Pages Tagged “Category: Life”
Blog Posts
- We Have Met The Ferengi, And They Are US
We finished re-watching Deep Space Nine a few days ago. Quark’s rants in the second-to-last episode about rolling back the reforms regarding gender and worker protections, complaining that Ferengi society has been infected by a disease, and declaring that if he becomes Nagus he’ll bring back what made Ferenginar great again sound eerily familiar. There’s […]
- Marketing
In retrospect, it’s wild that so many tech people who were hyper-aware of the fact that Microsoft’s dominance in the 1990s and 2000s was due to more to marketing (“never underestimate Microsoft on marketing”) than technical merits…fell for the idea that a “marketplace of ideas” would coalesce around the best ideas, and not just the […]
- The Omega Block
I should’ve realized Darkseid was back. It would explain so much.
- Culture Wars
I’ve long disliked the term “culture war,” partly because it’s tossed around in a way that trivializes the issues and partly because “War on whatever” framing tends to confuse the issues. But I keep thinking of a line in Cat Valente’s novel Space Opera about what war is. And when it comes down to it, […]
- Something Went Wrong
I really wish GNOME’s “Oh No! Something went wrong!” screen would let me restart just the crashed components instead of forcing me to log out completely. Or let me decide if I’m willing to continue without whatever crashed. If the audio broke, and I’m not doing anything that needs sound right now, it shouldn’t block […]
- Eye of the Mall
In downtown San Francisco, there’s a multi-level shopping mall with an atrium and a skylight. If you stand in the dead center of the atrium and look up, it resembles an eye, looking down at you through a giant microscope. This was taken during WonderCon 2009. Years later, I posted it for a February 2015 […]
- Ursula K. Le Guin eBook Bundle (Ended)
Humble Bundle is offering 30 books* by Ursula K. Le Guin supporting the Literary Arts charity, including all of Earthsea, several Hainish novels, Catwings, short stories, Gifts/Voices/Powers, nonfiction writing… I’ve read the Earthsea series (good-to-great) and most of the Hainish novels (some great, some good, some OK), plus Lathe of Heaven (great), and I’ve got […]
- Leopards Eating Faces
The part that kills me — and I hope that doesn’t turn out to be literal — is that Trump actually won the popular vote on a platform of hurting large segments of the population. It’s not hidden. It’s not some weird bogus claim made by the opposition. He’s been shouting it from the rooftops. […]
- California Marriage Equality: Vote Yes on Prop 3
If you haven’t voted yet, make sure you vote for Proposition 3 to future-proof marriage equality. While court cases have *blocked* 2008’s straight-marriage-only definition, it’s still in the state constitution and needs to be removed. Prop 3 does this.
- Plane Hopping and Foxtrot
When wild jackrabbits roamed the fields of LAX. (Los Angeles Times)* From time to time passengers in giant air liners are amused when giant jacks race the plane on take-off. Until now, none of the rabbits has left the ground. I’m reminded of all the rabbits we used to see near UCI in the 90s, […]
- Turtle! Duck!
Finally getting around to sorting through photos from a walk at the pond and botanical gardens at Polliwog Park…um…two months ago. The third duckling on the right was spooked by the turtle surfacing its head right next to it. Between this shot and the next, a few seconds later, it had darted away and hidden […]
- And Then… We Buuuuuurn The Hydrogen!
A while back, I mentioned one of the exhibits I remembered from a childhood visit to the Los Angeles Museum of Science and Industry (now the California Science Center) in the 1980s: …a multi-screen cartoon about energy sources and engine types called “The Water Engine.” (Each screen has a character talking up internal combustion, flywheels, […]
- Not Quite Wrong, Not Quite Right
“Here’s a metaphor to help you get a sense for how this complicated thing functions.” “But it’s not really doing that!” “That’s why it’s a metaphor, not a description.” … “Here’s an explanation in layman’s terms.” “No, that’s wrong, that term only means this specific thing when used in the relevant technical jargon.” “I’m not […]
- Elemental States of Matter
It’s interesting how well earth, water, air and fire map to solid, liquid, gas and plasma. People recognized the four states of matter, but for ages they interpreted them as ingredients instead of structure.
- The Essentials
When I took this photo back in 2016, it was a combination coffee/Chinese food restaurant: they sold coffee in the mornings and Chinese food for lunch and dinner. The owner had previously run a separate coffee shop (The Bean Counter, IIRC) in the same shopping center, then combined the two businesses to save on rent. […]
- High-Speed Rail from (Almost) LA to Vegas Finally Happening
Brightline West is ready to start breaking ground this week, according to The Washington Post. The southwest endpoint will be in Rancho Cucamonga, where it will connect to Metrolink. (Which is definitely better than Victorville, which I’d seen suggested a few years ago.) Connecting to the existing lines here will make it simpler to build […]
- Plural of Eclipse
Yes, it turns out a colander *does* make a fun instrument for observing a solar eclipse! Also, thinking about how common eclipses actually are.
- On Gasoline Prices
Me, driving a smallish gas-fueled car in the 2000s: Wow, gas has gotten expensive these days, but at least I’m not spending too much per tank. Me, driving a hybrid car in the 2010s: Yeah, gas is still expensive, but I’m still not spending too much per tank, and I think I’m filling it less […]
- I Voted, Primarily
Last Friday, I dropped off my ballot for today’s primary election. I’ve got to say, I really appreciate the new approach in LA County of mailing everyone eligible a ballot, maintaining permanent drop boxes at relevant locations (libraries, etc.), and opening some polling places early to accept completed ballots. MUCH more convenient than needing the […]
- The Firehose and the Jetpack
I’ve been meaning to disconnect from Jetpack for a while now. This seems like a good time to do it, and to finally clear out the older Tumblr and WordPress.com blogs I don’t use anymore. Tumblr and WordPress to Sell Users’ Data to Train AI Tools — 404 Media It’s the kind of thing that […]
- Not the Same
Option 1: will do some things you want, and some things you don’t. Option 2: won’t do anything you want, will do all the same things you don’t want that option 1 will do, has promised to do more things you don’t want, undo the things you wanted that have already happened, make it more […]
- Not Cruel Enough
The “bipartisan” immigration bill currently in Congress is a right-winger’s dream, but since Trump wants to run on anti-immigration, the GOP is suddenly opposed to it, arguing that it’s not draconian enough. Nothing will ever be cruel enough for them, no matter how much Democrats do to appease them. Biden could do everything they asked […]
- Lunching Squirrel
This squirrel was completely nonchalant about two humans standing a few feet away. It just kept grabbing more berries and eating them. In retrospect, I should have pulled out the better camera once I was sure I had some clear shots on the phone, since it probably wouldn’t have gone anywhere.
