Writing our Destiny aka Andrew
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planecrazy.bsky.social
Writing our Destiny aka Andrew
@planecrazy.bsky.social
570 followers 1.4K following 3.6K posts
A strange assortment of knowledge, caprice, and whims. Throw in steel pens and DnD, shake, strain and serve.
He/Him/Hey You
https://thesteelpen.com/
https://theesterbrookproject.com/
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planecrazy.bsky.social
It's that time of year we need to do our yearly reading of the greatest Chanukah book of all time, "The Flying Latke."

"A family argument over a Buick on the first night of Chanukah results in a food fight, and when Uncle Izzy throws a latke out the window, the FBI mistakes it for a UFO."
The cover of "Arthur Yorink's The Flying Latke with Art by William Steig"
December 15, 2025 at 2:55 AM
planecrazy.bsky.social
We kept hearing scratches in the attic after we had the roof replaced and rotted wood replaced. We were concerned that someone got trapped so we called a wildlife control company. The guy was a former archaeologist and a granola redneck. He releases in his woods. See what he caught!
A live trap with a little opossum down at the other end trying to appear fierce. They were uninjured but maybe thirsty and hungry. I had put out water while waiting for the trap guy to come.
December 13, 2025 at 12:21 AM
planecrazy.bsky.social
I'm wondering if anyone within reach of this post knows about the history of trademark and design patent law in the US, specifically mid-19th-century (1850s-70s). I am writing an article on how some precedents were set by steel pens and would love some expert review. It's short.
Small paper box from the Washington Medallion Pen company, price 25 cts. This is from c. 1860-64 A small paper box from 1868 or earlier labeled "The Washington Pen" price 25 cts. This is a box from the Esterbrook Steel Pen Company that looks a great deal like the box from the Washington Medallion Pen Company. This is the offending box in the Washington vs Esterbrook lawsuit over Trademark infringement. Excerpt from an article describing the 1868 trial. The fact that Trademark protection was now extended to packaging seems to be novel, or interesting enough to write newspaper articles about it warning merchants of these new standards of protection. An excerpt from my article on Myer Phineas, a successful NYC stationer, pen maker and inventor. The key paragraph says, "Because the patent for the inkstand was a design patent, the extension caused some problems. Prior to this extension, the criteria for extending a design patent was based on the object's "artistic value" alone. Solomon argued in his extension that the inkstand deserved an extension because of the inherent value of its functional design. Solomon's extensive filings convinced the review panel to extend the patent based on the overall usefulness and good functional design of the object, thus setting a precedent for future extensions of design patents." Next to this is a photo of one part of the glass inkwell (inkstand) in question showing the successful extension of the patent in 1869. "Myer Phineas Patent Renewed Aug 18, 1869"
December 10, 2025 at 6:30 PM
planecrazy.bsky.social
Picture of the staff who operate this bluesky account.
a statue of a yard gnome leaning against some red toadstools and sleeping with his hands over his ample belly.
December 7, 2025 at 7:27 PM
planecrazy.bsky.social
If that’s the rule. Here’s tonight’s version of a Halal cart bowl. 1/2 is lamb over rice, 1/2 is lentils over rice. Homemade white and red sauces. Practicing this cause I’m making these for Christmas Eve. I have to feed 21 varied eaters. Here they can make it like they want. Will also have chicken.
A bowl of rice over which you see various fixings including cucumber, tomatoes and both red and white sauces
December 6, 2025 at 1:37 AM
planecrazy.bsky.social
They and black-headed vultures are very common around here (North Carolina), and yeah, they ain’t small. One came to visit a picnic table at my old job. This was five stories up.
A very large black-headed vulture sitting at a picnic table with its wings out drying in the sun. Closer photo of a very large black-headed vulture sitting at a picnic table with its wings out drying in the sun.
December 2, 2025 at 4:35 AM
planecrazy.bsky.social
Concert t-shirt for “Gen W T Sherman and the Union Scorchers Heat a Peach Georgia Tour 1864” The other side of the shirt listing places and dates where the tour visited. Including ones like Nov. 15 Atlanta “Burned Out” (instead of Sold Out).
December 2, 2025 at 2:25 AM
planecrazy.bsky.social
I wonder why this story of a proposed violent insurrection and overthrow of the elected government of the state of Indiana seems relevant as we approach Jan 6? The article goes on to lament the clemency of Lincoln in not hanging those involved. The rebel was now running for US Senate in 1866.
From "The Weekly Republican", Plymouth, Indiana · Thursday, June 14, 1866. A newspaper article. "A Model Copperhead. Major General Milligan is determined to keep his name and memory before the people. Having, through Executive mercy, cheated the gallows of its dues, and by a technical quibble defrauded the Ohio penitentiary of himself, the worst criminal within its walls, he is not engaged in expounding the true principles of his party, and paving the way for his candidacy for the United States Senate." The rest of the article describes how, during the Civil War, Milligan and a group of other southern sympathizers planned to take over Indiana and Illinois and turn them over to the Confederacy. That included murdering the governor, and freeing confederate prisoners from camps in Indiana, Illinois and Ohio, and using them to effect the overthrow. The rest of the article states that "Milligan deserved the severest punishment known to the law, none will dispute, save those who participated in or sympathized with his projected rebellion; and that he did not pay the penalty due to his offense was owning to the merciful character of Mr. Lincoln, and the interposition of Governor Morton's recommendation for mercy to President Johnson, after the later had ordered him to be hanged." It then goes on to describe how this man, instead of retreating from society, is now making speeches saying awful things about Lincoln and mocking Morton who was then dying.
November 30, 2025 at 12:00 PM
planecrazy.bsky.social
If it was Finnish, wouldn't it be something like "Perkkelator"? You would use one to make the coffee at a Pikkujoulu get together. 😆

(BTW, I was just using your Stoats of Pestilence travel coffee cup last night and thought of you)
A photo of a glass of spiced wine, and two cute, stuffed trolls, and it says, "12 Days of Finnish Christmas - Pikkujoulu"
November 29, 2025 at 7:20 PM
planecrazy.bsky.social
It worked! It all came out very well and we ended up eating early because it didn’t take as long as I was afraid it might. Never defrosting a turkey breast again. The sides weren’t fancy but we’re on point. And I’ve got my gravy game down, so made 6 cups this year. No running out tomorrow.
A dish of sliced sweet potatoes roasted with butter, maple syrup, cinnamon, fresh ground nutmeg and ginger.
November 27, 2025 at 10:09 PM
planecrazy.bsky.social
The starches are on the table! Repeat, the starches are on the table!
A table setting showing several dishes including: cranberry jelly, roasted sweet potatoes, a big pile of mashed potatoes and a plate with cut and roasted acorn squash. You can also see a boat o’ gravy.
November 27, 2025 at 9:04 PM
planecrazy.bsky.social
Just got my haircut. My barber is from the Lumbee nation
A tshirt with a full-headdress Indigenous head and under it “If only we had built a wall”
November 25, 2025 at 3:33 PM
planecrazy.bsky.social
Ain't that the truth!
Behold, the AMC Pacer!
A small, red car with "Pacer" on the side.
November 24, 2025 at 2:00 PM
planecrazy.bsky.social
From the Rialto Theater in Raleigh. Their response to ICE and CBP activity in the area.
A art deco movie theater facade with a big "Rialto" over the marquee. On the marquee is says in big letters, "Detain Bofa Deez"
November 21, 2025 at 7:08 PM
planecrazy.bsky.social
This is a whole aesthetic among avid letter writers. Some collect old, low-value stamps on purpose to make an artistic statement on their envelopes. I think it’s kind of cool.

From The Postman’s Knock, a calligraphy site.
An envelope with a calligrapher name and address and a number of colorful and varied stamps, mostly vintage.
November 21, 2025 at 5:59 PM
planecrazy.bsky.social
Post something random or you’ll have an awful December.
a page from an 1869 stationary catalog from Appleton & Co. This page shows "Letter Copying Presses." One way to copy a letter was to use a special kind of copying ink, and press it up against another sheet of thin paper using one of these heavy, cast-iron, screw presses shown on the page. They show a Small Press, Medium Press (plain), New Design Medium Press, Railroad and Express Copying Press, and Extra Large Railroad and Express Copying Press.
November 18, 2025 at 12:23 PM
planecrazy.bsky.social
The phenomenon of ghost jobs, job postings with no actual job, is real. Often these postings are either to give a false impression of a company's health, just a fishing lure to get resumes in the door "just in case," or sometimes it's a way to gather data on competitors. It sucks for job hunters.
A line chart that shows the gap between job Openings and job Hires going from August 2025 (the latest month for which we have numbers) back to Jan 2023. The gap was about 4 million more job postings than hires at that point (over 10 million postings but only 6.2 million hires that month). The gap has generally gone down, as hiring has shrunk to where the gap was about 2 million (7.2M vs. 5.1M) in August of this year.
November 16, 2025 at 9:44 PM
planecrazy.bsky.social
Zoey from k-pop demon hunters is making a face and saying, “Yeah! Yeah!”
November 15, 2025 at 3:56 AM
planecrazy.bsky.social
This from one of the most enthusiastic proponents of AI who isn't actually trying to sell an AI system. The Hype is off the charts, and misleading.
I also saw a study on how people are actually using ChapGPT and twice as many are using it to look up facts (the worst use) as any other use case.
From Andrew Ng. From his deeplearning.ai site. "Even though LLMs can handle a much more general set of tasks than previous iterations of AI technology, compared to what humans can do, they are still highly specialized. They’re much better at working with text than other modalities, still require lots of custom engineering to get it the right context for a particular application, and we have few tools — and only inefficient ones — for getting our systems to learn from feedback and repeated exposure to a specific task (such as screening resumés for a particular role). AI has stark limitations, and despite rapid improvements, it will remain limited compared to humans for a long time. AI is amazing, but it has unfortunately been hyped up to be even more amazing than it is. A pernicious aspect of hype is that it often contains an element of truth, but not to the degree of the hype. This makes it difficult for nontechnical people to discern where the truth really is. Modern AI is a general purpose technology that is enabling many applications, but AI that can do any intellectual tasks that a human can (a popular definition for AGI) is still decades away or longer. This nuanced message that AI is general, but not that general, often is lost in the noise of today's media environment.
November 13, 2025 at 6:38 PM
planecrazy.bsky.social
Thanks. I'll try. The album is chock full of history. When I saw it I knew I had to rescue it and I've been trying, on and off, to reunite it with the family for 20 years.
A photo of a very early jet airplane flying very low over a road in what looks like an airbase in Korea. Willing dressed as an Air Police, the Army Air Force version of an MP. There is a written inscription around it written in white ink on the black paper of the photo album. Above it is written, "6154th Air Police "5th FIF. Taque Korea - 1950" then under it it says, "Mr. John Law" A certificate of the "Domain of the Golden Dragon" to show that he has passed the 180th Meridian. These were issued for soldiers heading to Asia by boat in a continuation of old naval traditions like when you crossed the equator. It's a very elaborate printed certificate with dragons, half-naked ladies, sea shells and star fish and chains on either side. Two photos. The one of the left is labeled "A Japanese Plane" and shows what looks like a fighter plane on the ground with the Japanese rising sun on the tail. On the right is a photo of a building, some cars and a chain link fence. It is labeled "Yakata Air Base, Japan."
November 11, 2025 at 6:14 PM
planecrazy.bsky.social
Wondering if you know of any organizations that can help me reunite this photo album I found at a garage sale (left in the house when owners moved in) with any surviving family? I've tried genealogical resources, but can't find anything. I'm caring for it but would love to return to his family.
A young Black man in military uniform posed standing with his hand in his pocket. A newspaper article about Willie L. Harris of Gary, Indiana telling how he had recently returned from Korea and his service in Korea, Japan and as special guard for General Earl Partridge in Korea. Willie posed sitting in a chair looking all snazzy with sunglasses on, a cane and peaked cap. The front of the photo album with the embossed "Photographs" that came on there augmented underneath with letters drawn or applied "by Willie L. Harris" and the remains of a pinup girl glued to the cover.
November 11, 2025 at 3:30 PM
planecrazy.bsky.social
And, of course, the Chinese did it first.
2000-year-old jade burial suit.
A complete body covering made up of many small plaques made of jade and sewn together with red thread through each corner of each plaque.
November 10, 2025 at 10:19 PM
planecrazy.bsky.social
Found an interesting info-graphic from the Durham County Board of Elections that explains why, in our city politics, the decision is always "which flavor of Democratic candidate" rather than Democratic vs. Republican. This is one of the most Democratic cities in the country.
A pie chart of "Voters by Party" show that more than half of the registered voters are registered Democrats. The next largest group are Unaffiliated and Republicans are a very small segment, with libertarians a tiny little sliver, barely to be seen.
November 5, 2025 at 12:14 PM
planecrazy.bsky.social
Today is voting day. Do your civic duty, while we still can. Fortunately here in Durham is more about the flavor of Democrat. But still important.
Selfie showing my I Voted sticker
November 4, 2025 at 4:10 PM
planecrazy.bsky.social
My wife’s new garden expansion is still blooming. It will be really nice when it grows in.
Photo of a corner garden with a rose bush down-center flanked by two rocks and some perennials in front, still small. A small path covered in pine needles arcs behind and separates the front, new bit, from the more established bed behind where you can still see roses with some blooms on them and a big old purple sage, a favorite of the bees, hummingbirds and pollinators of all kinds.
November 4, 2025 at 3:58 AM