Jonathan Kamens 86 47

@jik

he/his Director of Information Security at 4DMedical. I work primarily in #infosec, #IT, and #SaaS infrastructure. ex #USDS (fired by #DOGE) Dad, old-school hacker […] 🌉 bridged from ⁂ follow @ap.brid.gy to interact

45 Siguiendo432 Seguidores4397 Publicaciones

Reddit YouTube Website Bluesky

¿Es tu perfil?Reclámalo y jik.dirty.social es tuyo.Reclamar perfil

Jonathan Kamens 86 47@jik· Jul 13

Hello, #Massachusetts voters! Perhaps you recall that in the past, Democratic ballots in primaries have been red and Republican ballots have been blue? Well, guess what, as of the September 1 primary that is changing! They're flipping to blue for Democratic […] [Original post on federate.social]

Poster documenting the new ballot colors starting September 1, 2026. Democratic primary = blue, Democratic early/absentee primary = light blue, Republican primary = pink, Republican early/absentee primary = salmon, state election = white, early/absentee state election = yellow.

Jonathan Kamens 86 47@jik· Jul 13

I like to post about the #TrusteesOfReservations properties I visit in order, and I'm a bit behind on posting them, but the property I visited this morning to get in some early exercise before work, #ChestnutHillFarm, was just so _charming_ that I want to […] [Original post on federate.social]

Jonathan Kamens 86 47@jik· Jul 13

#TechIsShitDispatch at this moment as I type this the #GooglePhotos web app is unable to download multiple selected photos. When you select the photos and type Shift-D, it pops up a "Preparing to download 4 items…" modal which never goes away. #Google

Screenshot of "Preparing to download 4 items…" modal

Jonathan Kamens 86 47@jik· Jul 10

The void is getting ready to have Shabbat dinner with us. #CatsOfMastodon #PrinceOllie

A black cat is sitting at a dining room table with a red checked tablecloth set with nice dishes for Shabbat dinner. His head is sticking up above the edge of the table and good yellow eyes are looking at the camera

Jonathan Kamens 86 47@jik· Jul 10

I just joined the #AllstonBrighton food train. Maybe if you live in the neighborhood you'd like to join me as either a donor or a recipient? If so, click here […] [Original post on federate.social]

Jonathan Kamens 86 47@jik· Jul 8

Oh, sure, "adobe flash reader", a program that never existed for a technology that was EOLd six years ago, is definitely what I need to download to view a "pdf". How convincing! I'll download that software and install it on my desktop right now! /s #infosec #phishing #scam

Jonathan Kamens 86 47@jik· Jul 7

My wife went to a North Shore beach on Friday and paid for parking in a lot operated by the Clifton Improvement Association. This is how the charge shows up on our credit card's website. 🤔 Is there a #MisleadingAcronyms hashtag? Well, there is now.

Jonathan Kamens 86 47@jik· Jul 6

And last but not least #AppletonFarms. ProTip: if you show up at Appleton Farms a half hour before sunset there really isn't much to do or see except, I guess, to walk the trails and maybe catch a glimpse of some cows. And there are a LOT of trails, it's a […] [Original post on federate.social]

Appleton Farms

HAMILTON & IPSWICH

Established in 1638 by one of the country's founding families, this farm was split into two acreages operated separately by cousins Isaac and Oliver Appleton during the American Revolution. Their work included hauling hay, cutting thatch, sawing wood, and selling posts and rails. Wander the trails around this working farm—one of the oldest continually operating in America—and stop by the Farmhouse, which stood in this same spot through the war and now reflects generations of change and fascinating history.

Four cows grazing in a field: one mostly black with a small white spot on its side, one light brown with white haunches, one dark brown with a big white spot on the side, and a second light brown cow hiding behind the dark brown cow such that all you can see is its haunches and rear legs

Five tall but sparsely covered pine trees in front of a bridge green vernal pool absolutely covered with algae.

Jonathan Kamens 86 47@jik· Jul 6

Next up, Charles W. #WardReservation! I made it there over an hour ago but I didn't want to stop to post at the time because I was worried about making it to the final property before sunset. The view from the top of Holt Hill is spectacular, and you can see […] [Original post on federate.social]

Charles W. Ward Reservation

ANDOVER & NORTH ANDOVER

The focal point of this sprawling landscape is 420-foot-tall Holt Hill, the highest point in Essex County. On June 17, 1775, townspeople climbed to the top of the hill to watch the burning of Charlestown during the Battle of Bunker Hill. Visitors can hike to this same vantage point today for views of the Merrimack Valley and the Boston skyline.

