Today is mostly sunny and warm.

I fed the birds. I've seen a few sparrows and house finches.

I put out water for the birds.

9/25/25 -- I did a bit of work around the yard.

9/25/25 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

9/25/25 -- I did more work around the patio.

EDIT 9/25/25 -- I did more work around the yard.

I picked several goldenberries.

EDIT 9/25/25 -- I watered the telephone pole garden and savanna plants.

I gathered northern sea oats and wild senna seeds in the wildflower garden.

I heard a blue jay screaming but didn't see it.

EDIT 9/25/25 -- I watered the irises, patio plants, and old picnic table.

As it is getting dark, I am done for the night.

Late, whoops!

Reading

• I finished The Entanglement of Rival Wizards by Sara Raasch. Very good! Lots of drama and romance and some very interesting worldbuilding. Definitely looking forward to the next book in the series.
• I read Spread Me by Sarah Gailey. It was pretty good, but I think I had my weirdness hopes up a little too high after seeing them at a bookstore event on Sunday. Or maybe I'm just too weird for it to be as weird as I wanted lol
• I read some more of Lirael by Garth Nix. I'm really close to the end, but I'd forgotten that nothing really wraps up in this book...
• I started reading National Dish: Around the World in Search of Food, History, and the Meaning of Home by Anya von Bremzen. Very interesting to see what she says about the intersection of food and culture. (If I ever actually go to grad school, chances are high that would be my topic of study, so.)
• Ficwise, I'm still in KinnPorsche land. I went back through the ArmTae tag and read some of the WIPs I'd avoided the first time. Currently I'm reading a kinky VegasPete series.

Watching

• The roommate and I watched My School President. Our first show with GeminiFourth! And they were adorable, as expected, as were WinnySatang. Once again, I love a school drama lol Also love Fourth, who is quickly becoming one of my faves.
• The roommate and I started watching Hidden Agenda, the only JoongDunk show we hadn't watched yet. Honestly very similar to MSP at the beginning, but I don't mind. Enjoying it a lot.
• We watched the latest episode of Revamp the Undead Story with the best friend. Loved Ramil and Pong bonding.
• We watched another episode of Dead Friend Forever - DFF with the best friend. I honestly have no idea what's happening, but it's fun and very spooky lol
• We also watched the first episode of That Summer, which just started airing, with the best friend. I feel like they fit so much in the first episode! Very excited to see where it's going.
• AEW as usual ish. There was a PPV Saturday which was actually much better than I'd been afraid it would be. Honestly wasn't sure we'd keep regularly watching if it sucked, but thankfully it didn't! They also teased Orange Cassidy's return for last night, so the roommate and I are finally feeling a bit more excited for wrestling lol

Listening

• More t-pop, to no one's surprise...

Writing

• I am still obsessed with ArmTae, which means I started writing a fic! Fingers crossed for finishing it, because it's been a long time since I wrote and finished a fic not for something.
• I also started writing my assignment for crossworks . I think it's pretty fun lol

Folks have mentioned an interest in questions and conversations that make them think. So I've decided to offer more of those. This batch features hobbies.

Crochet is a fibercraft hobby of making things from yarn with a hooked stick, such as afghans, clothes, toys ,and other stuff. If you feel frustrated by planned obsolescence, artificial intelligence, and other current issues then consider knitting as a form of protest. Nothing says "Fuck off, fast fashion!" like crocheting a 100% natural-fiber garment that will last for years and years.

On Dreamwidth, consider communities like crafty, crochet, everykindofcraft, dwsockclub, get_knitted,intertwined, justcreate, and knittingpix.

( Read more... )

YouTube secretly used AI to edit people’s videos.

In recent months, YouTube has secretly used artificial intelligence (AI) to tweak people’s videos without letting them know or asking permission. Wrinkles in shirts seem more defined. Skin is sharper in some places and smoother in others. Pay close attention to ears, and you may notice them warp. These changes are small, barely visible without a side-by-side comparison. Yet some disturbed YouTubers say it gives their content a subtle and unwelcome AI-generated feeling.


This causes a variety of damage including but not limited to:

* Tampering with people's intellectual property without their permission.

* Damaging trust between producer and consumer (especially if the producer says that they don't use AI).

* Undermining people's ability to choose whether or not they wish to use or consumer AI.

* Undermining people's ability to find and identify truth.

Yet another in the suddenly growing pile of reasons to hate YouTube, which sucks, because it's the most widespread place to share video content. >_<

I used another image for 'The Pitt' edges 'Severance' for Outstanding Drama Series at the Emmy Awards.

Today is cloudy, mild, and damp. We got a decent amount of rain last night. :D

I fed the birds. I've seen a few sparrows and house finches.

I put out water for the birds.

EDIT 9/24/25 -- I planted 8 'Aviv Mixed' ranunculus under the fly-through birdfeeder.

I planted 3 'Persian Blue' alliums in the purple-and-white garden.

