Ftrain, by Paul Ford

November 2021

Nov 30, 2021

IMO folks at @Postlight have landed on a solid,...

IMO folks at @Postlight have landed on a solid, culture-driven strategy for corporate giving: At end of year, Employee Resource Groups give to charities aligned with their focus, and throughout the year the firm matches donations.

postlight.com/...
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Nov 29, 2021

I guess George Martin was a Product Manager.

@sippey I guess George Martin was a Product Manager.
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Nov 25, 2021

“Creator and Ancestors, we honor you for all things. We...

“Creator and Ancestors, we honor you for all things. We honor the Lenape people of Manahatta and all our relations. Now we are here; and will always be here. And so it is.” nativenewsonline.net/...
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Nov 25, 2021

I have never seen anything quite like the transition from...

I have never seen anything quite like the transition from the blessing by Mashpee Wampanoag tribal elders to the Heinz Gravy Pirates.
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Nov 25, 2021

I think this is the plot of death stranding? Idk.

I think this is the plot of death stranding? Idk.
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Nov 25, 2021

Everything is fine

Everything is fine
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Nov 25, 2021

I was unchosen

I was unchosen
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Nov 25, 2021

He comes

He comes
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Nov 25, 2021

Tweet

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Nov 25, 2021

Tweet

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Nov 25, 2021

Tweet

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Nov 25, 2021

Tweet

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Nov 25, 2021

Tweet

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Nov 25, 2021

Tweet

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Nov 25, 2021

Tweet

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Nov 24, 2021

happy thanksgiving everyone

happy thanksgiving everyone
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Nov 23, 2021

We use Pipedrive, have for years. It's extremely CRMey.

@BillSeitz @ginatrapani We use Pipedrive, have for years. It's extremely CRMey.
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Nov 23, 2021

this photo is an instant panic attack

this photo is an instant panic attack
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Nov 22, 2021

have you had a younger doctor yet

@sogrady have you had a younger doctor yet
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Nov 22, 2021

WAS IT? I never watched it.

@michaelroston WAS IT? I never watched it.
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Nov 22, 2021

We can communicate with the past...should we send them our...

We can communicate with the past...should we send them our simple recipe for sequestering carbon with old cloth napkins? Or even our cancer cure?

[Man from Goodby Silverstein & Partners appears out of nowhere]: Let me try something first.
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Nov 22, 2021

I had this idea over the weekend that if we ever received...

I had this idea over the weekend that if we ever received messages from the future it's very likely they would be Doritos ads.

PROFESSOR, I DOWNLOADED A MESSAGE THROUGH THE QUANTUM DECRYPTER, ITS ONE WORD...COOLRANCH
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Nov 22, 2021

the brands are incepting

the brands are incepting aeon.co/...
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Nov 22, 2021

(Concur is the only expense system where I've heard people...

@djacobs @arctictony (Concur is the only expense system where I've heard people say, “I'll just pay for it myself, it's easier” referring to, like, nice client lunches.)
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Nov 22, 2021

Are you talking about the Concur terms of service?

@djacobs @arctictony Are you talking about the Concur terms of service?
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Nov 16, 2021

We had a lot of trouble staying on topic.

We had a lot of trouble staying on topic. x.com/...
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Nov 16, 2021

The space is like $180bn, and once your data's in no one...

@anildash @ezramechaber The space is like $180bn, and once your data's in no one ever takes it out, purely lockin as an industry.
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Nov 16, 2021

no no it's terrible and slow, we use shortcut

@ezramechaber no no it's terrible and slow, we use shortcut
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Nov 15, 2021

If you're an NYC-adjacent designer who likes bagels come by...

If you're an NYC-adjacent designer who likes bagels come by Postlight this Friday morning and check out the vibe. eventbrite.com/...
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Nov 14, 2021

Sometimes you see something on the internet that makes you...

