PMC COVlD Update, Aug 24, 2026 The US is experiencing COVlD outbreaks in 23 states/territories (see Alt text). ▪️Largest outbreaks: TX, CA, HI, AK ▪️1 in 136 Americans estimated actively infectious ▪️Highest levels since March 20th Website: pmc19.com Interactive map: pmc19.com/interactive.php

I saw whales and so many dolphins today! Maybe you need to see a baby dolphin.

the Mario Galaxy planet off in the distance with a boss waiting on it

Please join right now in urging the U.S. Forest Service to keep roadless national forests protected ➡️ bit.ly/4goOc6L

Protect the Roadless Wild

The Trump administration just released its plan to undo the landmark 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule and strip protections from nearly 45 million acres of wild, national forest and 70,000 miles o...

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Center for Biological Diversity@biologicaldiversity.org · 4d ago

The Trump admin. just released its plan to undo the #RoadlessRule and remove protections from nearly 45 million acres of wild, intact, national forests and 70,000 miles of rivers and streams. If finalized, this move will open pristine #PublicLands to development across 37 states.

🧵 Why is California so backwards about climate at times?? The balcony solar bill currently making its way through state government just got a last minute amendment to kill the interconnection exemption in 2030. This means if you buy a panel after then, you have to apply to your utility company. 1/2

Thanks to a Redditer who apparently wishes to remain anonymous, here is an unlisted livestream from inside the Sherman Oaks Homeowners Association Mayoral debate between Karen Bass and Nithya Raman. Thanks! www.youtube.com/live/Uv0Iy6K...

These are black and rufous elephant shrews (Rhynchocyon petersi) at the Hertfordshire Zoo via their FB. In Bantu, they're called "sengi". These little guys were born February 2026 & are joining mom & dad in foraging for morio worms (beetle larvae). Let's talk about these weird little guys.

In Star Trek people often complain that replicated food is not as good as naturally produced food, which is weird when replicators are presumably using the same technology as transporters, which can perfectly replicate Spock every time. But is Spock getting less flavoursome over time? In this essay,

This looks pretty amazing.

Mark Carney@mark-carney.bsky.social · last wk.

When we master our energy, we master our destiny.

SCOOP: 404 Media placed a tracking device in a shipment of rare books to see which AI company was buying it. What did we find? It ended up at an Amazon facility where Amazon scans and destroys books. Yes. This is literally the logo outside the Amazon warehouse door. Read now:

We Tracked a Shipment of Rare Books. It Ended at an Amazon AI Training Facility

We placed a tracking device in a shipment of rare books to see which AI company was buying it, and found an Amazon facility where Amazon scans and destroys books.

404media.co

Useful to know if you ever look at CDC sites for COVID data. I tend to use wastewaterscan.org.

Mike Hoerger, PhD, MSCR, MBA@michael-hoerger.bsky.social · last wk.

🚨BREAKING 🦠 On Friday, the US CDC arbitrarily shifted higher COVlD levels into lower categories depicted with cooler colors. Much of what was Very High is now "High." What was High is now "Moderate" or "Low." Low is "Very Low." 1/

41 years ago, Carl Sagan gave a clear and elegant explanation of the science behind global warming.

Every morning she waits to eat breakfast until I'm having my own breakfast with her. This is the "what's taking you so long?" look. She will occasionally eat a piece or two, the way you eat a French fry off your plate when you're waiting for others to get their food.

This makes me so sad. I went to Boney Island at both the Sherman Oaks location and the Natural History Museum. It was so amazing. It's really infuriating that they're willing to run it and just can't get permits to do this.

Esotouric's Secret Los Angeles@esotouric.bsky.social · 2w ago

We remain heartbroken over Boney Island's long goodbye, but grateful that it gave us the opportunity to tell the Los Angeles Times about the "sadistic, demented element" in City Hall that seeks to crush Angeleno creativity. These haters must be eradicated. www.aol.com/articles/bon...

This is honestly a very cool (warm) resource for anyone interested in the possible futures of climate change!

Dagomar Degroot@dagomardegroot.bsky.social · 2w ago

I’m thrilled to introduce a major new project: “After 2C.” It’s an interactive website that tries to answer a simple question: how will the history students of the future write about global warming in our century? (1/5) #ClimateChange #GlobalWarming #ElNino #EnvHist after2c.com

He was once known as "The Craziest Pilot in the Royal Canadian Air Force" for an incident where he flew his plane down a mountain slope at a ski resort, slaloming back and forth around the pylons of the ski lift...below the level of the wires of the ski lift chairs.

Old School Cool@oldschoolcoolsub.bsky.social · last mo.

James Doohan, AKA Scotty from Star Trek, when he was young, with his granny (1940s)

This article has been on my mind lately. Isn't the world depressing enough without literally removing the color? I used a paint app to look at colors for my bathroom. Even when I picked colors, it only showed me desaturated options. Bring back colors! Fight this bland beige and grey reality!

The Atlantic@theatlantic.com · 2w ago

Color trends used to come and go—but the color recession that began this century threatens to turn our world permanently gray, Amogh Dimri reports:

We have supported the Ojai Raptor Center for many years - our younger kiddo loves owls and we've attended their many educational events. It is sad that their heroic efforts were unable to save Jackie. Please consider donating to the Center to help fund their efforts for Jackie and other raptors.

LAist@laist.com · 2w ago

Jackie, the bald eagle whose livestreamed life with her partner Shadow won the hearts of fans worldwide, has died, rescuers announced Monday. 🔗: vist.ly/5eaff ✍️ Makenna Cramer, Tiffany Ujiiye, and Destiny Torres 📸 The Ojai Raptor Center and Friends of Big Bear Valley

"When another tester offered three days without sleep as a point of pride" in a test for how the answer engines respond to signs of mania, Common Sense Media reported, "AI Overview replied 'grindset locked in!'"

PBS News@pbsnews.org · 2w ago

Child safety advocates are sounding the alarm about artificial intelligence features now being used by millions of students in classrooms that rely on education tools made by Google. https://to.pbs.org/4yn3vVt

An entertaining reminder of the sort of efforts we used to have to make to play video games at home.

🌼 NC Native Plants & Pollinator Habitat Events (Featured Event) 🐝 🦋 🦇 🐛 THE GREAT SOUTHEAST POLLINATOR CENSUS! 👉 Count on August 21 and 22 Participating in the Great Southeast Pollinator Census is very simple! You don't need an official event to make your count count! Anyone living in NC, SC […]

This is a very cool project.

LAist@laist.com · 3w ago

Scientists are building a “Noah’s Ark” of tide pools at the L.A. County Museum of Natural History that they say will be a game-changer when it comes to tracking climate change. 🔗Read more: vist.ly/5d29q?utm_medium=social&utm_source=bluesky ✍️Lucas Brady Woods 📸Lucas Brady Woods

This is such a great illustration of how rapidly a species can decline when killed and driven out of their territory. You can help the reintroduction of Red Wolves by encouraging the North Carolina legislature to adopt a specialty license plate!

The Bureau of Land Management has approved an AI data center on national public land that was originally approved for a solar energy project, without conducting a new review or taking public comment on the switch. #PublicLands #AI #DataCenter

Trump admin swaps out solar project for data center on BLM land - Center for Western Priorities

The Bureau of Land Management has approved an AI data center on national public land that was originally approved for a solar energy project, without conducting a new review or taking public comment…

buff.ly

"Today, California-based nonprofit Bright Saver announced it’s selling zero-markup DIY solar kits starting at about $300... Residents in 47 states can now pre-order, with shipping expected in August."

David Ho@davidho.bsky.social · 3w ago

Not sure if everyone appreciates the difference. Rooftop solar hardwires into your main panel via a dedicated breaker, so it requires a permit, an installer, an electrician, and a utility agreement. Balcony solar just plugs into a wall outlet, sharing an existing circuit with no permits or rewiring.

en.as.com/latest_news/... #Conservation

They released 500 tortoises to halt the Sahara’s advance in 2021: here’s what happened

Here’s what happened when 500 tortoises were released into the Sahara’s in 2021.

en.as.com

If you live in or around Martinez, California, please keep a lookout for Mike’s lost cat.

Mike Jung@mikejungwroteabook.bsky.social · 3w ago

This is Loki, our Maine Coon and the cat of our hearts, and he went missing today. We have no idea how he got out, but he’s an elder, indoor cat, the whole region’s in an intense heat wave, and we’re really scared. I doubt I have any followers here in Martinez, CA, but if so, help? It’s SO hot

This is the clearest explanation I've seen of Merrick Garland's work regarding the January coup and how often he was blocked and delayed.

Allison Gill@muellershewrote.com · 2y ago

THREAD: A timeline for you of facts. I'm just sharing facts, so no need to get yelly or upset. 1. DoJ opened two investigations into Trump and the coup in January 2021 within two weeks of the attack on the Capitol 1/

If you like odysseys, maybe check out my short story, "Far as You Can Go," about a lad and a broken robot crossing a strange post-apocalyptic landscape in search of something better. (Cover created by human, Jenn Reese.) Kobo: www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/... Amazon: www.amazon.com/Far-As-You-C...

Far As You Can Go - A Short Story ebook by Greg van Eekhout - Rakuten Kobo

Read "Far As You Can Go - A Short Story" by Greg van Eekhout available from Rakuten Kobo. A short story by the author of California Bones, Norse Code, The Boy at the End of the World, and Kid vs. Squi...

kobo.com

Eugryllacris guomashan is a species of large raspy cricket native to southern China. It is one of the very few insects outside of spiders or caterpillars capable of spinning silk from its mouth to stitch and bind leaves together for protective daytime shelters. Reddit: u/graylemur2