Assisted dying bill Scotland
Mar. 17th, 2026 10:14 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
vivdunstanVery sad to see the Scottish assisted dying bill voted against. Thinking of my dad tonight, and those like him, who suffered cruel and prolonged deaths from terminal disease, with totally inadequate palliative care, and would have dearly liked the option of assisted dying legislation.
And I find it really hard to read people posting about making life worth living instead. My dad died of pulmonary fibrosis, suffocating to death over two years hooked up permanently to oxygen. The last few months were agonising. People saying this haven't a clue how much some suffer. It is so cruel.
And I find it really hard to read people posting about making life worth living instead. My dad died of pulmonary fibrosis, suffocating to death over two years hooked up permanently to oxygen. The last few months were agonising. People saying this haven't a clue how much some suffer. It is so cruel.
World ID wants you to put a cryptographically unique human identity behind your AI agents
Mar. 17th, 2026 09:28 pm![[syndicated profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/feed.png){kind=small}
arstechnica_feedOver the last few months, tools like OpenClaw have shown what tech-savvy AI users can do by setting a virtual cadre of automated agents on a task. But that individual convenience can be a DDOS-level pain for online service providers faced with a torrent of Sybil attack-style requests from thousands of such agents at once.
Identity startup World thinks its "proof of human" World ID technology can provide a potential solution to this problem. Today, the company launched a beta of Agent Kit, a new way for humans to prove they are directing their AI agents and for websites to limit access to AI agents working on behalf of an actual human.
If you recognize the name World, it's probably as the organization behind WorldCoin, the Sam Altman-founded cryptocurrency outfit that launched in 2023 alongside an offer to give free WorldCoin to anyone who scanned their iris in a physical "orb". While WorldCoin still exists (at a current value well below its early 2024 peaks), World has now pivoted to focus on World ID, which uses the same iris-scanning technology as the basis for a cryptographically secure, unique online identity token stored on your phone.
Arizona indicts prediction market Kalshi for running illegal gambling operation
Mar. 17th, 2026 07:28 pmarstechnica_feedArizona’s attorney general filed criminal charges against prediction market Kalshi, accusing it of operating a gambling business without a license and offering illegal wagers on elections.
“Kalshi may brand itself as a ‘prediction market,’ but what it’s actually doing is running an illegal gambling operation and taking bets on Arizona elections, both of which violate Arizona law,” Attorney General Kris Mayes said in a statement on Tuesday.
While Arizona’s case is the first time criminal charges have been brought against the company, several other US states have alleged that Kalshi’s markets constitute illegal and unregulated sports betting.
FDA links raw cheese to outbreak; Makers "100% disagree," refuse recall
Mar. 17th, 2026 06:53 pmarstechnica_feedThe Food and Drug Administration has linked cheddar cheese made from raw (unpasteurized) milk to a multistate outbreak of Shiga toxin-producing E. coli. But the cheese's maker, Raw Farm, is rejecting the regulator's findings and refusing to voluntarily recall its cheese.
In an outbreak investigation notice, the FDA said seven cases have been identified in three states: California (five cases), Florida (one case), and Texas (one case). Of the seven cases, two required hospitalization. Four of the seven cases were in children age 3 or younger who are at higher risk of severe illness. No deaths have been reported.
The onset of the seven illnesses spanned September of last year to as recently as February 13. Genetic testing of the E. coli in each case found they were highly related and, thus, likely from a common source. Of the three cases that health officials have been able to fully interview about their potential exposures, all three said they had eaten Raw Farm-branded raw cheddar cheese.
Trump's plan to shut down weather and climate center triggers lawsuit
Mar. 17th, 2026 05:38 pmarstechnica_feedOn Monday, a consortium that oversees the US's premier atmospheric research center announced it was suing the Trump administration over plans to shut it down. The National Center for Atmospheric Research, or NCAR, provides a home for interdisciplinary and collaborative research focused on anything atmospheric. Many of the country's leading academic researchers in the field have spent time working there or have been involved in collaborations that involve NCAR.
