J. Boot
LightNews LightNews
banner
polymathically.bsky.social
J. Boot
@polymathically.bsky.social
1.1K followers 1.3K following 120 posts
Writer/photographer/traveler/gamer/banker. Studying Environmental Science & Geography. Encouraging you to learn about the world. They/them. Photos via 500px, but looking for a better site. #Writing #Photography #Nature #SciArt #VideoGames
📚✍️🌐📸🧑‍🔬🎮
Posts Replies Media Videos
Pinned
polymathically.bsky.social
J. Boot @polymathically.bsky.social · Nov 11
-Reading/writing. I'm a voracious reader. 📚
-Travel, especially hiking/nature. As of 2024, I've been to 34 countries/6 continents. 🌐🌱
-Photography. 📷
-Video games. Gamer for 40 years, award-winning reviewer for 20. Let me know you want me to review yours! 🎮
-Learning, especially Earth Sciences. 🧪
Upper Circuit of the Argentinian side of Iguazu Falls, overlooking Salto Bossetti. It's essentially a massive cliff with a seemingly endless series of waterfalls cascading over the side, and into a basin brimming with thick rainforest vegetation. This is only one section of Iguazu Falls, which is the largest waterfall system on Earth. Landscape shot of Yosemite Falls at Yosemite National Park. It shows the upper section of the falls, which drops over 1,400 feet from a cliff and into rocky areas below. The cliff itself juts out at curved angle, with formations that almost resemble a swirl. The position of the waterfall is a unique result of glaciers retreating out of the area thousands of years ago; a moraine altered the flow of Yosemite Creek, forcing it to go over the cliff. This shot was taken on the afternoon of Memorial Day 2021. My perspective and sun's angle created a beautiful contrast (almost perfectly cut in half diagonally!) between the lit and shadowed areas of the landscape, with the sun highlighting the top part of the falls. I live in California, and I've spent tons of time traveling and hiking all over my home state. If you love California and/or want some visual inspiration from here, drop by my feed sometime. A wide-angle shot of an alley in Omoide Yokocho, Shinjuku, Tokyo. The narrow passageway is lined with bustling bars and restaurants. People sit on stools and enjoy a hot meal to stave off the not-quite-yet Spring cold night. Overhead, the passage is lined with lanterns, giving it a more intimate feel in contrast to the large neon signs looming overhead in the distance. Omoide Yokocho (AKA Memory Lane) is a comprised of a few alleys tucked away in a corner of Shinjuku. It's great place to visit if you've got a free evening in Tokyo (or you just want awesome photos), as long as you don't mind your meals flavored with a dash of claustrophobia. I prefer the solitude and beauty of nature, but urban photography gives me more opportunities to experiment with angles, perspective, and lighting. A landscape shot showing the December 2017 eruption of Volcan de Fuego, one of the many volcanoes in Guatemala. This was a few moments after the eruption, with a narrow, but growing plume of smoke and ash billowing into an otherwise clear afternoon sky. A trail of debris flows down one side of the volcano, smashing through rainforest growth. This is far from my most visually stunning photo, but it is one of my favorites because of its story. I was with a hiking group returning to Antigua when the eruption happened. I managed to get this photo from inside a speeding van, through a window, with trees obscuring the view. It's a one and a million shot. I also love geology and volcanology (and pretty much all Earth sciences!), so getting to see an eruption in person was a great experience.
Reposted by J. Boot
wxdam.com
Goofing around with maps tonight and used the NWS's seasonal snowfall analysis to show everywhere that's seen accumulating snow (or sleet!) since Sept. 30.

It's one of the rare seasons we've seen snow in all 50 states.
A map of everywhere in the contiguous U.S. that's seen accumulating snow or sleet since September 30, 2024.
January 26, 2025 at 12:02 AM
polymathically.bsky.social
Went to Costco to restock on muffins, only to find out they were no longer selling the the big ones or the flavor I wanted. WTF, getting two packages of massive muffins for a cheap price was one of their best deals. Now customers have pay more to get less. I don't understand why Costco did this.
January 23, 2025 at 9:54 PM
polymathically.bsky.social
One drawback to living in an old house: no insulation. I despise the winter cold.
January 21, 2025 at 9:09 AM
Reposted by J. Boot
cassmorriswrites.com
Financial statement today reminded me HOW GREAT IT IS when folks request that their libraries acquire books. 😍

