Svalbard lost 1% of its ice in the summer of 2024, more than any year on record
19 Aug 2025 11:30 am![[syndicated profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/feed.png){kind=small}
phys_environment_feedSvalbard, an Arctic archipelago that is technically a part of Norway, lies about halfway between the northernmost part of Norway and the North Pole. Currently, about 60% of Svalbard's surface is covered in glaciers, but these glaciers are melting rapidly. During the summer of 2024, Svalbard experienced a record-breaking heat wave that melted more of its glaciers than ever before.
phys_environment_feedMore trees will cool the climate and suppress fires, but mainly if planted in the tropics, according to a new UC Riverside study.
London Theatre Watching III
19 Aug 2025 04:21 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
selenakNo, still not the Marlowe/Shakespeare one, that’s on tonight. Instead, two plays I had on my list as maybes, but not musts, hence only bought the tickets on the day and therefore cheaper. :)
Charing Cross Theatre: The Daughter of Time
By playwright named M. Kilburg Reedy, based on Josephine Tey’s novel of the same name which three quarters of a century ago stroke a mighty blow for Richard III in hte public imagination. Background here for people who haven’t read it: Josephine Tey wrote this as the last and most unusual of her series starring her detective, Inspector Alan Grant, who in the novel, which takes place then-contemporary to its publication in the late 1940s/early 1950s (pre Elizabeth II’s coronation at any rate, her father is still on the throne), fights off the boredom of many weeks in the hospital by getting interested in Richard IIII and deciding to solve the mystery of the Princes in the Tower. More Background: Josephine Tey was a pseudonym for Scottish Author Elizabeth MacIntosh, who also was a playwright under the alias Gordon Daviot. Her most famous historical play was probably Richard of Bordeaux, about that other controversional Plantagenet royal named Richard, Richard II., which she wrote after having seen young John Gielgud play Shakespeareas Richard III. It was a smash hit and contributed to making John G a star. However, The Daughter of Time is a novel, by its very premise is confined to one hospital room and a lot of thinking about history, some of which, granted, presented via arguments with other people, but a lot also via thoughts and musings about text excerpts, and I was really curious how someone would manage to dramatize it in a way that works on stage.
( Spoilers still aren’t sure whether truth is the daughter of time… )
The Other Palace: Saving Mozart.
It’s London, it’s theatre, there had to be at least one musical. In my case, a new one by Charli Eglington, which feels a bit like someone on Tumblr after watching Amadeus decided they wanted to write prequel fanfiction with a feminist slant, focused on the women. Which means that while we’re following Mozart’s life story from Wunderkind to early death, in the first half of the musical Nannerl has a claim to being the main character and in the second half Constanze. It’s about as historical as Amadeus (meaning it uses some facts with a lot of fictionalisiation), with a lot of laudable #JusticeforNannerl and #ConstanzeRules sentiment.
( How the women in his life saved Mozart )
All in all: not a must, but if you want a new musical where everyone sings soulfully in Steampunk Rokoko costumes, go for it.
Charing Cross Theatre: The Daughter of Time
By playwright named M. Kilburg Reedy, based on Josephine Tey’s novel of the same name which three quarters of a century ago stroke a mighty blow for Richard III in hte public imagination. Background here for people who haven’t read it: Josephine Tey wrote this as the last and most unusual of her series starring her detective, Inspector Alan Grant, who in the novel, which takes place then-contemporary to its publication in the late 1940s/early 1950s (pre Elizabeth II’s coronation at any rate, her father is still on the throne), fights off the boredom of many weeks in the hospital by getting interested in Richard IIII and deciding to solve the mystery of the Princes in the Tower. More Background: Josephine Tey was a pseudonym for Scottish Author Elizabeth MacIntosh, who also was a playwright under the alias Gordon Daviot. Her most famous historical play was probably Richard of Bordeaux, about that other controversional Plantagenet royal named Richard, Richard II., which she wrote after having seen young John Gielgud play Shakespeareas Richard III. It was a smash hit and contributed to making John G a star. However, The Daughter of Time is a novel, by its very premise is confined to one hospital room and a lot of thinking about history, some of which, granted, presented via arguments with other people, but a lot also via thoughts and musings about text excerpts, and I was really curious how someone would manage to dramatize it in a way that works on stage.
( Spoilers still aren’t sure whether truth is the daughter of time… )
The Other Palace: Saving Mozart.
It’s London, it’s theatre, there had to be at least one musical. In my case, a new one by Charli Eglington, which feels a bit like someone on Tumblr after watching Amadeus decided they wanted to write prequel fanfiction with a feminist slant, focused on the women. Which means that while we’re following Mozart’s life story from Wunderkind to early death, in the first half of the musical Nannerl has a claim to being the main character and in the second half Constanze. It’s about as historical as Amadeus (meaning it uses some facts with a lot of fictionalisiation), with a lot of laudable #JusticeforNannerl and #ConstanzeRules sentiment.
( How the women in his life saved Mozart )
All in all: not a must, but if you want a new musical where everyone sings soulfully in Steampunk Rokoko costumes, go for it.
Vignette
19 Aug 2025 10:22 amcosmolinguistI'm sitting at a table on the train, and a family with little kids has joined me. I'm delighted to see that Thumb War ("one two three four I declare a...") is a game basically unchanged from when I learned it 35 years ago on another continent.
When the girl asked her mum about the wireless charging spot on the table, I showed her how it worked by sliding my work phone on to it (she grinned when the screen lit up).
Her little brother then held his toy car over the same spot and we all (him too) laughed at his joke about charging his car.
Impromptu trip
19 Aug 2025 03:42 pmsuncani Between sick leave and a change in when our leave year runs, I ended up having to take some annual leave at short notice. As the weather was so lovely (and slightly too hot for my liking) going down to the sea for a few days sounded like an excellent idea. We ended up staying in Ilfracombe, Devon and visiting various National Trust places dotted around. I've not been to much of Devon as we tended to stay more in Cornwall if making the trip south, but as we were making the journey back up I saw so many places it would be interesting to come back and investigate more.
( More details and pictures )
( More details and pictures )
In Africa, heat waves are hotter and longer than 40 years ago, researchers say
19 Aug 2025 10:37 amphys_environment_feedHeat waves—prolonged periods of abnormally hot weather—influence egg prices, energy bills and even public transit. And they're becoming more common as temperatures increase.
phys_environment_feedCarbon dioxide in the atmosphere enters the ocean at the surface and has been increasing the acidity of Pacific waters since the beginning of the industrial revolution over 200 years ago. A new study, led by University of Hawai'i at Mānoa oceanographers, revealed that the ocean is acidifying even more rapidly below the surface in the open waters of the North Pacific near Hawai'i.
caribou
19 Aug 2025 07:23 amprettygoodwordcaribou (KAR-uh-boo) - n., any of several North American subspecies of reindeer (Rangifer tarandus), a large deer of the Arctic tundra and northern boreal forests, having large hooves and long branched antlers usually on both sexes.