But all of that is dependent upon government support for the research done there and, back in December, the head of the Office of Management and Budget labeled it woke and “one of the largest sources of climate alarmism in the country,” calling for it to be broken up. Since then, planning has continued for the dismemberment of NCAR, with everything from its computing facilities to its headquarters building being up for grabs. But now, the group that runs NCAR is fighting back, alleging in a lawsuit that this is all happening simply because President Trump is mad at Colorado and its governor.
The center at risk
NCAR is situated in Boulder, Colorado, and provides a home for a huge range of science, from weather forecasting to climate change to the impact of space weather on the upper atmosphere. The work there is backed by two research aircraft and a supercomputing center to run the weather and climate models. All of that is managed by the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR), a nonprofit that represents over 130 individual educational institutions. UCAR helps manage and maintain the facilities and apply for and distribute grant money, and it provides work space for people to pursue collaborative projects at its facilities. Graduate students, post-docs, and faculty may all spend time working at NCAR facilities or using its supercomputing resources as part of specific research projects.
Paul Atreides faces the cost of his holy war in Dune: Part 3 teaser
Mar. 17th, 2026 05:22 pmarstechnica_feedWarner Bros. just dropped a broody and haunting extended teaser for Denis Villeneuve's Dune: Part 3, the highly anticipated third film in the director's acclaimed franchise—the last in his planned trilogy.
(Spoilers for first two films in the franchise below.)
In 2021's Dune, we first met Frank Herbert's iconic anti-hero, Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet). That film culminated in the brutal defeat of House Atreides by rival House Harkonnen, with Paul and his mother, Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson), fleeing to the desert and taking refuge with the Fremen. Among them is Chani (Zendaya), whom Paul has been seeing in visions all along.
Seasons of Glass and Iron, by Amal El-Mohtar
Mar. 17th, 2026 01:00 pmmrissaReview copy provided by the publisher. Also the author is a friend.
This morning I wrote to another friend, "I've finished reading Amal's new collection, and now the only problem is how to write a review that's laudatory enough." "A good problem to have," my friend correctly noted.
Seriously, though. I've read most of these stories before, but when I came to each one, it was a matter of, "Oh, I loved this one!" rather than "Oh yeah, this one." There is a stylistic and thematic inclination to the stories that never rises to sameness. It's such a distillation of why I have been consistently happy to see these stories (and a few poems!) in the venues where they've appeared, for the years they've been appearing.
If you were hoping that this would be a source of new Amal stories, you'll have to keep waiting, this is the kind of collection that's a culmination of previous work rather than a revelation of new. But it's a beautiful slim volume, I'm thrilled to have it, I will press it upon my friends and relations, hurrah. Hurrah.
Circling back to this guy...
Mar. 17th, 2026 03:53 pmkiyaWatcher
They say angels
Are genderless
But he refused to come
Unarmed:
He tore an eye
From his feathered wing
And opened its color
To paint his lids
He had not been shaped
To have
A blade
So he made one.
His hands opened
With gifts:
These are your weapons,
Use them.
Become strong
And beautiful.
Birdfeeding
Mar. 17th, 2026 02:51 pmysabetwordsmithToday is cloudy and cold. At least the howling wind stopped.
I fed the birds. I've seen a few sparrows and house finches.
I put out water for the birds.
Many of the plants that were sprouting have died from the hard freeze. :/ Some still look fine though. At least some of the sprouts in my jug and tub greenhouses have survived.
EDIT 3/17/26 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.
EDIT 3/17/26 -- I did more work around the patio.
.
I fed the birds. I've seen a few sparrows and house finches.
I put out water for the birds.
Many of the plants that were sprouting have died from the hard freeze. :/ Some still look fine though. At least some of the sprouts in my jug and tub greenhouses have survived.
EDIT 3/17/26 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.
EDIT 3/17/26 -- I did more work around the patio.
.
He tried to run away, well, she hit him with a hammer
Mar. 17th, 2026 03:13 pmsovayFor Saint Patrick's Day, I had a foreign body removed from my eye and was immunologically shot in the shoulder. Who needs booze?
multifandom icons.
