stellar_plexus's recent activity
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Comment on The anti–rock star: Leonard Cohen’s battle against shameless male egoism in ~music
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Comment on Zerowriter Ink in ~tech
stellar_plexus Link ParentMy trusty old Alphasmart is a friend I turn to whenever I have an idea coming on fast, and all I want is pour the words out as quickly as they come, without distraction. It’s helped me to become a...My trusty old Alphasmart is a friend I turn to whenever I have an idea coming on fast, and all I want is pour the words out as quickly as they come, without distraction. It’s helped me to become a more productive writer over the years.
Give me a similar device with a customizable e-ink display, a nice, speedy mechanical keyboard and better word count tools? I’d be a happy writer.
This checks a lot of great boxes. Curious to see how the finished product turns out.
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Comment on The art of the cutaway drawing in ~arts
stellar_plexus LinkThank you for this. I love technical illustrations, especially monochromatic ink done by hand like this. His work is so clean and elegant.Thank you for this. I love technical illustrations, especially monochromatic ink done by hand like this. His work is so clean and elegant.
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Comment on The virtue of slow writers in ~books
stellar_plexus LinkAs someone who picks away at a long-standing project a little every day, this piece felt comforting, somehow. Like an affectionately catalogued litany of evidence that however the gift of a story...As someone who picks away at a long-standing project a little every day, this piece felt comforting, somehow. Like an affectionately catalogued litany of evidence that however the gift of a story comes to you, it’s more than fine.
It’s truly not so uncommon to carry and shape an idea in your head for years before it moves into the realm of properly writing it out, and whether that proper writing stage takes you six weeks or twenty years, it’s all about you as you are right then, as a writer and as a person.
It’s about your hopes for that particular work. Your accumulated experiences, and evolving personal style. Your openness and ability to incorporate new or newly-understood ideas as you encounter them and, perhaps most of all, your willingness to trust in the process as it works for you, right now.
A heartening read. Thanks for sharing.
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Comment on Conan O’Brien’s wild first year: An oral history - In 1993, NBC made a historic decision—and gave Late Night to a nobody. O’Brien, Letterman, Lorne Michaels, Lisa Kudrow, and more tell all. in ~tv
stellar_plexus LinkWhen they were talking about having David Letterman on the show for the first time, after all the drama: Classic Conan, right there.When they were talking about having David Letterman on the show for the first time, after all the drama:
LETTERMAN: I remember I said to Conan, “How exactly did you get this job? Was it a theme writing contest?” Big laugh. And I’m Mr. Big Shot.
O’BRIEN: And I said, “Yes. It was a ‘What would you do with a talk show’ contest, and I came in fourth.”Classic Conan, right there.
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Comment on James Webb Space Telescope captures high-resolution image of Uranus in ~space
stellar_plexus Link ParentA doubled long ‘ooo’ sound is how my Latin teacher taught us to pronounce it. Oo-ran-oos. Doesn’t roll off the English-speaking tongue so well, that’s for sure. Personally I’m for updating the...A doubled long ‘ooo’ sound is how my Latin teacher taught us to pronounce it. Oo-ran-oos. Doesn’t roll off the English-speaking tongue so well, that’s for sure.
Personally I’m for updating the spelling to Ouranos. It dispels the tasteless jokes without compromising the spirit of the name.
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Comment on James Webb Space Telescope captures high-resolution image of Uranus in ~space
stellar_plexus LinkThese new images are cool for a few reasons: One, you can actually see the faint, diffuse dusty ring nearest the planet’s atmosphere, the Zeta ring. For a long time we could only pick it out in a...These new images are cool for a few reasons:
One, you can actually see the faint, diffuse dusty ring nearest the planet’s atmosphere, the Zeta ring. For a long time we could only pick it out in a single photo from Voyager 2.
Two, the bright wisps of white off by themselves in the blue areas around the polar cap are storms. There’s a lot we don’t know yet about how storms work in the chilly, relatively calm atmosphere of ice giants like this one. Images like this will help.
And three, it’s wearing a string of pretty moon pearls! Beginning at 2 and moving clockwise (according to NASA’s annotations from the link), you can see Rosalind and the much bigger Puck, followed by Belinda, Desdemona & Cressida in a trio, then Bianca and Portia, with Juliet and Perdita near the top.
The five bigger, “major” moons, like Titania & Oberon, are visible in the wider crop, and also very beautiful.
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Comment on Taylor Swift does not exist in ~music
stellar_plexus Link ParentRight there with you. By the time I got to the Aramaic translations I was rolling, so I was surprised to find so many puzzled comments. In this piece Taylor Swift is just the backdrop for some...Right there with you. By the time I got to the Aramaic translations I was rolling, so I was surprised to find so many puzzled comments. In this piece Taylor Swift is just the backdrop for some quality satire that brightened my day.
