VanAntwerp 🔵
Feverishly working on this
December 15, 2025 at 4:28 PM
Feverishly working on this
Reposted by Tom VanAntwerp 🔵
Merriam-Webster’s human editors have chosen ‘slop’ as the 2025 Word of the Year.
December 15, 2025 at 2:07 PM
Merriam-Webster’s human editors have chosen ‘slop’ as the 2025 Word of the Year.
Reposted by Tom VanAntwerp 🔵
I think the best way to explain the X vs Bluesky preference is whether a person thinks the left is more annoying than the right is dangerous.
The reason so many Noah Smiths end up on the X side of that equation is that while the left annoys them personally, the right mostly endangers other people.
The reason so many Noah Smiths end up on the X side of that equation is that while the left annoys them personally, the right mostly endangers other people.
December 15, 2025 at 12:42 PM
I think the best way to explain the X vs Bluesky preference is whether a person thinks the left is more annoying than the right is dangerous.
The reason so many Noah Smiths end up on the X side of that equation is that while the left annoys them personally, the right mostly endangers other people.
The reason so many Noah Smiths end up on the X side of that equation is that while the left annoys them personally, the right mostly endangers other people.
Reposted by Tom VanAntwerp 🔵
“It's not my duty as Mayor to make sure you have a parking spot. For me it's the same as if you bought a cow, or a refrigerator, and then asked me where you're going to put them.” — Mayor of Pontevedra, Spain (re-elected 6 times)
December 13, 2025 at 12:55 AM
“It's not my duty as Mayor to make sure you have a parking spot. For me it's the same as if you bought a cow, or a refrigerator, and then asked me where you're going to put them.” — Mayor of Pontevedra, Spain (re-elected 6 times)
Reposted by Tom VanAntwerp 🔵
I would like to bring over my theory for solving America’s deadly roads. I call it the “Gay Truck Rule” and it would save thousands of lives every year.
December 13, 2025 at 9:40 PM
I would like to bring over my theory for solving America’s deadly roads. I call it the “Gay Truck Rule” and it would save thousands of lives every year.
I'm beginning to realize that the careful way I treat DVDs to prevent smudges and damage is not really the norm among my fellow DVD-borrowers from @alexlibraryva.bsky.social.
In my latest round of checkouts, I've had two disks with damage and one that my DVD drive refuses to even attempt to read.
In my latest round of checkouts, I've had two disks with damage and one that my DVD drive refuses to even attempt to read.
December 13, 2025 at 4:02 PM
I'm beginning to realize that the careful way I treat DVDs to prevent smudges and damage is not really the norm among my fellow DVD-borrowers from @alexlibraryva.bsky.social.
In my latest round of checkouts, I've had two disks with damage and one that my DVD drive refuses to even attempt to read.
In my latest round of checkouts, I've had two disks with damage and one that my DVD drive refuses to even attempt to read.
Reposted by Tom VanAntwerp 🔵
seriously every day that Discover is the default (and For You is unknown outside the tinkerer group) feels like a waste
December 13, 2025 at 6:06 AM
seriously every day that Discover is the default (and For You is unknown outside the tinkerer group) feels like a waste
Reposted by Tom VanAntwerp 🔵
🚀 NOTICE: Federal US website newly registered.
https://merrychristmas.gov
Action taken by the Executive Office of the President (White House Office) at or around 2025-12-13 06:12:04.
https://merrychristmas.gov
Action taken by the Executive Office of the President (White House Office) at or around 2025-12-13 06:12:04.
merrychristmas.gov
Federal US website registered. Content may not be visible yet.
merrychristmas.gov
December 13, 2025 at 12:04 PM
🚀 NOTICE: Federal US website newly registered.
https://merrychristmas.gov
Action taken by the Executive Office of the President (White House Office) at or around 2025-12-13 06:12:04.
https://merrychristmas.gov
Action taken by the Executive Office of the President (White House Office) at or around 2025-12-13 06:12:04.
I want this to be satire.
Turkin hard or hardly turkin?
COMIC ◆ www.smbc-comics.com/comic/turkin
PATREON ◆ www.patreon.com/ZachWeinersm...
STORE ◆ smbc-store.myshopify.com
COMIC ◆ www.smbc-comics.com/comic/turkin
PATREON ◆ www.patreon.com/ZachWeinersm...
STORE ◆ smbc-store.myshopify.com
December 13, 2025 at 2:18 AM
I want this to be satire.
Reposted by Tom VanAntwerp 🔵
If you live in or near Arlington, VA, PLEASE SHARE!! This scared foster dog is lost! Please do not approach, just take a picture and communicate the location to the numbers in the ad. It's very cold outside - please share and get this pup back to a warm home! #LostDog #ArlingtonVA
December 12, 2025 at 11:34 PM
If you live in or near Arlington, VA, PLEASE SHARE!! This scared foster dog is lost! Please do not approach, just take a picture and communicate the location to the numbers in the ad. It's very cold outside - please share and get this pup back to a warm home! #LostDog #ArlingtonVA
Reposted by Tom VanAntwerp 🔵
MY LEGS MY BUSINESS - dashare.zone ADMIN
December 8, 2025 at 8:07 PM
MY LEGS MY BUSINESS - dashare.zone ADMIN
I'm pro-civil liberties and anti-carceral. I also believe if you use a two ton kinetic missile to harm or kill people, maybe you should have consequences for that. And that maybe it's a privilege—not a right—to operate said kinetic missile, and that we can and should regulate them heavily.
