Metal/jazz drummer Sean Reinert, died last January. He played on my favorite album of all time, Cynic’s Focus, as well as other runners-up albums, like Death’s Human and Aghora’s self-tilted. I first heard his playing at a local show in Northborough, I think at the Trinity Church. As is the standard procedure at punk and … Sean Reinert Tribute
Hawk, the Slayer I don’t know how this got greenlighted, and I don’t know how Jack Palance fell into getting involved. He probably owed someone a favor. A few funny moments here and there, but a stock, poorly-executed, sword and sorcery plot with the most non-reactive protagonist since Dar from The Beastmaster. You can watch … Sci-fi and Fantasy Movie and Series Reviews, Part 9
The story below is a work of fiction. My gym reopened. Waiting in my car, in the parking lot. Should I go in. What if it’s a trap. Owners now lead a COVID-19 cult, worshipping a pestilence god only found in Dungeons & Dragons campaign manuals, luring human bodies back through their doors to trap … Story: Quarantine VI
I posted this about a decade ago here, but I never posted the actual text. I suppose it doesn’t matter that much but a part of me will feel restless until I actually do, especially I mentioned I would do it way back when. So here it is. It was inspired by something I had … Story: Eve’s Geometry
Here’s a bunch of photos of the haul from my friend Chris Francz, my half of the book trade we did. I wrote for his zine, Crucial Times, a while back, and I’ve always liked his art and writing. His Etsy store is here. I’ve only skimmed these for now, but I’ll dive into these … Photos: Chris Francz Books
This was a story I wrote some time ago for Discovery Christian Church, for a Christmas season service that focused on storytelling and art. The story was printed into a little booklet and sold after the service. The money went to a charity, I think. The art was done by one Kevin Rupert. One of … Story: A Native’s Story
Around Thanksgiving one year, Seth (Buzzgrinder editor) came up with the idea of “foodifying” band names, and the resulting graphics we used for the post are below. I did the Photoshop work to screw with the band logo’s, and most of the band name bastardizations were mine. Had a hard time figuring out who Lunches … Punny Band/Food Names
The story below is a work of fiction. One of three birds has been waking me up in the morning. Windows open–rude awakenings are my unjust reward, straight from the bosom of Mother Nature, for allowing her to get closer to me. Their calls are words. One says “Germany, Germany, Germany.” The other says “I … Story: Quarantine V
This is ambiguous for a reason. Those of you who hold the proper awareness and bias would be able to understand the details. The moving images we’re seeing seeing didn’t come out of nowhere. All the opposing sides were previously hedged away from each other by geography and a veneer of civility, which began to … How It Goes
Attack on Titan, Season 1 One of the only kinda-horror series that I can tolerate, and actually enjoy. The setup with the titans is pretty basic and not a lot is spent diving into their lore; most of this first season’s runtime exposes the structure of Paradis’ military and military police. Humanity here is not … Sci-fi and Fantasy Movie and Series Reviews, Part 8
I left this comment on a recent post over at Jill’s blog: I have a theory* that we’re not really designed to hold opinions on large-scale events and the players involved. It has nothing to do with level of intelligence, it’s really a curse of information technology (starting with the telegraph) combined with our natural … It’s Entertainment All the Way Down
Ed scanned a calendar he had on his wall: an ancient Hebrew calendar with the modern Gregorian calendar within it, for comparison’s sake. Interesting design, and for sure there are other ones like it if you search, and it lends itself easily to making it dynamic. It could be a website…as in, only a website—please, … Someone Should Make a Dynamic Ancient Hebrew Calendar
I created a page of all the stories I’ve posted here at jaydinitto.com—really just the “Story” category archive page. The default is to show an excerpt of the post on archive page, but I wanted to show the whole post content. Unfortunately, that’s not a option in the WordPress admin console, and WordPress’ miasma of … How to Show Full Posts on WordPress Archive Pages
The story below is a work of fiction. We went somewhere. It was a sort of fraternal hall with shopping. Perfectly healthy folks demeaning themselves with masks, hunching over their carts pathetically because standing up straight like a biped with proper lumbar curvatures was too much to ask. Heaven help them if they start smoking … Story: Quarantine IV
