Poem: "To Understand Water"
Mar. 11th, 2026 11:02 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ysabetwordsmithThis poem came out of the October 5, 2025 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired by a prompt from dialecticdreamer. It also fills the "That felt weird." square in my 10-1-25 card for the Fall Festival Bingo. This poem has been sponsored by Anthony Barrette. It belongs to the Polychrome Heroics series.
( Read more... )
dialecticdreamer. It also fills the "That felt weird." square in my 10-1-25 card for the Fall Festival Bingo. This poem has been sponsored by Anthony Barrette. It belongs to the Polychrome Heroics series.( Read more... )
Cyberspace Theory
Mar. 11th, 2026 10:21 pmysabetwordsmithWhen you're surfing the web & face a tsunami, make home under a bridge along the information highway
I hereby propose the term "The Under-net" (or "The Undernet") to refer to our preparation for and relationship with whatever (if anything) will be left for us in a future Internet dominated by unending, disingenuous, grifting slop.
This is an analysis of what's wrong with the Internet and some things we can do to improve it, as a form of resistance against corporate takeovers and enshittification.
I hereby propose the term "The Under-net" (or "The Undernet") to refer to our preparation for and relationship with whatever (if anything) will be left for us in a future Internet dominated by unending, disingenuous, grifting slop.
This is an analysis of what's wrong with the Internet and some things we can do to improve it, as a form of resistance against corporate takeovers and enshittification.
Science
Mar. 11th, 2026 09:58 pmysabetwordsmithScientists finally reveal why mint feels cold
Scientists have captured the first close-up view of the body’s “cold sensor,” revealing how winter air—and even mint—tricks your brain into feeling cool.
Scientists have revealed how the body’s microscopic cold sensor, TRPM8, detects both chilly temperatures and the cooling effect of menthol. The discovery finally shows how the sensation of “cool” works at the molecular level—and could inspire new treatments for pain and eye disorders.
Scientists have captured the first close-up view of the body’s “cold sensor,” revealing how winter air—and even mint—tricks your brain into feeling cool.
Scientists have revealed how the body’s microscopic cold sensor, TRPM8, detects both chilly temperatures and the cooling effect of menthol. The discovery finally shows how the sensation of “cool” works at the molecular level—and could inspire new treatments for pain and eye disorders.
Safety
Mar. 11th, 2026 11:48 amysabetwordsmithExtreme heat limits safe activity for millions of people worldwide
Extreme heat is now stopping people from doing simple daily tasks like walking, cleaning, or working outside.
A new study shows that climate warming has changed how much activity the human body can safely handle in hot weather.
Scientists found that since the 1950s, the number of hours each year when heat becomes dangerous for normal activity has increased sharply.
Yesterday it got up to 79℉, in Illinois, in early March. That is not normal. I rely on cool spring temperatures for yardwork such as planting bare-root trees and shrubs. I had to start my summer heat-coping skills, like avoiding direct sunlight and reducing workload. Plus we had to turn on the damn air conditioner, because recently when it was 76℉ outside, the house got considerably hotter and stayed that way through the wee hours. >_<
Summer, of course, has days when I can only go out for a few minutes at a time or not at all, and I worry about the air conditioner breaking because repairs take months to complete. It's life support for me, but other people don't consider that urgent.
( Read more... )
Extreme heat is now stopping people from doing simple daily tasks like walking, cleaning, or working outside.
A new study shows that climate warming has changed how much activity the human body can safely handle in hot weather.
Scientists found that since the 1950s, the number of hours each year when heat becomes dangerous for normal activity has increased sharply.
Yesterday it got up to 79℉, in Illinois, in early March. That is not normal. I rely on cool spring temperatures for yardwork such as planting bare-root trees and shrubs. I had to start my summer heat-coping skills, like avoiding direct sunlight and reducing workload. Plus we had to turn on the damn air conditioner, because recently when it was 76℉ outside, the house got considerably hotter and stayed that way through the wee hours. >_<
Summer, of course, has days when I can only go out for a few minutes at a time or not at all, and I worry about the air conditioner breaking because repairs take months to complete. It's life support for me, but other people don't consider that urgent.
