Happy new year - here's a toast to '24 from Viv! 🥂
I've got plans for the Swing Time! webcomic, for this year and beyond - new pages, more page updates, more merch, a debut on Tapas, new rewards and more!
NASA isn’t the only space agency with exciting missions 🚀
A planetary scientist shares the six space missions they are most excited to follow in the #newyear (including Nasa’s mission to send humans around the Moon and back):
I ended my time on Duolingo in the #NewYear, after finding out they sacked a bunch of translators and are now relying on AI to generate sentences for learning. Essentially, they are just generating the content via AI and having a limited number of translators "check the work" before putting it up into their programs.
I also noticed that, the longer I went on in my Duolingo program, the quality of the learning seemed to decrease dramatically, and after learning about the AI thing, it started to dawn on me that this could be part of the reason for that. But even if it isn't related, the fact that they are making this move toward AI only means in the future, the learning WILL decrease in quality whether we like it or not, and that's no fun at all.
So No Thanks, #Duolingo. So long, and thanks for all the fish.
Just wrapped up my first week as #ResearchOfficer for #ANU Vice-Chancellor and President Genevieve Bell - and wow am I already learning a lot and meeting some amazing people 😍
First task: get the VC office up-to-date on #women & #leadership. We now have a woman in charge 👏💖💅
This poem by W.S. Merwin reminded me that every single day starts a new year.
Excerpt from "To the New Year" by W.S. Merwin
so this is the sound of you
here and now whether or not
anyone hears it this is
where we have come with our age
our knowledge such as it is
and our hopes such as they are
invisible before us
untouched and still possible
In the western Christian tradition, today is the Feast of the Epihany. In the eastern tradition, it's called Theophany. It marks the day when the three Magi are believed to have visited the baby Jesus.
Last night was Twelfth Night, when we were all meant to take down our Christmas decorations. And next Monday will be Plough Monday, when we are all supposed to get back to work.
“….and there on the edge of this world, ourselves. The wheels revolve, we’ve chosen the road. We have to believe that we know where it goes.”
From On the road by Jenni Daiches
There is never a poem that fits a picture exactly but these lines echoed. I suppose I know where I’m going. I’ve made my choices. Whether they are the right ones, who knows?
Some people say it's exhilarating, some say they are totally nuts... 🥶😳
A New Years Day dip at Queensferry, the day peaked at 2° 😲 guessing the water wasn't any warmer 😄