Ryan M

Ryan M

@distortions.net

Birder. Northern California Native plant gardener. Fujifilm. GIS professional. Geologist. AvGeek. Views are my own. I regularly delete my posts. See them at https://distortions.net

250 followers220 following139 posts

My ancient Roomba, consigned to the garage, is on the fritz and I’m not super into trying to fix it. My Matic is too good.

The X-Plane 12 universe's ATC is a bit unhinged, but who am I to argue. This is the morning’s flightpath flying an empty 737-8 from Livermore to Sacramento International. Map courtesy of Little NavMap and Stadia Maps’ limited free tile server. #XPlane12 #FlightSim

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JFK redevelopment update: New Terminal One having artwork (giant split-flap wall!) and finisings added, but will not open in 2026. Terminal 6 first gates still set for 2026 opening, with final systems testing and commissioning underway. Use of barges reduced truck milage by 5x more than thought!

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You may see low-flying aircraft over parts of eastern California this fall — here’s why. ✈️🏔️ CGS is partnering with USGS through the Earth Mapping Resources Initiative on a new high-resolution airborne geophysical survey across parts of Fresno, Inyo & Mono Counties. www.usgs.gov/news/state-n...

usgs.govMedia Alert: Low-level Flights to Image Geology over Eastern CaliforniaRESTON, Va. – Low-level airplane flights will begin in early October over eastern California and a sliver of western Nevada to image geology using airborne geophysical technology.

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Someone busted up the EMAS with jet blast and now they gotta fix it.

Ben Bradley@benbradleytv.bsky.social

BREAKING: One of Midway Airport's runways will shut down until mid-November for emergency repairs. The crumple zone designed to stop planes that overshoot the runway is damaged on departures end of 22L. "The closure has the potential to cause flight delays and cancellations."

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Happy ATCO day! Every day, air traffic controllers play their critical part in keeping the skies safe, but you often only hear about them when something goes wrong. We're grateful to all ATCOs who are there, 24/7, watching out for every airspace user, big or small.

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I highly recommend Nathan Fielder's The Rehearsal, season 2, about pilots and crashes. Really stunning, amazing TV if you have not seen it. That was when I realized he was a genius.

So much for letting cool, fresh air in tonight. Ag-land is already burning their piles & harvested rice fields, I guess. Air quality is hazardous. #CaWx #AirQuality

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Pueblo Seed are wonderful people who make some tasty food. Glad to have them in our corner of the world.

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Lufthansa's A340-600 is not the end of the line for the plane, but I'll miss being able to see them somewhat regularly. A selection of photos from Pacific Rim: SFO, YVR, LAX, NRT

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Spent a beautiful fall day at Convict Lake, CA. This painting came out much better than the last. The hardest thing is to get the feel of the geology instead of the details.

Descriptions of LLM-based vibe coding bring to mind puppy mills. You can get a product that looks great on the surface, and works as intended, but you may not know exactly what nightmares lurk within. A job primarily reviewing LLM code sounds awful.

David Smith’s latest Developing Perspective podcast titled “Portal Gun Development” made me sad. He seems to feel that LLM vibe coding sucking the joy out of his work is a fine trade-off for multitasking and more rapid app development. I’m glad LLMs aren’t being pushed on me at work, a job I enjoy.

My ride today was free off the sidewalk over a year ago & just needed ~$50 in repairs. A terrible ride compared to my long stolen (measured in decades lol) Specialized mountain bike but it does the rarely needed local job when the one car is spoken for! #Bicycle #Biketober

I’m on the observation deck at the TWA hotel (no charge today) 🤩 #AvGeek #Aviation #JFK #PlaneSpotting

When at JFK… the TWA Hotel nearby Terminal 5 is a fun diversion #AvGeek #JFK #Travel #TWAHotel

Long Beach NY was very nice yesterday. It cool, overcast, and some rain, too. As a sun scorched & blue sky dazzled Californian, I welcomed it #LongBeach #NYWx #NewYork #Fujifilm #SOoC #Travel

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Macabre Spooktober grotesquery: in July 1793, the National Convention voted to exhume & destroy all the kings of France from the crypt of Saint-Denis (roughly France’s Westminster Abbey) dating to the 7th c. Merovingians parishistoryofourstreets.com/2021/10/15/t... mavcor.yale.edu/conversation...

parishistoryofourstreets.comThe Desecration of the Basilica of Saint Denis: Part OneThe horrifying history of what happened to 1,000+ years of royal remains during the French Revolution

Random plane spotting on Long Island… Per FR24: Russia Special Flight Squadron Ilyushin Il-96 (RA-96023) JFK-Casablanca #AvGeek #Aviation #IL96 #PlaneSpotting #LongIsland

Yesterday: an angry & vocal Mute Swan passing by basking turtles at Lake Hempstead State Park #Travel #MuteSwan #Birds #Turtles #LongIsland