I think it was a huge mistake to make our society so car-dependent. But man. The Discourse today is a good reminder that when it comes to roadways policy, otherwise progressive anti-car people quickly become some of the most pro-carceral, anti-civil liberties people on the planet.
December 12, 2025 at 11:45 PM
I'm pro-civil liberties and anti-carceral. I also believe if you use a two ton kinetic missile to harm or kill people, maybe you should have consequences for that. And that maybe it's a privilege—not a right—to operate said kinetic missile, and that we can and should regulate them heavily.
Reposted by Tom VanAntwerp 🔵
Leaflet's Atmospheric Advent Almanac, Day 11
No Chickens Allowed, by @tomvanantwerp.com
Examining the legality of backyard chickens in Alexandria, VA…interesting question of local ordinance & investigatory process!
No Chickens Allowed, by @tomvanantwerp.com
Examining the legality of backyard chickens in Alexandria, VA…interesting question of local ordinance & investigatory process!
No Chickens Allowed - Low Stakes High Effort
Alexandria VA's regulations on keeping fowl are a de facto ban on backyard birds.
tomvanantwerp.leaflet.pub
December 11, 2025 at 9:45 PM
Leaflet's Atmospheric Advent Almanac, Day 11
No Chickens Allowed, by @tomvanantwerp.com
Examining the legality of backyard chickens in Alexandria, VA…interesting question of local ordinance & investigatory process!
No Chickens Allowed, by @tomvanantwerp.com
Examining the legality of backyard chickens in Alexandria, VA…interesting question of local ordinance & investigatory process!
I want Little Free Libraries but for DVDs and Blu-rays.
December 11, 2025 at 5:20 PM
I want Little Free Libraries but for DVDs and Blu-rays.
Really enjoyed this nuanced look at AI water use. It's complex!
Thanks for the deep dive @hankgreen.bsky.social!
Thanks for the deep dive @hankgreen.bsky.social!
Why is Everyone So Wrong About AI Water Use??
YouTube video by Hank Green
youtu.be
December 11, 2025 at 3:00 PM
Really enjoyed this nuanced look at AI water use. It's complex!
Thanks for the deep dive @hankgreen.bsky.social!
Thanks for the deep dive @hankgreen.bsky.social!
Does anyone know if @alexandriavagov.bsky.social has a page on their website listing the active surveys from various departments? Every time I see a notice to take a survey, I can't remember if it's one I've done before. I need a way to keep track of all of them
December 10, 2025 at 11:24 PM
Does anyone know if @alexandriavagov.bsky.social has a page on their website listing the active surveys from various departments? Every time I see a notice to take a survey, I can't remember if it's one I've done before. I need a way to keep track of all of them
Reposted by Tom VanAntwerp 🔵
balance of power, game over screen, msx (1988) mobygames.com/game/259/bal...
September 4, 2023 at 12:45 AM
balance of power, game over screen, msx (1988) mobygames.com/game/259/bal...
This is inspirational. I need to find more ways to incorporate spite into my self care.
Practicing spite-driven rest because not a single person who knows me believes I can rest.
December 9, 2025 at 7:20 PM
This is inspirational. I need to find more ways to incorporate spite into my self care.
Reposted by Tom VanAntwerp 🔵
"We regret our lackluster support for your hobbies. In hindsight, pickling vegetables and making sourdough starter are two of the more benign things a guy can do with his time. Our bad, Millennial Man."
An Open Letter to the Soft Millennial Man Now Facing Extinction
Dear Soft Millennial Man, You’ve been quiet lately, but we know you’re still out there. You’re probably hiding out at Whole Foods until this whole ...
buff.ly
December 9, 2025 at 1:30 PM
"We regret our lackluster support for your hobbies. In hindsight, pickling vegetables and making sourdough starter are two of the more benign things a guy can do with his time. Our bad, Millennial Man."
Reposted by Tom VanAntwerp 🔵
Everyone imitates Tolkien all the time except when it comes to the one way it would really matter: making the protagonist of your novel for children a short, fat, 50-year-old man who doesn't want to do anything.
December 9, 2025 at 2:40 AM
Everyone imitates Tolkien all the time except when it comes to the one way it would really matter: making the protagonist of your novel for children a short, fat, 50-year-old man who doesn't want to do anything.
Reposted by Tom VanAntwerp 🔵
I know Americans overly romanticize Europe but I still think moving to a little house on a canal in the Netherlands could solve like 82% of my problems
December 9, 2025 at 2:23 AM
I know Americans overly romanticize Europe but I still think moving to a little house on a canal in the Netherlands could solve like 82% of my problems
I really, really wish I'd accidentally set my phone to celsius instead of fahrenheit.
Maybe I'll just go into hibernation...
Maybe I'll just go into hibernation...
December 9, 2025 at 12:43 PM
I really, really wish I'd accidentally set my phone to celsius instead of fahrenheit.
Maybe I'll just go into hibernation...
Maybe I'll just go into hibernation...
I wish when I shared links to @bsky.app posts with video to my friends in @signal.org that the preview would be of the video (first frame thumbnail maybe) and not the poster's avatar. Doesn't really communicate what I just linked to for the recipient, and I think they don't click through often.
December 8, 2025 at 5:53 PM
I wish when I shared links to @bsky.app posts with video to my friends in @signal.org that the preview would be of the video (first frame thumbnail maybe) and not the poster's avatar. Doesn't really communicate what I just linked to for the recipient, and I think they don't click through often.