bientot

Today is cloudy and cold. At least the howling wind stopped.

I fed the birds. I've seen a few sparrows and house finches.

I put out water for the birds.

Many of the plants that were sprouting have died from the hard freeze. :/ Some still look fine though. At least some of the sprouts in my jug and tub greenhouses have survived.

EDIT 3/17/26 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

EDIT 3/17/26 -- I did more work around the patio.

I've seen a large flock of sparrows and two male cardinals.

EDIT 3/17/26 -- I did more work around the patio.

I am done for the night.

Current Mood: busy

oursin

Am still being harried by spam from those dodgy-sounding conferences of very little relevance to my actual interests, happening in v attractive places:

International Conference on Time Series and Forecasting (ITISE 2026) (wot is this even), Gran Canaria (Spain).

6th Current Issues in Business and Economic Studies (CIBES) Conference at the University of Valencia.

13th International Congress of Gynaecology and Obstetrics (okay, is brushing somewhere in the region of Stuff I Have Worked On?) in Kyoto.

But really, YOY?

A new twist on this has appeared via my shiny new academic email address: really weird journals giving themselves out as academic that sound totally synthetic -

Journal of High Speed Networks (not as far as I can see associated with even one of the less esteemed academic journal publishers):

a forum in which researchers from academia and industry can address a wide range of topics related to high performance networking and communication and report findings on concepts; state of the art, emerging standards and technologies; implementations; running experiments; applications; and industrial case studies. Coverage can range from design to practical experiences with operational high performance/speed networks including communication network architectures; evolutionary networking protocols, services, and architectures; and network security.

Is this actually edited by a chatbot?

As, I suspect, is this one:

Invitation to Join Mesopotamian Journal of AI in Healthcare (MJAIH) Editorial Board. - there is in fact a website for the Mesopotamian Academic Press (I see they also publish Babylonian Journals of this and that.

Even without the complete mismatch to my actual realms of expertise here I am sceptical about this enterprise.

conuly posting in

agonyaunt

DEAR HARRIETTE: I've recently gone sober for health reasons, and it wasn't an easy decision, especially because my social life has always involved going out for drinks, celebrating with cocktails and bonding over happy hour. When my friends and I went out last weekend, they were pressuring me to drink. I ordered a mocktail, and almost immediately, my friends started to laugh and said that it would be fine to just have one drink. This surprised me because I never thought that my friends would try to force me to do something that would actively have a negative effect on my health. It made me feel unsupported and, frankly, disrespected. At the same time, I don't want to lose my friendships or isolate myself socially just because I'm choosing not to drink. Now I'm anxious about future outings. I don't want every dinner or celebration to turn into a debate about my personal choices. How should I talk to my friends about setting boundaries without making things awkward? -- Sober

( Read more... )

goodbyebird

+ Dune Messiah traile dropped! I treated myself to one peek and one peek only. But I am vibrating.

Watch on YouTube

+ The mountain in the middle of town is ah. On fire. 240 evacuated so far, including two of my friends and two of my friends' parents. Real windy outside. Not a good time.

Current Location: an increasingly dense smoke

cyberghostface posting in

scans_daily

( You're about to view content that the poster has marked as potentially inappropriate for anyone under the age of 18. )

runpunkrun

Sequel to Spin State, and, yes, you have to read that one first. Really solid hard science-fiction where the science is artificial intelligence (real AI, not fucking Claude), cloning, ecological collapse, complex adaptive systems and complexity theory, and I took the last two straight out of the "Further Reading" section at the end (yes there's homework) because hell if I know, even though Moriarty definitely expected me to know and says as much. The closest I can get to guessing what that field is about (without Further Reading) is E.O. Wilson and his ants, which are also here.

The fiction is set far in the future in a universe where the Earth is suffering from global climate catastrophe and the vast majority of people live in orbital stations or on terraformed planets. This includes huge hives of genetically engineered corporate clones, who are no longer considered human, and transhumans who have been technologically advanced to the point where they're not considered entirely human either. The only humans allowed to live on Earth are natural ones with hereditary exceptions, which, practically, seems to mainly mean indigenous groups, whatever's left of the United States after it broke with the U.N., and people with religious wars to fight. Half of the action is set in the middle of the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine.

