@elizabethtasker@mastodon.online
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elizabethtasker

@elizabethtasker@mastodon.online

UK astrophysicist working at the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). Author of 'The Planet Factory'. Very into planets, cats and virtual reality (sometimes together). @girlandkat on twitter.

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elizabethtasker, to astrophotography
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A rather blistering 5am start for the second virtual gallery event with the IAU and @futuremeetings! But a good crowd, and really fun to listen to the photographers describe how they took these photos with a smartphone (!).

Avatars stand in front of a wall of photographs of the night school, listening to one of the photographers describe their photograph.
Avatars stand in front of a black and white photograph of a boat beached in front of the sky, in which the Milky Way can be seen stretching across the night. The TFOM logo is on an image on the left.

elizabethtasker, to random
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Great evening hearing from the photographers whose photos are displayed in the virtual gallery designed by the IAU OAO x TFOM (International Astronomical Union Outreach & @futuremeetings)! Aside from cruising the art and learning about exposures, I also met a science communicator from Indonesia and we spent a happy 20 minutes roundly abusing TikTok 🤣

There's another opportunity to visit the gallery tomorrow (May 28) at 8pm UTC / 4pm EDT / 1pm PDT.

Grab a free ticket: https://www.tickettailor.com/events/iauofficeforastronomyoutreach/1230291

Five avatars are examining a beautiful photograph of the aurora (I believe captured at Yellowknife in Canada)
Avatars listen to talks in a central area. The IAU Office of Astronomy for Education logo is on one wall, and a tree with red leaves is in the centre. Four avatars are neatly sitting on a bench, while others stand around the space.
Four avatars examine another photograph of the aurora.

elizabethtasker,
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@brownpau @futuremeetings It's spatial.io : a cross-platform social space that works on your browser, but also with a VR headset or just your phone.

elizabethtasker,
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@eladnarra I was just about to message and see if it was you! I'm so glad you came 🙂

elizabethtasker, to astrophotography
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Tea in an International Astronomical Union Outreach bamboo mug to start the week and celebrate not only sustainable drinkies, but also the super cool event that will be held TODAY and TOMORROW! Tickets are free, and the 3D virtual space (accessible from a browser) is really fun to explore.

Gallery times are:

May 27 (TODAY!)
11am UTC
(9pm AEST ad 7am EDT )

May 28 (TOMORROW)
8pm UTC
(4pm EDT and 1pm PDT)

Register here: https://bit.ly/smart_gallery

elizabethtasker, to vr
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Tried out “Demeo” tonight: a multiplayer adventure board game that you can play in #VR or #AR. It was well done, and fun to see the pieces animate and move! Also easier to learn the rules than for a regular board game as you weren’t able to make an invalid move, and aspects such as the cards were dealt automatically!

elizabethtasker,
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@jmsdnns I was on the Meta Quest. But yes, you can play with people on different headsets and on the computer (no headset).

elizabethtasker, to random
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I scrubbed down the balcony this morning (a thankless task, partly due to the lack of an outdoor tap, and partly because Casper the outdoor cat never looks impressed!)

The cat cam camera testified to my hard work!

Another balcony webcam shot, where I am bending down to pick up a pair of plastic gloves (used for drain de-clogging!)

elizabethtasker,
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Zero stars. Smells weird.

elizabethtasker, to random
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Afternoon high tea with a Prince of Tennis (Japanese manga/anime) theme! Each cake is based on the tastes of one of the manga characters (from the Rikkai tennis team). There was also a mini-burger. Also, I can no longer move comfortably 😅

A top down view of the cake tray. The logo of the Rikkai school in the anime can be seen printed on the top tray.
The outside of the menu, showing the faces of each of the 9 anime characters.
A life sized poster shows all 9 anime characters standing together, wearing wait staff uniforms.

elizabethtasker,
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@kotaro yes. Yes indeed.

elizabethtasker,
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@kotaro that. Is also true 😂

elizabethtasker, to random
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My first meeting today was at 5am, and my last at 8pm, and there was a very important middle meeting with this cup of iced coffee ☕️

And if you’re not sufficiently impressed… I also took a rug to the coin laundry AND… remembered to bring it back.

elizabethtasker, to astrophotography
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If you are interested in the use of virtual spaces for online events, do check out this event next week!