- Hammers and Kneecaps
It’s one thing to say “I make hammers, and can’t be responsible for the fact that some people use them to break people’s kneecaps.” It’s another thing to hand out free hammers to the kneecap-breakers, or pay them to use your hammers instead of someone else’s, or hire them as spokespeople, or use their testimonials […]
- They’re Made of Meth
You know the old joke about “drugs would be cheaper?” The Adderal shortage has gotten so bad that Mexican pharmacies are selling counterfeit pills to tourists…made of meth. (I should clarify that it’s the counterfeit pills, not the tourists that are made of meth.) — Update: Sadly, science fiction author Terry Bisson (who wrote “They’re […]
- Black Friday: Lesson Learned?
I usually make a point not to go shopping at all on Black Friday if I can help it. The kid really wanted to go to Micro Center. Now, after waiting in a line that went all the way round the store, he understands why I don’t go shopping on Black Friday.
- The Other Name Was A Little Sus
IEEE has finally renamed their sustainable tech conference. Now it’s IEEE SustainTech Expo.
- Partial Solar Eclipse Pics (October 2023)
It was hazy, and the weather forecast was partly cloudy, but the sun stayed visible and the eclipse glasses (used here for the photo) haven’t cracked! We didn’t do anything complicated this time: just took the glasses with us as we went about our morning, looking through the glasses every 15-20 minutes to see how […]
- Remember Back When Sudafed WORKED?
It’s been 18 years since drug companies replaced pseudoephedrine with phenylephrine to keep their cold medications available over the counter when the people waging War On Drugs(tm) decided to restrict the main ingredient in Sudafed (and what it was named after) because it could be used to make meth. Though I remember some other decongestant […]
- Asymptomatic Covid and Genetics
People with a particular variation of the HLA gene who had Covid were dramatically more likely to have had an asymptomatic case.
- The Ferengi are the ones in suits
Tonight, our Star Trek: Deep Space Nine rewatch (on DVD) is up to “Bar Association”, the episode in which Rom leads all of Quark’s employees on a strike to demand better working conditions. I swear I didn’t time this intentionally, but it seems appropriate! Ferengi workers don’t want to stop the exploitation. We want to […]
- More like “Sea ODDer”
This sea otter likes long swims along the coast, kelp forests…and stealing surfboards. (Story at LA Times)
- Cis is Just A Description
Imagine a small village near a valley, so isolated that they just call themselves “the people.” One day they find out about another village on the other side of the valley, and they start calling them “the people across the valley.” They can keep talking about “the people,” but sometimes they need to make a […]
- In the Land of the Indie Donut
Apparently it’s National Donut Day, and WaPo decided to look at regional differences in which chain is on top — if any. We’re solidly in indie-land here. Even the Winchell’s I remember growing up became a mom and pop shop back in the 80s (though I think it *might* have been a Yum Yum at […]
- Lost Cities and Alien Skies
You wouldn’t think that books about astronomy and archaeology would have a lot in common, but Four Lost Cities and Under Alien Skies pack some odd similarities.
- Perspective
Once more, for those in the back: Introducing students to multiple points of view is NOT “indoctrination.” Insisting that they can only be exposed to YOUR point of view IS.
- Fly the Anaphylactic Skies
At first I thought this was a followup to another story about an anaphylactic reaction during an airplane flight last week. No, it’s a totally separate incident. One patient had an expired epi-pen. The other had never had anaphylaxis before. Both planes had bottles of epinephrine and a syringe, not an auto-injector. Fortunately there were […]
- Intentionally Contaminated
Food companies are adding sesame flour to foods that didn’t have sesame so they can “comply” with new labeling requirements by always labeling “contains sesame” instead of instead of adding it to their existing cross-contamination protocols. Meaning people with sesame allergy are suddenly finding that foods they used to be able to eat are now […]
- Prioritizing Trees vs Urban Heat
Combining data on current urban tree cover, heat, health, income, energy sources and more to determine where planting new trees would most help.
- Venus and Jupiter Conjunction 2023
A photo of Venus and Jupiter close together in tonight’s sky, and a close-up that appears to have very blurry images of Jupiter’s moons.
- Guest Posts Not Accepted
This is a personal blog for a handful of people, and we don’t accept sponsored posts or guest posts or anything like that.
- Full Halo
A 22-degree circular halo spotted today, caused by sunlight refracting through ice crystals in the thin cloud layer.
- Faded Guidelines
Some of the signs are still up, almost three years later. Some people still wear masks, sometimes. And some people still get covid, sometimes. And memory of the 2020-2021 lockdown continues to fade.
- Lizards on the Fence
~95% of lizards I’ve spotted since joining iNaturalist have been Western Fence Lizards. (Occasionally they’ve even been on fences.) Once I found one that was identified as a Great Basin Fence Lizard! When I looked it up, it turned out to be a subspecies of Western Fence Lizards.
- Entradero Basin: Spring and Fall
The flood control basin has been partly restored for stormwater infiltration and as habitat for native plants and migrating waterfowl, bounded by a city park on one side, baseball fields on the other, and hills all around. The city is currently expanding the basin while the water level is low.
- Halloween, the TL;DR Edition
Oddly quiet night here. Big change from last year when everyone seemed to be going all-out because they finally felt like they could.
- Twitter: Amp Up the Noise
Making the blue check mark mean “This person can afford $20/month†instead of “This person is who they say they are†is only the latest way Twitter has downgraded its signal/noise ratio over the years.
- Forgotten, But Not Gone
Remember standing six feet apart?
- Wait, Bees are…Fish?
California’s endangered species law doesn’t cover insects. But the fish and game code is a bit broader than intended in its definition of fish.
- The Latest COVID?
Overheard at pharmacy: “Do you give out the latest COVID-19, uh, omicron?” Gee, I hope not… (Yeah, i know what he meant, and so did the pharmacist.)
- Microforests
Interesting read on building “microforests”: If you don’t have enough room for actual rewilding, plant a small plot of multilevel native plants and trees in a park, school yard, or even your own back yard — especially in urban areas. Anywhere you can fit an oak (or equivalent), some shorter trees, some bushes and some […]
- To Die For. Really!
There’s a peanut allergy alert for “Chocolate to Die For” ice cream. I don’t think the name was intended to be taken literally.
- Bad Design: Splitting Notification Preferences
Splitting notification preferences across the app UI and the system UI is a mess for usability. But if the goal is making you see more notifications?
- May I Have Your Attention Please. All of it. FOREVER.
One thing I like about the Fediverse is that it doesn’t constantly scream for your attention to keep you online as long as possible.
- Elementary Precautions
For the second day in a row we’ve gotten a notice of a Covid exposure in the kid’s classroom. One more case and it’s technically an outbreak. Mask-optional was one thing when cases were low and flat, but the numbers have been climbing for weeks. And that’s not including however many at-home tests don’t get […]
- Auto-Update Overload! (Or, Google Drive-ing me Crazy!)
Two hot takes (so to speak): Auto-updaters shouldn’t run when the system is really busy. And installers that check to see the whether the same or newer version is “already installed” should either be really thorough about what they’re checking, or offer to do a repair install anyway. Overheat! I’d fired up a game of […]
- Well is it a problem or not?
Love how the same people who are all “COVID isn’t a problem” are also dead set on keeping certain people out of the country just in case they might bring COVID in. No wonder they distrust actual public health measures and think the government is just using COVID as an excuse for…something. Because that’s what […]
- Coronaversary
Google wished me a happy second coronaversary this morning. Well, not in so many words. But I count March 8, 2020 as my last normal day, the day I went out to de-stress by taking pictures of the ocean, seagulls, and a zillion tiny clams, grabbed coffee at Peet’s on the way home, and came […]
- Monarchs!
From this afternoon’s walk along the greenbelt: About as many monarch butterflies in one photo than I’ve seen in the last few years! There were a whole bunch of them clustered on a pine branch above the path. I wouldn’t have even seen them, but other people out walking had stopped to check them out. […]
- Far Snows
We actually got quite a bit of rain (for Southern California, anyway) in December, and the mountains have stayed cold enough that the snow has stuck around for a few weeks! Here’s a view of the San Gabriels in mid-December, after a big storm. And here’s a comparable view a week into January. Nowhere near […]
- I know tastes are supposed to change over time, but this is ridiculous
For a couple of days my sense of smell went really wonky. It never went out completely. It was more like taking an audio equalizer and readjusting the sliders so that some frequencies are barely audible and others are louder than they should be. And maybe shifting tracks out of sync while you’re at it.
- An unwanted guest for the new year
It’s theoretically possible that I picked up a cold in the middle of a surge in a highly-transmissible virus that, in people who have been vaccinated and boosted, has exactly the symptoms I have, and started about a week after a possible exposure. It could happen. [Edit: apparently it did. See the update below.] But […]
- Covid Elementary
The kid has spent parts of three school years now dealing with Covid-19. I’m not sure “normal” school really has much meaning for him at this point. Though things have sort of settled into, if not a new normal yet, something approximating it. Of course everything shut down in March 2020. Like many other school […]
- Things to remember with Omicron in the news
1. Science isn’t handed down from on high fully formed. It’s a process of figuring things out based on what you know so far and what you discover. Like trying to determine the picture on a puzzle when the pieces are still scattered around the house. You look for more pieces, you figure out where […]
- Why I’m not ready to go back to cons yet
Of the two Omicron-variant cases found in the US so far, one of them is a breakthrough case in a patient who hadn’t traveled internationally, but had just been to an anime convention in New York. With 53,000 people. That only required attendees to have gotten their first dose of the vaccine. And struggled with […]
- Boosted!
We’ve both gotten our Covid vaccine boosters, and the kid’s had both initial shots now that a dosage has been approved for his age range. No side effects to speak of for either of them, and while I had a day of brain fog, I think that’s just as likely to be because the shoulder […]
- Halloween with a Vengeance
I could not believe how many kids were out trick-or-treating in our neighborhood this year. Or how many households were handing out candy. There were more kids even than a normal Halloween, through fewer houses active than usual. We weren’t even sure of our plans as late as Sunday afternoon. We’d carved pumpkins on Saturday, […]
- What Lies Beneath
If you’re stuck with plumbers digging up your dining room floor a few days before Halloween…you might as well make the most of it!
- Oh, Hi There!
Saw this while walking around the neighborhood the other day.
- Meloetta is Ready for Rehearsal
All set!
- Healthy Savings on…Liquid Death????
I mean, the idea of marketing canned water as “Liquid Death! (murder your thirst)” is weird enough (IIRC they wanted to make water “cool” like energy drinks), but the “healthy savings” label just kind of makes it!
- So. Much. Sanitizer.
Remember last year when it was virtually impossible to get hand sanitizer? You couldn’t order it online, you couldn’t order it for an in-store pickup, and stores that had it were limiting how many of those tiny bottles each customer could buy? Breweries and distilleries were stepping in to supplement the supply, but it still […]
- Hungry Hawk
Photos of a hawk that brought its breakfast of fresh pigeon to a tree, and the crows that tried to scare it off.
