Daniel Ethier
@dethier1958.bsky.social
I'm a retired middle school math teacher and cross country coach. Before teaching, I worked as a software engineer.
I am interested in computers, math, science, history, and politics. I enjoy running, amateur astronomy, drone photography, and programming.
I am interested in computers, math, science, history, and politics. I enjoy running, amateur astronomy, drone photography, and programming.
Northern lights at about 8:20 this evening. Things had just picked up with the reds starting to appear above the green that had just become more wavy and active.
November 13, 2025 at 4:01 AM
Northern lights at about 8:20 this evening. Things had just picked up with the reds starting to appear above the green that had just become more wavy and active.
November 12, 2025 at 5:51 AM
Panorama of tonight's northern lights. Handheld with my iPhone. Stitched two photos together using Panorama Stitcher.
#astronomy
#astronomy
November 6, 2025 at 4:14 AM
Panorama of tonight's northern lights. Handheld with my iPhone. Stitched two photos together using Panorama Stitcher.
#astronomy
#astronomy
Reposted by Daniel Ethier
SNAP benefits are set to run out on Saturday. Far-right influencers and extremists are incorrectly claiming that immigrants are the main recipients of food stamps. www.wired.com/story/disinf...
No, SNAP Benefits Aren’t Mostly Used by Immigrants
SNAP benefits are set to run out on Saturday. Far-right influencers and extremists are incorrectly claiming that immigrants are the main recipients of food stamps.
www.wired.com
October 30, 2025 at 1:44 PM
SNAP benefits are set to run out on Saturday. Far-right influencers and extremists are incorrectly claiming that immigrants are the main recipients of food stamps. www.wired.com/story/disinf...
The Triangulum Galaxy. This is the result of almost 24 hours of imaging over 5 nights. This galaxy is about 2.7 million light years away. It is about 60,000 light years in diameter, a bit more than half the size of our Milky Way galaxy.
#astronomy
#astronomy
October 28, 2025 at 7:04 PM
The Triangulum Galaxy. This is the result of almost 24 hours of imaging over 5 nights. This galaxy is about 2.7 million light years away. It is about 60,000 light years in diameter, a bit more than half the size of our Milky Way galaxy.
#astronomy
#astronomy
Reposted by Daniel Ethier
It's always DNS. Except when it's AWS. (In this case, it was both.)
Amazon DNS outage breaks much of the internet | TechCrunch
The outage affected websites like Coinbase and Fortnite, and disrupted services like Signal, Zoom and Amazon's own products, including Ring.
techcrunch.com
October 20, 2025 at 11:28 AM
It's always DNS. Except when it's AWS. (In this case, it was both.)
Reposted by Daniel Ethier
Reposted by Daniel Ethier
BREAKING from PP
We found immigration agents have held more than 170 *citizens*
The govt doesn't track citizens held. So we did. We tallied:
Nearly 20 kids, two w/ cancer
More than 20 citizens held for day or more, incommunicado
www.propublica.org/article/immi...
by @nicolefoy.bsky.social
We found immigration agents have held more than 170 *citizens*
The govt doesn't track citizens held. So we did. We tallied:
Nearly 20 kids, two w/ cancer
More than 20 citizens held for day or more, incommunicado
www.propublica.org/article/immi...
by @nicolefoy.bsky.social
More Than 170 U.S. Citizens Have Been Held by Immigration Agents. They’ve Been Kicked, Dragged and Detained for Days.
