@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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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.

vicgrinberg, to random
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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,
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@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.

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

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

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

thomasconnor, to cycling
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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...

globepitchbot, to boston
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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

thomasconnor,
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@globepitchbot Gonna need another Pitchbot

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 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,
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@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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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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Worked through the taxes for the year; now to take a break before going back to check over everything.

Dreaming of the day the government just knows how much we paid, owe, and are due and skips this whole Intuit-funded nonsense.

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

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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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!

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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@femme_mal that's the rub!

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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@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,
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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...

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