Edit: I retitled this as “Part 7.5” because I had two Part 7 review posts. I can’t count. 2012 Total apocalypse p0rn to cash in on the 2012 Mayan calendar nothingburger. Totally implausible equality fingerwagging speech near the end; dude would’ve been tossed off of a glacial cliff if it happened in the real world. … Sci-fi and Fantasy Movie and Series Reviews, Part 7.5
The story below is a work of fiction. It’s come to this. Did everything humanly possible in my matchbox apartment that I could do: meals for the week, wiped everything down, swept corners like those marines in Aliens, swept them again, ironed anything fabric, cleaned my computer of dust and questionable downloads. My phone. I … Story: Quarantine III
In Soviet Russia, glasses move you! The very last scene of Tarkovsky’s Stalker has Monkey reading a book while a voiceover (presumably) announces what she is reading, which is a poem. She then closes the book, looks at the three glasses atop the table next to her, then uses telekinesis to move the the glasses. … Stalker (1979) Final Scene Explanation
The story below is a work of fiction. He went on a date. It was illegal in 40 states, maybe theirs. She texted if he wanted her to wear a mask but he forgot to reply. She wore a headscarf but no not for religious reasons. Her family was from the Maghreb but she looked … Story: Quarantine II
This is a story I submitted to the 2020 Parsec Ink short story contest. It wasn’t accepted, obviously, so here it is, for free. Mrs. James Livermore’s lantern’s light gleamed pale orange onto the weary faces of little Liliana Livermore and her younger brother, Junior, upon their hasty approach to Mrs. Livermore and myself. The … Story: The Lesser Founts at Ilmarinton
This is who Disney hired to write the new “all female” Star Wars series. Here’s how to make a great Star Wars story: interesting characters with flaws and strengths, who change and learn things over the course of the film/series, crazy alien species and space creatures, flashy, acrobatic lightsaber duels, devious villains and undercover agents, … Links of Possible Relevance, Part 34
Going to read and re-read this until I go cross-eyed and hallucinate the omitted determiner in the title.
The topic of the Ship of Theseus experiment came up in the last few days, from two sources independent of each other. Why not post about it? My solution involves three different concepts of ships that exist simultaneously, which we will call Rose, Sina, and Maria. Ship Rose is the concept of Theseus’s ship as … Ship of Theseus Paradox Solution
Taken from this video. Be sure to use non-frozen cauliflower; I used frozen and I think it had too much water—see the wet spots on the parchment in the photo below. Still pretty good, but a fork was needed. Ingredients 2 cups grated cauliflower 1 cup grated hard cheese (parmesan, romano) 1 egg Directions 1. … Recipe: Cauliflower Pizza Crust
The story below is a work of fiction. Top link in my news story feed was a travel blogger having to file for unemployment because of COVID-19. Imagine being an “influencer.” Calling yourself that. What to put on the census, what do you tell people at parties. Practice saying it in front of the mirror … Story: Quarantine
Don’t take this seriously; I’m just having some fun in an “unreasonable jerk” kind way, here. Most of these were inspired from IMDB’s top list, but their popularity isn’t necessarily why I won’t watch them (there’s a number of movies I do like that are on that list). These movies listed I hear/read too much … A List of Movies I Refuse to Watch
Behold! The last of my photo dump posts. The Beauty The Blood came out of the same New Jersey scene as Redeem, Kissing the Hands of Wrath, Solace (even though they were from New York), and other bands I can’t remember. They were friends of mine that I saw a lot during my Life In … Photo Dump: The Beauty The Blood, Somewhere in New Jersey (August 15, 2005)
Only two worthwhile photos of Hawk Nelson. Still Remains played a small stage; they had just released their first album a few months prior, and I don’t think a lot of people knew them. I don’t like Pillar‘s music that much but I remember they were great live performers. One of my favorite photos I … Photo Dump: Hawk Nelson, Pillar, Still Remains at the Purple Door Fest (August 19, 2005)
Finally got some decent photos of Haste the Day, compared to the 2004 shots. You’ll notice in both the Norma Jean and The Chariot shots, that they all end up on the ground. That’s how it is with some bands. First up is the chair guy. He balanced three of them on his chin while … Photo Dump: The Chariot, Norma Jean, Haste the Day at the Purple Door Fest (August 19, 2005)
