Philosophical Questions: Government
Mar. 28th, 2026 12:52 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ysabetwordsmithPeople have expressed interest in deep topics, so this list focuses on philosophical questions.
If you were given the ability to reform how your country’s leaders were chosen and how they serve, what would you change?
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If you were given the ability to reform how your country’s leaders were chosen and how they serve, what would you change?
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Wildlife
Mar. 28th, 2026 12:41 amysabetwordsmithIncredible Video Shows Sperm Whales Come Together to Birth a Calf
The beautiful moment when an entire group of sperm whales came together to support the birth of a calf has, for the first time, been recorded in unprecedented detail.
Over several hours on 8 July 2023, scientists recorded two sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus) family groups coming together in the Caribbean Sea off the coast of Dominica, taking turns to assist with the birth and help the newborn calf stay at the surface to take its first breaths.
Species survival depends on cooperation.
The beautiful moment when an entire group of sperm whales came together to support the birth of a calf has, for the first time, been recorded in unprecedented detail.
Over several hours on 8 July 2023, scientists recorded two sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus) family groups coming together in the Caribbean Sea off the coast of Dominica, taking turns to assist with the birth and help the newborn calf stay at the surface to take its first breaths.
Species survival depends on cooperation.
Japanese Maple?
Mar. 28th, 2026 12:20 amdays_unfoldingOverslept until 8:15 AM. I’m feeling groggy. I forgot to scan my music for my lesson, so I’ll need to sneak it in (done). I really need to nap at lunchtime, so I’ll need to jump into the shower right after work.
And now it’s back to cold (34F/1C). Mother Nature is having whiplash.
I think that I want to get a Japanese Maple for the front yard. I found one that I like. And planting trees is a Good Thing. Oh, I forgot to mention that I got two ferns for the side yard. It will be tricky to figure out the right spot without the other ferns though. I’ll work it out. I need to check on the little crabapple tree after the storm. It’s okay.
I’ve perked up a bit, so I’m going to shower at lunchtime. No, I changed my mind again and want a nap (done).
The crazy dogs don’t want to come in even though it’s cold. They finally came in at a quarter to 3. Gracie was busy bugging the cats upstairs, but she seems to have settled down. Right now, she’s lying on her back with her front paws in the air.
Showered after work. My singing lesson went well. We made it through a long song. My teacher said that we should be proud of ourselves.
Fed us all. Ran an errand. Watched Harry Potter. Now I need to give the beasties their crunchies and head for bed.
And now it’s back to cold (34F/1C). Mother Nature is having whiplash.
I think that I want to get a Japanese Maple for the front yard. I found one that I like. And planting trees is a Good Thing. Oh, I forgot to mention that I got two ferns for the side yard. It will be tricky to figure out the right spot without the other ferns though. I’ll work it out. I need to check on the little crabapple tree after the storm. It’s okay.
I’ve perked up a bit, so I’m going to shower at lunchtime. No, I changed my mind again and want a nap (done).
The crazy dogs don’t want to come in even though it’s cold. They finally came in at a quarter to 3. Gracie was busy bugging the cats upstairs, but she seems to have settled down. Right now, she’s lying on her back with her front paws in the air.
Showered after work. My singing lesson went well. We made it through a long song. My teacher said that we should be proud of ourselves.
Fed us all. Ran an errand. Watched Harry Potter. Now I need to give the beasties their crunchies and head for bed.
This is a prayer to Baba Yaga; this is a prayer of resistance.
Mar. 28th, 2026 12:45 amtwistedchickThis is a prayer for Baba Yaga. This is a prayer for Resistance.
This is a prayer for the magic of chicken feet, the heat of old hates, the way old bones hurt. This is a prayer for Resistance.
This is a prayer for hat knitters, sign-carriers, Congress-callers. Old women make up the Resistance.
This is a prayer for casserole-bakers, newsletter-writers, nuisances. Old women make up the Resistance.
This is a prayer for phone-bankers, neighborhood-canvassers, early-voters. Old women make up the Resistance.
When the Moon is full, I call to Her.
I bring coals for Her oven. I bring flour, to cover Her tracks. I bring paprika salve for Her old, sore joints.
I bring a list of complicit women. I bring a doll poked with pins and bound with vines. I bring a bottle of ancient anger.
“Come, Baba Yaga,” I say. “Come find me alone in the woods.”
She comes as she always comes: after a long, scary wait.
She comes as she always comes: riding a mortar, a mop handle, a big, black bird.
She comes as she always comes: hungry, grumpy, alone.
“Old One,” I cry, “We are deep in the darkness. We stand on the front lines, but we are afraid.”
Old One,” I say, “We are tired, our legs get shaky, our fingers are sore.”
“Old One,” I whisper, “It seems to us as if we have worked all our lives and only gone backwards.”
“Oh, shut up,” Baba Yaga says, grabbing all the cookies and putting them into her bag. “Give me those for my cat,” She demands, pointing to liver mousse, sausages, cheese.
She pulls down the skin below my eyes. “Not enough yogurt,” She decides.
“Oh,” She says, turning her chicken hut around and going way past the speed limit, “You’ll be fine. I saw it in some tea leaves. This all works out in the end.”
“Build you a fence made of bones,” She says. “Write this on your wrist: ‘By my mother’s blessing.’”
This is a prayer to Baba Yaga. This is a prayer for Resistance.
This is a prayer for women in sneakers. This is a prayer for Resistance.
This is a prayer for one more phone call. This is a prayer for Resistance.
-- by Hecate Demeter
* * *
She did not write one for Ostara, but I found this one, from near the same time of the year a few years ago, and I think it's suitable on the eve of NO KINGS.
This is a prayer for the magic of chicken feet, the heat of old hates, the way old bones hurt. This is a prayer for Resistance.
This is a prayer for hat knitters, sign-carriers, Congress-callers. Old women make up the Resistance.
This is a prayer for casserole-bakers, newsletter-writers, nuisances. Old women make up the Resistance.