So you can see how this book might be a bit too real at this stage of the horrors.

Unfortunately for both of us, due to my state of mind—and the state of the world—I couldn't concentrate on any of it. I could only read it sporadically and had trouble remembering all the spy intrigue (of which there's a lot) and who was on what side, but I'm sure it was great and tense and full of unexpected betrayals (iguess.jpg). However, I can say that even after days away from it, I could pick it up and just start reading because it's very well written and the (main) characters are all memorable and interesting.

If any of this sounds like your jam, read the first book (that one is about mining, Bose–Einstein condensates, corporate espionage, and AI), pick up this one, and then probably read the third in the trilogy, Ghost Spin. I'll pick it up one day, but probably not today, and probably not tomorrow, on account of my poor brains.

Contains: global climate disaster; Israel/Palestine; torture and interrogation; widespread infertility; unplanned pregnancy; amputation; slaughter of chickens for food; and an extended shoutout to Ender's Game.

rekishi

( You're about to view content that the journal owner has advised should be viewed with discretion. )

offcntr

Got back from supper last night--Rocky Rococo pan pizza, a hometown favorite--to find an email from the airline. My 5:30 am flight was canceled. They'd automatically rebooked me to 5:50 pm. On Wednesday.

Not happy with the idea of paying another day's rental car and motel, I went online to see if I could do any better. Found one seat left for a 5:50 flight tonight for $580, snapped it up, then canceled the Wednesday flight (for which I'm only getting $180 back. But at least it's a refund, not a travel voucher). Had to wait until this morning at the airport to check my bag and get a seat assignment, but considering what a mess things were--no flights in yesterday, hence no planes this morning, and a whole day's broken bookings to reschedule--I got off pretty easy.

They've been announcing all flights full, please check your carry-on, there won't be enough room, and a morning flight to Phoenix was oversold, they were offering $2500 to take the bump.

Sadly, I'm flying through Denver.

Just had a brat and chips for lunch. Four hours until my flight begins boarding.

olivermoss

Rivalry Hub is an archive of Hudson and Connor's interviews, photoshoots, etc. It is also a ye olde single purpose fannish website! Anyway, they have done a LOT of media and now you can browse/search it.

conuly posting in

agonyaunt

Dear Eric: My husband and his ex-wife have 50/50 custody of their 15-year-old son. I despise this child. He is completely useless, rude, disrespectful, selfish, ungrateful and lazy. All he does is stare at his computer screen. I have carefully planned my entire life schedule around his schedule, to avoid being at the house on the days he is there for my husband's 50 percent custody.

My husband has just told me that his ex-wife is moving to another state far away and that he is going to take full custody of his son. This means the child I despise so much is now going to be living with me at my house full time, every single day, and there's nothing I can do about it. My husband refuses to let his son move away with his ex. How do I manage this?

– Fed Up

( Read more... )

ysabetwordsmith

The Poetry Fishbowl is now CLOSED. Thank you for your time and attention. Please keep an eye on this page as I am still writing.

Starting now, the Poetry Fishbowl is open! Today's theme is "anything goes." I will be checking this page periodically throughout the day. When people make suggestions, I'll pick some and weave them together into a poem ... and then another ... and so on. I'm hoping to get a lot of ideas and a lot of poems.