( Read more... )
Birdfeeding
Mar. 11th, 2026 11:44 amysabetwordsmithToday is cloudy, cold, and wet.
I fed the birds. I've seen a few sparrows and house finches.
I put out water for the birds.
.
I fed the birds. I've seen a few sparrows and house finches.
I put out water for the birds.
.
Science
Mar. 11th, 2026 11:14 amysabetwordsmithA massive asteroid hit the North Sea and triggered a 330-foot tsunami
A long-running debate about the Silverpit Crater beneath the North Sea has finally been resolved. Scientists now confirm it formed when a roughly 160-meter asteroid struck the seabed about 43–46 million years ago. New seismic imaging and rare shocked minerals in rock samples provided the crucial proof. The impact would have sent a massive plume skyward and unleashed a tsunami over 100 meters (330 feet) high.
One thing I love about science is that occasionally it can really prove things.
A long-running debate about the Silverpit Crater beneath the North Sea has finally been resolved. Scientists now confirm it formed when a roughly 160-meter asteroid struck the seabed about 43–46 million years ago. New seismic imaging and rare shocked minerals in rock samples provided the crucial proof. The impact would have sent a massive plume skyward and unleashed a tsunami over 100 meters (330 feet) high.
One thing I love about science is that occasionally it can really prove things.
What media are you consuming Wednesday! (for the last 3 wednesdays)
Mar. 11th, 2026 11:01 amfrenzyWhat have you finished reading?
Nothin'
Edited to add: All yall book folks check out the Black Girl Book Fair! Its free!!
What are you currently reading?
Us: Getting Past You & Me to Build a More Loving Relationship by Terry Real - More about focusing more as a duo as opposed to two individuals. Which I think she needs to hear more than me. But its good.
Moby Dick by Herman Melville - A ship they have passed had seen the white whale and its starting to seems like Ahab has gone absolutely off his rocker, but its still kinda subtle. Then, we got some more whale minutiae about how big whale insides are.
The Dispossessed: An Ambiguous Utopia by Ursula K. Le Guin - An anarchist from an anarchist planet visits a capitalist planet. Its pretty neat, although maybe a little too cute. Its good, but hasn't grabbed me yet, but i think its still in world-building mode right now.
Actually it has set some stuff up. The anarchist has never had a room of his own, which as someone who has lived communally is really distressing tbh, but I guess its making him have concepts like property. its so interesting and cool to think about this world now.
Listening to?
I have a ton of albums to post about, which is why I keep punting on this, which isn't working. so, idk, be patient. I doubt all y'all are clamoring for my music recommendations anyway lol
Black Hole Superette by Aesop Rock - I forgot this one in my best-of round up two weeks ago. I hadn't followed Aesop Rock in ages, so I was glad to see him still rapping, and tbh, this album really is excellent. Snail Zero is my favorite song because as an aquarium keeper it is SO GODSDAMNED RELATABLE lol
S/T by YUNK - a short EP of catchy punk rock. Enby/femme fronted. They're from Spain I think, but they sing in english, although it also has a france tag so who knows lol. Either way the EP is like under 12 mins, so check it out! One of the songs, Unity, has this lovely (read: noisey)... synth? idek but its so good.
Watching?
Well, the olympics were on our TVs until it was over, since then I've been catching up on youtube. Also, Elen, Clara and I watched the Weird Al movies. UHF is soooo good. An absolute gem that I'd happily watch again and again. The other weird al movie is pretty good but, maaaaan, its no uhf
We also watched Total Recall, which I hadn't seen. And wow, I love how its a little bit of a mindfuck at the end.
Currently playing?
I beat chapter 4 of Deltarune! I was stuck on the final boss for a couple of days, but I'm glad to finish it. Now Ive been playing the Animal Crossing DLC. But its just more Animal Crossing Doll House simulator (tm) which I don't mind. But I liked it better when Animal Crossing had stuff to do with my villagers who were my friends. I should start another wild world game or something idfk. Or just play something else on my ever growing list of stuff I wanna play.
Nothin'
Edited to add: All yall book folks check out the Black Girl Book Fair! Its free!!
What are you currently reading?