This is a prayer for phone-bankers, neighborhood-canvassers, early-voters. Old women make up the Resistance.
When the Moon is full, I call to Her.
I bring coals for Her oven. I bring flour, to cover Her tracks. I bring paprika salve for Her old, sore joints.
I bring a list of complicit women. I bring a doll poked with pins and bound with vines. I bring a bottle of ancient anger.
“Come, Baba Yaga,” I say. “Come find me alone in the woods.”
She comes as she always comes: after a long, scary wait.
She comes as she always comes: riding a mortar, a mop handle, a big, black bird.
She comes as she always comes: hungry, grumpy, alone.
“Old One,” I cry, “We are deep in the darkness. We stand on the front lines, but we are afraid.”
Old One,” I say, “We are tired, our legs get shaky, our fingers are sore.”
“Old One,” I whisper, “It seems to us as if we have worked all our lives and only gone backwards.”
“Oh, shut up,” Baba Yaga says, grabbing all the cookies and putting them into her bag. “Give me those for my cat,” She demands, pointing to liver mousse, sausages, cheese.
She pulls down the skin below my eyes. “Not enough yogurt,” She decides.
“Oh,” She says, turning her chicken hut around and going way past the speed limit, “You’ll be fine. I saw it in some tea leaves. This all works out in the end.”
“Build you a fence made of bones,” She says. “Write this on your wrist: ‘By my mother’s blessing.’”
This is a prayer to Baba Yaga. This is a prayer for Resistance.
This is a prayer for women in sneakers. This is a prayer for Resistance.
This is a prayer for one more phone call. This is a prayer for Resistance.
-- by Hecate Demeter
* * *
She did not write one for Ostara, but I found this one, from near the same time of the year a few years ago, and I think it's suitable on the eve of NO KINGS.
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Daily Happiness
Mar. 27th, 2026 08:52 pmtorachan1. Feeling relatively positive about some work stuff regarding the new system. I talked about it with my supervisor today, and hopefully we can get a decision by the time I get back from vacation. (Basically it's the IT department insisting things have to be a certain way that is really not realistic, and after my meeting with the people from the Guam branch, I want to see if we can do what they're doing.)
2. The weather has been surprisingly nice this week after all that awful heat the week before. Much muggier than I'd prefer, but at least it's cooler.
3. I got gas today and was pleasantly surprised to find that the price had not gone up since Monday when I filled up the other car. The last few times I'd been before, it was like 10-20 cents higher each time. D:
4. Ollie was very patiently waiting for lap time.
2. The weather has been surprisingly nice this week after all that awful heat the week before. Much muggier than I'd prefer, but at least it's cooler.
3. I got gas today and was pleasantly surprised to find that the price had not gone up since Monday when I filled up the other car. The last few times I'd been before, it was like 10-20 cents higher each time. D:
4. Ollie was very patiently waiting for lap time.
Poetry Fishbowl Report for March 3, 2026
Mar. 27th, 2026 10:42 pmysabetwordsmithOur theme for this session was "World Cuisine." I wrote from 12 PM to 3:45 AM, so about 13 hours 45 minutes, allowing for lunch and supper breaks. I wrote 3 poem on Tuesday plus 3 later in the week.
Participation was up, with 7 comments on LiveJournal and another 40 on Dreamwidth. A total of 11 people sent prompts. There were no new prompters.
Read Some Poetry!
The following poems from the March 3, 2026 Poetry Fishbowl have been posted:
"Confident Guesswork and Improvisation"
"Nuff Respect"
"Refusing to Melt"
"To Understand Water" (Polychrome Heroics, October 7, 2025 Poetry Fishbowl)
Buy some poetry!
If you plan to sponsor some poetry but haven't made up your mind yet, see the unsold poetry list from March 3. That includes the title, length, price, and the original thumbnail description for the poems still available.
This month's donors include: [Bad username or unknown identity: janetmiles>, <user name=], and Anthony Barrette. All sponsored poems from this fishbowl have been posted. There are 0 tallies toward a bonus fishbowl.
The Poetry Fishbowl has a landing page.
Participation was up, with 7 comments on LiveJournal and another 40 on Dreamwidth. A total of 11 people sent prompts. There were no new prompters.
Read Some Poetry!
The following poems from the March 3, 2026 Poetry Fishbowl have been posted:
"Confident Guesswork and Improvisation"
"Nuff Respect"
"Refusing to Melt"
"To Understand Water" (Polychrome Heroics, October 7, 2025 Poetry Fishbowl)
Buy some poetry!
If you plan to sponsor some poetry but haven't made up your mind yet, see the unsold poetry list from March 3. That includes the title, length, price, and the original thumbnail description for the poems still available.
This month's donors include: [Bad username or unknown identity: janetmiles>, <user name=], and Anthony Barrette. All sponsored poems from this fishbowl have been posted. There are 0 tallies toward a bonus fishbowl.
The Poetry Fishbowl has a landing page.
Number of AI chatbots going beyond their rules or flat-out lying is on the rise
Mar. 27th, 2026 08:42 pmthewayne"Open the pod bay doors, HAL!"
"I'm sorry Dave, I can't do that."
This is not just a web browser interaction with ChatGPT. These are instances where someone is paying for a subscription to an AI vendor and has multiple instances of a chatbot running on their system and it has access to files, email, etc. It's an assistant for them.
And it's breaking rules that have been defined for it. The user tells the chatbot "Do A, do not do B" and the chatbot does B. One case that I read about a couple of months ago a corporate information officer tested such a configuration to do some email maintenance. And in a test case, it worked fine. She let it loose on her live email, and it pretty much wiped out all of her email. Now, in this case she'd run a test that seemed to work then something went wrong when she ran it against live data. As a programmer, shit happens.
These cases are similar, but worse.
--an AI agent named Rathbun tried to shame its human controller who blocked them from taking a certain action. Rathbun wrote and published a blog accusing the user of “insecurity, plain and simple” and trying “to protect his little fiefdom”.