- A paint program in Scratch that i made
- Odd Geese
Grooming geese: Nature’s panorama fail. Seriously, though, I was determined to get some decent photos of these two geese because they are unusual. They’re clearly Canada Geese in terms of body shape and the pattern of markings. But every other goose of this type that I’ve seen has had white patches on the sides of […]
- Good Advice
A few Covid-19 rules are still in place at this botanical garden, though it’s a lot more relaxed than it was last spring when they managed to stay open even through the early-pandemic lockdowns.
- Humming…birb?
An Anna’s hummingbird perched at local park. Most of the time they don’t stay in one place long enough for me to even focus on them, never mind catch a photo. Even when they pause somewhere like this one, it’s usually just for a few moments before they fly off again. Of course, the reason […]
- Double-Shot
We’ve both received the second dose of Moderna’s Covid-19 vaccine! Same location and keep-you-moving procedure as the first dose, in and out within a half hour. Like many people seem to, we got stronger side effects after the second dose than the first. She got fatigue and a fever, I also got loopiness, chills, and […]
- Hit Me With Your Best Shot
We have both gotten the first dose of the Moderna vaccine against Covid! *whew!* The kid can’t get vaccinated until the <16 safety and efficacy data comes back, but he’s still young enough that he’s at a lot less risk to begin with, and having all the adults around him vaccinated will let us all […]
- Four Covid Tests
I’ve gone through or seen four different Covid-19 testing procedures over the past year, not counting the ones I’ve only read about. (You remember, the early days of the pandemic when they were still trying to make enough tests, and weren’t sure just how easily transmissible it was, so they had people wearing haz-mat suits […]
- X Marks the Spot
I do appreciate the bandage motif for the distancing markers at this urgent care.
- Reflections of Manhattan Village
An outdoor mall extension completed in 2020. Which wasn’t exactly ideal timing. The courtyard was at least someplace they could set up chairs and signs reminding you to keep your distance. I saw a few people walking through on their way to somewhere else (like I was), and could hear an exercise class running in […]
- More Clocks than Time
Walking around the house last night, setting all the clocks to Daylight Saving Time before bed, I found myself thinking: Why do we have so many clocks, anyway? They used to share one clock for a whole town! OK, that’s not feasible these days, but every time we switch into and out of DST I […]
- Normal is Weird
The other day I grabbed a coffee and muffin while out walking, and found an out-of-the-way outdoor place where I could unmask and eat without being near anyone else. It was weird! It felt like I was getting away with something. This sort of thing used to be normal, but now it isn’t… and that’s […]
- Two Years Without a Con
Surprising no-one, WonderCon will be online-only again this year. Last year’s event was canceled just as we all started to realize that Covid-19 was spreading in California. And while the winter surge in cases is finally slowing down, the coronavirus is still more prevalent out there now than it was last March. They’re still hoping […]
- Dyatlov Pass
New(ish) theory: small avalanche with a large chunk of snow could have caused the blunt-force injuries and led them to evacuate the tent in a hurry.
- New Year’s Eve: 2019 vs 2020
Stay safe tonight.
- 2020: Overachiever (The Monoliths)
November 23: Helicopter pilot finds “strange” monolith in remote part of Utah. November 25: Using Google Earth to look for the Utah monolith site. One candidate that matches the landscape seems to have something vertical that appeared between the 2015 and 2016 images. No coordinates in the article. Attempt no landings there. December 7: After […]
- Patch the Electoral System
Whatever you think of the electoral system, the fact that we have to wait for people to copy down those electoral votes is no longer helpful, and the fact that they can choose (or be pressured) to vote for someone else is a vulnerability in our democracy that should be patched. You want to keep […]
- Virus protection down the drain (photo)
I’ve mostly gotten tired of the discarded-mask theme, but I saw this today and it seemed like an appropriate metaphor with a new wave of cases surging and so many people refusing to take precautions.
- An Expression
Overheard during Zoom Mad Libs: Teacher: “I need an expression.” Student: (unintelligible) Teacher: “An appropriate expression.”
- Halo Over Bike Path
A bright circle in the sky surrounds the silhouette of a stop sign blocking the sun. Below it, a bike path winds into the distance and electrical towers stretch upward.
- Distant Halloween
Halloween was weird this year. OK, everything has been weird this year. I mean, I’ve been in the same place as my parents only once since…February? January? I forget. We stood out in their front yard one evening this summer, 10 feet apart, talking for about an hour. Hooray for living in a time when […]
- “Tyranny”
Seems like the only reason certain groups aren’t complaining loudly about the “tyranny” of traffic signals and refusing to obey out of “fear” is that the consequences of running every red light you see hit you faster than the consequences of not taking precautions against covid.
- Be sure to wear a face covering when out in public
- Too Soon, Comic-Con
Earlier this week we were talking about cosplay ideas for when we can finally go back to comic conventions. Literally the next day, I read that LA Comic-Con is planning an in-person convention in December. OH HELL NO! I don’t care that they’re limiting attendance, requiring masks and distancing, and keeping it at the cavernous […]
- Wearing is Caring
Every city around here has its own publicity and enforcement schemes for Covid-19 safety, though the criteria and general requirements are mostly decided at the county or state level. I haven’t gotten out to El Segundo much since the pandemic hit, so I hadn’t seen their “Wearing is Caring” slogan until this weekend.
- Snakes on a Bus
A Manchester (UK) man boarded a bus wearing a snake wrapped around his neck and mouth. Officials’ comments on what constitutes a suitable face covering: “While there is a small degree of interpretation that can be applied to this, we do not believe it extends to the use of snakeskin – especially when still attached […]
- Gravity Has its Eyes on You
I guess I’m throwing away my shot after all.
- Smoky Orange Sun
We’ve had some ash fall over the past week, but the air quality at ground level has only been awful, not unbearable. But the light has just been wrong.
