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ysabetwordsmith ([personal profile] ysabetwordsmith) wrote2025-07-11 02:53 pm

Birdfeeding

Today is sunny and sweltering.

I fed the birds. I've seen a mixed flock of sparrows and house finches plus a house wren.

I put out water for the birds.













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ysabetwordsmith ([personal profile] ysabetwordsmith) wrote2025-07-11 12:38 pm

Bonus Fishbowl

There will be a bonus fishbowl on Tuesday, July 15. The theme will be "anything goes." If you want a continuation of an earlier piece, or something totally new, that doesn't fit the usual themes, then now's your chance. Brainstorm in advance and jot down ideas for later. You can also request any favorite series, character, setting, etc.

Note that our internet connection has been bad for well over a month. Sometimes it's down completely, other times things like Dreamwidth and searches won't run. So I'm losing a lot of work time and may only have access for half a day or less. Given this limitation, there's a higher chance of actually getting things written for prompts that use characters, settings, etc. that are already established.
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ysabetwordsmith ([personal profile] ysabetwordsmith) wrote2025-07-11 12:05 pm
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Follow Friday 7-11-25: History

Today's theme is History.

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ysabetwordsmith ([personal profile] ysabetwordsmith) wrote2025-07-11 04:15 am

Communities

Here's a cool Dreamwidth tool: take the URL of any community and add /read to the end. It will show you posts by all the members. So for instance:

https://birdfeeding.dreamwidth.org/read
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ysabetwordsmith ([personal profile] ysabetwordsmith) wrote2025-07-11 03:58 am
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Focus

This is why some people hate interruptions and find it hard to switch from one activity to another. It includes people with ADHD, autism, executive function disorder, post-concussion-syndrome, other cognitive issues; many introverts; and most people who spend a lot of time doing things they are bad at (e.g. a linguistically inclined person doing math, or an athletic person forced to write text). Discuss with the people in your life what kinds of interruptions are okay or not, when, and how.

Focus is broken by interruption.
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ysabetwordsmith ([personal profile] ysabetwordsmith) wrote2025-07-11 01:00 am

Climate Change

Bigger crops, fewer nutrients: The hidden cost of climate change

Climate change is silently sapping the nutrients from our food. A pioneering study finds that rising CO2 and higher temperatures are not only reshaping how crops grow but are also degrading their nutritional value especially in vital leafy greens like kale and spinach. This shift could spell trouble for global health, particularly in communities already facing nutritional stress. Researchers warn that while crops may grow faster, they may also become less nourishing, with fewer minerals, proteins, and antioxidants raising concerns about obesity, weakened immunity, and chronic diseases.

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ysabetwordsmith ([personal profile] ysabetwordsmith) wrote2025-07-10 10:22 pm
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ysabetwordsmith ([personal profile] ysabetwordsmith) wrote2025-07-10 05:40 pm
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Mushrooms

Today we cooked up the mixed carton of fancy mushrooms from the Champaign Farmer's Market. They included pink oysters, blue oysters, lion's mane, and some little brown things with long stems and caps the size of a thumbnail. We sauteed them in sunflower oil, seasoned them with garam masala, and added some chopped bacon.

The result tasted good, but not much better than our usual mix of mushrooms, and it was twice as expensive. The oysters were good, but don't taste notably different from the usual white to light brown ones. We did not care of the stringy texture of the lion's mane.  Also, they cooked way fast and shrank way down, which left a small amount of stir-fry.  They might have worked better in something like wild mushroom spaghetti sauce.  So it was interesting to try, but not worth repeating.
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ysabetwordsmith ([personal profile] ysabetwordsmith) wrote2025-07-10 04:53 pm

Artificial Intelligence

This post has the funniest argument I have seen against AI:  "A computer can never be spiteful or horny.  Therefore a computer must never make art."

Now from an anthropological perspective, anything decorative rather than purely functional is "art" -- a contrasting color around the rim of a jug, for instance.  From a cultural perspective, however, art is about emotion.  It's how we express our human feelings about things we have seen or imagined as a way of communicating with other people.  So by that definition, a computer cannot make art, even if it can mash around colors and images.  An interesting point.
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ysabetwordsmith ([personal profile] ysabetwordsmith) wrote2025-07-10 03:29 pm

Birdfeeding

Today is mostly sunny and hot.

I fed the birds.  I've seen a few sparrows and house finches at the feeders.  Blackbirds and catbirds are mobbing the mulberry tree in the house yard. 

I put out water for the birds.

EDIT 7/10/25 -- I did some work around the patio.










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duskpeterson ([personal profile] duskpeterson) wrote2025-07-10 03:39 pm

FIC: The Royal Sanctuary: The altar (Tempestuous Tours)

There is much to look at in the sanctuary, but let us start with the altar. It recreates the altar where drugged captives were once placed before undergoing the Rite of Death, which represented their entry into a Living Death. It was at this stage that new slaves had iron masks locked securely onto their heads, which could not be removed except in the unlikely event that they survived long enough to be freed.

Here on the altar, if you wish, you may place a piece of the jackalfire tree, representing your wish that the evils of the past may be transformed by all of us in the present, bringing about rebirth.