The Minäverse is free on Kindle (for now) Internet friend and fellow author Jill Domschot put up her newest book on Amazon for free, until April 10. Also, my two books are always free over at Smashwords, but go get you some Minäverse first. Predator Helicopter Scene – Long Tall Sally It’s a movie, sure, … Links of Possible Relevance, Part 33
I don’t remember these two bands’ sets, specifically. This was a few weeks after Blindside released The Great Depression, which was…okay. Nothing tops Silence for me, though. Blindside: mewithoutYou:
This was a special photo set for two reasons. This was when Project 86 was in the sweet spot in their career for me. They had released their third album, Truthless Heroes, on Atlantic Records, back when getting signed to a major record label meant something more than it does now. Their first three albums … Photo Dump: Project 86 at the Purple Door Fest (August 23, 2004)
For some reason I didn’t get a lot of shots of Haste the Day. I think I was talking to someone during most of their set. I discovered their last album, Coward, a few months ago, after years of not paying attention to them after seeing them on their final tour at the now-defunct Altar … Photo Dump: Haste the Day, Stretch Arm Strong, Squad Five-0 at the Purple Door Fest (August 23, 2004)
As I Lay Dying gets their own post because I got a lot of halfway decent photos of them, and they were a pretty good live band. This was the summer before they released Shadows Are Security, their third album—or their second album with their signature sound. They weren’t too far into their career but … Photo Dump: As I Lay Dying at the Purple Door Fest (August 23, 2004)
The Purple Door Fest doesn’t happen any more, but I went to two of them with a press pass. There were too many bigger bands to pass something like that up. The ones of Beloved are the best out of the three, because I could get better shots from the side of the stage as … Photo Dump: Anberlin, Beloved, Further Seems Forever at the Purple Door Fest (August 23, 2004)
Nearly certain these were taken at the same show the photos of Acceptance and Dead Poetic are from. I recall He Is Legend playing but I didn’t get any photos of them (I met a friend, who lived hundreds of miles away, by surprise there, so I was talking to him). This was when Bradley … Photo Dump: Showbread, Far-Less, Bradley Hathaway, The Chariot at the First Unitarian Church in Philadelphia (October 23, 2004)
Found a bunch of old live show photos on my external hard drive that I thought I’d share. Here’s Acceptance and Dead Poetic at the First Uni Church in Philly, 16 years ago (goodness). They’re not terribly good photos, but with shows like these where it’s easy to get close to the band, you can … Photo Dump: Acceptance and Dead Poetic at the First Unitarian Church in Philadelphia (October 23, 2004)
I read Grimm’s Complete Fairy Tales, cover to cover, and this story was the only one that wasn’t dark; in fact, it’s rather wholesome in a feuding siblings kind of way. It’s pretty telling the view of the world held by the Brothers Grimm, and probably most of Germany, if didactic literature for children had … Grimm’s The Four Skilful Brothers
I tried this specific recipe before but lost the link, and it took every brain cell and mouse-click finger energy to refind it. I’ll link back to the original recipe because it’s not bad as far as recipe sites go: there’s not a million ads and a novella of words to scroll past to get … Recipe: Whole Roasted Cauliflower
Gluten-free and no-bake. I stole this from somewhere. I’m not a food photographer, either. Ingredients 1 cup oats 1/2 cup chia seeds 1/3 cup sunflower seeds 1/4 cup honey 1/2 cup nut butter (peanut. cashew, almond, etc., preferably no sugar added) 1/4 cup coconut oil 1/3 cup protein powder (chocolate or vanilla) 1/3 cup chocolate … Recipe: Nut Butter Oatmeal Protein Cookies
Anberlin’s Adelaide in Sydney, Australia – May 5, 2019 “Sweet” and “wholesome” isn’t usually associated with rock and roll, but this is this the sweetest, most wholesome, thing I’ve seen at a rock show. Culdesac | Experience Someplace Better Interesting. Can’t Unsee Despite the name, it’s not a gross website, unless you consider design error … Links of Possible Relevance, Part 32
This isn’t vanity—I was really checking my squat form, and it’s not the greatest. You’re supposed to go down far enough to “break parallel,” meaning your butt should go lower than your kneecaps so that your thighs angle down. I only have 230 lbs in the first video; my PR is 250 but even without … Rare Video Footage of Jay in the Wild
Back when I had Facebook, the Classical Art Memes page was one of my favorites. Below is a jd.com original.