Thanks, WikiMedia!
Another large cervid, this one being the only cervid that gets domesticated, both for meat and transport -- though I've only heard of this happening with Old World reindeer and not New World caribou. There are around 20 recognized subspecies of reindeer, though the populations tend to blend into each other, and there is ongoing discussion on whether to reorganize them into six (or so) separate species, and if so how to sort them. The name dates from 1670, earlier form caribo being later replaced by French Canadian form caribou, both from Mi'kmaq qalipu, from Proto-Algonquian *mekālixpowa, literally "it shovels snow", from *mekāl-, to scrape + *-ixpo-, snow, so named because caribou dig through snow to reach fodder in winter.
---L.
Thanks, WikiMedia!
Another large cervid, this one being the only cervid that gets domesticated, both for meat and transport -- though I've only heard of this happening with Old World reindeer and not New World caribou. There are around 20 recognized subspecies of reindeer, though the populations tend to blend into each other, and there is ongoing discussion on whether to reorganize them into six (or so) separate species, and if so how to sort them. The name dates from 1670, earlier form caribo being later replaced by French Canadian form caribou, both from Mi'kmaq qalipu, from Proto-Algonquian *mekālixpowa, literally "it shovels snow", from *mekāl-, to scrape + *-ixpo-, snow, so named because caribou dig through snow to reach fodder in winter.
---L.
The Wayward Pupil
19 Aug 2025 01:00 pmcakewrecks_feedI dare you to play "I Spy" with your kids on this one:
"I spy...with my one little...AAAUUGGHH!!"
Thanks to Lori P. for bringing a whole new meaning to "a wandering eye."
And also for making John laugh for like five minutes straight.
*****
P.S. Here's a better look for your feet:
5 Pk Disney's Alice in Wonderland No-Show Socks
*****
And from my other blog, Epbot:
Pollution hotspots at England's most famous lake need 'urgent' action
19 Aug 2025 10:00 amphys_environment_feedHotspots of bacteria and phosphorus at England's most famous lake must be addressed urgently, the authors of a study into its water quality warned on Tuesday.
Hurricane Erin's massive waves threaten to isolate North Carolina's Outer Banks
19 Aug 2025 09:59 amphys_environment_feedThere's a popular T-shirt on Hatteras Island on the North Carolina Outer Banks that says, "One road on. One road off (sometimes)"—poking fun at the constant battle between Mother Nature and a thin ribbon of pavement connecting the narrow barrier island to the rest of the world.
Pluralistic: Charlie Jane Anders' "Lessons in Magic and Disaster." (19 Aug 2025)
19 Aug 2025 02:01 pmdoctorow_feed
Today's links
- Charlie Jane Anders' "Lessons in Magic and Disaster.": Families, they fuck you up (magically).
- Hey look at this: Delights to delectate.
- Object permanence: HST in space; It Plays Doom; Deserted Chinese themeparks; Banksy's Dismaland; Dollars are better than warrants; "Fuck the algorithm."
- Upcoming appearances: Where to find me.
- Recent appearances: Where I've been.
- Latest books: You keep readin' em, I'll keep writin' 'em.
- Upcoming books: Like I said, I'll keep writin' 'em.
- Colophon: All the rest.
Charlie Jane Anders' "Lessons in Magic and Disaster." (permalink)
Charlie Jane Anders' Lessons in Magic and Disaster drops today: it's a novel about queer academia, the wonder of thinking very hard about very old books, and the terror and joy of ambiguous magic. It's my kind of novel!
https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250867322/lessonsinmagicanddisaster/
There's a kind of magic I love to read about – the kind where it's not entirely clear whether the person purporting to do magic is acting entirely on instinct, and neither they nor we can be entirely sure whether anything magical has actually happened. This ambiguity just tickles something in me, the part of my brain that tries to bear down on traffic lights to make them turn green, or on board-game dice to get a good roll. It's the mode of Iain Banks's The Wasp Factory and Kelly Link's Book of Love. It's a mode that Anders does superbly, and has done since her 2016 debut novel, All the Birds in the Sky:
That's the kind of magic at the heart of Magic and Disaster, which tells the story of Jamie, a doctoral candidate at a New England liberal arts college who is trying to hold it all together while she finishes her dissertation. For Jamie, holding it together is a tall order. Her relationship is on the rocks, her advisor is breathing down her neck, a smartass alt-right kid in her class keeps trolling her lectures, and to top it all off, her mother Sarina has withdrawn from society and is self-evidently preparing to lie down and die, out of grief and penance for the death of her wife, who died of cancer that everyone – her doctors and Sarina – downplayed until it was too late.
That would be an impossible lift, except for Jamie's gift for maybe-magic – magic that might or might not be real. Certain places ("liminal spaces") call to Jamie. These are abandoned, dirty, despoiled places, ruins and dumps and littered campsites. When Jamie finds one of these places, she can improvise a ritual, using the things in her pockets and school bag as talismans that might – or might not – conjure small bumps of luck and fortune into Jamie's path.
Jamie's never told anyone about the magic, but when she and Sarina have an especially bitter confrontation, it slips out. In desperation, Jamie gives her mother – a campaigning lawyer who has withdrawn from life and become a hermit – a demonstration of magic. Her mother approaches the demonstration with a lawyer's don't-bullshit-me skepticism, but something in her responds to the magic, and when Jamie leaves her, Sarina tries to bring back her dead wife, a forbidden conjuring that has disastrous consequences.
Jamie had hoped to give her mother something to live for, but catastrophic magical experimentation wasn't what she had in mind. Soon, Jamie is dragged into Sarina's life, to the detriment of her relationship with Ro, a fellow academic who is rightfully suspicious of Sarina and the effect she has on Jamie. When Ro finds out about the magic, the relationship breaks, and now Jamie has to face her problems alone.
Those problems keep mounting. Jamie is working on a dissertation about a 300 year old "ladies' novel" that promises to reveal some profound truth about the life of its author and her challenge to the role that she finds herself confined to as a woman, but it's slow going, and Jamie's advisor is at pains to remind her that there are dramatic changes in the offing to the university, and that Jamie had best get that thesis in soon. Meanwhile, the Men's Rights Activist bro in Jamie's class keeps upping the ante, mixing disruptive "just asking questions" behavior with thinly veiled transphobic digs (Jamie is trans, a fact that is woven around her relationship to her mother and to magic).
Anders tosses a lot of differently shaped objects into the air, and then juggles them, interspersing the main action with excerpts from imaginary 18th century novels (which themselves contain imaginary parables) that serve as both a prestige and a framing device. There's a lot of queer joy in here, a hell of a lot of media theory, and some very chewy ruminations on the far-right mediasphere. There's romance and heartbreak, danger and sacrifice, and most of all, there's that ambiguous magic, which gets realer and scarier as the action goes on.
