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dtm

@[email protected]

Writer | Raconteur | Curmudgeon

I live in Cape May, New Jersey, USA, where I write about writing, culture, science, history, food, religion and travel. I hate bullies no matter what side they’re on. I'm kind, until you push me. Three kids. Seven grands. Grand Poobah of AI Haters. Pizzaiolo Extraordinaire. I have been known to counsel brands for cash. Quickly running out of fucks.

Phillies. Eagles. Liverpool.

Signal: dtm.13

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@dtm@mastodon.cc avatar dtm , to random

As a writer, there is really never a point where you should even try to avoid difficulty. We lean in to life’s problems so we can write about them. It’s a good thing to remember.

https://www.davidtoddmccarty.com

@dtm@mastodon.cc avatar dtm , to random

Early branding doodles for a client.

HAVEN MARINA RESORTS
HAVEN MARINA RESORTS
HAVEN MARINA RESORTS

HAVEN MARINA RESORTS
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@dtm@mastodon.cc avatar dtm , to random

Old people, like me, shouldn’t even expect to know the Super Bowl halftime performer, let alone expect to be catered to. I didn’t understand a word of last year’s show and it was in English. It being in Spanish this year was actually an improvement. I actually understood a little of it.

If you’re hoping Aerosmith or some other geriatric band from your 20th century youth is going to perform for you, you seriously need to get over yourself.

@dtm@mastodon.cc avatar dtm , to random

@noondlyt I’m at the point where I don’t think this is a position of hope. It might not fall the way think or want, and that much is probable, but it can’t continue on the way it’s been. There has to be a return to mean. It’s a law of nature. The status quo is unsustainable.

The good news is, from my perspective, is that I am in a position to guide serious private investment into this very arena. There is money to be made, which is how most things happen.

Not all progress is bad.

dtm OP ,
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@noondlyt In the scheme of things, there’s a reality at play. I’m dealing with people who think in terms of millions rather than billions. These are still small entrepreneurs, but ones with the capital to succeed, as opposed to those who would sell their mother.

My position: None of this works if it’s corporately owned or driven purely by profitability, but you need the capital to make it work. This can’t be an art project.

dtm OP ,
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@noondlyt This is not new, but still my benchmark. This is what I’m hoping to emulate with multiple projects with real investors that have very serious realities, You can do both good work and profitable business. It all doesn’t have to suck.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AogY-vI8PKY

@dtm@mastodon.cc avatar dtm , to random

There’s so much money, time and energy being invested in AI for it to come to naught, but I remain highly skeptical of it overall. There’s way too much vaporware hype. I do not believe it will achieve what is being promised, at least anytime soon, so it’s hard to know how and when to accept what might be possible.

That said, it will come to something, someday. I figure I will switch when something valuable and moral presents itself to me as a real option.

@dtm@mastodon.cc avatar dtm , to random

My God, this was 17 years ago. Holy shit. Same temperature, but my friends were surfing. I forgot about this. Not everyone gets perfect waves in pristine conditions. Some of us have to do whatever it takes.

This was one of the first things I shot with my new Canon 5DMII. I didn’t have a good handle on keeping the horizon level, but there was no auto focus and no aperture control.


https://vimeo.com/2873496

@dtm@mastodon.cc avatar dtm , to random

I couldn’t figure out what all the owls were about. I love owls but come on. I finally got it.

@dtm@mastodon.cc avatar dtm , to random

I don’t automatically follow everyone who follows me. That seems like a horrible strategy. That said, I like to follow cool people who share my worldview of artistic expression and curious pursuit of knowledge.

Are you following me and I have yet to reciprocate? Drop me a note and I’ll rectify that. Probably.

@dtm@mastodon.cc avatar dtm , to random

Support An Independent Web Experience

I’d like to invite you to explore my website, which is a collection of essays and stories that range from food to philosophy, culture to politics. There’s no paywall, and if you sign up (which I greatly appreciate), you get emails about new stories. No ads or promotion. I’m self hosted and entirely independent so this is the only way to build an audience. There is an RSS feed.

https://www.davidtoddmccarty.com

100% GENUINE I tell stories. Most of them are true. Authentic tales of the human experience, as told by a nut. DAVID TODD MCCARTY
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@dtm@mastodon.cc avatar dtm , to random

As the enshittification of the internet hits its apex and begins to collapse under the weight of a tsunami of AI slop, humanity may very well find itself back where it started, rediscovering the genuine world of books, art, music, travel, entertainment, food, and nature. Authentic experiences that have the…

https://www.davidtoddmccarty.com/a-great-social-rewilding-is-coming2/

@dtm@mastodon.cc avatar dtm , to random

I’ve had an issue with Nick Castellanos and his attitude from day one. Just something rubbed me the wrong way about a guy who was a mediocre ballplayer but acted like god’s gift to baseball. Seriously, dude. Take it down a notch or two.

I want to believe he’s a decent guy, but he never came off that way. His public persona limits my empathy for his plight. You are overpaid and no one wants you. Wake the fuck up and humble down.

@briankrebs@infosec.exchange avatar briankrebs , to random

We knew this was coming, but now the clock is running. From Privacy International:

"Yesterday the Trump Administration announced a proposed change in policy for travellers to the U.S. It applies to the powers of data collection by the Customs and Border Police (CBP)."

"If the proposed changes are adopted after the 60-day consultation, then millions of travellers to the U.S. will be forced to use a U.S. government mobile phone app, submit their social media from the last five years and email addresses used in the last ten years, including of family members. They’re also proposing the collection of DNA."

PI linked to and summarized a Federal Register entry describing the proposed requirements:

-All visitors must submit ‘their social media from the last 5 years’

-ESTA (Electronic System for Travel Authorization) applications will include ‘high value data fields’, ‘when feasible’
‘telephone numbers used in the last five years’
-‘email addresses used in the last ten years’
-‘family number telephone numbers (sic) used in the last five years’
-biometrics – face, fingerprint, DNA, and iris
-business telephone numbers used in the last five years
-business email addresses used in the last ten years.

https://www.privacyinternational.org/news-analysis/5713/trump-administration-wants-your-dna-and-social-media

The Federal Register entry says comments are encouraged and
must be submitted (no later than February 9, 2026) to be assured of consideration.

Federal Register entry: https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2025-12-10/pdf/2025-22461.pdf

dtm ,
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@briankrebs Don’t forget all the domestic tourism that isn’t happening. I’m not interested in giving Florida or Texas any of my money, nor are a lot of other Americans.

@dtm@mastodon.cc avatar dtm , to random

I’ve just moved servers so a little is in order for new people. I’m a storyteller by trade, which has consisted of writing, photography, design, filmmaking, and branding. I’m an incorrigible curmudgeon and top notch crank with a heart of bronze.

See ya in the funny papers.

https://www.davidtoddmccarty.com

@dtm@mastodon.cc avatar dtm , to random

I moved servers y'all. If your follows are locked, you'll need to accept me again.

Self portrait of author
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