Jason Michael Harlow
@jmharlow.bsky.social
hardware engineer, writer, spouse, dad, treehugger, sociable hermit, kitchen tool enthusiast
my opinions are my own
my opinions are my own
I'm in a dark place today. Our culture is profoundly ill. The discrepancy between affluence and lack makes me angry.
December 5, 2025 at 5:16 PM
I'm in a dark place today. Our culture is profoundly ill. The discrepancy between affluence and lack makes me angry.
It sure seems like things are going to hell in our country, and I was in dire need of an uplifting story when I saw this in my local paper:
"Each Green Corner converts underutilized land into sustainable, food-producing gardens for the local community"
www.almanacnews.com/san-mateo-co...
"Each Green Corner converts underutilized land into sustainable, food-producing gardens for the local community"
www.almanacnews.com/san-mateo-co...
Nonprofit nurtures neighborhood health
In San Mateo County, abundance and deprivation are often at odds. The food space is no exception. Neighborhoods abound with fruit trees and farmers markets border homes of hungry residents. The latest...
www.almanacnews.com
December 4, 2025 at 11:57 PM
It sure seems like things are going to hell in our country, and I was in dire need of an uplifting story when I saw this in my local paper:
"Each Green Corner converts underutilized land into sustainable, food-producing gardens for the local community"
www.almanacnews.com/san-mateo-co...
"Each Green Corner converts underutilized land into sustainable, food-producing gardens for the local community"
www.almanacnews.com/san-mateo-co...
Introduce yourself with five animals you've seen in the wild:
Humpback whale
Sea otter
Swallow-tailed kite
Tule elk
Great blue heron
Humpback whale
Sea otter
Swallow-tailed kite
Tule elk
Great blue heron
Introduce yourself with five animals you've seen in the wild:
Moose
Snowshoe hare
Grey fox
Northern shrike
Bobcat
Moose
Snowshoe hare
Grey fox
Northern shrike
Bobcat
Introduce yourself with five animals you've seen in the wild:
Buffalo
Sea Lions
Blue tailed Skink
Brown Squirrels ❤️
Raccoons
Opossum
Buffalo
Sea Lions
Blue tailed Skink
Brown Squirrels ❤️
Raccoons
Opossum
November 28, 2025 at 9:18 PM
Introduce yourself with five animals you've seen in the wild:
Humpback whale
Sea otter
Swallow-tailed kite
Tule elk
Great blue heron
Humpback whale
Sea otter
Swallow-tailed kite
Tule elk
Great blue heron
"Train Dreams" is proof that books have better special effects than movies. I liked watching it: visually gorgeous and well-acted. Much of the screenplay was excellent, but it left out a lot of good and dark stuff from the novella, and the ending was a botch.
#movies
#movies
November 25, 2025 at 5:28 PM
"Train Dreams" is proof that books have better special effects than movies. I liked watching it: visually gorgeous and well-acted. Much of the screenplay was excellent, but it left out a lot of good and dark stuff from the novella, and the ending was a botch.
#movies
#movies
November 24, 2025 at 11:57 PM
No, autocorrect, I am not texting about Apple the company, I am sending a message about apple pies, so please DO NOT assume I need a capital A (thanks).
#techfail
#techfail
November 24, 2025 at 9:17 PM
No, autocorrect, I am not texting about Apple the company, I am sending a message about apple pies, so please DO NOT assume I need a capital A (thanks).
#techfail
#techfail
Today I am reminded of two of my favorite sayings I learned growing up in Vermont:
"It takes all kinds."
"If you don't like the weather, wait a minute."
"It takes all kinds."
"If you don't like the weather, wait a minute."
November 21, 2025 at 9:28 PM
Today I am reminded of two of my favorite sayings I learned growing up in Vermont:
"It takes all kinds."
"If you don't like the weather, wait a minute."
"It takes all kinds."
"If you don't like the weather, wait a minute."
"County Board of Supervisors unanimously passed the introduction of an ordinance that would mandate county officials alert the community of nearby ICE operations... and regulate law enforcement’s use of face masks and other identity-concealing tactics."
www.almanacnews.com/san-mateo-co...
www.almanacnews.com/san-mateo-co...
