GeoWend

cdarwin, 11 days ago to random

West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin is leaving the Democratic Party and registering as an independent.

Manchin had previously announced that he would not run for reelection for his Senate seat.

His change in party affiliation now means he can run as an independent for the Senate,
or even for governor of West Virginia,
where he’d take on Republican rival Jim Justice.

He has not announced plans to do either yet.

Right now, the move makes him the fourth independent in the Democratic Caucus.

https://newrepublic.com/post/182133/joe-manchin-independent

cstross, 14 days ago (edited 14 days ago) to random

Random musing:

What is the werewolf gut microbiome like? And what happens to it when a were shifts form? (Do humans get copious diarrhoea/purge themselves right after shifting? And what happens to the gut contents if a werewolf gorges on meat right before shifting back to human?) What about parasites in raw meat, eg. trichinosis?

And are xanthine alkaloids (like theobromine, found in chocolate) as toxic to werewolves as they are to canids?

moira, 22 days ago to random

there is a strenuous debate today amongst the crows

i do not know the topic, but it is emphatic

#crows #corvids

GeoWend, 23 days ago to random

....YEah, Maybe I do NOT need a windows box in the house....sigh...

https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2024/05/microsofts-new-recall-feature-will-record-everything-you-do-on-your-pc/

coffeegeek, 1 month ago to coffee

A post this morning on a very intriguing and feature-rich pour over system from Melitta that gets almost no mention at all in the usual influencer circles, for reasons you might not expect.

cc @coffee

#coffee #pourover #melitta

https://coffeegeek.com/blog/new-products/melitta-senz-the-pour-over-no-one-is-talking-about/

moira, 2 months ago to random

okay electrodons I got a weird one

Standard single-gang duplex receptacle on a 15A circuit. Upgraded to code circa 25 years ago by pros known to do good work in general. (To be clear: not me.) It's in a metal box with wiring in metal conduit back to the panel.

Stops working. No drama, just stops. Everything upstream to the box is fine; the breaker doesn't trip. All looks well, just... no power.

Remove the cover. It is immediately obvious that there is loose plastic hanging around in the box.

Pull out the fixture, discover chunks of plastic have come off the side of the receptacle. It's broken away in multiple pieces with sharp edges, not melted. No burns near the damage, no external damage.

And so I ask:

What the fuck?

#electricity

GottaLaff, 2 months ago to random

"#Trump is even or ahead in the polls because millions of swing voters have no idea just how authoritarian a 2nd term would be

Blame the media's massive failure to pound the drums about 1/6 pardons, 'retribution' and looming dictatorship."

If @willbunch wrote it, you should read it.© & I thread it. 1/...

https://www.inquirer.com/columnists/trump-47-second-term-dangers-authoritarianism-20240314.html#loaded

coffeegeek, 2 months ago to coffee

OK, so I guess my post on how paper filtration for coffee isn't the best method upset a few folks, especially when I called the output "more tea-like".

I know the truth hurts some times. But at the end of the day, if you enjoy your cup of coffee, more power to you! 👍

I do feel it's my role in life to let people know there's always something better out there, in the coffee sphere. Every day we learn and get better at the craft.

And some times, we take steps back, too. Goodnite, all! 😴

cc @coffee

moira, 3 months ago to random

It's always unnerving to see people taking the bait on the same shtick over and over again

GottaLaff, 3 months ago to random

🤦🏻‍♀️Via Steve Herman:

White House no longer requiring routine, asymptomatic #COVID testing for the press corps, including for travel on Air Force One.

GottaLaff, 3 months ago to random

FYI: The reason I sometimes boost the kind words you send me is not to pat myself on the back, but to let people know why I’m here: To bring you news that’s legit and cut through some of the BS.

When others validate that, it keeps me going when some of the more irritating elements of Mastodon make me want to walk away.

Sidebar: I am not on social media to debate, argue, fight, or provoke. I intensely dislike all of those things.

This is an election year. Let’s support Dems, not fascists.

jackmjenkins, 3 months ago to random

States with highest support for Christian nationalism, per PRRI:

Mississippi (50%)
North Dakota (50%)
Alabama (47%)
West Virginia (47%)
Louisiana (46%)
Tennessee (45%)

States with the lowest:

Oregon (17%)
Massachusetts (18%)
Maryland (19%)
New York (19%)
New Jersey (20%)
Washington (20%)

https://religionnews.com/2024/02/28/new-survey-finds-pockets-of-support-for-christian-nationalism-across-the-country/

OhNoSheTwitnt, 7 months ago to random

“Actually, frankincense was the name of the doctor. You’re thinking of frankincense’s monster.” - The 3 Wise Mansplainers

moira, 8 months ago to random

so patreon really did change its logo to a little blurry poop then

wow

okay

#patreon #ThatsNotAKidney #ThatsAPoop

cstross, 8 months ago to random

Welp, today I just got my first email from an AI company offering to train a ChatGPT-based language model on my books to help me with search and writing.

I told them if they did so I'd sue and that I hoped their business model was criminalized. ("Die in a fire" was merely implied.)

First of many, first of many: the bottom-feeding grifters have arrived.

themarkup, 8 months ago (edited 8 months ago) to mastodon

#Mastodon poll of the day!

Are you still using #Twitter (X)?

moira, 9 months ago to random

I do believe I've been very subtooted.

Okay. I can do that.

I post facts. If someone doesn't like those facts, that's not my problem. If they don't like my tone in those facts, that's even less my problem.

And no, I don't like it when people funnel money and functionality to a site that's been turned into a fascist disinformation and propaganda machine by a man who is just today blaming The Jews (via the ADL) for folks not advertising next to neo-Nazis.

I've bit my tongue hard and not gone at individual followers about it, but I've made my opinions clear.

So if someone says they're likely bailing from here and going in even harder on the fash site because of that, all I can say is

It's been nice.

It's not nice anymore.

C-ya.

arstechnica, 9 months ago to random

Dog autism? 37% of US dog owners buy into anti-vaccine nonsense

For the bazillionth time, vaccines do not cause autism—and dog autism is not a thing.

https://arstechnica.com/health/2023/08/dog-autism-37-of-us-dog-owners-buy-into-anti-vaccine-nonsense/?utm_brand=arstechnica&utm_social-type=owned&utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social