Mar. 17th, 2026 09:37 pmwickedgame posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
iconsFandoms: 9-1-1, 9-1-1: Lone Star, 1923, A Discovery of Witches, Avatar: The Last Airbender, Echo, Elite, Fallout, Heated Rivalry, Stargirl, The Order, Yellowjackets
rest HERE @mundodefieras
rest HERE @
mundodefieras (no subject)
Mar. 17th, 2026 03:05 pmconuly posting in agonyauntDEAR HARRIETTE: I've recently gone sober for health reasons, and it wasn't an easy decision, especially because my social life has always involved going out for drinks, celebrating with cocktails and bonding over happy hour. When my friends and I went out last weekend, they were pressuring me to drink. I ordered a mocktail, and almost immediately, my friends started to laugh and said that it would be fine to just have one drink. This surprised me because I never thought that my friends would try to force me to do something that would actively have a negative effect on my health. It made me feel unsupported and, frankly, disrespected. At the same time, I don't want to lose my friendships or isolate myself socially just because I'm choosing not to drink. Now I'm anxious about future outings. I don't want every dinner or celebration to turn into a debate about my personal choices. How should I talk to my friends about setting boundaries without making things awkward? -- Sober
( Read more... )
( Read more... )
I guess we uh, take the good with the bad.
Mar. 17th, 2026 08:05 pmgoodbyebird+ Dune Messiah traile dropped! I treated myself to one peek and one peek only. But I am vibrating.
+ The mountain in the middle of town is ah. On fire. 240 evacuated so far, including two of my friends and two of my friends' parents. Real windy outside. Not a good time.
+ The mountain in the middle of town is ah. On fire. 240 evacuated so far, including two of my friends and two of my friends' parents. Real windy outside. Not a good time.
Things to Like
Mar. 17th, 2026 02:01 pmyourlibrarian1) Whoa, the changes at Tumblr have meant a flood of people signing up for accounts at Pillowfort. I just went through a feed four times longer than usual.
2) We've watched four episodes of Starfleet Academy and are both pleasantly surprised by it. I confess I haven't been very enthused by the new crop of shows. In fact my favorite season was one that it seems most viewers didn't care for, which was S1 of Discovery. ( Read more... )
3) Looks like it isn't just late night shows that are winding to a close but talk shows and entertainment news. I can see why podcasts would be far cheaper to make and competing with the audience, but I do wonder if most can put out episodes as consistently as is done with larger productions. (I note, for example, that Access Hollywood has four hosts).
4) Not being a reader of Outlander, I had no idea there was a separate Lord John Grey series. A spinoff based on the books sounds great, and you'd think with the success of Heated Rivalry (it was a Jeopardy question this week!) that the timing would be perfect. Granted, a period piece with a large cast would be significantly more expensive, but it also has a built in audience via its linked TV show and books.
5) Watched Zootopia 2 and enjoyed it. I particularly liked how they worked in references to favorite things from the first film without having it slow down or detract from the story in progress. For us this was wolves starting a howl, and the appearance of the sloth. There were lots of little in-jokes (such as the Hulu menu) and things moved along quite well, with fun new characters to meet.
2) We've watched four episodes of Starfleet Academy and are both pleasantly surprised by it. I confess I haven't been very enthused by the new crop of shows. In fact my favorite season was one that it seems most viewers didn't care for, which was S1 of Discovery. ( Read more... )
3) Looks like it isn't just late night shows that are winding to a close but talk shows and entertainment news. I can see why podcasts would be far cheaper to make and competing with the audience, but I do wonder if most can put out episodes as consistently as is done with larger productions. (I note, for example, that Access Hollywood has four hosts).
4) Not being a reader of Outlander, I had no idea there was a separate Lord John Grey series. A spinoff based on the books sounds great, and you'd think with the success of Heated Rivalry (it was a Jeopardy question this week!) that the timing would be perfect. Granted, a period piece with a large cast would be significantly more expensive, but it also has a built in audience via its linked TV show and books.
