I'm reminded this evening that the Christian story of Jesus' birth is: a child of disposable ethnicity and status was born into a world that didn't value him. A world where his people lived only at the mercy of the people who then held power.

Strongest evidence for a literal Satan? The negative correlation between knowledge and charismatic confidence, and the human affinity for the latter, is diabolical genius.

I've long loved Hokusai's painting, and felt it catching my imagination. Power, beauty, and terror all rolled into one. Droplets of water, negligible in themselves, unstoppable in coherent motion.

This is an absolute gem. It feels connected to Gibran's "On Crime"--and is a "dilemma" with which I strongly resonate. But I love how this framing makes it more a navigation of an integrated whole than a dilemma.

"Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair!"

Thinking of writing a play, a tragedy about a demolition-derby king. It was prophesied at his birth that his enjoyment of his mother's cooking would eventually destroy him.

Me: Asian stereotypes, even the positive ones, serve the purpose of "othering" and contribute to systematic injustice. Also me, looking in the mirror 4-5 weeks after my lasthaircut: oh hey, bruce lee

I flew home from two weeks in Ireland to Dulles (DC) on Thursday. I fly into Dulles A LOT. For a few years, travelers were greeted by a massive display on the Freedom of Speech/1st Amendment on the way to the baggage claim. (left) Yesterday, it was gone. Not metaphorically. Actually. (right)

Ignorance is bliss...but now the words "toilet plume" are uncomfortably present in your knowledge of the world. Even if you don't know their meaning yet.

me (trying to sound normal): ah, i just help look for lost cats sometimes 🥰 also me (holding a $1000 thermal hunting scope irresponsibly bought specifically to find cats):

I'd like all the wisdom. Yesterday and painlessly, if you don't mind.

Imagine a better world. What SHOULD the the acronym "AI" commonly mean in that world? (Farmers--sit this one out.)

completely unrelated to current events of course

Compliments to someone at State Farm for brilliant process. I got a text message saying they'll be calling me shortly about a claim and giving a callback number if I miss the call. Then, slightly later, my phone rang, with the guy from claims. They GET phone communication!

One of the hottest days of the year so far in Texas: 53% of the power on peak is coming from solar & wind. Wholesale power is ~$20 per megawatt-hour or 2 cents per kilowatt-hour. No conservation calls, no energy emergencies. ~20 gigawatts of extra power just sitting around.

Amazon Ring is introducing a new feature that would allow police to request live-stream access to people’s home security devices. Helllll no. If you have one of those things, get rid of it. Kill it with fire

The Lord grant us a peaceful night, and a perfect end. Except for some. May their dreams be filled with terrors and their days with misery until they cease bringing evil into the world.

Of course the main task is to free ourselves from fossil fuels, but it is a wonderful planet where a trio from the plant, bacterial, and fungal worlds cooperate to bind up carbon while making delicious fruit. #FossilFree and #EatMoreFigs #Multisolving

no, of course I didn't wait to start my 20 hours of continuing ed until two weeks before it was due in a ridiculously busy time. just think how irrational that would be

"Waiting" In this mixed-media answer to Godot the artist captures a paradox of modern life: endless quiet waiting, but with coiled urgency waiting for the One Moment when the time is right and action is critical. But will that moment come, or is the waiting fundamentally absurd?

"The true measure of our character is how we treat the poor, the disfavored, the accused, the incarcerated, and the condemned." -Bryan Stevenson Equal Justice Initiative

As if it weren't unfair enough that they have huge teeth and claws

Fascinating clouds. Unsure how to describe this structure.

Happy return-of-non-citizen-dispatched-by-an-opressive-government-without-a-fair-trial Day to all who celebrate!

Whatever your faith or philosophy, may cruelty and injustice in your world be reduced to a scaffolding for beauty.

Current weariness status: tried to put a sleep mask on over my glasses. Paused to post on social media about it. Good night.

Beautiful poem, shared in today's service.

In today’s Vatnik Soup, I’ll introduce Russia’s main narratives and explain how they are being spread online by Russian operatives and MAGA Republicans. After three years of war, Russia still relies on old narratives, now amplified by the Trump administration. 1/25

Okay so now what? The one day no-buy is over. The system loves symbolic victories. You celebrate & they keep collecting profits. If you want to scare them, become anti-consumerist. Buy nothing but what you need. Stack cash & invest that in systemic shifts. Build a new economy outside of the old

I linked DOGE staffer Marko Elez to a deleted X account that advocated repealing the Civil Rights Act, backed a “eugenic immigration policy,” and wrote, “You could not pay me to marry outside of my ethnicity." He just resigned. www.wsj.com/tech/doge-st...

Just saw a calendar entry: "How To Turn Your Range Into Revenue". At first glance, I missed the "n" in "range". Just think how wealthy I could be.

The Treasury Department right now. People are turning out against Musk and DOGE staging a takeover of the Treasury’s payment system. This crowd is big. The whole block is packed. “Lock him up,” everyone yells.

When I first read The Three-Body Problem, I didn't "get" why someone would want to broadcast that signal.

This Indiana Naturalist loves you guys!

Countering Disinformation Effectively: An Evidence Based Policy Guide. If you scroll down you will see a summary. There is no silver bullet. One thing that helps: "slower-moving efforts to revive local journalism and improve media literacy." carnegieendowment.org/research/202...

Our local resettlement agency posted on their FB page here in CT. A stop-work order in helping refugees. Cut off the typical 3 months of federal funds that provide housing, basics, and help finding jobs, getting kids into schools, etc. Heartless doesn’t begin to describe it.

more of this

Started singing this a few days before inauguration 2017. Gonna keep singing it.

"Obedience to law is the dry husk of loyalty and good faith. Opinion is the barren flower of the Way, the beginning of ignorance." -Tao Te Ching, Le Guin translation.

When I studied martial arts long ago, my teacher told me I was like water.

I've never been a prolific reader of poetry, but have had chance encounters with many poems I've loved--or poems that have haunted me. I may occasionally share a reading of one. (Please disregard the lack of experience in video!) The Second Coming, by William Butler Yeats. youtu.be/XqYRjhKeIOo

I mean, I do love reading. But my appetite for chances to grow or learn something sometimes exceeds my follow-through...or assumes a 96-hour day. My lifelong growth edge: honing focus, reducing intellectual hoarding.

BlueSky really needs bookmarks. Replying with a 📌 to everything you want to be able to find later is not it. 😵‍💫 And we need a drafts folder because writing some things & leaving them in drafts is how we show good judgment in adulthood. 😇 #MedSky cc @bsky.app @support.bsky.team

The soap bar on the sink had clear tooth marks in it. I had questions. The summary answer: my daughter was two years old. She'd quietly run her experiment; she didn't report its results. But she did leave evidence. My daughter had a true beginner's mind. I've been re-discovering mine.

As a kid, I underestimated the role electric guitars would play in our nostalgic holiday traditions.

Wondering why so many people have mycoplasma (aka walking pneumonia) lately? Here’s a clue. Just published: after propensity matching, those w/ prior #COVID19 infection were about 3x more likely to get mycoplasma than those without #COVID: www.thelancet.com/journals/lan... #MedTwitter #MedSky