Steve Harrell
@steveharrell.bsky.social
Retired professor, unretired ethnographer, polyglot, part-time climate activist, occasional contrarian. Taiwan, China, and Whatcom County--Post mostly plants, mountains, energy transition. Occasionally political snark.
Something to ponder:
"What I fear is that people will come to think of language as only what machines can translate, forgetting everything outside that frame. If technology promises to end the language barrier, we should ask: What else will it erase?"
www.theatlantic.com/books/2025/1...
"What I fear is that people will come to think of language as only what machines can translate, forgetting everything outside that frame. If technology promises to end the language barrier, we should ask: What else will it erase?"
www.theatlantic.com/books/2025/1...
The Costs of Instant Translation
AI might soon rob us of the thrill and challenge of cross-cultural conversation.
www.theatlantic.com
November 12, 2025 at 6:05 AM
Something to ponder:
"What I fear is that people will come to think of language as only what machines can translate, forgetting everything outside that frame. If technology promises to end the language barrier, we should ask: What else will it erase?"
www.theatlantic.com/books/2025/1...
"What I fear is that people will come to think of language as only what machines can translate, forgetting everything outside that frame. If technology promises to end the language barrier, we should ask: What else will it erase?"
www.theatlantic.com/books/2025/1...
#Bellingham #Forests 2025, Day 315:
Forest paths get slick with maple leaves this time of year. By spring, they'll pretty much be soil:
Forest paths get slick with maple leaves this time of year. By spring, they'll pretty much be soil:
November 11, 2025 at 11:55 PM
#Bellingham #Forests 2025, Day 315:
Forest paths get slick with maple leaves this time of year. By spring, they'll pretty much be soil:
Forest paths get slick with maple leaves this time of year. By spring, they'll pretty much be soil:
November 10, 2025 at 3:49 PM
#Bellingham #Forests 2025, Day 313:
Last glory of Japanese maple Seiryu 青龍 as leaves start to drop. Last chance to ask why it isn't 紅龍。
Last glory of Japanese maple Seiryu 青龍 as leaves start to drop. Last chance to ask why it isn't 紅龍。
November 9, 2025 at 5:04 PM
#Bellingham #Forests 2025, Day 313:
Last glory of Japanese maple Seiryu 青龍 as leaves start to drop. Last chance to ask why it isn't 紅龍。
Last glory of Japanese maple Seiryu 青龍 as leaves start to drop. Last chance to ask why it isn't 紅龍。
#Bellingham #Forests 2025, Day 312:
Bellingham's urban forests with Canadian Coast Range mountains in the background.
Bellingham's urban forests with Canadian Coast Range mountains in the background.
November 8, 2025 at 6:30 PM
#Bellingham #Forests 2025, Day 312:
Bellingham's urban forests with Canadian Coast Range mountains in the background.
Bellingham's urban forests with Canadian Coast Range mountains in the background.
#Bellingham #Forests 2025, Day 310
Our Japanese Maple Seiryu 青龍 At the height of its glory (a few days ago)
Our Japanese Maple Seiryu 青龍 At the height of its glory (a few days ago)
November 7, 2025 at 7:20 PM
#Bellingham #Forests 2025, Day 310
Our Japanese Maple Seiryu 青龍 At the height of its glory (a few days ago)
Our Japanese Maple Seiryu 青龍 At the height of its glory (a few days ago)
#Bellingham #Forests 2025, Day 309:
Fall is the season of the Third Kingdom. This delicate "snowball" was growing on the sawed-off end of a downed tree that had fallen across a trail.
Fall is the season of the Third Kingdom. This delicate "snowball" was growing on the sawed-off end of a downed tree that had fallen across a trail.
November 6, 2025 at 3:05 PM
#Bellingham #Forests 2025, Day 309:
Fall is the season of the Third Kingdom. This delicate "snowball" was growing on the sawed-off end of a downed tree that had fallen across a trail.
Fall is the season of the Third Kingdom. This delicate "snowball" was growing on the sawed-off end of a downed tree that had fallen across a trail.
This is not about saving the planet. It's about saving the oil and gas industry.
subscriber.politicopro.com/article/eene...
subscriber.politicopro.com/article/eene...
E&E News: Geoengineering startup has been secretly lobbying Congress for months
Stardust Solutions hired Holland & Knight, but the lobbying giant says it "inadvertently" failed to publicly disclose its work for the startup, as required by law.
subscriber.politicopro.com
November 6, 2025 at 2:59 PM
This is not about saving the planet. It's about saving the oil and gas industry.
subscriber.politicopro.com/article/eene...
subscriber.politicopro.com/article/eene...
November 5, 2025 at 3:09 PM
#Bellingham #Forests 2025, Day 308
For the first time, our Mountain Maple/Douglas Maple (Acer glabrum) has made a nice fall show.
For the first time, our Mountain Maple/Douglas Maple (Acer glabrum) has made a nice fall show.
November 4, 2025 at 3:50 PM
#Bellingham #Forests 2025, Day 308
For the first time, our Mountain Maple/Douglas Maple (Acer glabrum) has made a nice fall show.
For the first time, our Mountain Maple/Douglas Maple (Acer glabrum) has made a nice fall show.
