#SFHellscape
2026-04-20T15:20:01.822122
Today, I saw some Kal Zakzouk sidewalk chalk art at 20th and Irving in #SanFrancisco. Alas, it was mid-day and a shadow made it hard to see the whole picture. Big silver lining for me: Since it was mid-day, the Lucca Deli at 20th and Irving was open and I got a pretty good sandwich, unlike all those times I snapped clear photos of sidewalk art there at 07:00 in the morning, when the deli's closed.
Anyhow, behold a swordswoman in mechanized armor with a pufferfish sidekick.
2026-04-18T21:25:28.463652
A year and a half after a truck hit a pedestrian at Parnassus and Stanyan, we finally got some speed humps on Parnassus Ave. They're very, uh, gradual? I suppose the city wanted to say they'd done something but didn't want to actually slow down traffic. Angry drivers might complain, and we mustn't have that. Hashtag Vision Zero, etc
2026-04-16T16:11:10.092977
Out behind 400 Parnassus Ave in #SanFrancisco is a fine sheltered balcony from which to observe storm clouds blow past.
2026-04-12T16:43:19.242494
Today, I once again participated in an Upper Haight-area trash pickup event which I found out about through Bay Resistance.
I thought of this as the "Safe & Healthy Haight" pickup, but when I got there, organizer Eric said that S&HH hasn't done much trash-pickup-wise lately. Their name is on old flyers, but not on new flyers. Lately, he's been getting supplies from Refuse Refuse.
That said, Eric doesn't run his event much like that Refuse Refuse event I went to a couple of weeks ago. Instead of expecting all volunteers to show up ~at once and work together, Eric had supplies available for a two-hour stretch. So: show up when you want, pick up trash for a while, then stop when you want. Since nobody else showed up at around the time I did, I picked up trash on my own this time. (I wasn't patient enough to wait for a "buddy")
(I wonder if the everyone-at-the-same-time approach might have some advantages, community-building-wise: it meant the organizer could pair up volunteers. Remember that I picked up trash with a guy who got into it when he moved to SF and wanted to make friends. If he makes friends through an organization, maybe he's more likely to keep showing up.) (I wonder if the everyone-at-the-same-time approach might have some disadvantages, community-building-wise: if you wake up late on Sunday morning, instead of thinking Ah, I'll be a little later than usual, but I can still pick trash for an hour, you might instead think I guess I'll skip it this month.)
I noticed some residents and passers-by thanking me. Maybe more than than last time?
2026-04-05T20:06:32.146174
On my morning's walk in #SanFrancisco at 20th and Irving, I once again noted a Kal Zakzouk sidewalk chalk piece of art: a lady with an umbrella kneeling by a pond. Was the artist inspired by news articles wondering if we were in for a drought this year? I know it was on my mind.
2026-04-04T21:05:37.488634
It is March and the lovely #EnigMarch people have challenged puzzle designers to write a puzzle inspired by today's word: "home".
Oh no! The USA clown President Trump needs a place to live in 2029, when his term ends! Sure, he'd like to stay in power longer, but it's not clear that he has the clout to pull that off.
I think he should live at home. I have a couple of ideas on the specifics, as seen in the linked crossword.
2026-03-31T20:47:02.854071
It is March and the lovely #EnigMarch people have challenged puzzle designers to write a puzzle inspired by today's word: "fill".
Can you fill in the surnames below? To help you out, the full list of surnames (not in order) is below the grid. If you're still having trouble, you might consult Wikipedia's handy List of people named in the Epstein files, the info source for this puzzle. When you're done, the circled letters should spell out another person who appears many times in the Epstein files, especially the redactions.