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Comment on A six-planet system in perfect synchrony has been found in the Milky Way in ~space
stellar_plexus LinkStill kind of blows my mind that we can detect so many exoplanets this way now. Not only detect them, but also calculate their orbits well enough to discover patterns as obscure and wondrous as...Still kind of blows my mind that we can detect so many exoplanets this way now. Not only detect them, but also calculate their orbits well enough to discover patterns as obscure and wondrous as this. Six little Neptunes buzzing along in pure, rhythmic orbits, undisturbed by major collisions since the system’s formation? Super sweet.
We can learn so much about the formation of solar systems, including our own, from this one. Finding the evidence must have felt like spotting a unicorn.
I wonder if any of them have any captured moons?
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Comment on What is your favorite type(s) of cheese? in ~food
stellar_plexus Link ParentThe balsamic BellaVitano is my favorite. Sweet and savory together, and such a nice texture. Also I had a sandwich with havarti for lunch just now, so you and I are best cheese friends.The balsamic BellaVitano is my favorite. Sweet and savory together, and such a nice texture. Also I had a sandwich with havarti for lunch just now, so you and I are best cheese friends.
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Comment on What animal or insect going extinct would have the greatest impact on the ecosystem? in ~science
stellar_plexus Link ParentOff the top of my head, some other species that are super critical to their ecosystems: bats otters starfish and crabs krill major predators like sharks, lions and wolves cacti that hold moisture...Off the top of my head, some other species that are super critical to their ecosystems:
- bats
- otters
- starfish and crabs
- krill
- major predators like sharks, lions and wolves
- cacti that hold moisture in reserve
- trees like the mangrove, fig or sugar maple
All living things that support many other kinds of living things, and contribute to the balance that makes an ecosystem thrive.
Learning about keystone species like bees is a springboard to learning how the broader systems of nature work, and how intricate and fragile those systems are. How beautiful, too!
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Comment on What animal or insect going extinct would have the greatest impact on the ecosystem? in ~science
stellar_plexus LinkBees are hypercritical to ecosystems all over the world, which is why the subject of their decline is so often raised with alarm bells. As @FeminalPanda said, there are many other pollinators:...Bees are hypercritical to ecosystems all over the world, which is why the subject of their decline is so often raised with alarm bells. As @FeminalPanda said, there are many other pollinators: butterflies and moths, bats, birds, wasps, beetles. Insects of all sorts. All pollinators are important, both in the wild and in agriculture. But bees are a special case because they are remarkably efficient and industrious.
There are thousands of different species, and they come in many colors, sizes and shapes. Some are even metallic and iridescent! Some flowering plants have evolved symbiotic relationships with bees, offering small amounts of nectar and pollen at a time to make them visit multiple flowers, producing special scents or visual patterns on their petals (only visible in UV) that appeal more to bees, or even forming shapes that mimic the appearance of bees outright, to attract them specifically. Orchids provide many great examples of these subtle evolutionary pairings.
Of course the species best known to us is the honey bee. If you’ve ever watched them at work you know how fantastic they are at what they do. Foraging honey bees return to their hive dusted all over in pollen, with special “baskets” built into their legs to carry even more. They also collect nectar and oils, and dance to give their sisters very specific directions to the best new foraging spots.
Dozens of humans on ladders, working for days, can’t do what a colony of honey bees can do for an orchard on a sunny afternoon. And while some agricultural crops do self-pollinate in the wind, like cereals such as wheat and rice, many commercial crops depend on bees. Farmers sometimes maintain their own colonies or even rent them out from beekeepers to ensure pollination.
It’s when the bees begin to disappear from a place that we see how critical they are. Fewer bees means reduced yield of crops, less fruit, fewer seeds, and then fewer sprouts. A stagnant and then dwindling population means greater susceptibility to other threats: invasive insects, drought, fire, blight. Events that might only put a dent in their population normally can wipe them out. Animals who depend on the affected plant for food, hydration or shelter also have to look elsewhere. This in turn affects other animals and other plants, in cascading effect.
Unfortunately bees are vulnerable to a lot of things. Storms, drought, predators, fungi, mites, weed killers and pesticides (and in the case of honey bees, competing hives and any ambitious animal who likes eating honey). The list is so long. Luckily we’ve learned a lot about them over the past few decades that I hope will help us to save them long-term.
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Comment on Favorite "cozy" games? in ~games
stellar_plexus Link ParentHaven’t played it much since the official release, but I second My Time at Portia. It’s got the town and its soothing surroundings to explore, locals you get to know, resources to collect,...Haven’t played it much since the official release, but I second My Time at Portia. It’s got the town and its soothing surroundings to explore, locals you get to know, resources to collect, projects to build and a house to make your own. Cozy vibes for sure.
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Comment on Music discovery thread: Share the top three songs you’re currently obsessed with! in ~music
stellar_plexus Link ParentDripfield is such a mood. After following your link I’ve had the album on rotation all week, so thank you.Dripfield is such a mood. After following your link I’ve had the album on rotation all week, so thank you.
For all his talents and the charismatic way he came to fill the niche he made for himself, living as he did, when he did, I always think of him as a poet who happened to find success expressing his poetry with music.
Some lines of his lyrics are a pleasure to read as standalone poetry, which of course is why there’s a lot of overlap between his songs and books. And some of his poems strike a chord with deceptive simplicity: