James H McLaren @JamesHMcLaren@qoto.org

Do you have back pain or problems? If you have had to change your life, eg. avoid doing something, or stay home due to your back or if it hurts often that's "having back problems"

If you are taller than 164cm (5' 4.5") you are "tall." (In this formulation more men are tall than women, I'm interested in absolute height here so not breaking it down by gender. Data are bimodal but I don't think it matters much.)

I remain happy with the Fediverse as it is, i.e. essentially statistically insignificant. This has its benefits.

Is my boss on here? No. Are any of my work colleagues on here? No. Is my mother on here? No. Are my irl friends on here? What irl friends.

Today I have nearly continuous Zoom meetings from 9am-5pm, and my job during every single one of those meetings is to effectively yell/complain/inform about Starlink or Reflect Orbital. Achievement unlocked, I guess.

Trump hates Trump country. But will they ever hate him back?

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/12/13/2358202/-Trump-hates-Trump-country-But-will-they-ever-hate-him-back

It's not that the Simpsons can predict the future, it's that the worst people in power have always been cartoonishly evil and predictable

Absolutely

This is a perfect summary of US politics in general. The point of racism in the US (since before the Revolution) is to allow wealthy people to manipulate white people into voting against their/our economic self-interest.

#Epstein #EpsteinEmails #Trump

Uruguay is a nation of 3.3 million ppl (similar size as #Chicago), & converted to 98% renewable #energy (wind solar hydro) in 5yrs after they put an expert in charge (not an insecure racist lackey like 🇺🇸 does).

https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTr8u6nfr/

They have excess energy they sell to nearby countries. #climateChange

Solved on 18/11 -- the office is in Curacao. https://www.cpdbonaire.com/ibm/

I need nerd help -- I thrifted this odd little ceramic box + lid in the Netherlands. No identifying marks, seems delftware-adjacent, and feels handmade. Which IBM building is this??? And what is this???

My American friends: In Canada I had prostate surgery, radiation treatment, knee replacement, physiotherapy, numerous X-rays, scans, tests, specialist appts, hospital stays, & drugs. Cost to me total: under $1,000, mostly for travel, some partial payment for drugs, & parking. That's what universal not-for-profit healthcare offers.

Burger King' super simple menu sign during the 50s!

I do think the guy should be reimbursed for the sandwich, though... 🤔

There are going to be a whole lot of electoral results that Mike Johnson hasn’t heard about tomorrow.

My kid made this meme which I enjoy immensely. #noaiplease