@AskPippa@c.im
@AskPippa@c.im avatar

AskPippa

@AskPippa@c.im

I'm a science & medical writer curious about the world. I like to share what I find out. Remember Ask Pippa, science for kids in the Toronto Star? That was me. Also the Medical Post, Medscape, SciAm, Vice and more.

#scicomm #journalism #medicine #science #technology #ScienceFiction #PublicHealth #scifi #vaccine #immunology #oncology #pediatrics #cardiology #diabetes #virus #cancer #epidemiology #Medmastodon #IDmastodon #plastic #climate #biodiversity #space

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AskPippa, to Birds
@AskPippa@c.im avatar

It's nesting season for ! Do consider keeping your indoors. If it kills one bird, that bird can no longer feed its 3 or 4 young -- so they end up dying too.
And, there are a lot of species that are ground nesters, and some in shrubs -- easy targets for a cat that sees something to play with.

AskPippa, (edited ) to random
@AskPippa@c.im avatar

I used to get bothered all the time on buses -- until one day I learned a trick that for some reason discouraged them. I would pull out a copy of Scientific American. Maybe they thought I was going to hit them with it (though other magazines didn't have this effect), or even scarier, talk science at them.
In fact, in high school I started carrying one around just for this use!

@sciam @laurahelmuth

AskPippa,
@AskPippa@c.im avatar

@apenguininspace Heh. I think someone should do a study. Different magazines/journals. Count the number of times men try talking to them. Maybe have a study buddy in another seat surreptitiously record the interactions. And, have a young man on the bus do the same thing as a control.

AskPippa, (edited )
@AskPippa@c.im avatar

@laurahelmuth Heh. Could be a way to attract female readers. "Getting harassed? Use science to protect yourself!"

The things is, the magazine worked EVERY single time! Dude would stare and get closer -- then back away when the magazine came out. Dude makes a comment, moves off when the title is clear.

I can almost see a commercial. On a public transit bus. A couple of dudes are scared off. Then, she notices a handsome dude sitting in another seat who is also reading a SciAm. They lock eyes. She smiles.

AskPippa, to random
@AskPippa@c.im avatar
MichaelPryor, to random
@MichaelPryor@aus.social avatar

Went on a Melbourne Dumpling Discovery Walking Tour last night. Four very different eateries, four very different dumpling presentations. Our guide, Monique, was organised, cheerful and knowledgeable. Thoroughly enjoyable, would recommend., a great way to wander around the world's oldest continuous Chinatown precinct.
https://www.walkmelbourne.com.au/dumpling-discovery-walk

AskPippa,
@AskPippa@c.im avatar

@MichaelPryor Dumplings for @manjushree!

AskPippa, to Anthropology
@AskPippa@c.im avatar

A feature about learning stuff about and society via .

@medmastodon https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-anthropology-of-past-disease-outbreaks-can-help-prevent-future-ones/

smilingheretic, to glasgow
@smilingheretic@mas.to avatar

Hey parrot people in : do you or someone you know have some idea where I might find a bird sitter? I've a thirty year old in need of care from time to time. I haven't been able to find anyone.

Please boost for a wider audience! Thanks!

AskPippa,
@AskPippa@c.im avatar

@smilingheretic Maybe ask at your local vet clinic, and pet shops? Boarding might be a possibility too (though more expensive).
Lovely bird. I grew up with a cockatiel -- we had him for 22 years.

AskPippa,
@AskPippa@c.im avatar

@smilingheretic I just found this. Maybe they'd have some ideas?
https://parrot-trust-scotland.org.uk/

AskPippa,
@AskPippa@c.im avatar

@smilingheretic There are some groups on Facebook. Here are 2, if you don't know about them. They both have recent posts from people in Glasgow.

  1. "Lost Parrot & Birds Found UK". Looks like a supportive group, could try a query there.
    https://www.facebook.com/groups/448506288525560?hoisted_section_header_type=recently_seen&multi_permalinks=7621277527915031

  2. "UK's National Parrots & Birds Group ( Lost Found Sick Rescue & Rehome )"
    https://www.facebook.com/groups/543813959157375/?hoisted_section_header_type=recently_seen&multi_permalinks=2379868925551860

AskPippa, to Ford
@AskPippa@c.im avatar

Just saw this:
"Recently, in Wilmot were blindsided by a directive from the Region of Waterloo, acting on instructions from Premier Doug Ford: sell their farmland for a new, undisclosed development project, or face expropriation.

***This news came without warning, without consultation, and without the transparency the community expects and deserves.

Here is a petition demanding Premier step up to protect our farmers. (Petition link below)

Premier Doug Ford has stated publicly that he’s committed to being "for the people," yet his direct involvement and orders to municipalities to prepare "shovel-ready sites" for forced urban expansion reveal a different agenda.

In April, NDP Leader Marit Stiles confronted the Ford Government about these plans, only to have the Premier refuse to answer, while his Minister of Economic Development justified the expropriation by admitting to vetting lands specifically sent by municipal partners.

This isn’t just about land; it’s about homes, livelihoods, and our community's future. And, if this can happen in Wilmot Township, it can happen anywhere.

Here's what's at stake:

The expropriation of 770 acres of land without fair dialogue.
Displacement of families who’ve farmed this land for generations.
Potential loss of family businesses, local food supplies, and damage to the environment.

Premier Ford and his government need to listen and act in the interest of those affected. That's why we're calling on you to help put pressure on Premier Ford to step up, show he's for the people, and protect our farmers.

Your support makes a big difference. Protect our hard-working farmers and the land that feeds us."
https://ontariondp.ca/wilmot-township/?akid=3879.543984.p50VNf&rd=1&source=240508_EML_Wilmot_1_AYN_AK_EN_EG&t=4

AskPippa, to random
@AskPippa@c.im avatar

Ha!

AskPippa, to ontario
@AskPippa@c.im avatar

Did you know that women can legally go topless in ? But I think this story is still true -- most won't because they're afraid of getting harassed.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/kitchener-waterloo/women-can-go-topless-in-ontario-but-they-don-t-want-to-fearing-harassment-1.3171257

Skepticat, to random
@Skepticat@mstdn.social avatar

I really don't care to approach the neighbors with issues, so I renamed our wifi: Maybe Calm Down With The Goddam Leaf Blowing, Joe.

AskPippa,
@AskPippa@c.im avatar

@DebR @Skepticat @CoachMark Maybe something mildly scary to both of them, like "Alien Abduction Support Group", or "IRS Auditor".

AskPippa, (edited ) to random
@AskPippa@c.im avatar

How to take a really long time to rake-up the pile of leaves that sat in the corner of the garden all winter.

  1. Check handfuls of leaves to see if you can spot any late-rising hibernating bees. If so, wait another week or 2 before raking.
  2. No bees. But you discover a whole eco-system of little critters. Put the rake down and start exploring the pile by hand.
  3. There are at least 6 different kinds of worms, some pill bugs, some many legged-things and mysterious little plants that are starting to sprout from burst seeds.
  4. Sort through the pile of soggy leaves. Pick out some of the worms for Mrs Robin who is nesting on the front porch.
  5. Note the lovely composted soil that has formed at the bottom of the pile.
  6. "Ooh, there are some bare spots in the garden that could use a compost boost."
  7. Transfer globs of soggy leaves and compost onto those bare spots.
    Done.
    Regular raking: 10 minutes. Picking out some of the worms and sorting out globs: an hour.
AskPippa, (edited ) to journalism
@AskPippa@c.im avatar

Is the industry behind a disinformation and campaign relating to national ? This report, announced by The Council of Canadians, says yes.

@medmastodon

https://canadians.org/prescription-for-profit/?link_id=5&can_id=1414ae9e32c4f166fa54a60dff1a5c2e&source=email-revealed-the-think-tanks-doing-big-pharmas-dirty-work&email_referrer=email_2312116___subject_2840405&email_subject=revealed-big-pharma-is-funding-misinformation-on-pharmacare

FranChristy, to random
@FranChristy@flipboard.com avatar

How to Record a Phone Call on an iPhone for Free
https://www.iphonelife.com/content/how-to-record-phone-call-iphone-free?utm_source=flipboard&utm_medium=activitypub

Posted into Tech @tech

AskPippa,
@AskPippa@c.im avatar

@FranChristy @tech I wonder if using a cable like this attached to the iPhone, with a splitter cable added to the headphone, would work?. The splitter with one branch attached to a headphone, and the other to a recording device?

molly0xfff, to random
@molly0xfff@hachyderm.io avatar

"[The moderator crackdown is] just a reminder that anything you post on any of these platforms can and will be used for profit. It's just a matter of time until all your messages on Discord, Twitter etc. are scraped, fed into a model and sold back to you." – @ben

https://www.tomshardware.com/tech-industry/artificial-intelligence/stack-overflow-bans-users-en-masse-for-rebelling-against-openai-partnership-users-banned-for-deleting-answers-to-prevent-them-being-used-to-train-chatgpt

h/t @dangillmor

AskPippa,
@AskPippa@c.im avatar

@molly0xfff @ben @dangillmor Question: "scraped, fed into a model." Can't people scrape posts, etc. from Mastodon? They're not exactly hidden from the Internet... (Seriously, I don't know how this works)

AskPippa, to random
@AskPippa@c.im avatar

Oh great. A Trumpee interested in buying TikTok.

https://thehill.com/policy/technology/4651527-mnuchin-still-considering-tiktok-purchase-says-technology-could-be-rebuilt/

AskPippa, to random
@AskPippa@c.im avatar

And yet another side to supportive issues.

@cbc_top_stories https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/housing-first-ottawa-problem-support-1.7196460

AskPippa, to random
@AskPippa@c.im avatar

Different approaches works for different individuals.
https://slate.com/technology/2024/05/polyamory-nonmonogomy-dating-relationships-sex.html?utm_source=pocket-newtab-en-us

AskPippa, to random
@AskPippa@c.im avatar

Insects and Other Animals Have Consciousness, Experts Declare. An article by @danfalk in Quanta Magazine.

@QuantaMagazine

algernon, to journalism
@algernon@journa.host avatar

Assigned a story with a cool angle to a freelance reporter. It involved attending a certain single-day festival. Two hours after the festival began the stringer texts me: “Hey, I’m sorry but I’m not going to be able to make it” and then came the chaser: She had decided the story I proposed, on an assignment she accepted, wasn’t “impactful” anyway.

I’m flabbergasted.

That ashy smell is of a bridge being burned.

AskPippa,
@AskPippa@c.im avatar

@algernon That is so incredibly unprofessional. I've had several editors tell me that it was common for them to come across freelancers who didn't stick to deadlines (if they filed at all). Yes, many bridges burnt.Then there are the people who can't write beans and their stories have to be rewritten (but at least they were filed on time). But not going to an assigned event and making a judgement call like that? Wow, that is just beyond.

AskPippa,
@AskPippa@c.im avatar

@algernon On the other side, I've done freelance work for many editors. Most have been great to work with. But there was one from a small trade publication who wouldn't send a pay cheque for a piece I write and was publilshed. After 6 invoice reminders (yes, six -- over several months!), I said I would report her name to a bad editor list with a writers' group. Well, the cheque quickly arrived -- along with a request for me to buy products from what was obviously a pyramid scheme she was involved in.

AskPippa,
@AskPippa@c.im avatar

@algernon Kind of hilarious too because it was so bizarre. Needless to say, I didn't buy any products.

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