tbc aka tbc0 aka Tim Chambers

Tue, 22 Sep 2026 10:07:15 -0600

This is my dad’s 1950 Studebaker Champion 4-door, with suicide rear doors. Through the J.C. Whitney mail order catalog he purchased headlight “eyebrows,” moon-style hub caps, fender skirts, and a radio. He also replaced the chrome bullet-nose with a fog light scrounged from the local junk yard.

Spicy Tuna Melt

Sun, 20 Sep 2026 21:35:24 -0600

This post is my spin on the tuna melt at Rosie’s Diner in Monument, Colorado. Theirs is grilled sourdough with homemade tuna salad, American cheese and tomatoes. I opened it up, slipped on some of their sliced jalapeños, and put the sandwich back together before eating. Yum, yum.

Rosie’s serves sliced jalapeños alongside their breakfast burritos and huevos rancheros. See eatatrosies.com/our-menu.

Introducing trophiphilia—because I'm not a foodie

Sun, 20 Sep 2026 21:31:04 -0600

I coined this word because “foodie” isn’t quite what I’m talking about. Neither is a mere recipe category.

“Trophiphilia” takes the morphology already established (τροφή “nourishment” + φιλία “love/attraction”) and builds on that. “Foodie” is informal, faintly self-deprecating English coined in the 1980s (Ackerman/Barr’s The Official Foodie Handbook. It carries a whiff of hobbyist enthusiasm, restaurant-hopping, Instagram culture. “Trophiphilia,” like other -philias, is more clinical / scholarly, aligning it visually and phonetically with terms like bibliophilia, cinephilia, and logophilia. Being a foodies implies it’s your lifestyle. I mean to be more holistic. You don’t have to be a foodie to appreciate trophiphilia.

“Foodie” centers on eating and cuisine—restaurants, ingredients, technique, flavor. I mean trophiphilia to mean, simply, “love of all things food.” Nourishment, τροφή, extends etymologically to feeding, growth, sustenance—and even the biological/metabolic sense preserved in trophic level or dystrophy. A trophiphile, taken at the root, could encompass agriculture, nutrition science, the physiology of eating, food history and anthropology—territory “foodie” doesn’t obviously reach. A foodie who’s never thought about crop rotation or digestive physiology isn’t failing at being a foodie; a trophiphile who ignores those things is arguably not using the full range the etymology offers.

“Foodie” means what English speakers have collectively decided it means through decades of use—its content is entirely usage-determined, no etymological argument can expand or contract it. “Trophiphilia” has no such usage history; its meaning is currently only what its Greek parts license plus whatever definition I choose to stipulate. That makes it more precise in one sense (I have the freedom to define it exactly) and less stable in another (nobody else shares my definition yet, so it can’t do communicative work outside contexts where I supply the gloss).

The -philia/-phile suffix family typically marks a technical or systematic attraction, and that is my conscious intent. To be a trophiphile borders on identity or specialization like audiophiles and cinephiles. “-ie” as a diminutive suffix (foodie, groupie, junkie) marks casual enthusiast identity—approachable, a little jokey, no claim to rigor. So even holding the referent constant, the suffix alone signals a foodie as a casual enthusiast and a trophiphile as something closer to a devotee or specialist.

Fri, 11 Sep 2026 10:21:33 -0600

“I understood his assignment here on Earth . . . . He wanted people who felt lost to know the everlasting hope he found through faith and the sense of meaning and purpose that can fill the deeper longings we so often try to satisfy elsewhere.” — Erika Kirk, widow nyti.ms/46DkSVL

Fri, 04 Sep 2026 18:50:17 -0600

Here in Southern Colorado today I met a lovely young woman named Kseniia (Ксенія). Fled Mariupol, Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine 20 days after the f—ing Russians invaded. Thank God for American immigration policies that let her and her family in.

Thu, 03 Sep 2026 11:24:48 -0600

I walked into a convenience store to buy lottery tix. I was told machines are down throughout Colorado. Hmm. This gives us all time to think about gambling. I look at it as a worthy cause. If you don’t buy a ticket, you cannot win.

Wed, 02 Sep 2026 18:15:14 -0600

I met a guy named Thayne. Do you know any? I won’t share the details—where we met, what he does for income, why he’s named Thayne. This is enough.