The government does not track how often immigration agents grab citizens. So ProPublica did. Our tally — almost certainly incomplete — includes people who were held for days without a lawyer. And near...
www.propublica.org
October 16, 2025 at 4:06 PM
BREAKING from PP
We found immigration agents have held more than 170 *citizens*
The govt doesn't track citizens held. So we did. We tallied:
Nearly 20 kids, two w/ cancer
More than 20 citizens held for day or more, incommunicado
www.propublica.org/article/immi...
by @nicolefoy.bsky.social
We found immigration agents have held more than 170 *citizens*
The govt doesn't track citizens held. So we did. We tallied:
Nearly 20 kids, two w/ cancer
More than 20 citizens held for day or more, incommunicado
www.propublica.org/article/immi...
by @nicolefoy.bsky.social
Reposted by Daniel Ethier
Young children are capable of finding systematic solutions to complex problems without any instruction, contradicting long-held assumptions about cognitive development, according to a psychologist
buff.ly/226VzMZ 🧪
buff.ly/226VzMZ 🧪
Children can be systematic problem-solvers at younger ages than psychologists had thought – new research
By cranking up the difficulty on the test task, researchers found that children are capable of finding systematic solutions to complex problems far earlier than psychologists had believed.
buff.ly
October 3, 2025 at 10:03 PM
Young children are capable of finding systematic solutions to complex problems without any instruction, contradicting long-held assumptions about cognitive development, according to a psychologist
buff.ly/226VzMZ 🧪
buff.ly/226VzMZ 🧪
Reposted by Daniel Ethier
The messages show high-level officials in the Trump administration discussing the possible deployment of the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division, an infantry force that has dropped into combat zones in both World Wars, Vietnam and Afghanistan.
Trump officials discussed sending elite Army division to Portland, text messages show
A high-ranking White House official was indiscreetly texting about the Portland, Ore., planning last weekend, according to messages shared with the Minnesota Star Tribune.
bit.ly
October 4, 2025 at 12:05 AM
The messages show high-level officials in the Trump administration discussing the possible deployment of the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division, an infantry force that has dropped into combat zones in both World Wars, Vietnam and Afghanistan.
The Andromeda Galaxy. We had 6 consecutive nights of very clear skies, just beautiful weather, with the moon new to a thin crescent setting before imaging began. This is a mosaic of five individual images totaling about 25 hours.
September 30, 2025 at 12:24 AM
The Andromeda Galaxy. We had 6 consecutive nights of very clear skies, just beautiful weather, with the moon new to a thin crescent setting before imaging began. This is a mosaic of five individual images totaling about 25 hours.
Reposted by Daniel Ethier
Serious scholars have examined what happens when we change the number of H1-B visas issued.
Cities that get more H1-B immigrants subsequently see the wages of natives *rise* substantially.
Skilled immigrants bring new ideas, fill labor shortages and make us all more productive.
Cities that get more H1-B immigrants subsequently see the wages of natives *rise* substantially.
Skilled immigrants bring new ideas, fill labor shortages and make us all more productive.
September 22, 2025 at 2:42 PM
Serious scholars have examined what happens when we change the number of H1-B visas issued.
Cities that get more H1-B immigrants subsequently see the wages of natives *rise* substantially.
Skilled immigrants bring new ideas, fill labor shortages and make us all more productive.
Cities that get more H1-B immigrants subsequently see the wages of natives *rise* substantially.
Skilled immigrants bring new ideas, fill labor shortages and make us all more productive.
Reposted by Daniel Ethier
Vertical rows are the agrivoltaic winner!
“The vertical panels produce slightly less electricity—but with higher value, as generation peaks coincide with morning and late afternoon demand…The crops don't seem to mind the presence of solar panels and they like the wind protection they provide.”
“The vertical panels produce slightly less electricity—but with higher value, as generation peaks coincide with morning and late afternoon demand…The crops don't seem to mind the presence of solar panels and they like the wind protection they provide.”
Double harvest: Vertical solar panels and crops thrive side by side
Imagine a field where solar panels and crops coexist—with no trade-off. It sounds like science fiction, but that's precisely what researchers from Aarhus University have now documented in a full-scale...
techxplore.com
September 22, 2025 at 11:47 AM
Vertical rows are the agrivoltaic winner!
“The vertical panels produce slightly less electricity—but with higher value, as generation peaks coincide with morning and late afternoon demand…The crops don't seem to mind the presence of solar panels and they like the wind protection they provide.”
“The vertical panels produce slightly less electricity—but with higher value, as generation peaks coincide with morning and late afternoon demand…The crops don't seem to mind the presence of solar panels and they like the wind protection they provide.”