This is a wonderful magic trick of a novel from a versatile author whose work includes YA space opera, hard sf adventure stories, and a wealth of brilliant short stories. It's a remarkably easy novel to read, given how much very difficult stuff Anders is doing in the writing, and it lingers long after you finish the last page.
Hey look at this (permalink)
- Google admits anti-competitive conduct involving Google Search in Australia https://www.accc.gov.au/media-release/google-admits-anti-competitive-conduct-involving-google-search-in-australia
-
The twilight of tech unilateralism https://www.programmablemutter.com/p/the-twilight-of-tech-unilateralism
-
MIT report: 95% of generative AI pilots at companies are failing https://fortune.com/2025/08/18/mit-report-95-percent-generative-ai-pilots-at-companies-failing-cfo/
-
‘Ad Blocking is Not Piracy’ Decision Overturned By Top German Court https://torrentfreak.com/ad-blocking-is-not-piracy-decision-overturned-by-top-german-court-250819/
Object permanence (permalink)
#20yrsago US CD/DVD bootlegging is not run by organized crime https://memex.craphound.com/2005/08/18/us-cd-dvd-bootlegging-is-not-run-by-organized-crime/
#20yrsago Lem’s tensor algebra poem, annotated https://web.archive.org/web/20051107014429/http://cheesedip.com/2005/08/18/lem_love__tensor_algebra.php
#20yrsago Hunter S Thompson’s ashes to be sent high on fireworks https://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/22/us/ashestofireworks-sendoff-for-an-outlaw-writer.html
#20yrsago Southern Baptist guide to non-gay Disney movies https://web.archive.org/web/20050917042544/http://www.bpnews.net/bpnews.asp?ID=21416
#20yrsago ItPlaysDoom: catalog of devices capable of running Doom https://web.archive.org/web/20070226184902/http://www.itplaysdoom.com/
#10yrsago Women of the Haunted Mansion cosplayers at SDCC https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJptS52CZIw
#10yrsago Gallery of deserted Chinese amusement parks https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/gallery/2015/aug/14/china-deserted-amusement-parks-stefano-cerio
#10yrsago New pornoscanners are also useless, cost $160 million https://www.politico.com/story/2015/08/airport-security-price-for-tsa-failed-body-scanners-160-million-121385.html
#10yrsago Gender and sf awards: who wins and for what http://www.antipope.org/charlie/blog-static/2015/08/data-books-and-bias.html
#10yrsago The End of the Internet Dream: the speech that won Black Hat (and Defcon) https://web.archive.org/web/20150818104913/https://medium.com/backchannel/the-end-of-the-internet-dream-ba060b17da61
#10yrsago Piracy vs the MPAA: yet another box-office record smashed https://www.techdirt.com/2015/08/18/hollywood-keeps-breaking-box-office-records-while-still-insisting-that-internet-is-killing-movies/
#10yrsago Stephen Hawking’s speech synthesizer now free/open software https://www.wired.com/2015/08/stephen-hawking-software-open-source/
#10yrsago Defector from Kremlin’s outsourced troll army wins 1 rouble in damages https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-33972122
#10yrsago Chuck Wendig’s Zeroes: a hacker technothriller in the War Games lineage https://memex.craphound.com/2015/08/18/chuck-wendigs-zeroes-a-hacker-technothriller-in-the-war-games-lineage/
#10yrsago Dismaland: Banksy’s (?) swipe at Disneyland https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2015/aug/18/banksy-weston-super-mare-dismaland
#10yrsago Giant dump of data purports to be from Ashleymadison.com https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2015/08/data-from-hack-of-ashley-madison-cheater-site-purportedly-dumped-online/
#10yrsago Iran arms deal prosecution falls apart because of warrantless laptop search https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2015/08/warrantless-airport-laptop-search-dooms-iran-arms-sales-prosecution/
#10yrsago The (real) hard problem of AI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mukaRhQTMP8
#10yrsago Airport security confiscates three year old’s fart gun https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/toddler-has-his-minions-fart-gun-confiscated-at-dublin-airport-for-posing-security-threat-10457743.html
#5yrsago South Africa's copyright and human rights https://pluralistic.net/2020/08/18/fifth-pig/#3-steps
#5yrsago Upbeat surveillance marketing https://pluralistic.net/2020/08/18/fifth-pig/#hikvision
#5yrsago Fed cops substitute dollars for warrants https://pluralistic.net/2020/08/18/fifth-pig/#ppp
#5yrsago Deindustrialization is a market failure https://pluralistic.net/2020/08/18/fifth-pig/#deindustrialization
#5yrsago Mr Cook, Tear Down That Wall https://pluralistic.net/2020/08/18/fifth-pig/#no-true-scotsman
#5yrsago "Fuck the algorithm" https://pluralistic.net/2020/08/18/fifth-pig/#a-levels
#5yrsago The Fifth Pig https://pluralistic.net/2020/08/18/fifth-pig/#5th-pig
Upcoming appearances (permalink)
- Ithaca: AD White keynote (Cornell), Sep 12
https://deanoffaculty.cornell.edu/events/keynote-cory-doctorow-professor-at-large/ -
DC: Enshittification at Politics and Prose, Oct 8
https://politics-prose.com/cory-doctorow-10825 -
New Orleans: DeepSouthCon63, Oct 10-12
http://www.contraflowscifi.org/ -
Chicago: Enshittification with Kara Swisher (Chicago Humanities), Oct 15
https://www.oldtownschool.org/concerts/2025/10-15-2025-kara-swisher-and-cory-doctorow-on-enshittification/ -
San Francisco: Enshittification at Public Works (The Booksmith), Oct 20
https://app.gopassage.com/events/doctorow25 -
Miami: Enshittification at Books & Books, Nov 5
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/an-evening-with-cory-doctorow-tickets-1504647263469
Recent appearances (permalink)
- Divesting from Amazon’s Audible and the Fight for Digital Rights (Libro.fm)
https://pocketcasts.com/podcasts/9349e8d0-a87f-013a-d8af-0acc26574db2/00e6cbcf-7f27-4589-a11e-93e4ab59c04b -
The Utopias Podcast
https://www.buzzsprout.com/2272465/episodes/17650124 -
Tariffs vs IP Law (Firewalls Don't Stop Dragons)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LFABFe-5-uQ
Latest books (permalink)
- "Picks and Shovels": a sequel to "Red Team Blues," about the heroic era of the PC, Tor Books (US), Head of Zeus (UK), February 2025 (https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250865908/picksandshovels).
-
"The Bezzle": a sequel to "Red Team Blues," about prison-tech and other grifts, Tor Books (US), Head of Zeus (UK), February 2024 (the-bezzle.org).
-
"The Lost Cause:" a solarpunk novel of hope in the climate emergency, Tor Books (US), Head of Zeus (UK), November 2023 (http://lost-cause.org).
-
"The Internet Con": A nonfiction book about interoperability and Big Tech (Verso) September 2023 (http://seizethemeansofcomputation.org). Signed copies at Book Soup (https://www.booksoup.com/book/9781804291245).
-
"Red Team Blues": "A grabby, compulsive thriller that will leave you knowing more about how the world works than you did before." Tor Books http://redteamblues.com.
-
"Chokepoint Capitalism: How to Beat Big Tech, Tame Big Content, and Get Artists Paid, with Rebecca Giblin", on how to unrig the markets for creative labor, Beacon Press/Scribe 2022 https://chokepointcapitalism.com
Upcoming books (permalink)
- "Canny Valley": A limited edition collection of the collages I create for Pluralistic, self-published, September 2025
-
"Enshittification: Why Everything Suddenly Got Worse and What to Do About It," Farrar, Straus, Giroux, October 7 2025
https://us.macmillan.com/books/9780374619329/enshittification/ -
"Unauthorized Bread": a middle-grades graphic novel adapted from my novella about refugees, toasters and DRM, FirstSecond, 2026
-
"Enshittification, Why Everything Suddenly Got Worse and What to Do About It" (the graphic novel), Firstsecond, 2026
-
"The Memex Method," Farrar, Straus, Giroux, 2026
-
"The Reverse-Centaur's Guide to AI," a short book about being a better AI critic, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2026
Colophon (permalink)
Today's top sources:
Currently writing:
- "The Reverse Centaur's Guide to AI," a short book for Farrar, Straus and Giroux about being an effective AI critic. (1022 words yesterday, 11212 words total).
-
A Little Brother short story about DIY insulin PLANNING
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"When life gives you SARS, you make sarsaparilla" -Joey "Accordion Guy" DeVilla
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Scientists identify sources of blue carbon in wetland soils
19 Aug 2025 09:18 amphys_environment_feedTeasing apart the sources of organic carbon stored in coastal wetland soils around the world was the "grand challenge" Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) scientists successfully tackled in a seminal blue carbon research paper recently published in Global Change Biology. Their work provides vital insights into how marine ecosystems can naturally contribute to climate abatement on a global scale.
Global South faces 'disproportionately high' urban flood risk, study warns
19 Aug 2025 08:55 amphys_environment_feedA new study has revealed a stark and growing inequality in urban flood exposure across the globe, with developing nations facing risks that are multiples higher than their wealthier counterparts. The study warns that this gap is set to widen, posing a severe threat to sustainable development and highlighting an urgent need for equitable climate adaptation strategies.
10 Villanelles by Modern and Contemporary Poets
19 Aug 2025 01:00 pmjstordaily_feedA villanelle is a poetic form composed of five stanzas of three lines each (called tercets), followed by a four-line stanza (called a quatrain), for a total of nineteen lines. The first and third line of the opening tercet repeat at the end of each subsequent tercet and then again as the last two lines of the poem. Here’s a visual representation to help make things a little clearer:
It’s not surprising that such a repetitive form has its roots in song. From the sixteenth to the nineteenth century, villanelle was simply the French term for an Italian country song, and during the Renaissance, poets often used the title for their work regardless of a poem’s specific structure. It wasn’t until the Victorian era that the villanelle settled into the fixed form and specific rules we recognize today.
Many modern and contemporary writers are drawn to the villanelle as a way to circle around their subject matter, exploring obsession, enchantment, brooding, or the slow work of untangling a difficult emotion. We’ve gathered together ten villanelles from JSTOR. As always, all are available for free download:
“One Art,” Elizabeth Bishop
“Philip Larkin’s Koan,” Paisley Rekdal
“Dream Villanelle,” William Logan
“A Villanelle,” Agha Shahid Ali
“He Drank Molotov Riptide Moonshine Rum,” Charles Fort
“Villanelle of the Circus Villains,” Richard Frost
“Villanelle for Charles Olson,” by Tom Disch
“Simple Song Blues Villanelle,” Tim Seibles
“Une Villanelle Ancienne,” Kate Franks
“Villanelle for Jane Fonda and Richard Simmons,” David Baker
The post 10 Villanelles by Modern and Contemporary Poets appeared first on JSTOR Daily.
Online Reading, African Archaeology, and Inca Literacy
19 Aug 2025 12:08 pmjstordaily_feedThe Joy of Online Reading (Public Books)
by Angelina Eimannsberger
Partisans of serious, sophisticated fiction may sometimes sniff at sites of online literary activity like Wattpad and AO3. But looking at the kinds of reading and writing done online highlights the social, collaborative nature of literature—not to mention the joy of reading.
Unearthing African Civilizations (Knowable Magazine)
by Amber Dance
Archaeological sites in East Africa have brought us knowledge about the evolution of early humans. But the civilizations of that region over the past few thousand years have received much less attention. That’s changing now, thanks largely to archaeologists from Africa.
Flute Music for the Birds (Atlas Obscura)
by Elah Feder, Judith Finell, Hollis Taylor, and Martha Manns
Australia’s lyrebirds are expert mimics, capable of reproducing sounds made by humans and our machines. But did one captive bird spread flute songs to a whole flock? A forensic musicologist investigates.
Were the Inca Masses Literate? (NPR)
by Nell Greenfieldboyce
Researchers have tended to assume that the tying of khipus for record-keeping in the Inca Empire was an elite practice. A new analysis of hair used in a khipu could upend that consensus.
When Clams Take Prozac (Undark)
by Carly Anne York
A random accident at a lab decades ago discovered something wild: Prozac causes clams to spawn. This discovery could help in the farming of bivalves that provide huge environmental benefits to our waterways.
Got a hot tip about a well-researched story that belongs on this list? Email us here.
The post Online Reading, African Archaeology, and Inca Literacy appeared first on JSTOR Daily.
Book Review: The Sabbath World
19 Aug 2025 08:09 amosprey_archerJudith Shulevitz’s The Sabbath World: Glimpses of a Different Order of Time is a book braided from three strands. The first and smallest strand is about Shulevitz’s evolving relationship with the Sabbath over the course of her life, which would probably get tedious at greater length but as it is adds an interesting personal through-line to the book.
The second and largest strand is a history of the Sabbath, which is full of fascinating historical facts. For instance: did you know that Sabbatarian can mean either “Christian who believes in a very strict Sunday Sabbath,” or “Christian who practices the Saturday Sabbath and maybe also takes on other Jewish practices and eventually becomes Jewish in all but name because for centuries it was illegal in many European countries for Christians to convert to Judaism”? I love it. I hate it. Why can a word mean two things that are not exactly opposites but nonetheless completely different?
