I’m tired of this grandpa

I'm running for something! The world is a complicated and increasingly scary place. Decisions made at the local level will have real impacts. That's why I'm running for a seat on the Tompkins County Legislature. If you can afford to pitch in, I'd really appreciate your support.

Just going to casually mention: 1. We’re asking for feedback on how many times a mineral can compete without winning before it retires. 2. Kyanite ran since 2017. If it didn’t win, it wasn’t probably coming back next year. Under the wire!

Pictures of thinly sliced rock are one of my favorite things 🤩

Thank you to all the volunteers! This was a great MinCup!

Ore cup?!? If I thought mineral cup was difficult to choose, I dunno how I’m gonna choose between all my babies

Twiddling your thumbs after already voting in #MinCup25? Why don’t you take our annual Players Survey and help us improve for next year! www.mineralcup.org/2025/players...

I love kyanite, but #tugtupite is just too cool to not vote for today #MinCup25

How’s Northern Virginia doing? Well…

Really difficult vote today, but I’m going with #tugtupite for this match. I’ll be happy no matter which wins though #MinCup25

Meanwhile, increasing numbers of coal miners continue to die of black lung because coal seams have become thinner and contain more silica

Tough decision today! I think I’ll go with the iron ore today #hematite #MinCup25

Helping the coal industry by killing the black lung regulations I guess 🙃

Both are pretty green colors, but #dioptase is a favorite of mine so it gets my vote today #MinCup25

Please vote only once. This is a fun game. Real underdog stories of a viral campaign or new player group closing a gap is exciting! Button-mashing is not. bsky.app/profile/mine...

UPDATED RESULTS: #KYANITE win and will continue on to the semi-finals. We’re so sorry for the false hope, #Kosmochlor fans, but we caught 3 players stuffing the ballot box in the final hours. Once their excess votes were removed, Kyanite’s lead returned (although you did close the gap a lot!)

Team blue! I love #kyanite and it ‘s two different hardnesses #MinCup25

Scoop: Trump lost the legal battle over halting the offshore Revolution Wind project after Orsted, its developer, brought reams of evidence to court alleging the government was lying about military security concerns. It’s a sign truth can empower companies Trump targets. Via @heatmap.news

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Vote for my beloved #tugtupite as it’s currently losing. It’s my favorite new mineral this year and I don’t want to see it go yet! #MinCup25

With 4 hours left to vote, #perovskite is leading by 53 votes over #tugtupite. Your campaigning and recruiting of new voters will decide this match!

I’m sorry, one data center uses as much energy as 183K customers on a single cold January morning?!?

Vote for my beloved #tugtupite as it’s currently losing. It’s my favorite new mineral this year and I don’t want to see it go yet! #MinCup25

there's also a labeler on bluesky that will put a little crown on your profile if you consistently use alt text bsky.app/profile/did:...

Two good choices today, but I’m going with the green one. #cuprosklodowskite #MinCup25

Today I’m voting for the pretty blue mineral with 2 different hardnesses depending on the direction you test it! #kyanite #MinCup25

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Following this autism press conference is making me want to break some very big rocks with a sledge hammer 🤬

Trump and Robert F. Kennedy's announcement about Tylenol and autism will have tons of negative implications for women's health. But it will also return society to when people blamed unloving mothers–aka "refrigerator mothers– for their autism. www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnb...

#MinCup25 is trying to make me decide between some of my favorite minerals! They are both so amazing!

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Sphene! Sphene! Sphene! #titanite #MinCup25

Team reindeer blood! #tugtupite #MinCup25

#stibnite gets my vote today for being a major antimony ore. I’ve also found in the field which was an exciting moment for me. #MinCup25 Random fact: a mining company in Idaho is trying to open the only domestic antimony mine in the US.

The National Tsunami Warning Center has issued a tsunami Advisory which includes the coastal areas of Alaska from Amchitka Pass, Alaska (125 miles W of Adak) to Attu, Alaska. This is based on the M7.8 earthquake offshore of Kamchatka. Find updates and details at tsunami.gov.

Look at these cute little Miocene gastropods!

New #paleoproteomics paper by @paleoproteomicist.bsky.social and colleagues. This time on Miocene gastropods from Maryland! www.app.pan.pl/article/item...

Look at these cute little Miocene gastropods!

New #paleoproteomics paper by @paleoproteomicist.bsky.social and colleagues. This time on Miocene gastropods from Maryland! www.app.pan.pl/article/item...

JFC www.science.org/content/arti...

#Hauyne is a pretty blue and has and umlaut so it gets my vote today! #MinCup25

Any other suggestions?

So with my weight loss I need to buy all new cool/cold weather clothes and jackets. Where can I look for some that come from a decent company and pretty good quality, especially for fleece and sweaters? Preferably located in the US because of tariff shenanigans.

I voted #paddlewheelite today because the name is more fun. I don’t have a better reason. #MinCup25

looking to talk to folks who are fighting data centers in different parts of the country for a story or two. gimme a holler at [email protected]

Clay minerals don’t get enough love, so I’m voting #nontronite today! Clays aren’t boring, you just don’t know enough about them #MinCup25

*opens BlueSky and starts to read* Sigh Yeah… I’m just gonna read the posts about minerals for the rest of today

I know most WaPo subscribers outside the DMV are/were in it for their national reporting but also consider our local news groups for support!

Me trying to help my kid study for science and trying to figure out what the 4th grade answer to what the relative composition of the sun, moon, and earth is 🤔

#MinCup25 #Ikaite 1. is the melting mineral that disappears above the icy seas 2. is the ghosts of drown Viking invaders 3. whispers in the geologic record as oddly-shaped calcite & opal 4. hides on cheese rind & frozen shrimp 5. is a powerhouse of a carbon sink