5) Watched Zootopia 2 and enjoyed it. I particularly liked how they worked in references to favorite things from the first film without having it slow down or detract from the story in progress. For us this was wolves starting a howl, and the appearance of the sloth. There were lots of little in-jokes (such as the Hulu menu) and things moved along quite well, with fun new characters to meet.
Poll #34380 Kudos Footer-562
This poll is anonymous.
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 7
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 7
Want to leave a Kudos?
My latest cartoon for New Scientist
Mar. 17th, 2026 06:19 pmmyjetpack_feed
ALTMy latest cartoon for New Scientist
Check-In Post - March 17th 2026
Mar. 17th, 2026 07:01 pmbadly_knitted posting in get_knittedHello to all members, passers-by, curious onlookers, and shy lurkers, and welcome to our regular daily check-in post. Just leave a comment below to let us know how your current projects are progressing, or even if they're not.
Checking in is NOT compulsory, check in as often or as seldom as you want, this community isn't about pressure it's about encouragement, motivation, and support. Crafting is meant to be fun, and what's more fun than sharing achievements and seeing the wonderful things everyone else is creating?
There may also occasionally be questions, but again you don't have to answer them, they're just a way of getting to know each other a bit better.
This Week's Question: What is a craft that you tried but abandoned?
If anyone has any questions of their own about the community, or suggestions for tags, questions to be asked on the check-in posts, or if anyone is interested in playing check-in host for a week here on the community, which would entail putting up the daily check-in posts and responding to comments, go to the Questions & Suggestions post and leave a comment.
I now declare this Check-In OPEN!
Spin Control, by Chris Moriarty
Mar. 17th, 2026 11:44 amrunpunkrunSequel to Spin State, and, yes, you have to read that one first. Really solid hard science-fiction where the science is artificial intelligence (real AI, not fucking Claude), cloning, ecological collapse, complex adaptive systems and complexity theory, and I took the last two straight out of the "Further Reading" section at the end (yes there's homework) because hell if I know, even though Moriarty definitely expected me to know and says as much. The closest I can get to guessing what that field is about (without Further Reading) is E.O. Wilson and his ants, which are also here.
The fiction is set far in the future in a universe where the Earth is suffering from global climate catastrophe and the vast majority of people live in orbital stations or on terraformed planets. This includes huge hives of genetically engineered corporate clones, who are no longer considered human, and transhumans who have been technologically advanced to the point where they're not considered entirely human either. The only humans allowed to live on Earth are natural ones with hereditary exceptions, which, practically, seems to mainly mean indigenous groups, whatever's left of the United States after it broke with the U.N., and people with religious wars to fight. Half of the action is set in the middle of the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine.
So you can see how this book might be a bit too real at this stage of the horrors.
Unfortunately for both of us, due to my state of mind—and the state of the world—I couldn't concentrate on any of it. I could only read it sporadically and had trouble remembering all the spy intrigue (of which there's a lot) and who was on what side, but I'm sure it was great and tense and full of unexpected betrayals (iguess.jpg). However, I can say that even after days away from it, I could pick it up and just start reading because it's very well written and the (main) characters are all memorable and interesting.
If any of this sounds like your jam, read the first book (that one is about mining, Bose–Einstein condensates, corporate espionage, and AI), pick up this one, and then probably read the third in the trilogy, Ghost Spin. I'll pick it up one day, but probably not today, and probably not tomorrow, on account of my poor brains.
Contains: global climate disaster; Israel/Palestine; torture and interrogation; widespread infertility; unplanned pregnancy; amputation; slaughter of chickens for food; and an extended shoutout to Ender's Game.
The fiction is set far in the future in a universe where the Earth is suffering from global climate catastrophe and the vast majority of people live in orbital stations or on terraformed planets. This includes huge hives of genetically engineered corporate clones, who are no longer considered human, and transhumans who have been technologically advanced to the point where they're not considered entirely human either. The only humans allowed to live on Earth are natural ones with hereditary exceptions, which, practically, seems to mainly mean indigenous groups, whatever's left of the United States after it broke with the U.N., and people with religious wars to fight. Half of the action is set in the middle of the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine.
