@thomasconnor@mstdn.social
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thomasconnor

@thomasconnor@mstdn.social

Astrophysicist at Harvard & Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics --- Runner --- Failed hipster --- Bad at Jokes

Personal Account. Alts:
ThomasConnor@astrodon.social -- astronomy

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vicgrinberg, to random
@vicgrinberg@mastodon.social avatar

I love Ursula LeGuin to bits (in three languages) - the shelf is (part of the) proof. But I never got the excitement about "The Ones Who Walks Away from Omelas".

I know what the story, the metaphor tries to say. But all that I see is how this is a story about walking away. Not stay and change: be the change, start the change, convince the others that things need to be better. But a story about keeping one's conscience clean and walking away. And the injustice left behind continues.

thomasconnor,
@thomasconnor@mstdn.social avatar

@vicgrinberg Have you read some of the responses? There's a small collection here: https://www.kith.org/jed/2021/11/24/several-responses-to-omelas/, plus this one: https://clarkesworldmagazine.com/kim_02_24/

thomasconnor, to random
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Well, it was bound to happen eventually...

Anti-Personnel Vehicle rusting on Garden St. in Cambridge.

thomasconnor,
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@gnomicutterance It's always good to see who's checking alt texts!

thomasconnor, to random
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Absolute bust looking for aurorae but I did catch a shooting star!

thomasconnor,
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I've been informed that that was my constellation prize.

globepitchbot, to boston

NY Times and Washington Post win 3 Pulitzers each. While we did not win any Pulitzers, the winner of the fiction prize did teach at these Boston-area universities

#boston

thomasconnor,
@thomasconnor@mstdn.social avatar

@globepitchbot Gonna need another Pitchbot

thomasconnor, to Astro
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One of my silliest hills that I will die on:

STS-31, the #SpaceShuttle mission that deployed the #Hubble Space Telescope, launched #OTD in 1990: April 24.

However, the astronauts didn't deploy the observatory until April 25.

My view -- which is not held by the good folks at STScI -- is that Hubble's birthday is thus the 25th; I liken it to April 24th is when Hubble's parents drove to the hospital / went into labor, but the 25th is when it was born.
#Astrodon #HistoryOfAstronomy #NASA

thomasconnor,
@thomasconnor@mstdn.social avatar

@jknodlseder @kellylepo A fair question, although -- to stretch my analogy far beyond breaking -- I reckon that that is perhaps more akin to baby's first words. (And with HST you have the added wrinkle of first light or first light after COSTAR?)

universalhub, to boston
@universalhub@mastodon.online avatar

Blue Line being kind of a dick, due to signal woes near Maverick
https://www.universalhub.com/2024/blue-line-being-kind-dick-due-signal-woes-near

thomasconnor,
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@universalhub on day 1 of their Maverick -- Wonderland closure, too

thomasconnor, to random
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Look, I love me some Edmund Fitzgerald, but I'm not sure a hotel breakfast room in Oklahoma at 8 AM is the time or place for it.

thomasconnor,
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@femme_mal that's the rub!

thomasconnor,
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@femme_mal I think I was the only one, unfortunately

thomasconnor,
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@Kevin Very much not in keeping with the Cowboy aesthetic that otherwise permeated the building.

thomasconnor,
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None of the Oklahomans here are even bobbing their heads to the greatest story ever told about a Great Lakes maritime disaster. What a waste!

timrichards, to random
@timrichards@aus.social avatar

I have a Logitech wireless mouse I haven't used in years, and the scroll wheel is acting weird - not working at all, then working for a few hours before stopping again. Any ideas how to fix it?

thomasconnor,
@thomasconnor@mstdn.social avatar

@timrichards I'm about due to open up one of my mouses for a similar reason. The fix for me is, hopefully, contact cleaner all over the wheel.

Ofsevit, to random
@Ofsevit@better.boston avatar

With March likely to stay below 60 in Boston, and high temperatures in Dec-Jan-Feb of 64-60-60, March (59) will have a lower maximum temperature than the three meteorological winter months in Boston.

Previous occurrences:
1916 (61-66-57-55)
1915 (62-62-61-60)
1909 (67-60-59-55)
1906 (61-68-63-56)
1900 (66-60-60-59)
1891 (56-56-62-55)

thomasconnor,
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@Ofsevit @universalhub April 2020 is basically a default outlier in almost any data set, to be fair.

thomasconnor, to books
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Is Sea of Tranquility good? I very much enjoyed Station Eleven, but I found Glass Hotel to be a bit too cute. I will abide by the results of this poll.

thomasconnor,
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18 months later, I finally found the time to read Sea of Tranquility. More enjoyable than Glass Hotel, won't stick with me as long as Station Eleven, and a fun juxtaposition to then read Vonnegut's Breakfast of Champions immediately after. Just don't make my mistake and bring it as your only book on a long trip...

thomasconnor,
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@dctrjack A year and a half later -- I'm inclined to agree with that assessment! In retrospect, I should have planned on having more book to read on this trip.

thomasconnor, to boston
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Bit of a swim into work today, innit? #Boston #Commute

thomasconnor, to random
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I'm listening to the #Halo2 soundtrack as background music for work this afternoon, and it's triggering a midlife crisis.

thomasconnor, to random
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Can't even see a single star out right now with all the clouds. #Aurora

thomasconnor, to random
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Cops have the cut through at Arsenal Sq. blocked off, they seem to be talking to a truck driver whose truck is stopped mid-turn, and a cop is holding a blue bike.

No ambulance, so maybe that's a good thing? I've had close calls at that intersection before...

thomasconnor, to random
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Predatory journal emailed me with the salutation "Wishes of the Day" and -- I gotta be honest -- I kind of like that one.

thomasconnor, to random
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Stopped by the Boston Public Library this morning and caught the finish line getting removed. Hopefully everyone had finished by the time they started working!

thomasconnor, to random
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Local news websites are like

"Police brutalizing someone already in handcuffs"
autoplay next video
"Perfect spring pasta with Lisa Washington"

thomasconnor, to cycling
@thomasconnor@mstdn.social avatar

I biked far too far yesterday on a bike in need of lube and with underinflated tires. On the plus side, it's back at my house, where I can maintain it ... but man are all my muscles tired today... #BikeTooter #MastoBike

thomasconnor, to random
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Europe aglow!
https://www.foto-webcam.eu/
#Aurora

thomasconnor, to random
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There's nothing quite like when a baseball player is about to step up to the plate, holds the bat straight up, looks at it, and makes a deep exhale. You know they're about to hit into a 5-3.

thomasconnor, to random
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Traffic doesn't look too bad, but you can make out where the totality was.

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