[Translator's note: Yet again, Death Mask is the place to learn more about such matters.]

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ysabetwordsmith ([personal profile] ysabetwordsmith) wrote2025-07-10 04:05 am

Roadside America

Roadside America lists a lot of quirky attractions.  Here's the list for Illinois.
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ysabetwordsmith ([personal profile] ysabetwordsmith) wrote2025-07-09 03:03 pm

Activism

Scientists host 'science fair of canceled grants' on Capitol Hill to fight funding cuts

The researchers gathered, alongside the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, to present posters in a good, old-fashioned science fair, titled “The Things We’ll Never Know: A Science Fair of Canceled Grants.”


It's a great tactic, and one that other fields could use too. "Here are some useful things you could have had, but these specific people took them away from you." That's guaranteed to piss off a lot of people.

It's also among the standard protest techniques in Terramagne. Not only is it sound activism for pounding the perpetrators, it also has a pretty good chance of someone else deciding to sponsor your canceled project if they like your pitch. Feel free to prompt me for that.
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ysabetwordsmith ([personal profile] ysabetwordsmith) wrote2025-07-09 03:01 pm
Entry tags:

Cuddle Party

Everyone needs contact comfort sometimes. Not everyone has ample opportunities for this in facetime. So here is a chance for a cuddle party in cyberspace. Virtual cuddling can help people feel better.

We have a
cuddle room that comes with fort cushions, fort frames, sheets for draping, and a weighted blanket. A nest full of colorful egg pillows sits in one corner. There is a basket of grooming brushes, hairbrushes, and styling combs. A bin holds textured pillows. There is a big basket of craft supplies along with art markers, coloring pages, and blank paper. The kitchen has a popcorn machine. Labels are available to mark dietary needs, recipe ingredients, and level of spiciness. Here is the bathroom, open to everyone. There is a lawn tent and an outdoor hot tub. Bathers should post a sign for nude or clothed activity. Come snuggle up!
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ysabetwordsmith ([personal profile] ysabetwordsmith) wrote2025-07-09 02:38 pm

Birdfeeding

Today is mostly sunny, humid, and hot.  Yesterday it rained for half the day and into the night.

I fed the birds.  I've seen a mixed flock of sparrows and house finches.  They've drained half the thistle feeder but I still need to refill that one.

I put out water for the birds.

EDIT 7/9/25 -- I filled the thistle feeder.

I've seen a male cardinal and a fox squirrel.

EDIT 7/9/25 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

EDIT 7/9/25 -- I sprayed weedkiller on poison ivy around the yard.

EDIT 7/9/25 -- I potted up two apricot seeds.

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ysabetwordsmith ([personal profile] ysabetwordsmith) wrote2025-07-09 12:44 pm
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Sunshine Revival Challenge 3: Food

Sunshine Revival Challenge 3: Food

Journaling prompt: What are your favorite summer-associated foods?

Creative prompt: Draw art of or make graphics of summer foods, or post your favorite summer recipes. Post your answer to today’s challenge in your own space and leave a comment in this post saying you did it. Include a link to your post if you feel comfortable doing so
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Sunshine-Revival-Carnival-2.png


This is actually from 7/7/25 but it wasn't up when I checked, and then the net was down.

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ysabetwordsmith ([personal profile] ysabetwordsmith) wrote2025-07-08 08:38 pm

Today's Adventures

We went up to Champaign-Urbana today.

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feuervogel ([personal profile] feuervogel) wrote2025-07-09 08:44 am
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I have a kitchen!

I haven't updated since before I left for the US (which I should also write up soon). I got my kitchen installed! It took the nice Ukrainian man 2 evenings (about 7.5 hours) and only cost me 450 Euros. He also installed my ceiling lights, which required drilling.

Honestly, it seems like it would be so much easier on the structural integrity of buildings if Germany would just ... provide kitchen cabinets and ceiling fixtures. But that's just me.

Today I'm gathering my kitchen stuff and clothes and toiletries and packing them into a rental car with my computer & cat, and we'll be sleeping at the new place starting tonight! Then Friday the moving company is coming (at 9 am).

There are still a bunch of things that need to go into boxes, but I've run out of space to put boxes (and I'm too short to stack them more than 2 high). So after I get my daily use stuff out, I can move things around a bit and make more space. That'll be tomorrow's project.
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ysabetwordsmith ([personal profile] ysabetwordsmith) wrote2025-07-08 12:51 pm

Birdfeeding

Today is mostly sunny and warm.

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

I put out water for the birds.

EDIT 7/8/25 -- It rained for about half the day and into the night.
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ysabetwordsmith ([personal profile] ysabetwordsmith) wrote2025-07-07 04:48 pm

Poem: "Tomato Seedlings in Tin Cans"

This poem is spillover from the June 3, 2025 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired by a prompt from [personal profile] wyld_dandelyon. It also fills the "growth" square in my 6-2-25 card for the Pride Fest bingo. This poem has been sponsored by Anthony Barrette. It belongs to the series Daughters of the Apocalypse.

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