The Questionable Authority

@questauthority

Father, Army Husband (Ret.), lawyer. KUSK alum; public servant. Litigation disaster tour guide. Odd Fellow (and odd fellow). Proud member of the terminally online community since 1993. he/him

3,372 Following32,932 Followers20,533 Posts

Bluesky

Is this your profile?Claim it and questauthority.dirty.social is yours.Claim profile

The Questionable Authority@questauthority· 10d

Chilling here for the next several hours while my wife does a little swim down to Pipeline and back.

Waimea Bay beach park, with a tree and bench in the foreground, and the east side of the bay, including the church tower, in sight

The Questionable Authority@questauthority· 12d

These two pictures were generated using the same model, same seed. The only difference was that one was prompted with "give me a cat" and the other was prompted with "give me a cat" - and "a cat give me" gives an even more obviously different result.

Two almost, but not quite, identical pictures of a cat.

The Questionable Authority@questauthority· 12d

Where it really gets fun is this one - because I prompted the AI with "starting from the original photo, reimagine it as you see fit, disregarding all intervening iterations and instructions" - but it pretty clearly did not actually disregard the intermediate steps.

AI remix of an original picture, with a photorealistic result.

The Questionable Authority@questauthority· 12d

And how about this version? Which by this point has involved, I can assure you, much more creative thought, choice, and time than I invested in the original. (One run to add a watercolor pencil effect, one to pop the ocean colors and mute the sand, one to smooth out the sand, one adding foam.)

AI-edited photo, with a watercolor appearance, and a number of effects.

The Questionable Authority@questauthority· 12d

So there's a principled reason why I should have copyright in the photo here, but not the watercolor-appearing version?

A photo of a lifeguard surfboard on a beach, looking out over the ocean.

A photo of a lifeguard surfboard on a beach, looking out over the ocean that has been converted to a watercolor-type appearance using the nano banana AI model.

The Questionable Authority@questauthority· 14d

There are tasteful ways to geek your wardrobe, Kel. I wore this to work last Thursday.

Reyn Spooner Hawaii shirt with Gundam theme.

The Questionable Authority@questauthority· 27d

Medium. Holy damn. A medium.

A dude now smaller than he used to be, in a shirt multiple sizes smaller than was needed six months back.

The Questionable Authority@questauthority· Jul 5

Gotta love the bullies here who deactivate quotes. Actually, maybe "love" isn't the word I'm looking for.

Screenshot of a Bluesky post from account "Electrichead (The Agony)" (@electricheadpt2.cryptoan...). The post bears labels "Al Hater" and "Rude." The post text reads: "Same question but for you, bigot. Why does your face look like that? Did you get in some kind of industrial accident?" Posted at 5:43 AM on July 5, 2026.

The Questionable Authority@questauthority· Jul 1

Aloha, everyone.

Looking up at a flowering plumeria tree branch against a bright blue sky, with dense green compound leaves and clusters of small white flowers backlit by bright sunlight. Soft white cumulus clouds drift across the clear sky in the background.

The Questionable Authority@questauthority· Jun 19

Current status: I still don't believe I can do this on my lunch break.

A massive monkeypod tree with an expansive umbrella-shaped canopy shades hundreds of people seated on folding chairs beneath and around it during an outdoor gathering. Historic Hawaiian government buildings with classical stone architecture are visible in the background, flanked by royal palms. A truck branded "Royal Hawaiian Band" is parked to the left. The scene is set on manicured green lawn at what appears to be Iolani Palace grounds in Honolulu, with clear blue sky overhead.

The Questionable Authority@questauthority· Jun 5

There was a time in my life when I was sharp enough to not do this to myself while moving furniture.

Photo looking down jeans-clad legs to the floor. A person is standing in the corner behind furniture blocking his exit

The Questionable Authority@questauthority· Jun 5

I'm pretty happy with this guy - and 9 more should be done tomorrow. I'm going to have to put the orks down once the new rules (and points) drop, though - these guys won't be what I bring to Doubles at LVO in a few months. #paintingwarhammer #warhammercommunity #minipainting #40k #Warhammer40k

A painted Warhammer 40,000 Ork Boy miniature held between two paint-stained fingers above a hobby desk. The Ork is posed aggressively, raising a slugga (pistol) in its right hand while holding a choppa in its left. The figure has green skin, glowing red eyes, prominent tusks, and wears dark grey spiked shoulder armor, a brown leather belt with an orange buckle, and dark trousers. The base is an unpainted cork or MDF square. Paint pots are blurred in the background.

The Questionable Authority@questauthority· Jun 2

It's not hard to spot the tips of the old tattoo near the bottom. And hard to understand how leaving them could have been anything other than a deliberate choice - covering them would not have substantially changed the new art.

New tattoo, with bone from former nazi tattoo visible

The Questionable Authority@questauthority· Jun 2

Horus Heresy Weekender, February, 2017. First night, there was an opportunity to playtest what ultimately became the Adeptus Titanicus ruleset. Only they didn't have any 8mm scale miniatures - so the playtest ran using 28mm titans instead. #horusheresy #warhammercommunity

A large-scale Warhammer tabletop gaming event set up in a hotel conference room or function suite, with blue ambient lighting in the ceiling. A man wearing a dark red polo shirt, glasses, and a lanyard gestures across a large burlap gaming mat that serves as the battlefield. Arranged across the mat are several large Titan war engine miniatures — likely Warhammer 40,000 or Horus Heresy Titans, including what appear to be Warhounds and at least one larger Titan class — interspersed with blocky gothic-styled terrain pieces representing city buildings. A group of around a dozen participants and spectators, most wearing black shirts, mill about in the background of the hotel space. Red upholstered seating is visible to the right.

The Questionable Authority@questauthority· Jun 2

"Seriously, none of you want photos?"

A dense crowd of protesters gathered in Trafalgar Square, London, during a demonstration coinciding with Donald Trump's first inauguration on January 21, 2017. Several participants wear the distinctive pink "pussyhat" knitted caps associated with the Women's March movement. Standing out prominently above the crowd in the upper right is a person in a full Yoda costume from Star Wars, complete with green head mask and Jedi robes. The crowd is bundled in winter coats and hats against the cold January weather, with many people looking at their phones. Black iron railings and bare winter trees are visible in the background.

The Questionable Authority@questauthority· Jun 2

"Pissed off I am. Tourists with money, these are not." Protest march, Trafalgar Square, Jan 20, 2017. Nobody had warned the buskers, apparently, and they were somewhat surprised when their tourists were replaced by a very large crowd with very little interest in posing for pictures with jedi.

The Questionable Authority@questauthority· Jun 2

Andover, looking Down Salisbury. January, 2017

A deserted Andover railway station platform on a cold, clear winter morning, looking in the Down direction toward Salisbury. Two parallel tracks curve gently away into the distance, with a footbridge visible in the middle distance. The platform surface shows a light frost, and a few dark metal passenger benches are spaced along the platform edge. Double-headed street lamps line the platform on the left. To the upper left, the large white multi-story grain mill building is visible above the cutting. The right side of the frame is bordered by a dense tree line of pines and deciduous trees glowing warm amber in low winter sunlight, with telephone or lineside wires strung between poles. The sky is pale and hazy, typical of an early January morning.

The Questionable Authority@questauthority· Jun 2

Class 157 & 158 DMUs coupling, London Waterloo, January, 2017

A South West Trains platform staff member in an orange high-visibility vest marked "WATERLOO" stands on the platform at London Waterloo station, looking down at the buckle coupler connection between two Class 158 Express Sprinter diesel multiple unit vehicles. The unit number 158880 is visible on the carriage. The train's red livery with distinctive yellow-outlined door surrounds fills the frame, with the station's Victorian iron-and-glass trainshed roof visible above. The photo was taken at night or in low light, giving the platform a dim atmosphere.

The Questionable Authority@questauthority· Jun 2

Class 59 (59205) running on the Up Main, Andover, UK. January, 2017

A view along an empty station platform at Andover railway station in Hampshire, England, looking toward an approaching DB Cargo Class 59/2 diesel locomotive, number 59205, in the distinctive red and yellow livery, running on the Up Main line. The locomotive's headlights are illuminated and a red signal is visible beside the track ahead of it. The platform features the standard yellow tactile warning strip along its edge, with "Ladies" and "Gentlemen" toilet signs mounted on the cream-painted station building to the right. To the left, multiple tracks and overgrown lineside vegetation are visible, along with a green-roofed structure and, dominating the background, a large white multi-story industrial building — likely the Andover grain mill — rising above the surrounding trees under a grey overcast winter sky.

The Questionable Authority@questauthority· Jun 2

But, for @thevowel.com - First photo of that year did feature animals. Some ponies at Danebury Hill Fort, near Andover, England. They used them to keep the vegetation in check, IIRC because they were better with dogs than sheep are, and lots of dog walkers at the hill fort.

Two dark brown ponies on the open grassland of Danebury Hill Fort in Hampshire, England. One pony stands in the middle distance facing the camera, while a second rests on the ground in the right foreground, its back to the viewer. The hilltop affords a wide panoramic view across a patchwork of agricultural fields, hedgerows, and bare-branched winter trees stretching to the horizon beneath a clear pale blue January sky. A small group of visitors is faintly visible at the far left edge of the frame.