The story below is a work of fiction. I was born after Mom died. The delivering doctor was an Artifice, a high-function, high-powered—and high-priced—android. Mom and Dad only had enough credits to save either Mom or me from the complication. Dad told me, when I was old enough, Mom made the decision without hesitation. The … Story: Imbolc Eve
The story below is a work of fiction. The android sat crossed-legged and scratched at his head—two gestures he had learned from his days of living with real humans, when they were alive. He held one of their bodies in his hand. It didn’t move, just like all the other ones scattered in front of … Story: Artificial
An anime-only special post! Cowboy Bebop Leading with the absolute best! There’s a reason this is rated 8.9 on IMDB, 8.9 on TV.com, 100% and 98% on Rotten Tomatoes, 4.9 on Google, etc. A haphazard crew of bounty hunters try to make it in life and space. They’re not terribly great at their job, they … Sci-fi and Fantasy Movie and Series Reviews, Part 7
It’s a terrible show, but I spotted Stairwell posters in the background of the “Ted Mosby, Architect” episode of How I Met Your Mother. It’s unusual because: 1) I like the band, 2) they aren’t well-known at all, 3) even though they aren’t well-known, it still hard to find any reference to them online, and … Stairwell Posters in “How I Met Your Mother”
The story below is a work of fiction. Her hand was nestled into the crook of his elbow as he lead her down the crowded, powdered-white street. The layered sheets of blurry white specks floated down and the sight of their meandering, parallax paths made the couples’ route a kaleidoscopic adventure. They threaded the needle … Story: Urban Planning
I’ve just published a new design of this blog. It’s not finished, so bear with me for a few days while I tighten things up. WordPress still doesn’t have a robust, native sandbox environment, so sometimes you have to put things into production in order to fix them. More details to come.
The story below is a work of fiction. The aliens abducted the man and placed him into a spartan but comfortable room in the zoo. Patrons of only a few alien races walked by to observe him. When the flow of observers increased, and interest in his presence became more acute, his keepers filled out … Story: Caravaggio Prison
The story below is a work of fiction. The lady kept eyeing her on the train, like yesterday. What is this intruder doing here again, she was probably thinking. Another working woman to contend for her Queen Bee perch, overlooking the morning commute. The paranoid thought life of older working ladies: muggers, ex-husbands, rapists, and … Story: The Second Day of Work
Not my blog, but blogs in general. From a post by an old friend: That’s why I think it can return to the slow and steady blog world, when we realize we don’t need to consume 1000s of bits of content every day to feel full. Open up our bookmarks, or type a URL into … The Return of the Blog
Spoilers, etc. Looks like I was wrong about Rey being a clone, but how it turned out is actually much more conducive to how I thought the film, and maybe the recent trilogy, should have gone. The movie itself was…good. The pacing was unique, at least for Abrams. There were some scenes where it felt … Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker Sort of Review, and How it Should Have Gone
Rian Johnson, director of Episode VIII, really painted the franchise’s storyline into a corner. There was a lot of burning away, literal and narrative-wise, what was thought to already be established: “The Force and the Jedi are like this, which isn’t what you thought it was. Heh.” This is the fashion of things after Disney … Star Wars Episode IX Predictions
Consent culture, like everything, has hidden qualifiers. That’s just the reality of language, especially activist language. There’s plenty of forces in modern life that actively work against our consent, like taxes, but very few people would bother to frame that as an actual issue of consent. I suppose there is at least a choice: we … Death and Not Taxes
Posting some more recipes on here for the next few days. This is probably the best virtual place to keep them for me: I won’t lose them and I won’t have to patronize horribly-designed and ad-infested recipe sites. Ingredients 1/2 cup nuts (salted or un) 2/3 cup coconut flour 2 tablespoons psyllium husk powder 1 … Recipe: Keto-Paleo Rosemary Bread