I picked 2 chocolate cherry tomatoes and 3 groundcherries.

EDIT 9/24/25 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

EDIT 9/24/25 -- I did more work around the patio.

As it is getting dark, I am done for the night.

This is the freebie for the September crowdfunding Creative Jam. It was inspired by a prompt from himejoshiheart. It also fills the "leak" square in my 9-1-25 card for the Piracy Bingo Fest.

( Read more... )

dialecticdreamer is hosting Feathering the Nest.  Leave prompts, get ficlets! 

Pumpkins, squash, and gourds come in many varieties and the "winter" types are ripening now. These typically have thick rind and long storage potential. There are sweet and savory cultivars in a huge range of sizes, shapes, and colors. There are also all kinds of gnarly ones for fall decor. Watch for them at farmer's markets or grocery stores. In particular, if you enjoy a squash that you buy, you can save its seeds, or note its cultivar to buy seeds, and try to grow them in spring.

( Read more... )

This 'blue-green jay' may be the first climate change-created bird hybrid found in nature. Here's why that's good news

Joined by his faculty advisor, integrative biology professor Tim Keitt, Stokes confirmed that the bird was, in fact, a male offspring of a green jay mother and a blue jay father.

Marc Airhart, who interviewed Stokes for the University of Texas at Austin's College of Natural Sciences, jokingly referred to it as a “grue jay” — but the hybrid does not have an official name.


The grue jay is cool, but it is long preceded by the grolar bear (aka pizzly bear).

Today is cloudy and warm. It drizzled a bit yesterday.

I fed the birds. I've seen a few sparrows and house finches.

I put out water for the birds.

EDIT 9/23/25 -- I planted some Leucojum (aka summer snowflake) 'Gravetye Giant' around the contorta willow.

EDIT 9/23/25 -- I watered the leucojum.

EDIT 9/23/25 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

EDIT 9/23/25 -- I did more work around the patio.

EDIT 9/23/25 -- I planted the rest of the leucojum in the purple-and-white garden. Then I watered that whole garden.

EDIT 9/23/25 -- I gathered seeds from two ripe sunflower heads, one in the septic garden and one in the telephone pole garden. I'm working on a 'Summer of Love' sunflower landrace that will grow well here. Commercial seeds are hit or miss.

EDIT 9/23/25 -- I did some work around the yard.

It's trying to drizzle again, so I am done for the night.

EDIT 9/23/25 -- It's actually raining! :D Puddles are starting to form on the patio.

Again, I decided I only needed the acceptance speeches in John Oliver examines Jimmy Kimmel & the FCC after winning two Emmy Awards.

These are some posts from the later part of last week in case you missed them:
Education
Nature
Birdfeeding
Cyberspace Theory
Creative Jam
Neurodiversity
Books
Birdfeeding
Philosophical Questions: Society
Books
Today's Adventures
Birdfeeding
Follow Friday 9-19-25: J-pop
Corncob Broth
Recipe: "Three Sisters Succotash"
Today's Cooking
Artificial Intelligence
Birdfeeding
Hobbies: Embroidery
Hopescrolling
Genocide
Space Exploration
Today's Adventures
Birdfeeding
Good News

Let's Boycott Mississippi has 60 comments. Affordable Housing has 49 comments. Robotics has 69 comments.


"An Inkling of Things to Come" belongs to Polychrome: Shiv and needs $200 to be complete. Shiv attends the first session of his Worldbuilding class.


The weather has cooled off somewhat. We got a little rain last night and drizzled today. Seen at the birdfeeders this week: a mixed flock of sparrows and house finches and a fox squirrel. Lots of butterflies are out, and honeybees are draining the small metal birdbath. Currently blooming: dandelions, marigolds, petunias, red salvia, verbena, lantana, sweet alyssum, zinnias, snapdragons, blue lobelia, perennial pinks, oxalis, moss rose, firecracker plant, tomatoes, tomatillos, yellow squash, zucchini, morning glory, purple echinacea, chicory, Queen Anne's lace, sunflowers, cup plant, firewheel, cypress vine, sunchokes, sedum. Tomatoes, ball carrots, cucumbers, and groundcherries are ripe. Fields are about a quarter harvested.

Today is cloudy and mild. It rained a little last night.

I fed the birds. I've seen a few sparrows and house finches.

I put out water for the birds.

EDIT 9/22/25 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

EDIT 9/22/25 -- I started planting irises but only got one in the ground before it started drizzling again. However, there's a third 'Midnight Treat' purple iris in a bag meant to hold two, so that's awesome.

I saw a fox squirrel jumping through the treees.

EDIT 9/22/25 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

EDIT 9/22/25 -- I did more work around the patio.

EDIT 9/22/25 -- I planted 2 'Midnight Treat' purple irises and 2 'Best Bet' irises which have purple falls under lilac standards.

EDIT 9/22/25 -- I watered the irises.

EDIT 9/22/25 -- I did a bit of work around the yard.

As it is now dark, I am done for the night.