A circle of small boulders with a bigger round granite slab in the middle, with a smaller round granite slab on top of it, and long granite slabs radiating out from the center slabs.

Close up of the two big round granite slabs in the center of the solstice stones. If you squint you can make out the words "Ward Reservation 1917" chiseled around the edge of the larger slab.

Jonathan Kamens 86 47@jik· Jul 5

Next up, #TheOldManse in #Concord #Massachusetts. Alas, I got here just as they were closing up the Manse itself, so I didn't get to go inside, but I toured the grounds, and perhaps more importantly for the day she's Independence Day, I got to see the […] [Original post on federate.social]

The Old Manse

CONCORD

The first shots of the American Revolution rang out at the Old North Bridge on April 19, 1775, only a few hundred feet from this home. Owned by influential minister Reverend William Emerson and his wife Phebe Bliss, many sermons championing liberty and independence from Great Britain were penned within these walls. The Emerson and Bliss families also embodied a contradiction at the heart of the Revolution: the fight for freedom and the perpetuation of slavery. The lives of Cate, Phyllis, and Frank who were enslaved here around the time of the Revolution illustrate this disjunction. Thanks to new research and partnerships with historic organizations around Concord, their stories continue to be uncovered.

View of the Concord River from the dock of the boathouse behind The Old Manse. In the foreground, swampy ground with moss, lily pads and plant growth, then the river flowing by, then in the distance the "Old North Bridge", though honestly I assume this is not the actual bridge that was the there in 1775.

Monument at the end of the Old North Bridge where the minutemen stood before the battle. Ref: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_North_Bridge#%22The_Minute_Man%22_statue

Jonathan Kamens 86 47@jik· Jul 5

Today's second stop in the #GreatTrusteesRace is the #FruitlandsMuseum in #HarvardMA #Massachusetts. I'll write more about it later since I've got three more stops I need to get to before sunset! But for now suffice it to say that the trails are beautiful […] [Original post on federate.social]

Fruitlands Museum

HARVARD

Shortly before the Revolutionary War, the Shakers arrived in America. The utopian religious group known for its devotion to pacifism was originally viewed with suspicion but slowly gathered followers drawn to the Shaker beliefs of communal living, and gender and racial equality. They established their second American settlement in Harvard and continued to form communities throughout the colonies. Soon after the Harvard Shaker Village closed in 1918, the historic Shaker Office was moved to the Fruitlands hillside where it was restored and opened to the public as the world's first Shaker Museum. Here it remains to this day to share and celebrate Shaker beliefs and traditions.

A humane catch and release mousetrap, 1800s style, seen at the Fruitlands Farmhouse

Jonathan Kamens 86 47@jik· Jul 5

The heatwave has broken, so the #GreatTrusteesRace is back on. Can I visit five Eastern #Massachusetts #TrusteesOfReservations properties in one day? I have a handicap: my wife only wants to visit one, so I'm going to have to shuttle her back home after the […] [Original post on federate.social]

Gerry Island

MARBLEHEAD

Walk across at low tide or journey by watercraft to this island once owned by Thomas Gerry, whose son Elbridge Gerry grew up to be a signer of the Declaration of Independence, delegate to the 1787 Constitutional Convention (where he helped draft the Bill of Rights), Governor of the Commonwealth, and Vice President of the United States under President James Madison.

A bunch of reddish pink "beach roses" on a green leafy background

A rocky shore, a channel, another island with a rocky shore and trees on the other side of the channel, all topped by a bright blue sky with a thin layer of white clouds

This rusty old rig is mounted on a concrete slab on the middle of the small island. I'm all ears if you know what it is, I can't figure it out. Maybe for drawing ships in close to the island via rope hauled in by this machine?

Jonathan Kamens 86 47@jik· Jul 2

I guess the Merriam-Webster website (https://www.merriam-webster.com/) has shit the bed? #TechIsShitDispatch #MerriamWebster

Very tall capture of what https://www.merriam-webster.com/ looks like. It is obviously broken, with the page formatted insanely wrong, impossible read or use for anything productive.

Jonathan Kamens 86 47@jik· Jul 2

This is a lie, I've never worked on Apache Maven. …

Qwen3 8B says Jonathan Kamens is "Software engineer and open source contributor, known for work on the Apache Maven project."

