Ward Q. Normal (he/him)
@wardqnormal.bsky.social
Teacher, knitter, widower, Phish head, provincial park, strategy puzzle video game, type of volcanic crater, electronic device designed to trick or deceive radar, species of moth of the family Tortricidae, ...
Pinned
New school year about to start, so a new thread for the alphabetical order commute playlist. This morning's drive started with "Dumb All Over" (Zappa) and ended with 4 songs titled "Dust" (Monks of Doom, Parquet Courts, 13th Floor Elevators, Elvis Costello).
Reposted by Ward Q. Normal (he/him)
My public service announcement for today is that America’s Test Kitchen, which is infinitely better then NYTimes Cooking, has introduced a new gift link option that has no limit on how many you can share and each link lasts 30 days.
November 25, 2025 at 10:05 PM
My public service announcement for today is that America’s Test Kitchen, which is infinitely better then NYTimes Cooking, has introduced a new gift link option that has no limit on how many you can share and each link lasts 30 days.
Y'all are gonna make me mute the word "pie," aren't you?
November 25, 2025 at 10:58 PM
Y'all are gonna make me mute the word "pie," aren't you?
I'm making Beef Wellington for Thanksgiving. I wanted a project, and boy have I got a project. It's a beast.
November 25, 2025 at 10:16 PM
I'm making Beef Wellington for Thanksgiving. I wanted a project, and boy have I got a project. It's a beast.
Reposted by Ward Q. Normal (he/him)
the only good thing about genAI is that it got me to really love seeing bad art, because I know a person put in time and effort, made themselves vulnerable by showing it to others, and is trying to improve. I value that more than anything now
November 20, 2025 at 12:51 AM
the only good thing about genAI is that it got me to really love seeing bad art, because I know a person put in time and effort, made themselves vulnerable by showing it to others, and is trying to improve. I value that more than anything now
I have an inspiration for this year's holiday card. It's not a great idea, but it's something that might be a fun challenge to make. It could take me several days of work, and I am confident that a significant percentage of people who see it will assume it's just generative AI. So maybe not.
November 25, 2025 at 7:37 PM
I have an inspiration for this year's holiday card. It's not a great idea, but it's something that might be a fun challenge to make. It could take me several days of work, and I am confident that a significant percentage of people who see it will assume it's just generative AI. So maybe not.
Don't remember my first CD. Never bought a lot of cassettes, but...
Cassette: Dead Milkmen, "Big Lizard in My Backyard"
Vinyl: Talking Heads "Stop Making Sense" and Elvis Costello "Armed Forces," bought on the same trip to Appletree Records in Normal, IL.
Cassette: Dead Milkmen, "Big Lizard in My Backyard"
Vinyl: Talking Heads "Stop Making Sense" and Elvis Costello "Armed Forces," bought on the same trip to Appletree Records in Normal, IL.
Okay, who remembers the first cassette tape/CD they ever purchased? For me:
CD: Pink Floyd's The Wall
cassette: Styx's Kilroy Was Here
CD: Pink Floyd's The Wall
cassette: Styx's Kilroy Was Here
November 25, 2025 at 6:54 PM
Don't remember my first CD. Never bought a lot of cassettes, but...
Cassette: Dead Milkmen, "Big Lizard in My Backyard"
Vinyl: Talking Heads "Stop Making Sense" and Elvis Costello "Armed Forces," bought on the same trip to Appletree Records in Normal, IL.
Cassette: Dead Milkmen, "Big Lizard in My Backyard"
Vinyl: Talking Heads "Stop Making Sense" and Elvis Costello "Armed Forces," bought on the same trip to Appletree Records in Normal, IL.
Reposted by Ward Q. Normal (he/him)
(A) stop feeling pressure to be perfect;
(B) normalize asking questions, because that is normalizing learning;
(C) do not ask AI if your turkey is done; ask a meat thermometer
(B) normalize asking questions, because that is normalizing learning;
(C) do not ask AI if your turkey is done; ask a meat thermometer
This is so soulless, I can't stand it. We have BRAINS. We can USE THEM.