Us: Getting Past You & Me to Build a More Loving Relationship by Terry Real - More about focusing more as a duo as opposed to two individuals. Which I think she needs to hear more than me. But its good.
Moby Dick by Herman Melville - A ship they have passed had seen the white whale and its starting to seems like Ahab has gone absolutely off his rocker, but its still kinda subtle. Then, we got some more whale minutiae about how big whale insides are.
The Dispossessed: An Ambiguous Utopia by Ursula K. Le Guin - An anarchist from an anarchist planet visits a capitalist planet. Its pretty neat, although maybe a little too cute. Its good, but hasn't grabbed me yet, but i think its still in world-building mode right now.
Actually it has set some stuff up. The anarchist has never had a room of his own, which as someone who has lived communally is really distressing tbh, but I guess its making him have concepts like property. its so interesting and cool to think about this world now.
Listening to?
I have a ton of albums to post about, which is why I keep punting on this, which isn't working. so, idk, be patient. I doubt all y'all are clamoring for my music recommendations anyway lol
Black Hole Superette by Aesop Rock - I forgot this one in my best-of round up two weeks ago. I hadn't followed Aesop Rock in ages, so I was glad to see him still rapping, and tbh, this album really is excellent. Snail Zero is my favorite song because as an aquarium keeper it is SO GODSDAMNED RELATABLE lol
S/T by YUNK - a short EP of catchy punk rock. Enby/femme fronted. They're from Spain I think, but they sing in english, although it also has a france tag so who knows lol. Either way the EP is like under 12 mins, so check it out! One of the songs, Unity, has this lovely (read: noisey)... synth? idek but its so good.
Watching?
Well, the olympics were on our TVs until it was over, since then I've been catching up on youtube. Also, Elen, Clara and I watched the Weird Al movies. UHF is soooo good. An absolute gem that I'd happily watch again and again. The other weird al movie is pretty good but, maaaaan, its no uhf
We also watched Total Recall, which I hadn't seen. And wow, I love how its a little bit of a mindfuck at the end.
Currently playing?
I beat chapter 4 of Deltarune! I was stuck on the final boss for a couple of days, but I'm glad to finish it. Now Ive been playing the Animal Crossing DLC. But its just more Animal Crossing Doll House simulator (tm) which I don't mind. But I liked it better when Animal Crossing had stuff to do with my villagers who were my friends. I should start another wild world game or something idfk. Or just play something else on my ever growing list of stuff I wanna play.
Prairie Moon Order
Mar. 11th, 2026 12:14 amysabetwordsmithOn Monday, I picked out what I wanted for the Prairie Moon order. This is meant to be the last catalog order of the spring.
Spicebush (plant)
American Plum (plant)
Early Figwort (seed)
Late Figwort (seed)
Common Ironweed (seed)
Purple Love Grass (seed)
Lead Plant (seed)
Spicebush (plant)
American Plum (plant)
Early Figwort (seed)
Late Figwort (seed)
Common Ironweed (seed)
Purple Love Grass (seed)
Lead Plant (seed)
Select Seeds Order
Mar. 11th, 2026 12:04 amysabetwordsmithOn Monday, I picked out what I wanted for the Select Seeds order.
Old-Fashioned Climbing Petunia (plant)
Lantana 'PassionFruit' (plant)
Penstemon 'Dakota Burgundy' (plant)
Painted Tongue 'Select Superbissima Mix' (seeds)
Yarrow 'Flowerburst Red Shades' (seeds)
Coreopsis 'Corusco Cream-Red' (seeds)
Old-Fashioned Climbing Petunia (plant)
Lantana 'PassionFruit' (plant)
Penstemon 'Dakota Burgundy' (plant)
Painted Tongue 'Select Superbissima Mix' (seeds)
Yarrow 'Flowerburst Red Shades' (seeds)
Coreopsis 'Corusco Cream-Red' (seeds)
Hard Things
Mar. 11th, 2026 12:03 amysabetwordsmithLife 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?
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?
G'day
Mar. 11th, 2026 12:17 pmbrainbeast posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
addmeName: You can call me whatever you want, as long as you call me 😎
Age: Old enough to know better. A former LiveJournal user from the 90s
I mostly post about: Life, random thoughts, work, observations, whatever comes to mind
My hobbies are: Reading, movies, sport (cricket, F1, hockey (real not ice), australian rules football, and a few others), science, psychology - I like a little bit of all things, realy - history to anthropology, I'm there
My fandoms are: Do dogs count?