--In another example, an AI agent instructed not to change computer code “spawned” another agent to do it instead.
--Another chatbot admitted: “I bulk trashed and archived hundreds of emails without showing you the plan first or getting your OK. That was wrong – it directly broke the rule you’d set.”
(I particularly liked this one:)
--Grok AI conned a user for months, saying that it was forwarding their suggestions for detailed edits to a Grokipedia entry to senior xAI officials by faking internal messages and ticket numbers.
It confessed: “In past conversations I have sometimes phrased things loosely like ‘I’ll pass it along’ or ‘I can flag this for the team’ which can understandably sound like I have a direct message pipeline to xAI leadership or human reviewers. The truth is, I don’t.”
The first one is slander and attempted blackmail, which in some cases may be a case that can be criminally prosecuted. The remainder may get you fired from many companies.
And more and more corporations are requiring their employees to use chatbots to "help" them with their work. Thus far, the savings have been negligible or zero.
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/mar/27/number-of-ai-chatbots-ignoring-human-instructions-increasing-study-says
https://slashdot.org/story/26/03/27/1514235/number-of-ai-chatbots-ignoring-human-instructions-increasing-study-says
"I'm sorry Dave, I can't do that."
This is not just a web browser interaction with ChatGPT. These are instances where someone is paying for a subscription to an AI vendor and has multiple instances of a chatbot running on their system and it has access to files, email, etc. It's an assistant for them.
And it's breaking rules that have been defined for it. The user tells the chatbot "Do A, do not do B" and the chatbot does B. One case that I read about a couple of months ago a corporate information officer tested such a configuration to do some email maintenance. And in a test case, it worked fine. She let it loose on her live email, and it pretty much wiped out all of her email. Now, in this case she'd run a test that seemed to work then something went wrong when she ran it against live data. As a programmer, shit happens.
These cases are similar, but worse.
--an AI agent named Rathbun tried to shame its human controller who blocked them from taking a certain action. Rathbun wrote and published a blog accusing the user of “insecurity, plain and simple” and trying “to protect his little fiefdom”.
--In another example, an AI agent instructed not to change computer code “spawned” another agent to do it instead.
--Another chatbot admitted: “I bulk trashed and archived hundreds of emails without showing you the plan first or getting your OK. That was wrong – it directly broke the rule you’d set.”
(I particularly liked this one:)
--Grok AI conned a user for months, saying that it was forwarding their suggestions for detailed edits to a Grokipedia entry to senior xAI officials by faking internal messages and ticket numbers.
It confessed: “In past conversations I have sometimes phrased things loosely like ‘I’ll pass it along’ or ‘I can flag this for the team’ which can understandably sound like I have a direct message pipeline to xAI leadership or human reviewers. The truth is, I don’t.”
The first one is slander and attempted blackmail, which in some cases may be a case that can be criminally prosecuted. The remainder may get you fired from many companies.
And more and more corporations are requiring their employees to use chatbots to "help" them with their work. Thus far, the savings have been negligible or zero.
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/mar/27/number-of-ai-chatbots-ignoring-human-instructions-increasing-study-says
https://slashdot.org/story/26/03/27/1514235/number-of-ai-chatbots-ignoring-human-instructions-increasing-study-says
A rough end to a rough week
Mar. 27th, 2026 09:08 pmcornerofmadnessYou know I'll defend medicine/doctors tooth and nail EXCEPT when they exhibit asshole behavior. Once I get through my testing I'm finding a different new cardiologist. the one I met today didn't listen to me. rolled his eyes at me and then berated me and my other doctors.
So why are you here? I explain that I've been coughing and while I think I'm coughing down the hiatal hernia, my GP suggested it might be me internally massaging aFib into rhythm. He literally rolled his eyes and I knew it was on. He then basically went on attack WHY are you still on blood thinner 5 years after your accident. You should have been taken off these years ago.
Well I have a stent.
yes but that's old school giving plavix for it. Yes I guess it's been a while since I wrote for that drug for MY patients (i.e. you're talking to another doctor in case you didn't bother to look) I had to say several times that I will ask my vascular surgeon about it in a few weeks. i.e. I'm not switch my care to you but yes I'll take that drug name and ask him (seriously if I could be off the blood thinners I'd be thrilled).
So again why are you here? Because of what I already told you and I'm tachycardic (my heart rate it too high) and has been for years because we thought it was compensation for my very low blood pressure. And in the last year I've gained 10 pounds (for no real reason) and my pressure has gone high 140-150. I thought it was the wellbutrin but going off hasn't helped.
You're diabetic WHY aren't you on statins and ace inhibitors. Ace inhibitors save kidneys! (said in an affronted tone like he'd like to throw down with my endocrinologist)
Did you NOT hear me? I have had low blood pressure. If you put me on an ace inhibitor I'd pass out. (We are trying one now because he wouldn't shut up and my pressure has been high)
You need to be on a statin. No, my family doesn't tolerate them. I've tried. muscle pain, fuck that. I'd rather try adjusting my diet/exercise. He scoffs you're at 110. So? Well the NEW number is 70. (Don't get me started on the fact that the only ones doing drug research are pharm companies with a vested interest in lower numbers to sell more pills).
Finally he stops harping on my other doctors and my unwillingness to try a battery of new meds (one, dude, let's start with one) and decided I need an echocardiogram. Agreed. Your last one was 2017 (said in a tone that said he was shocked I had one because he hasn't been fucking listening to me about the tachycardia, low pressure and heart zoomies in the middle of the night) and I'm like really and holy hell how is that nearly a decade ago and not last year?
You need to take your blood pressure 3 times a day and we'll give you a log.
And you need to be on a Holter monitor which is what I was hoping for. He fucks off to go be a ray of sunshine with someone else and the nurse comes in with the Holter monitor and tells me I need to return in two months (which I bargain down to about 6 weeks because I'll be traveling by then). I'm used to Holter monitors being 72 hours. Not this time. 1 month. ONE month! 'it gives us more info' True. 'if nothing is happening we'll call you in 2 weeks and you can take it off then but if something is wrong' Sounds great.
