Jules @afewbugs@librem.one

In these past 3 years, I've been been able to watch with my own eyes as more and more satellites appear in my night sky. I actually published a scientific paper on satellite pollution: https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/1538-3881/ac341b

The predictions useful for everybody in the world, but if I'm being honest, my initial motivation was actually to find out how bad it's going to get in my sky. (Turns out I'm at just about the worst latitude in the world for satellite light pollution and re-entry risk. Great.)

A clip from an interview with one of the original SimCity designers, on how the game would have fallen apart if parking lots in the game were their actual sizes in modern cities.

RT @OxfordDiplomat@twitter.com

One to watch.

Extremely interesting case study.

Finland is testing new ways to teach students about fake news. Media literacy is part of the national core curriculum starting in preschool. Here’s what other countries can learn from its success. https://nyti.ms/3IAqRzJ

🐦🔗: https://twitter.com/OxfordDiplomat/status/1612909050764689409

I would also like to see minimum service levels for health, transport and other public services

The reason we don’t have them is 12 years of Tory austerity cuts and political chaos

And their refusal to introduce a fair and progressive tax system to fund our public services

Imagine if we relied on “personal responsibility” instead of the law to combat other public health issues like drunk driving. No rules--just “you do you”. If you're comfortable driving drunk and wish to take the risk, go ahead and do it--why worry yourself with harming anyone else?

Wait, that doesn't work? Then why do maskless conferences, flights, and events work at a time when we know #COVID19 risks are rising. Don't take personal responsibility; take public responsibility. #WearAMask

It's normal to have a favorite index entry, right? #index

Instead of saying "come to mastodon" link the person to a thread here where they would totally want to jump in and join the conversation.

"we were just talking about this here: ***link*** -- could really. use a perspective like yours."

It gives people a starting point and some people who are active and who they'd want to follow.

Turns out the key to solving the mystery of why Roman cement lasts longer than modern cement... was to stop underestimating ancient people.

"...samples of Roman concrete contain small lumps known as lime clasts that are not found in modern structures.

While these have previously been explained as arising from poor mixing of the mortar or other errors, the team suspected there could be other reasons."

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2023/jan/06/self-healing-roman-concrete-could-aid-modern-construction-study-suggests

A conversation with my #son this morning —

George: I’m Alfred the Bloomin’ Marvellous
Me: Who is that?
George: He’s like Alfred the Great but better
Me: How?
George: He doesn’t burn his cakes!

#parenting #ParentingJoy

If 2022 taught us anything, it’s that:

1. Denial won't end the pandemic
2. Public healthcare & education are worth saving
3. Workers deserve a decent wage & paid sick days
4. People always matter more than profits!

Let's act on these lessons in 2023.

Happy New Year. 🙏🏽

Researching mines in northern Spain I came across this curious object. It's a canary cage designed to keep the canary alive in the event of a gas leak. If a miner saw the canary laying at the bottom of the cage it was time to abandon everything and leave the mine, but not without first closing the latched glass door and opening the valve of the oxygen bottle to save the bird. A miner would do that on their way out and take the bird with them. It's a signifier of the miner's legendary sense of solidarity, no lives lost to the mine on a miners watch. A solidarity that was also crucial in the fight for workers rights, creating safer and more humane working conditions, achievements of unionization and solidarity that some of us still enjoy today.

I've thought about doing this for a while now.
#AltText is something I advocate for, as well as some other simple ways to make posts more #accessible and #inclusive. Let's make this #interactive.
Reply with a #photo or #image without alt text and I'll tell you what my #ScreenReader thinks it shows, as a practical #demonstration of inaccuracies, limitations and why alt text is better.
I can't promise how many I'll be able to do, but would like to do the first 10 or so.
#accessibility #blind

There's something special about silver birch trees in #winter.

I find them particularly beautiful when there's a hard hoar frost. The delicate branch structures come alive and just look stunning.

Throw in a bit of golden morning light and you have a decent recipe to make a photograph.

This image is titled 'Lemon Sorbet'.

Hope you've had a great week. I always find it hard to get back into the routine in this first week back!

#photography #trees #woodland #landscapephotography #nature

My new band is called "1023 Megabytes"? We are very good.. we just don't have a gig yet

See this @Gargron ? People are telling me they see the Mastodon logo on my cat Bridget. #catsofmastodon

I made the mistake of jokingly pronouncing LGBT as "el jibbity" and I guess that's just how I say it now

Humanity has historically eaten 6,000 plants; now we eat mostly NINE: This is a great (scary) story from Bloomberg on how global diets have converged on a few crops in a few decades – with many alarming implications. Well told (super smart graphics!) #food #climate
https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2022-global-diet-homogeneous-food-security-risk/?cmpid=BBD010523_prognosis&utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&utm_term=230105&utm_campaign=prognosis&leadSource=uverify%20wall

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

> "You should be able to speak about your identity and other people in your first language," they said. "It's like a little part of you is dying when you have to say it in English."

> Mx Gulliver said Welsh-speakers will understand if terms are explained, but the language barrier stops non-binary people from being confident in talking about their identity.

> "It's like you have to come out twice," they added.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-64164011