I'm looking to meet people who: Kind people, open minded, those who enjoy learning, ahve passions in their lives
My posting schedule tends to be: sporadic
When I add people, my dealbreakers are: racists/sexists/fundamentalist religious nuts who believe their religion is better than others, genocide apologists, ignorant people, those who don't value science and intelligence
Before adding me, you should know: I have a pretty terrible sense of humour (by terrible I mean excellent) and I'm neurodiverse
Challenge 201 - Voting
Mar. 10th, 2026 06:32 pmluminousdaze posting in iconthatThere were sixty splendid icons entered! Thank you very much to all the participants!
Admin note: I made a mistake in the earlier post so this a new poll.
Voter Guide
Anyone is welcome to vote.
Please choose your top favorite FIVE (5) icons for the main placements and one each for the categories Best Color (Coloring), Best Image Crop & Best Composition.
Please don't vote for your own icons or ask others to vote for your icons.
Please try to vote for the best quality icons, not only for the fandoms or creators.
Important:
Please vote for a different icon for each of the categories (Color, Crop, Composition).
There is a checkbox & text answer combo poll, to change your votes, click the poll link.
Voting will be open for one week.
Thank you for voting!
If Imgur content is not available in your region, please try using Rimgo to view the icons. Sorry, I cannot make a screenshot of the icon table because there is a dim light on one side of my screen that may effect it.
( 🗳️ Voting 🗳️ )
Admin note: I made a mistake in the earlier post so this a new poll.
Voter Guide
Anyone is welcome to vote.
Please choose your top favorite FIVE (5) icons for the main placements and one each for the categories Best Color (Coloring), Best Image Crop & Best Composition.
Please don't vote for your own icons or ask others to vote for your icons.
Please try to vote for the best quality icons, not only for the fandoms or creators.
Important:
Please vote for a different icon for each of the categories (Color, Crop, Composition).
There is a checkbox & text answer combo poll, to change your votes, click the poll link.
Voting will be open for one week.
Thank you for voting!
If Imgur content is not available in your region, please try using Rimgo to view the icons. Sorry, I cannot make a screenshot of the icon table because there is a dim light on one side of my screen that may effect it.
[127] RESIDENT EVIL (various)
Mar. 10th, 2026 09:27 pmzombieproof posting in fandom_icons---RESIDENT EVIL 4 (REMAKE)
[x]55 leon scott kennedy
[x]3o luis serra
[x]o2 leon & luis
[x]o2 ingrid hunnigan
---RESIDENT EVIL: INFINITE DARKNESS
[x]23 leon scott kennedy
---RESIDENT EVIL 6
[x]o6 leon scott kennedy
[x]o9 helena harper
( i have no good cut text for this )
[x]55 leon scott kennedy
[x]3o luis serra
[x]o2 leon & luis
[x]o2 ingrid hunnigan
---RESIDENT EVIL: INFINITE DARKNESS
[x]23 leon scott kennedy
---RESIDENT EVIL 6
[x]o6 leon scott kennedy
[x]o9 helena harper
( i have no good cut text for this )
[127] RESIDENT EVIL (various)
Mar. 10th, 2026 09:27 pmzombieproof posting in icons---RESIDENT EVIL 4 (REMAKE)
[x]55 leon scott kennedy
[x]3o luis serra
[x]o2 leon & luis
[x]o2 ingrid hunnigan
---RESIDENT EVIL: INFINITE DARKNESS
[x]23 leon scott kennedy
---RESIDENT EVIL 6
[x]o6 leon scott kennedy
[x]o9 helena harper
( i have no good cut text for this )
[x]55 leon scott kennedy
[x]3o luis serra
[x]o2 leon & luis
[x]o2 ingrid hunnigan
---RESIDENT EVIL: INFINITE DARKNESS
[x]23 leon scott kennedy
---RESIDENT EVIL 6
[x]o6 leon scott kennedy
[x]o9 helena harper
( i have no good cut text for this )