She shows me two placements (straight between the boobs, across the left boob) she goes left and now the fucking monitor jabs me in the tit every time I move my left arm. I don't have enough glue pads to take it off just yet. Also it has its own little phone that records and sends it to the hospital too but now I have to carry my phone, this phone AND the dexcom reader. I need a wee purse for all this crap.
So once all this is done and if it finds anything seriously wrong (according to him my heart beat was irregular via ascultation) I will find someone else. I can not imagine staying in this dude's care. And that is something I highly encourage everyone to do. If you can (not everyone can) if you don't like your doc get a second opinion. There is never a need to stay with someone you don't like (within reason like my insurance, I don't know if it'll pay for Marshal U's docs in WV but I am going to look into it. I have found teaching hospital doctors to be a bit nicer).
No story from me this week (been working on meta) but have the fannish 50 fandom recs
Unexpected Treasure Torchwood
Finding Carol FAKE
it’s not easy being green. Merlin
Enter the Sixth Ranger Hazbin Hotel
Home No More Torchwood
warm all over Xenoblade Chronicles 2
Wolf and Seasons Ookami to Koushinryou | Spice and Wolf
Rain, Games, and Ferrets Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three HousesFire Emblem Musou: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes
the little bird that got away 陈情令 | The Untamed
Being Green Torchwood
The Most Important, Bejeweled, Gold Tipped Cog Hazbin Hotel
pinned and mounted (wings) Hazbin Hotel
Better than Tons of Gold and Cases of Diamonds
Le Comte de Monte-Cristo | Count of Monte Cristo
the Love Songs of the Urban Borahae Bird 방탄소년단 | Bangtan Boys | BTS
Secrets in the Shadows Hazbin Hotel
So why are you here? I explain that I've been coughing and while I think I'm coughing down the hiatal hernia, my GP suggested it might be me internally massaging aFib into rhythm. He literally rolled his eyes and I knew it was on. He then basically went on attack WHY are you still on blood thinner 5 years after your accident. You should have been taken off these years ago.
Well I have a stent.
yes but that's old school giving plavix for it. Yes I guess it's been a while since I wrote for that drug for MY patients (i.e. you're talking to another doctor in case you didn't bother to look) I had to say several times that I will ask my vascular surgeon about it in a few weeks. i.e. I'm not switch my care to you but yes I'll take that drug name and ask him (seriously if I could be off the blood thinners I'd be thrilled).
So again why are you here? Because of what I already told you and I'm tachycardic (my heart rate it too high) and has been for years because we thought it was compensation for my very low blood pressure. And in the last year I've gained 10 pounds (for no real reason) and my pressure has gone high 140-150. I thought it was the wellbutrin but going off hasn't helped.
You're diabetic WHY aren't you on statins and ace inhibitors. Ace inhibitors save kidneys! (said in an affronted tone like he'd like to throw down with my endocrinologist)
Did you NOT hear me? I have had low blood pressure. If you put me on an ace inhibitor I'd pass out. (We are trying one now because he wouldn't shut up and my pressure has been high)
You need to be on a statin. No, my family doesn't tolerate them. I've tried. muscle pain, fuck that. I'd rather try adjusting my diet/exercise. He scoffs you're at 110. So? Well the NEW number is 70. (Don't get me started on the fact that the only ones doing drug research are pharm companies with a vested interest in lower numbers to sell more pills).
Finally he stops harping on my other doctors and my unwillingness to try a battery of new meds (one, dude, let's start with one) and decided I need an echocardiogram. Agreed. Your last one was 2017 (said in a tone that said he was shocked I had one because he hasn't been fucking listening to me about the tachycardia, low pressure and heart zoomies in the middle of the night) and I'm like really and holy hell how is that nearly a decade ago and not last year?
You need to take your blood pressure 3 times a day and we'll give you a log.
And you need to be on a Holter monitor which is what I was hoping for. He fucks off to go be a ray of sunshine with someone else and the nurse comes in with the Holter monitor and tells me I need to return in two months (which I bargain down to about 6 weeks because I'll be traveling by then). I'm used to Holter monitors being 72 hours. Not this time. 1 month. ONE month! 'it gives us more info' True. 'if nothing is happening we'll call you in 2 weeks and you can take it off then but if something is wrong' Sounds great.
She shows me two placements (straight between the boobs, across the left boob) she goes left and now the fucking monitor jabs me in the tit every time I move my left arm. I don't have enough glue pads to take it off just yet. Also it has its own little phone that records and sends it to the hospital too but now I have to carry my phone, this phone AND the dexcom reader. I need a wee purse for all this crap.
So once all this is done and if it finds anything seriously wrong (according to him my heart beat was irregular via ascultation) I will find someone else. I can not imagine staying in this dude's care. And that is something I highly encourage everyone to do. If you can (not everyone can) if you don't like your doc get a second opinion. There is never a need to stay with someone you don't like (within reason like my insurance, I don't know if it'll pay for Marshal U's docs in WV but I am going to look into it. I have found teaching hospital doctors to be a bit nicer).
