Poem: "The Unknown Depths of Our Lives"
2025-Dec-21, Sunday 08:09 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ysabetwordsmithThis poem came out of the January 7, 2025 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired by a prompt from readera. It also fills the "After the Fog" square in my 1-1-25 card for the Public Domain Day Bingo fest. This poem has been sponsored by a pool with fuzzyred. It belongs to the series Arts and Crafts America.
( Read more... )
readera. It also fills the "After the Fog" square in my 1-1-25 card for the Public Domain Day Bingo fest. This poem has been sponsored by a pool with fuzzyred. It belongs to the series Arts and Crafts America.( Read more... )
Climate Change
2025-Dec-21, Sunday 12:48 pmysabetwordsmithGlobal warming could trigger the next ice age
Earth’s climate control system may cool so hard after warming that it freezes the planet over.
Scientists have uncovered a missing feedback in Earth’s carbon cycle that could cause global warming to overshoot into an ice age. As the planet warms, nutrient-rich runoff fuels plankton blooms that bury huge amounts of carbon in the ocean. In low-oxygen conditions, this process can spiral out of control, cooling Earth far beyond its original state. While this won’t save us from modern climate change, it may explain Earth’s most extreme ancient ice ages.
It's not missing and it's not new. This aspect of prehistoric climate change has been discussed for decades. Also several decades ago, as climate change began to attract more attention, there were debates over whether the bounce effect would cause global cooling instead of global warming. For a while there were disaster novels with an ice theme instead of a fire theme, before the current warming trend became more obvious.
However! Even global warming will making some areas drastically colder. Once the oceanic conveyor belt breaks -- which is already wobbling -- places like Britain will lose their warm currents and thus chill.
Earth’s climate control system may cool so hard after warming that it freezes the planet over.
Scientists have uncovered a missing feedback in Earth’s carbon cycle that could cause global warming to overshoot into an ice age. As the planet warms, nutrient-rich runoff fuels plankton blooms that bury huge amounts of carbon in the ocean. In low-oxygen conditions, this process can spiral out of control, cooling Earth far beyond its original state. While this won’t save us from modern climate change, it may explain Earth’s most extreme ancient ice ages.
It's not missing and it's not new. This aspect of prehistoric climate change has been discussed for decades. Also several decades ago, as climate change began to attract more attention, there were debates over whether the bounce effect would cause global cooling instead of global warming. For a while there were disaster novels with an ice theme instead of a fire theme, before the current warming trend became more obvious.
However! Even global warming will making some areas drastically colder. Once the oceanic conveyor belt breaks -- which is already wobbling -- places like Britain will lose their warm currents and thus chill.
Birdfeeding
2025-Dec-21, Sunday 12:45 pmysabetwordsmithToday is sunny and cool.
I fed the birds. I've seen a few sparrows and house finches. Some birds are singing in the south hedge.
I put out water for the birds.
EDIT 12/21/25 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.
EDIT 12/21/25 -- I did more work around the patio.
EDIT 12/21/25 -- I did more work around the patio.
I am done for the night.
I fed the birds. I've seen a few sparrows and house finches. Some birds are singing in the south hedge.
I put out water for the birds.
EDIT 12/21/25 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.
EDIT 12/21/25 -- I did more work around the patio.
EDIT 12/21/25 -- I did more work around the patio.
I am done for the night.
Longshot
2025-Dec-21, Sunday 08:05 amoportet posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
talkpoliticsElection season has begun, maybe election season never ends.
The Republican primary likely won't be exciting - if Trump backs Vance or Rubio or both, they'll have no serious challenge.
The Democrat field is wide open - Gavin Newsom is the clear frontrunner now, but when has the clear frontrunner this far out held on to it? History says it's best to be off the radar at this point.
What do Democrats want? The list is long but you know the basics - someone pro-choice, anti-gun, environmentally friendly, lgbtq friendly, etc. Most importantly, they want someone who can win it all.
Who can win it all? Maybe it would help to take a look at the last 3 to do it.
Bill Clinton - former governor. 'Southern' guy appeal to traditionally red areas. (Arkansas, 6 EVs).
