Met my good friend Bill about 45 years ago when I was an undergraduate student & he was a lecturer at what is now @calpolyhumboldt.bsky.social. Each year we get together & catch up over a coffee & walk to the top of Trinidad Head in Trinidad CA. A selfie a year & I get to act like I’m 20 yo again.

When you are walking down a street in Eureka CA and a creepy hand reaches through a fence and tries to grab your glasses.

Toronto skyline with Lake ONTARIO in background. Taken on approach to Toronto’s Pearson International Airport in June.

Fun news story in Spanish about school children having fun building and decorating CR Boxes in Monterrey Mexico. Thanks to Marisa Jimenez de Segovia for the video.

Coolest Uber driver ever. He talked a lot about cats never tipping, the aerodynamics of frisbees, and the trigger of seeing squirrels, the latter of which made the drive a little perilous at times.

I feel like I’ve won the lottery. It’s an honor and privilege to continue to serve such a great college community and institution.

UC Davis College of Engineering@ucdavisengineering.bsky.social · 7d ago

We’re excited to announce that Richard Corsi has been reappointed as Dean of the UC Davis College of Engineering, following a first term marked by growth in research, education and community. Read more: https://ow.ly/TPsX50ZHZcO #UCDavisEngineering

When is it safe to return home after a wildfire? California becomes first state to pass standards. Houses that survive fires can be contaminated with poisons from smoke like lead and asbestos. But there have been no consistent rules for testing or remediation. www.nbcnews.com/science/envi...

When is it safe to return home after a wildfire? California becomes first state to pass standards

Houses that survive fires can be contaminated with poisons from smoke like lead and asbestos. But there have been no consistent rules for testing or remediation.

nbcnews.com

Smoke over Davis, CA, today from the Timber and Plaskett fires in Big Sur area. Got trusty and wildfire smoke particle effective CR Boxes revved up at home and work.

Another excellent piece from the always on point @drjudystone.bsky.social. As she mentions in here, 2026-2027 COVID-19 vaccines have been approved and should be ready to roll out within two weeks or so.

Covid-19 Cases Surge—Here’s What’s Different This Summer That Will Help

As Covid again increases, these will help you weather or prevent infection: vaccines, masks, Paxlovid, metformin, azelastine, some antihistamines, and Ensitrelvir.

forbes.com

Measles-linked deaths since RFK Jr became HHS Secretary now surpass those recorded in the previous 20 years combined.

Texas has suspended over 1.2 million voter registrations. Many valid voters in Texas have found their voter registrations were somehow canceled when they checked. Check your registration here and fix it immediately - Texas doesn't always honor provisional ballots cast on election day.

Just 10 billionaires have already poured nearly $670 MILLION into this year's midterms. In the entire 2008 presidential cycle, the last election before Citizens United, total billionaire spending was $16 million. If you're wondering what the real threat to "election integrity" is, it's Big Money.

Bugs were swarming this past weekend near Central Park in Davis, CA .

Apparently, some folks still want to do business in California. 👀 @wsj.com www.wsj.com/tech/ai/cali...

The Dean and the Donkey Despite a very hot day, I was able to visit with my buddy Protege @ucdavis.bsky.social. And yes, we talked a lot about the weather. @ucdavisengineering.bsky.social

The Donkey and the Dean A recent visit with my buddy Protege. Donkeys may be a bit stubborn at times, but they are also intelligent and can bond with humans once they achieve a level of trust. While non-human animals learn by observing us, we stand much to learn from them.

RFK Jr.: “You probably don’t understand this as you’re not a scientist.” Dana Bash: “You’re not a scientist either.”

I worked for New York’s largest medical center at the start of the pandemic. There were morgue trucks on the streets. They set up emergency medical tents in Central Park. Healthcare worker colleagues died. It is horrific that RFK Jr is on national TV lying that ICUs were empty.

Let’s be clear here, when scientists say mistakes were made at the start of the pandemic, we DO NOT mean that we did too much. We mean not socially distancing quickly enough, not making tests widely available, and not acknowledging COVID is airborne and distributing N95 masks to everyone.

Art in baggage claim area of Sacramento International Airport.

Wrote this in 2023 with @susananenberg.bsky.social Reposting now, and likely will to have to repost it again and again.

Smoke from Canadian wildfires shows outdoor workers need air quality protections

The smoke from Canadian fires illuminates the lack of government policies and programs to protect the public, especially outdoor workers.

statnews.com

Reporters used to have to write that no single weather event can be linked to climate change. The developing science of extreme weather attribution has changed that. And those who have damaged the climate might someday have to pay. www.nytimes.com/2026/07/16/c...

National Academies Report Backs Climate Change Attribution Science

Attribution science is advancing quickly, researchers said. That could support lawsuits seeking damages for severe events worsened by global warming.

nytimes.com

Thanks to Canadian @shiventaneja.bsky.social for developing these instructions. The CR Box has a high clean air delivery rate for particles in the size ranges of wildfire smoke & should remove a large amount of heavier organic gas-phase components. All at a fraction of cost of other air cleaners.

🍁Mel🇨🇦@melhathnofury.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Here’s instructions on building your own Corsi-Rosenthal box.

Thanks for the post, @thefreeradical.org. #CRBoxes are proven through a significant number of research studies and real world applications. Glad it is doing the job for you! Filming an updated video next week and will post when complete.

Mira@thefreeradical.org · 2mo ago

my unholy creation. its actually working, it hasnt been an hour yet and the air quality in my place is noticeably better. i can breathe in comparable comfort, and my eyes dont hurt! link to build ur own here: engineering.ucdavis.edu/news/science... beware walmart, they overprice their filters

Modelling shows universal masking by healthcare workers leads to huge reduction in healthcare worker illness, even when people unmask in breakrooms www.cambridge.org/core/journal...

Moment of Zen Momma and her chicks @ucdavis.bsky.social arboretum.

When red-tailed hawks lose feathers, they adapt their wing and tail movements to keep performing certain flight maneuvers, a finding from UC Davis researchers that could inspire aircraft design. Listen on NPR CapRadio: https://ow.ly/NFfm50ZmeCs #UCDavisEngineering

How the way red-tailed hawks adapt could change rehab efforts and aircraft design

When red-tailed hawks lose feathers, they adapt their wing and tail movements to keep performing certain flight maneuvers, a finding that could inspire aircraft design.

ow.ly

Long trip with a lot of amazing nature experiences in Newfoundland and visits with old and dear friends and colleagues in Ontario, and yesterday with a student from an undergraduate course I taught 35 years ago (gulp). Trip too short and missed a lot of other old friends. Back home soon. Return?

With old friend and ex - @utcaee.bsky.social colleague ( and now distinguished faculty member and construction engineer extraordinaire at @uwaterloo.ca), Carl Haas.

Three spire iceberg. Twillingate, Newfoundland.