SecondJon @SecondJon@qoto.org

When reading Ready Player One I realized that my first programming was as a kid editing programs on a TRS-80 (or something similar). First among our friends to have a desktop at home where we'd dial into our local #BBS to play games, chat, and message with people from around the world, back when it didn't seem so creepy when you'd be asked "a/s/l" regularly.

Later with the Internet I wondered why companies were buying up and shutting down services like WBS and Geocities, and was sad that what we had left was corporately driven social media mega sites.

I've been doing software development for decades, professionally since my first year of undergrad where I studied #linguistics; but I think my real work is problem solving to make people's lives easier/better, software is just the tool I'm skilled with to do that.

I chose the QOTO instance because the rules seem open and free and friendly, the way the web should be... and because of the idea of helping bridge the gap and bring people of supposed opposite sides together to connect rather than be polarizing.

Exploring Mastodon, feels a bit like the pre-MySpace/Facebook/Twitter online world before the largest corporations took control and monetized us all, when we had our local #BBS or even online days with WBS chat and the like.

Liking it so far, appreciate the rules of the qoto.org instance

Thanks for the welcome, #@freemo Here's my #introduction .

I'm...
• a dad of a handful of kiddos, married, living in Colorado.
• a Christian in the Anglican tradition, and suppose I'm an unaffiliated conservatarian.
• a reader, working through the great novels as well as easier/fun books and nonfiction.
• a card and board game player and am happily teaching more to my kids as they get older.
• short on free time. I enjoy a philosophical pipe as I read and/or reflect, and occasionally get my guitar or bow/arrows out to learn new skills.
• a software developer... and have been for a very long time, now in the world of APIs and cloud development (CRM/SFDC).

Gallup: #Trump has positive approval rating for 1st time in his presidency

President Trump's approval ratings were positive for the first time in his presidency, Gallup announced on Thursday, a positive sign for the contentious chief executive going into the election season.

https://disrn.com/news/gallup-poll-trump-has-a-positive-approval-rating-for-the-first-time-in-his-presidency

#uspol

NHS staff can refuse to treat racist or sexist patients under new rules

The NHS will soon bar discriminatory patients from non-critical care - powers that currently only cover aggression or violence.

https://news.sky.com/story/nhs-staff-can-refuse-to-treat-racist-or-sexist-patients-under-new-rules-11937175

Another quote from this book : "many books become more boring the faster you read them." (p 74)

"It's what you're reading that matters...not the speed with which you're getting truth it. Reading is supposed to be about an encounter with other minds... Americans have enough encouragements to narcissism ; let's try to do without this one." (full quote in attached photo)

On #reading from The Pleasures of Reading in an Age of Distraction about bkkeepr, also applies to Goodreads and other alternatives.