#Bellingham #Forests 2025, Day 307:
Biggest Amanitas I've ever seen. About 6-9 inches across. Not as cute as the usual toadstool ones.
Biggest Amanitas I've ever seen. About 6-9 inches across. Not as cute as the usual toadstool ones.
November 3, 2025 at 3:36 PM
#Bellingham #Forests 2025, Day 307:
Biggest Amanitas I've ever seen. About 6-9 inches across. Not as cute as the usual toadstool ones.
Biggest Amanitas I've ever seen. About 6-9 inches across. Not as cute as the usual toadstool ones.
November 2, 2025 at 3:11 PM
Reposted by Steve Harrell
Brown pelicans Flying V formation.
November 1, 2025 at 11:15 PM
Brown pelicans Flying V formation.
Reposted by Steve Harrell
this must be so infuriating for the beaver
October 29, 2025 at 12:50 PM
this must be so infuriating for the beaver
November 1, 2025 at 4:50 PM
Reposted by Steve Harrell
The problem with Democrats in the Biden era wasn’t the content of the domestic policies, it was the total failure to sell them and to understand, manage, and master the media environment, especially social media.
This right here, this exact sentence, is THE problem in American political journalism.
The IRA *was* cheap energy and good jobs! That was the whole bill! Democrats did precisely what political pundits are telling them to do and the pundits just ignore it.
The IRA *was* cheap energy and good jobs! That was the whole bill! Democrats did precisely what political pundits are telling them to do and the pundits just ignore it.
November 1, 2025 at 12:19 PM
The problem with Democrats in the Biden era wasn’t the content of the domestic policies, it was the total failure to sell them and to understand, manage, and master the media environment, especially social media.
I'm a sucker for cool ideas. If we *need* data centers (questionable), Rewiring America has a cool idea: the data centers can fulfill their power needs faster and no more expensively by buying families heat pumps to replace resistance heating.
www.rewiringamerica.org/research/hom...
www.rewiringamerica.org/research/hom...
New report: Household upgrades could offset all new projected data center energy demand | Rewiring America
Our report, Homegrown Energy, finds household upgrades are the best, fastest solution for increasing energy demand.
www.rewiringamerica.org
November 1, 2025 at 1:54 AM
I'm a sucker for cool ideas. If we *need* data centers (questionable), Rewiring America has a cool idea: the data centers can fulfill their power needs faster and no more expensively by buying families heat pumps to replace resistance heating.
www.rewiringamerica.org/research/hom...
www.rewiringamerica.org/research/hom...
Reposted by Steve Harrell
So, I hate to be this guy, but as the director of Yale’s new program on attribution science (!?), uh, most of the commentary on Bluesky about Hurricane Melissa and climate change has been… not quite right
October 31, 2025 at 2:19 AM
So, I hate to be this guy, but as the director of Yale’s new program on attribution science (!?), uh, most of the commentary on Bluesky about Hurricane Melissa and climate change has been… not quite right
Reposted by Steve Harrell
Exactly! Who's going to rake the forests now?
October 31, 2025 at 6:14 PM
Exactly! Who's going to rake the forests now?
#Bellingham #Forests 2025, Day 304:
Autumn reflections: Turning deciduous trees rim Lake Padden, standing out against dark conifer backgrounds, doubled up on a very still day.
Autumn reflections: Turning deciduous trees rim Lake Padden, standing out against dark conifer backgrounds, doubled up on a very still day.
October 31, 2025 at 4:13 PM
#Bellingham #Forests 2025, Day 304:
Autumn reflections: Turning deciduous trees rim Lake Padden, standing out against dark conifer backgrounds, doubled up on a very still day.
Autumn reflections: Turning deciduous trees rim Lake Padden, standing out against dark conifer backgrounds, doubled up on a very still day.
#Bellingham #Forests 2025, Day 303:
Not sure what variety of Japanese maple (Acer palmatum) this is, or whose yard it's in, but it's seasonally appropriate, and it's appropriate to all seasons to have more trees and less lawn.
Not sure what variety of Japanese maple (Acer palmatum) this is, or whose yard it's in, but it's seasonally appropriate, and it's appropriate to all seasons to have more trees and less lawn.
October 30, 2025 at 3:56 PM
#Bellingham #Forests 2025, Day 303:
Not sure what variety of Japanese maple (Acer palmatum) this is, or whose yard it's in, but it's seasonally appropriate, and it's appropriate to all seasons to have more trees and less lawn.
Not sure what variety of Japanese maple (Acer palmatum) this is, or whose yard it's in, but it's seasonally appropriate, and it's appropriate to all seasons to have more trees and less lawn.
Wow! And there is even better to come.
October 30, 2025 at 3:14 AM
Wow! And there is even better to come.
#Bellingham #Forests 2025, Day 302:
Shore pine (Pinus contorta contorta) is another carpet-laying conifer.
Shore pine (Pinus contorta contorta) is another carpet-laying conifer.
October 29, 2025 at 3:34 PM
#Bellingham #Forests 2025, Day 302:
Shore pine (Pinus contorta contorta) is another carpet-laying conifer.
Shore pine (Pinus contorta contorta) is another carpet-laying conifer.
October 28, 2025 at 3:44 PM