So you can see how this book might be a bit too real at this stage of the horrors.
Unfortunately for both of us, due to my state of mind—and the state of the world—I couldn't concentrate on any of it. I could only read it sporadically and had trouble remembering all the spy intrigue (of which there's a lot) and who was on what side, but I'm sure it was great and tense and full of unexpected betrayals (iguess.jpg). However, I can say that even after days away from it, I could pick it up and just start reading because it's very well written and the (main) characters are all memorable and interesting.
If any of this sounds like your jam, read the first book (that one is about mining, Bose–Einstein condensates, corporate espionage, and AI), pick up this one, and then probably read the third in the trilogy, Ghost Spin. I'll pick it up one day, but probably not today, and probably not tomorrow, on account of my poor brains.
Contains: global climate disaster; Israel/Palestine; torture and interrogation; widespread infertility; unplanned pregnancy; amputation; slaughter of chickens for food; and an extended shoutout to Ender's Game.
A NOVEL A NOVEL I'M PUBLISHING A SECOND NOVEL
Mar. 17th, 2026 07:27 pmnonymosi cannot share all the details just yet since i JUST got the news and haven't called my agent yet, but
I'M GOING TO GET A SECOND NOVEL PUBLISHED!!!
and not a novella this time, a 100k+ epic fantasy novel!! i've been working on it for years, this feels totally unreal!! i'm so excited!!
the publisher says they're planning on publishing it summer 2027 - which is so SOON!!!
I'M GOING TO GET A SECOND NOVEL PUBLISHED!!!
and not a novella this time, a 100k+ epic fantasy novel!! i've been working on it for years, this feels totally unreal!! i'm so excited!!
the publisher says they're planning on publishing it summer 2027 - which is so SOON!!!
(no subject)
Mar. 17th, 2026 01:51 pmconuly posting in agonyauntDear Eric: My husband and his ex-wife have 50/50 custody of their 15-year-old son. I despise this child. He is completely useless, rude, disrespectful, selfish, ungrateful and lazy. All he does is stare at his computer screen. I have carefully planned my entire life schedule around his schedule, to avoid being at the house on the days he is there for my husband's 50 percent custody.
My husband has just told me that his ex-wife is moving to another state far away and that he is going to take full custody of his son. This means the child I despise so much is now going to be living with me at my house full time, every single day, and there's nothing I can do about it. My husband refuses to let his son move away with his ex. How do I manage this?
– Fed Up
( Read more... )
My husband has just told me that his ex-wife is moving to another state far away and that he is going to take full custody of his son. This means the child I despise so much is now going to be living with me at my house full time, every single day, and there's nothing I can do about it. My husband refuses to let his son move away with his ex. How do I manage this?
– Fed Up
( Read more... )
Researchers disclose vulnerabilities in IP KVMs from four manufacturers
Mar. 17th, 2026 05:07 pmarstechnica_feedResearchers are warning about the risks posed by a low-cost device that can give insiders and hackers unusually broad powers in compromising networks.
The devices, which typically sell for $30 to $100, are known as IP KVMs. Administrators often use them to remotely access machines on networks. The devices, not much bigger than a deck of cards, allow the machines to be accessed at the BIOS/UEFI level, the firmware that runs before the loading of the operating system.
This provides power and convenience to admins, but in the wrong hands, the capabilities can often torpedo what might otherwise be a secure network. Risks are posed when the devices—which are exposed to the Internet—are deployed with weak security configurations or surreptitiously connected to by insiders. Firmware vulnerabilities also leave them open to remote takeover.
Gamers react with overwhelming disgust to DLSS 5's generative AI glow-ups
Mar. 17th, 2026 04:29 pmarstechnica_feedSince deep-learning super-sampling (DLSS) launched on 2018's RTX 2080 cards, gamers have been generally bullish on the technology as a way to effectively use machine-learning upscaling techniques to increase resolutions or juice frame rates in games. With yesterday's tease of the upcoming DLSS 5, though, Nvidia has crossed a line from mere upscaling into complete lighting and texture overhauls influenced by "generative AI." The result is a bland, uncanny gloss that has received an instant and overwhelmingly negative reaction from large swaths of gamers and the industry at large.
