Spencer Beacock
@spencerbeacock.bsky.social
designing services and systems. building stuff in my backyard.
partner at https://october.systems
Toronto
partner at https://october.systems
Toronto
Hot chocolate time! Feet up! You've earned it!
At least, that's how I responded after shoveling out two cars and a sidewalk this morning
At least, that's how I responded after shoveling out two cars and a sidewalk this morning
January 26, 2026 at 9:46 PM
Hot chocolate time! Feet up! You've earned it!
At least, that's how I responded after shoveling out two cars and a sidewalk this morning
At least, that's how I responded after shoveling out two cars and a sidewalk this morning
To sate others' curiosity: seems like this building was demolished in 2020, seemingly after being owned by the local council for a while. No clear indication of what it was, but Google Streetview from 2015 shows the side of the building, at 118 E Main St, Elysian MN
January 26, 2026 at 9:41 PM
To sate others' curiosity: seems like this building was demolished in 2020, seemingly after being owned by the local council for a while. No clear indication of what it was, but Google Streetview from 2015 shows the side of the building, at 118 E Main St, Elysian MN
It is extremely rude of them! Winter still has many months!
(The good news I suppose is that making your own is easy and shelf-stable basically forever if you use enough booze)
(The good news I suppose is that making your own is easy and shelf-stable basically forever if you use enough booze)
January 12, 2026 at 1:12 AM
It is extremely rude of them! Winter still has many months!
(The good news I suppose is that making your own is easy and shelf-stable basically forever if you use enough booze)
(The good news I suppose is that making your own is easy and shelf-stable basically forever if you use enough booze)
Each system, of course, has its own frameworks for articulating risk of failure and how it advances the narrative
January 7, 2026 at 5:11 PM
Each system, of course, has its own frameworks for articulating risk of failure and how it advances the narrative
Position is how well-positioned you are in taking an action — are you hidden, do you have impt knowledge, equipment, etc. — in other words, how likely is it that you succeed?
Effect is essentially magnitude — if you succeed, what impact does it have on the world?
Then, you roll
Effect is essentially magnitude — if you succeed, what impact does it have on the world?
Then, you roll
January 7, 2026 at 5:11 PM
Position is how well-positioned you are in taking an action — are you hidden, do you have impt knowledge, equipment, etc. — in other words, how likely is it that you succeed?
Effect is essentially magnitude — if you succeed, what impact does it have on the world?
Then, you roll
Effect is essentially magnitude — if you succeed, what impact does it have on the world?
Then, you roll
I think one way of getting the practical education in risk that you’re imagining is to play TTRPGs
Blades in the Dark, for example, has a framework of “position vs effect” that kind of maps to your “probability vs magnitude”
Blades in the Dark, for example, has a framework of “position vs effect” that kind of maps to your “probability vs magnitude”
January 7, 2026 at 5:11 PM
I think one way of getting the practical education in risk that you’re imagining is to play TTRPGs
Blades in the Dark, for example, has a framework of “position vs effect” that kind of maps to your “probability vs magnitude”
Blades in the Dark, for example, has a framework of “position vs effect” that kind of maps to your “probability vs magnitude”
Peak summer option here in ON.
How are you preparing God’s favourite squash?
How are you preparing God’s favourite squash?
January 4, 2026 at 4:54 PM
Peak summer option here in ON.
How are you preparing God’s favourite squash?
How are you preparing God’s favourite squash?
In the summer I was doing butter, maple, and then whatever baking spices: cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom etc. (then I tended to serve layered with stone fruit under a broken burrata)
I wonder about a honey + gochujang, though, for a hit of heat and maybe a bit acidity and brightness
I wonder about a honey + gochujang, though, for a hit of heat and maybe a bit acidity and brightness
January 4, 2026 at 11:32 AM
In the summer I was doing butter, maple, and then whatever baking spices: cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom etc. (then I tended to serve layered with stone fruit under a broken burrata)
I wonder about a honey + gochujang, though, for a hit of heat and maybe a bit acidity and brightness
I wonder about a honey + gochujang, though, for a hit of heat and maybe a bit acidity and brightness
There is something about eating both flesh and skin that is a textural delight! Especially if cooked in some kind of slightly-sweet glaze 🤩
January 3, 2026 at 10:55 PM
There is something about eating both flesh and skin that is a textural delight! Especially if cooked in some kind of slightly-sweet glaze 🤩
Is this still a maker space? I believe it was ~a decade ago. Such a neat, rare example of other economic uses tucked into alleys beyond “RESIDENTIAL GARAGE”
December 9, 2025 at 8:46 PM
Is this still a maker space? I believe it was ~a decade ago. Such a neat, rare example of other economic uses tucked into alleys beyond “RESIDENTIAL GARAGE”
It’s a real special thing. It’s been fun, too, seeing them test and learn and iterate with bigger budgets and bolder bets. Not always successful but always fun to see creators creating
December 3, 2025 at 2:37 AM
It’s a real special thing. It’s been fun, too, seeing them test and learn and iterate with bigger budgets and bolder bets. Not always successful but always fun to see creators creating
I mean I feel like it just underlines that grift, at any scale, is kind of a great gig!
