futurebird

futurebird, 8 months ago to random

This has mostly been reported as "trans women banned from women's chess" but it's much more sinister. (as if it weren't already.)

ALL trans people are targeted by this ruling. Trans men will be stripped of all chess titles won, which can only be returned to them by “changing the gender back to a woman” (from the ICF’s ruling). ALL transgender chess players will be marked as trans in their files.

If you play or know anyone who does take a stand on this. It's ugly.

https://www.erininthemorning.com/p/international-chess-org-trans-women?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email

futurebird, 9 months ago to random

Here is a fun animation that will help you to understand the relative rpms of the planets.

(via. https://www.tumblr.com/bandit-jay/698182172743434240/comparing-the-rotations-of-objects-in-the-solar?source=share)

7 Planets a moon and Pluto all shown to be about the same size with goggly eyes. Mercury hardly moves at all. Venus is literally still. Jupiter is going so fast it's eyes are shut tight.

futurebird, 7 months ago to random

For me, right to to repair isn't just about ewaste, and preventing corporate gouging.

It's about mental health. Being able to fix your gadgets is therapeutic. Empowering. Good for the soul.

In a world full of complex technology it's easy to feel small and helpless. And maybe I'm too much of an idealist, but I think that if everyone could experience the joy of fixing or modifying a gadget now and then we'd all be a little more open minded, a little more daring. A little harder to push around.

futurebird, 9 months ago (edited 9 months ago) to random

I've been trying to find the right way to articulate this-- but the folks on the right have it backwards about who is driven by "white guilt" --

This impulse to cover up and distort the history of slavery reeks of shame. It's, frankly, weird. Nobody has perfect ancestors, what sort of crisis of identity leads one to lie about the past.

It's just the things that happened. You learn about them you learn from them. You do better. Don't make it so emotional and personal.

futurebird, 6 months ago to random

Get ready!

futurebird, 4 months ago (edited 4 months ago) to random

To create utopias you must first imagine them.

(Drawing by penpanoply on tumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/futurebird/737784598080208896/image-description-the-cartoon-this-is-fine)

futurebird, 10 months ago to random

If you are a white leftist and you talk “both parties are the same they are both capitalist” you will loose most of your black audience. I think it ought to be obvious that this isn’t because blackfolks love Democrats (in most cases, there is always someone being simple in any group) —no. it’s because the difference between the parties is material and obvious and these are unstable times.

When I hear such talk I wonder if the speaker is working on voter suppression.

futurebird, 8 months ago (edited 8 months ago) to random

I still cannot get over the wonder and mystery of what gall wasps can do to plants. This is bio-engineering! The wasp lays her egg and somehow the plant makes a structure that is not a fruit, it is not a seed, it is not a leaf or stem. It's a wholly recombinant architecture customized to the needs of the growing young larva. The plant provides food and shelter-- It's like a cancer, but with a purpose.

How did it evolve? How is it done!?

(Photo by Timothy Boomer, https://wildmacro.com/)

futurebird, 9 months ago to random

And Then Satan Said:

We are going to separate into breakout groups of five people, after 8 min. each group will present what they discussed in the main group.

futurebird, 10 months ago (edited 10 months ago) to random

Attention people of The West:

I think they are crumbling under the pressure. Maybe skip the fireworks? If only to save the Washington State Dept. of Natural Resources from losing the last shreds of their sanity.

futurebird, 2 months ago to random

I think most people would object to forcing women to wear skirts. Beating up girls who do unladylike things like dancing or calculus. Many can even see how silly it is to tease a boy for enjoying painting more than sports.

Most* get this.

What I don't understand is how it isn't obvious that transphobia is the exact same impulse.

There is no "reasonable" amount of transphobia you can tolerate without also supporting rigid harmful gender norms in general. 1/

futurebird, 4 months ago to random

"I'm upset about abortions"
"Let's fund sex ed, contraceptives and health care for pregnant women, it will cause the number of abortions to decline dramatically."
"NO. Send the women & doctors to jail."

"I'm upset people jump the turnstyle"
"Let's properly fund the subway and make it free and faster while reducing overhead."
"NO. I want those bad teens ARRESTED."

"This dreary area under the bridge is DISGUSTING."
"Let's clean it up & install a public restroom."
"NO. Arrest people for pooping"

futurebird, 8 months ago (edited 8 months ago) to random

If the idea of violent protests don't make you at least little scared I wonder how well you know history. At the same time, real change almost never happens without people putting their bodies on the line.

The right understands this far better than your average liberal/moderate. To be a moderate is to trust that existing systems will (mostly) work.

If those systems fail? What then? To even consider this is moderate treason.

(Cartoons by Mattie Lubchansky https://thenib.com/author/mattie-lubchansky/ )

futurebird, 7 months ago to random

I know I've said I don't agree with doing call out posts. But this is a call out and each of you knows who you are.

futurebird, 1 month ago (edited 1 month ago) to random

People trying to train AIs are now complaining that all of the AI data on the internet are making it hard for them to get quality training sets of natural language and images.

bitter snickering

futurebird, 6 months ago to random

Bumblebees learn by observing other bees. Bumblebees, like ants, may even teach each other. In a University of London experiment a bee watched a "fake bee" (a fuzzy yellow & black orb on a stick) pushing a yellow ball into a circle for a sugar water reward. The bee copied this action.

When a nest mate was introduced, they learned by watching the bee trained in the previous experiment. I find the idea of a "fake bee" adorable.
https://www.popsci.com/brainy-bumblebees-can-push-balls-into-goal/

The bee watches the fake bee push the mini football into the circle.
Two bees shown from above with various balls.

futurebird, 10 months ago to random

In 100,000 years an alien ship enters our solar system. The earth has no remarkable intelligent life, but it's a beautiful biodiverse planet recovering from some bad extinctions. The aliens don't notice the traces left by humanity right away, this is just a survey trip and not much monumental remains.

But, they do pick up a signal, coming not from Earth, but from Mars. "How strange?" they think. Mars is obviously the inferior planet for life. Earth is incredible. But they go to investigate. 1/

futurebird, 7 months ago to random

The same people who understand that it's a Bad Thing if they mess up the economy so the banks can't lend any money and nobody is investing in anything, and then merry go round stops... will scoff and dissemble when encountered by this kind of study.

But this kind of "jump start" is less expensive, and probably more grounded in "sound economic reasoning" than your average bail out.

https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2222103120

futurebird, 4 months ago to random

They used to laugh and call him names.

… used to.

futurebird, 5 months ago to random

"Going anywhere for the holidays?"
"Yes, upstate."
"Plane or car?"
"Oh Jesus no! Train."
"How long will that take?"
"9 hours. But my vacation starts when I get on the train, not when I get off the plane. It's much less stressful."
"You know... I can see that..."

Folks, I may have a made a convert today. Let's be real. Driving is work, and flying is torture. A train ride, might seem "long" but did you count all the time you spend getting to the airport, the security checks? The silly rules?

futurebird, 9 months ago to random

So... in the US we now have an "anti-library" party. It's remarkable how many ways republicans keep coming for libraries and librarians. From the stuff in Houston where they are turning libraries into "discipline centers" and firing librarians. To the books bans and empty shelves in Florida.

Libraries are powerful and important, and if this doesn't make that clear? I don't know what will.

futurebird, 9 months ago to random

There is no benefit to anyone on the left being on twitter.

Nina Turner tweeted "Insulin should be free." some libertarians responded "Nina should pick cotton for free."

Did this obvious racism hurt them? No, they now have more followers than ever. Being over there is just being bait for these extremists to build their network.

Grotesque racist images of Nina, rather than being demoted by the algorithm are being promoted since the people posting them paid for blue checks.

Leave.

futurebird, 8 months ago to random

futurebird, 5 months ago to random

I'm so sorry.

(no I'm not. Not really.)

futurebird, 9 months ago to random

• Isopods have 7 pairs of legs all pretty much the same length.

• 74** logic gates have ... 7 pairs of legs all the same length!

Coincidence? I think not!

Clearly, each isopod contains 4 logic gates. This Armadillidium vulgare has 4 AND gates. Don't forget to connect power & ground legs & use pull-down resistors on inputs.

(best practice is to simply ask the rollie to position itself in your circuit.)

Like most natural systems. they use micro-voltages, don't use standard 5V power sources.