J. Brandt Buckley
@runlevel1.bsky.social
Engineer. He/him.
Opinions expressed are solely my own and do not express the views or opinions of my current or former employers.
Opinions expressed are solely my own and do not express the views or opinions of my current or former employers.
Reposted by J. Brandt Buckley
CIA Realizes It’s Been Using Black Highlighters All These Year
theonion.com/cia-realizes...
theonion.com/cia-realizes...
December 19, 2025 at 9:27 PM
CIA Realizes It’s Been Using Black Highlighters All These Year
theonion.com/cia-realizes...
theonion.com/cia-realizes...
Surprised they didn't pick a font by Eric Gill, the designer most similar to Trump.
The State Department reinstates an old font, in a typeface about-face
The State Department is swapping out Calibri for Times New Roman in all its official documents, reversing a Biden-era change that aimed to increase accessibility for readers with disabilities.
www.npr.org
December 12, 2025 at 4:12 AM
Surprised they didn't pick a font by Eric Gill, the designer most similar to Trump.
Go home YouTube Recap, you're drunk.
December 5, 2025 at 7:01 AM
Go home YouTube Recap, you're drunk.
I mean, I wasn't going to say "monstrous"... 😂
I get a kick out of some of the roasts you get when you start a comment with "TODO: Refactor " with AI auto-complete on.
I get a kick out of some of the roasts you get when you start a comment with "TODO: Refactor " with AI auto-complete on.
October 1, 2025 at 4:53 PM
I mean, I wasn't going to say "monstrous"... 😂
I get a kick out of some of the roasts you get when you start a comment with "TODO: Refactor " with AI auto-complete on.
I get a kick out of some of the roasts you get when you start a comment with "TODO: Refactor " with AI auto-complete on.
Oof... Signalgate was so much worse than I thought.
We spend $15B/year on the NSA, but why trust them over this random app that pops up on Google?
We spend $15B/year on the NSA, but why trust them over this random app that pops up on Google?
"We are currently clean on OPSEC": The Signalgate Saga (DEFCON 33)
YouTube video by Micah Lee
www.youtube.com
August 16, 2025 at 3:21 AM
Oof... Signalgate was so much worse than I thought.
We spend $15B/year on the NSA, but why trust them over this random app that pops up on Google?
We spend $15B/year on the NSA, but why trust them over this random app that pops up on Google?
@mercoglianos.bsky.social any guesses what the $450M for "application of autonomy and artificial intelligence to naval shipbuilding" buys?
www.congress.gov
July 3, 2025 at 11:52 PM
@mercoglianos.bsky.social any guesses what the $450M for "application of autonomy and artificial intelligence to naval shipbuilding" buys?
In 1795, 4 companies bribed all but 2 Georgia state legislators to sell most of GA's public land (present-day MS and AL) for 1¢/acre.
GA citizens tried to undo the sale, but SCOTUS ruled that the Constitution prohibited voiding the contracts, even when secured through bribery.
History often rhymes
GA citizens tried to undo the sale, but SCOTUS ruled that the Constitution prohibited voiding the contracts, even when secured through bribery.
History often rhymes
Yazoo land scandal - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
June 26, 2025 at 6:48 PM
In 1795, 4 companies bribed all but 2 Georgia state legislators to sell most of GA's public land (present-day MS and AL) for 1¢/acre.
GA citizens tried to undo the sale, but SCOTUS ruled that the Constitution prohibited voiding the contracts, even when secured through bribery.
History often rhymes
GA citizens tried to undo the sale, but SCOTUS ruled that the Constitution prohibited voiding the contracts, even when secured through bribery.
History often rhymes
FYI: Uranium hexafluoride (the gas used in the enrichment centrifuges) venting is more of a chemical hazard than a radiological one. It reacts with water and water vapor to form corrosive hydrofluoric acid and HF gas, but it's not *that* radioactive.
tl;dr: No fallout; no hot fission byproducts.
tl;dr: No fallout; no hot fission byproducts.
cameochemicals.noaa.gov
June 22, 2025 at 1:25 AM
FYI: Uranium hexafluoride (the gas used in the enrichment centrifuges) venting is more of a chemical hazard than a radiological one. It reacts with water and water vapor to form corrosive hydrofluoric acid and HF gas, but it's not *that* radioactive.
tl;dr: No fallout; no hot fission byproducts.
tl;dr: No fallout; no hot fission byproducts.
Don't start watching @deviantollam.bsky.social's new talk at 2:00 am if you've got work in the morning. Fascinating talk.
Attacking Classified Safes and Vaults from the Cold War to Now [CackalackyCon 2025]
YouTube video by DeviantOllam
www.youtube.com
June 8, 2025 at 4:48 PM
Don't start watching @deviantollam.bsky.social's new talk at 2:00 am if you've got work in the morning. Fascinating talk.
Title: "Responses of turkey vultures to [drones] vary by platform."
This paper explores using drones to keep turkey vultures, which pose a bird strike risk to airliners, away from airports.
Useful science sometimes requires unusual research.
This paper explores using drones to keep turkey vultures, which pose a bird strike risk to airliners, away from airports.
Useful science sometimes requires unusual research.
Responses of turkey vultures to unmanned aircraft systems vary by platform - Scientific Reports
Scientific Reports - Responses of turkey vultures to unmanned aircraft systems vary by platform
www.nature.com
June 5, 2025 at 11:20 PM
Title: "Responses of turkey vultures to [drones] vary by platform."
