mists through the cedars
the echoes of ancestors
remain vigilant
Today’s haiku: November 5, 2025
Author: Carl Setzer
A blogger blogging from just north of Seattle.
Today’s Haiku: November 4, 2025
mighty moose minions
mitigate mouse munitions
mad malevolence
I opted for something alliterative today. And something absurdist. Just wanted to have some fun. I hope it amused you like it did me.
Happy Halloween, Everyone!
Years ago, I got exhausted by all the Halloween tropes, especially Monster Mash. I figured, “I’m sure I could create something better”. I think I have.
This is a multi-year initiative. I’ve added to it as I’ve found good tunes, and taken off ones that no longer fit my vibe.
So, I hope you enjoy!
Phishing Calendar Invites
Well, it’s been an interesting few days in the land of spam and phishing. Yesterday I wrote about a spam email I received, along with dozens of others that’s gotten a bit silly. Today I noticed an invite in one of my company calendars, “Your order Estimate OYYE03661 has been queued”:
I’ve seen these before, but not in MY calendar.
So, my first thought was “when did my calendar get changed to “add invitations to my calendar” to “From Everyone”. Needless to say, that should NOT be the default. EVER!
So, if you need to know how to change this in Google, here you go:
Go the gear icon at the top-right of your calendar:
Then click “settings”
Scroll down to Event Settings, the “Add invitations to my calendar”
Then change to “When I respond to the invitation in email”
I’m also going to recommend unchecking the “Show events automatically created by Gmail in my calendar”
Anyway, we need to stay vigilant against fraudsters. This is one annoying game of whack-a-mole.
Fraud, Spam, Bulk Email, and Other Joys
Less than 1/2 hour ago, I received a mess in my inbox. Someone sent an email out to an unknown quantity of email recipients with no subject and the message body stating “Who are you”. To me, this screams phishing. Well, to (currently) 11 people, it didn’t. There were silly responses (“I contain mutitudes”) to “Take me off this email”. One person did reply stating “you are all replying to a fraud email…stop replying…” Which is the most useful message on there. But, really, not that helpful. So, just mark them as spam and move along. Replying lets the scammers know that a) this email is valid and b) you are somewhat gullible and, therefore, more susceptible to phishing scams. And, of course, replying all to these sorts of things floods other people’s inboxes.
So, please, just don’t. I guess if you feel called to troll scammers, just reply to the original sender. I’ve got other things to do than manage this junk in my inbox.
Today’s Bit o’ Wisdom
I liked this quote, but thought I’d add to it. Yes, “surrounding yourself with people who fight for you in rooms you aren’t in” is a powerful way to build up your psyche. However, I see something even more powerful. Surround yourself with people you would fight for in rooms you ARE in. And, a corollary, BE the person who fights for those people.
Quote of the Day
“You may not write well every day, but you can always edit a bad page. You can’t edit a blank page”.
~ Phoebe Waller-Bridge
I have given out similar advice for decades. My main variant: “It’s easier to edit than to create”. I’ve seen how paralyzing perfectionism can be. With this, I’ve also found that the most challenging part of any project is starting.
Anyway, I hope you have a fantastic day leading into a fantastic week.
A Bit Of Wisdom
I identify with this far more than I should admit. Anyway, this dude’s beard is pretty epic, too. Anyway….
It is interesting, as I look back, how important being “cool” was. Way back. And how that’s pretty much completely faded. Maturity, I suppose. Or just exhaustion. I have the bandwidth for that bull$!*t.
An AI Manifesto
Cassidy Williams is a tech blogger I’ve followed for years. Recently, she wrote about her views on AI Usage, which I find exceptionally relevant right now. She references the “AI Manifesto” by Damola Morenikeji. Damola suggests creating an /AI section on your page, which I think I’ll do soon. But I’m just starting the exploration now.
I believe the transparency around our respective use of AI is critical. Being able to trust what you see is becoming harder.
Me? I’ve used AI as something of an editor for this site, and have explored using it to create pages. I’ve never been 100% satisfied with what Gemini or ChatGPT has created, but I will say it’s carved my workflows significantly. I don’t envision ever wholly turning things over to AI, and see the possibility of adopting Cassidy’s attitude of “Everything on this website is written by me, personally, not an AI.” This quote she shared really gives me pause: “If you couldn’t be bothered to write something, I won’t be bothered to read it”. Yeah, I feel that. I know there’s a reason it’s called “AI slop” and the last thing I want to do is contribute to the enshittification of the internet.
So, have you created a “Slash AI” page? If so, have you shared it to this list (https://slashai.page/)? If not, but you want to, submit it here. Are you planning on it? Let me know! I’m intensely curious.
Ah, the Oatmeal!
I’ve long been a fan of the Oatmeal. Sometimes crass, sometimes disturbing, sometimes thought-provoking, and always funny.
This one speaks to me and my overactive mind. Perhaps a bit too well. I guess it’s good to be seen. I guess.