Tim Schmelter

NPR @npr.org [ View ] Feb 23, 2024 at 00:03 UTC

BREAKING NEWS: The Houston-based company has pulled off the first successful commercial landing on the lunar surface. It's America's first soft landing in decades.

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Tim Schmelter @palpatim.com [ View ] Feb 13, 2024 at 23:15 UTC

I appreciate that you successfully captured the essence of the uncanny valley in the screen image. Those eyes…

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Tim Schmelter @palpatim.com [ View ] Feb 13, 2024 at 23:11 UTC

“Heinlein Singularity” is the name of my classic prog rock cover band.

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Tim Schmelter @palpatim.com [ View ] Feb 05, 2024 at 19:17 UTC

I read this just now and was wracking my brain trying to think of what astronomical announcement TS11 was. Then I saw the timestamp of the post and the context shifted. Welcome to “People who only know you from one thing and don’t realize you’re an actual person with likes and hobbies and stuff” :)

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Tim Schmelter @palpatim.com [ View ] Jan 12, 2024 at 19:10 UTC

All my positive reviews from now on will simply be “Paper words. Good. Delicious.”

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Tim Schmelter @palpatim.com [ View ] Jan 05, 2024 at 20:56 UTC

I see the same thing. Feedly support said the ISP was blocking them?

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Tim Schmelter @palpatim.com [ View ] Jan 04, 2024 at 17:49 UTC

Well this appears to be working now. Not sure whether Feedly did something, or magic code elves, or sunspots… 🤷‍♂️ In any case, I’m all Scalzi’d up!

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Tim Schmelter @palpatim.com [ View ] Jan 03, 2024 at 15:38 UTC

Can confirm that Feedly is a (the?) problem. I removed the feed & then searched Feedly site for “John Scalzi”: no results. I added the feed directly using the RSS URL (whatever.scalzi.com/feed/), but only see items through 31-Dec. The raw feed has all items as expected. I’ll contact Feedly support.

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Tim Schmelter @palpatim.com [ View ] Jan 02, 2024 at 20:01 UTC

I’m also using Feedly. I wonder if it’s a problem with that system?

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Tim Schmelter @palpatim.com [ View ] Jan 02, 2024 at 19:32 UTC

@scalzi.com, are you aware of any weirdness with the whatever.com RSS feed? I realized I hadn’t seen the last comfort watch and when I checked the site saw that I’ve actually missed several updates! The last one in my feed is Day 29, “The Nice Guys”

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Tim Schmelter @palpatim.com [ View ] Dec 21, 2023 at 19:50 UTC

C’mon, “*climax* of Weinersmith’s career” was RIGHT THERE.

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Tim Schmelter @palpatim.com [ View ] Oct 28, 2023 at 17:57 UTC

In high school I was called on to explain something. I knew the word that fit but didn’t know the pronunciation and couldn’t think of a synonym. A classmate asked, “What’s ‘super-FLOO-us’?” Teacher replied, “It’s a mispronunciation of ‘suPERfluous’, meaning ‘extra’ or ‘unnecessary’.” :)

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Tim Schmelter @palpatim.com [ View ] Oct 17, 2023 at 23:32 UTC

“Muffin of the Lord” is my Amy Grant cover band.

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Tim Schmelter @palpatim.com [ View ] Oct 16, 2023 at 17:03 UTC

Seattle-area vegans and vegetarians: Makini Howell of Plum Bistro has a GoFundMe to build a tofu factory and kitchen to make Plum deliciousness available in your local grocery! gofund.me/226674b3

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Tim Schmelter @palpatim.com [ View ] Oct 12, 2023 at 20:16 UTC

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Tim Schmelter @palpatim.com [ View ] Oct 10, 2023 at 18:54 UTC

Obligatory Spaceballs reference

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Tim Schmelter @palpatim.com [ View ] Oct 10, 2023 at 00:52 UTC

I still crack up thinking about your story about the cowboy romance. (I googled for the line but never did find it. I live in hope that it will suddenly come across my awareness serendipitously, like a forgotten toy from childhood.)

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Tim Schmelter @palpatim.com [ View ] Sep 22, 2023 at 22:52 UTC

Bless you for that!

Relevant: xkcd.com/1053/

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Tim Schmelter @palpatim.com [ View ] Sep 22, 2023 at 20:28 UTC

Did you choose the Beyond Burger on purpose or was it the only reasonable option? Just checking to see how far the Vegan Conspiracy(tm) has reached so I can report back to HQ.

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Tim Schmelter @palpatim.com [ View ] Sep 14, 2023 at 18:16 UTC

11:15 AM PT Also, I love that there are no reposts, just like you asked. It’s almost like basic human decency isn’t dead after all.

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Tim Schmelter @palpatim.com [ View ] Sep 11, 2023 at 23:55 UTC

Explains a lot, actually.

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Tim Schmelter @palpatim.com [ View ] Sep 02, 2023 at 13:15 UTC

Interestingly, even without the other people in frame for reference, my brain jumps to “huge cat.”

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Tim Schmelter @palpatim.com [ View ] Sep 01, 2023 at 19:00 UTC

I’m curious, do most folks see this as “tiny person”, or “huge cat”? I immediately thought “huge cat”, but I’m at a loss to explain why my brain immediately made that interpretation. Possibly because of the other people in background as reference?

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Tim Schmelter @palpatim.com [ View ] Aug 31, 2023 at 20:10 UTC

As a parent I can confirm they feel this even more so. Thoughts and prayers all around. Let the healing begin.

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Tim Schmelter @palpatim.com [ View ] Aug 22, 2023 at 22:41 UTC

Just wanted to add that the audio version of this story is truly moving, in large part due to the amazing narration from Kay Eluvian. I don’t know that it is participating in the same promotional pricing, but it’s well worth a listen if you’re able. (As are all of the stories in the collection!)

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Tim Schmelter @palpatim.com [ View ] Aug 21, 2023 at 23:17 UTC

Scalzi burrito recipes are all public domain, in the manner of the Necronomicon.

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Tim Schmelter @palpatim.com [ View ] Aug 17, 2023 at 19:24 UTC

To make it even harder, in that area, the lunar GPS will have to account for monolith-related phenomena.

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Tim Schmelter @palpatim.com [ View ] Aug 04, 2023 at 01:19 UTC

Those are wonderful! Also, this seems like a good time to thank you and the amazing artists for Historia. I’m not even sure how to express all the emotions I felt after closing Book 3.

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Tim Schmelter @palpatim.com [ View ] Aug 02, 2023 at 13:51 UTC

I’d hate to be on the colony ship to that system.

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Tim Schmelter @palpatim.com [ View ] Jul 17, 2023 at 21:20 UTC

How do you distinguish this from like, a regular old rock? I’m imagining walking along with an archaeologist and thinking “Huh, cool rock” and them going “HOLY CRAP IT’S A SIDE SCRAPER!” Is it a matter of training your eye to notice patterns that aren’t common in nature?

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Tim Schmelter @palpatim.com [ View ] Jul 17, 2023 at 18:59 UTC

ELSEWHERE… A mother trudges up a poorly lit stairwell, carrying a guttering lamp. Beside her, a child of 11 years old carries their prized possession: a ring of skeleton keys, tarnished with age and use. She eyes the doorway as she climbs. “To-morrow, I will open you and learn your secrets.”

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Tim Schmelter @palpatim.com [ View ] Jul 12, 2023 at 16:50 UTC

Subscribed after reading that first issue—good stuff! Will this be a limited series or ongoing?

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