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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.

Current Mood: busy

ysabetwordsmith

Scientists finally reveal why mint feels cold

Scientists have captured the first close-up view of the body’s “cold sensor,” revealing how winter air—and even mint—tricks your brain into feeling cool.

Scientists have revealed how the body’s microscopic cold sensor, TRPM8, detects both chilly temperatures and the cooling effect of menthol. The discovery finally shows how the sensation of “cool” works at the molecular level—and could inspire new treatments for pain and eye disorders.

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ysabetwordsmith

Today we went up to Champaign-Urbana.

( Read more... )

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susandennis

The $16 obdii reader came. It took a little over a minute to install it and that includes time out for an OH FUCK when I broke a fingernail at the quick getting the little door cover down. Anyway, another 30 seconds was killed trying to read it and learning it wanted the ignition on. Fine. Turned on the ignition and learned that it's two P2440 codes dealing with the air system.

I came upstairs and internetted and quickly learned this is a known issue with smart cars. The first 3 different reportings - two on Reddit and one on the Smart Car USA forum - noted they drove around with the error code for a year or more before they solved it finally.

My new gadget offers me the option to Clear Codes which I will do next time I turn the car on.

For now, I'm done. I'll report it next time I get the oil changed which will be about August. By that time I should be over being pissed at the car people.

bill_schubert

On my journey to figure out what to do with the body that seems to accompany me everywhere I'm trying new things that ultimately result in being back to the basics of where I always knew I should be.

First was Noom, which I really liked. It started my journey to go from 230 to 210. That was a big deal. No drugs to help, just knowledge. Noom took me through much of what I already knew but it was like having a friend along to help. A great program. But I plateaued at 210 and could not break through that floor.

I should say that the govm't says I should be about 170 or so. That would make me an emaciated beanpole and really unhealthy.

Last August I started taking HIMS version of GLP1. And it obviously works. Reduces food noise. I lost another 25 pounds pretty quickly with only a couple of plateaus. And I could easily have continued to 175 or lower.  But my skin was hanging off me, my right knee joint felt like it needed to be replaced and I could not move well. My pickleball was desultory. I just was not being athletic.

So I had a talk with ChatGPT. The upshot of that several hours of discussion was that it was time to get off the weight watch and get on the muscle growth. Ultimately ChatGPT convinced me that I needed to stay under 190 but other than that don't worry about the weight. But I need to reduce my belly button girth from 42 to 38 or less and the only way to do that is through resistance training. Build up muscle bulk.

I had an A1C test about that same time that indicated mine was high but it has been hight for most of my adult life so no panic. BUT more muscle bulk will help control it.

After Noom ran out (it lasted a year and then kind of fizzled) I tried a couple of different food tracking apps and finally found on that is simple, both web and phone based, and can shoot PLU codes making food recording so easy.

My protein was about half what it should be and I needed to do some strength training, resistance training.

About that time I found a guy in England that I follow online by the name of Will Harlow. He's a physio exercise guru for seniors. His site, for which I pay $550 a year or so, has videos during which he does the day's routine with you in its entirety. Just like having a personal trainer. It is an excellent system and I'm a month into it with huge differences in the way I move and feel for about 20 minutes focus a day.

I now start and end my day with protein. I've got huge vats of whey protein (a brand specifically selected by ChatGPT) that I drink in the morning and once or twice during the day. I eat yogurt with granola and chia seed in it and focus on protein any other time I eat. If I really work at it I can hit the daily goal but it takes a lot.

So exercises that are really not too arduous and maximize protein. Nothing earthshattering, nothing new, nothing I should not have been doing all along. But at 72 it is different. I'm not going to be a muscle man but I am going to be able to get out of my seat without using my hands, get up and down from the floor easily, play pickleball with some athleticism for six hours a week without getting tired. Basically stuff I should be able to do, have done before, and now I'm doing it again.

And I started spacing out my GLP1. Instead of every 7 days I'm taking it every 8 days. As long as my weight stays close to there it should be I'll keep that up and then move it to 9 days. I still track everything I eat so I'll know immediately if things aren't right and move the dose frequency back to where it was. But I don't want to be on the drug forever.

All in all it is an interesting experiment. GLP1 and an AI helped me figure it out.

Such an interesting time we live in.

ysabetwordsmith

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.

( Read more... )

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ysabetwordsmith

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.

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ysabetwordsmith

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.

Current Mood: busy

soemand

Every time a storm shows up on the radar, the mass media seems determined to turn it into a province‑wide disaster movie. This week it’s an ice storm in Town A, and the broadcasters are practically levitating with urgency. The problem? I don’t live in Town A. I live in Town B—100 km away and, more importantly, in a completely different climate zone. We’re getting rain. Just rain. Nothing is freezing, nothing is collapsing, and no one is skating down the street.

