A miscellanea

Mar. 16th, 2026 07:17 pm
oursin: Brush the Wandering Hedgehog by the fire (Default)
[personal profile] oursin

This is so much what I've been thinking about a different period that I'm writing about - that it's there, even though people are saying It's Ded, it's just not doing the flashy newsworthy visible stuff or the results are the things are are not, or no longer, happening: The one thing everyone gets wrong about feminism.

***

I am a great admirer of Professor Athene Donald's blog, and I like this recent post: Unintended Consequences - in particular perhaps this apercu:

Business gurus tend to talk about ‘being authentic’ as the right way to lead. But if you are a testy, over-bearing soul being authentic may be very destructive for those around you.

So much that.

***

This is another story about mobility in the world: Looted from a royal palace: The medieval jug now on display in London:

A large bronze medieval jug bearing the English royal coat of arms would be a rare find if dug up in England, but somehow it had ended up in West Africa, in modern-day Ghana, thanks to early trading routes between nations.
Dating from between 1340 and 1405, the jug is the largest surviving bronze ewer from medieval England. Decorated with an English inscription, royal heraldry and coat of arms, it was originally a luxury object — but its meaning changed dramatically as it moved across continents.

***

I've had to do with either this artefact or another very similar in my working days, I did not know about the biological contamination (we didn't know for quite some time about the radioactive notebooks, either): a parchment scroll designed to guard against the dangers of childbirth:

Until now, this scroll’s worn surface and suggestive staining constituted the main evidence for its use in childbirth. However, new research by Sarah Fiddyment, presented in the exhibition, reveals that human proteins found on the scroll’s surface indicate the presence of cervico-vaginal fluid. This is an important breakthrough in the burgeoning field of biocodicology, which seeks out the invisible traces left behind by users of manuscripts, as they held, rubbed or kissed a parchment.

(I hadn't heard that story about the dormouse, but wot she does not mention the Godalming rabbit lady?!).

***

You know, I would have sworn that back in my working days I came across something appertaining to this historic event: How smallpox claimed its final victim, but I'm unable to trace it.

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Day 21: Shadow Continues to Mellow

Mar. 16th, 2026 02:11 pm
jesse_the_k: harbor seal's head captioned "seal of approval" (Approval)
[personal profile] jesse_the_k

While he was quite surprised to walk out for his morning on-leash ablutions into heavy snow above his knees, he's really starting to relax.

This morning I reached down to stroke his back and he didn't flinch.

Just now I was resting on the floor by his bed, petting his back. I started to scritch the scruff of his neck, and he relaxed even more, his dark eyes shining up at MyGuy behind the camera. (I'm reclining on my tripled-up exercise pad just behind him, shockingly without glasses.)

( Read more... )

Only 28 days of enforced rest to go!

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Chat corner, informed

Mar. 16th, 2026 07:56 pm
annathecrow: screenshot from Star Wars: The Phantom Menace. A detail of the racing pod engines. (sw: pods)
[personal profile] annathecrow posting in [community profile] dreamwars

Hi,

this is your weekly Star Wars chat post. Do you have news? Or... olds? *sad trumpet*

~ ~ ~

Bad jokes aside, what's your relationship to SW-related news? As in, how do you find out that Disney is Doing Something Star Wars - a new book is coming out, a new movie/show is announced...? Do you actively follow some sources? Do you learn about it on social media, or from a more well-informed friend? Or maybe you don't hear about it at all?

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Releases 0.9.453 - 0.9.456: Change Log

Mar. 16th, 2026 05:13 pm
[syndicated profile] ao3_news_feed

https://archiveofourown.org/admin_posts/34526

We started the year with some major improvements to our bookmark search, making it possible to sort and filter bookmarks by word count, and deployed several batches of fixes to strengthen site security and improve performance. These release notes collect all changes made to AO3 in January.

Shoutout to first-time contributors Juliette Curran, KooShnoo, Mae Light, and sanchal ghosh! Thank you for your work.

Credits

  • Coders: Brian Austin, Cubostar, FlyingFalcon, irrationalpie, Juliette Curran, kiyazz, KooShnoo, Mae Light, sanchal ghosh, Sarken, Shakelush
  • Code reviewers: anmazz, Bilka, Brian Austin, james_, KooShnoo, lydia-theda, ömer faruk, Sarken
  • Testers: ana, Bilka, Brian Austin, choux, killiane, Lute, lydia-theda, marcus8448, ömer faruk, slavalamp, wichard, Yuca

Details

Release 0.9.453

On January 21, we deployed some major improvements to our bookmark search, including the ability to filter and sort bookmarks by word count!

  • [AO3-6301] - Series blurbs would list all fandom tags from the works included in that series, even if a work was still saved as an unpublished draft. Now series blurbs only display fandoms from posted works.
  • [AO3-6303] - Series blurbs would also always list fandoms from works that were restricted to logged-in users. We now make sure that if a fandom in a series comes from a restricted work, it's not listed when a guest is browsing series blurbs.
  • [AO3-6304] - Relatedly, series blurbs would always show up in bookmark listings for a certain tag even if that fandom's work in the series was restricted to logged-in users. That's also fixed now!
  • [AO3-6471] - We have added word count information to bookmarks! You can now search, filter, and sort bookmarks by the length of the bookmarked work or series. If a series contains restricted works and you're not logged in, a series' word count will reflect only the works that are accessible to you.
  • [AO3-7119] - We tweaked the way search queries work when searching bookmarks, so input is parsed more accurately and a "1k" and a "2k" tag won't be interpreted as the same tag anymore (for example).

Release 0.9.454

A small grab bag of fixes was released on January 26.

  • [AO3-7264] - We employ certain measures to prevent spam on AO3, such as limiting how many times an action can be performed by a user in a certain time frame. We have now added an option to restrict new accounts more severely than older accounts when it comes to leaving and editing comments.
  • [AO3-7238], [AO3-7262] - We added extra information to the details our spam-checking provider uses to determine if a comment is spam or not.
  • [AO3-7045], [AO3-7060], [AO3-7248] - Some database clean-up and dependency updates.

Release 0.9.455

On January 28, we deployed some of the necessary changes to enable two-step verification for AO3 admin accounts.

  • [AO3-6918] - These changes prepare the login interface for 2FA enforcement to ensure the greatest possible security for admin accounts.
  • [AO3-7249] - Site admins, such as members of the Policy and Abuse committee, frequently need to look up a user's past usernames and email addresses. To speed up searches while we work on long-term performance improvements, we moved this information to separate tables.

Release 0.9.456

A collection of navigation and display fixes was deployed on January 30.

https://archiveofourown.org/admin_posts/34526

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Down Detector -- the hot new social media site! ;)

Mar. 16th, 2026 01:43 pm
mxcatmoon: pink flying pig eating Fritos (Pig)
[personal profile] mxcatmoon
I have a confession:

I am very fond of Tumblr.

Hear me out. It's not quite like other social media platforms. It's got its own vibe and personality, a quirky one. It's like the home of the misfits.

Case on point: Tumblr is experiencing some issues currently. When AO3 is done, everyone flocks to Tumblr to cry about it. There's even a blog dedicated to the issue. Where do they go when Tumblr is down? Downdetector! Yes, they're using it as a social media site and flooding it with comments. People will hang out there until Tumblr is back up.

I'm not saying it's perfect. You must curate your dashboard carefully to avoid wank and drama. I'm not on any of the other sites so I can't tell you what X is like except what I've heard (and that's very bad). I can tell you I used to be on Facebook but couldn't take it anymore and left. For me, Tumblr is different. And from what I understand, it's not making a ton of money for anyone, so it's kinda forgotten these days and isn't considered one of the Big, Important Sites. That's a good thing, because the more popular something is these days, the worse it is. I think a lot of people there are the type who avoid sites like X

But don't tell anybody. Because we like that everyone has forgotten Tumblr exists.

😉
  • Current Mood: amused
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Bundle of Holding: Trail of Cthulhu MEGA

Mar. 16th, 2026 01:58 pm
james_davis_nicoll: (Default)
[personal profile] james_davis_nicoll


A monstrously large horde of rulebooks, supplements, and sourcebooks for Trail of Cthulhu, the tabletop roleplaying game of eldritch Cthulhu Mythos investigations using the GUMSHOE System from Pelgrane Press.

Bundle of Holding: Trail of Cthulhu MEGA
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Personal rules for setting choices for players

Mar. 16th, 2026 12:49 pm
ailelie: (Default)
[personal profile] ailelie
What I've been landing on is this: I provide a choice when at least one of the following is true:

1. The choice allows the player to be a specific type of MC (empathetic vs logical; subtle vs sensational; a little mean)
2. The choice affects mechanics (e.g., stat changes, stat tests)
3. The choice leads to significantly different text and non-essential knowledge (essential knowledge is always passed on, but may receive varying degrees of emphasis)
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Admin: Loss of a member

Mar. 16th, 2026 10:20 am
cereta: antique pen on paper (Anjesa-pen and paper)
[personal profile] cereta posting in [community profile] agonyaunt
As some of you already know, our wonderful [personal profile] minoanmiss left us on March 3rd. Her loved ones asked us not to make any public announcements for reasons involving her family of origin, but we've been given permission to announce to the community now.

Those here in [community profile] agonyaunt will remember her for her contributions from Ask A Manager, and her insightful comments on family, found family, and other topics. The wider fannish community will remember her for her amazing fiction and her art, particularly her drawings of Minoan culture. Others will remember her for her amazing fruitcake and other culinary adventures.

[personal profile] sabotabby created this lovely portrait. I think I will try to remember her this way.
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Buffy: New Sunnydale shelved by Hulu

Mar. 16th, 2026 07:57 am
brightknightie: Buffy and Willow sit on a bench outdoors at Sunnydale high on a sunny day. (Other Fandom Buffyverse)
[personal profile] brightknightie
How disappointed are we about Hulu shelving Chloé Zhao's Buffy the Vampire Slayer reboot/sequel series, Buffy: New Sunnydale, in which Gellar was to have returned to star alongside a new young slayer? Just a teeny-tiny bit wistful that maybe it could have been good, downright sad, quietly relieved, righteous that Whedon will get not one royalty penny?

(News article in the Hollywood Reporter.)

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Smile, Smile, Smile

Mar. 16th, 2026 09:18 am
james_davis_nicoll: (Default)
[personal profile] james_davis_nicoll


Five benefits to a thermonuclear war.

Smile, Smile, Smile
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BATMAN FACTS featuring A TALKING DINOSAUR who you should TRUST

Mar. 16th, 2026 12:00 am
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By brook horse in "Good EU trans news" on MeFi

Mar. 14th, 2026 04:07 am
[syndicated profile] mefi_feed

Posted by brook horse

http://www.metafilter.com/212522/Good-EU-trans-news#8822913

I am one of the trans people who thinks that mandatory gender markers should be removed from all forms of identification. Removing the markers removes the mismatch.

I also disagree that legal recognition is fundamental to affirmation of identity. I reject that entirely in fact. In a system where you are forced to include gender on legal documents, then of course it is. But a system that did not force anyone to include gender on legal documents would be monumentally more affirming to me and many, many trans people I know. So it's definitely not universally agreed that we should keep the markers.

But this is great news for the EU given abolition of gender markers isn't likely to happen.

http://www.metafilter.com/212522/Good-EU-trans-news#8822913

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By freakazoid in "Prep me against a timeshare hard-sell" on Ask MeFi

Mar. 12th, 2026 01:16 am
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By runsrealgood in "Parasites" on MeFi

Mar. 10th, 2026 08:36 pm
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Music Monday: Bad Moon Rising by Credence Coldwater Revival

Mar. 16th, 2026 07:05 am
stonepicnicking_okapi: record player (recordplayer)
[personal profile] stonepicnicking_okapi
The boys have a 3 hour early dismissal today for possible tornados and thunderstorms so this seems apt. March is in its lion phase at the moment here.

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so tired

Mar. 16th, 2026 09:00 am
tielan: (hates it we does)
[personal profile] tielan
Every time I lay down for a nap or an early night, or stay in bed for a longer sleep-in, I get disrupted by someone.

I'm not sleeping well. Is it a stress thing? A perimenopause thing? A thing with the weather? A 'life the universe and the end of the world as we know it' thing? Who even knows!

Unfortunately, I don't get a break in evening events until Thursday. And while I could stay home for each of them, in the first instance I'm the president, in the second a young woman is coming along for the first time, and in the third it's a social event.