The Questionable Authority@questauthority· May 30

One more round. Also, today both sucked and was one of those days when you realize how blessed you are.

The Questionable Authority@questauthority· May 30

Two attorneys. One Friday. One photo, then one video.

A bar with two whiskeys and two beers in front of two people who are out of the picture

The Questionable Authority@questauthority· May 28

Logged back in after work. These were my 3 most recent mentions. And like, yes. We get it. The only way this administration could disrespect the constitution more is if they wiped Trump's ass with the original. But reply after reply of this is so soul-sucking.

gibodean.bsky.social @gibodean.... 23m
↳ Replied to you
ⓘ Content Warning (Account) Hide
🧑 Transphobia (General)
There's also one about emoluments, and another one about not mixing church and state, and yet.....
Hillary Hillarious @hhillarious.bsky.s... 2h
↳ Replied to you
Aw. The Constitution. How quaint.
Tinman @htx-ddkt.bsky.social 4h
↳ Replied to you
This regime doesn't believe in the Constitution

The Questionable Authority@questauthority· May 25

This paragraph from the encyclical literally covers themes discussed in IP grad seminars I've attended. The depth to which the pope has done - and engaged with - the reading is beautiful.

67. Today, among the goods that are universally intended for everyone, we must also include new forms of property, such as patents, algorithms, digital platforms, technological infrastructure and data. In a context where the wealth of nations depends increasingly on knowledge and technology, when these goods remain concentrated in the hands of a few, without adequate forms of sharing and access, a new imbalance is created that contradicts the universal destination of goods. In turn, it widens the gap between the included and the excluded, between those who can participate in the digital revolution and those who remain on the margins. Furthermore, care for our common home and our responsibility toward the poor and future generations require that the use of the goods of creation and the new possibilities offered by technology be regulated in such a way as to respect the environment, avoid waste and prevent new forms of exploitation.

The Questionable Authority@questauthority· May 22

I'm kind of happy about how this came out. First ork thing I've done in years. Definitely some room for growth, of course. But I'm happy putting this out on the table. #paintingwarhammer #minipainting #40k #orks #nerdlings

A painted Warhammer 40k Ork Boomdakka Snazzwagon miniature on a sandy base. The rusty red, spike-covered buggy features an exposed engine, a top-mounted rotary gun, and green-skinned Orks and a small Grot clinging to the vehicle.

**Alt text:**

A painted Warhammer 40k Ork Boomdakka Snazzwagon miniature on a sandy base. The rusty red, spike-covered buggy features an exposed engine, a top-mounted rotary gun, and green-skinned Orks and a small Grot clinging to the vehicle.

The Questionable Authority@questauthority· May 20

Little too on the nose.

The Questionable Authority@questauthority· May 16

Need some me time today - hanging at the Armchair Adventure and painting stuff. #nerdlings #minipainting #40k #warhammer

A miniature painting workspace viewed from above, showing a cluttered hobby desk with multiple storage containers and supplies. In the upper left, stacks of small clear jars containing basing materials (sand, static grass, flock) are visible alongside Warhammer product boxes. Center-left holds a large clear plastic bin filled with unpainted or partially painted miniatures on bases. Below it sits an open wet palette with a white hydration sheet. On a red cutting mat with base-size reference circles (28mm–32mm), several paint bottles are arranged, including Army Painter Speedpaints and Warpaints in red, black, and green. In the foreground, a rectangular clear storage case contains AK Interactive and Army Painter Warpaints Fanatic acrylic bottles in earth tones (Ice Yellow, Amber Skin, Light [tone], Grey Castle). To the right, another clear case holds a collection of hobby markers and paint pens including AK Real Colours and Speed Paint markers. A black zipper case with a red elastic band sits in the upper right. Brushes and paper towels are also visible.

The Questionable Authority@questauthority· May 13

When I'm out walking I strut my stuff And I'm so strung out I'm high as a kite I just might Stop to check you out Let me go wild Like a blister in the sun Let me go on Big hands I know you're the one

The Questionable Authority@questauthority· May 12

I'm not sure this will immediately stick - I've been a bit under the weather - but I haven't seen a number on the scale that didn't start with a '2' since the mid-90s. In the spirit of international disdain for the metric system, my next goal is to get under 14 stone.

Scale, with sides of feet visible, showing weight of 198.6 pounds.

The Questionable Authority@questauthority· May 5

I don't even want to think about how long it's going to take to clean this up. So instead I'm going to cheer myself up by thinking about the conversation I'm going to have with the builder's people later. (Glass is lined up in a starter pile because it mostly hit the back of the door.)