Do math-based bot checks actually work? Like "what's 4+5"? It seems unlikely to me that a human would be better at simple computation than a literal computer, but am I missing something?

I tried to tell Duolingo's AI that I used Bluesky and it heard "Plus Guy" so please, someone, make plusguy.social.

For some reason I'm poring this aerial photo of the southeastern side of Lake Merritt in #Oakland, CA from 1939. I'm amazed the tennis courts are that old, but also intrigued what the thing in the middle is to the right of the courts. Is that some kind of street car facility?

TIL that caltopo.com will print GeoPDFs. I'm guessing onxmaps does that too? Anyway, always impressed with caltopo's functionality. It ain't pretty, but it does a lot of useful things for exploring.

📢CALL FOR COLLABORATION📢 My PhD student Warre is looking for flies infected with #Laboulbeniales fungi. Especially Musca domestica! If you have any, store in 96% ethanol or in the freezer, record on @inaturalist.bsky.social, and/or contact Warre. #TeamLaboul #LFEE #LuminaQuaeruntur

Anthropocene strata of Oakland. Makes me wonder, what's the deepest core you could drill through a road and have all strata still be road?

observ.ing now has automated species suggestions based on photos thanks to @rwell.org and huggingface.co/imageomics/b.... Just a list of scientific names for now, but so cool!

Maybe a stupid #atproto newbie question, but are lexicons ever versioned (e.g. blog.lexicons.v1.post or something) and are there examples of tools for migrating between major versions of the same lexicon, or tools for migrating between similar lexicons (e.g. from one blog post lexicon to another)?

Really enjoying the #atscience talks at #atmosphereconf today. Learning about so many projects!

Listening to music I copied off my 2005 iPod to my 2011 Macbook running a 2025 version of Ubuntu using a 2019 version of Rhythmbox by streaming to my 2025 Macbook via a 2026 version of Jellyfin. What a world.

Second year blooming after 5 years of waiting on this death camas. Gardening with California native plants definitely gives me a new appreciation for the difference in time that goes into equally beautiful flowers. Perennials are playing long, long game, at least from my blinkered human perspective.

I know I've been pretty quiet for the last month and I should probably post about what *I've* been working on, but first, check out these other cool projects I learned about recently! www.patreon.com/posts/other-...

Lightning and thunder over Oakland *while I'm awake*?! Long have I waited...

Just updated to v1.18.7b of @zen-browser.app and my pinned tabs are gone and I can't pin new ones. Back to Firefox I guess.

COYOTE's featured alongside a handful of our fellow worker-owned outlets in @niemanlab.org today, talking about the reality of doing democratically managed journalism. Summary: It's a lot of fucking meetings! www.niemanlab.org/2026/02/jour...

"The best drink they serve here," said a man named Walter Riley, "is the Walter Riley." "What's in it?" I asked. "You'll have to ask." That man was Boots Riley's dad.

My California pipevine really snuck up on me this year.

Calflora is hiring is you're a Java person (or want to become one): www.calflora.org/newsletter/J...

I quit my job at #iNaturalist, the product I co-founded. If you'd like me to keep working on natural history software, support me on Patreon: patreon.com/kueda. FWIW, I'm building an iNat backup tool and an app for viewing geologic maps. Or, if you think you'd like to hire me, get in touch!

The recent Bay Nature Magazine with my article on UV Fluorescence is out. It’s full of tips on what habitats and organisms to look at. Big thanks to Editor Kathleen Ok-Soo Richards for helping fine tune the piece since I’m definitely rusty at writing article #Fluorescence #SFBay #UVF

"Brian Damage" is my favorite band name of the last 48 hours. Music's pretty good too! permanentbriandamage.bandcamp.com

HOH (Holiday Overheard): the eating will continue until morale improves.

I tried 4 cassette players from the Museum of Mom & Dad and the only one that really works is a Sanyo MR-52, which is at least 40 years old, has a mic, a speaker, audio line in, playback speed control, and fits in a pocket. Amazing device.

As my umbrella inverted in a sodden, sudden gust, an oncomer chortled while *her* umbrella crumpled in the gale.

Come give me a high-five! https://highfive.ngerakines.dev/high-five/did:plc:jt6xegjm6ba2lt34aztyi2mn

Solid set from Hayward Shoreline this eve.

Loving pluribus so far, but it took me 4 episodes to notice the parallels to obsequious LLMs... which might end up being the whole thrust of the show? Hoping it's not quite that on-the-nose.

I asked the unbelievably powerful new Nano Banana Pro to make me an icon of Charles Darwin wearing sunglasses. Nailed it.

#atproto folks, do you expect paid, content-agnostic PDS services to emerge at some point? I don't think anyone expects self-hosting to become widespread, and I don't understand why app-specific PDS hosts have an incentive to store content in *any* lexicon long term.

Amtrak might be slower and not cheaper than flying, but a) planes don't have lounge cars, and b) nobody waves to you on a plane.

Getting some nice #northernlights action in the #Oakland hills right now. Remember to add your photos to www.aurorasaurus.org #aurora

Aurora borealis at this time of year (now) in this part of the country (Bay Area), visible as a pink haze to the north from the Oakland flats, much better where it's darker.

Does anyone have photos from the coast guard Island protest that @oaklandreviewofbooks.org could publish alongside a vibe report from the conflict zone? #oakland #iceout

Ok #bicycle people, I need suggestions! I want to light up my bike with colorful LEDs to make me more visible from the side when it's dark at 5PM and I'm running errands. Any recommendations? I keep seeing brightz, but they seem to get pretty negative reviews about durability. #bike #bikes 🚲

I know people love to donate goods, it feels concrete and satisfying, but a food bank can make that $2 or $5 go soooo much further than you can. Just donate the cash. And, then they also don't need to assign staff to sort, manage, and figure out how to distribute the random donations.

Today would be a great day for everyone in America to start donating *monthly* to your local food bank if you don't already. Find yours at www.feedingamerica.org/find-your-lo... It's no substitute for the power of our federal government, but every dollar helps someone eat.

oh WOW, a review like I couldn't even have dreamed for Liam O'Brien's new book from Heyday, "Butterflies of the Bay Area and (Slightly) Beyond: An Illustrated Guide." Liam charmed me from the minute we met -- now you all get to experience his art and effervescence too!! www.kqed.org/arts/1398161...

After struggling to recall the names of Delilah Beasley and Ina Coolbrith recently, I went back and listened to @eastbayyesterday.bsky.social's great episodes on each, eastbayyesterday.com/episodes/we-... and eastbayyesterday.com/episodes/you.... Thanks for supporting my faulty brain, Liam.

This Tuesday 7/22 at 7pm I'll be interviewing the former director of the National Park Service Jon Jarvis about the state of national parks and public lands and the current threats to them. If you're in the Bay, come join us! It's free to register below. www.eventbrite.com/e/how-wild-t...

Check out my sister's essay in Mochi Mag! www.mochimag.com/entertainmen...