Happy Pride to this wonderful lesbian ❤️🧡💛💚🩵💙💜
Anonymous asked:
You mentioned years ago that you once worked on a project restoring former coal mine land, trying to get plants to grow and break up the compacted soil and so on. Do you know how the site is doing now? I hope you don’t mind me asking, but it sounds like a very cool project and I would love to know if it worked!
Oh, extremely well! The trees are about a third of the height they should be for their age, but there's a little woodland there now. This year my uni is taking over the lease for the site, so investigations continue. We got a lot of papers out of it. Plus, we proved that if you get the trees to grow in, you increase other biodiversity, like birds and earthworms and small mammals and lizards (the place is alive with lizards every summer, actually. Sometimes they sit on your bag.)
The main project site is here, if you want a gander.
Progress photos, though! First, for clarity's sake:
That's the layout of the site from this vantage point. This photo is from August 1998, and I've labelled it so you can see the sections more clearly. We planted in the blue and white sections, blue first in the 1990s and then white in the mid-2000s onwards. The orange bit is just to show how there really are just bare heaps in these places, still; BUT, the whole site is made of the stuff, with a grass seed cover.
Anyway, the development:
You would be amazed at the lichens that turn up, too. And the butterflies. And the fungi. One of my students is doing her dissertation up there on mycoremediation, in fact. Fantastic place.
“The average US president has been charged with 1.56 felonies” factoid isn’t true. The average US President has been charged with 0 felonies. Donald trump, who has been charged with 72, is a statistical outlier and should not have been counted
The fact that you made this mathematically accurate made my tummy warm
They really awake his bloodlust, uh
decolonize-western-siberia
The virgin pit bull vs the chad Great Pyrenees
Listen. I grew up with these dogs. Im a cat person, no shame, but Great Pyrenees are hands down my most trusted domestic animal and are hardcore as fuck.
When I was a kid, between six and fifteen, one of our Pyrenees would escort me, off-leash, between my grandmother's house and mine. I'd just have to call him, and he'd show up and walk me there, placing himself between me and anything he considered threatening- Cranky farm animals, holes in the ground, bodies of water, etc.
That same dog found a (unfortunately deceased) lamb my grandfather had buried a few hours earlier, dug it up, realized it was cold and not breathing, and carefully carried it to our barn, where he covered it neck-deep in straw and tried to cuddle it warm again to bring it back to life.
One of our older dogs, at about sixteen years old (keep in mind, this breed tends to average out at about 12 years max) had arthritis in his hips, a bad back, and a respiratory issue, was fucking ancient and essentially palliative, but would still go stock-still out of nowhere, let out one subtle "boof", and then set out at an awkward-yet-speedy bunny-hop sprint at the slightest whiff of a cougar, bear, or wolf. Like, grampa would jump fences. Gentle geriatric giant would kick up to 7k to protect the family, never mind the three other, much younger fogs already on the case.
When I was a baby, like a literal in-diapers infant, he would lay on the ground and let me dress him up as a wizard and crawl all over him with zero complaint.
His nephew was 100lbs and often alarmed visitors who mistook him for a bear, yet never so much as bumped into a person in his life and feared only string and kittens.
A Great Pyrenees is not only the best dog, but I would argue that it is also the MOST dog
This dog is the inspiration for John Wick.
These dogs are typically bred and raised not to herd animals but to protect them. They are raised amongst the flock, imprinting on them.
Those coyotes thought they were dealing with a dog with a job. What they found was a dog with a family.
And they threatened that dog’s family.
Reblogging for the great addons
Look, all I’m saying is that maybe somewhere he’s got it in him.
THE ORVILLE 1.11 - New Dimensions
Elon Musk’s attorneys are immolating themselves as we speak
I remember when we all used Yahoo.
(Google took off because of how hard Yahoo sucked)
⏰Time for a wildlife rendezvous in Elkhorn Slough!