The third strand features Shulevitz’s musings on the potential for the idea of the Sabbath to help cure modern society’s diseased relationship with time, which is the weakest part of the book. The problem is that Shulevitz is attracted to the Sabbath, but also exhausted at the very idea of keeping it properly, which is a dynamic that could create an interesting dialectic but mostly dissolves into wishy-washiness.
Now, to be fair, I also find the Sabbath intriguing but quail at the idea of doing it properly. NO Starbucks? Well, you see, the Starbucks workers ALSO need a day of rest. Granted, but: NO STARBUCKS?? So I can’t blame Shulevitz for also being of two minds. But it seems like something of a cop-out to say, “The Sabbath is enticing! But scary! And probably impossible in the modern global context anyway, so we don’t need to take the idea really seriously. But maybe just meditating on the idea of it will help heal our relationship with time?”
Again being fair, Shulevitz had the great handicap of writing this book a decade before the pandemic, so had not witnessed modern global society making massive structural changes virtually overnight. But since I have, I have to roll my eyes at anyone who half-heartedly suggests a social change only to dismiss it in the same breath as impossible. Well of course it’s impossible if that’s all the enthusiasm you can muster! A few people who kinda care a little do not world-historical changes make.
The second and largest strand is a history of the Sabbath, which is full of fascinating historical facts. For instance: did you know that Sabbatarian can mean either “Christian who believes in a very strict Sunday Sabbath,” or “Christian who practices the Saturday Sabbath and maybe also takes on other Jewish practices and eventually becomes Jewish in all but name because for centuries it was illegal in many European countries for Christians to convert to Judaism”? I love it. I hate it. Why can a word mean two things that are not exactly opposites but nonetheless completely different?
The third strand features Shulevitz’s musings on the potential for the idea of the Sabbath to help cure modern society’s diseased relationship with time, which is the weakest part of the book. The problem is that Shulevitz is attracted to the Sabbath, but also exhausted at the very idea of keeping it properly, which is a dynamic that could create an interesting dialectic but mostly dissolves into wishy-washiness.
Now, to be fair, I also find the Sabbath intriguing but quail at the idea of doing it properly. NO Starbucks? Well, you see, the Starbucks workers ALSO need a day of rest. Granted, but: NO STARBUCKS?? So I can’t blame Shulevitz for also being of two minds. But it seems like something of a cop-out to say, “The Sabbath is enticing! But scary! And probably impossible in the modern global context anyway, so we don’t need to take the idea really seriously. But maybe just meditating on the idea of it will help heal our relationship with time?”
Again being fair, Shulevitz had the great handicap of writing this book a decade before the pandemic, so had not witnessed modern global society making massive structural changes virtually overnight. But since I have, I have to roll my eyes at anyone who half-heartedly suggests a social change only to dismiss it in the same breath as impossible. Well of course it’s impossible if that’s all the enthusiasm you can muster! A few people who kinda care a little do not world-historical changes make.
Sunflower Auction
19 Aug 2025 07:52 amspikedluvBidding at sunflower_auction, to benefit Ukraine, is open!
My offer is HERE.
(There are only 10 offers, so it's very easy to scroll down to see them. Some are offering fic, and some art. Please go check them out!)
sunflower_auction, to benefit Ukraine, is open!My offer is HERE.
(There are only 10 offers, so it's very easy to scroll down to see them. Some are offering fic, and some art. Please go check them out!)
New icons for you.
19 Aug 2025 01:21 pmyellowrosessVampire Diaries cast
Taylor Swift
Gigi Hadid
Elsa Hosk
Cats and books
Coffee/matcha
I had time today for some new icons. I hope you like these. I think they turned out great. Enjoy if taking!
credit yellowrosess if taking
( Read more... )
Taylor Swift
Gigi Hadid
Elsa Hosk
Cats and books
Coffee/matcha
I had time today for some new icons. I hope you like these. I think they turned out great. Enjoy if taking!
credit yellowrosess if taking
( Read more... )
The Day in Spikedluv (Monday, Aug 18)
19 Aug 2025 07:21 amspikedluvI hit Walmart and the Dollar Tree while I was downtown. (I also stopped in at the Shoe Department to see if sneaker companies had magically started making women’s 10 1/2 or non-ugly men’s sneakers. They had not.) (Later on I stopped at Sunnycrest to see if they had the beef sticks Pip likes; they did not.)
I did two loads of laundry (including bed sheets, so also stripped and re-made the bed; both loads got washed, dried AND folded), hand-washed dishes and emptied the dishwasher, took the dogs for a couple walks, cut up chicken for the dogs' meals, scooped kitty litter, and shaved.
I read more Hapshetsut and watched some HGTV programs.
Temps started out at 48.6(F) and reached 73.2. It was sunny with a light breeze, which was perfect. Needless to say, I did not wear the shorts and tank top I had laid out last night. This morning definitely called for capris and a t-shirt. And a sweatshirt, natch.
Since the high for today was only supposed to be 70, I turned off the AC (we only have one in the bedroom) and opened windows to get some of that cooler air inside the house in the morning. Hopefully we won’t have to turn the AC back on for a while. That would be nice. While I appreciate the cold temps the AC provides when it’s 90+ out, I really do prefer a nice fresh breeze if I can get one.
Mom Update:
Mom was not doing great. ( more back here )
I did two loads of laundry (including bed sheets, so also stripped and re-made the bed; both loads got washed, dried AND folded), hand-washed dishes and emptied the dishwasher, took the dogs for a couple walks, cut up chicken for the dogs' meals, scooped kitty litter, and shaved.
I read more Hapshetsut and watched some HGTV programs.
Temps started out at 48.6(F) and reached 73.2. It was sunny with a light breeze, which was perfect. Needless to say, I did not wear the shorts and tank top I had laid out last night. This morning definitely called for capris and a t-shirt. And a sweatshirt, natch.
Since the high for today was only supposed to be 70, I turned off the AC (we only have one in the bedroom) and opened windows to get some of that cooler air inside the house in the morning. Hopefully we won’t have to turn the AC back on for a while. That would be nice. While I appreciate the cold temps the AC provides when it’s 90+ out, I really do prefer a nice fresh breeze if I can get one.
Mom Update:
Mom was not doing great. ( more back here )
Just one thing: 19 August 2025
19 Aug 2025 06:07 amjazzyjj posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
awesomeersIt's challenge time!
Comment with Just One Thing you've accomplished in the last 24 hours or so. It doesn't have to be a hard thing, or even a thing that you think is particularly awesome. Just a thing that you did.
Feel free to share more than one thing if you're feeling particularly accomplished!
Extra credit: find someone in the comments and give them props for what they achieved!
Nothing is too big, too small, too strange or too cryptic. And in case you'd rather do this in private, anonymous comments are screened. I will only unscreen if you ask me to.
Go!
