deathmtn

% node
> function f1() { return 1 }
undefined
> function f2() { return 2 }
undefined
> var list = [f1, f2]
undefined
> list.indexOf(f2)
1
> list.indexOf(f1)
0

I actually did not think that would work!

I've been reading 21 Lessons for the 21st Century (at libraries) by Yuval Noah Harari. He's one of the many people that assert that people don't act primarily on reason and facts and like to have their pre-existing views affirmed. Though this book does have new-ish ideas that I have not already adopted which I hope to write about later, I'm going to indulge in the groupthink-affirmation behavior right now and quote something that affirms what I already believe because it's so well-said:

Yet if you want to go deeply into any subject, you need a lot of time, and in particular, you need the privilege of wasting time. You need to experiment with unproductive paths, explore dead ends, make space for doubts and boredom, and allow little seeds of insight to slowly grow and blossom. If you cannot afford to waste time, you will never find the truth.

He's talking about knowing the truth of a situation well in order to make good decisions, but I think this speaks well to a discussion at work about hacking. In this sense, hacking is working on a project that is risky and may not bear fruit in order to learn both how it is to build something and what the unfamiliar space that the project is exploring is like.

Obviously, I think hacking is really important.

I feel strongly that Rob Scallon should name one of his albums "Ukelear War".

Whoa. Saturn has a hexagon on its north pole.

3-4-5-3-4-5 at the bike path bar; ran 2 miles. So, yeah, I'm not the #1 guy lately, but it feels really good to get outside, even if it is hot.

This concept (and illustration) is fantastic: A bookstore that only opens on full moons — for ghosts!

10-4-3-3-3-4. Guess I'm a little sapped. Hand to slump after the closing burpees. Was concerned about toe stiffness, but they loosened up by the end.

Ron Nickle, the MBTA’s top safety official for almost eight years, told the Federal Transit Administration that a top MBTA employee urged the safety department to alter an investigative report related to a 2015 runaway Red Line train, a high-profile incident that embarrassed the agency. In his 97-page federal complaint, Nickle alleged the MBTA also pressured the commuter rail system to put a premium on on-time performance, not safety.

…

Nickle’s statement said he was told repeatedly to avoid blaming systemic problems for safety violations that affected commutes. When a Red Line train ran along the tracks without a driver in December 2015, MBTA officials revealed that an employee had jury-rigged a cord around the train’s throttle to override safety controls.

In public, officials had insisted the practice was exceedingly rare. But in his statement, Nickle said he had interviewed several employees who said it had been relatively common — and that Gonneville told him to “be careful” about revealing such information in a report.

Great.

I mean, the root cause of the safety issues is that the T is largely unmaintained, due to Charlie Baker wanting to stick it to Boston on behalf of his resentful base. But it is better to know about the issues than to sweep them under the rug.

I left late hoping to avoid T crowding, but the seats are still almost full, like it was 8:30 AM on the red line of four years ago.

As more of my life gradually moves offline, the task of writing about it becomes larger, approaching chore-like status.

Feels extra "aw yea creative life is possible" to fix a long-standing bug while taking a break in the middle of a busy day, after going with the family to the beach and before grilling.

85°F is surprisingly OK with shade and breeze.