Matt Baldwin
@thisbrokenwheel.bsky.social
Writer, photographer, cyclist, naturalist, martial artist, tall ship sailor. The Pirate Guy of Blue Sky, apparently. Mexican-American. No kings in America. He/him. San Diego, CA.
It’s feather & claw maintenance day, and as usual Scrimshaw is MAD about it.
January 27, 2026 at 7:48 PM
It’s feather & claw maintenance day, and as usual Scrimshaw is MAD about it.
People in the midwest and northeast on here: welp, had to use the snow shovel to drive off a couple of polar bears before I shoveled the driveway this morning, now to harness up the sled dogs to get my kid to school on time.
Meanwhile, in California:
Meanwhile, in California:
January 27, 2026 at 3:00 PM
People in the midwest and northeast on here: welp, had to use the snow shovel to drive off a couple of polar bears before I shoveled the driveway this morning, now to harness up the sled dogs to get my kid to school on time.
Meanwhile, in California:
Meanwhile, in California:
This was pretty unambiguous, and I don’t really have any patience for anyone currently trying to pretend otherwise.
January 26, 2026 at 1:30 PM
This was pretty unambiguous, and I don’t really have any patience for anyone currently trying to pretend otherwise.
That feeling when you tied your hair back with a bandana instead of a hair tie because you woke up with a tension headache, then took your birds on a walk to the farmer’s market completely forgetting you’re even wearing it, so now it looks like you’re accidentally LARPing.
January 25, 2026 at 8:20 PM
That feeling when you tied your hair back with a bandana instead of a hair tie because you woke up with a tension headache, then took your birds on a walk to the farmer’s market completely forgetting you’re even wearing it, so now it looks like you’re accidentally LARPing.
Two of my favorite photos I’ve ever taken in the Bay Area were shot while while taking the ferry.
January 23, 2026 at 1:15 AM
Two of my favorite photos I’ve ever taken in the Bay Area were shot while while taking the ferry.
I have never yielded to temptation faster.
January 22, 2026 at 11:53 PM
I have never yielded to temptation faster.
They can make me come into the office this early, but they can’t stop me from going to the closest breakfast place for shakshuka first.
January 22, 2026 at 3:23 PM
They can make me come into the office this early, but they can’t stop me from going to the closest breakfast place for shakshuka first.
I earned the Boy Scout archery, rifle, and shotgun merit badges with really high scores, yet I never hit a bullseye more accurately than I did here. I had to save it for posterity.
January 20, 2026 at 6:36 PM
I earned the Boy Scout archery, rifle, and shotgun merit badges with really high scores, yet I never hit a bullseye more accurately than I did here. I had to save it for posterity.
Seeing Minnesotans rally to protect their non-white neighbors in the face of ICE has me thinking about this old WWII North American solidarity poster.
¡Americanos todos!
¡Americanos todos!
January 17, 2026 at 9:10 PM
Seeing Minnesotans rally to protect their non-white neighbors in the face of ICE has me thinking about this old WWII North American solidarity poster.
¡Americanos todos!
¡Americanos todos!
Not really a “food pic” guy, but this seafood fettuccini alfredo w/oven-roasted cherry tomatoes that I made for dinner tonight is so good I think y’all should have a gander.
January 14, 2026 at 3:20 AM
Not really a “food pic” guy, but this seafood fettuccini alfredo w/oven-roasted cherry tomatoes that I made for dinner tonight is so good I think y’all should have a gander.
I keep seeing takes like this, and like, I *LIKE* the guy, I want him to do well, but come on, he’s been in office for 11 days and hasn’t actually done anything yet beyond some routine upkeep stuff. Let the man work, check back in June.
January 11, 2026 at 10:05 PM
I keep seeing takes like this, and like, I *LIKE* the guy, I want him to do well, but come on, he’s been in office for 11 days and hasn’t actually done anything yet beyond some routine upkeep stuff. Let the man work, check back in June.
If anyone needs a momentary chuckle, while I was tied up in a teleconference meeting, these two decided that the laundry rack was their new hang spot.
(I seem to have caught them before they necessitated doing laundry again.)
(I seem to have caught them before they necessitated doing laundry again.)
January 7, 2026 at 7:09 PM
If anyone needs a momentary chuckle, while I was tied up in a teleconference meeting, these two decided that the laundry rack was their new hang spot.
(I seem to have caught them before they necessitated doing laundry again.)