This paper explores using drones to keep turkey vultures, which pose a bird strike risk to airliners, away from airports.
Useful science sometimes requires unusual research.
This paper explores using drones to keep turkey vultures, which pose a bird strike risk to airliners, away from airports.
Useful science sometimes requires unusual research.
Polish Presidential candidate orders another candidate to "kneel before Zod" during debate.
(I know nothing about this guy other than him looking like he escaped the Phantom Zone.)
(I know nothing about this guy other than him looking like he escaped the Phantom Zone.)
May 13, 2025 at 9:24 PM
Polish Presidential candidate orders another candidate to "kneel before Zod" during debate.
(I know nothing about this guy other than him looking like he escaped the Phantom Zone.)
(I know nothing about this guy other than him looking like he escaped the Phantom Zone.)
Google Search is lost...
April 29, 2025 at 2:29 AM
Google Search is lost...
Good news, everyone! The 'gold card' design was revealed!
April 4, 2025 at 9:38 PM
Good news, everyone! The 'gold card' design was revealed!
Universities are using AI to read names at commencement. Here's how the one UCSD is using pronounces "Sean": www.youtube.com/watch?v=KfnQ...
(Students can give a phonetic spelling if it doesn't get it right, but I still find it hilarious that this AI gets wrong what even 1983's DECtalk got right.)
(Students can give a phonetic spelling if it doesn't get it right, but I still find it hilarious that this AI gets wrong what even 1983's DECtalk got right.)
How UCSD's "AI tech" will pronounce Sean at graduation
YouTube video by Sean
www.youtube.com
April 3, 2025 at 10:12 AM
Universities are using AI to read names at commencement. Here's how the one UCSD is using pronounces "Sean": www.youtube.com/watch?v=KfnQ...
(Students can give a phonetic spelling if it doesn't get it right, but I still find it hilarious that this AI gets wrong what even 1983's DECtalk got right.)
(Students can give a phonetic spelling if it doesn't get it right, but I still find it hilarious that this AI gets wrong what even 1983's DECtalk got right.)
ChatGPT's new image generation feature apparently has rather inconsistent restrictions.
March 26, 2025 at 8:42 PM
ChatGPT's new image generation feature apparently has rather inconsistent restrictions.
(TS//SI//NOFORN) 🤦
March 24, 2025 at 7:59 PM
(TS//SI//NOFORN) 🤦
"I will do all we can to enforce 100% OPSEC", said SecDef Pete Hegseth while planning a war over Signal in a group chat that accidentally included Chief Editor of The Atlantic.
The Trump Administration Accidentally Texted Me Its War Plans
U.S. national-security leaders included me in a group chat about upcoming military strikes in Yemen. I didn’t think it could be real. Then the bombs started falling.
www.theatlantic.com
March 24, 2025 at 7:29 PM
"I will do all we can to enforce 100% OPSEC", said SecDef Pete Hegseth while planning a war over Signal in a group chat that accidentally included Chief Editor of The Atlantic.
Google has disabled many ad blockers in Chrome for very dubious reasons. Mac users can buy a few more months to give time to switch to another browser by running:
defaults write com.google.Chrome.plist ExtensionManifestV2Availability -int 2
(Reminder: Don't run commands without verifying.)
defaults write com.google.Chrome.plist ExtensionManifestV2Availability -int 2
(Reminder: Don't run commands without verifying.)
March 13, 2025 at 1:55 AM
Google has disabled many ad blockers in Chrome for very dubious reasons. Mac users can buy a few more months to give time to switch to another browser by running:
defaults write com.google.Chrome.plist ExtensionManifestV2Availability -int 2
(Reminder: Don't run commands without verifying.)
defaults write com.google.Chrome.plist ExtensionManifestV2Availability -int 2
(Reminder: Don't run commands without verifying.)
If you've ever wondered why HTTP, SMTP, Telnet, etc use Windows-style CR LF line endings despite being developed on UNIX (which normally uses LF), this explains it: www.rfc-editor.org/old/EOLstory...
www.rfc-editor.org
March 11, 2025 at 5:45 PM
If you've ever wondered why HTTP, SMTP, Telnet, etc use Windows-style CR LF line endings despite being developed on UNIX (which normally uses LF), this explains it: www.rfc-editor.org/old/EOLstory...
What a dark day in American history. Slava Ukraini.
March 1, 2025 at 3:08 AM
What a dark day in American history. Slava Ukraini.
For anyone else wondering whether Monty Python and the Holy Grail was referencing the rabbit incident: No, it was prophetic. It hit theaters in April 1975, and the Jimmy Carter rabbit incident was 4 years later in April 1979.
December 29, 2024 at 10:50 PM
For anyone else wondering whether Monty Python and the Holy Grail was referencing the rabbit incident: No, it was prophetic. It hit theaters in April 1975, and the Jimmy Carter rabbit incident was 4 years later in April 1979.
The 6th circle of hell is reserved for engineers who disable the scrubber in video players.
December 29, 2024 at 9:05 PM
The 6th circle of hell is reserved for engineers who disable the scrubber in video players.
Google searches for "jury nullification" have spiked to a possible all-time peak. Wild.
December 11, 2024 at 12:13 AM
Google searches for "jury nullification" have spiked to a possible all-time peak. Wild.