Husband to a Boliviana. Daddy. Emperor of the Renaud Empire. Lover of Atari, BBSes, retro tech, and Tolkien. Journalist at stltoday.com. The guy behind breakintochat.com.https://bsky.app/profile/kirkman.bsky.socialhttps://bsky.app/profile/kirkman.bsky.social/post/3mjz3fe4tvk2uGot my copy of @archive.org's "Vanishing Culture" book in the mail yesterday. So cool to see my essay on "Recovering Lost Software" in print, plus all the other contributions! Read it online here: https://blog.archive.org/2025/05/07/vanishing-culture-recovering-lost-software/ Follow my retrocomputing research: breakintochat.com/blog/ [contains quote post or other embedded content]21 Apr 2026 13:24 +0000at://did:plc:6o5bdpcxdaumz5flrvg4a2mo/app.bsky.feed.post/3mjz3fe4tvk2uhttps://bsky.app/profile/kirkman.bsky.social/post/3mjz3fe4tvk2uGot my copy of @archive.org's "Vanishing Culture" book in the mail yesterday. So cool to see my essay on "Recovering Lost Software" in print, plus all the other contributions! Read it online here: https://blog.archive.org/2025/05/07/vanishing-culture-recovering-lost-software/ Follow my retrocomputing research: breakintochat.com/blog/ [contains quote post or other embedded content]21 Apr 2026 13:24 +0000at://did:plc:6o5bdpcxdaumz5flrvg4a2mo/app.bsky.feed.post/3mjz3fe4tvk2uhttps://bsky.app/profile/kirkman.bsky.social/post/3mjxgzl2oks23The St. Louis Symphony Orchestra *loves* John Williams and has 3 film nights scheduled for him next year. I get it — he’s a crowd-pleaser who scored blockbusters. But 3? I wish they’d change it up and do a Star Trek night for once. Would LOVE to hear James Horner’s "Wrath of Khan" performed live.20 Apr 2026 21:47 +0000at://did:plc:6o5bdpcxdaumz5flrvg4a2mo/app.bsky.feed.post/3mjxgzl2oks23https://bsky.app/profile/kirkman.bsky.social/post/3mjwfm5uxb22oOnly one donor so far — Blackford "Beau" Brauer, president of Hunter Engineering — has donated to fund St. Louis police Chief Robert Tracy's side job at UMSL, but a pledge from Emerson may be on the way. https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/article_ea389290-e181-43f1-aa28-17eeef51c4a3.html From @monicaobradovic.bsky.social and Katie Kull.20 Apr 2026 11:49 +0000at://did:plc:6o5bdpcxdaumz5flrvg4a2mo/app.bsky.feed.post/3mjwfm5uxb22ohttps://bsky.app/profile/kirkman.bsky.social/post/3mjxgzl2oks23The St. Louis Symphony Orchestra *loves* John Williams and has 3 film nights scheduled for him next year. I get it — he’s a crowd-pleaser who scored blockbusters. But 3? I wish they’d change it up and do a Star Trek night for once. Would LOVE to hear James Horner’s "Wrath of Khan" performed live.20 Apr 2026 21:47 +0000at://did:plc:6o5bdpcxdaumz5flrvg4a2mo/app.bsky.feed.post/3mjxgzl2oks23https://bsky.app/profile/kirkman.bsky.social/post/3mjwfm5uxb22oOnly one donor so far — Blackford "Beau" Brauer, president of Hunter Engineering — has donated to fund St. Louis police Chief Robert Tracy's side job at UMSL, but a pledge from Emerson may be on the way. https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/article_ea389290-e181-43f1-aa28-17eeef51c4a3.html From @monicaobradovic.bsky.social and Katie Kull.20 Apr 2026 11:49 +0000at://did:plc:6o5bdpcxdaumz5flrvg4a2mo/app.bsky.feed.post/3mjwfm5uxb22ohttps://bsky.app/profile/kirkman.bsky.social/post/3mjnq5ngvks24Proud to see my daugher Ludi's commentary about bird strikes pulished today by The Current, UMSL's student newspaper. That's now two generations of Renauds with work in The Current! https://thecurrent-online.net/1696/campus-news/campus-windows-pose-a-hidden-danger-to-birds/17 Apr 2026 01:04 +0000at://did:plc:6o5bdpcxdaumz5flrvg4a2mo/app.bsky.feed.post/3mjnq5ngvks24https://bsky.app/profile/kirkman.bsky.social/post/3mjnq5ngvks24Proud to see my daugher Ludi's commentary about bird strikes pulished today by The Current, UMSL's student newspaper. That's now two generations of Renauds with work in The Current! https://thecurrent-online.net/1696/campus-news/campus-windows-pose-a-hidden-danger-to-birds/17 Apr 2026 01:04 +0000at://did:plc:6o5bdpcxdaumz5flrvg4a2mo/app.bsky.feed.post/3mjnq5ngvks24https://bsky.app/profile/kirkman.bsky.social/post/3mj5ezkizds23It has often been said that J.R.R. Tolkien wanted