Jonathan Kamens 86 47@jik· Jul 2

This is a lie, I am certainly not the developer of BibTex. wtaf …

GLM 4.7 Flash says Jonathan Kamens is "Developer of the BibTex package for LaTeX, known for his work on open-source software."

Jonathan Kamens 86 47@jik· Jul 2

This is a lie, I am not the maintainer of the TRN newsreader. …

Kimi K2 0905 says Jonathan Kamens is "Long-time MIT computer scientist and Usenet pioneer, maintainer of TRN newsreader and author of SpamAssassin rules."

Jonathan Kamens 86 47@jik· Jul 2

Hmm, let's see what https://intheweights.com/ has to say about me. This is a lie, I never worked at AOL. …

Says Jonathan Kamens is "Software engineer and system administrator known for work at MIT, AOL, and as a Usenet contributor in the 1980s-90s."

Jonathan Kamens 86 47@jik· Jun 29

For the record, the photos above were both taken from the lavatory of an American Airlines plane. Below is the equivalent photo taken from the lavatory of a Qantas Airlines plane the same day. So apparently Qantas is less sexist than American?

Stick-figure icon of a baby lying on a flat surface with its legs bent and held up in the air, with an adult figure of indeterminate gender (no skirt!) standing leaning over the baby

Jonathan Kamens 86 47@jik· Jun 29

Last stop of the day Governor Hutchinson's Field, which it turns out is also—surprise!—just a field. With some interesting stuff: - There's a public archery range? - If you walk down the hill and to the right to get to Pierce Reservation you get run there all […] [Original post on federate.social]

Governor Hutchinson’s Field
MILTON
The last royal Governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, Thomas Hutchinson built a country estate on these grounds in the mid-1700s. He was charged with upholding British rule in the restless colony, but in 1774, shortly after the Boston Tea Party, he fled to England. His property and effects were confiscated and later sold at auction. Stroll through the field to find a “ha-ha” (retaining wall and ditch used as a livestock barrier) which is the only visible remnant of this former estate, along with views of the Neponset River and Boston skyline.

Selfie of me with the Trustees sign for Governor Hutchinson's Field behind me

Public archery range in the field, which means bow & arrow racks, targets, signage, and yellow rope around the whole area with signs taped to the rope telling people not to enter because it's an archery range

Purple sunset reflecting off the water of the river, with an island of reeds behind it, trees behind that, and light purple sky above that.

Jonathan Kamens 86 47@jik· Jun 28

Welp, I made it to property 4 out 10, Holmes Reservation, and I think I have time for another one before it gets dark, because this one is just… a big field? Weird. #GreatTrusteesRace

Holmes Reservation

PLYMOUTH

Wander the grassy field used as a "Muster Ground" by Plymouth farmers in the militia to assemble and train colonial Minutemen companies in the lead-up to the Revolutionary War.

Big field of tall brown grass with a path about a yard wide of short green grass mowed through it, and bits of Plymouth Harbor visible through the stand of trees at the base of the field in the distance.

Selfie of me in my riding jacket and 99% Invisible t shirt, next to the Trustees sign for Holmes Reservation

Jonathan Kamens 86 47@jik· Jun 28

It turns out The Ashley House abuts Bartholomew's Cobble, another Trustees property and therefore another opportunity I couldn't pass up. I only saw a small fraction of the trails—it's a very large property—so perhaps I'll visit again some day, but my stop […] [Original post on federate.social]

Selfie of me with the Trustees sign for Bartholomew's Cobble visible over my shoulder

A creek about 15 feet wide, smooth water, with greenery everywhere and trees and sky reflecting in the creek.

Jonathan Kamens 86 47@jik· Jun 28

After that I moved on to The Ashley House, my 3rd stop of the 10 I (increasingly fantastically) hope to visit today. I didn't get to go into the house itself because you need an advance tour registration for that, but I saw the exhibit about Elizabeth Freeman […] [Original post on federate.social]

Close-up selfie of me with the Trustees sign for The Ashley House visible above my shoulder.

The Colonel John Ashley House

SHEFFIELD

A precursor to the Declaration of Independence— the Sheffield Resolves—is believed to have been drafted in this home in 1773 with Col. Ashley moderating. He later financially backed the Continental Army while his son fought as a colonel with the 1st Berkshire Regiment. When Massachusetts ratified its new Constitution in 1780, Elizabeth Freeman—who was enslaved by the Ashleys—drew upon its revolutionary language to sue for her freedom, paving the way for the end of slavery throughout the state. Learn more about her life and legacy when visiting this historic home.

