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smithakp.bsky.social
Smitha
@smithakp.bsky.social
180 followers 470 following 1.2K posts
Now: SEA. Prev: PIT+ATL+徳島県.
UX designer. Ethical tech is cool. GenAI is bullshit.
JET Program alum. 日本語OKかも。
Volcanoes, violins, not violence…but punching Nazis is OK.
That Pirates of Dark Water (.net) lady. 🏴‍☠️💎

PFP: a rotund bird w/ blue + pink feathers
Posts Replies Media Videos
smithakp.bsky.social
An anime-style young man with black hair and glasses is gesturing at a yellow butterfly. Badly hand-drawn overlay text reads: “Is this a mid-life crisis?”
November 30, 2025 at 8:11 PM
smithakp.bsky.social
If you see this, qtp with a pic from your gallery to describe your mental health.
Photo of a LinkedIn post by the National Park Service with a badger. Text reads: Warning: Going to sleep on Sunday will cause Monday. Staying awake all night does not prevent Monday. See you on Monday. P.S. The American badger (Taxidea taxus) is found throughout the western and central U.S. They are mostly nocturnal and can vouch that staying up all night does not prevent Monday from happening. Please do not badger them about it. We speak from experience. Also, avoid talk of snakes and mushrooms. Image: A badger with a "meh" expression sits in front of two boulders surrounded by grass and wildflowers at Rocky Mountain National Park, CO. Photo/Jacob W.Frank
November 25, 2025 at 6:11 AM
smithakp.bsky.social
#Seattle #Issaquah #ICE
Screenshot of a Reddit post in r/issaquah titled: “ICE IN ISSAQUAH TODAY 10/28” Attached photo is of several men in sweatshirts, caps, masks, and vests saying “POLICE,” surrounding a parked Honda car with a man sitting inside. Bishop’s Cut and Color is behind them, which is in a shopping center on Gilman Rd. in Issaquah, WA. Text reads: Reports of McDonald's and QFC getting hit. People being pulled over being asked to prove citizenship indiscriminately. If you see them and are safety able to record them, please do so but at your own risk. The Mayor of Issaquah remains silent. Use this photo and tag on socials. Get the word out
October 28, 2025 at 7:08 PM
smithakp.bsky.social
...what the flippity-flop is this

microsoft.design/articles/flu...

"From UI to UX" - THIS IS TERRIBLE UX, THOUGH

I'm sure people will adjust to them in time, like they usually do, but I can't identify or differentiate 95% of these.

#microsoft #MicrosoftIcons #a11y
An image from Microsoft's design website that features a suite of new icons in a grid, in shades of blue, purple, green, and orange.
October 7, 2025 at 9:06 PM
smithakp.bsky.social
So far, regarding the plastic wrap cover, I have one yea vote and one nay vote. (Probably skipping it.)

Also, there's a huge color discrepancy between photos and website listings. On websites, it is BRIGHT PINK...not what I'm hoping for.

So here I wait with bated breath for the actual thing...
Alternate image of the previously displayed keyboard, taken from Best Buy's site. It is very, very pink.
September 29, 2025 at 9:54 PM
smithakp.bsky.social
I've ordered a new keyboard - used/refurbished, of course - to replace my ancient keyboard. (For whatever reason, pink's just calling to me!) Since standard dust covers likely won't work with it, I'm thinking about just covering it in Reynolds wrap to keep it from getting grubby...? Is that weird?
Photo of a dark pink semi-transparent wireless full-sized keyboard with white keys.
September 29, 2025 at 9:18 PM
smithakp.bsky.social
Posted to our work pets chat. #cats #cat #HoldingMusic
September 29, 2025 at 6:34 PM
smithakp.bsky.social
The Korean Air charter flight taking the Hyundai workers home.

There’s a second ATL-ICN Korean Air flight not too far behind this one. But the flight number (4 digits, starts with 9) gives it away as a charter flight, or at least not part of the standard schedule.
FlightRadar24 mobile screenshot of western North America, filtered to only show flights to or from ATL. Korean Air 9036, a 747-8 from ATL to ICN, is selected. It’s flying northwest over British Columbia.
September 11, 2025 at 8:40 PM
smithakp.bsky.social
Now past 30,000ft and still climbing. Definitely not going to PDX. Medford? California?
FlightRadar24 mobile screenshot showing the aforementioned unmarked plane. It turned west and south and is flying parallel to the Pacific coast.
September 6, 2025 at 7:57 PM
smithakp.bsky.social
And it seems to have just taken off.

That was a rough watch. I had to take a break to text friends in the middle.
FlightRadar24 mobile screenshot showing an unmarked Boeing 737 taking off from Boeing Field, AKA King County Airport, in Seattle.
September 6, 2025 at 7:44 PM
smithakp.bsky.social
Also, bookending my trip (first stop after I landed for breakfast, last stop before I departed to top off gas)…

#pittsburgh #pgh #sheetz
A Sheetz convenience store backlit by a cloud-strewn dawn sky.
September 2, 2025 at 11:56 AM
smithakp.bsky.social
@lme5081.bsky.social Not sure if you’ve seen That Day I Was Reincarnated Into A Slime, but I mixed up your cosplay character with one from the show named Gabiru…and I got really confused because this is him… 😂
A creature with a humanoid body and dragon’s head and wings. His skin is purple except for his grey lower jaw and throat, and he’s wearing brown chest armor and pauldrons with a white furry collar and a blue shirt with yellow striped sleeves. He’s standing in a cave, one hand on his hip, the other up in the air like he’s expressing frustration.
August 18, 2025 at 6:24 PM
smithakp.bsky.social
I swear I thought this was a blonde woman at first.
Photo of the front passenger window of a parked grey car, with a black SUV and the lit windows of a building behind it. Inside the car is a dog with a huge mane of light hair and light-colored snout, looking in the camera’s direction.
August 15, 2025 at 3:41 AM
smithakp.bsky.social
My dad sent this to the family group chat and asked if I understood it because he didn’t.

