shutterspeed

13 Ways to Celebrate National Public Lands Day

National Public Lands Day is the nation's largest single-day volunteer effort for public lands. And this year, it falls on September 27, 2025.

National public lands include a lot of different protected natural environments in America. From national parks, memorials, and monuments, to wildlife refuges, conservation areas, trails, wilderness areas, seashores, lakeshores, and more, public lands are actually all around us!

Current Mood: busy

ysabetwordsmith

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.

9/25/25 -- I did a bit of work around the yard.

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

9/25/25 -- I did more work around the patio.

EDIT 9/25/25 -- I did more work around the yard.

I picked several goldenberries.

EDIT 9/25/25 -- I watered the telephone pole garden and savanna plants.

I gathered northern sea oats and wild senna seeds in the wildflower garden.

I heard a blue jay screaming but didn't see it.

EDIT 9/25/25 -- I watered the irises, patio plants, and old picnic table.

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

Current Mood: busy

wychwood

Interminable September progresses slowly towards its end! The concert went OK - I pre-emptively sat for the bit I went faint in last time, and was fine. I have eaten fourteen portions of the pasta I made. I have also done 13.5 hours of visa checking so far; the queues have been enormous. On the other hand, the days do go by very fast - either I'm in a tent checking visas or I'm in the office trying to deal with all the small fires that have erupted while I was in the tent.

I've been less bothered this year by the fact that all the students were born in years I remember clearly from adulthood, but I have found myself repeatedly discombobulated by checking passports that expire in 2034, like what sort of ridiculous future space-year is that.

In the middle of all this, we've just been informed that we are no longer allowed to use the form-making software we use for various things. "Switch to Approved Alternative; it's really very easy to use!" they tell us, as though there hasn't been considerable pressure over the last year or two to move everything to Approved Alternative already, so that the only things left on there are things that can't be moved for reason of various technical limitations with Approved Alternative. That's great that it's allegedly easy to use, colleague! But will it allow people who are not already students to upload documentation for their assorted applications, because so far no one has been able to make it do that!!

I bought a travel pass for the week, since I'm travelling enough days that it pays for itself, and so far the best bit is that you don't have to wait for paper to download before you go to the ticket barrier. Particularly because the reception in the station building is terrible.

kyrielle

Scott's jury duty didn't sort out as quickly as I hoped, it was a significant trial and they spent three days on jury selection. Which was a bit stressful because I wanted answers. In the end, he was not one of the selected jurors, so our schedule goes back to normal now. For which I am very grateful, the morning routine is easier with two adults on it!

Tomorrow is a day off for everyone. Not sure what we will do with it. Except I will be returning the cans because the drop bin for bags of cans is usually pretty empty in the mornings. Really I should have done it at the beginning of this week, except see the morning routine with only one of us home!

Also tomorrow I get my flu and covid shots. By Monday I should be back at my normal, but it's going to be another "I love vaccinations but I hate the after-effects" weekend, probably.

Worth it.

One of the cats made an odd noise this morning and I was worried they'd been hurt, but investigation just revealed they had found a spider. Poor spider. Generally I don't mind spiders, they are doing good in the world, but I'm not going to rescue them from a hunting cat in their own house either. Presumably it's been eaten by now, that is the usual fate.

Better than the things a friend's cat eats! He's needed surgery before to get bits of foam or plastic out. She's watching him to see if half a noseplug (swimming) comes out safely at the moment I believe...hope he retains his health, but not the noseplug. Yikes.

ysabetwordsmith

Folks have mentioned an interest in questions and conversations that make them think. So I've decided to offer more of those. This batch features hobbies.

Crochet is a fibercraft hobby of making things from yarn with a hooked stick, such as afghans, clothes, toys ,and other stuff. If you feel frustrated by planned obsolescence, artificial intelligence, and other current issues then consider knitting as a form of protest. Nothing says "Fuck off, fast fashion!" like crocheting a 100% natural-fiber garment that will last for years and years.

On Dreamwidth, consider communities like

crafty,

crochet,

everykindofcraft,

dwsockclub,

get_knitted,

intertwined,

justcreate, and

knittingpix.