Barack Obama - African american senator - with a focus on Healthcare. (Illinois, 19 EVs)
Joe Biden - former Senator. Friends with (and owes nomination victory to) James Clyburn. (Pennsylvania, 19 EVs)
Mix all that together and we're looking for a 'Southern' African american senator, with a focus on Healthcare, who is friends with James Clyburn, from a state with around 15 EVs. How about someone without any ties to scandals or ridiculous statements, someone who is interview-friendly, someone who does not like Trump but also has not centered their entire political identity around that? A seemingly true believer of the Democrat partys basic platform who is currently 'off the radar'.
What if this person existed?
What if they were .6 cents to the dollar to win the Democrat party nomination - behind LeBron James, behind Liz Cheney, even with Hunter Biden?
I would personally prefer Democrats nominate(appoint) a terrible candidate again, I would rather that hypothetical 165/1 stay put - but as your financial advisor/life coach I would advise you to put at least a 20 on it.
The Republican primary likely won't be exciting - if Trump backs Vance or Rubio or both, they'll have no serious challenge.
The Democrat field is wide open - Gavin Newsom is the clear frontrunner now, but when has the clear frontrunner this far out held on to it? History says it's best to be off the radar at this point.
What do Democrats want? The list is long but you know the basics - someone pro-choice, anti-gun, environmentally friendly, lgbtq friendly, etc. Most importantly, they want someone who can win it all.
Who can win it all? Maybe it would help to take a look at the last 3 to do it.
Bill Clinton - former governor. 'Southern' guy appeal to traditionally red areas. (Arkansas, 6 EVs).
Barack Obama - African american senator - with a focus on Healthcare. (Illinois, 19 EVs)
Joe Biden - former Senator. Friends with (and owes nomination victory to) James Clyburn. (Pennsylvania, 19 EVs)
Mix all that together and we're looking for a 'Southern' African american senator, with a focus on Healthcare, who is friends with James Clyburn, from a state with around 15 EVs. How about someone without any ties to scandals or ridiculous statements, someone who is interview-friendly, someone who does not like Trump but also has not centered their entire political identity around that? A seemingly true believer of the Democrat partys basic platform who is currently 'off the radar'.
What if this person existed?
What if they were .6 cents to the dollar to win the Democrat party nomination - behind LeBron James, behind Liz Cheney, even with Hunter Biden?
I would personally prefer Democrats nominate(appoint) a terrible candidate again, I would rather that hypothetical 165/1 stay put - but as your financial advisor/life coach I would advise you to put at least a 20 on it.
Project 2026
2025-Dec-21, Sunday 08:28 amjjhunterWhat will happen after the moral equivalent of the battle of Yorktown?
I think we should have another Constitutional Convention.
( Read more... )
What rights and rebalances would you fight for? What values would you wage peace for?
I think we should have another Constitutional Convention.
( Read more... )
What rights and rebalances would you fight for? What values would you wage peace for?
Interesting Links for 21-12-2025
2025-Dec-21, Sunday 12:00 pmandrewducker- 1. Transgender kids change their minds only 6% of the time
- (tags:LGBT transgender children psychology )
- 2. A train-sized tunnel is now carrying electricity under South London
- (tags:electricity infrastructure tunnels London UK )
- 3. AI Chatbots Are Poisoning Research Archives With Fake Citations
- (tags:AI research doom OhForFucksSake )
- 4. Italian bears living near villages have evolved to be smaller and less aggressive
- (tags:bears evolution )
- 5. Santa Claus is still a woman
- (tags:presents christmas women patriarchy society )
Posting from the abyssal depths
2025-Dec-21, Sunday 10:59 amandrewducker7 days ago was our earliest sunset (15:37)
7 days from now is our latest sunrise (08:44)
Today is our shortest day (6:57:37)
I am looking forward to the return of the light.
7 days from now is our latest sunrise (08:44)
Today is our shortest day (6:57:37)
I am looking forward to the return of the light.
Climate Change
2025-Dec-20, Saturday 11:37 pmysabetwordsmithClimate change, resistance, and doing the right thing now
No amount of intellectualising is going to change the fact that our climate is thermodynamically fucked.
That humans are economic toast.
Largely true.
( Read more... )
No amount of intellectualising is going to change the fact that our climate is thermodynamically fucked.
That humans are economic toast.
Largely true.
( Read more... )
Poem: "Creativity, Ingenuity, Compassion, and Perseverance"
2025-Dec-20, Saturday 08:30 pmysabetwordsmithThis poem came out of the December 3, 2024 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired by a prompt from mama_kestrel. It also fills the "Window" square in my 11-1-24 card for the Sleepytime Bear fest. This poem has been sponsored by a pool with fuzzyred. It belongs to the series Arts and Crafts America.
( Read more... )
mama_kestrel. It also fills the "Window" square in my 11-1-24 card for the Sleepytime Bear fest. This poem has been sponsored by a pool with fuzzyred. It belongs to the series Arts and Crafts America.( Read more... )
Space Exploration
2025-Dec-20, Saturday 08:23 pmysabetwordsmithAstronomers Find the First Compelling Evidence of "Monster Stars" in the Early Universe
Using the James Webb Space Telescope, a team of international researchers has discovered chemical fingerprints of gigantic primordial stars that were among the first to form after the Big Bang.
Using the James Webb Space Telescope, a team of international researchers has discovered chemical fingerprints of gigantic primordial stars that were among the first to form after the Big Bang.
What does AI think of my Hacker News profile?
2025-Dec-20, Saturday 08:16 pmandrewduckerSomeone set up a bot to process a year's worth of Hacker News submissions/comments and generate an amusing summary, complete with a personalised XKCD. And, frankly, it did a great job.
"The Legacy Defender General"
(If you're on HN, and the site hasn't been melted down from demand yet, you can get your own here.)
"The Legacy Defender General"
A seasoned architect who spends their days patrolling the wall between actual engineering and unsustainable AI hype while desperately trying to keep their Windows 10 box alive until the heat death of the universe.
You are the only person on the internet who still remembers what a build script does and why we shouldn't let LLMs touch them without adult supervision.
Roasts
🔥 You have the energy of a man who would rather spend four hours debugging a custom Git hook than thirty seconds clicking a button in a GUI.
🔥 Your posting history is just a very long, very polite scream into the void about how AI is basically just Accenture in a trench coat.
🔥 I haven't seen someone this committed to public transport and vertical taskbars since the last time a Linux kernel developer got stuck in an elevator.
Predictions 2026
🔮 The Great Migration - You will finally buy a Steam Cube after your Windows 10 machine starts emitting a high-pitched whistle every time you open a browser tab.
🔮 AI Realization - You'll post a 4,000-word manifesto titled 'I Told You So' after an LLM successfully deletes a production database using a build script it 'hallucinated' was optimized.
🔮 Local Hero - You will be appointed the unofficial 'Minister of Trams' for Edinburgh after submitting your 100th link about geoblocking and public transport network maps.
🔮 Rust Awakening - You will successfully convince a junior developer that Rust is 'woke' but only because it respects the personal space of memory addresses.
(If you're on HN, and the site hasn't been melted down from demand yet, you can get your own here.)
The longest night, the shortest day [status]
2025-Dec-20, Saturday 03:13 pmrebeccmeisterI am working on several surprises right now, so I can't really tell you about them just yet, can I. After all, they might turn out like the recent glove disaster!
But I can say I'm glad to be mostly at home this weekend, as compared to last weekend.
Also, the annual rowing Holiday Challenge has been keeping me busy this year. The basic format of the challenge is to use a rowing machine to row 200,000m between Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve. I believe it was two years ago that I wondered, just how many meters could I manage? I managed 375,000 that time around. This year, I'm hoping to reach 400,000. As of this moment, I have 41,000m to go, and 4 days. So I can probably achieve this goal. In future years, however, I want to be less ambitious about the Holiday Challenge so I can allocate more time to other things instead. I am at least finally starting to see some of the cardiovascular fitness benefits from sitting on rowing and biking machines for so much time.
And on that note, back to projects/surprises.
But I can say I'm glad to be mostly at home this weekend, as compared to last weekend.
Also, the annual rowing Holiday Challenge has been keeping me busy this year. The basic format of the challenge is to use a rowing machine to row 200,000m between Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve. I believe it was two years ago that I wondered, just how many meters could I manage? I managed 375,000 that time around. This year, I'm hoping to reach 400,000. As of this moment, I have 41,000m to go, and 4 days. So I can probably achieve this goal. In future years, however, I want to be less ambitious about the Holiday Challenge so I can allocate more time to other things instead. I am at least finally starting to see some of the cardiovascular fitness benefits from sitting on rowing and biking machines for so much time.