I don’t think he realized what he was in for, lol.
August 11, 2025 at 7:10 PM
smithakp.bsky.social
Ohhh this is EVIL.

(source: r/violin: www.reddit.com/r/violin/s/h...)
A violin is lying on a grey rubber mat. There’s a salmon-colored sticky note on the body with “finished — please ship” written on it…and it’s pinned INTO the violin?!?! A violin is lying on a grey rubber mat. There’s a salmon-colored sticky note on the body with “finished — please ship” written on it…and it’s pinned INTO the violin?!?! A violin is lying on a grey rubber mat in the background. In the foreground is a light-skinned hand holding the aforementioned note and pin sideways in the air, to show that there is no pin — the pinhead alone is glued onto the note. Nothing’s coming through the other side to pierce the poor violin.
July 14, 2025 at 3:57 PM
smithakp.bsky.social
Mood.
A poorly-rendered AI-generated white-faced dog lying on a wooden floor
July 10, 2025 at 12:01 AM
smithakp.bsky.social
Holy microclimates, Batman. #seattle #seawx #wawx
Cropped screenshot of Weather Underground's Wundermap with weather stations enabled, showing a wide range of temperatures and wind directions. The temp is 65F by Pike Place and 80 by Madrona, just a couple of miles east, and the winds in the Central District are coming from all 4 directions.
July 7, 2025 at 5:41 PM
smithakp.bsky.social
Washington's offering a custom Mount St. Helens license plate starting in November, and it is GORGEOUS. It's by the studio that did the NASA space tourism poster series, as well as notable signage+facades around Seattle.

Mount St. Helens was what got me into geology. I am absolutely getting this.
Mockup of the forthcoming Mount St. Helens license plate in Washington State. It features a teal-tinted polygonal illustration with a mountain goat in the foreground, and the post-1980 volcano and Spirit Lake in the background.
July 2, 2025 at 11:54 PM
smithakp.bsky.social
New laws just dropped, and FUCK YEAH WASHINGTON STATE. #wapoli #wapol
Cropped photo of my laptop screen, showing KING5 News’s website and one specific law. Text reads: ESHB 1531 This bill requires public health responses to communicable diseases to be guided by the best available science. It stipulates that state and local officials must implement and promote evidence-based, appropriate measures to control the spread of communicable diseases, including immunizations and vaccines.
July 2, 2025 at 3:59 AM
smithakp.bsky.social
SEATTLE: what is this flag? (See my quick Sketchbook mockups.) A bunch of people were waving it at Pride but I can’t find it online. I don’t recall if it has the vert stripe or not.

#Seattle #SeattlePride #vexillology #flag #WhatIsThisFlag
Quick sketch of a blue flag with a red horizontal stripe and a white circle. Quick sketch of a blue flag with red horizontal and vertical stripes and a white circle.
June 29, 2025 at 10:55 PM
smithakp.bsky.social
Try this? Quick-and-dirty screengrab of the video.
June 19, 2025 at 7:00 AM
smithakp.bsky.social
Trying to see the aurora from Seattle (CBD/Belltown/CapHill/SLU) is a fool’s errand, right? I don’t have my car so I can’t hit up a suburban park or clearing. But the KP values are going to spike within the hour… #wawx
Screenshot from the Aurora iOS app, showing a map of the western US and southwestern Canada with green, yellow, and red stripes overlaid on it. Seattle is within the yellow, just above the green.
June 2, 2025 at 5:33 AM
smithakp.bsky.social
30? Nah. Gotta be a typo.

I am impressed how many 30s and under-30s are here. So much enthusiasm and positive energy in this crowd.

I love Irish music, and I play different styles of violin music, because of this show. I owe it so much.

#Seattle #Riverdance #ParamountTheatre
The empty stage of the Paramount Theater in Seattle. “Riverdance 30: The New Generation” is being projected onto the backdrop. There are purple pillars to the sides.
June 2, 2025 at 1:31 AM
smithakp.bsky.social
Does anyone sell custom-printed blouses or "nice" tanktops, like with user-uploaded designs?

I got a few from Redbubble in Nov for work. Pattern on the front, solid black black. (Click/tap the thumbnail to view all 3.) They stopped selling them and I am SO bummed. I'd love to get more, somewhere...
Composite of 3 graphic tanktops, being worn by a dark-skinned woman with grey pants. On the left is a series of teal and white waves, where the whitecaps are cats. In the middle is a floral pattern in yellow and aqua on a dark green background. On the right is an autumn leaf pattern, oranges on a green background. And I just realized that I kind of like green, actually.
May 2, 2025 at 4:37 PM
smithakp.bsky.social
Whoa, this is absolutely gorgeous. Kinetic lamp in the shape of a lotus flower, with gently opening and closing petals and circadian lighting. Currently on Kickstarter.

ourlivinglights.com
A lotus-shaped table lamp on a bedside table, shining slightly rose-gold-tinted light, with teal jungle wallpaper in the background. A tall floor lamp with a lotus-shaped light fixture is next to a white and cherry-wood credenza, in a room with white walls and light wooden floors. Two hanging lights with lotus-shaped light fixtures, above a white marble kitchen island, in a light colored kitchen with warm lighting.
May 1, 2025 at 6:25 AM