@Da_Gut@dice.camp avatar

Da_Gut

@[email protected]

Computer geek! Over 50, Comics, nature, TTRPGs, superheroes, and stuff! I live in Maine! ADHD suffer, chronically under or un employed. Suffering cognitive issues, and prolific booster.

Likes don't always indicate agreement. I use likes to find a post to follow up on later.

#nobridge #ttrpg #superheroes #UVG #CypherSystem

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@maaikees@sw-development-is.social avatar maaikees , to random

Developer struggling with Python, circa 200BC

A statue of a man with a python wrapped around him.
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Da_Gut ,
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@maaikees

In the same vein -

@Da_Gut@dice.camp avatar Da_Gut , to random

Important podcast episode just dropped!!!
From the podcast “this podcast will kill you“ episode 200

“It might be stinky and it might be unpleasant
to behold, but we all do it. For many of us, our
poop is out of sight, out of mind once we
flush it away. But for the next hour and fifteen
minutes or so, we're going to bring it back
into mind as we delve into the rich world of
poop. This episode, the first of a two-part
miniseries on poop…”

From the podcast “ this podcast will kill you“ Ep 200 Poop Part 1: How the sausage gets made It might be stinky and it might be unpleasant to behold, but we all do it. For many of us, our poop is out of sight, out of mind once we flush it away. But for the next hour and fifteen minutes or so, we're going to bring it back into mind as we delve into the rich world of poop. This episode, the first of a two-part miniseries on poop, features a wide cast of characters all with some role in the production or management of poo, like our intestinal tract with its sphincters and microbiota, dung beetles that perform the duties so crucial for ecosystem function, and the sperm whale that produces a revered substance used in perfumes. We're going behind the scenes to understand how the sausage really gets made (in a manner of speaking) and why we need a big perspective shift to stop seeing poop as waste and start seeing it as a resource. Correction: EW says that elephants poop 15 pounds a day, but in reality it's more like 10x that - 150-200 pounds! Sorry for the mistake - we noticed it while listening SM MISKATONIC UNIVERSITY PO... MUP Ep 334 - 3 Clue Rule... >
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@Da_Gut@dice.camp avatar Da_Gut , to random

Dear Apple speech to text. When I say “Mama” please do not render it as “mom”.

This 14-Year-Old Is Using Origami to Imagine Emergency Shelters That Are Sturdy, Cost-Efficient and Easy to Deploy ( www.smithsonianmag.com )

Sitting in his family’s living room in New York City, 14-year-old Miles Wu was astonished to find that a simple piece of paper, folded into a Miura-ori origami pattern, could hold 10,000 times its own weight. For a total of more than 250 hours, Wu had diligently designed, folded and tested copious variations of the ...

Da_Gut ,
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@alyaza@beehaw.org avatar alyaza this is prime stuff.

@MichaelWhelan@mastodon.art avatar MichaelWhelan , to random

BLACK STAR RISING (1984)
Acrylic on Watercolor Board - 30" x 22"

My first cover for Frederik Pohl came with this satirical, post-apocalyptic space opera. 1/3

A man in yellow jumpsuit with sleeves rolled up sits at the dark marbled base of a park monument. A tag on his breast pocket reads "CASTOR." Sitting on his left is a humanoid alien with aging face and bald head so bulbous it looks like an inflated balloon. Casually turning toward the man to make a point, he wears red pants, collared shirt, and black slip on shoes. To the man's right, a shrimp-like alien in police uniform leans in to yell at him. The man looks ponderous as he rests chin in the V between his chin and forefinger while he gets an earful from the shrimp. The monument that rises behind them is an homage to Iwo Jima with four shrimp planting a United States flag. The background beyond is all crystals and geometric shapes in a muted rainbow of colors.
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Da_Gut ,
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@MichaelWhelan I am extremely intrigued

@davidgerard@circumstances.run avatar davidgerard , to random

looking forward to it!

https://x.com/mustafasuleyman/status/1667184880235446280

Mustafa Suleyman @mustafasuleyman LLM hallucinations will be largely eliminated by 2025. that’s a huge deal. the implications are far more profound than the threat of the models getting things a bit wrong today.
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Da_Gut ,
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@davidgerard have they even been substantially reduced? I mean, I know it’s been decided now that they’re inevitable, but that’s the extent of my knowledge on the issue.
I just wish the damn things would go away

@Da_Gut@dice.camp avatar Da_Gut , to random

RE: https://timeloop.cafe/@alienghic/116055248206003657

OK. Picture this. Blind troglodytes. And this is how the party infiltrates their lair!

@ai6yr@m.ai6yr.org avatar ai6yr , to random

Gizmodo: For Some Reason, Someone Who Generates AI Slop Books Has Unmasked Herself

"...This has to be one of the stranger cases of doing it for the love of the game I’ve seen. Whoever Coral Hart is, she doesn’t exactly seem greedy in terms of wanting money. She seems like she truly just wants a decent income in exchange for turning the crank on a giant text meat grinder all day long. ..."

https://gizmodo.com/for-some-reason-someone-who-generates-ai-slop-books-has-unmasked-herself-2000719325

Da_Gut ,
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@ordinoides @ai6yr it’s very regional as to whether 100 K is small potatoes. in the vast majority of the United states, it’s not. But in some very dense urban areas it most definitely is.

@Da_Gut@dice.camp avatar Da_Gut , to random

What do you call a couple of time traveling birds?

A pair o ducks!!

@Da_Gut@dice.camp avatar Da_Gut , to random

Note to self: Not eating much for several days absolutely destroys my cognitive abilities.

(really bad brain day)

@Da_Gut@dice.camp avatar Da_Gut , to random

All right, I went ahead and rented the car today. I’ve got the heavy items packed. Indeed, I’ve got the bulk of the items loaded. So tomorrow I’m up early for me (which is not early.) And then I have a long day of driving down the East Coast. From midpoint of Maine to northern Georgia.
I’m hoping that digging out from the storm has been well under way and that I encounter few issues.

@Da_Gut@dice.camp avatar Da_Gut , to random

Oh yeah, this reminded me that I still need to watch inside out 2. If I actually get everything packed tomorrow as I am supposed to for my leaving Wednesday, although with the weather, I might have to delay till Thursday. I might rent inside out 2. Though I do have anxiety. Based on her comments here, this is causing me some concern.

https://youtube.com/shorts/qsGJjzo3NrU?si=z7Md7DYN-yY3jz0j

@Da_Gut@dice.camp avatar Da_Gut , to random
@Da_Gut@dice.camp avatar Da_Gut , to random

Yuck! Hot pockets are nasty. I will still eat the remaining three at some point because while they might be nasty, they are also purchased and I would have to spend money to replace them.

@Da_Gut@dice.camp avatar Da_Gut , to random

I really shouldn’t be in an office supply store unsupervised. Mind you my empty wallet is doing a pretty damn good job at supervising but still.

@Da_Gut@dice.camp avatar Da_Gut , to random

So, I'm going to participate in City26 - or, designing a city over the course of the year. Link 1 below is the core. But that's way overambitious for the total restructuring my life is undergoing.
So, Link 2 - from Playful Void, is more manageable, and should be doable. Hopefully. The only set bit right now, is its going to be an arid city. Desert or Steppe, and trade heavy..

  1. https://aloneinthelabyrinth.blogspot.com/2025/12/city26-megapost.html?m=1

  2. https://idlecartulary.com/2026/01/03/preparing-for-city-26-week-0/

@Da_Gut@dice.camp avatar Da_Gut , to random

““We wish to have many babies, but there are complicatories.” “Like her husband?” “He is obstacular, yiss, but the principal problem is legal.” It turned out that Katarina did not legally own her own womb, as well as other parts, which belonged to the Pryor family trust. She could not become pregnant without the permission of certain high-ranking members of her line, who alone knew the codes that would unlock her fertility.”
———

from a short story by Walter Jon Williams.

@Da_Gut@dice.camp avatar Da_Gut , to random

“Well, that one came from shrine of the Dancing Girl. She’s not a goddess anymore, not enough worshipers, but back then, she did all right. It provided a place for all the little girls orphaned by the fighting to the far west to go, anyway.