Stuck for ideas? You can find prompts by ...
* browsing planned poems for Aquariana and the Maldives, The Big One, Broken Angels, Calliope and Vagary, Officer Pink and Turq, Pips and Joshua, or Shiv. (Some of these I've already done, so they're not all up to date, but others I haven't done yet.)
* browsing my Serial Poetry page for favorite threads or characters.
* browsing series with recently created landing pages: Artists of Destruction, Coracle Shores, Crystal Wood, Strike of the Thunderbirds, The Wandering (on the Serial Poetry page), Iron Horses, Peculiar Obligations, Not Quite Kansas.
* browsing my QUILTBAG list, Romantic Orientations in My Characters, Sexual Orientations in My Characters, Gender Identities in My Characters, or My Characters with Disabilities for favorites.
* naming a poetic form you'd like to see written.
* picking a prompt from my current bingo cards: National Crafting Month Bingo 3-1-26
* picking some from the Bingo Generator prompt lists.
* looking up fun tropes on Fanlore.
* choosing an unusual word.
* plugging a favorite topic into your search engine and choosing a picture that looks interesting.
* anything short. I could especially use short poems today as other prompts are likely to run long.
* standalone ideas, if you're a fan of that rather than series.

What Is a Poetry Fishbowl?

Writing is usually considered a solitary pursuit. One exception to this is a fascinating exercise called a "fishbowl." This has various forms, but all of them basically involve some kind of writing in public, usually with interaction between author and audience. A famous example is Harlan Ellison's series of "stories under glass" in which he sits in a bookstore window and writes a new story based on an idea that someone gives him. Writing classes sometimes include a version where students watch each other write, often with students calling out suggestions which are chalked up on the blackboard for those writing to use as inspiration.

In this online version of a Poetry Fishbowl, I begin by setting a theme; today's theme is "anything goes." I invite people to suggest characters, settings, and other things of any type. Then I use those prompts as inspiration for writing poems.

( New to the fishbowl? Read all about it! )

Current Mood: busy

olivermoss

Now that the Parallel Worlds bookstore has a larger space and can host events, they asked the community what they wanted. One big as was writing nights, and I think we mostly meant write ins? But what they did was a writing seminar type thing. They brought in some authors who are trying to get established in the self pub world to talk at us. It was okay. I'd go again just because I know some people there, but I am really not interested in hear people re-hash Save The Cat Writes a Novel at me, a writing book that I deeeeeeply disagree with.

But, there is another reason I am glad I went! After, some of us went over to a bar and chatted over beer. Two of the authors were on panels at the final year of Orycon and I got some info on how that went. They were on a women writer's panel, and the male moderator talked over them the whole time and they never spoke. They were completely weirded out by the culture there, how they were treated, etc. The third author had attended, but was not on the Orycon panel. He also talked about how terrible the culture was there. It was really interesting to hear from people who only caught the tag end of things. And, honestly, validating. Trying to find geek/queer community I spent way too much time in some shitty spaces and still feel like the problem was me. Well, the problem was me. I kept trying to find spaces to be and couldn't, so I kept going back to places like Ory because that's where people with my hobbies went. Anyway, not going to navel gaze about that. It was just validating to see people shaking their heads and fumbling for words to even talk about what it was like trying to be there for a weekend to promote their books.

cyberghostface posting in

scans_daily

( You're about to view content that the poster has marked as potentially inappropriate for anyone under the age of 18. )

yourlibrarian posting in

tv_talk

Laptop-TV combo with DVDs on top and smartphone on the desk

Given this has been awards show season, have you ever attended a TV watch party? And if not, would you like to? Take the poll and tell us more in comments!

Poll #34379 Watch Party

This poll is anonymous.
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 27

Have you ever gotten together with people outside your household to watch something on TV?

View Answers

Yes
19 (73.1%)

No
7 (26.9%)

What sort of viewing was it?

View Answers

Awards show
2 (10.5%)

Sports
4 (21.1%)

Special event
3 (15.8%)

TV series (any kind)
17 (89.5%)

Movie
10 (52.6%)

Gaming related
1 (5.3%)

Weekly watch party
3 (15.8%)

Other
0 (0.0%)

Have you ever done a group viewing regularly?

View Answers

No
14 (51.9%)

Yes, for some things but not others
5 (18.5%)

Yes, as part of events
0 (0.0%)

Yes, as an activity with friends
10 (37.0%)

What's your favorite thing to watch with a group?