- We Dance Outside
When Covid-19 hit the area, a lot of arts lessons halted or went online. But it’s a bit tricky to do things like a dance class over Zoom. Back in June when I went hiking at the botanical gardens, I was there on the day that a local kids’ dance studio had set up a […]
- Be Like Spark
Spark is considerate enough to wear a face mask per pandemic recommendations. Unlike Jessie and James. You know they’ll only wear masks for disguises.
- Could You Be a Bit More Specific?
I found this photo on my phone from sometime last year, back when you could still go to self-serve frozen yogurt/ice cream places. The label is…well…TBH it’s accurate, if a bit vague…
- Devovid
Bizarre story (how could it not be?) in the LA Times on Devo co-founder Mark Mothersbaugh’s experience with Covid-19 and the delusions he experienced at the height of the illness during two weeks in the ICU. Among other things, he became convinced he’d written an entire new Devo album and hallucinated the band performing it […]
- No Quarter(s)
I went into the bank for quarters the other day, and they’re back to rationing them, only exchanging one roll at a time. Meanwhile, the landlord is finally looking at switching the laundry room to a card system. A coin shortage seems oddly specific, and the first time I encountered the limit back in… June? […]
- So, who had “rain of chocolate” on their 2020 bingo card?
A broken ventilation system in a Swiss chocolate factory led to cocoa powder raining (or snowing, if you prefer) down on nearby towns. The company says one car was lightly, and possibly deliciously, coated. It has offered to pay for any cleaning needed but hasn’t yet been taken up on the offer. — AP I’ve […]
- Pandemic Litter
- What DAY is it???
Finally got around to updating this meme for 2020:
- Summer Survival Rate Up
Infections are still high, but the LA/CA case-fatality rate has dropped since spring. Partly we’re spotting more of the mild cases, and younger people are a bigger percentage of cases now. But also we’ve learned more about how to treat it: dexamethasone for patients on oxygen remdesivir shortens recovery time nasal oxygen turns out to […]
- Hark! A Spark! Standing in the Park!
It’s Pokemon Go Fest this weekend, and with a global pandemic going on, the normally travel-based event has gone virtual, with in-game events both free and paid. And, amusingly, downloadable papercrafts and stand-ups to print out. The kiddo wanted to make a stand-up of Spark, the leader of Team Instinct. And we had the cardboard […]
- Hypothetical Jack-Boots
As usual, the people who yell the loudest about hypothetical jack-booted government thugs are perfectly happy with actual jack-booted government thugs as long as they’re aimed at someone else. Note also that the small-government, local-is-always-better anti-Fed/states’ rights crowd is totally happy with the feds overriding the state and city government in Portland, even while they […]
- Bar and Grille
The outside of the former Great Maple restaurant at Del Amo Fashion Center. It opened with the new upscale wing of the mall, and closed suddenly about a year later. (Like, people showed up to work and the door was locked.) Nothing’s moved in since then, and of course nothing’s likely to move in for […]
- Closed Again
I stopped by the mall the other day to pick up dinner at one of the restaurants that’s open to the outside. The mall interior, however, is closed again as California has re-shuttered indoor gathering spots to slow down the resurgent coronavirus.
- Virtual Waiting Room
Waiting at home for a link to a video call is, in some ways, better than waiting at the doctor’s office. You’re home, after all! You can use your most comfortable chair. You don’t have to worry about getting sick from other people in the waiting room. You know where the bathroom is, you can […]
- Only a Test. (Whew!)
A couple of days ago I developed a cough and measured a fever. The cough has been very intermittent, and the fever went away after a couple of hours. Still, I went for a Covid-19 test after measuring the fever, and we all went into lockdown mode just in case. No errands or walks. Just […]
- Pokemon at the Park
Sneasel is disappointed that the museum is closed. Turtwig has found a new friend. (I had such a hard time trying to get it to face the right direction, which is why it’s still a little bit off. At least I didn’t need to worry about the real turtle wandering away while I set up […]
- Individualism: Healthy vs Unhealthy Varieties
I’ve been thinking about individualism, and how there are healthy versions and unhealthy versions. For instance… Healthy: If you can take care of something yourself, do it, so you don’t have to rely on someone else to do those things. Self-reliance is valuable, but it’s only one tool in the toolbox, and you recognize situations […]
- Still Here
OK, maybe it wasn’t the best idea to stop posting for almost two months during a global pandemic. (May 6, really? Time feels like it doesn’t mean anything anymore.) Though I have still been active on Mastodon. (Update: I’ve imported some of those posts to the blog since writing this.) And occasionally I’ll share a […]
- The Masked Guitarist
- Cocktails to Go 😵
Still not used to that being a thing.
- How to Order Coffee During a Pandemic
Hmm, hope they didn’t leave anything out!
- My first post ☺
☺☺☺☺Hi! This is my first post. I hope you’re doing well!☺☺☺☺
- Social Distancing Piplup
Sorry, there’s no exception in the rules for Pokemon.
- Wishful Thinking
Some wishful thinking on the part of auto-complete, here.
- Covid Garden
Finally made it out to the botanical gardens up in the hills for a hike. They’ve actually stayed open this whole time by requiring reservations to limit the number of people on the grounds at a time. (Also face masks, distancing, and closing off benches and some sections.) Ironically there were more people there than […]
- Objection!
Went out for a walk. Group of jerkwads in a pickup covered in conspiracy slogans about Bill Gates, beaches, and Wal-Mart were driving around shouting about not believing stuff and “freedom.” First time we got stuck at the same light, I studiously ignored their attempts to get my attention. (I was the only one at […]
- Bicycle Barricades are Down
…and replaced with these warning signs to maintain distance. I think this particular path could have been left open with these warnings to begin with, because there’s so much room to go around people even if it did draw a crowd. It’s not like the paths along the base or top of the bluffs near […]
- Dance of the House Finches
Two house finches, a male and a female, trading spots on on a cable over the course of five photos.
- Bright the hawk’s flight on the empty sky.
I find myself thinking of “The Creation of Éa” every time I see a hawk in the distance.
- Pillage Safely!
Even Minions are wearing face masks when they’re out pillaging.
- Murder Hornets? Really?
Remember the opening from the 1980s Flash Gordon, where the villain has a dashboard with buttons labeled with various disasters? He used it like a sound effects board: Press the Earthquake button and it would trigger an earthquake. Press the Hurricane button and trigger a hurricane. Press the freaking Hot Hail button and it would […]
- Flappy Bird (No, Not That One!)
I don’t often get good photos of hummingbirds, since they move so quickly. I wouldn’t call this a good shot, but it’s an interesting one!
- Sorta Open. Maaaybe. If You’re Careful.
I mentioned last week that Manhattan Beach had closed all their parks outright, rather than just closing equipment and facilities. Over the weekend heat wave, they reopened at least Polliwog Park, taking down the caution tape from the perimeter and instead wrapping individual playgrounds, gazebos, sculptures and even picnic tables with metal fencing. And signs. […]
- American Gothic: Social Distancing Edition
2026 update: The building, and several around it including an entire bowling alley, have been demolished to build a giant blocky monstrosity that, according to the banners on it, will soon be “luxury apartments.” The camera shop has been operating out of a warehouse unit, doing online and phone orders, ever since.
- …Or Was It?
With more symptoms being added to the list for Covid-19, I’m beginning to think I should have gone in for a flu test when I had the flu at the beginning of March. At the time, chills, muscle aches and headache (and lack of coughing) seemed like a clear “not Covid” indicator. I was staying […]
- The Last Normal Weekend
I found myself thinking back to the last “normal” weekend in southern California before it became clear that covid-19 was spreading locally and closures started. After a busy Saturday and Sunday morning, I went out for a calming photo walk at the beach. Not many people were there. I’m not sure if it was just […]
- No Ducks Past the Yellow Tape!
While some cities around here have only closed playgrounds and sports facilities at their parks, Manhattan Beach has closed their parks outright. Polliwog Park has a large pond year-round that attracts ducks, geese, coots, herons and more, plus the local gulls and pigeons that wander by. But the park has been literally wrapped in caution […]
- Theater for Nobody
This is fascinating: A college theater production of Sophocles’ “The Women of Trachis,” a rarely-performed Greek tragedy, was interrupted by the pandemic. It’s been transformed into a one-night only automated performance featuring video clips of the actors (each sheltering in place at home), collected by TikTok and iMovie and assembled by the director to be […]
- Wait, What Hands?
Kiddo found this image somewhere and wanted to put up a few signs.
- Chalk it up to Social Distancing
Spotted on a walk around the neighborhood yesterday. Actually I’ve been seeing a lot of sidewalk chalk messages lately, some written by adults, others clearly written by kids. Starting about a week into the shutdown, when I went out for a walk and found a note from one of the kiddo’s former classmates saying hello. […]
- Where Everyone Wears a Mask
I wore a mask to the bank today. Nobody batted an eye. They probably would have been more concerned if I hadn’t worn a mask, since they’re now required for anyone working at or visiting an “essential” business that’s still open to the public. A month ago, when I first went outside after recovering from […]
- Outbreakers
You know how in every outbreak movie there’s someone who thinks quarantines shouldn’t apply to them and ends up spreading the disease past where it could have been stopped? I never thought we’d see a bunch of them getting together for protest marches. Basically “we don’t need brakes because we didn’t actually hit the wall […]
- That’s What They Want You To Think
I know there’s essentially zero chance that the audio stream from my phone playing the Cracked podcast on ridiculous psy-ops that governments have actually considered will get picked up by my kid’s video-conference class session on another device. Even if Zoom is listening for more traffic than it should, there’s HTTPS, WPA2, etc. I’d have […]
- Get ’em while they’re hot!
The spammers who’ve made it as far as the junk mail folder have oddly consistent messaging lately: 🤔
- No Wonder
WonderCon has been our main fan convention for the past decade or so. We’ve been every year since it moved to Anaheim in 2012, and several years back when it was in San Francisco. But this year it’s not happening. By February we were already looking at what was going on with the new coronavirus […]
- Open for Take-Out
I’ve been seeing a lot of these signs in front of restaurants when I go walking in the neighborhood. Most restaurants in the area seem to be trying to keep going as all-takeout/delivery, at least for now. A couple of small chains have closed some locations and are continuing to operate take-out from others. The […]
- Looking Back at Camp Myford
I’ve been looking through photos from back when we could, you know, go places and found a set from the hills above North Tustin during a year that we got enough rain to turn the hills green. There were some really clear shots of Peters Canyon, Saddleback, and even some south Orange County hills that […]
- Keep Going
I find myself thinking about Sam’s speech a lot. About how in the stories that really matter, people faced overwhelming darkness, and had a lot of chances to stop, but they kept going. Geek Mom’s A Reminder About Story Middles was written before the coronavirus pandemic hit the US, but it’s even more important now: […]
- Bulk Bins in the Era of Social Distancing
I braved the grocery store last week. It was a bit nerve-wracking after weeks of avoiding people for safety reasons. But it was also interesting to see what was still low and what had been restocked since my last grocery trip a few weeks earlier. Pasta was almost totally gone. Pasta sauce was really low, […]
- A Month of Semi-Isolation
As of today, it’s been a full month since I last set foot in the office. I went home Friday night, did a zillion errands Saturday, went for a photowalk on Sunday, and got slammed by the flu Sunday night. By the time I was over the flu, Los Angeles and California were shutting down […]
- Mask-maker
Mask-maker, mask-maker, make me a mask. I’ll bring the cloth. You do the task…
- Despite everything else going on, it *is* still spring
Most people are stuck at home except for short trips (like this walk), but the hawthorns are still blooming.
- Fitbit vs. Coronavirus?
I was thinking about how my step count is waaaaay down just from staying home, but I’m still wearing the tracker for heart rate. So I wondered what else it might be able to infer and went looking… It turns out some newer fitness trackers can measure oxygen saturation. Imagine hooking that up to an […]
- Don’t Disable Paste!