Sometimes you see something on the internet that makes you see the world in a different way, like the fact that a metric ton of mozzarella cheese from the Ukraine is $400 per ton if you buy 27 tons.
alibaba.com/...
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Nov 13, 2021

We are Green-Wood Cemetery and there's a big pile of random...

We are Green-Wood Cemetery and there's a big pile of random dirt by the road so I kicked at it and yelled “WAKE UP“ and my children totally froke out.
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Nov 11, 2021

This is a great org run with amazing efficiency that helps...

This is a great org run with amazing efficiency that helps a lot of different kinds of people (who are also all U.S. military vets, and mostly former enlisted) get good jobs in our industry. It's decentralized, free, effective, and teaches modern coding practices. t.co/...
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Nov 10, 2021

The greatest of them all.

@darth The greatest of them all.
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Nov 10, 2021

I just had the best interaction on the train where someone...

I just had the best interaction on the train where someone asked if I liked my e-paper tablet, I gave it to her to look at, and now we will never interact again. Ranks up there with “found and returned some guy's wallet” and “chatted about Dune while they made my drink.”
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Nov 10, 2021

This is pure comfort reading for me.

This is pure comfort reading for me. x.com/...
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Nov 9, 2021

Divide your friends into What We Do in the Shadows...

Divide your friends into What We Do in the Shadows characters. Which one are you?
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Nov 8, 2021

This is great, thank you for doing it.

@Zaron3 This is great, thank you for doing it.
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Nov 8, 2021

It's just disturbing how much people I *thought* I knew...

It's just disturbing how much people I *thought* I knew turn out to know about the hydropower mix in various South American countries.
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Nov 8, 2021

I'm “participating” (tweeting) in the Carbon Brief quiz...

I'm “participating” (tweeting) in the Carbon Brief quiz bowl with probablefutures.org and people from @WoodwellClimate, and they're amazing (I know nothing) and right now our job is to match the Sankey energy production/consumption diagram to the country. #cbquiz For example:
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Nov 8, 2021

It is very good, I'm so glad you're doing it, and it made...

@miriamkp It is very good, I'm so glad you're doing it, and it made me think about what it means for the kinds of software I'm building and ways to perceive those gaps!
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Nov 8, 2021

This article by @miriamkp nails something deeply...

This article by @miriamkp nails something deeply uncomfortable about how software (in this case supply chain software) encodes gaps in our understanding of the world, and keeps us from seeing and perceiving certain things about the humans in the middle of the logistics. t.co/...
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Nov 6, 2021

Yeah who am I kidding.

@kjhealy Yeah who am I kidding.
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Nov 6, 2021

Saturday night seems real fun at your house.

@kjhealy Saturday night seems real fun at your house.
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Nov 6, 2021

I pulled up my sleeve and now the guy is making fun of my...

I pulled up my sleeve and now the guy is making fun of my stupid tattoo. Back to normal.
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Nov 6, 2021

Genuinely different vibe getting the booster. Instead of...

Genuinely different vibe getting the booster. Instead of going through a series of tents to be given a shot by the Air Force I am at the Y making chitchat and they're going to give me free Cyclones tickets and playing Mary J. Blige songs.
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Nov 6, 2021

What's better when you're running errands at eight in the...

What's better when you're running errands at eight in the morning on a Saturday than incredibly filthy music blasting out of a car with a really cute little dog leaning out the window.
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Nov 5, 2021

A barrel is the ultimate tiny house.

@kevinbaker A barrel is the ultimate tiny house.
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Nov 5, 2021

One must imagine Cookiepuss happy.

One must imagine Cookiepuss happy.
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Nov 5, 2021

Subway is DOING WHAT IT CAN Choire.

@Choire @NYCTSubway Subway is DOING WHAT IT CAN Choire.
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Nov 5, 2021

Heh. That's why @ftrain is @ftrain. I lived at Smith &...

@pomeranian99 @hsherman Heh. That's why @ftrain is @ftrain. I lived at Smith & 9th in the 1990s and would sit and look out my window and just watch the train go back and forth, and it was a beautiful sight.
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Nov 5, 2021

Hmmmmmmm mmmmmmmm mmmmmmmm mmmmmmmm mmmmmmmm mmmmmmmm mmmmmm...

@NYCTSubway Hmmmmmmm
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mmmmmmmm.
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Nov 5, 2021

What are the best “We're making the jump to hyperspace” NYC...

What are the best “We're making the jump to hyperspace” NYC express train stretches? West 4th to 34th on the B/D always makes me feel like I found a cheat code.
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Nov 5, 2021

But Chicago is two neighborhoods, "near the airport" (cop),...

@mimismartypants But Chicago is two neighborhoods, "near the airport" (cop), and "not near the airport" (maybe a cop).
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Nov 5, 2021

Update: I guess I, or an intelligent agent acting on my...

Update: I guess I, or an intelligent agent acting on my behalf, turned on Live Caption.
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Nov 5, 2021

Okay I know but they also renamed Staten Island to “Stan”...

@gabrielroth Okay I know but they also renamed Staten Island to “Stan” which was good material.
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Nov 5, 2021

Android 12 just popped this (the Tove Lo song I am...

Android 12 just popped this (the Tove Lo song I am listening to) on top of the screen and I cannot get rid of it, I can move it around the screen, but it is now part of my life.
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Nov 5, 2021

"If you want to know how my weekend is going I just...

"If you want to know how my weekend is going I just attended a bris renewal in the Upper North Slope and all the food contained tannins."
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Nov 5, 2021

One of the best things about living in NYC is you can name...

One of the best things about living in NYC is you can name any neighborhood in the five boroughs without explaining what or where it is, and it's everyone else's problem. If you're from NYC you can tweet "There are NO muffins in Outer Kingsbury" and everyone has to accept it.
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Nov 5, 2021

My spouse just asked if I told the people who lived there,...

My spouse just asked if I told the people who lived there, and if you wanted to measure the difference between us it's that one of us would knock on a door and tell people a squirrel stole their breakfast and try to make a friend for life, but another would do nothing and tweet.
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Nov 5, 2021

Walking in Ditmas I just saw a squirrel jump out of a...

Walking in Ditmas I just saw a squirrel jump out of a window that had been left open two inches, jump off the porch, and run up a tree with an entire bread roll in its mouth.
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Nov 4, 2021

My son's all-time favorite! Mix of the magical pens and the...

@micahwalter @cooperhewitt My son's all-time favorite! Mix of the magical pens and the collections and the building.
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Nov 4, 2021

Eleanor idk what to tell you these kids love tenements.

@EleanorClarinet Eleanor idk what to tell you these kids love tenements.
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Nov 4, 2021

I mean we can do things starting in mid-December. But...

I mean we can do things starting in mid-December. But nonetheless.
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Nov 4, 2021

Never hurts to check.

@amyhoy Never hurts to check.
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Nov 4, 2021

Not over yet, and I grind my teeth for parents with kids...

Not over yet, and I grind my teeth for parents with kids under 5. But. Twin 10yos vaxxed at a city walk-in clinic on Flatbush. So we can now do these things that have been sitting on the wall. That was a...time.
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Nov 4, 2021

Not over yet, and I grind my teeth for parents with kids...

Not over yet, and I grind my teeth for parents with kids under 5. But. Twin 10yos vaxxed at a city walk-in clinic on Flatbush. So we can now do these things that have been sitting on the wall. That was a...time.
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Nov 4, 2021

Not sure I'm gonna survive this upgrade.

@timbray Not sure I'm gonna survive this upgrade.
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Nov 4, 2021

I know I should not bother or care but Web3 isn't the Web,...

I know I should not bother or care but Web3 isn't the Web, and when it acts like the Web (i.e. I save the JPEG to my desktop) the Web3 people get angry.
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Nov 4, 2021

This is a WORLD-CLASS illustration (and animated).