| BILL | C l i nⓉo n | US President |
| BILL | _ _ _◯_ _ _ _ _ _ | New Mexico Governor |
| BRETT | _ _ _ _◯_ | Film director of Melania (2026) |
| HOWARD | _◯_ _ _ _ _ | US Secretary of Commerce |
| PETER | _ _ _ _ _ _◯_ _ | British diplomat |
| JOHN | _ _ _ _◯_ | US Secretary of the Navy |
| ADAM | _ _◯_ | Blockstream cryptocurrency firm co-founder |
| WOODY | _◯_ _ _ | Film director |
| JOI | _ _◯ | MIT Media Lab head |
| ALAN | _ _ _ _ _ _◯_ _ _ | Lawyer to Epstein, Trump, Weinstein |
| ROBERT F. | _ _◯_ _ _ _ | US Secretary of Health and Human Services |
| DEEPAK | _ _ _◯_ _ | New age guru |
| EHUD | _ _◯_ _ | Israel Prime Minister |
| PETER | _ _ _◯_ | Palantir, PayPal co-founder |
| BILL | _ _ _ _◯ | Microsoft co-founder |
| SERGEY | _ _◯_ | Google co-founder |
| THORBJØRN | _ _ _ _ _ _◯ | Norway Prime Minister |
| GHISLAINE | _ _ _ _◯_ _ | British socialite |
| STEVE | _ _◯_ _ _ | White House chief strategist |
| KEN | _◯_ _ _ | Lawyer, Whitewater controversy investigator |
| BØRGE | _ _ _ _◯_ | World Economic Forum CEO |
| CHRISTOPHER "MOOT" | _◯_ _ _ | 4chan founder |
| LES | _ _ _◯_ _ | Bath & Body Works co-founder, Victoria's Secret investor |
| DAN | ◯_ _ _ _ _ | Academic who wrote about human irrationality |
| DAVID | _◯_ _ _ _ | Magician, escape artist, breath holder |
| RONALD | _ _ _◯_ _ | Cosmetics heir |
| MIROSLAV | _ _◯_ _ _ | UN General Assemby President |
| THOMAS | _ _ _◯_ _ _ _ | Heir, Hyatt CEO |
| MARK | _ _ _ _ _◯_ _ _ _ | Meta (Facebook) co-founder |
| LARRY | _◯_ _ _ _ _ | US Secretary of the Treasury, Harvard president |
| ELON | ◯_ _ _ | Heir, investor |
| BROCK | ◯_ _ _ _ _ | Tether cryptocurrency firm co-founder |
Last names: Allen, Ariely, Back, Bannon, Barak, Blaine, Brende, Brin, Chopra, Clinton, Dershowitz, Gates, Ito, Jagland, Kennedy, Lajčák, Lauder, Lutnick, Mandelson, Maxwell, Musk, Phelan, Pierce, Poole, Pritzker, Ratner, Richardson, Starr, Summers, Thiel, Wexner, Zuckerberg
Hints:
- Fill in the names you can figure out from the clues
- Maybe now you can fill in some long names; e.g. if you filled in the Facebook founder and the Weinstein lawyer, the remaining 10-letter surname must be the N.M. governor
- These names and more appear in the handy List of people named in the Epstein files
Solution, rot13'd:
G / ovyy / pyvagba / HF Cerfvqrag U / ovyy / evpuneqfba / Arj Zrkvpb Tbireabe R / oergg / engare / Svyz qverpgbe bs Zrynavn (2026) H / ubjneq / yhgavpx / HF Frpergnel bs Pbzzrepr F / crgre / znaqryfba / Oevgvfu qvcybzng N / wbua / curyna / HF Frpergnel bs gur Anil P / nqnz / onpx / Oybpxfgernz pb-sbhaqre, pelcgbpheerapl rkcreg Y / jbbql / nyyra / Svyz qverpgbe B / wbv / vgb / ZVG Zrqvn Yno urnq J / nyna / qrefubjvgm / Ynjlre gb Rcfgrva, Gehzc, Jrvafgrva A / eboreg s. / xraarql / HF Frpergnel bs Urnygu naq Uhzna Freivprf C / qrrcnx / pubcen / Arj ntr theh E / ruhq / onenx / Vfenry Cevzr Zvavfgre R / crgre / guvry / Cnynagve, CnlCny pb-sbhaqre F / ovyy / tngrf / Zvpebfbsg pb-sbhaqre V / fretrl / oeva / Tbbtyr pb-sbhaqre Q / gubeowøea / wntynaq / Abejnl Cevzr Zvavfgre R / tuvfynvar / znkjryy / Oevgvfu fbpvnyvgr A / fgrir / onaaba / Juvgr Ubhfr puvrs fgengrtvfg G / xra / fgnee / Ynjlre, Juvgrjngre pbagebirefl vairfgvtngbe Q / oøetr / oeraqr / Jbeyq Rpbabzvp Sbehz PRB B / puevfgbcure "zbbg" / cbbyr / 4puna sbhaqre A / yrf / jrkare / Ongu & Obql Jbexf pb-sbhaqre, Ivpgbevn'f Frperg vairfgbe N / qna / nevryl / Npnqrzvp jub jebgr nobhg uhzna veengvbanyvgl Y / qnivq / oynvar / Zntvpvna, rfpncr negvfg, oerngu ubyqre Q / ebanyq / ynhqre / Pbfzrgvpf urve W / zvebfyni / ynwčáx / HA Trareny Nffrzol Cerfvqrag G / gubznf / cevgmxre / Urve, Ulngg PRB E / znex / mhpxreoret / Zrgn (Snprobbx) pb-sbhaqre H / yneel / fhzzref / HF Frpergnel bs gur Gernfhel, Uneineq cerfvqrag Z / ryba / zhfx / Urve, vairfgbe C / oebpx / cvrepr / Grgure pelcgbpheerapl svez pb-sbhaqre
2026-03-30T16:35:26.963991
It is March and the lovely #EnigMarch people have challenged puzzle designers to write a puzzle inspired by today's word: "down".