App and website developers: please do not disable paste on your login forms. Let people use password managers so they can keep a unique password for your site that’s resistant to both password-guessing and password-sharing attacks. Thank you.
- Tangents and Chords Across a Sun Halo.
Update: Someone on Flickr blamed this effect on aircraft emissions. No, these have been around long before aircraft. They’re caused by light refracting through ice crystals, which can be near the surface or high in the upper atmosphere. They get even more elaborate in places where it’s colder near the surface and more ice crystals […]
- Welcome to the Park. Now Stay Away (From Each Other)
There’s a difference between “going out” to a destination or event, and “going outside” for fresh air or exercise. The first is more likely to land you in the kind of crowds that can help spread the pandemic. The second can usually be done while still keeping your distance from people. Depending on how easy […]
- Song of Ice and Virus
Pandemic analogy overheard while out for a walk: “It’s not a blizzard, it’s a very long winter. It’s a Game of Thrones winter.”
- Small Markets
Most people panic-buying supplies went to the supermarkets, not to smaller local groceries.
- Bike Path Closed on Account of Virus
This bike path was closed in response to too many people going outdoors to the same places, creating the crowds that the closures of bars, restaurants and retail stores were trying to avoid in an effort to slow the virus spread. I’m kind of surprised at this one. Unlike the paths near the beach, it […]
- The Shrinking Outdoors
Last weekend, a lot of people in the Los Angeles area tried to go hiking, or to the beach, or otherwise outdoors…to the same places. Which ended up creating the crowds that the shutdown was supposed to prevent, just in different places. 🤦♂️ So over the last few days, various cities, counties and the state […]
- I Assure You We’re Open!
More scenes from a pandemic shutdown: Panera really wants you to know they’re open! (California is currently limiting all restaurants to take-out/delivery only as part of the attempt to limit coronavirus spread.) They also had a sign propped up in their delivery van window pointing out that they’re selling bread, eggs and dairy — all […]
- Goodwill: Stay Healthy
Scenes from pandemic shutdown: Shuttered Goodwill. To be fair, I seem to remember they were already planning to remodel, so the plywood all over the windows could just be a case of bad timing. Update: Here’s a better picture of the sign from the near side of the street.
- Poor Substitute
To be honest, I wasn’t expecting to find isopropyl alcohol in stock, but the “related” results are…questionable.
- Birds in the Social Distance
I finally recovered enough from the flu to get out for a walk in the neighborhood (while that’s still an option). More people were out than I expected, but they were all either solo or in small groups, keeping their distance. And it really helped my stress levels. I didn’t even go very far, just […]
- CA Lockdown Confusion
On Thursday, Los Angeles County ordered that everyone stay at home except for essential activities like buying food, getting medical care, taking care of someone, or going to an “essential” job. Later that evening, California issued a similar order. But something was unclear: The county specifically mentioned that the guidelines didn’t apply to just going […]
- Last Walk Along the Coast Before the Virus (No, Not That One)
Last weekend, before the flu hit me, I tried to de-stress by going somewhere for a photo-and-nature walk. I ended up at the actual Redondo Beach, south of the pier. Partly because there was nowhere to park near the pier due to the Kite Festival, which now that I think of it may have been […]
- Flu in the time of Covid-19
Last weekend, after spending Saturday running errands and Sunday taking care of stuff around the house, I went out to de-stress with a photo-walk at the coast, taking pictures of shorebirds, waves, sailboats, sand patterns and a zillon tiny shells. On the way back I started feeling aches and chills, and by evening I had […]
- Lack of Audience
Back in my college theater days, I remember one of the teachers remarking that what sets theater apart from other types of events is the audience. A sporting event with no one watching still counts for the rankings and records. A play without an audience might as well be a dress rehearsal. Well, sporting events […]
- Fragments of a sun halo and a couple of contrails
Looks like the usual 22-degree circular halo.
- Coronawhere?
A lot of the maps I see showing coronavirus cases, even from sources like the CDC, have a problem: They’re labeled by country, or by state. It’s too big to be useful. Labeling the number of cases reported in the US doesn’t tell you that they’re mostly in clusters in Washington and California. Labeling the […]
- Voting Experience: Los Angeles’ New “Vote Centers” and Machines
Los Angeles County has a new voting system this year. Instead of every registered voter being assigned a specific polling place based on their home address, you can vote at any polling place — excuse me, “vote center” — in the county. There are fewer locations than there used to be, but they’re also open […]
- Democracy or Republic? Yes!
“We live in a republic, not a democracy” is a false binary. The United States is a representative democracy in the form of a republic. It’s both. It’s like saying you’re not in a car, you’re on a road. You may be driving yourself (direct democracy) or choose someone who’s going your way (representative democracy). […]
- Hawkspotting
I’ve been seeing hawks lately when I’m out walking, which is new. I know partly it’s that I’m actively looking for suburban wildlife, but I’ve been doing that since last June when I started participating in iNaturalist. I started noticing how many squirrels and sparrows and phoebes and finches were around (in addition to the […]
- Bluebird Valentine
I spotted a western bluebird on Valentine’s Day morning. Seems appropriate. (Spotted in a tree at a city park. As I was trying to aim my camera, it flew down and landed on top of a birdhouse nearby, making it easier to see.) Update: This was the last photo I posted to Instagram before I […]
- Mild Cases of Coronavirus
The Washington Post points out that 82% of covid-19 cases identified so far are mild, basically a bad cold. Virologists are trying to determine: How many more mild cases haven’t been counted? And what factors cause some cases to be mild and others lethal? There are several coronaviruses that already circulate globally and just cause […]
- Time Gate
When did they install the Guardian of Forever at this park?
- Hurricane of Lies
“Everyone lies!” “They’re all corrupt!” Even if that’s true, you still have to look at scale. There’s a difference between drizzle, rain that you can use an umbrella for, and a hurricane. Don’t make excuses for a hurricane because it might be raining somewhere else.