Comment with Just One Thing you've accomplished in the last 24 hours or so. It doesn't have to be a hard thing, or even a thing that you think is particularly awesome. Just a thing that you did.
Feel free to share more than one thing if you're feeling particularly accomplished!
Extra credit: find someone in the comments and give them props for what they achieved!
Nothing is too big, too small, too strange or too cryptic. And in case you'd rather do this in private, anonymous comments are screened. I will only unscreen if you ask me to.
Go!
Preparing for hurricane season
19 Aug 2025 06:40 amphys_environment_feedForecasters say it will bypass a direct hit on the continental U.S., but the first hurricane of 2025—Erin—is a strong reminder to have an emergency plan and know what to do if severe weather strikes.
Could soybeans be the key to fighting fires safely?
19 Aug 2025 06:38 amphys_environment_feedFor years, Aqueous Film-Forming Foam (AFFF) has been the gold standard for suppressing and extinguishing petroleum-based fires.
Fitocracy paces
19 Aug 2025 11:21 amjackIt works! I added a toggle to the running app I use Fitocracy to display paces instead of speeds.
The first time I've done anything on a regular android app, and the first time I've really edited an open source project.
Fitocracy was the only app that could show me current speed, average speed, and average speed for less than the whole run without unrealistic hoops. But i was annoyed the speeds were in speeds, not paces.
Hopefully that is just what I need myself. I will try to get it into the original project too as it seems like a worthwhile improvement.
The first time I've done anything on a regular android app, and the first time I've really edited an open source project.
Fitocracy was the only app that could show me current speed, average speed, and average speed for less than the whole run without unrealistic hoops. But i was annoyed the speeds were in speeds, not paces.
Hopefully that is just what I need myself. I will try to get it into the original project too as it seems like a worthwhile improvement.
Poem: "He Who Whispers"
19 Aug 2025 04:24 amysabetwordsmithThis is the freebie for the August 5, 2025 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired by a prompt from siliconshaman. It also fills the "He Who Whispers" square in my 8-1-25 card for the Crime Classics fest. This poem belongs to An Army of One series.
( Read more... )
siliconshaman. It also fills the "He Who Whispers" square in my 8-1-25 card for the Crime Classics fest. This poem belongs to An Army of One series.( Read more... )
hAPPy birthday!
19 Aug 2025 09:45 amphilomythaAt the last minute I signed up for the hAPPy birthday flash exchange, where we celebrate karanguni's fantastically useful exchange app by writing fic for people's past requests. And I have received two fantastic fics for past requests, one for a request made a long time ago that I instantly remembered and which reminded me all over again of why I love the fandom, and another for a more recent and very fun request. They are:
Reaper at the Festival, a lovely spooky DS9 Odo-centric Halloween story, and in plane sight, a triple drabble for the deeply ridiculous were-plane EvS plot bunny. Thank you to both anonymous authors!
karanguni's fantastically useful exchange app by writing fic for people's past requests. And I have received two fantastic fics for past requests, one for a request made a long time ago that I instantly remembered and which reminded me all over again of why I love the fandom, and another for a more recent and very fun request. They are: Reaper at the Festival, a lovely spooky DS9 Odo-centric Halloween story, and in plane sight, a triple drabble for the deeply ridiculous were-plane EvS plot bunny. Thank you to both anonymous authors!
Sunflower Auction: Open for bidding!
19 Aug 2025 07:36 amvriddyBidding on the sunflower_auction benefitting Ukraine started. It will end on September 15th.
This year, I'm offering written works for Boku no Hero Academia, Wind Breaker and Original Work. You can have a look at my offer post for more information as well as details on how to bid.
sunflower_auction benefitting Ukraine started. It will end on September 15th.This year, I'm offering written works for Boku no Hero Academia, Wind Breaker and Original Work. You can have a look at my offer post for more information as well as details on how to bid.
Hawaii's Kilauea volcano is on the verge of erupting again
19 Aug 2025 02:10 amphys_environment_feedLava shoots high into the sky. Molten rock erupts from two vents simultaneously. The nighttime sky glows red and orange, reflecting the lava oozing across a summit crater.
Daily Happiness
18 Aug 2025 09:18 pmtorachan1. The area manager who has been out on maternity leave for three months is back to work today. I'm glad to have her back, but wow there was a lot to catch her up on while she's been gone. I feel like I did so much talking today lol.
2. Tomorrow I have a meeting in the afternoon, but can have a leisurely morning, which I am looking forward to, as today was spent almost entirely with the aforementioned catching up and then an afternoon meeting, and I got home lateish and didn't really have much time to do other stuff, either work or personal.
3. Tuxie loves curling up under these plants.
2. Tomorrow I have a meeting in the afternoon, but can have a leisurely morning, which I am looking forward to, as today was spent almost entirely with the aforementioned catching up and then an afternoon meeting, and I got home lateish and didn't really have much time to do other stuff, either work or personal.
3. Tuxie loves curling up under these plants.
[art] Susato/Rei cheek kiss
18 Aug 2025 11:06 pmquailfenceMade for Axolotl_Supremacy as part of the 2025 round of
battleshipex . Points for boss: 500 for first char + 500 for second char + 250*2 for both colored = 1500 points. Originally posted 17 Jul 2025
Image description: colored pencil and artist’s pastel drawing of Susato and Rei, done in a simplified, cartoony style. Susato is dressed as Ryutaro. Her hands are clasped behind her and she is kissing Rei on the side of her head. Rei is smiling with her eyes closed. There is a red heart above them
Ghana's war on illegal mining has failed—we set out to find out why
18 Aug 2025 11:50 pmphys_environment_feedEarly in his eight-year tenure, in 2017, then Ghanaian president Nana Akufo-Addo declared a moratorium on all small-scale gold mining. He established an inter-ministerial committee on illegal mining and a joint military-police taskforce—Operation Vanguard—to enforce the ban.
2025 OTW Election Results
19 Aug 2025 01:48 amao3_news_feed
The Elections Committee would like to thank all of our candidates for their hard work in this year's election. We would also like to thank our departing Board Directors, Jennifer Haynes and Zixin Zhang, for all their work during their Board terms. With that, we are pleased to present the results of the 2025 Election.
The following candidates (in alphabetical order) have been officially elected to the Board of Directors:
- Elizabeth Wiltshire
- Harlan Lieberman-Berg
The new members of the Board will formally begin their term overlap on October 1. We wish them well with their terms.
With that, the election season comes to a close. Thank you to everyone who got involved by spreading the word, asking the candidates questions, and, of course, voting! We look forward to seeing all of you again next year.
The Organization for Transformative Works is the non-profit parent organization of multiple projects including Archive of Our Own, Fanlore, Open Doors, Transformative Works and Cultures, and OTW Legal Advocacy. We are a fan-run, entirely donor-supported organization staffed by volunteers. Find out more about us on our website.