Seriously, if you want a totally free-to-you way to help an author, submit a request with your local library. Those sales help us so much, in whatever format.
January 6, 2025 at 9:58 PM
Reposted by J. Boot
basicappleguy.com
Happy 25th Anniversary to those who remember...
December 31, 2024 at 8:36 PM
Reposted by J. Boot
bctiggy.bsky.social
I gotta give it to the USGS. This is a really good timelapse of the beginning of the eruption at Kilauea today.
December 24, 2024 at 12:58 AM
polymathically.bsky.social
Around this same time of year a few decades ago, I watched my grandpa die. Tomorrow, there's a strong chance the same will happen with my grandma. I don't know what god came up with the idea of giving me death for Christmas twice, but I don't appreciate their sense of humor.
December 22, 2024 at 6:44 AM
Reposted by J. Boot
seismosue.bsky.social
Coming up on the 20th anniversary of this portentous event, which claimed over 200,000 lives, almost all from the massive tsunami. The tragedy sparked significant advances in tsunami monitoring, and led directly to the advent of 24/7 operations at the USGS National Earthquake Information Center,
seislologist.bsky.social Adam Pascale @seislologist.bsky.social · Dec 20
It’s hard to comprehend just how powerful the 2004 magnitude 9.1 Boxing Day earthquake was. It tore along the earth for almost 10 minutes, and released energy equivalent to about 50,000 atom bombs.
December 20, 2024 at 12:52 AM
Reposted by J. Boot
davidho.bsky.social
You want to know about this site that lets you explore data collected by the HMS Challenger from 1872–1876, an expedition that laid the foundation of oceanography. 🌊

challenger-expeditio...
A map displaying various ocean regions related to the Challenger Expedition, with marked locations for stations across the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Each region is labeled, noting the number of stations available for exploration. An inset map highlights a specific area in the North Atlantic.
December 14, 2024 at 8:52 PM
Reposted by J. Boot
xkcd.com
METAR xkcd.com/3024
December 13, 2024 at 7:54 PM
polymathically.bsky.social
This is fascinating!
scrippsocean.bsky.social Scripps Institution of Oceanography @scrippsocean.bsky.social · Dec 13
A satellite-mounted instrument has in just one year produced higher-resolution imagery of the global seafloor than that from comparable systems over the past 30 years. 'Sea' for yourself and learn more about the new study led by Scripps Oceanography postdoctoral scholar Yao Yu. ⬇️
SWOT Sharpens Seafloor Focus
A satellite-mounted instrument has in just one year produced higher-resolution imagery of the global seafloor than that from comparable systems over the past 30 years.
scripps.ucsd.edu
December 13, 2024 at 10:27 PM
polymathically.bsky.social
Huh, that's a really good offer...
December 12, 2024 at 10:45 AM
Reposted by J. Boot
volcaholic1.bsky.social
Mount Kanlaon in the Philippines erupted today at 3.03pm. The alert level has been raised to level 3....👀
December 9, 2024 at 10:39 AM
Reposted by J. Boot
volcaholic1.bsky.social
Mount Kanlaon in the Philippines erupted today at 3.03pm. The alert level has been raised to level 3....👀
December 9, 2024 at 10:34 AM
polymathically.bsky.social
News outlets: The unnamed suspect is still at large.
Suspect: That's Mama Luigi to you!
illumi.meme illumi @illumi.meme · Dec 9
NYPD believes suspect fled the scene on the back of a Yoshi, escaped Manhattan via underground pipes
December 9, 2024 at 8:11 PM
Reposted by J. Boot
stellerarts.com
Jupiter in false-color ultraviolet. A new study suggests dark ovals in the poles are formed from a vortex that’s created by magnetic field interactions with the ionosphere (upper atmosphere of Jupiter) and Jupiter’s moon Io. It’s like an Earth-sized tornado stirring up haze in the atmosphere!
Small round clay piece painted to look like Jupiter in false color. The Great Red Spot is dark purple. The poles are deep red and magenta. The cloud bands are purple and light blue.
December 9, 2024 at 5:44 AM
Reposted by J. Boot
emollick.bsky.social
Sharks are older than the rings of Saturn.

