Frank Van Haste
@vanhaste.com
PP-ASEL IR Busily retired. Ashburn, VA. I'm a docent at a large aerospace museum located in DC.
Candidate for funniest 5 minutes in TV history.
November 25, 2025 at 1:34 AM
Candidate for funniest 5 minutes in TV history.
Reposted by Frank Van Haste
November 24, 2025 at 11:46 PM
Reposted by Frank Van Haste
do you have any idea how much you have to piss somebody off to make them change their gauge
#Finland will begin to #Russia - proof its rail network, integrate with EU train infrastructure.
The Finnish government has announced the conversion of its rail network from Russian gauge (1,524 mm) to European standard (1,435 mm).
www.trenvista.net/en/news/flas...
The Finnish government has announced the conversion of its rail network from Russian gauge (1,524 mm) to European standard (1,435 mm).
www.trenvista.net/en/news/flas...
November 23, 2025 at 4:40 PM
do you have any idea how much you have to piss somebody off to make them change their gauge
Reposted by Frank Van Haste
Opinion | How the Elite Behave When No One Is Watching: Inside the Epstein Emails
www.nytimes.com
November 23, 2025 at 4:47 PM
Reposted by Frank Van Haste
Whenever this is mentioned, it is obligatory to post xkcd 2381, in which @gretchenmcc.bsky.social shares forbidden linguistic knowledge with the masses.
November 21, 2025 at 7:53 AM
Whenever this is mentioned, it is obligatory to post xkcd 2381, in which @gretchenmcc.bsky.social shares forbidden linguistic knowledge with the masses.
Reposted by Frank Van Haste
squirrel: *points gun*
me: what do you want me to do?
squirrel: *gestures at sign*
me: alright, i get it *opens book drop*
squirrel: *makes hurry-up motion*
me: NOT A SQUIRREL!
squirrel: *disappears into book drop*
me: *whispers* forgive me, keith
me: what do you want me to do?
squirrel: *gestures at sign*
me: alright, i get it *opens book drop*
squirrel: *makes hurry-up motion*
me: NOT A SQUIRREL!
squirrel: *disappears into book drop*
me: *whispers* forgive me, keith
November 19, 2025 at 1:41 PM
squirrel: *points gun*
me: what do you want me to do?
squirrel: *gestures at sign*
me: alright, i get it *opens book drop*
squirrel: *makes hurry-up motion*
me: NOT A SQUIRREL!
squirrel: *disappears into book drop*
me: *whispers* forgive me, keith
me: what do you want me to do?
squirrel: *gestures at sign*
me: alright, i get it *opens book drop*
squirrel: *makes hurry-up motion*
me: NOT A SQUIRREL!
squirrel: *disappears into book drop*
me: *whispers* forgive me, keith
Amen.
November 19, 2025 at 8:16 PM
Amen.
Oh, I like this...
Archivists: "I bring order to chaos..."
Historian: "I bring chaos to order..."
This was the running joke while I worked with some very talented archivists at the @rafmuseum.bsky.social.
Historian: "I bring chaos to order..."
This was the running joke while I worked with some very talented archivists at the @rafmuseum.bsky.social.
November 19, 2025 at 2:47 PM
Oh, I like this...
Reposted by Frank Van Haste
You mean the company that's currently being struck by its workers and the company that's currently being boycotted because of its terrible DEI policy rollbacks? Why not just call this the Chocolate Mint Racist Scab Frostie?
Beginning Monday, a Frozen Peppermint Hot Chocolate drink will be available exclusively at Starbucks cafés inside Target stores.
The chains are hoping the drink can drum up excitement from customers this holiday season.
🔗https://tinyurl.com/yrshv45s
The chains are hoping the drink can drum up excitement from customers this holiday season.
🔗https://tinyurl.com/yrshv45s
November 17, 2025 at 8:49 PM
You mean the company that's currently being struck by its workers and the company that's currently being boycotted because of its terrible DEI policy rollbacks? Why not just call this the Chocolate Mint Racist Scab Frostie?
Ahoy @scalzi.com, look what's been lent to me by my esteemed county librarian (only 8 wks after its pub date). Yes, I was #1 in the hold queue. I suspect the delay may be related to the imminent demise of large library service provider Baker & Taylor which has library-world in an uproar. 1/2
November 12, 2025 at 9:02 PM
Ahoy @scalzi.com, look what's been lent to me by my esteemed county librarian (only 8 wks after its pub date). Yes, I was #1 in the hold queue. I suspect the delay may be related to the imminent demise of large library service provider Baker & Taylor which has library-world in an uproar. 1/2
Shout out to @radiofreetom.bsky.social as I've (1) read the 1st ed of his fine "Death of Expertise" and (2) asked my fine county librarian to acquire the 2nd ed. for comparison. Tom, I liked ed. #1 quite a lot; didn't find it too dated at all. (Hoping ed. #2 goes deeper into higher ed. maladies.)
November 12, 2025 at 6:32 PM
Shout out to @radiofreetom.bsky.social as I've (1) read the 1st ed of his fine "Death of Expertise" and (2) asked my fine county librarian to acquire the 2nd ed. for comparison. Tom, I liked ed. #1 quite a lot; didn't find it too dated at all. (Hoping ed. #2 goes deeper into higher ed. maladies.)
This thread is just immense fun!
i fully agree with this theory and in my actual field, british architectural history, The Problem is that Salisbury Cathedral is built on top of a lake and no i am not exaggerating
between this and the FSO Safer (another ship at serious risk of exploding) I’m convinced every field has its “yeah, this is the problem that keeps me up at night” and I’m on a quest to learn about all of them
November 12, 2025 at 2:52 PM
This thread is just immense fun!