Reposted by Daniel Ethier
“DOGE, he said, began acting like “a bunch of people who didn’t know what they were doing, with ideas of how government should run — thinking it should work like a McDonald’s or a bank — screaming all the time.”
The Untold Saga of What Happened When DOGE Stormed Social Security
DOGE has ignored urgently needed reforms and upgrades at the Social Security Administration, according to dozens of insiders and 15 hours of candid interviews with the former acting chief of the agenc...
www.propublica.org
September 17, 2025 at 1:49 AM
“DOGE, he said, began acting like “a bunch of people who didn’t know what they were doing, with ideas of how government should run — thinking it should work like a McDonald’s or a bank — screaming all the time.”
Reposted by Daniel Ethier
NEW: The messages on the bullets are from a video game called Helldivers2. My latest: www.muellershewrote.com/p/new-the-me...
NEW: The Messages on the Bullets are From a Video Game
The phrases engraved on the bullets found by law enforcement during the investigation into the shooting of Charlie Kirk come from a video game called Helldivers2
www.muellershewrote.com
September 12, 2025 at 6:04 PM
NEW: The messages on the bullets are from a video game called Helldivers2. My latest: www.muellershewrote.com/p/new-the-me...
Reposted by Daniel Ethier
#AI in #education: Is it a brain booster or a brain drain?
A cognitive psychologist explains why genuine mental effort remains crucial for learning and mastery.
buff.ly/JViMka4
A cognitive psychologist explains why genuine mental effort remains crucial for learning and mastery.
buff.ly/JViMka4
How does AI affect how we learn? A cognitive psychologist explains why you learn when the work is hard
Chatbots can facilitate ‘cognitive offloading,’ or taking shortcuts when learning. But emerging research on AI and cognitive science shows that learning is like a workout.
theconversation.com
September 11, 2025 at 2:30 AM
#AI in #education: Is it a brain booster or a brain drain?
A cognitive psychologist explains why genuine mental effort remains crucial for learning and mastery.
buff.ly/JViMka4
A cognitive psychologist explains why genuine mental effort remains crucial for learning and mastery.
buff.ly/JViMka4
Reposted by Daniel Ethier
Believing community to be the key to ending chronic homelessness, the Sacred Settlement model uses religious land use law to overcome opposition.
Minnesota churches are sharing land with homeless people. They say it’s the Christian thing to do.
Believing community to be the key to ending chronic homelessness, the Sacred Settlement model uses religious land use law to overcome opposition.
bit.ly
September 6, 2025 at 2:26 PM
Believing community to be the key to ending chronic homelessness, the Sacred Settlement model uses religious land use law to overcome opposition.
Reposted by Daniel Ethier
NEW: Trump has targeted political foes — including Federal Reserve governor Lisa Cook — for claiming more than one primary residence on their loan papers.
But ProPublica found that at least three of the president’s Cabinet members have done the same thing.
But ProPublica found that at least three of the president’s Cabinet members have done the same thing.
Trump Is Accusing Foes With Multiple Mortgages of Fraud. Records Show 3 of His Cabinet Members Have Them.
The White House has targeted opponents, including a Fed governor, for having more than one primary residence on their loan papers. ProPublica found that, in one case, a Trump cabinet secretary got two...
www.propublica.org
September 4, 2025 at 7:18 PM
NEW: Trump has targeted political foes — including Federal Reserve governor Lisa Cook — for claiming more than one primary residence on their loan papers.
But ProPublica found that at least three of the president’s Cabinet members have done the same thing.
But ProPublica found that at least three of the president’s Cabinet members have done the same thing.
Hint of the northern lights visible low in the sky from the Twin Cities this evening.
September 2, 2025 at 3:26 AM
Hint of the northern lights visible low in the sky from the Twin Cities this evening.
The Dumbbell Nebula. This is about 5 1/2 hours of imaging over three nights. Very clear all three nights. This is the result of a star that exploded about 10,000 years ago. It is about 1360 light years away and about 2 light years in diameter.
