Joel Barker

I am heartened to read that the reading public is throwing off the Big Publisher model and reading good books.

Are you a user of The Story Graph? Joel Byron Barker's Novel *Clear and Sane* is now a part of that cool project. app.thestorygraph.com/books/2c320b...

Candidates are stepping up. I expect I will hear about what you don't like about some. Let's hear about what you DO like about some of these folks too.

Watching Colbert and Talarico talk today reminds us of the greatness in humility that America can be.

Stand with Minneapolis. These are our streets and our communities. ICE is breaking the law: both of humanity and our land.

Mid Session Legislative Report for February 2026 February 16, 2026 Horst Meister The Oregon Legislature is about halfway through its even-year short session. The session began on February 2 and is scheduled to end on March 9. Legislators have bee…

Mid session Oregon legislative report by Horst Meister of the Jefferson County Democrats jeffcodemsoregon.org/2026/02/16/m...

Irony, Irony laced with Karma, and Terror Brief updates on some previous stories

The company built on stealing IP is complaining that someone is stealing their IP garymarcus.substack.com/p/irony-iron...

The latest Old Truck Good Coffee is a guest post from John W. Peace III of rural Virginia. "The Bridge Generation." An experience that Gen X folks of urban and rural locales can sympathize with.

My epistemology does not extend to the AI summary that you sent me.

Betsy is basking in the Last Page Moment, finishing Joel Byron Barker's novel Clear and Sane. The joy of the book is not over. Now she is going review it on Storygraph, Goodreads, Amazon, or wherever her online community hangs out! She will be honest, unsparing of the author's feelings.

Would you help the businesses and artists that have to rely on algorithms? Maybe some of you will want to change a little to help us all escape these traps.

If you are an ebook reader like Axle here, did you know that you can get Clear and Sane: The Craft of the Green Paintbrush for only $9 anywhere such bytes are sold?

One note from the Epstein emails that are being posted online, unrelated to the horror of them:

These people are terrible at spelling and proofreading. All of my friends and family right better than oligarchs.

If you have not been to thegreenpaintbrush.com yet, find yourself five minutes for giggles and click through!

Portland, I am happy anyway.

we need to talk about that Ring Super Bowl ad

Devotion.
All devices lay down and whatever is else is turned back.

I love to wake into the hard topic of meaning. It is never ending. We are without conclusions. For me, it is like talking theology; I am going to trust you more if you start by throwing up your hands. This stuff is hard to talk about.
open.substack.com/pub/oldtruck...

Probably incidental

I ran into an old friend last night on Pi Square. Irregular fires were breaking out. He did not realize that I had published a novel so I must not be doing a good enough job mentioning that I have published a novel and if you buy it you will be happy.

I am here for you, Humans of LinkedIn

2026 Oregon Legislature is in session. It is yours to direct. The Oregon Legislature has gaveled in. You can and should be heard on the issues you care about. This short session will be at most 35 days. There are bills brewing on abortion, taxes, education, a…

Oregon Legislature is in session. What bills do you want to influence? You can, here is how: jeffcodemsoregon.org/2026/02/04/2...

When you ask an AI "search" what the top hospitals in your area are, it will return a different result every time. Through design and marketing, you are experiencing something that looks like an authority but is not one.


Democrats win another house seat, narrow the Republican majority. Texas Dems doing the work.


apnews.com/article/cong...

Aren't you reminded every single day online of the fact that the internet has zero understanding of the concept of rhetorical question?

Is anyone else getting outreach from former Trump supporters who are disgusted and trying to make sense of it?

I have been thinking about "the path back" for a while and am working on being productive in these moments.

If you want to use a thread to flame about your anger at Trump, go elsewhere.

Careful with those stories you tell, the ones you help make true.

open.substack.com/pub/oldtruck...

Joel Byron Barker's novel Clear and Sane is also available as an ebook from any outlet that suits your device and your fancy. books2read.com/clearandsane You can squeeze Cardio, Cherry, Reginald, and Mary into one of those amazing slabs!

YouTube video by Bruce Springsteen Bruce Springsteen - Streets Of Minneapolis (Official Audio)

I hope every person on Earth listens to this.

America is not gone yet.

People are turning from MAGA. How will you treat them? Why will you treat them that way?