What goes up must come down. All men are mortal. About some people perhaps the best you can say is "Well, at least they died." Can you match these historical despots and fiends to their death dates? The name of each historical horror has one or two circled letters. Write them into the circles by their dates. When you're done, the circled letters should spell out a meme about a USA clown president's death date.
| 16 August 2003 | Ⓘ | ( |
| 28 March 1584 | ◯ | |
| 2 October 1629 | ◯ | |
| 25 December 1989 | ◯ ◯ | |
| 17 December 1909 | ◯ ◯ | |
| 21 December 1936 | ◯ ◯ | |
| 21 April 1971 | ◯ ◯ | |
| 16 August 1861 | ◯ | |
| 7 February 1979 | ◯ | |
| 5 March 1953 | ◯ | |
| 9 September 1976 | ◯ ◯ | |
| 30 April 1945 | ◯ | |
| 29 November 2023 | ◯ |
Despots and other fiends:
| | |
| NicⓄlae CeaⓊșescu | Led Romania via mass surveillance, repression |
| Jeronimus Ⓒornelisz | Dutch East India Company merchant, mutineer |
| François "ⓅaⓅa Doc" Duvalier | Led Haiti via death squad |
| Ⓐdolf Hitler | Led Germany during the Holocaust |
| Ivan Ⓣhe Terrible | First Tsar of Russia, implemented the oprichnina |
| HenrⓎ Kissinger | US Secretary of State, destabilized nations |
| ⓁeopolⒹ II | Belgian king known for atrocities in the Congo |
| Josef MeⓃgele | Head doctor at Auschwitz "Angel of Death" |
| QuⒺen Ranalova I | Led Madagascar, halved its population |
| ⒽⒶyter Reed | Canadian politician behind Peasant Farming Policy |
| Joseph SⓉalin | Led Soviet Union during Great Purge |
| MaⓄ ZeⒹong | Led China during the Cultural Revolution |
Hints, rot13'd:
- Gur zhgvarre qvrq va 1629. Gur dhrra qvrq va 1861. Gur Pnanqvna qvrq va 1936
- Gur vavgvnyf bs gur nafjre cuenfr: V P U G
Solution, rot13'd:
G / Vin / 28 Znepu 1584 / Vina gur Greevoyr / Svefg Gfne bs Ehffvn, vzcyrzragrq gur bcevpuavan P / Pbe / 2 Bpgbore 1629 / Wrebavzhf Pbearyvfm / Qhgpu Rnfg Vaqvn Pbzcnal zrepunag, zhgvarre BH / Prn / 25 Qrprzore 1989 / Avpbynr Prnhșrfph / Yrq Ebznavn ivn znff fheirvyynapr, ercerffvba YQ / Yrb / 17 Qrprzore 1909 / Yrbcbyq VV / Orytvna xvat xabja sbe ngebpvgvrf va gur Pbatb UN / Err / 21 Qrprzore 1936 / Unlgre Errq / Pnanqvna cbyvgvpvna oruvaq Crnfnag Snezvat Cbyvpl CC / Qhi / 21 Ncevy 1971 / Senaçbvf "Cncn Qbp" Qhinyvre / Yrq Unvgv ivn qrngu fdhnq R / Ena / 16 Nhthfg 1861 / Dhrra Enanybin V / Yrq Znqntnfpne, unyirq vgf cbchyngvba A / Zra / 7 Sroehnel 1979 / Wbfrs Zratryr / Urnq qbpgbe ng Nhfpujvgm "Natry bs Qrngu" G / Fgn / 5 Znepu 1953 / Wbfrcu Fgnyva / Yrq Fbivrg Havba qhevat Terng Chetr BQ / Mrq / 9 Frcgrzore 1976 / Znb Mrqbat / Yrq Puvan qhevat gur Phygheny Eribyhgvba N / Uvg / 30 Ncevy 1945 / Nqbys Uvgyre / Yrq Treznal qhevat gur Ubybpnhfg L / Xvf / 29 Abirzore 2023 / Urael Xvffvatre / HF Frpergnel bs Fgngr, qrfgnovyvmrq angvbaf
2026-03-29T16:15:35.815234
It is March and the lovely #EnigMarch people have challenged puzzle designers to write a puzzle inspired by today's word: "together".
Oh no! The USA clown President Trump got so mad at his vice president for refusing to overturn the results of a lawful election that he incited an insurrection and called upon his followers to punish his vice president! And those followers set up a gallows with a noose and chanted that they wanted to hang the vice president! And then a few years later, some politician thought "Nevertheless, I want to be that clown's next vice president." I think about that sometimes. I thought about it more since they got elected.
Anyhow, if you enjoy cryptic crosswords, I hope you like this one. It includes some two-letter entries to anger the purists.
2026-03-28T16:11:49.932083