A grey two story + attic grey colonial house with a smaller, shorter building with the same siding attached to the back of it.

The first placard in the series of placards that make up the exhibit about Elizabeth Freeman. For more about Freeman and her legacy, see https://commonplace.online/article/glimpses-of-their-lives/

Jonathan Kamens 86 47@jik· Jun 28

Stopped for lunch, finally have signal, time for updates… On the way to The Ashley House, I passed Monument Mountain, another Trustees property. Since in addition to trying to visit the 10 Independence properties today I'm also trying to visit every Trustees […] [Original post on federate.social]

A stunning panoramic view of mountains in the distance, topped by a bright blue sky with a few fluffy clouds, with bright green vegetation and rock (the cliff I'm standing on) visible in the foreground.

Jonathan Kamens 86 47@jik· Jun 28

Stop 2 of 10: The Mission House in Stockbridge This is another small property you can see quickly. The garden is peaceful and idyllic. But maybe I'm just saying that because after the chill from the foggy morning it was nice to sit on a bench in the garden […] [Original post on federate.social]

The Mission House

STOCKBRIDGE

Only days after the first shots were fired in Concord, the Mohican men of Stockbridge answered the patriotic call to arms. They served as scouts and warriors at Bunker Hill, Bennington, Ticonderoga, Saratoga, and across the northeast. General George Washington honored their service by sponsoring an ox roast in Stockbridge in 1783. Before and during the war, Native community members—including these veterans—were stripped of their landrights, forcing many to move away from their homeland. Today, the Stockbridge-Munsee Band of Mohican Indians is telling their own story, in their own words, on their ancestral land through ongoing exhibitions at The Mission House.

Me in front of the Mission House Trustees placard

Front of a small two story colonial house with gardens, a fence, a strip of grass / clover, and a walkway in front of it. My motorcycle is parked on that strip

Placard with too much text to fit here, describing the Na Wawoye'keekan Mohican Medicine Garden

Jonathan Kamens 86 47@jik· Jun 28

First stop: Chesterfield Gorge I got there about a half hour ago but there was no signal so I couldn't post about it until I got back on the road. It's beautiful, but quite remote, and it's over pretty quickly: the trail is just a half mile. #GreatTrusteesRace

Chesterfield G

CHESTERFIELD

6,000 British soldiers marched across this gorge along the old post road connecting Albany, New York to Boston after General John Burgoyne's defeat at Saratoga in October 1777. The bridge used during their journey was swept away by floodwaters in 1835, but its stone abutments are still visible today.

Homesite of

SAMUEL E. EDDY 1822 - 1909

Company D, 37th Mass. Vol. Infantry

Medal of Honor - Civil War

High Rock gorge wall with a river at the bottom and greenery growing on both sides of the gorge

Jonathan Kamens 86 47@jik· Jun 28

The Trustees of Reservations just invited members to do their "American Independence Tour", visiting 10 Trustees properties across #Massachusetts with significance related to the founding of the United States […] [Original post on federate.social]

Me in my motorcycle helmet and blue riding jacket, sitting on my motorcycle at dawn.

Jonathan Kamens 86 47@jik· Jun 26

New cursed chat just dropped. #AI #Android #Gemini

Android notification from "Messages" app with the title "Gemini" and the text "Hi, I'm Gemini in Google Messages. Chat with me to draft messages, brainstorm ideas, plan events or simply have a fun conversation."

Jonathan Kamens 86 47@jik· Jun 20

One last bird, a rainbow lorikeet making delightful noises.

Jonathan Kamens 86 47@jik· Jun 20

We're not done with the birds!

Two greater sooty owls perched next to each other in a wire enclosure

Two white barn owls perched next to each other in a wire enclosure

Close-up of a white, brown, and blue laughing kookaburra in a wire enclosure

Two large Cape Barren geese, one with its back to the camera and its head and neck down hidden behind its own body, the other with its side to the camera and its head turned to look at the camera

Jonathan Kamens 86 47@jik· Jun 20

Despite the "king parrots" above, the actual king of birds at the animal sanctuary is probably the emu. And #TIL the sound an emu makes. Sound up, it's worth it!