to make a "mythology for England," but echoes of Middle-earth can be found among the monuments, mounds, and muddy rivers of the American Midwest. Excited to share video from my presentation at last year's inaugural @westmoot.org conference! https://youtu.be/vbQohw4tjQ410 Apr 2026 13:02 +0000at://did:plc:6o5bdpcxdaumz5flrvg4a2mo/app.bsky.feed.post/3mj5ezkizds23https://bsky.app/profile/kirkman.bsky.social/post/3mjkpdpmu6c2aThe Ferguson-Florissant School District and Ferguson Library published letters calling on the city of Ferguson to renegotiate for more tax revenue. More than a dozen residents who attended Tuesday night's meeting called on the city to reject tax breaks outright. [contains quote post or other embedded content]15 Apr 2026 20:11 +0000at://did:plc:6o5bdpcxdaumz5flrvg4a2mo/app.bsky.feed.post/3mjkpdpmu6c2ahttps://bsky.app/profile/kirkman.bsky.social/post/3mjkpdpmu6c2aThe Ferguson-Florissant School District and Ferguson Library published letters calling on the city of Ferguson to renegotiate for more tax revenue. More than a dozen residents who attended Tuesday night's meeting called on the city to reject tax breaks outright. [contains quote post or other embedded content]15 Apr 2026 20:11 +0000at://did:plc:6o5bdpcxdaumz5flrvg4a2mo/app.bsky.feed.post/3mjkpdpmu6c2ahttps://bsky.app/profile/kirkman.bsky.social/post/3mj6ornq32c2jThe NASA commentator sounds a lot like John Rooney to me.11 Apr 2026 01:29 +0000at://did:plc:6o5bdpcxdaumz5flrvg4a2mo/app.bsky.feed.post/3mj6ornq32c2jhttps://bsky.app/profile/kirkman.bsky.social/post/3mj5ezkizds23It has often been said that J.R.R. Tolkien wanted to make a "mythology for England," but echoes of Middle-earth can be found among the monuments, mounds, and muddy rivers of the American Midwest. Excited to share video from my presentation at last year's inaugural @westmoot.org conference! https://youtu.be/vbQohw4tjQ410 Apr 2026 13:02 +0000at://did:plc:6o5bdpcxdaumz5flrvg4a2mo/app.bsky.feed.post/3mj5ezkizds23https://bsky.app/profile/kirkman.bsky.social/post/3mixbpa3aok2lWe have 100% of polling places reporting in St. Louis County. In my hometown, Ferguson's new mayor will be Adrian Shropshire (my neighbor!). https://graphics.stltoday.com/apps/elections/st-louis-county/08 Apr 2026 02:47 +0000at://did:plc:6o5bdpcxdaumz5flrvg4a2mo/app.bsky.feed.post/3mixbpa3aok2lhttps://bsky.app/profile/kirkman.bsky.social/post/3mix45mrz6k2zWow, the new St. Louis County election results site is not super-friendly for browsing. Thankfully, STLtoday results page is pretty easy to read. https://graphics.stltoday.com/apps/elections/08 Apr 2026 01:07 +0000at://did:plc:6o5bdpcxdaumz5flrvg4a2mo/app.bsky.feed.post/3mix45mrz6k2zhttps://bsky.app/profile/kirkman.bsky.social/post/3miwatfwt3k27A wild morning. I biked to a polling place, voted, then rode to a park for my 3rd attempt hunting morel mushrooms. I had no luck my first two tries — at Pere Marquette on Sunday, and a mid-county park on Monday. After an hour today, I was about to quit, when I saw one! ... I came home with 13!07 Apr 2026 16:58 +0000at://did:plc:6o5bdpcxdaumz5flrvg4a2mo/app.bsky.feed.post/3miwatfwt3k27https://bsky.app/profile/kirkman.bsky.social/post/3miti2e2rjc2vAbout 30 fire protection districts in St. Louis and St. Charles counties are asking voters to approve a 1% sales tax. Critics say it's a windfall for the districts, where firefighters typically earn more than six figures. From @jacobbarker27.bsky.social and me. https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/metro/article_9a99b080-7ed0-4429-b965-167b4d4c2f4f.html06 Apr 2026 14:30 +0000at://did:plc:6o5bdpcxdaumz5flrvg4a2mo/app.bsky.feed.post/3miti2e2rjc2vhttps://bsky.app/profile/kirkman.bsky.social/post/3miti2e2rjc2vAbout 30 fire protection districts in St. Louis and St. Charles counties are asking voters to approve a 1% sales tax. Critics say it's a windfall for the districts, where firefighters typically earn more than six figures. From @jacobbarker27.bsky.social and me. https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/metro/article_9a99b080-7ed0-4429-b965-167b4d4c2f4f.html06 Apr 2026 14:30 +0000at://did:plc:6o5bdpcxdaumz5flrvg4a2mo/app.bsky.feed.post/3miti2e2rjc2v