Reposted by Frank Van Haste
“Safety is a pure waste.”
- Stockton Rush, OceanGate, before becoming a meat cloud twelve thousand feet down near Titanic.
- Stockton Rush, OceanGate, before becoming a meat cloud twelve thousand feet down near Titanic.
November 10, 2025 at 8:09 PM
“Safety is a pure waste.”
- Stockton Rush, OceanGate, before becoming a meat cloud twelve thousand feet down near Titanic.
- Stockton Rush, OceanGate, before becoming a meat cloud twelve thousand feet down near Titanic.
Reposted by Frank Van Haste
Reposted by Frank Van Haste
Apollo astronauts & Soyuz 9 crew at a backyard party (left-to-right: Armstrong, Aldrin, Anders, Nikolayev, McDivitt, Conrad, Cunningham, Stafford, Swigert, Gordon, Schweickart, Scott, Lovell, Slayton, Sevastyanov)
November 9, 2025 at 12:44 PM
Apollo astronauts & Soyuz 9 crew at a backyard party (left-to-right: Armstrong, Aldrin, Anders, Nikolayev, McDivitt, Conrad, Cunningham, Stafford, Swigert, Gordon, Schweickart, Scott, Lovell, Slayton, Sevastyanov)
Reposted by Frank Van Haste
Rest in Peace, NASA Astronaut Frederick Hamilton "Rick" Hauck (April 11th, 1941 - November 6th, 2025).
November 7, 2025 at 4:21 PM
Rest in Peace, NASA Astronaut Frederick Hamilton "Rick" Hauck (April 11th, 1941 - November 6th, 2025).
Thread. Very much worth your time.
LtCol Charles Waterhouse is known for his paintings portraying USMC history.
Lost in the weeds is his background; he landed with the 2nd wave at Iwo Jima, and served 3 tours in Vietnam as a civilian combat artist before his commission in ‘71.
He created over 500 works of USMC art.
1/
#USMC250
Lost in the weeds is his background; he landed with the 2nd wave at Iwo Jima, and served 3 tours in Vietnam as a civilian combat artist before his commission in ‘71.
He created over 500 works of USMC art.
1/
#USMC250
November 3, 2025 at 10:57 PM
Thread. Very much worth your time.
Ahoy, @radiofreetom.bsky.social, I thought I'd differentiate myself by actually reading something of yours. My esteemed county librarian got this out of the stacks for me. Will likely check back in a couple days with a reaction.
November 3, 2025 at 7:40 PM
Ahoy, @radiofreetom.bsky.social, I thought I'd differentiate myself by actually reading something of yours. My esteemed county librarian got this out of the stacks for me. Will likely check back in a couple days with a reaction.
Reposted by Frank Van Haste
Hey remember that whole "Bluesky doesn't have algorithms" thing
October 31, 2025 at 11:13 PM
Hey remember that whole "Bluesky doesn't have algorithms" thing
I could not agree more.
No matter the platform you should have your default feed be reverse chron of who/what you follow and curate and diversify that feed.
You’ll be better informed and less prone to disinfo and group think.
This is a hill I will die on.
You’ll be better informed and less prone to disinfo and group think.
This is a hill I will die on.
“As users ‘dislike’ posts, the system will learn what sort of content they want to see less of. This will help to inform more than just how content is ranked in feeds, but also reply rankings.”
November 1, 2025 at 1:11 AM
I could not agree more.
Brilliant thread on probably USAFs sexiest airplane ever, the B-58 Hustler.
Convair B-58 Нustlеr 🧵
The B-58 was the most technologically advanced aircraft of its time. A Mach 2 capable, wasp-waisted war chariot, drawn by four J79s, that included silver brazed stainless steel honeycomb sandwich panels in its design.
The B-58 was the most technologically advanced aircraft of its time. A Mach 2 capable, wasp-waisted war chariot, drawn by four J79s, that included silver brazed stainless steel honeycomb sandwich panels in its design.
October 31, 2025 at 2:13 PM
Brilliant thread on probably USAFs sexiest airplane ever, the B-58 Hustler.
Oh, brave new world...
The short-form video has brought about a second age of orality. That’s partly because phones are addicting, and partly because America’s ruling class wants it that way.
We Used to Read Things in This Country | Noah McCormack
Technology changes us—and it is currently changing us for the worse.
thebaffler.com
October 30, 2025 at 3:00 PM
Oh, brave new world...
Reposted by Frank Van Haste
Alexey Leonov, 1965, with his daughters Victoria and Oksana
October 29, 2025 at 3:38 PM
Alexey Leonov, 1965, with his daughters Victoria and Oksana
Reposted by Frank Van Haste
My unexpected chance to be public-editor-for-a-day (sort of). Featuring explanations of 'No Kings' coverage from NYT spokespeople.
(Paywall at very end.)
fallows.substack.com/p/putting-th...
(Paywall at very end.)
fallows.substack.com/p/putting-th...
Putting the ‘Public’ Back in Public Editor.
When the NYT eliminated its Public Editor position, it said that ‘readers across the internet’ could do the same job, better. Here is what I learned from unexpectedly giving that system a try.
fallows.substack.com
October 26, 2025 at 10:03 PM
My unexpected chance to be public-editor-for-a-day (sort of). Featuring explanations of 'No Kings' coverage from NYT spokespeople.
(Paywall at very end.)
fallows.substack.com/p/putting-th...
(Paywall at very end.)
fallows.substack.com/p/putting-th...