#astronomy
#astronomy
September 1, 2025 at 9:56 PM
The Dumbbell Nebula. This is about 5 1/2 hours of imaging over three nights. Very clear all three nights. This is the result of a star that exploded about 10,000 years ago. It is about 1360 light years away and about 2 light years in diameter.
#astronomy
#astronomy
Reposted by Daniel Ethier
A website that lets you select a country or state and move it around a Mercator projection map to yield better size comparisons.
thetruesize.com, created by James Talmage and Damon Maneice
thetruesize.com, created by James Talmage and Damon Maneice
August 30, 2025 at 11:34 PM
A website that lets you select a country or state and move it around a Mercator projection map to yield better size comparisons.
thetruesize.com, created by James Talmage and Damon Maneice
thetruesize.com, created by James Talmage and Damon Maneice
Reposted by Daniel Ethier
High school sports promise character development and leadership skills, but many coaches lack training to deliver these outcomes. 90% of coaches want leadership training, yet only 12% have received it, according to two researchers who study HS sports
buff.ly/D0VHip2
#Edusky
buff.ly/D0VHip2
#Edusky
Are high school sports living up to their ideals?
High school sports associations want to mold better students and citizens through sport, but are coaches well equipped to deliver on that front?
buff.ly
August 30, 2025 at 4:35 AM
High school sports promise character development and leadership skills, but many coaches lack training to deliver these outcomes. 90% of coaches want leadership training, yet only 12% have received it, according to two researchers who study HS sports
buff.ly/D0VHip2
#Edusky
buff.ly/D0VHip2
#Edusky
Reposted by Daniel Ethier
A huge amount of new generating capacity is expected in the US this year, and about half of that is solar, with a small fraction of natural gas (no coal).
This would be the highest ever annual addition to US capacity (prev. peak before graph starts is mid-70s at ~40GW).
www.eia.gov/todayinenerg...
This would be the highest ever annual addition to US capacity (prev. peak before graph starts is mid-70s at ~40GW).
www.eia.gov/todayinenerg...
August 20, 2025 at 2:05 PM
A huge amount of new generating capacity is expected in the US this year, and about half of that is solar, with a small fraction of natural gas (no coal).
This would be the highest ever annual addition to US capacity (prev. peak before graph starts is mid-70s at ~40GW).
www.eia.gov/todayinenerg...
This would be the highest ever annual addition to US capacity (prev. peak before graph starts is mid-70s at ~40GW).
www.eia.gov/todayinenerg...
Reposted by Daniel Ethier
"That doesn't make for a great headline though. 'The troubling decline in conscientiousness' is a lot more compelling than 'A very small decline in conscientiousness.'"
No, Conscientiousness Hasn't Collapsed Among Young People in Recent Years
How the Financial Times created a misleading meme and contributed to the firehose of nonsense on screen panic
grimoiremanor.substack.com
August 15, 2025 at 11:35 PM
"That doesn't make for a great headline though. 'The troubling decline in conscientiousness' is a lot more compelling than 'A very small decline in conscientiousness.'"
Reposted by Daniel Ethier
Everything from military radios to AI can be hacked. At the Defcon hacker conference, researchers showed how they hacked into these systems—not for gain—but to point out vulnerabilities.
First, a student who found that vape detectors installed at his high school could be used for surveillance: 🧵
First, a student who found that vape detectors installed at his high school could be used for surveillance: 🧵
It Looks Like a School Bathroom Smoke Detector. A Teen Hacker Showed It Could Be an Audio Bug
A pair of hackers found that a vape detector often found in high school bathrooms contained microphones—and security weaknesses that could allow someone to turn it into a secret listening device.
www.wired.com
August 8, 2025 at 3:48 PM
Everything from military radios to AI can be hacked. At the Defcon hacker conference, researchers showed how they hacked into these systems—not for gain—but to point out vulnerabilities.
First, a student who found that vape detectors installed at his high school could be used for surveillance: 🧵
First, a student who found that vape detectors installed at his high school could be used for surveillance: 🧵