November 25, 2025 at 5:56 PM
(A) stop feeling pressure to be perfect;
(B) normalize asking questions, because that is normalizing learning;
(C) do not ask AI if your turkey is done; ask a meat thermometer
(B) normalize asking questions, because that is normalizing learning;
(C) do not ask AI if your turkey is done; ask a meat thermometer
Reposted by Ward Q. Normal (he/him)
"device hoarding" is a phrase that would have made my grandparents become the Joker
stupid young people, stop buying a new phone every year if you don't want to be broke. wait no, not like that.
November 25, 2025 at 6:28 PM
"device hoarding" is a phrase that would have made my grandparents become the Joker
Being John Malkovich, but with Muppets. John Malkovich still plays himself, but all the other parts are played by Muppets.
If you were a despotic president, what movie would you force Hollywood to make? I want to see Quentin's Star Trek movie or maybe Kill Bill Vol 3.
November 25, 2025 at 6:44 PM
Being John Malkovich, but with Muppets. John Malkovich still plays himself, but all the other parts are played by Muppets.
Bed Bath and Bewildered
November 25, 2025 at 5:29 PM
Bed Bath and Bewildered
Reposted by Ward Q. Normal (he/him)
It's weird to not only have lived through an information revolution but also now living through its undoing, all within less than a generation.
Google at its peak was basically the best information retrieval system in human history and they and every competitor decided going from there to “you didn’t want answers you wanted half-assed auto-complete 80%-wrong hallucinations” in a few years was the right idea
November 25, 2025 at 12:19 PM
It's weird to not only have lived through an information revolution but also now living through its undoing, all within less than a generation.
Reposted by Ward Q. Normal (he/him)
I wonder how many people are gonna catastrophically fuck up thanksgiving by using chatgpt for their recipes
November 25, 2025 at 4:07 PM
I wonder how many people are gonna catastrophically fuck up thanksgiving by using chatgpt for their recipes
Reposted by Ward Q. Normal (he/him)
If you want to feel old, we are now further from the formation of the Kenorland Supercontinent than the formation of the Kenorland Supercontinent is from the formation of the Solar System.
November 25, 2025 at 5:35 AM
If you want to feel old, we are now further from the formation of the Kenorland Supercontinent than the formation of the Kenorland Supercontinent is from the formation of the Solar System.
Reposted by Ward Q. Normal (he/him)
If you know anything about autism politics, you know this is a BFD.
November 24, 2025 at 11:25 PM
If you know anything about autism politics, you know this is a BFD.
Reposted by Ward Q. Normal (he/him)
WOW! Autism Society of America, The Autistic Self-Advocacy Network, the Autism Science Foundation, the Autistic Women & Nonbinary Network and Autism Speaks put out a statement denouncing the CDC changing its website on vaccines
autisticadvocacy.org/2025/11/lead...
autisticadvocacy.org/2025/11/lead...
Leading Autism and Disability Organizations Statement on CDC's Vaccines and Autism Page
As national organizations dedicated to advancing the well-being of autistic individuals and partners across the disability and public health sectors, we are deeply disappointed by the latest update to...
autisticadvocacy.org
November 24, 2025 at 11:18 PM
WOW! Autism Society of America, The Autistic Self-Advocacy Network, the Autism Science Foundation, the Autistic Women & Nonbinary Network and Autism Speaks put out a statement denouncing the CDC changing its website on vaccines
autisticadvocacy.org/2025/11/lead...
autisticadvocacy.org/2025/11/lead...
Reposted by Ward Q. Normal (he/him)
Oh wow, the person who fueled the moral panic about trans kids is doing the same with autism. Big shock.
November 24, 2025 at 10:20 PM
Oh wow, the person who fueled the moral panic about trans kids is doing the same with autism. Big shock.