This paper finds that the rings are no older than 400M years. Sharks date back to at least the Late Ordovician Period, 450M years ago.
December 8, 2024 at 6:54 AM
Reposted by J. Boot
g-heaton.bsky.social
Fossilized Miocene fish I found today! Monterey formation on the California central coast, Santa Barbara county
Cell photo of my hand holding a small tan slab of sandstone with half of a fossilized fish, with a foggy pacific beach in the background
December 9, 2024 at 1:00 AM
polymathically.bsky.social
5 authors I've read 5+ books by:

Stephen King
Haruki Murakami
Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Umberto Eco
Kurt Vonnegut
erintonola.bsky.social Erin @erintonola.bsky.social · Dec 9
5 authors I've read 5+ books by
Anne Rice
Dean Koontz
Frank Herbert
George RR Martin
Clive Barker
crawlieswithcri.bsky.social Cri 🕊🐝🐜📝🎭⚽😷 @crawlieswithcri.bsky.social · Nov 20
5 authors I've read 5+ books by
J.R.R. Tolkien
Terry Pratchett
Martha Grimes
John Steinbeck
Stephen King
December 9, 2024 at 1:06 AM
Reposted by J. Boot
polymathically.bsky.social
Working on my photography backlog right now. Here are a few from my time in Maui earlier this year. #Hawaii #RoadToHana #Nature 🌱 #Birds 🦉 #SciArt 🐡 #Photography 📷
Photo taken on The Road To Hana. The narrow road bends from the center to the left; the pavement is slick and reflective from the recent rain. A dense canopy of trees branches follows the curve. Everything is in a natural, rich green hue. Landscape photo taken at a stream bank at Kepaniwai Park. The right side foreground is dominated by a tree in silhouette, with its roots snaking through the muddy ground beneath. The hill opposite the stream is covered in dense foliage, and it's in a natural, rich green hue. The shadowy foreground gives way to the highlights of sunlight glaring through the departing rain clouds. Landscape shot of Puohokamoa Falls, taken at Garden of Eden Arboretum on The Road To Hana. The shot was taken from a cliff overhead, with the falls in the distant center, surrounded by dense rainforest foliage. Everything is in a natural, rich green hue... Except for the orange two birds of paradise flowers in the foreground. Close-up portrait shot of a common/Indian myna (Acridotheres tristis). It's mostly front-facing and looking directly at the camera, though its head is slightly tilted in an almost quizzical manner. The brown and black feathers are contrasted with the bird's bright yellows around its eyes and beak. Taken at the Garden of Eden Arboretum.
December 8, 2024 at 2:38 AM
polymathically.bsky.social
Huh. I've finally gotten a 300 day streak on Duolingo. It's a habit; keeping that streak going is the only reason I'm still using it. It's good for practicing the alphabets, but I'm pretty sure I've learned more Japanese by having Hololive streams play in the background when I'm working on projects.
December 8, 2024 at 11:05 AM
Reposted by J. Boot
geogarver.bsky.social
Incredible meanders on Fish Creek, NY. This low gradient part of the creek cuts into lake deposits of Glacial Lake Iroquois, but today it empties into Lake Oneida. Image made from 1 m lidar-based DEM. #rivers #lidar
Dark blue river channel runs diagonally across image. Brightly colored landscape shows topography around creek.
November 14, 2024 at 11:58 AM
polymathically.bsky.social
I was going to say that no one is above the bollard. But in this case...
December 8, 2024 at 10:23 AM
polymathically.bsky.social
"Take the shot, Big Salad!"
gailsimone.bsky.social Gail Simone @gailsimone.bsky.social · Dec 8
Your TOP GUN fighter tag is the last thing you ate. No more than two words.

GO.
December 8, 2024 at 10:13 AM
Reposted by J. Boot
flameryder.bsky.social
Clinoptilolite-Ca Ca₃(Si₃₀Al₆)O₇₂·20H₂O
Erionite-K K₁₀(Si₂₆Al₁₀O₇₂)·30H₂O
Pyrite Fe²⁺(S₂)₂-
Colorless blocky crystals of clinoptilolite-Ca growing on acicular erionite-K crystals. There are 3 acicular pyrite crystals in lower half of image.
FOV = 3.0 mm
Collected by Rudy Tschernich.
Colorless blocky clinoptilolite-Ca crystals on fine acicular crystals colorless erionite-K crystals The 3 pyrite crystals are the darker crystals radiating from the lower center of the image.
December 7, 2024 at 7:25 PM