Reading

Current Mood: accomplished

Entry tags:

food,
recipe

Today's Cooking

Today I'm making Lemon Thumbprint Cookies. :D The first filling is Lemon-Elderflower from Berries & Flour and the second is bettergoods Raspberry, Cardamom & Rosehip Fruit Spread. We've tried the Lemon-Elderflower first and that jam is quite strong. Thumbprint cookies are the perfect use because there's only about 1/4 teaspoon in each. On toast it might be overpowering. Another good use would be thinning it down to glaze for a fruit salad or tart.

Current Mood: busy

Entry tags:

Climate Change

Satellites spot rapid “Doomsday Glacier” collapse

Two decades of satellite and GPS data show the Thwaites Eastern Ice Shelf slowly losing its grip on a crucial stabilizing point as fractures multiply and ice speeds up. Scientists warn this pattern could spread to other vulnerable Antarctic shelves.

Current Mood: busy

Entry tags:

Christmas Bird Count

Join the Christmas Bird Count from December 14-January 5. This is a popular piece of citizen science. To participate, see a map of active circles to find one near you. If you're inside one, you can also count birds at your own feeders.

Are you taking pictures of birds in your locale? Share them on

birdfeeding and see what other folks have in their areas.

Current Mood: busy

Entry tags:

Birdfeeding

Today is cloudy, chilly, and foggy. Much of the snow is melting or subliming with the water vapor just hanging in the air.

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

I put out water for the birds.

EDIT 12/7/25 -- I bagged up Pink, Johnathan, and Johnagold apple seeds with damp sand to cold-stratify in the kitchen.

EDIT 12/7/25 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

EDIT 12/7/25 -- I did more work around the patio.

EDIT 12/7/25 -- I did more work around the patio.

I've seen a large mixed flock of sparrows and house finches plus a pair of cardinals.

EDIT 12/7/25 -- I did more work around the patio.

As it is getting dark, I am done for the night.

Current Mood: busy

Entry tags:

Holiday Activities

The three act structure and holidays

So, now, I'm thinking of organizing holidays/really exciting events around these three factors:
* buildup appropriate to the event (edit: with a sense of joy and wonder, as a friend points out)
* a climax that is fun/exciting/enjoyable enough to justify all the buildup
* the day of the event should be low enough stress that the participants have the energy to enjoy it

This is a very astute analysis of holidays, how they work, and how to make them enjoyable. While it can't fix the problem of holiday sprawl in the wider culture, it CAN make a huge difference in how you approach them personally or as a family to create better experiences.

I've got a long comment under this post discussing some of my observations and practices too.

Current Mood: busy

Entry tags:

Affordable Housing

How Fayetteville’s New Program Makes It Easy To Build Housing

Fayetteville, Arkansas, just gave residents something rare in the world of housing development: a clear, predictable, and affordable path to building.

Any town could do things like these to address their housing issues. Here are some toolkits you can use in your hometown. Now let's look at some things Fayetteville did right, that remind me of Terramagne-America...

( Read more... )

Current Mood: accomplished

Entry tags:

Read "The Sound of Celebration"

Thanks to sponsorship from

gothfvck, you can now read my poem "The Sound of Celebration" over on

tfc_musicianships.

Current Mood: busy

Entry tags:

Economics

Rhode Island's $85 Million Expansion Masquerading as Maintenance

The Ocean State’s roads and bridges are failing. Rather than prioritizing repair, officials pursued an $85 million expansion that will cost decades of future maintenance.

( Read more... )

Current Mood: busy

Entry tags:

Science

Earth’s early oceans hid the secret rise of complex life

Scientists have discovered that complex life began evolving much earlier than traditional models suggested. Using an expanded molecular clock approach, the team showed that crucial cellular features emerged in ancient anoxic oceans long before oxygen became a major part of Earth’s atmosphere. Their results indicate that early complexity developed slowly over an unexpectedly long timescale.

( Read more... )

Current Mood: happy

Entry tags:

Today's Adventures

Today we went to Hometown Holly Days in Marshall.

( Read more... )

Current Mood: busy

Entry tags:

Climate Change

A hidden Antarctic shift unleashed the carbon that warmed the world

Ancient Antarctic water-mass upheavals unleashed stored carbon—and may hint at our climate future.

As the last Ice Age waned and the Holocene dawned, deep-ocean circulation around Antarctica underwent dramatic shifts that helped release long-stored carbon back into the atmosphere. Deep-sea sediments show that ancient Antarctic waters once trapped vast amounts of carbon, only to release it during two major warming pulses at the end of the Ice Age. Understanding these shifts helps scientists predict how modern Antarctic melt may accelerate future climate change.

Current Mood: busy

Entry tags:

recurring posts

Philosophical Questions: Trends

People have expressed interest in deep topics, so this list focuses on philosophical questions.

Is the cultural trend of individualism and the rejection of collectivism a beneficial or detrimental trend?

( Read more... )

Current Mood: accomplished

Entry tags:

food,
recipe

Today's Cooking

Today I'm trying out a new recipe for Banana Banana Bread that I found in All Recipes. This one uses 5 bananas where my usual one takes 3, and butter instead of oil. I made half the flour whole wheat. Partway through I realized there was no other flavoring besides the bananas, so I added a teaspoon of cinnamon. It will be interesting to see how this turns out. :D

EDIT 12/5/25 -- This turned out pretty well. It's a bit prone to falling apart, but may set up more as it cools. It has quite a strong banana flavor. I don't think I'll replace my usual recipe, but this certainly works for using up a lot of bananas.

Current Mood: busy

Entry tags:

Activism

Equality matters

When we say that we want equality, what do we mean? Same pay for everyone? Same caloric intake? Same size of house? Same amount of electricity consumed every day? Same amount of household waste? Same amount of political power, influence, or fame?

( Read more... )

Current Mood: busy

Entry tags:

Economics

A Founder Got Fed Up With Potential Hires Using AI to ‘Fake It.’

Mollion says some job candidates have always misrepresented themselves, but AI has made the gap between presentation and reality even wider—making interviews and written materials even less reliable.

“On top of that, traditional interviews simply don’t reveal real skill, work style, responsiveness, or judgment,” Mollion told me. “People can say all the right things in an interview, but none of that guarantees how they actually perform on the job.”

I've been saying for years that brief resumes, college degrees, and office interviews offer very little indication of an applicant's actual ability to do a job.

( Read more... )

Current Mood: busy

Entry tags:

Birdfeeding

Today is cloudy and cold.

I fed the birds. I've seen a large mixed flock of sparrows and house finches, plus two mourning doves.

I put out water for the birds.