Meanwhile the discourse on bluesky is that it’s hysterical and unreasonable to ask folks to mask in public because it’s uncomfy. Get over yourself. Mask up. Doing so slows the spread of illness, reduces hospital overwhelm, improves access to public life, shields those with less resources, etc.

A major reason why I have never stopped masking and taking precautions is I have vulnerable people around me and I (selfishly?) refuse to be the reason they get sick or die.

Fall [part 1/3]

‘While SARS-CoV-2 does not cause HIV/AIDS, its ability to induce immune dysfunction—including T cell depletion & dysfunction, increased susceptibility to infection incl opportunistic, accelerated bio aging, neurological, & systemic damage provide parallels... .’ www.ajpmfocus.org/article/S277...

Now that Autumn is here and leaves are dying, and the moss and mushrooms are thriving, it's your time at last. Get out there, hold your head high, and show the world the true beauty of natural decay.

“Why are you standing on your head?” asked Frog. “I hope that if I stand on my head, it will help me to think of a story,” said Toad.

delicious apples, painted by mary daisy arnold, 1929

people PLEASE use alt-text ESPECIALLY if you're screenshotting something that's all text, good lard on toast

#tdih 1916 An opposing team refused to play against an African American. Instead of standing by full team, Rutgers pulled Paul Robeson from the game. After 1956 HUAC testimony, they removed his name from 1918 College Football All-American roster. Read ⬇️ www.zinnedproject.org/news/tdih/pa...

Bullfrog of the day! Tuesday, 14 Oct 2025

roman stem apples, painted by mary daisy arnold, 1913

NB: Librarians have specific training in this! Helping folks find books that they will like in genres they are unfamiliar with. We call it “reader’s advisory.” ASK YOUR LIBRARIANS (bonus: many of us are SFF nerds and you will get deep cuts of the good shit)

Spooky bird stories. Last year's Halloween comic.

Ooof.

Our friend the Xinjiang Toad is also known as the Pewzow's Toad, named after the Russian explorer General Michail Wassiljewitsch Pewzow‎! They are a a tetraploid species coming from hybridization between Bufotes latastii and Bufotes perrini! (photo by Alexander A. Fomichev)

Marilyn Monroe, the book enjoyer

I am being asked to tell my department which pieces of lab equipment should be supported with backup power because they expect rolling blackouts and brownouts in 2026 due to increased energy demands from AI. In case you're wondering how my day is going.

Horrible news. One of the all time greats.

the physical dimensions a book is published in is a limiting factor in people's ability to read it while commuting. I'm surprised more people don't admit this. I got a kindle so i could read longer/larger books.

Elsevier continues to be the worst. Last month they assured me that the AI research assistant on ScienceDirect was opt in, so I did not. Now an AI reading assistant is popping up on every article and it cannot be removed globally. There's no way to remove it as an admin!

As the prophecy foretold, the appleocalypse continues in the form of my apple reviews. Today, the Opalescent. Which, umm. Yeah. Yeahhhh. Hm.

Your horoscope for today: Be like an octopus - use your cleverness to wriggle out of tight spots, and change your look to match your mood.

"We do mathematics primarily for aesthetic reasons." – Phillip Griffiths (1938–) #quote #mathematics #maths #math

“I haven’t seen this on the television channels I watch at particular times” is not the same thing as “this has not been on TV”, but here we are

Well now, would you look at that? A massive study of NEARLY 300,000 people in the United States found that receiving an updated 2024-2025 mRNA COVID-19 vaccine REDUCED people’s risk of severe disease AND death in ALL age groups, REGARDLESS of immunity from prior infection or vaccination.