( Read more... )

Current Mood: busy

fayanora

I hope, if/when we get out of this fascist rut we're in, that one of the things that gets done in the aftermath of fixing all the damage is that the Republican party is disbanded, all politicians who were Republicans are barred from any and all public offices for the rest of their lives, we disband the Democrats as well for being ineffectual do-nothings while the ship was sinking, create or promote a bunch of third parties to take their places, and establish mandatory ranked-choice voting. Under the new system, it would be a crime punishable by a steep fine to NOT vote, and you would be able to not just vote FOR someone, but also AGAINST candidates, ranking your votes from "Yes I want this person very much" to "under no circumstances should this person be allowed in office," and everything in between.

ysabetwordsmith

YouTube secretly used AI to edit people’s videos.

In recent months, YouTube has secretly used artificial intelligence (AI) to tweak people’s videos without letting them know or asking permission. Wrinkles in shirts seem more defined. Skin is sharper in some places and smoother in others. Pay close attention to ears, and you may notice them warp. These changes are small, barely visible without a side-by-side comparison. Yet some disturbed YouTubers say it gives their content a subtle and unwelcome AI-generated feeling.

This causes a variety of damage including but not limited to:

* Tampering with people's intellectual property without their permission.

* Damaging trust between producer and consumer (especially if the producer says that they don't use AI).

* Undermining people's ability to choose whether or not they wish to use or consumer AI.

* Undermining people's ability to find and identify truth.

Yet another in the suddenly growing pile of reasons to hate YouTube, which sucks, because it's the most widespread place to share video content. >_<

Current Mood: busy

yourlibrarian

1) Nothing like a Disney bundle price increase right on the heels of the Jimmy Kimmel fiasco. I wonder if they held off on the announcement until 24 hours after saying he'd return?

2) Having just watched the latest Death in Paradise spinoff, it struck me as curious that a successful show like Silent Witness has not done the same (though maybe it has? Anyone know?)

In a way though, it's like the show has had various spinoffs within the same show. ( Read more... )

I also thought about this issue given this article which argues that technology will continue to make the cost of content creation fall to where practically anyone can create marketable content, especially since consumer expectation of what counts as entertainment and information has changed due to cost and access issues as well as demographic changes. As a result, companies that invest heavily in it will expect to get paid in different ways. ( Read more... )

3) It's fun to see how many people over time at Board Game Arena have recognized my Merlin icon. It's a little fannish high five.

4) Sister Boniface's episode of Doctor Who struck me as a sign of changing times. Twenty years ago the fan would have been the geekiest cast member, probably the reporter, but here various cast members are fans and it's mainly the tall, matinee idol detective.

5) Interesting to see how U.S. films are getting less viewing overseas, mainly due to China's restrictions on how many can be shown there. I thought this bit was interesting as well: "The the top French films released were all English-language movies co-produced with the UK among other countries, and did more business in the UK than in the US or China." I didn't realize France even made films in English.

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ysabetwordsmith

Today is cloudy, mild, and damp. We got a decent amount of rain last night. :D

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

I put out water for the birds.

EDIT 9/24/25 -- I planted 8 'Aviv Mixed' ranunculus under the fly-through birdfeeder.

I planted 3 'Persian Blue' alliums in the purple-and-white garden.

I picked 2 chocolate cherry tomatoes and 3 groundcherries.

EDIT 9/24/25 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

EDIT 9/24/25 -- I did more work around the patio.

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

Current Mood: busy

fayanora

The rapture comes, and all the worst people are taken. Suddenly no more fascists, no more bigots, no more hypocritical Christians. Goddess leaves a message for the rest of us afterwards: "I took some bad apples out of your population and fed their souls to my pet crocodile. You're welcome."

ysabetwordsmith

Life is full of things which are hard or tedious or otherwise unpleasant that need doing anyhow. They help make the world go 'round, they improve skills, and they boost your sense of self-respect. But doing them still kinda sucks. It's all the more difficult to do those things when nobody appreciates it. Happily, blogging allows us to share our accomplishments and pat each other on the back.

What are some of the hard things you've done recently? What are some hard things you haven't gotten to yet, but need to do? Is there anything your online friends could do to make your hard things a little easier?

Current Mood: busy

ysabetwordsmith

This is the freebie for the September

crowdfunding Creative Jam. It was inspired by a prompt from

himejoshiheart. It also fills the "leak" square in my 9-1-25 card for the Piracy Bingo Fest.

( Read more... )

Current Mood: busy

ysabetwordsmith

dialecticdreamer is hosting Feathering the Nest. Leave prompts, get ficlets!