(I seem to have caught them before they necessitated doing laundry again.)
Well, BBC and WaPo actually managed to use the active voice on a law enforcement shooting for once.
January 7, 2026 at 6:58 PM
Well, BBC and WaPo actually managed to use the active voice on a law enforcement shooting for once.
Something Flickers in the Shadow.
Female Anna’s hummingbird, mid-hover. San Diego, CA. #birds 🦅🪶 #photography 📸
Female Anna’s hummingbird, mid-hover. San Diego, CA. #birds 🦅🪶 #photography 📸
January 7, 2026 at 3:09 AM
Something Flickers in the Shadow.
Female Anna’s hummingbird, mid-hover. San Diego, CA. #birds 🦅🪶 #photography 📸
Female Anna’s hummingbird, mid-hover. San Diego, CA. #birds 🦅🪶 #photography 📸
I Am Small, But My Voice is Large
Female Anna’s hummingbird, San Diego CA. #birds 🪶🦅 #SciArt 🐡 #photography 📸
Female Anna’s hummingbird, San Diego CA. #birds 🪶🦅 #SciArt 🐡 #photography 📸
January 6, 2026 at 5:59 PM
I Am Small, But My Voice is Large
Female Anna’s hummingbird, San Diego CA. #birds 🪶🦅 #SciArt 🐡 #photography 📸
Female Anna’s hummingbird, San Diego CA. #birds 🪶🦅 #SciArt 🐡 #photography 📸
A quick visual demonstration on how even minor changes in focal length can alter a photograph: the image on the left was shot at 25mm, the one on the right at 35mm. All other settings are identical.
January 6, 2026 at 4:55 PM
A quick visual demonstration on how even minor changes in focal length can alter a photograph: the image on the left was shot at 25mm, the one on the right at 35mm. All other settings are identical.
The idea that Mitch McConnell was a successful obstructionist is a pop-culture myth that needs to die. He largely failed; the ACA passed, Obama became a two-term POTUS. Where he DID succeed, it was because he had *bipartisan* aid from the anti-Obama centrist Blue Dog Dems — remember them?
January 6, 2026 at 2:59 AM
The idea that Mitch McConnell was a successful obstructionist is a pop-culture myth that needs to die. He largely failed; the ACA passed, Obama became a two-term POTUS. Where he DID succeed, it was because he had *bipartisan* aid from the anti-Obama centrist Blue Dog Dems — remember them?
Coffee shop bird.
January 5, 2026 at 6:29 PM
Coffee shop bird.
Someone is molting in this house, and it’s not me.
January 5, 2026 at 4:53 PM
Someone is molting in this house, and it’s not me.
Genuinely bothered by the number of people reposting this skeet as though it's smart & clever and isn't just very literally repurposing the actual rhetoric of the Rwandan Genocide to recapitulate Murc's Law yet again.
January 4, 2026 at 5:15 PM
Genuinely bothered by the number of people reposting this skeet as though it's smart & clever and isn't just very literally repurposing the actual rhetoric of the Rwandan Genocide to recapitulate Murc's Law yet again.
All hands on deck! Set courses and topsails! Run out the jib and hoist the spanker! Let's catch that westerly!
January 1, 2026 at 9:21 PM
All hands on deck! Set courses and topsails! Run out the jib and hoist the spanker! Let's catch that westerly!
December 30, 2025 at 5:10 PM
Current book: Naval sea captain or naval surgeon
Most recent completed book: an Australian magpie in Aotearoa New Zealand who becomes a social media star.
Most recent completed book: an Australian magpie in Aotearoa New Zealand who becomes a social media star.
December 29, 2025 at 7:29 PM
Current book: Naval sea captain or naval surgeon
Most recent completed book: an Australian magpie in Aotearoa New Zealand who becomes a social media star.
Most recent completed book: an Australian magpie in Aotearoa New Zealand who becomes a social media star.
My sister and I have been doing this little dance for years: I tell her not to get me anything for birthdays/holidays b/c I lead a life of plenty and don't need stuff, and she ignores me b/c she *loves* shopping for people.
Anyways, here's my plan for this evening:
Anyways, here's my plan for this evening:
December 28, 2025 at 11:13 PM
My sister and I have been doing this little dance for years: I tell her not to get me anything for birthdays/holidays b/c I lead a life of plenty and don't need stuff, and she ignores me b/c she *loves* shopping for people.
Anyways, here's my plan for this evening:
Anyways, here's my plan for this evening: