Nicholas "phi" Shectman
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totient.bsky.social
Nicholas "phi" Shectman
@totient.bsky.social
Professional generalist. Four season cyclist. Conrunner. Photographer. Process geek.
(yes, this breaks down for very early systems that didn't use 8 bits or have parity checking. I have still ever out-typed a 110 baud modem.)
January 16, 2026 at 2:15 PM
And maybe it only didn't end with a civil war because it had started with one.
January 10, 2026 at 5:21 PM
Spain managed without the violence escalating quite to the point of another civil war. But it took 40 years. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_transition_to_democracy
Spanish transition to democracy - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
January 10, 2026 at 5:20 PM
Interplanetary war, even?
January 10, 2026 at 5:12 PM
His actual name was published about half an hour after this post.
January 8, 2026 at 10:41 PM
Reposted by Nicholas "phi" Shectman
I taught Plato when I was at Texas A&M so this hits hard for me. 😡 It was REQUIRED for history majors then.

Plato remains a great teaching text. For many of my A&M students it meant grappling with big ideas for the first time, including ethics, social class, self-determination, and feminism.
January 7, 2026 at 2:36 PM
MORE SANDWICH SHOPS
January 3, 2026 at 5:46 PM
Right now I think _The Death and Life of Great American Cities_ is top of mind for this.
January 2, 2026 at 4:39 PM
"somewhat".
December 28, 2025 at 2:10 PM
Speaking of enormous 100mph trains, it's not functional but you can stand in the cab of the 999 at Chicago's museum of science and industry, and they have some other excellent train content. Worth a trip if you haven't been.
December 28, 2025 at 1:58 PM
I have one that has already stopped working and you're welcome to it.
December 27, 2025 at 2:38 PM
Do you just want a souvenir or do you need it to work?
December 27, 2025 at 4:34 AM