Poem: "The Community Couch"
Dec. 19th, 2025 10:25 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ysabetwordsmithThis poem came out of the April 1, 2025 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired by prompts from siliconshaman, wyld_dandelyon, and mama_kestrel. It also fills the "Bookstore Girl" square in my 4-1-25 card for the Aesthetics Bingo fest. This poem has been sponsored by a pool with fuzzyred. It belongs to the series Arts and Crafts America.
( Read more... )
siliconshaman, wyld_dandelyon, and mama_kestrel. It also fills the "Bookstore Girl" square in my 4-1-25 card for the Aesthetics Bingo fest. This poem has been sponsored by a pool with fuzzyred. It belongs to the series Arts and Crafts America.( Read more... )
Climate Change
Dec. 19th, 2025 09:47 pmysabetwordsmithA stunning new forecast shows when thousands of glaciers will vanish
New research reveals when glaciers around the world will vanish and why every fraction of a degree of warming could decide their fate.
New research reveals when glaciers around the world will vanish and why every fraction of a degree of warming could decide their fate.
Poetry Fishbowl Report for December 2, 2025
Dec. 19th, 2025 09:36 pmysabetwordsmithOur theme this month was "Sentient and Self-Aware Machines." I wrote from 1 PM to 3:45 AM, so about 14 hours 45 minutes, accounting for breaks. I wrote 3 poems on Tuesday plus 2 later in the week.
Participation was down slightly, with 7 comments on LiveJournal and another 36 on Dreamwidth. A total of 9 people sent prompts. You have new donorgs_silva to thank for the second freebie.
Read Some Poetry!
The following poems from the December 2, 2025 Poetry Fishbowl have been posted:
"Never -- Ever -- Quit"
"Protect the Inner Core"
"User Interfaces"
"Mamalokshen" (1-9-23, outside fishbowl)
Buy some poetry!
If you plan to sponsor some poetry but haven't made up your mind yet, see the unsold poetry list from December 2. That includes the title, length, price, and the original thumbnail description for the poems still available.
This month's donors include:janetmiles, gs_silva, and fuzzyred. All sponsored poems from this fishbowl have been posted. There are 2 tallies toward a bonus fishbowl.
The Poetry Fishbowl has a landing page.
Participation was down slightly, with 7 comments on LiveJournal and another 36 on Dreamwidth. A total of 9 people sent prompts. You have new donor
gs_silva to thank for the second freebie.Read Some Poetry!
The following poems from the December 2, 2025 Poetry Fishbowl have been posted:
"Never -- Ever -- Quit"
"Protect the Inner Core"
"User Interfaces"
"Mamalokshen" (1-9-23, outside fishbowl)
Buy some poetry!
If you plan to sponsor some poetry but haven't made up your mind yet, see the unsold poetry list from December 2. That includes the title, length, price, and the original thumbnail description for the poems still available.
This month's donors include:
janetmiles, gs_silva, and fuzzyred. All sponsored poems from this fishbowl have been posted. There are 2 tallies toward a bonus fishbowl.The Poetry Fishbowl has a landing page.
Poem: "Mamalokshen"
Dec. 19th, 2025 09:11 pmysabetwordsmithThis is the freebie for the December Poetry Fishbowl reaching its $150 goal. It was inspired by a prompt from jadelennox. It also fills the "Ancestors" square in my 10-1-22 card for the Fall Festival Bingo.
( Read more... )
jadelennox. It also fills the "Ancestors" square in my 10-1-22 card for the Fall Festival Bingo.( Read more... )
Tags:
Unsold Poems for the December 2, 2025 Poetry Fishbowl
Dec. 19th, 2025 07:53 pmysabetwordsmithThe following poems from the December 2, 2025 Poetry Fishbowl are currently available. Poems may be sponsored via PayPal -- there's a permanent donation button on my Dreamwidth profile page -- or you can write to me and discuss other methods. There are still verses left in the linkback poems "Delight in Another," "A Sense of Weather Changes," "Ouroboros Insects," "The Loving Embrace of Night," "Generations of Cooks Past," "Homefree and Clear, " "One Bite at a Time," "Stars and Diamonds," "Mishpocha," "Changing Your Nature," and "Besa."
( Read more... )
( Read more... )
Crafts
Dec. 19th, 2025 07:51 pmysabetwordsmithToday I remade the holiday potpourri bowl. It needs to be redone every other year or so, because the potpourri and lights wear out. This year I couldn't find any damn potpourri so I wound up deconstructing a cinnamon-scented pinecone.