All I'm sayin' is that we didn't bail out Ty when Beanie Babies crashed.
November 24, 2025 at 11:32 PM
All I'm sayin' is that we didn't bail out Ty when Beanie Babies crashed.
Alas, poor Yorick! I knew him, Charlie Brown.
November 24, 2025 at 10:49 PM
Alas, poor Yorick! I knew him, Charlie Brown.
What I heard on the video: "cook the mushrooms 4 to 5 minutes."
What the recipe actually says: "cook the mushrooms 45 minutes."
What the recipe actually says: "cook the mushrooms 45 minutes."
November 24, 2025 at 10:41 PM
What I heard on the video: "cook the mushrooms 4 to 5 minutes."
What the recipe actually says: "cook the mushrooms 45 minutes."
What the recipe actually says: "cook the mushrooms 45 minutes."
His palms are sweaty, knees weak, arms are heavy
There's vomit on his sweater already, mom's spaghetti
He's nervous, but on the surface, he looks calm and ready
There's vomit on his sweater already, mom's spaghetti
He's nervous, but on the surface, he looks calm and ready
November 24, 2025 at 4:10 PM
His palms are sweaty, knees weak, arms are heavy
There's vomit on his sweater already, mom's spaghetti
He's nervous, but on the surface, he looks calm and ready
There's vomit on his sweater already, mom's spaghetti
He's nervous, but on the surface, he looks calm and ready
Reposted by Ward Q. Normal (he/him)
Unless a disaster happens in the next few weeks, this year US farmers will have a record corn harvest and record soy yield (they're related, but not the same thing). Sure hope some malign force hasn't screwed up agricultural export markets. esmis.nal.usda.gov/sites/defaul...
November 24, 2025 at 3:12 PM
Unless a disaster happens in the next few weeks, this year US farmers will have a record corn harvest and record soy yield (they're related, but not the same thing). Sure hope some malign force hasn't screwed up agricultural export markets. esmis.nal.usda.gov/sites/defaul...
Reposted by Ward Q. Normal (he/him)
It sure would be handy to have some way for the government to buy this surplus up, putting money in farmers pockets, minimally process it, pack it up in bags covered with Stars and Stripes, and use it to feed those most at risk of hunger at home and abroad, huh?
Meanwhile, in Wisconsin, this report from three days ago.
Wisconsin grain elevators are running out of room for this year's corn crop
Wisconsin farmers had a great growing year for crops. That has led to actual mountains of corn at grain elevators around the state.
www.wpr.org
November 24, 2025 at 3:34 PM
It sure would be handy to have some way for the government to buy this surplus up, putting money in farmers pockets, minimally process it, pack it up in bags covered with Stars and Stripes, and use it to feed those most at risk of hunger at home and abroad, huh?
Reposted by Ward Q. Normal (he/him)
I've never had a trans woman tell me to get back in the kitchen, or make a "joke" about how women shouldn't be allowed to vote. I've never seen trans women outside the planned parenthood calling women murderers and whores. trans women have never dogged me out for incorrectly performing femininity
November 22, 2025 at 4:17 PM
I've never had a trans woman tell me to get back in the kitchen, or make a "joke" about how women shouldn't be allowed to vote. I've never seen trans women outside the planned parenthood calling women murderers and whores. trans women have never dogged me out for incorrectly performing femininity
It's Chinatown, Charlie Brown
There is no spoon, Charlie Brown
They're made of meat, Charlie Brown
November 24, 2025 at 3:29 AM
It's Chinatown, Charlie Brown
While 90% of reasons why people hate turkey definitely come down to skill issues, it is also true that even the best roast turkey you'll ever have is still just gonna be fucking turkey.
November 24, 2025 at 3:17 AM
While 90% of reasons why people hate turkey definitely come down to skill issues, it is also true that even the best roast turkey you'll ever have is still just gonna be fucking turkey.