banner
arkmashton.bsky.social
Howard
@arkmashton.bsky.social
150 followers 110 following 2.3K posts
"[O]f all the emotions – and indifference, too, because even indifference is an emotion of a sort – only love sees the unveiled truth." – Gene Wolfe, Return to the Whorl
Posts Media Videos Starter Packs
Pinned
arkmashton.bsky.social
Howard @arkmashton.bsky.social · Feb 28
Evil is a form of stupidity
3 17
arkmashton.bsky.social
Howard @arkmashton.bsky.social · 15h
Probably not but it’s so good I thought I’d offer it anyway
1
arkmashton.bsky.social
Howard @arkmashton.bsky.social · 15h
www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-...
Herb-Marinated Pork Tenderloins
Get Herb-Marinated Pork Tenderloins Recipe from Food Network
www.foodnetwork.com
1 1
arkmashton.bsky.social
Howard @arkmashton.bsky.social · 1d
Sure. But I also think that most normie Catholics have no idea about any of this.
1 5
arkmashton.bsky.social
Howard @arkmashton.bsky.social · 1d
I think my mufos vastly underestimate how much Bp. Barron’s engagement with the right wing reads as totally normal engagement with the culture, or doesn’t register at all, with the vast majority of normie Catholics (including normie priests and bishops).
3 12
arkmashton.bsky.social
Howard @arkmashton.bsky.social · 1d
Some very good license plates today.

At the library: WAR AND

At REI: BEAN MAN (bonus: a “toot if you love beans” bumper sticker)
1 8
arkmashton.bsky.social
Howard @arkmashton.bsky.social · 1d
The ideal sports broadcast has a single play by play announcer who doesn’t say much, and a small score bug.
Norman Rockwell’s painting “Freedom of Speech.” A man in worker’s clothing stands up to speak at a town hall meeting. Better-dressed men and women around him look up at him admiringly.
2
arkmashton.bsky.social
Howard @arkmashton.bsky.social · 1d
Looks like a 30s gas station logo
2
arkmashton.bsky.social
Howard @arkmashton.bsky.social · 1d
Is there like a ring we could throw into a volcano or something to stop all this? I’m out of ideas
6
arkmashton.bsky.social
Howard @arkmashton.bsky.social · 1d
My guess is both. I think the conditions that lead to sponsorship of good and bad software are unchanged, and we get more of both.
arkmashton.bsky.social
Howard @arkmashton.bsky.social · 1d
There have also always been a surprising number of bad engineers earning a living. My question is: does the rise of vibe coding mean the good ones take over because there’s no need for the bad ones? Or do the bad ones get much more productive and produce a lot more bad software?
2
arkmashton.bsky.social
Howard @arkmashton.bsky.social · 1d
What a hunk of junk
2
arkmashton.bsky.social
Howard @arkmashton.bsky.social · 2d
In-game interviews should be illegal
2 4
arkmashton.bsky.social
Howard @arkmashton.bsky.social · 2d
This sort of thing isn’t elegant but it wins wars en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Navy_li...
Navy lighterage pontoon - Wikipedia
en.m.wikipedia.org
arkmashton.bsky.social
Howard @arkmashton.bsky.social · 2d
Don’t write “actually” when I mean “actual” challenge
arkmashton.bsky.social
Howard @arkmashton.bsky.social · 2d
He’s right though, Germany did produce more sophisticated technology, like the Me-262 and the V2. But they were ultimately not well-suited to Germany’s actually needs. Maybe there’s a lesson for SV in there
1 1
arkmashton.bsky.social
Howard @arkmashton.bsky.social · 2d
Hardest working shirt in the biz
1
arkmashton.bsky.social
Howard @arkmashton.bsky.social · 2d
One of the best things about Tolkien is that he shows not just that good can triumph over evil but also what good actually is. Fellowship, service, the small and ordinary, in the long run, defeat domination, power, and the grandiose.
2
arkmashton.bsky.social
Howard @arkmashton.bsky.social · 2d
Ah, one other thing. Frodo's morgul-wound had some similar effects as the ring, making him fade. I think it's very likely that made him more susceptible to the power of the ring.
arkmashton.bsky.social
Howard @arkmashton.bsky.social · 2d
you nerd-sniped me hard on this one
2
arkmashton.bsky.social
Howard @arkmashton.bsky.social · 2d
I think we can assume from all of this that it's some combination of Sauron having reestablished his power (in particular, having rebuilt Barad Dur), and also Sauron being more willing to use his power openly, because he has less to fear.
1
arkmashton.bsky.social
Howard @arkmashton.bsky.social · 2d
I think Sauron's weakness is the key here. He was comprehensively defeated at the end of the Second Age, even losing his physical form. It took him a couple of thousand years to rebuild his power base. It wasn't until 2951 TA, about 50 years before LotR, that he openly declared himself.
1
arkmashton.bsky.social
Howard @arkmashton.bsky.social · 2d
It's also worth remembering that Sméagol used the ring above ground, but this was when Sauron was still relatively weak (ca. 2463 TA). Sauron had just returned to Dol Guldur in the guise of the Necromancer.
1
arkmashton.bsky.social
Howard @arkmashton.bsky.social · 2d
Perhaps Sauron's perception is limited by distance or blocked by certain obstacles. Most of Gollum's use of the ring was underground. And yet, Bilbo used the ring above-ground east of the misty mountains, fairly close to Dol Guldur (Sauron's fortress at the time) with no ill effects.
1
arkmashton.bsky.social
Howard @arkmashton.bsky.social · 2d
I think the short answer is that Tolkien wasn't concerned with sharply delineating or explaining the manner of operation or extent of the various powers at work in Arda. I do think there are hints at the general way this worked. Apologies for the thread, but this is catnip for me.
1
arkmashton.bsky.social
Howard @arkmashton.bsky.social · 3d
I don’t know what the reference is here, but you could make a good case that reveling in harming an object is the purest demonstration of the damage hate causes to the soul!
3