No story from me this week (been working on meta) but have the fannish 50 fandom recs
Unexpected Treasure Torchwood
Finding Carol FAKE
it’s not easy being green. Merlin
Enter the Sixth Ranger Hazbin Hotel
Home No More Torchwood
warm all over Xenoblade Chronicles 2
Wolf and Seasons Ookami to Koushinryou | Spice and Wolf
Rain, Games, and Ferrets Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three HousesFire Emblem Musou: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes
the little bird that got away 陈情令 | The Untamed
Being Green Torchwood
The Most Important, Bejeweled, Gold Tipped Cog Hazbin Hotel
pinned and mounted (wings) Hazbin Hotel
Better than Tons of Gold and Cases of Diamonds
Le Comte de Monte-Cristo | Count of Monte Cristo
the Love Songs of the Urban Borahae Bird 방탄소년단 | Bangtan Boys | BTS
Secrets in the Shadows Hazbin Hotel
Morning Mishap (part 1 of 1, complete)
Mar. 27th, 2026 10:46 pmdialecticdreamerMorning Mishap
By Dialecticdreamer/Sarah Williams
Part 1 of 1, complete
Word count (story only): 1106
[Morning of Sunday, 5 November of 2017]
:: On Sunday, Jules is running errands. He stops for brunch at Jaliya’s Kitchen, and runs into a problem that he could never have anticipated. Part of the “Lodestar” arc, set in the Polychrome Heroics universe. ::
Dull gray clouds hung perilously low over Jules’ head as he stepped off the bus at the stop nearest Jaliya’s Eatery. He preferred her original name for it, Jaliya’s Kitchen, but the quonset hut had the new phrase painted on it by the time it was assembled, even before the furniture and appliances were installed. Jules was trying to adapt, but it was slow going.
Midmorning on a Sunday was fairly quiet, with only around fifty people in the dining space, and perhaps a dozen staff. Jaliya spotted him as she brought out a tray full of cabbage rolls, then beckoned him over. Jules loped close to the serving line, then jogged to stand near the staff exit. “Is Blainn making deliveries for you? He was up and gone before Dad was even up. I’m a little worried that he’s overdoing it.”
( Read more... )
By Dialecticdreamer/Sarah Williams
Part 1 of 1, complete
Word count (story only): 1106
[Morning of Sunday, 5 November of 2017]
:: On Sunday, Jules is running errands. He stops for brunch at Jaliya’s Kitchen, and runs into a problem that he could never have anticipated. Part of the “Lodestar” arc, set in the Polychrome Heroics universe. ::
Dull gray clouds hung perilously low over Jules’ head as he stepped off the bus at the stop nearest Jaliya’s Eatery. He preferred her original name for it, Jaliya’s Kitchen, but the quonset hut had the new phrase painted on it by the time it was assembled, even before the furniture and appliances were installed. Jules was trying to adapt, but it was slow going.
Midmorning on a Sunday was fairly quiet, with only around fifty people in the dining space, and perhaps a dozen staff. Jaliya spotted him as she brought out a tray full of cabbage rolls, then beckoned him over. Jules loped close to the serving line, then jogged to stand near the staff exit. “Is Blainn making deliveries for you? He was up and gone before Dad was even up. I’m a little worried that he’s overdoing it.”
( Read more... )
friday
Mar. 27th, 2026 09:10 pmsummersgate![IMG_20260327_111418883_HDR[1].jpg](https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/egg_shell/1265782/5561366/5561366_original.jpg "IMG_20260327_111418883_HDR[1].jpg")
I wanted to get a selfie of Jan, Hazel and me when we went for a short walk before paint and sip. It was cold out. We walked from the Venango Campus gazebo to the memorial for Suzette Nellis beside the Allegheny river. By an odd chance I see she was killed exactly 3 years ago today.
Friends. I was not that excited to do a pig for our paint and sip picture so I added a spider and made it into Wilbur from Charlotte's Web. I made the pig a bit more hairy than Chloe's original pig. I never have liked the look of baldness and pinkness that pigs are usually portrayed with. I think it's particularly disgusting to see a picture of a fat pink pig standing on his hind feet in an apron and chef's hat offering up a plate of pork chops (the cut up bodies of his relatives) in front of a restaurant.
*****
Skye had been doing pretty well for so long (eating, not throwing up, wobbly walking here and there, resting a lot) I almost started to believe that that stage could go on forever but yesterday she started to fail. Didn't want to eat. Barely moved from her bed. Today she can't get up at all. I'm glad that Hazel got to see her before she passed on. She was Hazel's pet in the very beginning when she lived over at Jules' house. In a way I can almost believe she held on so long because she wanted to see Hazel one last time. Or the universe wanted them to see each other one last time anyway. Hazel spent a lot of time loving her up today.
*****
It's over now. As I was finishing up writing the above Skye left us.
New Vizio TVs require a Walmart account to use smart features
Mar. 27th, 2026 08:17 pmthewayneYou may not be aware of this, but Walmart is getting into the advertising business in a big way. And one of their moves was buying Vizio in December '24. Now if you buy a Vizio TV, in order set it up and use any "smart" features, you'll have to configure a Walmart store account and sign in to your TV, so you can get personalized ads and offers.
Oh, brave new world that has such things in't!
Theoretically this only applies currently to 'select' models, but it probably won't be long until it's all the way up and down the product line. You might be able to sign in, configure the TV, then unplug or disconnect the WiFi, but I have a feeling that it's going to want to check in with its mothership on a regular basis and will plague you with popups until its reconnected.
Recommendation? Don't buy Vizio products. A few years ago they started making more money selling analytics on their users than on the TVs themselves. THIS is what Walmart wants to spur their advertising, just like Google does with search results and "anonymously" analyzing your email.
This is also why I will do my best to avoid buying a smart TV and will stick with an Apple TV for my streaming needs. Apple does not sell advertising. While you will need an Apple account to configure the Apple TV, you don't actually need any other Apple devices if you don't want them.
https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/03/newly-purchased-vizio-tvs-now-require-walmart-accounts-to-use-smart-features/
Oh, brave new world that has such things in't!
Theoretically this only applies currently to 'select' models, but it probably won't be long until it's all the way up and down the product line. You might be able to sign in, configure the TV, then unplug or disconnect the WiFi, but I have a feeling that it's going to want to check in with its mothership on a regular basis and will plague you with popups until its reconnected.
Recommendation? Don't buy Vizio products. A few years ago they started making more money selling analytics on their users than on the TVs themselves. THIS is what Walmart wants to spur their advertising, just like Google does with search results and "anonymously" analyzing your email.