The frame around “he’s selling a feeling” (to the rich, white, old, male audience) seems really true — the content of the book is secondary to the behavioural, political and emotional permission space it creates
The frame around “he’s selling a feeling” (to the rich, white, old, male audience) seems really true — the content of the book is secondary to the behavioural, political and emotional permission space it creates
November 21, 2025 at 2:02 AM
I mean I feel like it just underlines that grift, at any scale, is kind of a great gig!
The frame around “he’s selling a feeling” (to the rich, white, old, male audience) seems really true — the content of the book is secondary to the behavioural, political and emotional permission space it creates
The frame around “he’s selling a feeling” (to the rich, white, old, male audience) seems really true — the content of the book is secondary to the behavioural, political and emotional permission space it creates
listening now… the “declaration of independence” bit is 👀👀👀
November 21, 2025 at 1:33 AM
listening now… the “declaration of independence” bit is 👀👀👀
Real Caves of Qud energy here!
November 15, 2025 at 4:14 AM
Real Caves of Qud energy here!
hahaha their delight is infectious i love this
November 12, 2025 at 7:15 PM
hahaha their delight is infectious i love this
My PC is too old to play the remaster but new enough to run the OG very well so I (re)played it a bit when the remaster came out — it holds up! Although the original character build mechanics are pretty arcane and confusing; it sounds like they smoothed that over for the remaster. Enjoy!
November 7, 2025 at 5:13 PM
My PC is too old to play the remaster but new enough to run the OG very well so I (re)played it a bit when the remaster came out — it holds up! Although the original character build mechanics are pretty arcane and confusing; it sounds like they smoothed that over for the remaster. Enjoy!
Haha there’s a kind of carcinisation at play in those games where no matter what your initial build vision is, it’s hard not to wander back towards stealth archer
And yeah, I don’t think I’ve ever successfully applied a poison in a TES game
Sounds great though — loved Oblivion back in the day!
And yeah, I don’t think I’ve ever successfully applied a poison in a TES game
Sounds great though — loved Oblivion back in the day!
November 7, 2025 at 3:52 PM
Haha there’s a kind of carcinisation at play in those games where no matter what your initial build vision is, it’s hard not to wander back towards stealth archer
And yeah, I don’t think I’ve ever successfully applied a poison in a TES game
Sounds great though — loved Oblivion back in the day!
And yeah, I don’t think I’ve ever successfully applied a poison in a TES game
Sounds great though — loved Oblivion back in the day!
Priorities in order :) What’s your Oblivion build?
November 7, 2025 at 3:35 PM
Priorities in order :) What’s your Oblivion build?
Haha that IS interesting. “Frankenstein was the poster, this is Frankenstein’s newsletter”-type energy there
September 7, 2025 at 8:16 PM
Haha that IS interesting. “Frankenstein was the poster, this is Frankenstein’s newsletter”-type energy there
(Also FWIW, your posts about the survey tickled my curiosity to finally get me to sign up after thinking about it for a while — good marketing ploy :) )
September 7, 2025 at 11:09 AM
(Also FWIW, your posts about the survey tickled my curiosity to finally get me to sign up after thinking about it for a while — good marketing ploy :) )
I think if you wanted to know if people are total newsletter infants, a more pointed question like “Is this your first newsletter?” with y/n inputs, or “How familiar are you with the newsletter medium?” with gradations might do the trick
September 7, 2025 at 11:09 AM
I think if you wanted to know if people are total newsletter infants, a more pointed question like “Is this your first newsletter?” with y/n inputs, or “How familiar are you with the newsletter medium?” with gradations might do the trick
Are you concluding epiphany #3 based on this question? If so, I’m not sure it actually tells you whether users are total novices to the medium — I interpreted it as “are you planning to bring over a newsletter?” I’ve had newsletters in the past, on other platforms, that have withered
September 7, 2025 at 11:09 AM
Are you concluding epiphany #3 based on this question? If so, I’m not sure it actually tells you whether users are total novices to the medium — I interpreted it as “are you planning to bring over a newsletter?” I’ve had newsletters in the past, on other platforms, that have withered