These questions come from thefridayfive.

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There will be a bonus fishbowl on Tuesday, March 17. The theme will be "anything goes." If you want a continuation of an earlier piece, or something totally new, that doesn't fit the usual themes, then now's your chance. Brainstorm in advance and jot down ideas for later. You can also request any favorite series, character, setting, etc.

Today is mostly sunny and chilly.

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

I put out water for the birds.

EDIT 3/12/26 -- I planted the first 2 of 6 'Patriot' hostas in the purple-and-white garden.  These have green leaves with a wide white margin.

EDIT 3/12/26 -- I planted 2 hostas in the forest garden.

EDIT 3/12/26 -- I planted the last 2 hostas in the log garden.

EDIT 3/12/26 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

EDIT 3/12/26 -- I sprayed weed killer on the sprouting stumps in the parking lot.

I've seen a large mixed flock of sparrows and house finches.  There are many more house finches now than last month.

EDIT 3/12/26 -- My partner Doug found someone to come out and remove stumps from the parking lot, path to the east edge of the yard, and in front of the shed.  Also he's going to take down the last two saplings in front of the garage.  We have price and a date for next Thursday. :D 3q3q3q!!!

I filled a bag with loose cans and other garbage that had collected in the parking lot.  Still more to do, but it's a good start.

EDIT 3/12/26 -- I did more work around the patio.

EDIT 3/12/26 -- I filled another bag with loose cans from the parking lot.  I think that's all the small stuff that I can clear quickly.

I am done for the night.

Lakota-Led AI Research at Bard College Explores Ethics Through Indigenous Knowledge

At Bard’s Wíhaŋble S’a Center, artist and scholar Suzanne Kite is rethinking artificial intelligence through Lakota knowledge—combining hide tanning, beadwork, dream research, and land-based practice to imagine a more ethical relationship with technology.


I'm reminded of Ash coding in ternary for Schrodinger's Heroes.

This year I'm doing Community Thursdays. Some of my activity will involve maintaining communities I run, and my favorites. Some will involve checking my list of subscriptions and posting in lower-traffic ones. Today I have interacted with the following communities...


* Posted "Wildlife" in first_nations_freaks.

* Commented on "Seed Starting" in gardening.

* Commented on "Check-In Post - March 11th 2026" in get_knitted.

These are the notes for "To Understand Water."

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This poem came out of the October 5, 2025 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired by a prompt from dialecticdreamer. It also fills the "That felt weird." square in my 10-1-25 card for the Fall Festival Bingo. This poem has been sponsored by Anthony Barrette. It belongs to the Polychrome Heroics series.

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When you're surfing the web & face a tsunami, make home under a bridge along the information highway

I hereby propose the term "The Under-net" (or "The Undernet") to refer to our preparation for and relationship with whatever (if anything) will be left for us in a future Internet dominated by unending, disingenuous, grifting slop.


This is an analysis of what's wrong with the Internet and some things we can do to improve it, as a form of resistance against corporate takeovers and enshittification.

Today we went up to Champaign-Urbana.

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Extreme heat limits safe activity for millions of people worldwide

Extreme heat is now stopping people from doing simple daily tasks like walking, cleaning, or working outside.

A new study shows that climate warming has changed how much activity the human body can safely handle in hot weather.

Scientists found that since the 1950s, the number of hours each year when heat becomes dangerous for normal activity has increased sharply.


Yesterday it got up to 79℉, in Illinois, in early March. That is not normal. I rely on cool spring temperatures for yardwork such as planting bare-root trees and shrubs. I had to start my summer heat-coping skills, like avoiding direct sunlight and reducing workload. Plus we had to turn on the damn air conditioner, because recently when it was 76℉ outside, the house got considerably hotter and stayed that way through the wee hours. >_<

Summer, of course, has days when I can only go out for a few minutes at a time or not at all, and I worry about the air conditioner breaking because repairs take months to complete. It's life support for me, but other people don't consider that urgent.

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Today is cloudy, cold, and wet.

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

I put out water for the birds.

A massive asteroid hit the North Sea and triggered a 330-foot tsunami

A long-running debate about the Silverpit Crater beneath the North Sea has finally been resolved. Scientists now confirm it formed when a roughly 160-meter asteroid struck the seabed about 43–46 million years ago. New seismic imaging and rare shocked minerals in rock samples provided the crucial proof. The impact would have sent a massive plume skyward and unleashed a tsunami over 100 meters (330 feet) high.


One thing I love about science is that occasionally it can really prove things.

On Monday, I picked out what I wanted for the Prairie Moon order. This is meant to be the last catalog order of the spring.


Spicebush (plant)

American Plum (plant)

Early Figwort (seed)

Late Figwort (seed)

Common Ironweed (seed)

Purple Love Grass (seed)

Lead Plant (seed)

On Monday, I picked out what I wanted for the Select Seeds order.


Old-Fashioned Climbing Petunia (plant)

Lantana 'PassionFruit' (plant)

Penstemon 'Dakota Burgundy' (plant)

Painted Tongue 'Select Superbissima Mix' (seeds)

Yarrow 'Flowerburst Red Shades' (seeds)

Coreopsis 'Corusco Cream-Red' (seeds)