R Garner
@rhgarner.bsky.social
She/her. Science media fact-checker, scicommer & independent researcher. If not talking about animals, I’ll be photographing them.
I study the regulatory/legal/legislative landscapes impacting captive management of exotic and wild animals in the US.
I study the regulatory/legal/legislative landscapes impacting captive management of exotic and wild animals in the US.
Reposted by R Garner
hey, seattle, here's a bookstore to avoid
(as nicole says, don't harass them! but I would add: also don't give them your money)
(as nicole says, don't harass them! but I would add: also don't give them your money)
November 14, 2025 at 7:11 PM
hey, seattle, here's a bookstore to avoid
(as nicole says, don't harass them! but I would add: also don't give them your money)
(as nicole says, don't harass them! but I would add: also don't give them your money)
Reposted by R Garner
THEN YOU PURCHASE THEM AND DO NOT USE THE PROPERTY OF OTHERS
Open AI loses copyright case in Germany.
Judge Elke Schwager summarized the case saying that if you want to build something and need components, "then you purchase them and do not use the property of others."
Judge Elke Schwager summarized the case saying that if you want to build something and need components, "then you purchase them and do not use the property of others."
Blow for OpenAI in Germany as court rules song lyrics used illegally
A German court ruled on Tuesday that OpenAI violated copyright on nine popular songs in a lawsuit that marked another attempt to prevent the free use of artists' content online. The Munich Regional Co...
www.yahoo.com
November 14, 2025 at 9:23 PM
THEN YOU PURCHASE THEM AND DO NOT USE THE PROPERTY OF OTHERS
Reposted by R Garner
It's Veterans Day, so I feel like spinning a #GranddadYarn. I'm gonna tell what is known in the family as the Korea Story, though it does not take place in Korea and involves it only tangentially.
It is, however, a timely story about good leadership, which I think we could all use right now.
It is, however, a timely story about good leadership, which I think we could all use right now.
November 12, 2025 at 1:20 AM
It's Veterans Day, so I feel like spinning a #GranddadYarn. I'm gonna tell what is known in the family as the Korea Story, though it does not take place in Korea and involves it only tangentially.
It is, however, a timely story about good leadership, which I think we could all use right now.
It is, however, a timely story about good leadership, which I think we could all use right now.
Reposted by R Garner
Seattle! Check to make sure your ballot doesn’t have any issues being counted, it is a SUPER close mayor race and we need you! Go here to make sure:
info.kingcounty.gov/kcelections/...
info.kingcounty.gov/kcelections/...
November 8, 2025 at 5:59 AM
Seattle! Check to make sure your ballot doesn’t have any issues being counted, it is a SUPER close mayor race and we need you! Go here to make sure:
info.kingcounty.gov/kcelections/...
info.kingcounty.gov/kcelections/...
Reposted by R Garner
Reposted by R Garner
One simple, powerful and often overlooked thing you can do to resist fascism?
Wear a mask, ideally an N95!
Covid is not over
Masking sends a powerful message that you value your health & the health of your community
That you don’t think disabled lives are expendable
It’s radical community care
Wear a mask, ideally an N95!
Covid is not over
Masking sends a powerful message that you value your health & the health of your community
That you don’t think disabled lives are expendable
It’s radical community care
November 6, 2025 at 5:06 AM
One simple, powerful and often overlooked thing you can do to resist fascism?
Wear a mask, ideally an N95!
Covid is not over
Masking sends a powerful message that you value your health & the health of your community
That you don’t think disabled lives are expendable
It’s radical community care
Wear a mask, ideally an N95!
Covid is not over
Masking sends a powerful message that you value your health & the health of your community
That you don’t think disabled lives are expendable
It’s radical community care
Reposted by R Garner
The Repository has been taken over by skeletons!
...they've been very enthusiastic about allocating the xtra bone stash this Halloween.
For one night only, step up, and visit a world in which cladistics aren’t enforced & taxonomy is non-euclidean!
www.animal-photo-references.com/spoopy-scary...
...they've been very enthusiastic about allocating the xtra bone stash this Halloween.
For one night only, step up, and visit a world in which cladistics aren’t enforced & taxonomy is non-euclidean!
www.animal-photo-references.com/spoopy-scary...
October 31, 2025 at 5:13 PM
The Repository has been taken over by skeletons!
...they've been very enthusiastic about allocating the xtra bone stash this Halloween.
For one night only, step up, and visit a world in which cladistics aren’t enforced & taxonomy is non-euclidean!
www.animal-photo-references.com/spoopy-scary...
...they've been very enthusiastic about allocating the xtra bone stash this Halloween.
For one night only, step up, and visit a world in which cladistics aren’t enforced & taxonomy is non-euclidean!
www.animal-photo-references.com/spoopy-scary...