I think I may have to take the sleeping drugs tonight. Well, melatonin.
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By TheophileEscargot in ""I'm being handed a shovel and told to dig my own grave"" on MeFi

Mar. 11th, 2026 05:00 pm
[syndicated profile] mefi_feed

Posted by TheophileEscargot

http://www.metafilter.com/212497/Im-being-handed-a-shovel-and-told-to-dig-my-own-grave#8822081

I posted this Hamilton Nolan piece before but it's good: Capitalists Implicitly Expect Us to Save Them From Themselves.
Here is the simple point I want to make today: The class of people telling us that government will step in to prevent the worst economic outcomes of our era is the same class of people who are working to prevent the government from doing so! Citadel, for example, is owned by hedge fund billionaire Ken Griffin, one of the biggest Republican donors in America. One of the biggest donors to Donald Trump's Super PAC is the president of OpenAI. Not only is the AI industry money flooding into the midterm elections mostly going to Republicans, but even the bipartisan spending is designed to head off regulation of the AI industry by Democratic states and national officials... All in all, the political spending of those who profit the most from the AI industry is geared to ensuring that those crucial "regulatory and fiscal policy shifts that offset the worst-case outcomes" never happen.

This is a neat trick, no? Those who benefit the most from unequal distribution of wealth can freely agree that the massive job automation and increasing inequality that is likely coming would be devastating for our economy and social stability. But, they add in a soothing tone, "Don't worry—the government will step in to save the day. Although, not if we can help it."

http://www.metafilter.com/212497/Im-being-handed-a-shovel-and-told-to-dig-my-own-grave#8822081

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Signal boosting: Virtual Memorial for Minoanmiss

Mar. 16th, 2026 01:05 am
goss: Artwork of Lord Shiva (Default)
[personal profile] goss
The Virtual Memorial for [personal profile] minoanmiss will be April 12, 1PM EDT (GMT -4)

Other info shared by [personal profile] gingicat:

  • It's now okay to unlock and make public posts regarding [personal profile] minoanmiss.

  • The funeral took place on the afternoon of March 13th. If any of you want to go visit her grave, it is in Mount Auburn Cemetery near the corner of Sycamore Ave and Gerardia Path.

  • Her organs were donated:
    - heart to research
    - liver to a woman in her 30s
    - right kidney to a woman in her 40s
    - left kidney to a woman in her 70s

  • Announcement sign-up:
    https://groups.google.com/g/nyani-announce

  • There's a BWEE! Book of Ny Discord being run by Taraljc (Tara O'Shea on bsky), and people who know both MM and Tara should drop Tara a DM.

  • The Obituary is up:
    https://www.douglassfh.com/obituary/nyani-iisha-martin

  • Charities are linked are toward the bottom of this page:
    http://www.andor.org/ny/

  • GoFundMe to support MinoanMiss/RubyNye's burial/memorial costs:
    https://gofund.me/a54a3ff5a

    ---

    I'm so glad to know MM's final resting place is at a peaceful, beautiful location, and that her friends were able to honour her wishes to donate her organs to those in need. ♥
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    Daily Happiness

    Mar. 15th, 2026 09:32 pm
    torachan: an orange cat poking his head out from blankets (ollie)
    [personal profile] torachan
    1. We made mac and cheese for lunch inspired by the ramen mac and cheese we had at DCA last night. Added dashi in the water while the macaroni was boiling, and topped with furikake (all we had was gomashio, which is a mix of black sesame seeds and chunky salt) and it was delicious but we decided adding toasted panko really would make it better, so we actually ended up making it again for dinner with the panko. It was so good. Carla bought a different type of furikake at the store today but I just used the gomashio again and that went so good with the panko. Will definitely be making mac and cheese this way again.

    2. A couple weeks ago I got the annual Costco rewards gift certificate and we finally braved Costco today so we could use it. We weren't going directly home, so that saved us from being tempted by any perishable products and we pretty much stuck to our list of basics that we needed to stock up on.

    3. The weekend is over and I'm not thrilled about that but it was a pretty nice weekend overall.

    4. Molly loves being in this window, hidden behind the curtain.

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    This went over well

    Mar. 15th, 2026 11:53 pm
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