Organised by the International Astronomical Union (IAU), this #astrophotography gallery is hosted in spatial: a 3D virtual space you can explore via a regular web browser or #VR Meta headset.

I love virtual spaces for feeling I've "gone somewhere", and the audio falloff means you can chat to people you meet... or run off and ignore their babble while you cruise the #astronomy art.

elizabethtasker,
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This gallery was created from off-the-shelf assets that are freely available at spatial.io. Come and visit the gallery, and think about how a virtual space could be used for original online meetings and events.

The gallery is open on:

May 27 at 11am UTC (9pm AEST ad 7am EDT )

May 28 at 8pm UTC (4pm EDT and 1pm PDT)

Register (for free) here:
https://www.tickettailor.com/events/iauofficeforastronomyoutreach/1230291

elizabethtasker, to random
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“Do you believe… in the Moon?”

Which was one of the more amusing slips I’ve heard during a Q&A session at JAXA, and left me wondering what crazy conspiracy theory I’d just walked into 😂

(What was actually meant was “do you believe there’s water on the Moon”, swiftly corrected but not before the whole room had collapsed with laughter.)

elizabethtasker,
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@ticho Absolutely right! GO MOON.

elizabethtasker, to animals
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BOING!

elizabethtasker,
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@grb090423 he is a constant regular 😂 Heaven knows what I’ll do of I move 😅

elizabethtasker, to random
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I’m listening to “Wildacre”; historical fiction by Philippa Gregory.

The protagonist is evil. An utter psychopath. Admittedly, life for a woman in the 18th century is rough, and the opportunities Beatrice’s skills warrant are passed to incompetent men. But the body count is unpleasant!

It’s a very long book and a stressful read. Frankly, I want to stop but I also want to know the outcome and I’m not sure a synopsis will be satisfactory.

In short, I’m in a hostage situation with an audiobook.

elizabethtasker,
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People. I finished the first of three (THREE!!) parts of this audio book that amounted to 8.5 hours listening time.

We leave Beatrice in Paris, having weaselled her way onto her brother’s honeymoon, pregnant with her brother’s child, and fearing her last lover who seems to have survived having his legs chopped off in a man trap to become a Robin Hood-type highwayman.

I… require something more uplifting and am returning (at least temporarily) to the Thursday Murder Club.

elizabethtasker,
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@grb090423 I only print spoilers when I wouldn’t wish the book on my friends 😂

elizabethtasker,
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So Beatrice gives birth to her brother’s baby.

It’s a girl.

She’s horrified, as she wanted an anchor baby boy to inherit the family estate (the only thing she cares about).

She palms the baby off on her sister in law (omitting to mention parentage) and then is equally horrified when her brother is besotted with wife and baby, and wants to end their incestuous shagging.

She therefore sets up a BDSM dungeon room for her bro.

Yes, I returned to this story. Yes, it was without doubt a mistake.

elizabethtasker,
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Beatrice is pregnant again. BDSM sex with your bro in the 1800s will do that.

She marries a charming young doctor as a cover-up, but his skillset means he knows that the child is not his when it arrives "early".

Mother catches her children humping in the drawing room.

Mother dead at dawn of an overdose, for which the doctor is mysteriously blamed. Career in ruins, he drinks until he's committed, leaving his fortune in his wife's hands.

And that is the end of part 2. I am... taking a break!

elizabethtasker,
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@Parkplusplus I could not face summarising from the beginning 🤣

elizabethtasker,
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@solsetur Now you understand how I ended up in this fix! I liked her Tudor books too, but when she veers off real historical people, things apparently go a bit wild 😅 Truthfully, I would not recommend “Wideacre”: Beatrice is a nasty piece of work and you’re stuck with her narration! I am trapped to the end of this book, but intend to resist moving onto the sequel 😱

elizabethtasker,
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@withaveeay sadly, its length belies that. And I sincerely hope this is not within my imagination!

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