Reposted by R Garner
give me ticks and give me fleas
i'll munch and crunch them, if you please
in the trash or on the lawn
i'll munch until the pests are gone
#art
i'll munch and crunch them, if you please
in the trash or on the lawn
i'll munch until the pests are gone
#art
October 26, 2025 at 11:20 AM
give me ticks and give me fleas
i'll munch and crunch them, if you please
in the trash or on the lawn
i'll munch until the pests are gone
#art
i'll munch and crunch them, if you please
in the trash or on the lawn
i'll munch until the pests are gone
#art
Reposted by R Garner
October 15, 2025 at 12:19 AM
i love science & i love that brassica is clearly some variety of eldritch entity that manifests as a bitter plant, native to the liminal plateaus on the thresholds of reality.
as humans, we are for some reason compelled to trick each other into devouring it.
as humans, we are for some reason compelled to trick each other into devouring it.
October 13, 2025 at 4:18 AM
Reposted by R Garner
I'm going to delete my Bob Ross post to avoid my misremembered misinformation from making the 'rounds.
But I wanted you all to read and repost this instead.
But I wanted you all to read and repost this instead.
This post is getting shared a lot, but it's inaccurate. Bob Ross donated most of his paintings to PBS stations to use in pledge drives to raise money for stations, which is why the estate auctioning paintings now is so appropriate, because it's what he would have done to raise funds for PBS. 1/?
October 8, 2025 at 4:57 AM
I'm going to delete my Bob Ross post to avoid my misremembered misinformation from making the 'rounds.
But I wanted you all to read and repost this instead.
But I wanted you all to read and repost this instead.
Reposted by R Garner
If I'm not meant to add my body to the giant sphere of candy corn and ectoplasm rolling through the cornfields at night, the sphere should stop making such persuasive arguments.
October 1, 2025 at 8:36 PM
If I'm not meant to add my body to the giant sphere of candy corn and ectoplasm rolling through the cornfields at night, the sphere should stop making such persuasive arguments.
Reposted by R Garner
Alien, 1979. (Directed by Ridley Scott)
September 28, 2025 at 5:45 PM
Alien, 1979. (Directed by Ridley Scott)
Reposted by R Garner
Photo of the Day: milky eagle owl preview!
Thank you to everyone who funded the Birds of Prey trip. I’m hard at work sorting photos, but wanted to share this favorite shot immediately.
All photos on the repository are free-to-use for artists creating derivative/transformative works (sans AI).
Thank you to everyone who funded the Birds of Prey trip. I’m hard at work sorting photos, but wanted to share this favorite shot immediately.
All photos on the repository are free-to-use for artists creating derivative/transformative works (sans AI).
September 24, 2025 at 4:38 PM
Photo of the Day: milky eagle owl preview!
Thank you to everyone who funded the Birds of Prey trip. I’m hard at work sorting photos, but wanted to share this favorite shot immediately.
All photos on the repository are free-to-use for artists creating derivative/transformative works (sans AI).
Thank you to everyone who funded the Birds of Prey trip. I’m hard at work sorting photos, but wanted to share this favorite shot immediately.
All photos on the repository are free-to-use for artists creating derivative/transformative works (sans AI).
Reposted by R Garner
A few months ago I pitched @lisatozzi.bsky.social a story about the revival of an ancient Hawaiian board game. She said just go and write it. Before the story was published today she was laid off — so thank you to Lisa for making this happen and everyone involved in the story except Mark Zuckerberg
They Tried to Snuff Out Hawaii's Native Board Game. Meet the Man Keeping It Alive
Kōnane was once a national pastime, played by peasants and rulers alike. Now John Kaʻohelauliʻi has made it his mission to bring it back.
www.rollingstone.com
September 20, 2025 at 8:21 PM
A few months ago I pitched @lisatozzi.bsky.social a story about the revival of an ancient Hawaiian board game. She said just go and write it. Before the story was published today she was laid off — so thank you to Lisa for making this happen and everyone involved in the story except Mark Zuckerberg
Reposted by R Garner
I'm officially putting out a call for volunteers with professional/academic expertise to help ID wildlife photos.
My preference is to work directly with individuals rather than crowdsource IDs via iNat, for a number of reasons.
If this is you re: any specific species or taxa, please reach out!
My preference is to work directly with individuals rather than crowdsource IDs via iNat, for a number of reasons.
If this is you re: any specific species or taxa, please reach out!
Contact — Animal Photo Reference Repository
www.animal-photo-references.com
September 6, 2025 at 7:38 PM
I'm officially putting out a call for volunteers with professional/academic expertise to help ID wildlife photos.
My preference is to work directly with individuals rather than crowdsource IDs via iNat, for a number of reasons.
If this is you re: any specific species or taxa, please reach out!
My preference is to work directly with individuals rather than crowdsource IDs via iNat, for a number of reasons.
If this is you re: any specific species or taxa, please reach out!
Reposted by R Garner
Reposted by R Garner
A belief in a free and open internet and equitable access to knowledge is a huge part of why I’m so determined to keep the repository un-paywalled. People deserve access to images and information guaranteed to be free of AI slop without having to shell out for the privilege.
Most of the internet used to be like this. This is actually the default, it took companies enclosing the internet and adding weird, soul-killing incentives to make people behave the way they do now. In a way, there is truly nothing special about Wikipedia except that it survived longer.
“Wikipedia is this economic anomaly. In many ways, it’s sort of magical that people will just volunteer without explicit economic incentives to create artifacts that are meant to share knowledge with everyone in the world”
July 26, 2025 at 8:54 PM
A belief in a free and open internet and equitable access to knowledge is a huge part of why I’m so determined to keep the repository un-paywalled. People deserve access to images and information guaranteed to be free of AI slop without having to shell out for the privilege.
Reposted by R Garner
last time i did this (about crabs) i had to put on an upper limit because we reached 1000 crab facts. make him regret it, folks
One like, one clam fact
One like, one opinion about how to solve climate change.
July 24, 2025 at 1:33 AM
last time i did this (about crabs) i had to put on an upper limit because we reached 1000 crab facts. make him regret it, folks
Reposted by R Garner
New species added: Yellow Anacondas!
www.animal-photo-references.com/yellow-anaco...
All photos on the repository are free-to-use for artists creating derivative/transformative works (sans AI).
www.animal-photo-references.com/yellow-anaco...
All photos on the repository are free-to-use for artists creating derivative/transformative works (sans AI).
July 23, 2025 at 9:10 PM
New species added: Yellow Anacondas!
www.animal-photo-references.com/yellow-anaco...
All photos on the repository are free-to-use for artists creating derivative/transformative works (sans AI).
www.animal-photo-references.com/yellow-anaco...
All photos on the repository are free-to-use for artists creating derivative/transformative works (sans AI).
Reposted by R Garner
Please do not do this.
Please do not mock people who are genuinely struggling to find ways to survive a society that decided to accept endemic COVID.
It was a choice, that choice is made.
Some folks are highly vulnerable to death as a result of that choice.
That's just reality.
Please do not mock people who are genuinely struggling to find ways to survive a society that decided to accept endemic COVID.
It was a choice, that choice is made.
Some folks are highly vulnerable to death as a result of that choice.
That's just reality.
July 21, 2025 at 11:54 PM
Please do not do this.
Please do not mock people who are genuinely struggling to find ways to survive a society that decided to accept endemic COVID.
It was a choice, that choice is made.
Some folks are highly vulnerable to death as a result of that choice.
That's just reality.
Please do not mock people who are genuinely struggling to find ways to survive a society that decided to accept endemic COVID.
It was a choice, that choice is made.
Some folks are highly vulnerable to death as a result of that choice.
That's just reality.
Reposted by R Garner
We have decided to ban the use of GenAI for research, writing & creative work at our organization.
In fact, we make people sign an agreement saying that their research, analysis, writing, and creative work are *theirs* and not done by GenAI.
In fact, we make people sign an agreement saying that their research, analysis, writing, and creative work are *theirs* and not done by GenAI.
July 17, 2025 at 1:04 AM
We have decided to ban the use of GenAI for research, writing & creative work at our organization.
In fact, we make people sign an agreement saying that their research, analysis, writing, and creative work are *theirs* and not done by GenAI.
In fact, we make people sign an agreement saying that their research, analysis, writing, and creative work are *theirs* and not done by GenAI.
Reposted by R Garner
Every once in awhile, I think of my favorite “…the fuck did you just say?” phraseology, which is from Homer’s Iliad, proving we have never, ever changed as a species, only less fancily inclined.
“What nonsense has escaped the barrier of your teeth now?”
“What nonsense has escaped the barrier of your teeth now?”
July 16, 2025 at 10:13 PM
Every once in awhile, I think of my favorite “…the fuck did you just say?” phraseology, which is from Homer’s Iliad, proving we have never, ever changed as a species, only less fancily inclined.
“What nonsense has escaped the barrier of your teeth now?”
“What nonsense has escaped the barrier of your teeth now?”
Reposted by R Garner
Honestly, bless Teen Vogue. My tween daughter saw this headline over my shoulder & said “she’s so real for that.” Then pulled up the story to read it on her tablet. To my knowledge she has never read a political news story on her own before.
For Deja Foxx, It Was Crashout or Congress. She Chose Congress.
The 25-year-old is running for a seat in Arizona.
www.teenvogue.com
July 14, 2025 at 10:26 PM
Honestly, bless Teen Vogue. My tween daughter saw this headline over my shoulder & said “she’s so real for that.” Then pulled up the story to read it on her tablet. To my knowledge she has never read a political news story on her own before.