Time is racing
18 Aug 2025 09:48 pmcornerofmadnessI can't believe I'm leaving in 2 days. Faculty meeting Friday, class on monday. I have a ton of students this semester and almost a full year's worth of credit hours which is SO much work.
But that racing time spun my head today. I was talking about retirement a few days ago and people asked me when? If I wanted to go early, 4 years (I wouldn't) If I wanted to go at 67, nine years. But the reality is I probably can't retire until my 70s if at all.
So today I saw someone I went to med school with posting her retirement party and it brought up all that grief again, because grief is tidal. Today was a tsunami. Most of my medical school friends are retiring. Comfortably. Me, because of the bad bounce my life took, am saddled by more than half a million dollars in student debt (still), have not nearly enough for retirement, could barely afford rent let alone a house. Then you look who you graduated with having everything I should have had and it gets hard. Sigh.
But in happier veins, it's music Monday. Feel free to share with us. We're doing the alphabet and we're up to U and V, since they're hard letters. I'm only sharing the last 5 years but you can share whatever U and V songs you'd like.
( I do however have some )
But that racing time spun my head today. I was talking about retirement a few days ago and people asked me when? If I wanted to go early, 4 years (I wouldn't) If I wanted to go at 67, nine years. But the reality is I probably can't retire until my 70s if at all.
So today I saw someone I went to med school with posting her retirement party and it brought up all that grief again, because grief is tidal. Today was a tsunami. Most of my medical school friends are retiring. Comfortably. Me, because of the bad bounce my life took, am saddled by more than half a million dollars in student debt (still), have not nearly enough for retirement, could barely afford rent let alone a house. Then you look who you graduated with having everything I should have had and it gets hard. Sigh.
But in happier veins, it's music Monday. Feel free to share with us. We're doing the alphabet and we're up to U and V, since they're hard letters. I'm only sharing the last 5 years but you can share whatever U and V songs you'd like.
( I do however have some )
Media Post
18 Aug 2025 08:51 pminchoatewordsIt's been a bit since I did one of these.
Movies: None.
Television/Streaming: watched a couple of episodes of Farscape. "DNA Mad Scientist," the one where the scientist promises charts so that the Moyan crew can get home, but then he takes Pilot's arm for payment and turns Aeryn into that Pilot hybrid; "They've Got a Secret," where D'Argo gets sucked out into space and that screws with his memories for a bit and he thinks he's seeing his wife and son; "Til the Blood Runs Clear," where Crichton creates the wormhole and gets his little transport fixed, while the blood trackers are looking for Zhaan and D'Argo; "Rhapsody in Blue," where Zhaan is asked to help her fellow Delvians but it turns bad; "The Flax," where Crichton and Aeryn get stuck in "the flax" and nearly die, while D'Argo needs to decide whether to save them or get the information that might help him find his son; and "Durka Returns," where Rygel's worst fear has come true - Durka isn't actually dead, but was taken by a different race of aliens who brainwashed him.
Scott recommended we skip an episode in there, "Jeremiah Crichton," as he said it was a pretty weak episode in his opinion and the events in the episode never get brought up again, so he felt I wouldn't miss much. Overall, I really enjoy Farscape a lot and am glad I decided to watch it.
I've kind of fallen off Buffy. I will pick it back up again soon.
Books: I finished Algospeak; I thought it was a decent primer on the evolution of language, helped along at the present moment by social media and the internet more broadly. Languages changed over time way before the internet age, obviously, but with the rise of social media and global reach, the changes have become more rapid. This book was just published this year, so a lot of the slang examples discussed are very "of the moment," but the idea behind all of it is the same.
I also finished Nexus, which is the third installment of Henry Miller's Rosy Crucifixion trilogy. This was also the one that I liked the best, as Miller talks more about writing in this one. The process of it, the desire to do so, the impediments that get in the way. So much is still relatable.
I'm currently reading The Shores of Light: a Literary Chronicle of the Twenties and Thirties by Edmund Wilson. Wilson was a literary critic and knew many of the leading lights of his day. He wrote for the New Republic, Vanity Fair, and a few other well-known magazines. This book is mostly his articles that he wrote for publication during the 1920-30s. It's interesting to see who was popular at the time, and whether they still endure today as prominent figures in literature (Hemingway, Fitzgerald, Millay), or have faded into the past (some of Thornton Wilder's work, Samuel Butler, etc). It has made me want to pick up some of these authors he gives good reviews to and no one really talks about anymore (like Dos Passos).
Video Games: I've been playing Zero Time Dilemma, the final installment of the Zero Escape game series. These games are escape room/puzzles mixed with visual novel, and sometimes I get annoyed with the puzzles (much like real life escape game, heh), but I do enjoy these. I saw a list of some other games that folks recommend if you like this that I will check out when I'm done with this one, but I have quite a bit of the story arc to go through on this one.
Movies: None.
Television/Streaming: watched a couple of episodes of Farscape. "DNA Mad Scientist," the one where the scientist promises charts so that the Moyan crew can get home, but then he takes Pilot's arm for payment and turns Aeryn into that Pilot hybrid; "They've Got a Secret," where D'Argo gets sucked out into space and that screws with his memories for a bit and he thinks he's seeing his wife and son; "Til the Blood Runs Clear," where Crichton creates the wormhole and gets his little transport fixed, while the blood trackers are looking for Zhaan and D'Argo; "Rhapsody in Blue," where Zhaan is asked to help her fellow Delvians but it turns bad; "The Flax," where Crichton and Aeryn get stuck in "the flax" and nearly die, while D'Argo needs to decide whether to save them or get the information that might help him find his son; and "Durka Returns," where Rygel's worst fear has come true - Durka isn't actually dead, but was taken by a different race of aliens who brainwashed him.
Scott recommended we skip an episode in there, "Jeremiah Crichton," as he said it was a pretty weak episode in his opinion and the events in the episode never get brought up again, so he felt I wouldn't miss much. Overall, I really enjoy Farscape a lot and am glad I decided to watch it.
I've kind of fallen off Buffy. I will pick it back up again soon.
Books: I finished Algospeak; I thought it was a decent primer on the evolution of language, helped along at the present moment by social media and the internet more broadly. Languages changed over time way before the internet age, obviously, but with the rise of social media and global reach, the changes have become more rapid. This book was just published this year, so a lot of the slang examples discussed are very "of the moment," but the idea behind all of it is the same.
I also finished Nexus, which is the third installment of Henry Miller's Rosy Crucifixion trilogy. This was also the one that I liked the best, as Miller talks more about writing in this one. The process of it, the desire to do so, the impediments that get in the way. So much is still relatable.