Pool Update
Dec. 19th, 2025 07:36 pmysabetwordsmithfuzzyred has closed the pool. The Holiday Poetry Sale itself is still open through the end of Friday.
EDIT 12/19/25 -- Below is the list of poems sponsored by the pool. I will post them as I have time. Links will appear in the sale page.
( Read more... )
Safety
Dec. 19th, 2025 07:18 pmysabetwordsmithThe western U.S. Tried to stop wildfires and it backfired
After a century of stopping fires, much of the West is now dangerously overdue for them.
Much of the western U.S. is overdue for wildfire, with decades of suppression allowing fuel to build up across millions of hectares. Researchers estimate that 74% of the region is in a fire deficit, meaning far more land needs to burn to restore healthy forest conditions. Catching up would require an unprecedented amount of controlled and managed fire.
I told you so.
( Read more... )
After a century of stopping fires, much of the West is now dangerously overdue for them.
Much of the western U.S. is overdue for wildfire, with decades of suppression allowing fuel to build up across millions of hectares. Researchers estimate that 74% of the region is in a fire deficit, meaning far more land needs to burn to restore healthy forest conditions. Catching up would require an unprecedented amount of controlled and managed fire.
I told you so.
( Read more... )
Today's Cooking
Dec. 19th, 2025 07:15 pmysabetwordsmithToday I made crockpot shrimp boil with potatoes, onion, baby corncobs, and shrimp. It was okay but not exciting. The Old Bay seasoning was more heat than flavor, so I used a little of that then added a bay leaf, oregano, and thyme. An interesting experiment but not worth repeating.
Wildlife
Dec. 19th, 2025 03:21 pmysabetwordsmithAncient oceans were ruled by super predators unlike anything today
Long before whales and sharks, enormous marine reptiles dominated the oceans with unmatched power. Scientists have reconstructed a 130-million-year-old marine ecosystem from Colombia and found predators operating at a food-chain level higher than any seen today. The ancient seas were bursting with life, from giant reptiles to rich invertebrate communities. This extreme complexity reveals how intense competition helped drive the evolution of modern marine ecosystems. Interestingly, a warm climate with high, shallow seas is exactly where Earth is headed via climate change. After the Anthropocene extinction, many niches will lie open, waiting for new species to claim them.
Long before whales and sharks, enormous marine reptiles dominated the oceans with unmatched power. Scientists have reconstructed a 130-million-year-old marine ecosystem from Colombia and found predators operating at a food-chain level higher than any seen today. The ancient seas were bursting with life, from giant reptiles to rich invertebrate communities. This extreme complexity reveals how intense competition helped drive the evolution of modern marine ecosystems. Interestingly, a warm climate with high, shallow seas is exactly where Earth is headed via climate change. After the Anthropocene extinction, many niches will lie open, waiting for new species to claim them.
Birdfeeding
Dec. 19th, 2025 03:19 pmysabetwordsmithToday is mostly sunny and chilly. It rained off and on all yesterday but has stopped now.
I fed the birds. I've seen a large mixed flock of sparrows and house finches.
I put out water for the birds.
EDIT 12/19/25 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.
EDIT 12/19/25 -- I did more work around the patio.
EDIT 12/19/25 -- I did more work around the patio.
I carried 4 logs from the driveway pile to the patio rack.
As it is getting dark, I am done for the night.
I fed the birds. I've seen a large mixed flock of sparrows and house finches.
I put out water for the birds.
EDIT 12/19/25 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.
EDIT 12/19/25 -- I did more work around the patio.
EDIT 12/19/25 -- I did more work around the patio.
I carried 4 logs from the driveway pile to the patio rack.
As it is getting dark, I am done for the night.
Follow Friday 12-19-25: Languages and Linguistics
Dec. 19th, 2025 03:33 amysabetwordsmithToday's theme is Languages and Linguistics. There are many posts on Dreamwidth in different languages, but it doesn't have a sort function for them, and communities rarely list it in their Interests. If you know any more communities or bloggers relevant to this topic, please share them in a comment.
( Read more... )
( Read more... )
Poetry Fishbowl Update
Dec. 18th, 2025 11:57 pmysabetwordsmithfuzzyred will be closing the pool around midday Friday. The sale itself lasts until the end of Friday. If you're still shopping the Holiday Poetry Sale, now's the time to make your choices!Dinosaurs
Dec. 18th, 2025 03:36 pmysabetwordsmithItaly makes a surprising discovery ahead of the Winter Olympics: dinosaur tracks
On Tuesday, Italian officials announced the discovery of thousands of dinosaur tracks on "nearly vertical dolomite walls" in Stelvio National Park, a protected area in the central Alps of northern Italy.