While previous DLSS releases rendered upscaled frames or created entirely new ones to smooth out gaps, Nvidia calls DLSS 5—which it plans to launch in Autumn—"a real-time neural rendering model" that can "deliver a new level of photoreal computer graphics previously only achieved in Hollywood visual effects." Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said explicitly that the technology melds "generative AI" with "handcrafted rendering" for "a dramatic leap in visual realism while preserving the control artists need for creative expression."
Unlike existing generative video models, which Nvidia notes are "difficult to precisely control and often lack predictability," DLSS 5 uses a game's internal color and motion vectors "to infuse the scene with photoreal lighting and materials that are anchored to source 3D content and consistent from frame to frame." That underlying game data helps the system "understand complex scene semantics such as characters, hair, fabric and translucent skin, along with environmental lighting conditions like front-lit, back-lit or overcast," the company says.
After three months, Samsung is ending sales of the $2,899 Galaxy Z TriFold
Mar. 17th, 2026 04:10 pmarstechnica_feedSamsung has been selling foldable phones for years, but they all fold in half. Recently, the company released the Galaxy Z TriFold, which has two hinges that allow it to expand from something approaching phone-sized to a 10-inch tablet. It's a neat engineering demo, and that's how it's going to stay—Samsung has confirmed it's ending sales of the Galaxy Z TriFold just three months after it launched.
According to Bloomberg, Samsung will begin winding down sales of the massive foldable in its home market of South Korea, where the TriFold debuted in December 2025. The device will disappear from other markets like the US as inventory is sold. Samsung released the Galaxy Z TriFold for the US in January, making its run even shorter Stateside.
Samsung didn't offer a rationale for this decision, but poor sales probably isn't it. While the phone retailed for a whopping $2,899, Samsung was selling every unit it could produce. The company's website actually teased restocks until recently, and desperate buyers were paying above MSRP on the second-hand market.
A large meteor is visible from much of Ohio and parts of neighboring states
Mar. 17th, 2026 03:21 pmarstechnica_feedA large meteor crashed through the sound barrier above northern Ohio on Tuesday morning, producing a large fireball and what local residents described as an extremely loud "boom."
According to various eyewitness reports, the meteor's bright streak through the morning sky was visible across a wide area. A National Weather Service meteorologist in Pennsylvania, Jared Rackley, captured video of the meteor passing through the atmosphere and creating a large fireball. So far, there have been no reports of impacts on the ground.
The precise location of the fireball was pinpointed by a near-infrared optical detector on a geostationary satellite at 9:01 am ET (13:01 UTC). This "geostationary lightning mapper" revealed that the meteor traversed through the atmosphere in northern Ohio, just west of Cleveland, and over Lake Erie.
Poetry Fishbowl Open!
Mar. 17th, 2026 12:27 pmysabetwordsmithStarting now, the Poetry Fishbowl is open! Today's theme is "anything goes." I will be checking this page periodically throughout the day. When people make suggestions, I'll pick some and weave them together into a poem ... and then another ... and so on. I'm hoping to get a lot of ideas and a lot of poems.
Stuck for ideas? You can find prompts by ...
* browsing planned poems for Aquariana and the Maldives, The Big One, Broken Angels, Calliope and Vagary, Officer Pink and Turq, Pips and Joshua, or Shiv. (Some of these I've already done, so they're not all up to date, but others I haven't done yet.)
* browsing my Serial Poetry page for favorite threads or characters.
* browsing series with recently created landing pages: Artists of Destruction, Coracle Shores, Crystal Wood, Strike of the Thunderbirds, The Wandering (on the Serial Poetry page), Iron Horses, Peculiar Obligations, Not Quite Kansas.
* browsing my QUILTBAG list, Romantic Orientations in My Characters, Sexual Orientations in My Characters, Gender Identities in My Characters, or My Characters with Disabilities for favorites.
* naming a poetic form you'd like to see written.
* picking a prompt from my current bingo cards: National Crafting Month Bingo 3-1-26
* picking some from the Bingo Generator prompt lists.