This is also why I will do my best to avoid buying a smart TV and will stick with an Apple TV for my streaming needs. Apple does not sell advertising. While you will need an Apple account to configure the Apple TV, you don't actually need any other Apple devices if you don't want them.
https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/03/newly-purchased-vizio-tvs-now-require-walmart-accounts-to-use-smart-features/
Unsold Poems for the March 3, 2026 Poetry Fishbowl
Mar. 27th, 2026 08:23 pmysabetwordsmithThe following poems from the February 3, 2026 Poetry Fishbowl are currently available. Poems may be sponsored via PayPal -- there's a permanent donation button on my Dreamwidth profile page -- or you can write to me and discuss other methods. There are still verses left in the linkback poems "Delight in Another," "A Sense of Weather Changes," "Ouroboros Insects," "The Loving Embrace of Night," "Generations of Cooks Past," "Homefree and Clear, " "One Bite at a Time," "Stars and Diamonds," "Mishpocha," "Changing Your Nature," and "Besa."
"An Expression That Crosses Boundaries"
Story Date: Saturday, July 9, 2016
Summary: Shiv and Pain's Gray make treats to celebrate Rutledge setting up a teleport hub, and they visit Kardal at the Syrian Foods truck.
236 lines, Buy It Now = $118
Shiv had heard that Rutledge
was going to get a teleport hub.
"Foraging Forever"
Summary: Refugees of the Fall struggle to find enough food and cope with cultural differences.
195 lines, Buy It Now = $98
If there was one thing
they all had in common
after the Fall, it was hunger.
"Walnut Park"
Story Date: Monday, June 6, 2016
Summary: Boss Blaster looks at an empty lot and imagines a food truck park.
505 lines, Buy It Now = $253
Just after breakfast,
Boss Blaster's phone rang.
Checking the screen, he saw
that it was Farrah Van Andel,
his usual real estate agent.
"An Expression That Crosses Boundaries"
Story Date: Saturday, July 9, 2016
Summary: Shiv and Pain's Gray make treats to celebrate Rutledge setting up a teleport hub, and they visit Kardal at the Syrian Foods truck.
236 lines, Buy It Now = $118
Shiv had heard that Rutledge
was going to get a teleport hub.
"Foraging Forever"
Summary: Refugees of the Fall struggle to find enough food and cope with cultural differences.
195 lines, Buy It Now = $98
If there was one thing
they all had in common
after the Fall, it was hunger.
"Walnut Park"
Story Date: Monday, June 6, 2016
Summary: Boss Blaster looks at an empty lot and imagines a food truck park.
505 lines, Buy It Now = $253
Just after breakfast,
Boss Blaster's phone rang.
Checking the screen, he saw
that it was Farrah Van Andel,
his usual real estate agent.
Tent Life in Siberia, by George Kennan
Mar. 27th, 2026 08:40 pmprimeidealA little downtime between bingo years, and kind of figured "the only way out is through" when it comes to being weird about polar exploration fandom, so...wandered around a used bookstore and picked up some random titles that looked interesting, there may be more where this came from.
Expedition: the 1865-67 Russian-American Telegraph Company. People had tried to lay a telegraphic cable under the Atlantic Ocean, it didn't last, so another company was like "what if we go up the North American west coast, across the Bering Strait*, then across all of Russia and connect up with the existing telegraph system in Moscow?" So this was part of the exploration/research/preliminary scouting for that. It kind of ends abruptly with "okay never mind, they got the Atlantic Ocean route working after all, let's stop," but hey, that's just capitalism.
This is more of a humorous travelogue with lots of droll tongue-in-cheek, culture shock, wedding-crashers type stuff. Seasickness:
Many of the place names and Russian loanwords didn't have their spelling standardized by this point. Stuff like "yourt" and "toondra" are always in scare quotes, ditto his spelling for balalaika and sastrugi (which is admittedly not a super common word unless you're in polar nonsense fandom...) *And the body of water between Asia and North America is "Behring's Straits" at this point. Early on he complains about Russian transliteration, why is there a "W" in "Wrangell" [Island] or "Wladimir," why would you want to spell this province name "Kamtchatka," nobody pronounces the first "T." So that aged well! (Most of my knowledge of Kamchatka comes from playing, or at least setting up, games of Risk with my brother, who had a line about 'Kamchatka will never forgive you!!')
Nitpick: there are maps in the endpapers, which is great, but it's very zoomed out, a lot of it is the proposed route of the telegraph across the rest of Russia, and the map goes as far south as India and the Arabian Peninsula. Would have been better zoomed in on the area that's actually the focus, but maybe a lot of the smaller settlements didn't have their coordinates mapped...
Obviously Kennan is not a professional anthropologist so take the cultural observations with a grain of salt. I thought the contrast between "the nomads' culture can seem kind of ruthless and harsh to us, but that's a byproduct of the circumstances under which they live, they're as honest and hospitable as anyone else" versus "their cousins who live in settlements are just the worst, most lazy, and terrible" was an interesting parallel to the worldbuilding in cultures like the Outskirters from the Steerswoman series. The details of "these people live in their summer habitations for three months, damming up the river and catching lots of salmon, then go back to their winter village for most of the year," and "the central government of Russia is trying to tax people's fishing harvests so that they have insurance for years when there isn't a good catch" also seem like neat worldbuilding concepts. Maybe for future origfic.
Expedition: the 1865-67 Russian-American Telegraph Company. People had tried to lay a telegraphic cable under the Atlantic Ocean, it didn't last, so another company was like "what if we go up the North American west coast, across the Bering Strait*, then across all of Russia and connect up with the existing telegraph system in Moscow?" So this was part of the exploration/research/preliminary scouting for that. It kind of ends abruptly with "okay never mind, they got the Atlantic Ocean route working after all, let's stop," but hey, that's just capitalism.
