ravan

It has snowed a lot here today. A ruler in the back yard carried by younger child measured in excess of six inches at around 6 PM. It is still snowing now. Happily, the snow is supposed to clear out by 6 AM which means that the roads should be clear for K to take her bus back down to Ball State for Monday classes. All I have to do is get her to the pickup site before noon. Assuming that I can get out of the as-yet-unshovelled driveway...

The tree was purchased and placed in its stand yesterday. Late today, the lights and ornaments were added and it is very pretty. We are not sure what Calvin the Very Hungry Dog is going to make of the tree, but I am sure that we will find out. I really wanted to get this done this weekend, because I wanted K to be able to help decorate and I didn't want to wait to get a tree for another two weeks. And so it is done. :)

The news came down the line yesterday that Leslie Fish was very ill and in home hospice, followed today by the news that she had passed. I was never particularly close to her for a wide variety of reasons, none of which were particularly anyone's fault. Nor was I likely to have ever agreed with her politics in general, although I might have agreed with one thing or another at one time or another. This is somewhat akin to two blind squirrels discovering the same acorn.

But there was music. So *much* music! And when Off Centaur Publications was being a tremendous force in the filking community and being built on the contributions of so *many* different people, well, to filk Kipling, "It was Fish, Fish, Fish." And that made a difference in my life and that of many other people. She wrote a lot of songs and some of them were great ones.

Maybe that's not a bad way to be remembered.

Tags:

Walking past the park this afternoon, I was passed by 5 Waymos. The first 2, I noticed a couple standing on the corner staring, so perhaps they weren't the first. I could see through the park that at least one of the two that use that street as their base was parked there. How many are there and why are they convoying on that street? It creeps me out.

The Search
By Dialecticdreamer/Sarah Williams
Part 2 of 2, complete
Word count (story only): 1166
[Sunday, May 10, 2020, night]

:: Searching for Liana leads to an unexpected encounter. Part of the Edison’s Mirror universe. ::

Donathea smiled at the man with dark skin and auburn hair. “It’s fine. I’ll be done in a minute.”

Aidan nodded. “Would it help if I spoke with another employee? There is no time to waste.”

The customer studied Aidan’s worried expression. “What’s wrong?”

“There’s a teenage girl missing, seen getting into a car that may have come to the ferry,” Aidan explained quickly. “I am asking if anyone has seen her.”
( Read more... )

Current Mood: cold

Tags:

Florida’s Hot Spot for the Crocodile’s Comeback Is…a Nuclear Power Plant?

As it turned out, the 168 linear miles of cooling canals Turkey Point relied on to condense steam and produce energy also provided an ideal habitat for crocodiles: High berms allowed females to safely deposit eggs; the isolation protected them from pesky humans; and plenty of fish and fowl flourished in the waterways to sustain a growing population.

O_O Oh, because there's no way for THIS to go terribly, horribly wrong. Somebody save this to throw in as a prompt in any relevant prompt call.

Current Mood: busy

Tags:

Xenoparity happens when an organism gives birth to members of a different species.

Scientists recently discovered that Iberian harvester ant queens (Messor ibericus) mate with males of another species, the builder harvester ant (Messor structor). When they do, the M. ibericus queens store the M. structor male’s sperm, then use it to fertilize some of the eggs they lay. Researchers think the M. ibericus queens remove their own genetic material from the eggs’ nuclei, so that when those eggs hatch, they effectively turn out to be M. structor male clones.

This has a lot of potential for science fiction. :D

Current Mood: busy

Tags:

NASA discovers ‘clearest sign of life that we’ve ever found on Mars’

Detailed analysis of images of speckled rocks found by NASA’s Perseverance rover has found a “potential biosignature.”

The rocks, or mudstones, are composed of finely packed sediment and covered in specks resembling poppy seeds and leopard spots. The colorful features, the study found, are minerals that — on Earth — have traditionally been created from microbial activity.

:D 3q3q3q!!! This is exactly the kind of life sign I would expect to find on most life-bearing planets: microbial or other very simple life. The next step up is things like biofilms, hair algae, fungal nets, and if life gets really clever, crustose forms such as lichens. Seriously, you can get a great leg up on xenobiology by studying marginally habitable places on Earth like mountain rocks, hot springs, or ironbound coasts. In cities, examine sidewalks, parking lots, and the sides of buildings.