OWN YOUR WORDS™ #f62367d

Wed, 19 Aug 2026 12:02:44 -0600

Make a one-page fact sheet about Majel Barrett, including the list of roles she played in the Star Trek franchise from Number One to Lwaxana Troi (and beyond?). #AskingYouNotAI

Claude answered, but if you can do better, go for it!

Mon, 17 Aug 2026 18:31:50 -0600

The glueball is a particle consisting of nothing but gluons. No quarks. Wow!

I overheard someone call it a “universe booger.” 😆😅😂🤣

The Higgs boson is jokingly referred to as the God particle. I’m doing my part to help u-booger catch on.

Source: share.google/aimode/dxjuENoo5zSGFdpIx

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Sun, 16 Aug 2026 00:14:23 -0600

This post is a set of basic facts about the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TMNT).

Leonardo (Leo)
- Mask: Blue
- Weapon: Twin Katanas (swords)
- Role: The brave leader of the team. [1, 2, 3]
Michelangelo (Mike / Mikey)
- Mask: Orange
- Weapon: Nunchucks
- Role: The funny, fun-loving party animal. [2, 4]
Donatello (Don / Donnie)
- Mask: Purple
- Weapon: Bo staff
- Role: The smart tech genius and inventor. [1, 2, 4]
Raphael (Raph)
- Mask: Red
- Weapon: Twin Sai (daggers)
- Role: The tough, angry, and strong fighter. [1, 2, 3]

Other Characters

Master: Splinter
Enemy: Shredder
Friend: April O'Neil

[1] rainbowproductions.co.uk/who-are-the-teenage-mutant-ninji-turtles/
[2] quora.com/What-are-the-Teenage-Mutant-Ninja-Turtles-names-and-colors
[3] teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-2012-series.fandom.com/wiki/Ninja_Turtles
[4] vanillaunderground.com/blogs/news/meet-the-teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles

Disclaimer: Google Gemini composed the first draft based on a Google Search on the TMNT. Claude Sonnet 5 cleaned up the draft. Now the words are mine. OWN YOUR WORDS™ #f62367d

Sat, 15 Aug 2026 19:28:46 -0600

SpaceX’s walled garden blocked claude.ai from reading my tweet today. That soulless corporation can’t stop the declaration, though. Per John Searle, some words don’t describe reality—they make it. Here’s my example, so Claude (and other talking libraries) can read it: OWN YOUR WORDS™ #f62367d

Eschatology

Sat, 15 Aug 2026 12:08:39 -0600

This is the YouVersion Verse of The Day:

Meanwhile, friends, wait patiently for the Master’s Arrival. You see farmers do this all the time, waiting for their valuable crops to mature, patiently letting the rain do its slow but sure work. Be patient like that. Stay steady and strong. The Master could arrive at any time. — James 5:7-8

I often twitter these. Today is different. There is synchronicity in the Elevate app’s crossword, which includes the clue “crop production centers” for “farms.”

Indeed, the wheat and the tares are ripening. Come quickly, Lord Jesus!

Meta WikiCritic Tim Chambers

Tue, 04 Aug 2026 23:46:55 -0600

A social networking post. Not much to see here. Larry Sanger has a new project, WikiCritic. He announced it on twitter. I don’t feel like looking up the links. I’m x.com/tbc0; he’s x.com/lsanger. I tried publishing a review here. It failed. A glitch. It works now. Meanwhile, I published my work at tbc0.wordpress.com as “WikiCritic Tim Chambers” (link). That review now lives at wikicritic.org/c/T8V3VTVC78. I repurposed the review and replaced it with this story about what happened.

Necessity and desperation as catalysts for innovation tbcn111a

Tue, 21 Apr 2026 11:44:50 -0600

This is an experiment. I am only lightly editing a conversation I had with Claude Haiku 4.5 and posting it on my blog and as a post to my Substack newsletter.

How do you like it?

Me: Desperation is the mother of invention.

Claude: I see the setup: desperation driving invention.

What do you need?

Me: Is that the way the aphorism is worded?

Claude: The common phrasing is “Necessity is the mother of invention.” You have “Desperation is the mother of invention,” which is a variation—less common, but it sharpens the emotional intensity.

Me: Search for those two exact quotes and put them in cultural context. Include interesting / popular blog posts. Use reliable sources and cite them.