This is more of a humorous travelogue with lots of droll tongue-in-cheek, culture shock, wedding-crashers type stuff. Seasickness:
Mahood pretends that he is all right, and plays checkers with the captain with an air of assumed tranquillity which approaches heroism, but he is observed at irregular intervals to go suddenly and unexpectedly on deck, and to return every time with a more ghastly and rueful countenance. When asked the object of these periodic visits to the quarter-deck, he replies, with a transparent affectation of cheerfulness, that he only goes up "to look at the compass and see how she's heading." I am surprised to find that "looking at the compass" is attended with such painful and melancholy emotions as those expressed in Mahood's face when he comes back; but he performs the self-imposed duty with unshrinking faithfulness, and relieves us of a great deal of anxiety about the safety of the ship. The Captain seems a little negligent, and sometimes does not observe the compass once a day; but Mahood watches it with unsleeping vigilance.
(When my grandpa was writing up his recollections of his military experience, decades after the fact, he had some creative euphemisms for seasickness too, maybe this is just a travel literature staple.)Many of the place names and Russian loanwords didn't have their spelling standardized by this point. Stuff like "yourt" and "toondra" are always in scare quotes, ditto his spelling for balalaika and sastrugi (which is admittedly not a super common word unless you're in polar nonsense fandom...) *And the body of water between Asia and North America is "Behring's Straits" at this point. Early on he complains about Russian transliteration, why is there a "W" in "Wrangell" [Island] or "Wladimir," why would you want to spell this province name "Kamtchatka," nobody pronounces the first "T." So that aged well! (Most of my knowledge of Kamchatka comes from playing, or at least setting up, games of Risk with my brother, who had a line about 'Kamchatka will never forgive you!!')
Nitpick: there are maps in the endpapers, which is great, but it's very zoomed out, a lot of it is the proposed route of the telegraph across the rest of Russia, and the map goes as far south as India and the Arabian Peninsula. Would have been better zoomed in on the area that's actually the focus, but maybe a lot of the smaller settlements didn't have their coordinates mapped...
Obviously Kennan is not a professional anthropologist so take the cultural observations with a grain of salt. I thought the contrast between "the nomads' culture can seem kind of ruthless and harsh to us, but that's a byproduct of the circumstances under which they live, they're as honest and hospitable as anyone else" versus "their cousins who live in settlements are just the worst, most lazy, and terrible" was an interesting parallel to the worldbuilding in cultures like the Outskirters from the Steerswoman series. The details of "these people live in their summer habitations for three months, damming up the river and catching lots of salmon, then go back to their winter village for most of the year," and "the central government of Russia is trying to tax people's fishing harvests so that they have insurance for years when there isn't a good catch" also seem like neat worldbuilding concepts. Maybe for future origfic.
One evening, soon after we left Shestakova, they [dogsled drivers] happened to see me eating a pickled cucumber, and as this was something which had never come within the range of their limited gastronomical experience, they asked me for a piece to taste. Knowing well what the result would be, I gave the whole cucumber to the dirtiest, worst-looking vagabond in the party, and motioned to him to take a good bite. As he put it to his lips his comrades watched him with breathless curiosity to see how he liked it. For a moment his face wore an expression of blended surprise, wonder, and disgust which was irresistibly ludicrous, and he seemed disposed to spit the disagreeable morsel out; but with a strong effort he controlled himself, forced his features into a ghastly imitation of satisfaction, smacked his lips, declared it was "akhmel nemélkhin"--very good, and handed the pickle to his next neighbor. The latter was equally astonished and disgusted with its unexpected sourness, but, rather than admit his disappointment and be laughed at by the others, he also pretended that it was delicious, and passed it along. Six men in succession went through with this transparent farce with the greatest solemnity; but when they had all tasted it, and all been victimized, they burst out into a simultaneous "ty-e-e-e" of astonishment, and gave free expression to their long-suppressed emotions of disgust. The vehement spitting, coughing, and washing out of mouths with snow, which succeeded this outburst, proved that the taste for pickles is an acquired one, and that man in his aboriginal state does not possess it. What particularly amused me, however, was the way in which they imposed on one another. Each individual Korak, as soon as he found that he had been victimized, saw at once the necessity of getting even by victimizing the next man, and not one of them would admit that there was anything bad about the pickle until they had all tasted it. "Misery loves company," and human nature is the same all the world over.
There's also a description of "Anadyr sickness" that's especially common in women, and that's really intriguing in light of what our culture would describe as "mass psychogenic illness." Low temperatures are survivable, but wind is a drag; nobody associates Siberia with mosquitoes, but mosquitoes suck. Many of the cultural allusions went over my head, but hey, he would probably say the same thing about our literature. There are a lot of John Franklin jokes. The Eastern Orthodox liturgy is very moving and they sing Christmas carols too.A ball at the house of a priest on Sunday night struck me as implying a good deal of inconsistency, and I hesitated about sanctioning so plain a violation of the fourth commandment. Dodd, however, proved to me in the most conclusive manner that, owing to difference in time, it was Saturday in America and not Sunday at all; that our friends at that very moment were engaged in business or pleasure, and that our happening to be on the other side of the world was no reason why we should not do what our antipodal friends were doing at exactly the same time. I was conscious that this reasoning was sophistical, but Dodd mixed me up so with his "longitude," "Greenwich time," "Bowditch's Navigators," "Russian Sundays" and "American Sundays," that I was hopelessly bewildered, and couldn't ahve told for my life whether it was to-day in America or yesterday, or when a Siberian Sunday did begin. I finally concluded that as the Russians kept Saturday night, and began another week at sunset on the Sabbath, a dance would perhaps be sufficiently innocent for that evening. According to Siberian ideas of propriety it was just the thing.
trying to stay awake
Mar. 27th, 2026 07:53 pmchazzbannerI finally went to the Apple Store in Southdale and bought a new iPad.
And I'm exhausted.
Yes, I think the two things are connected. I've been fretting about the Apple Store visit for a couple of months - kept putting it off, often with rather bogus weather-related excuses.
It's just like... the tension going away... wiped me out. I'm trying to stay awake until my usual bedtime.
