Daniel
@djpsmitty.bsky.social
editor, science writer, instructional designer
Papa, hubby, dog-ownee
Resistance member
Papa, hubby, dog-ownee
Resistance member
Help me parse this standard: "biodiversity contributes to the stability and sustainability of an ecosystem ...". In this context, sustainability refers to human resource management, right? 1/2 🌎
March 31, 2025 at 3:40 PM
Help me parse this standard: "biodiversity contributes to the stability and sustainability of an ecosystem ...". In this context, sustainability refers to human resource management, right? 1/2 🌎
From the awful Texas science standards: "Analyze the beneficial and harmful influences of human activity on groundwater and surface water in a watershed"
What possible beneficial influence could the committee be thinking of? Jet ski ramps? I'll only be writing about mitigation, no benefits.
🌎
What possible beneficial influence could the committee be thinking of? Jet ski ramps? I'll only be writing about mitigation, no benefits.
🌎
March 5, 2025 at 5:43 PM
From the awful Texas science standards: "Analyze the beneficial and harmful influences of human activity on groundwater and surface water in a watershed"
What possible beneficial influence could the committee be thinking of? Jet ski ramps? I'll only be writing about mitigation, no benefits.
🌎
What possible beneficial influence could the committee be thinking of? Jet ski ramps? I'll only be writing about mitigation, no benefits.
🌎
My mood while writing about tide patterns
February 27, 2025 at 11:00 PM
My mood while writing about tide patterns
It is 5% fascinating, 95% sickening to see how revisionist history-writing is just the macro level of gaslighting. (Apparently poor Russia just had to invade Ukraine because Blackrock? Was buying farms?)
February 20, 2025 at 9:44 PM
It is 5% fascinating, 95% sickening to see how revisionist history-writing is just the macro level of gaslighting. (Apparently poor Russia just had to invade Ukraine because Blackrock? Was buying farms?)
Makes me sick-up in my throat a bit. It's the equivalent of angry boys nailing up a "no girls allowed" sign on their clubhouse.
February 11, 2025 at 5:05 PM
Makes me sick-up in my throat a bit. It's the equivalent of angry boys nailing up a "no girls allowed" sign on their clubhouse.
Creationist BS comes in first result in my Google search about human fossils, and it's not even a sponsored ad.
January 31, 2025 at 3:07 PM
Creationist BS comes in first result in my Google search about human fossils, and it's not even a sponsored ad.
Reposted by Daniel
“Pairing cruelty and loyalty is at the core of autocracy.”
Trump's Week 1 flood of executive orders shows how these twin pillars—cruelty to enemies and loyalty from followers—lay the groundwork for dismantling democracy. @kimlanelaw.bsky.social explains.
Trump's Week 1 flood of executive orders shows how these twin pillars—cruelty to enemies and loyalty from followers—lay the groundwork for dismantling democracy. @kimlanelaw.bsky.social explains.
Cruelty and Loyalty
On zone-flooding fatigue and the tenets of autocracy
contrarian.substack.com
January 28, 2025 at 4:09 PM
“Pairing cruelty and loyalty is at the core of autocracy.”
Trump's Week 1 flood of executive orders shows how these twin pillars—cruelty to enemies and loyalty from followers—lay the groundwork for dismantling democracy. @kimlanelaw.bsky.social explains.
Trump's Week 1 flood of executive orders shows how these twin pillars—cruelty to enemies and loyalty from followers—lay the groundwork for dismantling democracy. @kimlanelaw.bsky.social explains.
Tick, tick, tick – OPM still hosts several sites covering DEI. The barbarians haven't reached here yet.
January 23, 2025 at 12:02 AM
Tick, tick, tick – OPM still hosts several sites covering DEI. The barbarians haven't reached here yet.
Some great, if bittersweet, news for social justice today. Courageous move by Biden. The "law and order" folks are gonna go crazy. Free Leonard Peltier!
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
Biden commutes life sentence of Indigenous activist Leonard Peltier, 80
Native American activist spent half a century in prison over 1975 murder of two FBI agents in South Dakota
www.theguardian.com
January 20, 2025 at 6:34 PM
Some great, if bittersweet, news for social justice today. Courageous move by Biden. The "law and order" folks are gonna go crazy. Free Leonard Peltier!
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
Texas's new science standard, banal Orwellian
#climate
change denial:
"Identify and explain advantages and disadvantages of using Earth's renewable and nonrenewable natural resources such as wind, water, sunlight, plants, animals, coal, oil, and natural gas."
Everything is equally complex! 🌎
#climate
change denial:
"Identify and explain advantages and disadvantages of using Earth's renewable and nonrenewable natural resources such as wind, water, sunlight, plants, animals, coal, oil, and natural gas."
Everything is equally complex! 🌎
January 16, 2025 at 6:09 PM
Texas's new science standard, banal Orwellian
#climate
change denial:
"Identify and explain advantages and disadvantages of using Earth's renewable and nonrenewable natural resources such as wind, water, sunlight, plants, animals, coal, oil, and natural gas."
Everything is equally complex! 🌎
#climate
change denial:
"Identify and explain advantages and disadvantages of using Earth's renewable and nonrenewable natural resources such as wind, water, sunlight, plants, animals, coal, oil, and natural gas."
Everything is equally complex! 🌎
Poppy’s Christmas sweater makes her look like a 1965 cocktail party goer, but it’s made her even lazier than usual.
January 9, 2025 at 1:16 AM
Poppy’s Christmas sweater makes her look like a 1965 cocktail party goer, but it’s made her even lazier than usual.
U of Iowa Center for the Book open house. Full of wonderful arts and crafts.
December 14, 2024 at 12:26 AM
U of Iowa Center for the Book open house. Full of wonderful arts and crafts.
A picture from your device, no explanation
December 11, 2024 at 11:05 PM
A picture from your device, no explanation
Reposted by Daniel
What can government scientists do now to minimize the damage that’s coming over the next four years, and what can we do to help them? I spoke to several experts to write this story for The Revelator
Please share widely. 🧪🌎
therevelator.org/scientists-m...
Please share widely. 🧪🌎
therevelator.org/scientists-m...
Advice for U.S. Government Scientists: Lessons Learned From the ‘Muzzling’ of Their Canadian Counterparts • The Revelator
The next four years will be awful for the science and conservation community. By learning from past experiences, we can minimize the damage.
therevelator.org
December 2, 2024 at 4:15 PM
What can government scientists do now to minimize the damage that’s coming over the next four years, and what can we do to help them? I spoke to several experts to write this story for The Revelator
Please share widely. 🧪🌎
therevelator.org/scientists-m...
Please share widely. 🧪🌎
therevelator.org/scientists-m...
Don't submit in advance! I'm writing an earth-space science book for a client who, in the past, has stood by my straight-science, ignore-politics approach. They just made the decision to remove "global warming" from the book. I'm not helping them, BTW. #SelfCensorship #FreelanceWriters
November 25, 2024 at 10:52 PM
Don't submit in advance! I'm writing an earth-space science book for a client who, in the past, has stood by my straight-science, ignore-politics approach. They just made the decision to remove "global warming" from the book. I'm not helping them, BTW. #SelfCensorship #FreelanceWriters
Cranberry kosho put up to ferment in time for the feast. It adds a bright, fiery punch to the table.
November 23, 2024 at 11:03 PM
Cranberry kosho put up to ferment in time for the feast. It adds a bright, fiery punch to the table.
Science fact o' the day: Diamond anvil cells! Two opposing diamonds super-press a sample, recreating temps and pressures of the Earth's core. Sometimes the diamond shatters, other times we learn amazing things. Oh, they also sometimes shoot lasers at the sample because WHY NOT
November 21, 2024 at 11:06 PM
Science fact o' the day: Diamond anvil cells! Two opposing diamonds super-press a sample, recreating temps and pressures of the Earth's core. Sometimes the diamond shatters, other times we learn amazing things. Oh, they also sometimes shoot lasers at the sample because WHY NOT
Today's science fun fact (I think this is correct): To heat 1 g of water from –20°C to 120°C requires a total of 3,094 J. If you added that amount of heat to 1 g of gold, with its much lower specific heat, the gold’s temperature would soar to nearly
24,000°C, completely vaporizing it.
24,000°C, completely vaporizing it.
November 20, 2024 at 10:08 PM
Today's science fun fact (I think this is correct): To heat 1 g of water from –20°C to 120°C requires a total of 3,094 J. If you added that amount of heat to 1 g of gold, with its much lower specific heat, the gold’s temperature would soar to nearly
24,000°C, completely vaporizing it.
24,000°C, completely vaporizing it.
Self-censorship is real! I'm arguing with a client over keeping "global warming" in a HS earth science book. In a chapter titled "Evidence-based Climate Predictions."
Don't submit in advance!
Don't submit in advance!
November 18, 2024 at 4:33 PM
Self-censorship is real! I'm arguing with a client over keeping "global warming" in a HS earth science book. In a chapter titled "Evidence-based Climate Predictions."
Don't submit in advance!
Don't submit in advance!
Why are white men allowed to drive without license plates? “Global Security Group” decals on their doors. Front car had a “Supervisor” one, too. Follow the leader, tinpot fascists.
November 16, 2024 at 7:28 PM
Why are white men allowed to drive without license plates? “Global Security Group” decals on their doors. Front car had a “Supervisor” one, too. Follow the leader, tinpot fascists.
I wondered how Harris could lose, then I see how this Tyson thing gets lapped up opiated milk.
November 16, 2024 at 5:31 AM
I wondered how Harris could lose, then I see how this Tyson thing gets lapped up opiated milk.
The construction "not only ... but also" is not only wordy but also nearly always unnecessary.
November 15, 2024 at 7:09 PM
The construction "not only ... but also" is not only wordy but also nearly always unnecessary.
Music streaming services should give a "Don't suggest Christmas music [ before XX/XX | ever ]" option.
November 14, 2024 at 3:44 PM
Music streaming services should give a "Don't suggest Christmas music [ before XX/XX | ever ]" option.