San Mateo County proposes stricter guardrails on ICE interactions
San Mateo County could be the first county in the country to introduce a public notice system for local Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity.
www.almanacnews.com
November 20, 2025 at 5:15 PM
"County Board of Supervisors unanimously passed the introduction of an ordinance that would mandate county officials alert the community of nearby ICE operations... and regulate law enforcement’s use of face masks and other identity-concealing tactics."
www.almanacnews.com/san-mateo-co...
www.almanacnews.com/san-mateo-co...
I'm listening to old masters lately: Gilbert Rowland's volume 4 recording of Froberger suites for harpsichord (one of Gramophone's picks for best of 2025) and the most recent album by Del McCoury Band (because my kid likes to hear the banjo).
#music
#music
November 17, 2025 at 4:58 PM
I'm listening to old masters lately: Gilbert Rowland's volume 4 recording of Froberger suites for harpsichord (one of Gramophone's picks for best of 2025) and the most recent album by Del McCoury Band (because my kid likes to hear the banjo).
#music
#music
A wholesome note within of mire of yuck:
"I have effaced the face
of every shame that did not
say my truer name."
www.poetryfoundation.org/poetrymagazi...
"I have effaced the face
of every shame that did not
say my truer name."
www.poetryfoundation.org/poetrymagazi...
Trans/figuration
I have kissed the face of the life that took from me the only life I knew.
www.poetryfoundation.org
November 15, 2025 at 12:46 AM
A wholesome note within of mire of yuck:
"I have effaced the face
of every shame that did not
say my truer name."
www.poetryfoundation.org/poetrymagazi...
"I have effaced the face
of every shame that did not
say my truer name."
www.poetryfoundation.org/poetrymagazi...
I don't need a weighted vest, I've got a 1st-grader who still wants to ride my shoulders.
November 7, 2025 at 4:46 AM
I don't need a weighted vest, I've got a 1st-grader who still wants to ride my shoulders.
More farce that is actually not:
"The jury determined that the launching of the 12-inch deli sandwich from what the government described as 'point-blank range' was not an attempt to cause injury."
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/06/u...
"The jury determined that the launching of the 12-inch deli sandwich from what the government described as 'point-blank range' was not an attempt to cause injury."
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/06/u...
Jurors Find Sandwich Hurler Not Guilty of Assault
www.nytimes.com
November 6, 2025 at 8:55 PM
More farce that is actually not:
"The jury determined that the launching of the 12-inch deli sandwich from what the government described as 'point-blank range' was not an attempt to cause injury."
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/06/u...
"The jury determined that the launching of the 12-inch deli sandwich from what the government described as 'point-blank range' was not an attempt to cause injury."
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/06/u...
There were five election results yesterday I was eagerly watching, and I'm not ashamed to say they all turned out as I hoped: VA, NJ, NY, CA, PA.
November 5, 2025 at 11:01 PM
There were five election results yesterday I was eagerly watching, and I'm not ashamed to say they all turned out as I hoped: VA, NJ, NY, CA, PA.
I just finished the poetry collection "Indigo" by Ellen Bass. She writes so well about death, sex, the complexities of human relationships. And, I super admire the way she writes about nature. Here's one I feel moved to share.
"How can this be necessary?
Yet it grows and is making more
of itself"
"How can this be necessary?
Yet it grows and is making more
of itself"
November 1, 2025 at 6:44 PM
I just finished the poetry collection "Indigo" by Ellen Bass. She writes so well about death, sex, the complexities of human relationships. And, I super admire the way she writes about nature. Here's one I feel moved to share.
"How can this be necessary?
Yet it grows and is making more
of itself"
"How can this be necessary?