Current Mood: excited

Tags:

US-19 Exposes the Failure of Federal Investment in Transportation Infrastructure

US-19 in Pasco County, Florida, is one of the clearest examples of how federal transportation policy creates dangerous, expensive, and economically destructive outcomes.

Federal transportation policy lacks clarity and direction. What are we trying to accomplish with national infrastructure spending? Are we focused on efficiently moving goods across the country? Supporting commuters? Stimulating economic development for big-box retailers? Fostering local entrepreneurship? Creating construction jobs? Addressing climate change and environmental degradation? Promoting equity and social justice?

The current answer seems to be "yes" to all of it. Federal transportation policy is attempting to solve every national issue through a single policy mechanism. This ambition, while politically convenient, creates incoherence in practice.

This is a great opportunity for local councils. They have a lot of influence over development, thus can impede or block outright projects which are dangerous and/or unprofitable. As a citizen, you can point out flaws in projects like this -- especially if you excel at math well enough to show how low-density high-infrastructure hemorrhages money. Ideally, do a revenue/expense map of your locale. Once you have shown that the low-density development loses money, then you can lobby for whatever project(s) you fancy in the area that actually makes money. Lots of place already have revitalization projects for downtown and poor neighborhoods (where the money is) so you can usually find some to promote if you look.

Current Mood: busy

Tags:

I haven't been outside yet. It's snowing! Fat, fluffy flakes are drifting down which indicates a wet heavy snow. There's already a solid layer on the ground and snow stuck to branches. Pretty, but it wipes out our Small Business Saturday plans. :(

It's four-bird cold out. A huge flock of sparrows and house finches has descended on the forest garden. I've also seen a mourning dove and a lady cardinal there. I need to fill t he suet feeder when I go out.

EDIT 11/29/25 -- I fed the birds. I've seen more sparrows and house finches plus a male cardiinal.

I put out warm water for the birds.

It had stopped snowing for a while but is now coming down quite briskly.

I am done for the night.

EDIT 11/29/25 -- I found 4 sprouted seeds in a Pink apple, which I planted in two pots on the windowsill. :D

Current Mood: busy

Tags:

The Winterfaire spreads out as far as the eye can see. Some booths show streamers of red and green, while others sport blue and silver. All of them offer treasure after shining treasure. Music fills the air with lyrics of Christmas, Hannukah, Kwanzaa, Solstice, and Yule. From the Wordsmith's Forge comes the bright chiming of words being hammered into literature. Delicious scents of hot chocolate, spiced cider, peppermint, baking cookies, and gingerbread tantalize the appetite. Smiling, laughing shoppers amble from booth to booth with lists in hand. Vendors grin back, calling out, "Come try, come buy...!"

I know a lot of artists, writers, musicians, crafters, and other talented folks who make some of their living from their creative endeavors. I don't always have the money to support them as much as I'd like, but what I can do is set up a virtual faire where vendors can offer their wares to an audience that likes crafts, literature, and small businesses. For those of you doing your holiday shopping, here's an opportunity to buy or barter or find something made with love, something unusual or unique, in a way that helps make it possible for creative people to go on creating wonders. And there will be no traffic jams, stampedes, or gunfights at the Winterfaire!

( Read more... )

Current Mood: excited

Tags:

Scientists discover a hidden deep sea hotspot bursting with life

Beneath the waters off Papua New Guinea lies an extraordinary deep-sea environment where scorching hydrothermal vents and cool methane seeps coexist side by side — a pairing never before seen. This unusual chemistry fuels a vibrant oasis teeming with mussels, tube worms, shrimp, and even purple sea cucumbers, many of which may be unknown to science. The rocks themselves shimmer with traces of gold, silver, and other metals deposited by past volcanic activity.

Current Mood: busy

Tags:

People have expressed interest in deep topics, so this list focuses on philosophical questions.

If all humans want the same basic things, why is there so much violence and strife between people?

( Read more... )

Current Mood: busy

Tags:

recurring posts

Celebrate Small Business Saturday. Shop small, shop local! What are you doing for Small Business Saturday?

( Read more... )

Current Mood: busy

Tags:

A breeze came through and swept away the fug, and the sunshine was pretty. But it's time for me to give up and switch from long-sleeved shirts to full-on turtlenecks.

Gretchen hopped in the car with me and we headed out to get lunch and after that to the La-Z-boy store out in Schaumburg. This required driving past Woodfield Mall which was closer than I wanted to be today. Traffic trying to get in was fantastically backed up. The furniture store, on the other hand, had fairly light traffic. Gretchen had done research on-line looking for a suitable chair and had narrowed it down to two models. Since the chair was for Gretchen, this seemed fair.

We were looking for a chair that was correctly sized and built for Gretchen to be able to sit comfortably and get in and out of without difficulty. One of the two models turned out to be the correct one, so it is now on order and will show up eventually in a fabric that should suit our needs.

Once we got home, I ran out to Sam's Club to pick up hamburger for meat loaf tomorrow. Then Gretchen and I went to Home Depot where I picked out a suitable Christmas tree. It is reasonably tall, but narrow, which seems to be how they are coming lately. This may be advantageous. We'll see. :)

And that was quite *enough* shopping for Black Friday.

Tomorrow, Snowmageddon is supposed to occur. We'll see how it goes. If nothing else, I have two teenagers here to help shovel...

Tags:

The new dryer is just fine, except the top is ever so slightly slanted in a way that makes it a bad place to set your dryer balls.

Have I mentioned that especially after Colonoscopy Week I've had more trouble than usual walking? I've been using my cane inside the house for the first time in quite a while, and I'm limited in how much I can carry without (more) pain. It sucks. Belovedest has set up the short ramp against the shortest outside stairs, and while going up it is Bad, going up the stairs without it is Worse. (Both outside doors have stairs.)

I wasn't available to assist with any of the Thanksgiving cooking. Belovedest did it themselves! Including: turkey, the epic tray of dressing, biscuits from the mix, and instant potatoes made the way that erases the taste of Box. (There was also salad available, but there's quite a bit of vegetable in the sausage-cornbread dressing.)

Today we had some roof inspectors. The inspection's free; the quote for fixing things up is *sigh* very much not free.

Tags:

The Search
By Dialecticdreamer/Sarah Williams
Part 1 of 2
Word count (story only): 1078
[Sunday, May 10, 2020, night]

:: Searching for Liana leads to an unexpected encounter. Part of the Edison’s Mirror universe. ::

The tension inside the SUV simmered like an overloaded sauna. After passing the second intersection, Shandiin cleared her throat. “Declan… What are your plans for Laina? For helping her,” she added quickly.

“I want somewhere peaceful, safe from flame-touched. I don’t understand why the two groups don’t like each other in history, but…” He shivered. “I’ve got reasons to avoid your people, forever.”
( Read more... )

Current Mood: awake

Tags:

This month's theme was "Fairies and Fey." I wrote from 12 PM to 3 AM, so about 13 hours, allowing for lunch and supper breaks. I wrote 3 poems on Tuesday plus 5 later in the week.

Participation was down slightly, with 9 comments on LiveJournal and another 23 on Dreamwidth. A total of 11 people sent prompts. You have new prompters

ljgeoff and

gs_silva to thank for the second freebie.

Read Some Poetry!
The following poems from the November 4, 2025 Poetry Fishbowl have been posted:
"Better Than Living Alone"
"A Clear Path of Freedom"
"Revealing Itself at Its Most Brilliant"
"Time and Relative Dimensions in Magic"
"To the Rational Mind"

"No Worthless Herbs" (One God's Story of Mid-Life Crisis, October 7, 2025 Poetry Fishbowl)
"The Struggle Against Error" (Polychrome Heroics, April 1, 2025 Poetry Fishbowl)

Buy some poetry!
If you plan to sponsor some poetry but haven't made up your mind yet, see the unsold poetry list from November 4. That includes the title, length, price, and the original thumbnail description for the poems still available.