Posting some more recipes on here for the next few days. This is probably the best virtual place to keep them for me: I won’t lose them and I won’t have to patronize horribly-designed and ad-infested recipe sites. Ingredients 1 lb of grass-fed ground beef 1 small onion 1 cup of sliced mushrooms 4 slices … Recipe: Keto-Paleo Hobo Casserole
Posting some more recipes on here for the next few days. This is probably the best virtual place to keep them for me: I won’t lose them and I won’t have to patronize horribly-designed and ad-infested recipe sites. Ingredients 1 Tablespoon of coconut oil (or bacon fat, if you’re the non-vegan version) 1 head of … Recipe: Keto-Paleo-Vegan Spiced Cauliflower
In reality, it does mean something, because meaning requires both a communicator and receiver. It’s more accurate to say Tolkien didn’t intend for the trilogy to be anything other than a story. Not all stories have to be intended to be deep or symbolic; I share Tolkien’s distaste for allegory. With allegories, I’m always of … The Lord of the Rings Doesn’t Mean Anything
At one of my old jobs, someone had left a poorly-worded note in the break room: “coat doesn’t fit. trade?” I wrote this out and taped it up next to it. I almost considered getting it written it up in calligraphy, but I’m not that big of a jerk. Gentlemen of the XX Floor, Is … A Good Sir Story
Design Is [Protopian] Feels a little too much like the UX discipline overreaching itself. UX designers tend to do that anyway, but this seems…extreme. I rarely find futurists compelling, because most of them simply get their predictions wrong. Some get it right, but only in the particulars, like when Kubrick predicted tablets in 2001. But … Links of Possible Relevance, Part 31
As posted on Goodreads. Total dreck! Who greenlighted this book? The author commits every cardinal sin of basic fiction writing: breaking the 4th wall, using the first person, using second person, hand-waving, telling instead of showing, archaic dialogue tags (“said Bilbo”). Some offenses the more advanced reader will notice, like no plot twists or shocking … Review of The Hobbit
Lily and Daisy Toddlers warming to their names Fart blossoms blooming Island-stranded couple’s bottled message: “Don’t bother.” Johnson quickly saluted his smug editor. Yet behind him, Emily seethed. The office editorial was complete.
You can’t subscribe to Instagram users unless you have a third party website produce an RSS feed for the account you’d like to follow (Instagram doesn’t publish feeds natively). My RSS generator decided to make you pay for their service, so I’m on the lookout for a free one because I’m cheap and have zero … Instagram Sucks Unless You Use It
Posted on Goodreads. This is more of a review of the series than the final book. Spoilers ahead. There’s two hurdles with steampunk fiction: the gadgets (and to some extent, the fashion), and the alternate history. The former challenge is a highly visual concern and doesn’t lend itself immediately to the prose format; it’s more … The Society of Steam Series Review
The story below is a work of fiction. He just wanted to sub to an Instagram account that had decent fitness inspiration, but everything he looked at was filled with brown circle Brazilian backsides on the beach and women that were a little too abby. No different than a strip club photo session; he wanted … Story: Lousy Illuminati Disguises, Half Off
A quick review I left on Goodreads, for Animal Farm: One of the quintessential allegories describing the danger of democracies, and (to me), an illustration of the inevitable cycle of the nation-state apparatus itself. One thing to note: Squealer wasn’t the real villain–Napoleon and, temporarily, Mr Jones were–but he was the linchpin that made Napoleon’s … Animal Farm Review
“Barely. I’m spilling all over the pages, blood the color of graphite, gray soul spatters into the shape of letters.” Is something I would not say. None of the writing process is so dramatic. It’s boring to observe: it’s all yawning and staring off into empty space in front of you. I get the need … I’m Still Alive
The quoted part of this blog post’s title is something I overheard in a dream. Maybe. Do we “overhear” things in dreams, if people inside your dream say something, or do we simply dream them? I failed miserably at the earlier hiatus I attempted. I thought I would have more free writing time because of … Blog Hiatus Redux, AKA: “Okay Google, Women Celebrities Dress Like Cheap Prostitutes Committing Sudoku”
I found this in a copy of Machiavelli’s The Prince. It was obviously an ad hoc bookmark, but either side had blocks of content unharmed. Looks like it was torn from one of those skeevy urban alt-magazines that complain about everything.