Chill out with some coastal wildlife in the latest sea-dition of Krill Waves Radio, coming to you from our estuarine neighbor to the north, Elkhorn Slough! Take a break along with these mighty migrators and resident rascals as they enjoy the delicious bounty this wonderful wetland has to offer. We’ve got two hours of ambient lofi hip hop beats set to scenes of seabirds soaring, shorebirds stalking snacks, and seals and sea otters swimming—it’s the perfect addition to a second screen or TV while you work/study/unwind.
obligatory welcome guide for redditors
A lot of the guides I've seen don't actually seem to understand how reddit works in comparison to tumblr so
- your blog is basically your own small subreddit. some people curate this heavily to fit a theme, like a sub, most people don't
- reblogs are culturally equivilant to upvotes but functionally equvilant to crossposting
- there is an algorithm. it sucks and nobody uses it. turn it off in settings. everything is generally chronological
- likes are functionally equivilant to saving a post
- you've probably already seen this but change your icon and put something in your bio or people WILL assume you're a bot. personal info not required
- generally, anything you would put as a comment on a thread should go in the tags or the replies of a post. only add comments in reblogs if you want it to become part of the base post
- tags are mostly equivilant to flairs, used for organization and commentary
- your dashboard is an aggregation of everyone you follow
- there is an r/all equivilant(trending page) but it sucks and nobody uses it
- our search also sucks. your best bet is using tumblr.com/tagged/[TAG] and not /search
- there are no mods
- by extension, reporting something doesn't put it in front of the mods, it sends it to staff, who may or may not do anything(usually they don't)
- there is no karma, there are no karma limits. anyone can reblog anything, comment/reply to anything, or post in any tag
- "reposting"(reblogging) old content doesn't matter. people can and will reblog the same post multiple times, including in a row
- CAVEAT. reposting someones art(NOT reblogging, making a new post) is a dick move. i know this is commonplace on fandom subs but its not necessary here. everything you post should be [OC] unless you are reblogging. or posting shitty memes
- we have our own sitelore, you'll pick it up
- (though im not opposed to bringing some over from reddit)
- our app also sucks. we do not have third party apps and any that claim to be are scams. sorry
- for desktop, most people use the XKit Rewritten extension for QoL improvements and to revert shitty aesthetic updates, much like old.reddit
- we have no idea where the porn rules are at either. add a mature content flag to anything you'd get fired for looking at at work, that's about it
finally, from the bottom of my heart, fuck u/spez
you've probably already seen this but change your icon and put something in your bio or people WILL assume you're a bot. personal info not required
This this this. You don't have to put anything personally revealing. Put in something so we know you're not a bot, because people go on bot-blocking sprees at random.
An icon made from a pixabay image or your character of choice is fine. A blog name of "Best Blog Ever" is fine. A tagline/description of "This is where I post stuff" is fine.
As you get used the culture, make friends, etc. maybe you'll decide to change those. But we aren't kidding about "put something in there - ANYTHING, No really, ANYTHING" (okay, anything doesn't look like "Natalia, 19F, 🥰Hot 🔥 Summer🌻 Fun 🏖️ Top 7% OF").
If you’re unemployed, it’s not because there isn’t any work.
Just look around: A housing shortage, crime, pollution; we need better schools and parks. Whatever our needs, they all require work. And as long as we have unsatisfied needs, there’s work to be done.
So ask yourself, what kind of world has work but no jobs? It’s a world where work is not related to satisfying our needs, a world where work is only related to satisfying the profit needs of business.
This country was not built by the huge corporations or government bureaucracies. It was built by people who work. And, it is working people who should control the work to be done. Yet, as long as employment is tied to somebody else’s profits, the work won’t get done.
lovegash
Was expecting classist bullshit, got the exact opposite
unmade-bed-strangledeggs
This is so ubelievably important and I hate that I have to keep re-explaining it to people.
I always wonder if it would help making a general post about dental care tips so here goes. (For reference, I am able to provide this guidance under supervision usually in a hospital setting, so this information is correct and expected of me when treating patients).
Brushing 2x day is important, even once a day if you can, do it before you sleep because that's when you're not swallowing and flushing out your mouth so plaque stays stagnant and causes trouble.