But because the local CBC station is centered in Town A, the coverage makes it sound like the entire region is encased in ice. You’d never know that other communities exist, let alone that they’re experiencing totally different weather. Not every cloud stretches across the whole map. Sometimes a storm is just a storm—local, limited, and not worth the province‑wide panic.

susandennis

The car. To recap. Saturday, engine light came on. I went to the fix it place's website and started making an appointment to get the error read. Abandoned and figured I'd just pop in this week. Monday I got a text saying they saw I had abandoned and could they help. I texted back my plan to pop in. The response was 'fine'. Turns out that was a lie. I popped in and the not-at-all-helpful dude allowed as how they were way too busy and would need an appointment and the first one was next week. I went home and texted 'nice of you to mislead me.' The response was 'if you want an appointment Monday, I can hook you up.' I did not respond because I couldn't decide between fuck you and fuck you very much.

On my way home from that place, I pulled into the auto parts place to pick up an OBDII reader. In my mind I kind of had the parts place guy coming out to my car with his reader but they looked very busy so I sat in their parking lot and ordered one for $16 from Amazon. It will be here today. And at least I will know if my car is falling apart.

I spent some time yesterday knitting up a teddy bear but by the time I got to his neck, I was done. He's too big. So now I have some other ideas in my head to try out.

Today we have the food and beverage pre-meeting which will be short, I'm guessing and painless, I'm hoping.

I need to change my bed linen and wash it. Today.

TV. Prime has a new Scarpetta series. It starts Nicole Kidman who has always annoyed the fuck out of me. Plus it's based on books written by a woman I actually knew way back before she became a celebrity author. She was a PIA in those days and I have always assumed she is just a bigger, higher paid one now. So, I have to admit, I'm not crushed that the reviews say the series sucks. Will I watch the first episode anyway? Of course I will!

But I watched the first episode of ABC's RJ Decker and it was quite engaging.

Christian and I had a great visit and then he took me up to the unit he's working on. It's a very large unit - 1800 square feet. The woman who recently moved out was the first tenant when it was built 17 years ago. They tore it back really to the studs and it's a hot mess now. It's like a jungle of half walls and studs. It's just way too big and also claustrophobic. Also my view is way better. I was so glad to walk back into my little apartment after seeing that one. He has his work cut out for him.

He's also doing the unit of another guy here moving in next week. This guy is in his 80's driving up from Florida having all his shit shipped. He's paying Christian to get it all in and arranged in the unit. The guy has never laid eyes on Timber Ridge! He has a son living on Orcus Island which is about a 2 hour drive and then 40 minute ferry ride up the road. Closer than Florida.

One thing Christian said yesterday made me look again at parking for our baseball games in June. (He actually said that there was no fucking way we should bring a car near the stadium but that's neither here nor there.) I had looked at parking apps before, including Spot Hero, and the closest spaces available were not close at all. BUT last night, Spot Hero had spots in the football stadium garage - across the street from the baseball stadium - and I was able to secure a spot for all three games. Only $25 per game which, honestly, I think is a steal. It's going to be a bitch getting into the garage and getting out but, hey, I won't be driving - that's what I have my brother and his son for.

It is the same weekend as the World Cup so it's going to be a mad house and, honestly, I'm not even sure I believe Spot Hero. But the money is paid and we are set. I hope. The local news/internets are whipping up a gynormous frenzy about these games and the people coming to down in 2 and a half months.

Biggie's driving me nuts. He's not happy with my typing on the computer so it must be time for me to get up and do something else.

ysabetwordsmith

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)

Current Mood: busy

ysabetwordsmith

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)

Current Mood: busy

ysabetwordsmith

Life is full of things which are hard or tedious or otherwise unpleasant that need doing anyhow. They help make the world go 'round, they improve skills, and they boost your sense of self-respect. But doing them still kinda sucks. It's all the more difficult to do those things when nobody appreciates it. Happily, blogging allows us to share our accomplishments and pat each other on the back.

What are some of the hard things you've done recently? What are some hard things you haven't gotten to yet, but need to do? Is there anything your online friends could do to make your hard things a little easier?

Current Mood: busy

lizvogel posting in

little_details

Okay, I thought I knew science, but after several days of researching this, all I've got is indecision and a headache.

Original fiction, unspecified not-too-far-future time.

My character is the pilot of a small cargo ship in the asteroid belt. (No FTL, no artificial gravity.) Said ship has sufficient radiation shielding to be safe under normal conditions. My idea is that there's an unusually strong solar event (solar flare? coronal mass ejection?), and he has to survive by positioning his ship on the shadowed side of an asteroid (rocks are good shielding), and use his excellent piloting skills to stay there until the storm passes.

1. Does this, theoretically, actually work?

2. I'd like the solar event to be a Coronal Mass Ejection, because some CMEs move relatively slowly, and that gives my character time to make a narratively interesting choice. But is it the CME itself that's hazardous to human life, or a sort of "bow wave" of radiation that precedes it? And if the latter, is that radiation moving at the speed of the CME, or the speed of light? (I keep thinking I have a grasp on this, and then the next source I read contradicts it.)

Guidance appreciated, fellow space enthusiasts!

ETA: Okay, based on comments and additional research the comments inspired, my takeaway is: (1) CMEs can happen with or without accompanying radiation, (2) the stuff in the CME itself is not dangerous to humans, (3) the dangerous-to-humans part of the radiation travels at the speed of light. Which means this story is probably dead; I really needed that longer warning time for the narratively-interesting parts, darn it.

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Hiding from stellar radiation behind an asteroid

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