Network

Now I knew they were going to be there as an 'enrichment activity', I was in fact there to be sure my mother got to see them if she wanted to, there was even a van outside the door advertising them (plus glamping and various other farming related money spinning projects). But I just wasn't ready for the sheer ludicrousness of alpacas in the lounge.

It turns out alpacas in the flesh look like someone crossed a deer with an Old English Sheepdog and turned the floof dial up to 11. At which point my reality sensor threw a divide by cucumber error.

(The alpacas couldn't have cared less about the lounge, the residents, or the various toddlers and older kids that had been brought in by staff members - school holidays this week - the only thing they were interested in was the dish of alpaca feed being held under their noses)

[

Current Mood:

Floofed

]

Link	4 comments \| Reply

ysabetwordsmith

Tue 2026-04-14 11:54

Birdfeeding

Today is cloudy, breezy, and mild.

I fed the birds. I haven't seen any yet.

I put out water for the birds.

EDIT 4/14/26 -- We went to Whiteside Garden again. This time I picked up a clump of wildflowers fused together: a couple of tiny ferns, and even tinier columbine, and some yellow violet.

We stopped to chat with a friend. His yard has several red-headed woodpeckers. I heard them drumming and spotted one as it flew away. These used to be the dominant woodpecker around here, but have been largely replaced by downies and are now rarer to see.

EDIT 4/14/26 -- I planted the new wildflowers. One yellow violet had come loose, so I put that with my others. The rest of the cluster went into the mossy part of the savanna which already has a woodland feel.

And now I'm hearing thunder, on what was supposed to be my main planting day. *sigh*

EDIT 4/14/26 -- I planted the sedum from yesterday and watered the newly planted things.

EDIT 4/14/26 -- I planted the holly from yesterday at the east edge of the Midwinter grove.

EDIT 4/14/26 -- I watered and mulched the holly.

It's 83°F outside now, too hot to do as much yardwork as I hoped. At least I got the Whiteside things planted.

I've seen a few sparrows and house finches, plus a fox squirrel.

EDIT 4/14/26 -- I watered the pansies and violas. The hot wind is just stripping the moisture out of everything. :(

EDIT 4/14/26 -- I watered the new picnic table garden.

I saw a brown thrasher foraging in the house yard.

EDIT 4/14/26 -- I raked a section of orchard.

EDIT 4/14/26 -- I sowed some grass seed in the orchard.

EDIT 4/14/26 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

.

[

Current Mood:

busy

]

Link

smbc_comics_feed

Tue 2026-04-14 11:20

Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal - Easier

Posted by Zach Weinersmith

https://www.smbc-comics.com/comic/easier

Click here to go see the bonus panel!

Hovertext:
Brought to you by Zach hasn't studied physics in years and is trying to read through the famous Mike and Ike quantum computing textbook.

Today's News:

https://www.smbc-comics.com/comic/easier

Link

dotaturls_feed

Mon 2026-04-13 16:40

Debloat your async Rust.

Posted by Tony Finch

https://tweedegolf.nl/en/blog/235/debloat-your-async-rust

https://dotat.at/:/TDKYT.html

2026‑04‑13 - Debloat your async Rust.

https://tweedegolf.nl/en/blog/235/debloat-your-async-rust

redirect https://dotat.at/:/TDKYT

blurb https://dotat.at/:/TDKYT.html

atom entry https://dotat.at/:/TDKYT.atom

web.archive.org archive.today

https://tweedegolf.nl/en/blog/235/debloat-your-async-rust

https://dotat.at/:/TDKYT.html

Link

lsanderson

Tue 2026-04-14 08:35

2026.04.14

Ramsey County is investigating federal immigration officers for possible kidnapping, burglary and false imprisonment over the arrest of an American citizen who was detained and led outside wearing only a blanket and underwear in freezing temperatures, reports The Associated Press.
https://apnews.com/article/minnesota-immigration-enforcement-crackdown-690091eeef2eb7f2bca1d8545bba9e83

US states drop Medicaid coverage of GLP-1 weight-loss drugs as demand rises
Experts say any short-term financial benefit will be outweighed by long-term health costs related to obesity
Eric Berger
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/apr/14/states-medicaid-coverage-glp-1 ( Read more... )

Link

dotaturls_feed

Tue 2026-04-14 05:04

memstop: delay process start until memory is available.