Claude:

“Necessity is the mother of invention”

The earliest English record is Richard Franck’s Northern Memoirs (1658), which states: “Art imitates Nature, and Necessity is the Mother of Invention.” [1] The concept is older: William Horman quoted the Latin phrase Mater artium necessitas (“The mother of invention is necessity”) in 1519 [2], and the idea traces further back. Plato wrote around 380 BC in the Republic: “our need will be the real creator,” which evolved into the proverb. [3]

Cultural context: The saying entered modern consciousness partly through Frank Zappa’s 1964 band name The Mothers of Invention, which—while initially meant as a jazz compliment—preserved the phrase from obscurity. [1]

Challenges to the proverb: Agatha Christie rejected it in her 1977 autobiography, arguing: “I don’t think necessity is the mother of invention. Invention, in my opinion, arises directly from idleness, possibly also from laziness—to save oneself trouble.” [4] Philosopher Alfred North Whitehead (1917) argued that “Necessity is the mother of futile dodges” is nearer the truth, claiming “the basis of invention is science, and science is almost wholly the outgrowth of pleasurable intellectual curiosity.” [2]

Recent blog posts offer variants: Peter Gray’s Substack argues “Play is the mother of invention; necessity is the mother of engineering,” [5] distinguishing creative exploration from practical problem-solving.

“Desperation is the mother of invention” This phrase appears less formally documented. A 2026 Listverse article states: “Necessity is often called the mother of invention, but desperation is usually the driving force behind the most brilliant breakthroughs,” [6] positioning desperation as the more intense emotional catalyst.

Variations exist: A LinkedIn article proposes “Desperation is the Father of Innovation,” [7] and a pastry chef’s blog notes “Desperation—not necessity—is the mother of invention,” [8] citing practical kitchen discoveries born from urgent problems.

The distinction: necessity is abstract constraint; desperation is acute urgency. Your opening phrase trades the classical formality for psychological intensity—higher stakes, narrower margins.

[1] https://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/necessity-is-the-mother-of-invention.html
[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Necessity_is_the_mother_of_invention
[3] https://btshealth.com/necessity-is-the-mother-of-invention/
[4] https://quoteinvestigator.com/2020/06/13/invention/
[5] https://petergray.substack.com/p/32-play-is-the-mother-of-invention
[6] https://listverse.com/2026/04/14/10-genius-inventions-born-from-total-desperation/
[7] https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/desperation-father-innovation-manu-nellutla
[8] https://realworldpastrychef.wordpress.com/aphorisms-3/

Tue, 07 Apr 2026 00:30:53 -0600

I bought this ebook – “The AItheist: a novella (The AItheist Cycle Book 1)” by Michael Svigel. a.co/00dkCthY

Wed, 01 Apr 2026 16:29:07 -0600

It is tau time on the launchpad!

Tue, 31 Mar 2026 01:23:28 -0600

#TIL we don’t need to memorize more than 66,780,105 digits of π, because π is 3.1415 . . . 1419944301872822613799999999 and so on. . . .

Sun, 08 Mar 2026 08:15:32 -0600

Clocks synchronized. I expected Americans to have banished Daylight Savings by now. I forgot some states opted out years ago! Let the states decide. I am a Coloradoan. Here is my open letter to my state legislature: please choose a time zone and stick with it. Make the laws!

Sun, 08 Mar 2026 03:00:44 -0600

It is 0300 MDT

Sat, 07 Mar 2026 10:00:16 -0600

It is 0900

Sat, 07 Mar 2026 07:30:21 -0600

It is tau time

Sat, 07 Mar 2026 05:47:53 -0600

It’s gonna take more than a literal day to heal the world. But this is the day. Today.

Thu, 05 Mar 2026 08:21:51 -0600

Decades ago I started writing a novel titled, The Day The Sick Were Healed. This is the first day of the rest of my life. I am living my own novel in real time. I have become a man of infinite jest. This is my first sunrise as a professional jester.

Wed, 11 Feb 2026 08:02:44 -0600

My favorite Super Bowl ad. Is there more to life than more? (on YouTube)

Mon, 09 Feb 2026 01:30:47 -0600

I just asked Claude Haiku 4.5, Sonnet 4.5, and Opus 4.6 the same cryptic question: What is east of the sun and west of the moon? Try it on a model I didn’t mention, and tell me what you get out of the exercise. It sheds light on the synthetic intelligence of each of the LLMs.