- Winter Birds of Madrona Marsh
I went hiking at the marsh preserve this weekend and was astonished at just how many different types of birds I saw. Five species of ducks alone (it is winter, after all) — not just the more common mallards, but shovelers, teals, wigeons, and one I hadn’t heard of before called redheads (for obvious reasons). […]
- Today’s Bird: Black Phoebe
A Black Phoebe spotted on my walk to lunch a few days ago, near an office building. It perched there, maybe 10 feet away from me, and actually stayed put while I walked around looking for different angles. Then it flew up into a tree.
- Clouds Flowing Over the Snowy San Gabriels (Dec 2019)
Clouds flow over the snow-covered San Gabriel Mountains above Los Angeles this morning. We’ve had a decent amount of rain this December, and snow in the mountains, leading to hopes for a wet winter and enough water to store for next summer. Oh, and skiing for those who are into that sort of thing 😁
- Glass Sundog
A bright sundog next to a glass-sided building. The sun is off to the left out of frame. The sundog had a bit more color and more of the spectrum in it as seen through my polarized sunglasses, so I kind of wish I’d taken a shot through one of the lenses, but at least […]
- Halo and a Dark Cloud
A 22° sun halo.
- Facebook: Promoting Lies for Cash
Facebook still insists it’s totally OK for them to help politicians lie to you for $$$. Not just misleading ads, or controversial opinions, or varying interpretations, but outright lies. Totally fine with it! Facebook says they don’t want to be in the business of fact-checking, but they have policies against false commercial advertising. Truth in […]
- Social Squirrel
I swear I’m not trying to turn this into a squirrel-themed blog, but here’s another encounter that I thought was worth sharing. Most of the squirrels I see are really skittish around people. This one, in a city park, walked up to me and posed. I’m not sure what it was doing in the first […]
- The Visible Housing Timeline
I saw an article about open space preservation efforts in Newport Beach, and decided to look up the area on maps’ satellite view. Looking around nearby areas in Newport, Laguna Beach, Irvine, Tustin, Orange, etc, I realized: the timeline of residential development in central Orange County is actually visible. Newer neighborhoods have bigger houses than […]
- Pokemon Pumpkins
Patterns found online and carved by the mom-and-son team.
- Instagram Getting Even More Hostile to the Web
Instagram is now requiring you to sign in to view public profiles. You can still look at (for example), my Instagram profile, but once you scroll down a few pages, it pops up a login form and you’re stuck. A spokesperson said, “This is to help people see photos on Instagram and then understand how […]
- Squirrel Guard
I saw this squirrel running across the grass, then got my camera out and caught the first photo as it ran up the side of a tree and paused, looking at me as if assessing whether I was a threat or not. Then it ran the rest of the way up to look at a […]
- Ten Shots
Off-duty cop fires ten shots at an unarmed intellectually disabled man and his family from twenty feet away, killing him and critically wounding his parents, because he pushed him in a Costco food line 3.8 seconds earlier. No charges filed, because he had “no choice.” 10 shots at 3 unarmed people. 20 feet away. In […]
- Tenacious Tree
I finally stopped to take a photo of this tenacious palm tree. I’m not sure whether it was planted or if it just took root next to the support pillar back when the Green Line was new two decades ago. It’s clearly not actively maintained, judging by all the old dry fronds still attached, and […]
- That’s Not Federalism
So, does denying California the ability to set its own environmental standards fall under “states’ rights” or federalism? And is it pro-business to tell automakers that they’re not allowed to make deals with the state? Your daily reminder that the GOP only cares about states rights when the states are trying to interfere with people’s […]
- Treetop Tomatoes
Is this the weirdest place I’ve seen a volunteer tomato? It’s certainly up there! *sorry* *ok, not sorry* 🙂 Originally posted on Pixelfed. Observation on iNaturalist. Update: There’s also a black nightshade of some sort and a ficus growing out of the same tree, which you can sort of see in the medium-zoom photo. Update […]
- Talk About an Understatement!
Several local cities will send out SMS notices for emergencies and “avoid this area due to collision/police activity/etc.” All weekend they kept sending reports about an intersection being closed due to a “traffic collision” Saturday morning. One alert mentioned a vehicle had crashed into a building. What all of the alerts failed to mention, and […]
- Stairs to Nowhere
Oddly enough, this isn’t anywhere near the Winchester Mystery House.
- Doom and Gloom are Not Enough
Doom and gloom alone aren’t enough to help us deal with climate change, or any of the other problems we face. Fear sustained turns to despair, and to inaction – because why bother? We have to celebrate successes to keep hope alive so we can keep going. We do need to know what we’re up […]
- Hawk or Dove?
Usually, iNaturalist’s AI is pretty good at narrowing down a plant or animal to a genus, but sometimes it can get confused. Like this pigeon sitting on a silk floss tree branch. It was “pretty sure” it was a hawk. Um, nope! I can sort of see that with the first image, but the second […]
- Bisected Halo
A clear 22-degree halo around the sun, bright enough that I didn’t have to adjust the image afterward. This is straight from my phone. Even cooler: you can actually see the contrail’s shadow on the layer of cloud that’s producing the halo! The sun is behind the tree, and while the contrail pops out so […]
- Moonshots
Saturday night’s crescent moon. One shot for the daylit crescent, the other for the night side lit by earthshine (with some clouds as a bonus). J. helped with focusing the telephoto lens. The second shot is a lot noisier than I’d like since I was adjusting levels on the JPEG, but I have the raw […]
- Ring! Ring! Who’s There? *handcuffs*
Police from five cities — and an LA Sheriff’s helicopter — descended on a neighborhood because someone panicked over Ring footage of a food delivery sent to the wrong address.
- Dear Twitter: Please Ditch the Clutter
Have you ever been to a Las Vegas casino? The main floors tend toward sprawling layouts, with lots of shiny distractions to entice you to stay and spend more time and money on the slots instead of helping you get where you’re going. That’s what Twitter’s new layout feels like. When Twitter started out, the […]