Posted by Tony Finch

https://github.com/surban/memstop

https://dotat.at/:/5DJRN.html

2026‑04‑14 - memstop: delay process start until memory is available.

https://github.com/surban/memstop

redirect https://dotat.at/:/5DJRN

blurb https://dotat.at/:/5DJRN.html

atom entry https://dotat.at/:/5DJRN.atom

web.archive.org archive.today

https://github.com/surban/memstop

https://dotat.at/:/5DJRN.html

Link

chickenfeet

Tue 2026-04-14 07:10

Music from Mark Abel with Simone McIntosh

https://myscena.org/john-gilks/cd-review-mark-abel-4-4-2-simone-mcintosh-delos/

Link

daily_otter_feed

Tue 2026-04-14 10:18

A Study in Textures

Posted by Daily Otter

https://dailyotter.org/posts/2026/4/14/a-study-in-textures

Via Alaska SeaLife Center

https://dailyotter.org/posts/2026/4/14/a-study-in-textures

Link

tamaranth

Tue 2026-04-14 10:44

2026/053: How to Fake it in Society — K J Charles

2026/053: How to Fake it in Society — K J Charles

"...in effect, you must paint what you see, and not what you know to be there. Because what we see and what is there are not always the same thing. I suppose it is important to learn that." [loc. 2026]

My initial mini-review is here: I reread the novel for this full review and can confirm that it is still an utter delight.

Titus Pilcrow is a colourman, a maker and supplier of paints and colours for artists. As the novel opens, he is in despair, because his landlord (also his ex) is evicting him. By a stroke of fortune, ( spoilers below )

[

Current Mood:

jubilant

]

Link

dotaturls_feed

Tue 2026-04-14 07:59

The secrets of the shinkansen.

Posted by Tony Finch

https://www.worksinprogress.news/p/the-secret-behind-japans-railways

https://dotat.at/:/VW25A.html

2026‑04‑14 - The secrets of the shinkansen.

https://www.worksinprogress.news/p/the-secret-behind-japans-railways

redirect https://dotat.at/:/VW25A

blurb https://dotat.at/:/VW25A.html

atom entry https://dotat.at/:/VW25A.atom

web.archive.org archive.today

https://www.worksinprogress.news/p/the-secret-behind-japans-railways

https://dotat.at/:/VW25A.html

Link

trailer_spot

Tue 2026-04-14 10:58

The Invite, In the Grey, Backrooms, The Hunger Games Sunrise on the Reaping, The Devil Wears Prada 2

The Invite    HD720p 25MB
Chamber dramedy about Joe (Seth Rogen) and Angela (Olivia Wilde) whose marriage is on thin ice, and tonight might be when it all falls apart. Unfortunately, their upstairs neighbors (Edward Norton, Penélope Cruz) are about to arrive for dinner, and everything that can go wrong goes worse. Also directed by Wilde (Booksmart, Don't Worry Darling).
This is the US version of the Spanish film Sentimental/The People Upstairs that by now has been adapted about a half a dozen times. Looks funny and Sundance reviews are very favourable.

In the Grey    HD720p 30MB
Trailer for the latest action thriller written and directed by Guy Ritchie(Snatch., The Man from U.N.C.L.E., Swept Away). It follows a covert team of elite operatives (Henry Cavill, Jake Gyllenhaal, Eiza González) who live in the global shadows, as comfortable wielding power and influence as they are automatic weapons and high explosives. When a ruthless despot steals a billion-dollar fortune, the team is sent to steal it back on what would be for anyone else a suicide mission. Kristofer Hivju, Fisher Stevens and Rosamund Pike are also part of the cast.
IMDb informs me that filming already took place in 2023. Hopefully not all snappy bits of dialogue are already shown in the trailer.

Backrooms    HD720p 25MB
Horror mystery in which a strange doorway appears in the basement of a furniture showroom. Cast members include Chiwetel Ejiofor, Renate Reinsve, Mark Duplass and Lukita Maxwell.
Certainly an intriguing trailer, especially for genre fans. An earlier teaser: HD720p 7MB.

The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping    HD720p 35MB
Full trailer for the latest franchise extension, again directed by Francis Lawrence (The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Constantine, I Am Legend), to be in theatres in November. It will revisit the world of Panem 24 years before the events of The Hunger Games, starting on the morning of the reaping of the 50th Hunger Games, also known as the Second Quarter Quell. Cast members include Joseph Zada, Elle Fanning, Ralph Fiennes, Jesse Plemons, Glenn Close, Kieran Culkin, Mckenna Grace, Maya Hawke, Lili Taylor, Whitney Peak and Kelvin Harrison Jr.