Current Mood: busy

ysabetwordsmith

Pumpkins, squash, and gourds come in many varieties and the "winter" types are ripening now. These typically have thick rind and long storage potential. There are sweet and savory cultivars in a huge range of sizes, shapes, and colors. There are also all kinds of gnarly ones for fall decor. Watch for them at farmer's markets or grocery stores. In particular, if you enjoy a squash that you buy, you can save its seeds, or note its cultivar to buy seeds, and try to grow them in spring.

( Read more... )

Current Mood: busy

jennaria

I am not dead, but I currently hate everything. (Personal stuff, which is sufficiently embarrassing that I'm not going into detail. I am just flopped on the floor and screaming into a pillow. Metaphorically.)

I keep meaning to write up a review of the new SUPERMAN movie (which I did not hate), and K-POP DEMON HUNTERS (which I also did not hate), and perhaps plans for NaNo. But it ain't happening today. I am posting to vent, in a small way, and also I realized I hadn't posted since July, and here it is late September. So: not dead, vexed, grr.

ysabetwordsmith

This 'blue-green jay' may be the first climate change-created bird hybrid found in nature. Here's why that's good news

Joined by his faculty advisor, integrative biology professor Tim Keitt, Stokes confirmed that the bird was, in fact, a male offspring of a green jay mother and a blue jay father.

Marc Airhart, who interviewed Stokes for the University of Texas at Austin's College of Natural Sciences, jokingly referred to it as a “grue jay” — but the hybrid does not have an official name.

The grue jay is cool, but it is long preceded by the grolar bear (aka pizzly bear).

Current Mood: busy

ysabetwordsmith

Today is cloudy and warm. It drizzled a bit yesterday.

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

I put out water for the birds.

EDIT 9/23/25 -- I planted some Leucojum (aka summer snowflake) 'Gravetye Giant' around the contorta willow.

EDIT 9/23/25 -- I watered the leucojum.

EDIT 9/23/25 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

EDIT 9/23/25 -- I did more work around the patio.

EDIT 9/23/25 -- I planted the rest of the leucojum in the purple-and-white garden. Then I watered that whole garden.

EDIT 9/23/25 -- I gathered seeds from two ripe sunflower heads, one in the septic garden and one in the telephone pole garden. I'm working on a 'Summer of Love' sunflower landrace that will grow well here. Commercial seeds are hit or miss.

EDIT 9/23/25 -- I did some work around the yard.

It's trying to drizzle again, so I am done for the night.

EDIT 9/23/25 -- It's actually raining! :D Puddles are starting to form on the patio.

Current Mood: busy

fayanora

Watch on YouTube

fayanora

I just watched the most vile recipe ever made by a person. This bloke made a mushroom parfait! I thought I had misheard, or that parfait means something different in Britain, but no. The man actually made a parfait -- basically ice cream -- out of pureed mushrooms and onion. I'm gonna go vomit now.

I mean, I like mushrooms and onions. But as a parfait? This man is clearly insane and needs to be stopped.

Link, if you're morbidly curious: here.

Tags I used when posting this to Tumblr:

fayanora

The ads on the various games on my phone have gotten unbearable. I was fine with them when it was just the tiny X you had to hit. Now what I end up having to do is pressing a link reading "Google Play store" and then I have to hit the back button at the exact right amount of time after clicking that for it to go back into the app, and if I'm lucky, it will then bring up the X to click. More often than not, though, what it does instead is restart the fucking app! Which means restarting the level I was on if I'm especially unlucky, or if I'm just mildly unlucky, any reward that I might have gotten for watching the ad is just fucking gone.

I need to find out if there's an app I can install on my phone that will kill all of the ads or at least put them back to the way they were when it was just pressing the X. Because before this change, I could put up with the ads pretty much indefinitely. But now it's to the point where I get maybe a half hour of play time in before I just fucking give up in frustration.

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Holiday Activities

Birdfeeding

apparently i still have to go to work tomorrow again though?? sounds fake

Back to (as) normal (as we get)

Hobbies: Crochet

If/when

Artificial Intelligence

Timing and Distribution

Birdfeeding

The Rapture with a twist

Hard Things

Poem: "Mightier Than"

Feathering the Nest

Pumpkins

Grr. Argh.

Climate Change

Birdfeeding

Should've posted this when Charlie Kirk got assassinated.

Don't read this if you're easily queazed

I fucking hate ads

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