Vo, Nghi. The Empress of Salt and Fortune

There is a lot of worldbuilding. And in your ttrpg world, you should drip feed information like that as well.
(Bit of a repost).

@Da_Gut@dice.camp avatar Da_Gut , to random

An absurdly long post (it should be 3-4 posts, but hey, it's their blog) that is still a fascinating read. Most useful to me is the city thoughts toward the top. (It's a very detailed city he has there)

https://bearded-devil.com/2019/04/09/how-i-run-a-citycrawl-campaign/

@Da_Gut@dice.camp avatar Da_Gut , to random

The “what’s your map” podcast has this gem of an episode.

Smuggling Silk: WWII Escape Maps with Dr. Barbara A. Bond

“Together, they pour over an important but unassuming silk escape map of Danzig (Gdansk) port from World War II. What information is presented on the map, and what has been intentionally excluded?“

The show notes has a link to the map, which you really should peruse while you’re listening to it.

https://oculi-mundi.com/barbara-bond

@Da_Gut@dice.camp avatar Da_Gut , to random

This year, I finally remembered to post it! This came around the bird site back in 2021.

Sorceress: | really can't stay Bard: But baby there's Kobolds outside Sorceress: | have to go away Bard:But baby there's Kobolds outside Sorceress: This evening has been - Bard: - Their teeth are sharp and senses keen - Sorceress: - so very swell - Bard - Just take a long rest, regain your spells - Sorceress- My party will be starting to worry Bard: Come on Baby what's your hurry - Paladin walks in from kitchen Paladin: Dave stop being a creepy little weirdo. You failed your charisma roll, let the poor lass go home.
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@Da_Gut@dice.camp avatar Da_Gut , to random

The “Cursed Scroll“ Shadowdark Zine 4: River of Night is incredibly well done, with some thematic special encounters.
While wordy, this one is a banger.

2. JAGUAR KING The collective spirit and instinct of the jungle's greatest hunter, the jaguar, manifests into a genius loci that takes the shape of a jaguar-headed man in gold and gem-studded regalia. He is neither god nor mortal, existing only as long as even one jaguar prowls the jungle. The Jaguar King (pg. 62) tests the prowess of any warriors he encounters, silently pointing his obsidian spear at them and striking a battle stance. The Jaguar King happily fights multiple opponents at once. If any single warrior lands three blows against him within five rounds, that warrior receives a blessing: +2 points to their STR, DEX, or CON stat, or an additional hit points die. After five rounds of combat, the Jaguar King melds like a shadow into the jungle, perhaps never to be seen again.
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@Da_Gut@dice.camp avatar Da_Gut , to random

I’m just sharing a screenshot of the accessibility options page over at bulletjournal.com. This was a lot of work. Good job!

A screenshot of the accessibility page over at bulletjournal.com. Take on an iPhone. Some of the options include bigger text, larger cursor, tool tips, line height, hide images, readable fonts, a dyslexic font, bionic reading - no idea what that is - and stopping animations.
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@audreygwinter@dice.camp avatar audreygwinter , to random

A request from the and hiveminds!

One of my favorite books to come out of the early years of was a third-party book that included multiple "alternative" flavors for arcane casters. It included mirror mages, with rules for creating the necessary mirrors; rune mages, with rules for inscribing; dragon mages, with prestige classes that would transform the adherent in different ways; and more. The book was stolen from me long ago. I need help finding it again.

1/2

Da_Gut ,
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@gcvsa @audreygwinter

Mirror mages you say?

@Da_Gut@dice.camp avatar Da_Gut , to random
@Da_Gut@dice.camp avatar Da_Gut , to random

Yeowtch… when the urologist arrived, he removed the new catheter from the bag. He then shoved it down through the passage through the rest of me the bed below annd about 4 feet into the concrete of the floor.
OK, I might exaggerate slightly. But damn that’s what it felt like.

Da_Gut OP ,
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@thudfactor eh, it’s part of life now. I tried to be frank about what goes on with the catheter. I don’t want people to feel has constrained about talking about these things. Because frankly my fellow Americans are weird about this sort of stuff.