I'm currently reading The Shores of Light: a Literary Chronicle of the Twenties and Thirties by Edmund Wilson. Wilson was a literary critic and knew many of the leading lights of his day. He wrote for the New Republic, Vanity Fair, and a few other well-known magazines. This book is mostly his articles that he wrote for publication during the 1920-30s. It's interesting to see who was popular at the time, and whether they still endure today as prominent figures in literature (Hemingway, Fitzgerald, Millay), or have faded into the past (some of Thornton Wilder's work, Samuel Butler, etc). It has made me want to pick up some of these authors he gives good reviews to and no one really talks about anymore (like Dos Passos).
Video Games: I've been playing Zero Time Dilemma, the final installment of the Zero Escape game series. These games are escape room/puzzles mixed with visual novel, and sometimes I get annoyed with the puzzles (much like real life escape game, heh), but I do enjoy these. I saw a list of some other games that folks recommend if you like this that I will check out when I'm done with this one, but I have quite a bit of the story arc to go through on this one.
phys_environment_feedAs wildfire crews battled the Dragon Bravo Fire on the Grand Canyon's North Rim in July 2025, the air turned toxic.
Due South Geography Questions
18 Aug 2025 09:02 pmdewlineDoes anyone in the fandom hereabouts remember the address of Fraser's first apartment building, as well as the general neighbourhood of same?
I'm thinking this is a thing that must be added to The Atlas of Imagined Cities, and it didn't get included in the Chicago section.
I'm thinking this is a thing that must be added to The Atlas of Imagined Cities, and it didn't get included in the Chicago section.
Earthquakes
18 Aug 2025 07:46 pmysabetwordsmithMyanmar’s massive quake hints at bigger earthquakes to come
The massive 2025 Myanmar earthquake revealed that strike slip faults can behave in surprising ways. Using satellite data, Caltech researchers found the Sagaing Fault ruptured more dramatically than expected, suggesting faults like the San Andreas could unleash even larger quakes than history shows.
Never assume that the worst thing you know about is the worst thing that can happen.
The massive 2025 Myanmar earthquake revealed that strike slip faults can behave in surprising ways. Using satellite data, Caltech researchers found the Sagaing Fault ruptured more dramatically than expected, suggesting faults like the San Andreas could unleash even larger quakes than history shows.
Never assume that the worst thing you know about is the worst thing that can happen.
Star Trek Mapping: Confirming a Binary?
18 Aug 2025 08:18 pmdewlineI'm wondering about two stars, WT 767 and 768, both in Indus (I believe, after checking Gaia Sky), and it looks to me as if they're barely a light-year from each other. If I'm correct, they might be a candidate as "host" stars for Sullivan's Planet from "The Sehlat Who Ate Its Tail".
In which case, maybe HD 205156 can serve as "Helicon"?
I'm also asking my WT 767+768 question on the Celestia Discord server.
In which case, maybe HD 205156 can serve as "Helicon"?
I'm also asking my WT 767+768 question on the Celestia Discord server.
Daily Check-in
18 Aug 2025 06:21 pmstarwatcher posting in fandom_checkinThis is your check-in post for today. The poll will be open from midnight Universal or Zulu Time (8pm Eastern Time) on Monday, June August 18, to midnight on Tuesday, August 19. (8pm Eastern Time).
Poll #33507 Daily Check-in
Open to: Access List, detailed results viewable to: Access List, participants: 21
How are you doing?
I am OK.
13 (65.0%)
I am not OK, but don't need help right now.
7 (35.0%)
I could use some help.
0 (0.0%)
How many other humans live with you?
I am living single.
9 (42.9%)
One other person.
11 (52.4%)
More than one other person.
1 (4.8%)
Please, talk about how things are going for you in the comments, ask for advice or help if you need it, or just discuss whatever you feel like.
Lake Lewisia #1292
18 Aug 2025 04:54 pmscrubjayspeaksThe Roving Spindle, a modified camper van on the outside and a spinning, weaving, tailoring workshop on the inside, is passing through Lewisia. If you have longed for a dress spun from actual starlight or a suit of living flowers, the duo of spinsters can create it, all with the convenience of a house call. Unlike many in the business, they have no interest in firstborn children or ransomed kingdoms, though they may require questing for certain raw materials.
---
LL#1292
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LL#1292
2025 bidding is open!
19 Aug 2025 01:51 amsunflower_auctionYou can browse offers via the tags in this journal.
If you notice any mistakes (broken links, mistagged entry, etc), please let us now.
Please keep in mind the following:
* This auction has run before. Make sure you bid on a 2025 offer.
* Currency: This auction is in Euros! If you need to convert Euros to your currency to get an estimate of your bid, you can use a converter.
* For any questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to contact us on Dreamwidth or email us at sunflower.auction@gmail.com
Email addresses are hidden. After bidding, it's recommended to make note of which row/timestamp your bid is on the high bid sheet for your reference.
If you notice any mistakes (broken links, mistagged entry, etc), please let us now.
Please keep in mind the following:
* This auction has run before. Make sure you bid on a 2025 offer.
* Currency: This auction is in Euros! If you need to convert Euros to your currency to get an estimate of your bid, you can use a converter.
* For any questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to contact us on Dreamwidth or email us at sunflower.auction@gmail.com
Email addresses are hidden. After bidding, it's recommended to make note of which row/timestamp your bid is on the high bid sheet for your reference.
Book review: "Welcome to Night Vale"
18 Aug 2025 04:10 pmrocky41_7 posting in booknookTitle: Welcome to Night Vale: A Novel
Authors: Jeffrey Cranor, Joseph Fink
Genre: Fantasy, surrealist/absurdist
Authors: Jeffrey Cranor, Joseph Fink
Genre: Fantasy, surrealist/absurdist
Now that I don’t have a commute, I really had to create time to finish my latest audiobook, but it was worth it. Today I finished Welcome to Night Vale: A Novel, the first book put out by the team behind the Welcome to Night Vale fiction podcast and set in the same universe (as is likely apparent by the title). This book was written by Jeffrey Cranor and Joseph Fink.
First, I don’t believe you need familiarity with the podcast to enjoy the novel. Nor do you need to read the novel if you’re a podcast listener; it builds on what listeners may know, but also centers incredibly peripheral characters from the show (local PTA mom Diane Crayton and pawn shop owner Jackie Fierro), so if you’re a podcast only fan, you’re not missing any crucial story information by forgoing the book. If you’re not a listener of the podcast, I think as long as you go in understanding that the core of Night Vale is the absurd and the surreal, you’ll be okay.
This was a fun book! I was curious to see how the Night Vale Presents team would manage a longform story in the world of Night Vale (podcast episodes are about 25 minutes and almost always self-contained), and I think they did a solid job! The book can be a bit slow, especially in the beginning; the drip of information it feeds you about the mysteries at the center of the story is indeed a drip. But it wasn’t so slow I found it tiresome, and the typical Night Vale weirdness and eccentricity kept me listening even where I wasn’t sure where this story was going (if anywhere).