For me the key sentence from that Lauren Leek article is here: "A monoculture is efficient right up until the weather changes." As someone in retail food where the local supply chains are collapsing - that's the important bit. At the moment. laurenleek.substack.com/p/temperatur...

Temperature Zero for Culture: Why Everything Is Starting to Look the Same

What 640 London shopping streets, 4,000 Billboard hits, a million films and synthetic AI personas tell us about why everything is flattening into sameness and how to regulate the algorithms behind it.

laurenleek.substack.com

Today is #SevereMEawareness Day, so I'll just leave this here. It does a good job illustrating how this chronic illness wrecks people's lives and why they can't advocate for themselves. Art by Kornelia Paulsen #MECFS #chronicillness

omg people please stop trying to get *any* kind of timely wildfire & any other emergency, safety & navigation info from Google. THAT INCLUDES TRYING TO USE GOOGLE MAPS OFF-HIGHWAY! just don't do it! go to the SOURCE, in this case BC Wildfire & the municipal & regional govts of the area you're in

BC Wildfire Service

BC Wildfire Service App

wildfiresituation.nrs.gov.bc.ca

The Narwhal@thenarwhal.ca · 7d ago

“The entirety of Murtle Lake and associated backcountry areas are closed by BC Parks due to nearby wildfire activity and safety concerns,” read Google’s AI-generated summary. But Murtle Lake was very much open, @arikligeti.bsky.social writes. thenarwhal.ca/newsletter-c...

Big news, readers: Ebooks are coming! 🎉 We’re excited to share that in the coming months, you’ll be able to enjoy both ebooks and audiobooks on Libro! Every purchase you make will benefit your chosen independent bookshop. What are we most excited about? 🔽

It took me about 6 bobs burgers to make this rhombic dodecahedron. Both parts of the process were a good time. #origami

Interesting that USGS lists the major fault types - not sure why Haida Gwaii is listed as "other" but suspect it is due to recent studies about the newly emerging subduction fault (?) paging @earthquakeguy.bsky.social

On July 23, 1983, Air Canada Flight 143 took off from Montreal on a flight to Edmonton. Halfway through the flight, while at 41,000 feet, the Boeing 767 ran out of fuel, forcing a landing at a racetrack in Manitoba. This is the Gimli Glider story. 📸 Wayne Glowacki 🧵1/20

Between this and the discovery that solar panel shade can actually _increase_ certain crop yields, people are discovering that there are truly extraordinary opportunities to make better use of the earth's surface area with solar panels. There's so much power waiting to be harnessed!

Ada Palmer@adapalmer.bsky.social · 3w ago

A Chilean salmon farm now draws about 57% of its power from panels laid over the water, cutting roughly 136,000 litres of diesel a year and silencing the generators. With the noise gone, thousands of salmon have gathered in the shade beneath the arrays. Ecoportal buff.ly/CwczkbP #ShareGoodNewsToo

Canadian arts and culture folks: the federal government has launched a (methodologically flawed) survey on "the Cultural Sector's readiness for Artificial Intelligence". If you're ready to resist or refuse genAI, here's your chance to let them know. pch.research-recherche.ca/f/s.aspx?lan...

National Survey on the Cultural Sector’s Readiness for Artificial Intelligence

Powered by SimpleSurvey.com | Build and manage your own online survey, voting, form and panel management applications.

pch.research-recherche.ca

"Five electric aircraft have been purchased, with options for a further five... they are expected to enter passenger and cargo service in 2029." Excellent news. These have a range of just under 300 miles and can carry five people: ideal for these routes. Bigger ones coming hopefully!

The National@scotnational.bsky.social · 4w ago

Scotland's regional airline is set to become Europe's first airline with an all-electric fleet 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

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

Mira@thefreeradical.org · 4w ago

hey minneapolis peeps, anyone know where i can get the materials to make a corsi-rosenthal box for cheap? im broke and id rather get them all in one fell swoop so my time outside's limited

Why I’m a fan of the Oxford comma.

My latest books cartoon for @theguardian.com Many more here: www.theguardian.com/profile/tom-gauld

everybody SHUT UP and look at this bird

Eloise Powers@elnopower.bsky.social · last mo.

Admired for its regal blue lace-like crest and mesmerizing red eyes. The Victoria Crowned Pigeon, native to New Guinea, is the world's largest living pigeon. Its graceful beauty and deep calls make it one of the region's most remarkable birds. Scientific Name Goura victoria 📷 B. Sharma

Note to self

Just logged into Wordpress, and I had to solve a math problem to prove I'm not a bot. 4+10. Nailed it on the first try. Can bots not do this? AI can break into national security systems but can't count? Should we be keeping this knowledge from them??! Please don't comment with the answer to 4+10

Every time I work on the pacing data I'm just so bowled over by the quality and depth of everyone's insight. "Pacing is distributing tasks across time and energy" is baller

This project could change the system to help thousands of #MECFS patients like me - consider donating!

It's ME(Jaime)@exceedhergrasp1.bsky.social · 3mo ago

Our Emergency Department fundraising is on fire! Note: in order to make the best use of our $15k match, we need to raise $15k from other donors. We're so close! Can you get us a little closer? millionsmissing.funraise.org/fundraiser/m...

Okay here's my Disability Pride Month Story Recommendation Thread! I'll update it across the month with books and short stories that I love. (It won't be daily because I am quite disabled and life is about to avalanche on me.) So! Here are things that ruled and that you should read.

They tell me I’m uncultured, but I’ll always recognise a bit of Beethoven.

"This was an insight that I too gained in illness, and it is part of what I tried to write about in Piranesi: that there is a whole world endlessly going on, endlessly being beautiful, regardless of whether anyone is there to see it or not." Very moving piece ♥️

Oliver K. Langmead@oliverklangmead.bsky.social · last mo.

Susanna Clarke on illness www.theguardian.com/books/2026/j...

The beautiful, colorful, giant Australian cuttlefish grow up to 1 m long. They are the largest of cuttlefish they can alter their skin color, pattern, and texture to imitate their surroundings to camouflage.

How do some Haida youth spend their summers? At the ‘Laana DaaGang.nga (Swan Bay) Rediscovery program! This multi-day camp program supports empowers kids to learn leadership skills and Haida cultural values. 🔗 Read more about the camp's impact: https://ow.ly/e9mm50Z6kZA

Empowering a New Generation of Leaders on Haida Gwaii

The 'Laana DaaG̲ang.nga Swan Bay Rediscovery program supports Haida youth to step into leadership roles that benefit their careers, community, and the revitalization of Haida culture.

ow.ly

Trying something a little different at Blood in the Machine this week, something that no one has ever attempted or thought of before: A podcast. The idea is to document the vital and widening resistance to big tech and AI, and give the mic to the voices behind it.

The AI industry is pouring hundreds of millions into US elections

Plus: Fiery resistance to a nuclear AI data center and A24's Google debacle. Welcome to the first episode of BLOOD IN THE MACHINE: THE SHOW, with the great AI and crypto watchdog, Molly White.

bloodinthemachine.com

My neighbor has a band. They were practicing late into the night, so I sent the following text. "Tell your bass player he needs a click track; he's consistently a 32nd note late on the attack." The music stopped entirely shortly thereafter.

It's rare to find a genuinely funny behave-yourself tourism ad (Iceland are maybe the best at it), but in 2024, a group of BC destinations pulled off the impossible with "A Poo with a View" 💩 www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qp9m...

Bad House Guest Ep4 - 'A Poo With A View'

YouTube video by Don't Love It To Death

youtube.com

This is great! Anyone know if emerg guidelines for #MECFS exist in Canada? I went to the ER last year. Had an ok time with it, but in my experience each doctor’s knowledge and approach to chronic illness really varies.

It's ME(Jaime)@exceedhergrasp1.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Press release out about our Emergency Department project for people with #MECFS and #LongCOVID ! www.meaction.net/post/meactio...