Yet it grows and is making more
of itself"
A River Restoration in Oregon Gets Fast Results: The Salmon Swam Right Back
www.nytimes.com
October 29, 2025 at 8:48 PM
October 29, 2025 at 6:51 PM
"A fun fact: In some other, more civilized nations like New Zealand and Bangladesh, if a legislative stalemate gets to the point of government shutdown, the people are entitled to fire all of the legislators and start over."
www.coyotemedia.org/these-bay-ar...
www.coyotemedia.org/these-bay-ar...
These Bay Area Restaurants Are Offering Free Food to SNAP Recipients
Amid a government shutdown that will cut off aid for 42 million Americans, local food scene folks plan to pick up the slack.
www.coyotemedia.org
October 28, 2025 at 5:28 PM
"A fun fact: In some other, more civilized nations like New Zealand and Bangladesh, if a legislative stalemate gets to the point of government shutdown, the people are entitled to fire all of the legislators and start over."
www.coyotemedia.org/these-bay-ar...
www.coyotemedia.org/these-bay-ar...
Making chicken stock in autumn is something I look forward to for months, collecting bones and vegetables in our freezer throughout spring and summer.
October 26, 2025 at 3:32 PM
Making chicken stock in autumn is something I look forward to for months, collecting bones and vegetables in our freezer throughout spring and summer.
"one of the safest and most foreign-born counties in the United States... Over 35% of San Mateo County are immigrants"
www.almanacnews.com/san-mateo-co...
www.almanacnews.com/san-mateo-co...
Trump threatens ICE ‘surge,’ San Mateo County claps back
County leaders, community organizers and members of the public came together twice on Thursday to call for unity and share strategies for possible encounters with immigration officers.
www.almanacnews.com
October 24, 2025 at 11:26 PM
"one of the safest and most foreign-born counties in the United States... Over 35% of San Mateo County are immigrants"
www.almanacnews.com/san-mateo-co...
www.almanacnews.com/san-mateo-co...
I was surprised to see this graffiti along Route 7 in the Vermont town where I grew up.
October 23, 2025 at 8:25 PM
I was surprised to see this graffiti along Route 7 in the Vermont town where I grew up.
"the first documented sighting of the bird north of Costa Rica... what happens with albatross is they’ll leave their nest and they’ll wander for years"
www.sfgate.com/local/articl...
www.sfgate.com/local/articl...
'Hit the jackpot': Bird seen for first time ever in California
It's the first time the bird has been spotted north of Costa Rica.
www.sfgate.com
October 17, 2025 at 8:14 PM
"the first documented sighting of the bird north of Costa Rica... what happens with albatross is they’ll leave their nest and they’ll wander for years"
www.sfgate.com/local/articl...
www.sfgate.com/local/articl...
Hoping to find this on a newsstand near me:
"Every Day, Computers Are Making People Easier To Use"
informationmagazine.com/about-in-for...
"Every Day, Computers Are Making People Easier To Use"
informationmagazine.com/about-in-for...
About In Formation Magazine
In Formation is a very different kind of tech publication. It’s not the place to read about the business of tech, or how to get the most out of that new product, or how to optimize your LinkedIn profi...
informationmagazine.com
October 17, 2025 at 6:52 PM
Hoping to find this on a newsstand near me:
"Every Day, Computers Are Making People Easier To Use"
informationmagazine.com/about-in-for...
"Every Day, Computers Are Making People Easier To Use"
informationmagazine.com/about-in-for...
TIL that my county's new poet laureate was at Community of Writers with me two summers ago. Further confirms my sense that I was out of my league at that conference! Still, pretty darn cool. Just bought his book, and am eager to read.
www.smcgov.org/ceo/news/ant...
www.smcgov.org/ceo/news/ant...
Antonio López Is the New San Mateo County Poet Laureate
San Mateo County’s new Poet Laureate, Antonio De Jesús López, cites his upbringing in East Palo Alto as his inspiration.
www.smcgov.org
October 15, 2025 at 5:37 PM
TIL that my county's new poet laureate was at Community of Writers with me two summers ago. Further confirms my sense that I was out of my league at that conference! Still, pretty darn cool. Just bought his book, and am eager to read.
www.smcgov.org/ceo/news/ant...
www.smcgov.org/ceo/news/ant...