@meganL@mas.to
@meganL@mas.to avatar

meganL

@meganL@mas.to

Disabled Masters student @ UC Davis. Speaker on Accessibility in Higher Ed/Cycling/Plant Science. Speaker on carob.

#Accessibility #Botany #Cycling #SciComm #NoBot #NoBridge

Most of my posts are not asking for advice so please don't offer it unsolicited. When I'm asking for advice, I usually ask quite explicitly.

Banner = 2 UC Access Now buttons, with a seal that's a parody of the University of California's. It says "Let There Be Access > ADA" Profile = HG Peters drawing of Wonder Woman

This profile is from a federated server and may be incomplete. Browse more on the original instance.

seachanger, to random
@seachanger@alaskan.social avatar

rain on sunday is a get back in bed free card

meganL,
@meganL@mas.to avatar

@seachanger Man, at 58 years old, I can say that 2001 feels both not that long ago and forever ago. Most of that is probably the usual way things go for humans, but part of it is also due to how 9/11 gave the right wing in this country an express lane to push through a bunch of their BS that overhauled society.

Enjoy the show, though!

meganL, to random
@meganL@mas.to avatar

Community participation:

What are your favorite non-monopoly places to shop online? Bonus if they're actually also really cool businesses?

Help folks discover non-Amazon, non-Walmart stores!

Ones I use include:

American Science & Surplus: https://sciplus.com/

Stonemountain & Daughter https://stonemountainfabric.com/

Davis Food Co-op (not mail order, but you can still do "curbside" pick-up) https://davisfood.coop/

meganL,
@meganL@mas.to avatar

Chocosphere for all things chocolate: https://www.chocosphere.com/

Bandcamp for music (although ownership has changed so who knows how long this will remain as good) https://bandcamp.com/

Lehman's for old-fashioned things like heavier duty clothesline tools and more. https://www.lehmans.com/

meganL, to Parenting
@meganL@mas.to avatar

Have you gotten a phone call that claims to be from the CDC?

I did. (And on a Sunday, which really made me think it was a scammer.)

I looked up the number and it turns out it's legitimately them. Just thought I'd let folks know.

https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/imz-managers/nis/index.html

meganL, to random
@meganL@mas.to avatar

Dang it! Despite my frustrated efforts, it seems some people in Davis were able to see the

https://www.reddit.com/r/UCDavis/comments/1cpqkd8/astronomy_club_public_viewing_view_of_the_aurora/

meganL, to random
@meganL@mas.to avatar

I'm not looking forward to trying to make my mind up as quickly as possible (consulting many reviews) about which solar/battery things I want to get before tariffs get imposed.

I am so afraid of making a less-than-good choice if I don't have as long to research it and consider.

meganL, to random
@meganL@mas.to avatar

"A Tesla Model 3 sedan was traveling westbound on Foothill Boulevard at more than twice the 35 mph speed limit when it barreled through a red light about 2:30 a.m. at Sierra Madre Boulevard, hit a curb and struck a power pole, according to the Pasadena Police Department. There were six people in the car...

All six people involved in the crash were between 17 and 22 years old, authorities said."

Three killed. Power out.

Intersection of stroads that encourage speed.

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2024-05-11/single-car-crash-killed-3-injured-3-in-pasadena

meganL, to random
@meganL@mas.to avatar

If you've been on the fence about buying an e-bike or solar panels or power station, you might want to make that decision soon.

https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2024-05-11/us-plans-to-impose-major-new-tariffs-on-evs-other-chinese-green-energy-imports-ap-sources-say

meganL, to cycling
@meganL@mas.to avatar

Wooden removable bollards put in places to protect human life.

Metal permanent bollards put at a corner of a building to protect property.

This is what "Platinum Bike-Friendly" looks like at UC Davis.

#UCAccessNow #CarCentrism #Ableism #BikeNite @cycling

meganL,
@meganL@mas.to avatar

@linjari @cycling Unfortunately, since they purposely chose wood for these, they would just mow them down. In fact, some of them come pre-scored at the bottom with the excuse that police & fire should be able to easily drive through them when needed.

Since they're almost never where they're supposed to be installed, that's not needed.

meganL,
@meganL@mas.to avatar

@alexisdyslexic @cycling It's a mixed bag. Davis is mostly coasting on the genuine cycling activism they had in the '70s and '80s (possibly later, but not a lot recently). That created a lot of infrastructure that survived. There is new infrastructure, but it can be ableist and car-centric.

So it's better cycle infrastructure than most US places, but that's not saying much.

And the culture within Davis and UC Davis is super-ableist, some areas very car-centric and capitalistic.

meganL, to bikenite
@meganL@mas.to avatar

Late question for the crowd: Do you have recommendations for clear wraparound glasses to keep from getting beaned in the eyes by gnats and larger bugs when cycling at twilight? When it's sunny, I have sunglasses, but I need something for darker times of day when I still need eye protection. Something for big heads, hopefully with customizable fitting around the nose/cheeks. @bikenite

skinnylatte, to random
@skinnylatte@hachyderm.io avatar

I’m angry that I don’t get the same quality of restaurants and food trucks. I’m angry I don’t live in LA (yes cars.. but the food is exceptional)

meganL,
@meganL@mas.to avatar

@skinnylatte I saw you posting about the East Bay. Unless you're in rent control in SF, moving to East Bay might get you the things about the SF Bay Area that are superior to LA but also get you some of the things you like about LA.

I think LA has great things and SF people dog it way too much, but I also think the weather/landscape up north is better. Although being from a hotter clime, you'd probably like LA's weather better too.

How are you on West Side LA vs. San Gabriel Valley?

ascentale, to random
@ascentale@sfba.social avatar

Locally, there's a proposal to remove a path on a long bridge for most days of the week, and convert it into a car breakdown lane. There doesn't appear to be any evidence that this would improve traffic, but it will require those who would have walked/cycled/rolled to take a 40 mile detour.

Q3. Have you ever seen cycle infrastructure removed or threatened? How was it preserved, or if it was removed, what were the reasons, and what were the effects?

https://bikeeastbay.org/rsrpathatrisk/

meganL,
@meganL@mas.to avatar

@ai6yr They have serious car brain. I don't know what mold they're stamped from, but no one has broken that mold yet.

moira, to random
@moira@mastodon.murkworks.net avatar

hellooooooooo ^_^

meganL,
@meganL@mas.to avatar

@moira Helloooooo

ascentale, to random
@ascentale@sfba.social avatar

Last week we talked about bad and good interactions with drivers. @sam asks:

Q2. If the situation gets tense, what are some techniques to deescalate?

meganL,
@meganL@mas.to avatar

@ascentale @sam Strait into A2, huh? 😜 I think this can be so context-dependent that it's hard to give universal advice.

What can help sometimes is disarming - doing something happy or innocent or "crazy" they don't expect. An non-cycling example is that a friend of mine used to pick up something someone littered and very happy, innocent, gave it back to them saying "Hi! Hi! You dropped this!" as if it were a $20 bill they'd dropped. While some people can be angry in response,

meganL, to random
@meganL@mas.to avatar

Does anyone have a link to a video on solar storm events and their effect on infrastructure that comes from a reputable source?

Partially due to Google's shitty algorithm, I'm mostly finding clickbait conspiracy BS.

meganL, to random
@meganL@mas.to avatar

The way people flip from "it's too far off to get alarmed about" to "it's too late to do anything about" drives me NUTS.

Add to that people saying "recycling is a lie" because plastics industry lied - HEY, glass, aluminum, and paper recycling still work!!!

skinnylatte, to random
@skinnylatte@hachyderm.io avatar

When most people get massages, they’re generally looking for a relaxing time.

When I get a massage, I’m looking to be the subject of some pretty serious karate moves.

Anything less than that is simply outrageous to pay for.

meganL,
@meganL@mas.to avatar

@skinnylatte I need deep tissue massage, so it's definitely not that kind of relaxing. But it's not skin-flaying like this, either.

This place is in LA, so you know you can get something unrelaxing...

meganL, to random
@meganL@mas.to avatar

I wish progressives could believe as much in their power together as regressives do. Yes, the regressives have that right-wing $$$, but if the $$ alone could have done it, they wouldn't have bothered trying to create disinfo campaigns to hook people through social media.

If things could turn around relatively quickly like this due to right-wing suscepts' belief in people power, they can turn the other way as well. Remember '60s counter-culture came about in reaction to repressive McCarthyism.

ai6yr, to random

Fun challenge - Apple iPhone 15 Precision Finding commercial. h/t @sepdroid for the idea. 34.1941214,-118.4132869

Google Street View of location - Vanowen Street

meganL,
@meganL@mas.to avatar

@ai6yr I'm so envious of your skills at this.

Also, it's a bit unsettling how good you are at it so I'm glad you're on the side of good.

meganL, to random
@meganL@mas.to avatar

🧵 Wanted to share a lesson I've been learning about advocacy - If someone tells you a design is working for them and they're not actually hostile to you, just congratulate them that it's working for them.

I had just finished up a mtg with a co-op board member using my to demonstrate how these lightning bolt racks are inaccessible and not even really great for the upright bikes they're designed for.

I saw them parking their trike & asked if I could get a photo. When they asked me

meganL,
@meganL@mas.to avatar

...why I wanted the photo, I explained that the rack is inaccessible to a lot of different cycle designs. They said it worked for them. I congratulated them, non-sarcastically or PA, on it working for them and took my photos.

As we were talking, I talked about the problems the racks create for me and other cyclists riding different designs and it then came out that the rack only works for them if they can get in there before others have or can get on the end.

2/?

meganL,
@meganL@mas.to avatar

They asked what kinds of racks I preferred. As I described a staple or Sheffield rack, they said, "Oh! Yeah, those are better!"

They came to the realization themselves that it didn't actually work all that well for them - under certain circumstances they could make it work.

By not disagreeing with them in a confrontational or lecturing way, by just affirming their experience & answering their questions, they realized there's a better rack design.

ai6yr, to hiking

Hiking Safety Tip For The Evening / or maybe dating advice for guys who like older women?

Calvin Klein's Obsession for Men attracts cougars

https://mountainlion.org/2010/06/24/ck-cologne-attracts-cougars-no-not-those-cougars-actual-cats/

meganL,
@meganL@mas.to avatar

@ai6yr I tried following that to an actual paper and encountered several 404s, but this seems to have more detail despite being an old blog entry.

It's the presence of civetone that attracts (some) big cats.

https://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/running-ponies/big-cats-and-cologne-e2809cthey-roll-and-cheek-rub-and-just-look-to-be-in-heavene2809d/

  • All
  • Subscribed
  • Moderated
  • Favorites
  • •
  • JUstTest
  • GTA5RPClips
  • DreamBathrooms
  • InstantRegret
  • magazineikmin
  • everett
  • Youngstown
  • mdbf
  • Durango
  • slotface
  • rosin
  • thenastyranch
  • kavyap
  • modclub
  • anitta
  • cubers
  • tester
  • osvaldo12
  • tacticalgear
  • ethstaker
  • ngwrru68w68
  • khanakhh
  • Leos
  • normalnudes
  • cisconetworking
  • provamag3
  • megavids
  • lostlight
  • All magazines
    •