This is a WORLD-CLASS illustration (and animated). bloomberg.com/...
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Nov 4, 2021

Tomorrow for us, can you IMAGINE. What will we be like?

@kzwa Tomorrow for us, can you IMAGINE. What will we be like?
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Nov 3, 2021

This is so, so great.

@whitneymcn This is so, so great.
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Nov 3, 2021

we have to start somewhere

@whitneymcn we have to start somewhere
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Nov 3, 2021

DOE: Testy the Standardized Test Congestion Pricing:...

DOE: Testy the Standardized Test

Congestion Pricing: Congestey, a cat that coughs until you pay a toll

NYPD: Overtimey, a clock that keeps saying “our hands our tied” and yet its hands aren't actually tied

Sanitation: Sophie the Sofa, who won't go even though you called 311
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Nov 3, 2021

We have a lot of challenges to overcome and I have no...

We have a lot of challenges to overcome and I have no desire to replay past administrations, but I think we could all agree that NYC needs to bring back Birdie and immediately launch mascots for every city department.

youtube.com/...
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Nov 3, 2021

POLL: Are things going to get even weirder?

POLL: Are things going to get even weirder?
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Nov 3, 2021

It's verrrrrry star trek too I miss skeumorphs so bad

@ChappellTracker It's verrrrrry star trek too I miss skeumorphs so bad
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Nov 3, 2021

Nothing makes sense with anything else any more! It's like...

@ChappellTracker Nothing makes sense with anything else any more! It's like windows!
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Nov 3, 2021

Strangely pale, weirdly soft, round where things should be...

Strangely pale, weirdly soft, round where things should be angled, and confusing (I realize this could be my tindr profile but I'm talking about the android 12 redesign).
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Nov 3, 2021

android what did you do

android what did you do
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Nov 2, 2021

Long mails with lots to say and you might not reply until...

@leahfinnegan Long mails with lots to say and you might not reply until the weekend.
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Nov 2, 2021

Come listen to @cshirky tell us what's wrong with edutech!

Come listen to @cshirky tell us what's wrong with edutech! x.com/...
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Nov 1, 2021

I loved learning Clojure/ClojureScript. I found it very...

@bravelyjake @monkchips I loved learning Clojure/ClojureScript. I found it very hard, but I still think about it all the time. I've played with Racket and SBCL but I like the immutable-by-default nature of Clojure, which forced me to think really hard about what my data was and what it was doing.
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Nov 1, 2021

“Agile is a kind of witchcraft wherein a coven of...

“Agile is a kind of witchcraft wherein a coven of developers form frequent ‘standups’ to commit themselves to evil acts upon a code base, until finally Satan heeds their call and manifests working software.” wired.com/...
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Nov 1, 2021

I've given up on functional programming, at this point I'm...

@dsandler @modernserf I've given up on functional programming, at this point I'm just seeking closure.
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Nov 1, 2021

God Justin imagine if I'd ever finished reading it.

@modernserf God Justin imagine if I'd ever finished reading it.
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Nov 1, 2021

It's wild how much of the 2021 programming ecosystem is...

It's wild how much of the 2021 programming ecosystem is declarative data structures evaluated by recursive functions. Maybe there's a corollary to Greenspun's Law that what drives innovation in the tech industry is a steadfast refusal to implement LISP.
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Nov 1, 2021

But I learned TypeScript and wrote a fun little declarative...

But I learned TypeScript and wrote a fun little declarative syntax in YAML that maps to types and lets you write the game logic as a simple hierarchy of mathy thingamajigs evaluated on tick.
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Nov 1, 2021

Since writing this I made a lot of progress on the clicker...

Since writing this I made a lot of progress on the clicker game and then realized it was absolutely no fun at all. wired.com/...
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Nov 1, 2021

Not just because I'm in it.

Not just because I'm in it. t.co/...
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