Use a fluoride toothpaste - it is the single most impactful component in our modern hygiene ritual from the past 40y that has reduced the amount of caries we see in patients.
Spit, do NOT rinse after brushing. Not even with mouthwash. Just spit the excess toothpaste out. Trust me. You'll get used to it after 2 days!
Please floss. Find the best way for you - use floss, flossettes or the tepe brushes. 1x a day is the optimal amount, before you sleep. 40% of plaque is between the teeth!
A Waterpik cannot replace floss, it can feel nice but you need to mechanically scrape away plaque and bits of food stuck in there.
If you can, use an electric toothbrush cause it can be helpful with timing and pressure sensing.
2 minutes of brushing is a lot longer than you'd think. Have a go at timing it and see what you find :).
Make sure you're replacing your brushes/brush heads every 3 months or once the bristles fray.
Keep in mind the amount of pressure you're placing when you brush - you don't need a lot otherwise you'll traumatise your gums.
If you wish to use a mouthrinse, you can at any time other than brushing (unless the rinse is prescribed). The reasoning for this is the fluoride content is significantly lower and will essentially wash away the toothpaste fluoride you've just applied, rendering it meaningless and your teeth are unprotected. You can have a look at the packaging- most toothpastes are around 1400ppm whereas mouthrinse is 350ppm.
Avoid charcoal and whitening toothpastes. They're too abrasive and will wear away your teeth if you use them. If you really want to use a whitening toothpaste, do it 1/week and avoid foods/drinks that stain e.g. coffee, wine etc once you've used it.
Charcoal blocks fluoride uptake in the teeth so seriously avoid it. It's not going to help.
Don't forget your tongue! Scrape it with your brush or you can get tongue scrapers. The tongue is a reservoir of bacteria and can replenish unfavourable bacteria species population after brushing, leading to some bad breath.
If you find your mouth is quite dry, you may have xerostomia which could be caused by a number of things. It is a common side effect of many medications so keep this in mind and drink water :). Saliva is really helpful in maintaining the health of your mouth so we want to make sure we're maintaining that role!
Also want to add in a bit of advice I got from the dental hygienist at my last appointment, when I said I didn’t brush as often as I should, because the taste of toothpaste in my mouth causes a problem with [stuff that’s a long story and not relevant here, but it is a valid issue for me]. She told me that in those cases, I could brush without toothpaste, just water. Because it’s not as good as brushing WITH toothpaste, but it’s better than NOT brushing at all.
The real important thing is that I didn’t use that as an excuse to brush LESS with toothpaste; I’m brushing MORE overall, even if the “with toothpaste” is still the same amount.
Meanwhile, on Twitter:
Brain farts, a thread
Reblogging this once again because, once again, it made me laugh.
This site toppling the competition by opting to sell shoelaces instead of monetising their users must be one of the greatest examples of failing upwards in history
Another day of being out here in Albany buying up as many politicians as we can-- It's just good business when you are in the business of Fossil Fuels.
We do Gaslighting, we do Greenwashing, and we delay planet-saving climate action.
Extinction 4 All! D4FF.org
Pretty sure I take 1d4 psychic damage every time I realize all over again that these are both Karl Urban
hey
....oh hell-lo 👀
I- I wish I could say the incredibly 90s bleach-blonde hair was turning me off but... yeah it's really, really not 😳
(definitely a much better Look on him than this one, enjoyable though the movie was)
seriously though this man is a fucking chameleon
...
🎶kiwi-kiwi-kiwi-kiwi-kiwi-chameeleonnnnn🎶
Behold! My collection of Karl Urban stuff!
Oh yeah he was Reaper in Doom too 😏😎💀
Excellent Karl-meleon additions, I haven't seen Doom but I adored him as Skurge 🤣😍
@chaos-monkeyy Karl-melelon!! 😂👌 thats awesome!
May I add Vaako in Riddick
Ghost in Pathfinder
Munder in Ghost Ship 😏
don't forget Red!