This month's donors include:

janetmiles,

librarygeek, and Anthony Barrette. All sponsored poems from this fishbowl have been posted. There are 2 tallies toward a bonus fishbowl.

The Poetry Fishbowl has a landing page.

Current Mood: busy

Tags:

The following poems from the November 4, 2025 Poetry Fishbowl are currently available. Poems may be sponsored via PayPal -- there's a permanent donation button on my Dreamwidth profile page -- or you can write to me and discuss other methods. There are still verses left in the linkback poems "Delight in Another," "A Sense of Weather Changes," "Ouroboros Insects," "The Loving Embrace of Night," "Generations of Cooks Past," "Homefree and Clear, " "One Bite at a Time," "Stars and Diamonds," "Mishpocha," "Changing Your Nature," and "Besa."

"The Coracle in the Forest"
Story Date: Wednesday, April 30, 2025]
Summary: Two teens go foraging for food and find something unexpected.
208 lines, Buy It Now = $104

Digby and Maerwynn Aldebourne
grew up in Lancaster until 2022, when
a heat wave killed their parents while
the children were in a programme
at the air-conditioned library.

"The Heart to Change the World"
Story Date: Sunday, May 29, 2016
Summary: A fairy godmother has an idea to clean up after the Big One.
98 lines, Buy It Now = $49

Violanira had always been an oddball.

For a fairy, she was strangely attracted
to human science and technology,
especially now that more of it
consisted of things like plastic
and aluminum instead of cold iron.

"The Universal Assent to the World"
Story Date: Saturday, September 26, 2015
Summary: Nebuly takes some of his friends to a Renaissance Faire.
355 lines, Buy It Now = $355
Double price for research.

Nebuly had convinced some
of his friends to come to
the Lyonesse Faire
just outside River City,
since it included a variety
of fantasy elements.

Current Mood: busy

Tags:

Very shortly after I posted my recent request for pointers on 3D printing education – a request which was occasioned by my getting excited over my new and improved typing capability courtesy of my new NocFree ergonomic keyboard and wanting to make it a peripheral – my shoulder/back went *spung* in the location and way I had had a repetitive strain injury a decade+ previously.

*le sigh*

I'm back to writing ("writing") slowly and miserably by dictation, because all of my other forms of data entry aggravate this RSI. (This explains how rambly and poorly organized the previous post was and this one too will be.)

I'm going to try to debug my ergonomics, but it remains to be seen whether I can resume typing.

Thanksgiving came at an opportune time, because it took me away from computers for a day. But I had wanted to get another post out before the end of the month. We'll see what happens.

So, uh, I had been going to post about how I have worked back up to something like 80%, maybe 90%, of my keyboard fluency on the NocFree. Eit.

Tags:

health,
me

A strange ancient foot reveals a hidden human cousin

New fossils reveal a second hominin species living beside Lucy—walking differently, eating differently, and thriving in its own evolutionary niche.

Researchers have finally assigned a strange 3.4-million-year-old foot to Australopithecus deyiremeda, confirming that Lucy’s species wasn’t alone in ancient Ethiopia. This hominin had an opposable big toe for climbing but still walked upright in a distinct style. Isotope tests show it ate different foods from A. afarensis, revealing clear ecological separation. These insights help explain how multiple early human species co-existed without wiping each other out.

Niche partitioning is a standard way to minimize competition between species. It's most extreme in dense habitat like rainforests but it appears elsewhere too.

Current Mood: busy

Tags:

Snow, Tree, and Fish

D.O.P.-T.

#46 The Search (part 2 of 2, complete)

Wildlife

Vocabulary: Xenoparity

Space Exploration

Safety

Birdfeeding

Welcome to Winterfaire 2025

Wildlife

Philosophical Questions: Wants

Small Business Saturday

D.O.P.-T.

Black Friday Shopping

Post-Turkey (well, there are leftovers...)

#45 The Search (part 1 of 2)

Poetry Fishbowl Report for November 4, 2025

Unsold Poems for the November 4, 2025 Poetry Fishbowl

Update [me, health]

Early Humans

Profile

Most Popular Tags

Page Summary

Style Credit

Expand Cut Tags