[---8<---]
"The tracks, preserved in excellent condition despite the altitude, show traces of toes and claws imprinted on the walls when they were tidal flats at the end of the Triassic," the Natural History Museum says. That period spanned 252 to 201 million years ago.
Della Ferrara notified authorities of his findings, setting paleontological research into motion. Preliminary analyses suggest most of the tracks came from "herbivorous prosauropod dinosaurs" — the long-necked creatures that predate enormous sauropods like the ones depicted in the "Jurassic Park" franchise.
( Read more... )
On Tuesday, Italian officials announced the discovery of thousands of dinosaur tracks on "nearly vertical dolomite walls" in Stelvio National Park, a protected area in the central Alps of northern Italy.
[---8<---]
"The tracks, preserved in excellent condition despite the altitude, show traces of toes and claws imprinted on the walls when they were tidal flats at the end of the Triassic," the Natural History Museum says. That period spanned 252 to 201 million years ago.
Della Ferrara notified authorities of his findings, setting paleontological research into motion. Preliminary analyses suggest most of the tracks came from "herbivorous prosauropod dinosaurs" — the long-necked creatures that predate enormous sauropods like the ones depicted in the "Jurassic Park" franchise.
( Read more... )
Moment of Silence: Gil Gerard
Dec. 18th, 2025 03:26 pmysabetwordsmithActor Gil Gerard has passed away. He was best known for playing Captain William “Buck” Rogers. He will be missed.
Carry on the work:
How to Become an Actor (with Pictures)
How to Start a Career in Acting (with Pictures)
How to Audition for a TV Show: The Ultimate Guide
Acting in Science Fiction
Carry on the work:
How to Become an Actor (with Pictures)
How to Start a Career in Acting (with Pictures)
How to Audition for a TV Show: The Ultimate Guide
Acting in Science Fiction
Birdfeeding
Dec. 18th, 2025 01:37 pmysabetwordsmithToday is cloudy, chilly, windy, and wet. It's drizzling now. At least all the snow and ice melted off though.
I fed the birds. Unsurprisingly I haven't seen any.
I put out water for the birds.
EDIT 12/18/25 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.
EDIT 12/18/25 -- I did more work around the patio.
It's been raining off and on all day. It was raining so briskly in the afternoon that not all the outside tasks got done. Fortunately it's just drizzling now so I finished up what I could. I haven't seen any wildlife all day, which is sensible of them.
The sky has been so cloudy all day that it was perennially twilight. At sunset, the sun hit a band of less clouds, so now 3/4 of the sky is bizarre shades of orange-purple. The road is wet and catching the last light of day like a ribbon of gold.
I am done for the night.
I fed the birds. Unsurprisingly I haven't seen any.
I put out water for the birds.
EDIT 12/18/25 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.
EDIT 12/18/25 -- I did more work around the patio.
It's been raining off and on all day. It was raining so briskly in the afternoon that not all the outside tasks got done. Fortunately it's just drizzling now so I finished up what I could. I haven't seen any wildlife all day, which is sensible of them.
The sky has been so cloudy all day that it was perennially twilight. At sunset, the sun hit a band of less clouds, so now 3/4 of the sky is bizarre shades of orange-purple. The road is wet and catching the last light of day like a ribbon of gold.
I am done for the night.
History
Dec. 17th, 2025 08:28 pmysabetwordsmithThis 8,000-year-old art shows math before numbers existed
Over 8,000 years ago, early farming communities in northern Mesopotamia were already thinking mathematically—long before numbers were written down. By closely studying Halafian pottery, researchers uncovered floral and plant designs arranged with precise symmetry and numerical patterns, revealing a surprisingly advanced sense of geometry.
People learned to count and do math, sometimes rather sophisticated math, long before they got around to writing numerals or equations. As for geometry, it's very easy to obtain workable patterns that scale well by examining nature. Fibonacci sequence and fractals both yield very useful parameters.
Over 8,000 years ago, early farming communities in northern Mesopotamia were already thinking mathematically—long before numbers were written down. By closely studying Halafian pottery, researchers uncovered floral and plant designs arranged with precise symmetry and numerical patterns, revealing a surprisingly advanced sense of geometry.
People learned to count and do math, sometimes rather sophisticated math, long before they got around to writing numerals or equations. As for geometry, it's very easy to obtain workable patterns that scale well by examining nature. Fibonacci sequence and fractals both yield very useful parameters.