The Devil Wears Prada 2   HD720p 27MB
A second trailer for the sequel. It follows Miranda Priestly's (Meryl Streep) struggle against Emily Charlton (Emily Blunt), her former assistant turned rival executive, as they compete for advertising revenue amidst declining print media while Miranda nears retirement. Anne Hathaway and Stanley Tucci also return. Among the new cast additions are Kenneth Branagh, Simone Ashley, Justin Theroux and Lucy Liu. Again directed by David Frankel (Collateral Beauty, Hope Springs, Marley & Me).

Link	2 comments \| Reply

oursin

Tue 2026-04-14 09:41

Happy birthday,

fallingtowers and

oliviacirce!

Link

tim_harford_feed

Tue 2026-04-14 05:01

Cautionary Tales – Bravo, Comrade Lysenko! The Man Who Failed To Feed The USSR

Posted by Tim Harford

https://timharford.com/2026/04/cautionary-tales-lysenko-and-borlaug/

https://timharford.com/?p=10157

Comrade Lysenko has seized control of Soviet agriculture with his radical ideas about genetics. He disdains traditional scientists who learn everything from books and nothing from the land, and those who question his methods soon find themselves in trouble with Stalin. Meanwhile, across the world the abrasive Iowan farmer’s son Norman Borlaug is also annoying experts with his big ideas. Both men are sure they can end starvation, but their approaches couldn’t be more different.

For ad-free listening, monthly behind-the-scenes conversations, our newsletter, and monthly bonus episodes including this one, please consider joining the Cautionary Club.

[Apple] [Spotify] [Stitcher]

Further reading

This episode relied on the books The Lysenko Affair by David Joravsky, The Rise and Fall of T D Lysenko by Zhores Medvedev, Lysenko’s Ghost: Epigenetics and Russia by Loren Graham, Stalin and the Scientists: A History of Triumph and Tragedy by Simon Ings, and Our Daily Bread: The Essential Norman Borlaug by Norman Vietmeyer.

https://timharford.com/2026/04/cautionary-tales-lysenko-and-borlaug/

https://timharford.com/?p=10157

Link

ysabetwordsmith

Tue 2026-04-14 01:59

Climate Change

Hurricanes are slowing down - and dumping far more rain than before

If you’ve ever watched a hurricane stall on a weather map and became worried, you’re picking up on something scientists are increasingly concerned about.

A new study suggests that rapid ocean warming isn’t just making tropical cyclones dump more rain.

It may also be slowing some of them down while they’re still in their tropical phase, which is basically the worst combo if you’re on the coast or anywhere downstream.

( Read more... )

[

Current Mood:

busy

]

Link	7 comments \| Reply

conuly

Tue 2026-04-14 00:42

Late Bird by Angela Narciso Torres

Count me among the noon risers who stumble,
dazed and bad-haired, from the nest midday,
pecking the crazed dirt for half-torn moth,
pear’s white core, severed worm. I’ve never
been one to trill at chink of dawn, to hop,
skip, chirrup before full sun. I’m better
at picking over crumbs, stitching a quilt
from what’s left, remaindered, given up
for gone. Better at betting the careless
will miss the best. Count me among
the nightbirds who sip starlight, a guitar’s
fading strains. Find me where moondust
swirls in streetlamp glow and stray dogs sleep.
What clings to the bone is most sweet.

***********

Link

Link

vivdunstan

Tue 2026-04-14 06:21

RIP Moya Brennan of Clannad, singer and harpist

Sad to read this news overnight, now being reported by Donegal Daily and RTE. Her voice was ethereal, as was her harp playing. And perhaps known particularly to many of my generation because of the music of TV series Robin of Sherwood.

For added poignancy for me, she was diagnosed late in life with pulmonary fibrosis, the very rare terminal lung condition my dad died from. Which continues to have echoes like this throughout my life ...

Watch on YouTube

Link	1 comment \| Reply

apod_feed

Tue 2026-04-14 04:48

https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260413.html

The clouds may look like an oyster, and the stars like pearls, but look beyond.

https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260413.html

Link

ysabetwordsmith

Mon 2026-04-13 20:43

Today's Adventures

Today we did a bunch of different things, including a Charleston loop in the morning and a Champaign loop in the afternoon.

( Read more... )

[

Current Mood:

happy

]

Link	1 comment \| Reply

tielan

Tue 2026-04-14 10:38

foodopause?

I really struggle to have breakfast these days.

I have my morning coffee and then I kind of forget to have breakfast until midmorning...

Link	5 comments \| Reply

navigation

[	viewing	\|	200 entries back	]
[	go	\|	earlier/later	]