If you belong to any academic orgs that are trying to actually provide support considering: were still in a COVID19 pandemic, marginalized people cannot safely travel to/from US, and the climate crisis is getting worse each year - what are your orgs doing? 1/2

I would love to hear about cool virtual initiatives, policies orgs are putting out, events that actually feel meaningful, and resource sharing practices that are working. How do we make sure academic orgs are not just echo chambers for the most privileged folks? 2/2

Boosts appreciated 🔁 It's a great time to start shopping for holiday gifts! I make handmade jewelry for a living, so your business this holiday season means far more to me than it will to any large business. Grab my new spooky earrings → cvkvlv.com MVTO!! Goal progress in comments ↓↓ #Beadwork

Even more annoying is that the original poster is using the LLM to “wade through a mountain of papers for a systemic review”. Which means feeding a lot of academic material into the plagiarism machine that always lies, without the consent of the authors.

Rest in power, Miss Major. A true legend that we will never forget.

There were 4 Great Blue Herons at our Arboretum Saturday. I think 2 were migrants and they were fun to see. They all got excited when the other two flew in. Talking to each other. Following each other up and down the far shoreline of the marsh. Here's a nice in-flight shot. #birds #GreatBlueHeron

New study just dropped linking shingles reactivation and dementia risk. You know what reactivates shingles? Covid. Want to avoid it? Wear a well fitted respirator and give yourself the best odds of avoiding Covid infection. There’s also a shingles vaccine which may help reduce risk!

We stand in solidarity with AG James and others who have been targeted for reasons wholly antithetical to the pursuit of justice. We commit to doing all we can to ensure that the rule of law prevails and to resist the further corrosion of our system of justice. https://ow.ly/27wM50XaMc4

Nation’s Indigenous People Confirm They Don’t Need Special Holiday, Just Large Swaths Of Land Returned Immediately https://theonion.com/nation-s-indigenous-people-confirm-they-don-t-need-spec-1839033177/

cagle seedling apples, painted by elsie e. lower, 1911

Historically and still today, most great literature is self-published (“vanity”) or published by someone’s friend or a small press. You shouldn’t limit your reading to large presses b/c that’s not where stuff really “happens.”

“I mask because I travel a lot, even before COVID. I also don’t want to bring anything home.” — Behind the KN95 is Ren Strapp @renstrapp.com who writes and illustrates for her graphic romance novels. @msjulieslam.bsky.social met Strapp at #NYCC225, featuring masked heroes for #MaskTogetherAmerica.

There is absolutely no book ever published that you must read or must finish even if you start it.

“Clips of Rivera’s speech at the 1973 Christopher Street Liberation Rally … continue to circulate on the internet today. In her speech … Rivera shouts back from the crowds’ booing and heckling, pushing back and challenging the audience to include trans ppl in their protests.” #HispanicHeritageMonth

Frog and Toad sat close by the fire. They were scared. The teacups shook in their hands. They were having the shivers. It was a good, warm feeling.

we really have to start getting specific in our discussions of ac freedom in the US because a lot of folks teach in, and most students learn in, classrooms in which they do not pick the curriculum, syllabus, assignments, rubrics, or grading system

This is what you should show to anyone who is still saying positive things about AI.

Does anyone have a random, cool #science, #math, or #engineering research paper that they want to talk about or want me to cover on @breakingmath.bsky.social? I am looking for inspiration. Either drop a link below, DM me, or email breakingmathpodcast at g mail

How dare I… [checks notes]… not be bothered by how people are consensually choosing to live their lives.

Rip says Happy Thanksgiving 🍁 🇨🇦

PALATE CLEANSER

Congratulations to all of this year's Ignyte Award winners!!! 🔥

PUPPY BREAK

"Positive feedback loop" just means a loop that is self-reinforcing and will amplify itself over time (as opposed to a "negative feedback loop" which is self-regulating and will tend towards a fixed level of activity over time). The terms don't imply if a feedback loop is 'good' or 'bad'

Current and former Department of Education employees: We want to hear from you. Use Signal to contact our reporters @jsmithrichards.bsky.social at jsmithrichards.93, @jodiscohen.bsky.social at jodireporter.88 or @megomatz.bsky.social at 414-207-6225.