It isn't perfect: the email isn't working on the iPad. According to the web, I need to delete the email connection, rebook the iPad, and enter the information again.
I'll do that, but not right way. I need to just breathe a bit.
-
And I'm exhausted.
Yes, I think the two things are connected. I've been fretting about the Apple Store visit for a couple of months - kept putting it off, often with rather bogus weather-related excuses.
It's just like... the tension going away... wiped me out. I'm trying to stay awake until my usual bedtime.
It isn't perfect: the email isn't working on the iPad. According to the web, I need to delete the email connection, rebook the iPad, and enter the information again.
I'll do that, but not right way. I need to just breathe a bit.
-
Space Exploration
Mar. 27th, 2026 05:55 pmysabetwordsmithMoon base and Mars! NASA makes exciting announcements
NASA is committed to achieving the near-impossible once again, to return to the moon [by early 2029], build a moon base, establish an enduring presence, and do the other things needed to ensure American leadership in space.
It's good to hear serious space aspirations again.
( Read more... )
NASA is committed to achieving the near-impossible once again, to return to the moon [by early 2029], build a moon base, establish an enduring presence, and do the other things needed to ensure American leadership in space.
It's good to hear serious space aspirations again.
( Read more... )
Weekly Reading
Mar. 27th, 2026 05:35 pmtorachanI'm going to be out of town for the next couple Fridays, so I won't have a reading post for a while, but I will be reading and posting about everything once I get back.
Recently Finished
Everyone in This Bank Is a Thief
Brand new Ernest Cunningham book. I am still greatly enjoying this series.
Cocaine Blues
First in the Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries series. I've never seen the show, but am vaguely aware of it and did not realize it was based on books, but this popped up in my recommendations and I do like historical murder mysteries with female protagonists. I didn't love this one, though? It was okay, and I'll probably read more eventually, but I'm not rushing out to read the rest right this moment.
The Tokyo Zodiac Murders
This was an interesting one. The plot sounded intriguing, but so much of the first half or so of the book is just these two guys talking about this 40-year-old unsolved case and coming up with theories, and it was kind of boring. Once it finally got going I enjoyed it more. There are a bunch of books in the series but it looks like only one other is translated into English and I'm not so invested that I want to pay money for the Japanese ones.
This American Ex-Wife
Memoir about the author's divorce (from a truly terrible guy) and how getting divorced was freeing for her. I really liked this a lot.
Lu and Ren’s Guide to Geozoology
Cute middle grade graphic novel about a girl who goes off in search of her missing geozoologist grandmother so they can view an upcoming eclipse together. It's set in a fantasy world and a big focus is on the various animals of the world. I liked this a lot.
Bokura no Chikyuu no Arukikata vol. 7
Final volume. I really loved this series.
Shadow House vol. 21
Recently Finished
Everyone in This Bank Is a Thief
Brand new Ernest Cunningham book. I am still greatly enjoying this series.
Cocaine Blues
First in the Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries series. I've never seen the show, but am vaguely aware of it and did not realize it was based on books, but this popped up in my recommendations and I do like historical murder mysteries with female protagonists. I didn't love this one, though? It was okay, and I'll probably read more eventually, but I'm not rushing out to read the rest right this moment.
The Tokyo Zodiac Murders
This was an interesting one. The plot sounded intriguing, but so much of the first half or so of the book is just these two guys talking about this 40-year-old unsolved case and coming up with theories, and it was kind of boring. Once it finally got going I enjoyed it more. There are a bunch of books in the series but it looks like only one other is translated into English and I'm not so invested that I want to pay money for the Japanese ones.
This American Ex-Wife
Memoir about the author's divorce (from a truly terrible guy) and how getting divorced was freeing for her. I really liked this a lot.
Lu and Ren’s Guide to Geozoology
Cute middle grade graphic novel about a girl who goes off in search of her missing geozoologist grandmother so they can view an upcoming eclipse together. It's set in a fantasy world and a big focus is on the various animals of the world. I liked this a lot.
Bokura no Chikyuu no Arukikata vol. 7
Final volume. I really loved this series.
Shadow House vol. 21
No. Do not want.
Mar. 27th, 2026 04:42 pmcupcake_gothWe took Miss Erzabet No Biting to the vet yesterday; despite her thyroid ear goo, she's lost weight, is still peeing and pooing everywhere, has been throwing up a lot, has been drinking a LOT of water, and has days of sneezing and being listless.
They drew blood, did x-rays, then gave her some fluids, vitamins, and steroids. The vet said that we'll have test results in a few days, but she has lost weight and just looking at her he's pretty sure there's something wrong. On the x-rays her kidneys looked smaller than they should, and her intestines "didn't look right", but he needs the tech to increase the contrast before he can make a diagnosis.
He used the phrase "be prepared in case of end of life procedures are needed". Not a phrase anyone ever wants to hear, and it sent me straight to my anti-anxiety meds.
For all we know, she'll be put on an additional med and she'll be healthy and happy for years. That's what I'm hoping for. Because while I love(d) all of our kitties, past and present, Miss Erzabet No Biting is the spiritual successor to my beloved Dread Beastie, and I'm not ready for her to leave.
Dear 2026, DO NOT.
They drew blood, did x-rays, then gave her some fluids, vitamins, and steroids. The vet said that we'll have test results in a few days, but she has lost weight and just looking at her he's pretty sure there's something wrong. On the x-rays her kidneys looked smaller than they should, and her intestines "didn't look right", but he needs the tech to increase the contrast before he can make a diagnosis.
He used the phrase "be prepared in case of end of life procedures are needed". Not a phrase anyone ever wants to hear, and it sent me straight to my anti-anxiety meds.
For all we know, she'll be put on an additional med and she'll be healthy and happy for years. That's what I'm hoping for. Because while I love(d) all of our kitties, past and present, Miss Erzabet No Biting is the spiritual successor to my beloved Dread Beastie, and I'm not ready for her to leave.
Dear 2026, DO NOT.