Spoilers, etc. Godzilla: City on the Edge of Battle, Godzilla: The Planet Eater These weren’t as well received as the first film in the series. I think people were still looking for a big Godzilla defeat, which didn’t happen. I like the idea of a tribal human remnant that just lives their lives and presumes … Sci-fi and Fantasy Movie and Series Reviews, Part 6
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull Some reviews didn’t like this installment because of aliens. Why aliens are so wildly out of the picture, while magic chalices, magic Hindu stones, and magic golden God boxes are just fine, isn’t really explained. Either way, I was glad to finally have some Communists get … Sci-fi and Fantasy Movie and Series Reviews, Part 5
Spoilers, mmkay? Avengers: Endgame I’m leading off with this for obvious reasons. A capstone to a good run of movies that were very precise and intentional in their cinematic aesthetic and marketing. All of the movies took very few narrative chances, except for this one and its prequel, Infinity War. Nearly ruined by the most … Sci-fi and Fantasy Movie and Series Reviews, Part 4
WARNING: 91 photos on this page. I didn’t get sick this time, unlike last year. I’m going to update this post with more photos after today’s gathering.. Updates added! Forgot to mention two key things: 1 – I participated in a world record-setting effort, for the most number of people spinning a Beyblade at once. … Photos: Tekko Con 2019, Pittsburgh
The story below is a work of fiction. She babysat the one kid who just watched that one animated movie on repeat. The one with the Taylor Swift song in the beginning. That one song that was an obvious ploy by her A&R management to sell to any kind of media that involves New York … Stories on Blogs are a Bad Idea
You’ve been warned: this is a mammoth post. I wanted to get all my exemplary bits of music journalism (if you can call it “journalism”) posted here, for safekeeping. Most of them are from Noisecreep, but the site hasn’t been updated for months, so its demise may be soon Nevermind…it’s still kickin’. Buzzgrinder is still … Ultra Mega Post of Past Music Journalism
I know: privacy, data, spying, advertisements, etc. But Facebook is also highly disrespectful UX for users that aren’t members. See those expertly-drawn red brackets? That’s the only actual content that you can see. The rest is the hero image and the persistent “Sign Up” banner at the bottom. Look, Zuck, I don’t think there’s a … Facebook Is Terrible
The story below is a work of fiction. I notice the short guy that works in my building. Middle aged. Beige yuppie trenchcoat, untied. The hem probably grazes bottom shelves. Not fat; blocky, not stocky. He always orders “hot coffee” at Starbucks, never mentions a size. Unmarried. What does the guy do outside of work. … Story: Coatman
Transcendence A mildly interesting depiction of a human achieving singularity and becoming more or less a really powerful AI, like The Lawnmower Man, though with slightly more realism and considering the practical matters an AI has to accomplish in the real world to make things happen. Might require more than one viewing but it didn’t … Sci-fi and Fantasy Movie and Series Reviews, Part 3
Art, you doing okay, big guy? I get it, though: “small” things can be “massive,” in a technical sense. It would mean they are dense, since there’s a lot of matter stuffed into a noticeably small space (volume). But people don’t use “massive” in that sense when they’re reading a fictional narrative, even when it’s … A Small But Massive Table
Check it out here. With the previous design, I was trying out brutalism with minimalism as combined design aesthetic, and I carried some of that over into this new version. Now it’s a lot less taxing on the eyes as there’s less contrast (though it still meets color contrast requirements for accessibility purposes). tl;dr – … UX Portfolio Redesigned
I got third in the spitting competition at Speculative Faith. It wasn’t even close, but I don’t know how close these things tend to get. As a reward for reading this post so far, you get to look at their past competitions and write up a detailed report for me, please. You won’t get paid, … Bronze Place Is Last Place
I hate having to do this, this “lifting content without attribution” move, but the site I visit for this recipe never stops loading, and sometimes it just crashes Chrome on mobile if I keep it up long enough. So my hand is forced. The original recipe used almond milk, too. If there’s anything worse than a … Recipe: Keto Cinnamon Muffins
My short story made it to the finals in the Spec Faith writing challenge, and you can vote on the round here. My favorite story entry besides mine (c’mon…we all like our own stories the best, by default), this one by TJ Marquis, didn’t make the finals despite being rated highly in the first round. … Be a Guy and Don’t Vote for My Story in the Final Round
Breaking my blog hiatus to point you all to the Speculative Faith’s winter writing challenge. I hate doing these contests, but the writing prompt immediately sparked a complete story in my head. There you have it. Read the other stories before voting, though. There’s some good ones there. Anyone can enter, too, so if you … Definitely Don’t Vote for My Short Story
I go into shoulder surgery tomorrow, so now’s a good time to announce a blog hiatus so I can grab at sanity with my non-dominant arm (the left one). Give me three months. In the meantime, I’ll still be participating in the forums, and pounding out the first draft of my new book, definitely titled … Blog Hiatus, New Book, Telling My Shoulder to Get Bent
Warning: many photos ahead.