(gif by @tiberiusjames)
WAIT A FUCKING MINUTE HE WAS THE CIA GUY IN RED?!
It’s not as jarring as the rest, but here, have some Karl Urban in The Irrefutable Truth About Demons.
This list is missing Black Hat from Priest...
... and Kirill from The Bourne Supremacy...
... though I think these ones both bear just a sprinkle of resemblance to others on this list.
Don't forget about young dairy farmer Karl Urban in The Price of Milk!
Just on a whim, because I know that Alcibiades is one of the weirdest and funniest characters in ancient Greek history, I asked ChatGPT “What’s the weirdest thing Alcibiades ever did?”
ChatGPT came back with the details of something Alcibiades (henceforth referred to as ‘Alci’ so I don’t have to keep typing it out) was accused of, but acquitted of.
When I pointed out that he had been acquitted and may not have actually done this thing, Chat GPT apologised and said, “yes, he was acquitted”, and then went on to tell me that, nonetheless, the event was significant because it made Alci flee the city.
Alci did not flee the city, he was sent away on a military expedition, which was exactly what he’d wanted and asked for. When I pointed that out, ChatGPT apologised again for being wrong.
I asked again for weird things he might actually have done, and was told one version of a story I’ve heard before about how Alci stole some stuff from a friend. ChatGPT’s version was different from what I’d heard, though, so I mentioned that, and only then did ChatGPT acknowledge that there were different versions of the story. As part of its apology and correction, ChatGPT said that it did not always have access to all information - but then proceeded to provide details of the version of the story I’d heard before, showing that it did, in fact, have access to that information.
I asked again, what is the weirdest thing Alcibiades ever did? ChatGPT gave me an answer, which was a story I’d never heard before, so I asked for a source. ChatGPT told me it was in Plutarch’s Lives, and I presumed it was in his Life of Alcibiades, so that’s where I looked. When I said I couldn’t find it there, ChatGPT told me, sorry for not being specific, it was actually in Plutarch’s Life of Nicias. So I went and read Plutarch’s Life of Nicias and couldn’t find it.
So I told ChatGPT that I couldn’t find the story in that book, could it please be more specific? What I was hoping for was a chapter or page number or something, I just presumed I’d missed it.
ChatGPT came back with “no, actually it’s not in that book, it may be a later invention, there is no concrete evidence for this story.”
TL;DR: ChatGPT cannot be trusted. Even when it does give you a source, it can be wrong. It has no capacity to evaluate the accuracy or likely accuracy of the information it gives you. It will present you with wrong or debatable information and give you absolutely no indication that it may not be correct, or that other versions or interpretations are possible.
gotta remember that chat GPT works basically the same way autocomplete works, but it can autocomplete longer runs of reasonably coherent text.
it’s not looking up facts, its both trying to say the thing that’s most likely to come next in the text it was trained on, and also trying to not perfectly replicate the training text, because it’s supposed to be a bit creative.
what this means is that it’s actually primed to lie to you. you can feed it nothing but perfectly factual text and it will spit back lies because the truth replicates the training set too closely.
it’s not really capable of answering a question the way a person might.
what it does is generate text that reasonably seems like what an answer to that question might look like.
it’s a bullshit generator.
it is made to bullshit tech investors. (who exclusively talk by making up things that sound correct without regard for the actual truth) so, if you’re smarter than a venture capitalist then don’t fall for the bullshit meant to ensnare venture capitalists.
That’s a really good way to put it!
it doesn’t actually apologize, either. it generates text that reads as an apology when you input the kind of text that is usually followed by an apology. it doesn’t understand that the ‘fact’ it gave you was ‘wrong’: you prompted it to give you a certain pattern of text (tell me about this thing) and it gave you a matching pattern (here’s some stuff about the thing). then you gave it another pattern of text (you were wrong about the thing) and it gave you the matching pattern (here’s an apology and a correction about the thing).
it just gives you reasonable responses to whatever text you give it, and the most reasonable response to text like ‘you’re wrong’ and ‘that’s not true’ are the words ‘i’m sorry’.