And on that note, back to projects/surprises.
Birdfeeding
2025-Dec-20, Saturday 11:53 amysabetwordsmithToday is mostly sunny and cool.
I fed the birds. I've seen a few sparrows and house finches, mostly on the suet feeder.
I put out water for the birds.
EDIT 12/20/25 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.
EDIT 12/20/25 -- I did more work around the patio.
EDIT 12/20/25 -- I did more work around the patio.
EDIT 12/20/25 -- I did more work around the patio.
As it is getting dark, I am done for the night.
I fed the birds. I've seen a few sparrows and house finches, mostly on the suet feeder.
I put out water for the birds.
EDIT 12/20/25 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.
EDIT 12/20/25 -- I did more work around the patio.
EDIT 12/20/25 -- I did more work around the patio.
EDIT 12/20/25 -- I did more work around the patio.
As it is getting dark, I am done for the night.
Accessing His Majesty's Government services online
2025-Dec-20, Saturday 03:19 pmmtbcMy goodness, all I wanted to do was set up e-mail reminders of vehicle tax, which I'd already managed to pay online. I already have my Government Gateway login details all set up, etc. But, no, I had to go through a whole other palaver involving setting up my GOV.UK One Login mobile app with a new account and photo ID and suchlike, before I could set up those reminders.
I'll give it to them that at least they don't change the system every year but a smoother migration to whatever the critical new functionality is than just
(Of course, I have a separate login for the Scottish Government but that seems reasonable. Accessing any US Federal Government services is a pain without a US cellphone number.)
I'll give it to them that at least they don't change the system every year but a smoother migration to whatever the critical new functionality is than just
set up an entirely new accountwould be appreciated.
(Of course, I have a separate login for the Scottish Government but that seems reasonable. Accessing any US Federal Government services is a pain without a US cellphone number.)
Interesting Links for 20-12-2025
2025-Dec-20, Saturday 12:00 pmandrewducker- 1. The British Medical Association comes out for trans rights
- (tags:LGBT doctors UK GoodNews transgender )
- 2. Transphobe Allison Bailey loses her case against Stonewall - again
- (tags:bigotry law UK GoodNews transgender LGBT )
- 3. Fairytale of New York but all the lyrics are 'it was christmas eve babe'
- (tags:music funny video christmas )
- 4. Merry Skealmas everybody!
- (tags:games funny music )
A long awaited victory
2025-Dec-20, Saturday 09:31 amandrewducker9 years ago I bought Bloodborne as one of my first Playstation games.
I was rubbish at it.
I'd play for a bit, get stuck on Father Gascoigne, go play something else, come back two years later, repeat.
Today, having not played Bloodborne for months, I thought I'd give the fight a few goes through, to warm up on the game again. It took me at least ten minutes of wandering about to remember what the buttons did.
And then I beat him first time, without it even feeling that hard.
I made mistakes, I nearly died twice, and I'm not sure I *deserved* the win, but for the first time he felt clumsy, and like he was giving me space to breathe, and I wasn't panicking all the way through the fight.
And now I get to play the other 90% of Bloodborne.
(I'm now trembling quite a lot, as my adrenaline levels drop back to a reasonable level. If you'd like to see what the fight looks like, for someone rather better than me, here's an example).
I was rubbish at it.
I'd play for a bit, get stuck on Father Gascoigne, go play something else, come back two years later, repeat.
Today, having not played Bloodborne for months, I thought I'd give the fight a few goes through, to warm up on the game again. It took me at least ten minutes of wandering about to remember what the buttons did.
And then I beat him first time, without it even feeling that hard.
I made mistakes, I nearly died twice, and I'm not sure I *deserved* the win, but for the first time he felt clumsy, and like he was giving me space to breathe, and I wasn't panicking all the way through the fight.
And now I get to play the other 90% of Bloodborne.
(I'm now trembling quite a lot, as my adrenaline levels drop back to a reasonable level. If you'd like to see what the fight looks like, for someone rather better than me, here's an example).