Car Error Feedback With most newer cars now coming with digital dashboards, there’s an opportunity to ditch the red engine light and help drivers know what’s going on. I know next to nothing about computerized autos but I’m sure there can be a way to make potential auto issues more well-known and user friendly. Naturally, … Someone Steal These App Ideas
Spoilers, etc. Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann A completely bonkers coming-of-age mecha anime, with all those extreme perspective shots and everything gets bigger and bigger. Similar to FLCL, but there’s an actual story and there’s no annoying music constantly playing. Pandorum Interesting premise and monster origin, though I didn’t think the monster’s “design” was inspiring, merely … Sci-fi and Fantasy Movie and Series Reviews, Part 2
Spoilers ahoy…though this post will be totally uninteresting if you haven’t seen the series already. The Netflix series Lost Song has literal cycles of civilization as its overarching practical plot element. The cycles of destruction and rebirth of the series’ Earth-like planet feature repeating timelines—with repeating people, events, places—that only have a mild range of … Lost Song’s Timelines Explained (Maybe)
Spoilers, etc. The Beyond Surprisingly competent hard sci-fi, with some unusual stylized visions of space—stylized probably because of the low budget. It got low ratings because there’s no gross alien reveal at the end and there’s little action, and some of the performances are wooden. Like every movie, there’s a great twist at the end, … Sci-fi and Fantasy Movie and Series Reviews, Part 1
MREs (“meals ready to eat”) are made for soldiers on the field, in situations where it’s not practical for cooking supplies to be hauled around. One bag has everything needed for an individual meal, even a self-heating bag—though a little water needs to be added for those to work. The main bag itself is waterproof, … I Ate a Military MRE and Wanted to Die
From Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH: We were reluctant to admit it at first. We tried to ignore he feeling or fight it off by building more things—bigger rooms, fancier furniture, carpeted hallways, things we did not really need. I was reminded of a story I had read at the Boniface Estate when … Modernity Is Insanity
AKA: Why the sky is blue. Probably one of the easiest to understand videos on the phenomenon, without knowing any more than the basics of physics. One thing that I wish he went into a little more detail is the actual process of scattering as the light travels through the atmosphere, starting at the 9:18 … Rayleigh Scattering Explained
On a weird whim, I started the keto diet about a month ago. It wasn’t terribly hard since I was sorta doing paleo for a few years. Keto is basically a stricter form of paleo dieting, where all sugar is removed and very little carbohydrates are consumed. Most calories come from most forms of natural … Results of Keto Dieting for a Month
September 9, 2018 Dear Superintendent Pallone, I realize the great weight you carry, both physically and bureaucratically, but that doesn’t justify talking to my wife in the manner you did, late Thursday morning, 9/6/2018 in front of Valley High School. My daughter and wife are new to the school and it safety protocols, and literally … Open Letter to Superintendent John Pallone, New Kensington-Arnold School District
Yes, this is silly but it’s a jaydinitto.com original. A joke for my daughter. Thank you for humoring me.
Decided to take some more skyline-ish photos. I tried getting into USX Tower, where my office was formerly located, since it’s in a different part of the city and could offer new views. No deal. However, these first four were taken in a different building (1 PNC). It’s in the same plaza as 2 PNC … Photos: Pittsburgh Skyline & Bonus Strawberry Way
Designing for the Digital Age: How to Create Human-Centered Products and Services A great resource for reading about the full breadth of what it means to be involved on a UX team, from start to finish. It can be read straight through but may work best as a reference guide when you need some process … Hella Book Reviews, Part 2
I redid my UX and UI portfolio, which you can see here: https://ux.jaydinitto.com. It looks very rough and “defaulty” in terms of style, and doesn’t read or flow like a traditional UX portfolio. That was intended, partially as a response to the over-designed portfolios most designers offer (the UX design community is outlandish in its … UX Portfolio Now Up
The story below is a work of fiction. A light rain. He offered the guy space under his umbrella, but he said he was okay without it. He wondered if it would seem kind of gay to the guy, since it seemed like that to him. What kind of unfortunate linguistic determinism is it that … This Story Won’t Turn You Gay