@lowqualityfacts@mstdn.social avatar lowqualityfacts , to random

I wonder what happens at level eight.

I wonder what happens at level nine.
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Da_Gut ,
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@lowqualityfacts level six must be where you don’t need a spine. We’ve got a hell of a lot of politicians who must be at level six

@Da_Gut@dice.camp avatar Da_Gut , to random

Do you want to feel old?
I was watching a movie reaction on YouTube and the reactors were talking about a Rubik’s cube. It plays a part in the movie.
They are at least in their late 20s
One was talking about how he had heard of them, but had never actually seen one.
The woman said that her grandparents had one of their house, but she was never able to do anything with it

@Da_Gut@dice.camp avatar Da_Gut , to random

I can’t remember where I got this, or who to credit. It’s several years old and probably from Facebook.

a well done, full color, illustration of a grandmother and her young granddaughter sitting at the kitchen table. Grandmother: “sorry sweetheart - over half the regiment was killed, so it’s unlikely your granddad, came home from the war alive.“ Granddaughter: “so you don’t even know which soldier was my granddad?” Grandmother: “Poppet, when you’ve eaten a fall can of beans, it’s impossible to know exactly which one made you fart…“
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@archeaids@mastodon.online avatar archeaids , to random

Fun fact: Deer mandible "saws" have been recovered from several archaeological sites in North America.

Da_Gut ,
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@archeaids have you seen white tailed deer teeth? They look like something an alien would have!

Da_Gut ,
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@archeaids yeah they do wicked!

So would you say that this is fairly accurate?

@ai6yr@m.ai6yr.org avatar ai6yr , to random

LOL this never works out well in the horror movies. 🤪

KCLU: Central Coast researchers revive 24-million-year-old bacteria to help learn more about antibiotics

https://www.kclu.org/local-news/2025-11-18/central-coast-researchers-revive-24-million-year-old-bacteria-to-help-learn-more-about-antibiotics

Central Coast researchers revive 24-million-year-old bacteria to help learn more about antibiotics
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Da_Gut ,
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@victorvonvortex @ai6yr

Squish them into paste and then sprinkle a copious amount of salt on top. They will die.
At least that is how we kill them in Georgia

@vagina_museum@masto.ai avatar vagina_museum , to random

It's the Fesshole/Vagina Museum crossover event you've all been waiting for. Tons of you tagged us into this across all of our socials, asking for a fact-check. The consensus of the reply guys is that it Didn't Happen. However, this is in fact very possible. Here's why...

Fesshole screenshot: I may have nearly knocked out my gynecologist by shooting a speculum at his head. It wasn't my fault. He made me laugh, my muscles contracted, and suddenly my twat was a cannon.
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Da_Gut ,
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@vagina_museum my wife- after reading this - responded with
“I’ve seen a chick open a beer bottle with her vagina”

@Da_Gut@dice.camp avatar Da_Gut , to random

So I hit a deer this morning. Fun times.
well technically speaking the deer hit me.
The deer did not survive the collision

The front left of a subcompact Honda fit ( car) driver side. Aftermath of hitting a deer roughly 2 hours ago the hood is crumpled up in the left front headlights destroyed along with some other damage.
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@Da_Gut@dice.camp avatar Da_Gut , to random

My brain ins feeding me details about a street level superhero adventure. Foilinga dastardly plot during the hurricane of the century.

@georgetakei@universeodon.com avatar georgetakei , to random

Hey, Fox: Sales of Hamburger Helper on the rise is a flashing recession indicator.

A tweet from Rep. Jason Crow reads: “Billionaires get tax breaks. Kristi Noem gets luxury jets. Trump gets a golden ballroom. You get Hamburger Helper.” It quotes a FactPost tweet summarizing a Fox News segment about the rising popularity of Hamburger Helper as consumers tighten their budgets. The image shows boxes of Hamburger Helper products and a Fox News anchor reporting on the trend.
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Da_Gut ,
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@georgetakei well I am in total agreement with the point of your post - I also have to say that cheeseburger macaroni Hamburger helper is the bomb.