View Answers

Start of a TV show season
2 (10.5%)

A weekly watch of a show
10 (52.6%)

Debut of a new show
1 (5.3%)

Special TV event
4 (21.1%)

Something I have a bet on/gambling pool
0 (0.0%)

TV show rewatch
12 (63.2%)

Something we can play along with
1 (5.3%)

Other
2 (10.5%)

runpunkrun posting in

fancake

April will be a Flashback round where we revisit a classic theme from the early years of the comm.

Poll #34378 round 185 theme poll

Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: Just the Poll Creator, participants: 94

Pick the next theme of fancake:

Arranged Marriage
47 (50.0%)

Forced Proximity
22 (23.4%)

Threesome
25 (26.6%)

conuly

Them: Go look at any official communication from a company. Have you ever received a ConEd bill that says, “Ya should of paid ya bill on time, now we gonna haveta cut off ya powa”? Of course not. Why? Because that is not standard English, and it would reflect poorly on the company.

Me: I take it you've never called ConEd on the phone in NYC? Because, whew, that'd disabuse you of this fiction pretty quick. Them and National Grid, wow. And I'm not even talking about their representatives, I'm talking about their recordings! Never heard such a thick NYC accent in my life, and I grew up here!

mxcatmoon

Title: Redemption by Grace

Fandom: Miami Vice

Author: Cat Moon

Rating: PG-13

Words: 1729

Characters/Pairing: Sonny/Rico (friendship or more, open to interpretation)

Summary: Sonny returns from his fishing trip with his son to discover that in his absence, his partner had been kidnapped, traumatized, and nearly killed by an ex-con turned vigilante that Rico had put behind bars. He now has to come to terms with it and hopefully help Rico do the same.

Notes: There, fixed it…. It being the episode “The Cell Within,” where Rico is kidnapped by an ex-con who’s decided to play judge, jury, and executioner for other criminals. The thing that needed fixing was an OOC Sonny Crockett who showed almost zero concern that his partner was going to the house of a man Rico had put into prison and who’d threatened to kill him. This was not our overprotective Sonny and needed explaining.

Song: All That Matters, by Richie Sambora

( Redemption by Grace )

Current Mood: pleased

autobotscoutriella posting in

common_nature

a Canada goose, sitting on grass, looking peeved

The geese have returned! This one was NOT happy to see me.

shipperslist

( You're about to view content that the journal owner has marked as possibly inappropriate for anyone under the age of 18. )

conuly

"My name is Ozymandias, King of Things!
Look upon my Works, ye Mighty, and Repair!"
Everything inside remains. Round the tools
Of that colossal Bench, all arranged
The shiny level and sander are neatly put away.

This is the best comment in that thread, nothing will top it.

"The best have strong convictions, while the worst / Are full of resignation and are sad.
[...]
And if a lion slouches toward Bethlehem, / That's 'cause it's native to the Levant."

Gosh, I wish.

*********************************

( Read more... )

Profile

bientot

March 2011

S	M	T	W	T	F	S
		1	2	3	4	5
6	7	8	9	10	11	12
13	14	15	16	17	18	19
20	21	22	23	24	25	26
27	28	29	30	31

Page Summary

Style Credit

Base style: Five AM by winterfish
Theme: Low Frequency by timeasmymeasure

Expand Cut Tags

No cut tags

Page generated Mar. 20th, 2026 11:05 pm

Sequitur-free zone since 1967

Network

Birdfeeding

Who DO they think I am?

(no subject)

I guess we uh, take the good with the bad.

Flow #2

Spin Control, by Chris Moriarty

(no subject)

Home stretch

(no subject)

(no subject)

Poetry Fishbowl Open!

(no subject)

The Walking Dead Deluxe #132

TV Tuesday: Bring the Snacks!

Round 185 Theme Poll

(no subject)

Miami Vice fic: Redemption by Grace

goose on the loose

The Unbalancing by R.B. Lemberg

(no subject)

Profile

March 2011

Most Popular Tags

Page Summary

Style Credit

Expand Cut Tags