@Da_Gut@dice.camp avatar Da_Gut , to random

A magical, mechanical tongue that replaces a person‘s own tongue and prevents them from saying any word that enables magic use or that is a command word for an item.

@Da_Gut@dice.camp avatar Da_Gut , to random

I did not expect to see bumblebees on this cold breezy day. I could post a blurry ass picture, but I won’t.

@Da_Gut@dice.camp avatar Da_Gut , to random

From a few days ago

Common Raven

Edit. The volume is extremely low far lower than it is on the computer.

@pluralistic@mamot.fr avatar pluralistic , (edited ) to random

Man who joined Mastodon five years after I did:

"I don't like how you post."

Me: "My bio tells you how I post, and here's a post explaining why, and how to manage it, and if you don't like my posts, it tells you how to unsubscribe from my feed."

That guy: "You're just trying to get rich by violating 'open source social media principles'"

Me: There's such a thing as 'open source social media principles?'' And I can get rich by violating them? Tell me more!"

A social media exchange with a baffling person.
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Da_Gut ,
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@pluralistic spam away spam away. I love your posts

@Impossible_PhD@hachyderm.io avatar Impossible_PhD , to random

Okay, I'm at the museum today and I want to geek out about one if my very favorite things in the universe: manuscripts from the middle ages.

This is an illuminated Qur'an from the 15-1600s. It's embellished with gold leaf and blue lapis ink.

And most of y'all have NO IDEA how expensive that was.

A spread from a lavishly illuminated Qur'an, appointed with lapis and gold.
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Da_Gut ,
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@Impossible_PhD Have you read A Canticle for Leibowitz? I think you would enjoy it, if not.

Da_Gut ,
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@Impossible_PhD ah, didn't know that. One of my favorites, your post made me think of the robber and the blueprint scene, fairly late in the book.

@MichaelWhelan@mastodon.art avatar MichaelWhelan , to random

DRAGONSBANE (1985)
Acrylic - 28” x 18”

I loved this book—the protagonists and dragon are very engaging and held my interest right from the start. 1/4

On a platform in front of a stone castle wall a black dragon rises on back legs while holding out an unconscious woman in its clawed forelimbs. There’s intelligence reflected in the slit of purple eyes that focus downward. On its head, it has a pair of curving, forward facing horns, a short shaggy mane, and a fin that runs down the back of its long, sinuous neck. Its form is all scales and bristles, but despite the fearsome appearance its body language suggests gentle care. Farther back, a pair of men stand on mist shrouded stairs leading down from the front of the castle. A drawbridge carved with the artist’s sigil tilts forward slightly ajar.
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Da_Gut ,
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@MichaelWhelan oh I have fond memories of that book. I might have to track it down and reread it.

@dustcircle@mastodon.social avatar dustcircle , to random
Da_Gut ,
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@dustcircle my work uses approved AI tools which frankly, I don’t think is much better. But I use them the minimum amount proper because I need the money great curse capitalism.

@Da_Gut@dice.camp avatar Da_Gut , to random

For all its many, many flaws, the book Kon-tiki has some memorable nature passages.

A passage from the story, Kon tiki. About a small group of men in the 1940s, who drifted across the Pacific on a raft to prove that South Americans could’ve done it in pre-history. “The sea contains many surprises for him who has his floor on a level with the surface and drifts along slowly and noise-lessly. A sportsman who breaks his way through the woods may come back and say that no wild life is to be seen. Another may sit down on a stump and wait, and often rustlings and cracklings will begin and curious eyes peer out. So it is on the sca, too. We usually plow across it with roaring engines and piston strokes, with the water foaming round our bow. Then we come back and say that there is nothing to see far out on the ocean.”
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@Binder@petrous.vislae.town avatar Binder , to random

[Thread, post or comment was deleted by the author]

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    Da_Gut ,
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    @StarkRG @Binder yeah he doesn’t care about the people one way or the other. He does eat some unoccupied planets. But considering the number of decades, he has been around. It’s possible I’m wrong.

    Da_Gut ,
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    @StarkRG @Binder

    Does Galactus have to eat planets with people? Or can he chow down on an empty planets?

    Let’s make this visible somebody out there will probably know