* looking up fun tropes on Fanlore.
* choosing an unusual word.
* plugging a favorite topic into your search engine and choosing a picture that looks interesting.
* anything short. I could especially use short poems today as other prompts are likely to run long.
* standalone ideas, if you're a fan of that rather than series.
What Is a Poetry Fishbowl?
Writing is usually considered a solitary pursuit. One exception to this is a fascinating exercise called a "fishbowl." This has various forms, but all of them basically involve some kind of writing in public, usually with interaction between author and audience. A famous example is Harlan Ellison's series of "stories under glass" in which he sits in a bookstore window and writes a new story based on an idea that someone gives him. Writing classes sometimes include a version where students watch each other write, often with students calling out suggestions which are chalked up on the blackboard for those writing to use as inspiration.
In this online version of a Poetry Fishbowl, I begin by setting a theme; today's theme is "anything goes." I invite people to suggest characters, settings, and other things of any type. Then I use those prompts as inspiration for writing poems.
( New to the fishbowl? Read all about it! )
Stuck for ideas? You can find prompts by ...
* browsing planned poems for Aquariana and the Maldives, The Big One, Broken Angels, Calliope and Vagary, Officer Pink and Turq, Pips and Joshua, or Shiv. (Some of these I've already done, so they're not all up to date, but others I haven't done yet.)
* browsing my Serial Poetry page for favorite threads or characters.
* browsing series with recently created landing pages: Artists of Destruction, Coracle Shores, Crystal Wood, Strike of the Thunderbirds, The Wandering (on the Serial Poetry page), Iron Horses, Peculiar Obligations, Not Quite Kansas.
* browsing my QUILTBAG list, Romantic Orientations in My Characters, Sexual Orientations in My Characters, Gender Identities in My Characters, or My Characters with Disabilities for favorites.
* naming a poetic form you'd like to see written.
* picking a prompt from my current bingo cards: National Crafting Month Bingo 3-1-26
* picking some from the Bingo Generator prompt lists.
* looking up fun tropes on Fanlore.
* choosing an unusual word.
* plugging a favorite topic into your search engine and choosing a picture that looks interesting.
* anything short. I could especially use short poems today as other prompts are likely to run long.
* standalone ideas, if you're a fan of that rather than series.
What Is a Poetry Fishbowl?
Writing is usually considered a solitary pursuit. One exception to this is a fascinating exercise called a "fishbowl." This has various forms, but all of them basically involve some kind of writing in public, usually with interaction between author and audience. A famous example is Harlan Ellison's series of "stories under glass" in which he sits in a bookstore window and writes a new story based on an idea that someone gives him. Writing classes sometimes include a version where students watch each other write, often with students calling out suggestions which are chalked up on the blackboard for those writing to use as inspiration.
In this online version of a Poetry Fishbowl, I begin by setting a theme; today's theme is "anything goes." I invite people to suggest characters, settings, and other things of any type. Then I use those prompts as inspiration for writing poems.
( New to the fishbowl? Read all about it! )
Fanmix: This Tornado Loves You (Oz, Keller)
Mar. 17th, 2026 05:15 pmstargore posting in fanmix
Title: This Tornado Loves You
Fandom: Oz
Pairing/Episode/Whatever: Chris Keller (Beecher/Keller implied)
Etc.: Music by Patti Smith, Neko Case, Manic Street Preachers and more.
Tracklist and other links on my dreamwidth
TV Tuesday: Bring the Snacks!
Mar. 17th, 2026 11:33 amyourlibrarian posting in tv_talk
Given this has been awards show season, have you ever attended a TV watch party? And if not, would you like to? Take the poll and tell us more in comments!
Poll #34379 Watch Party
This poll is anonymous.
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 16
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 16
Have you ever gotten together with people outside your household to watch something on TV?
What sort of viewing was it?
View Answers
Awards show
1 (9.1%)
Sports
1 (9.1%)
Special event
2 (18.2%)
TV series (any kind)
10 (90.9%)
Movie
3 (27.3%)
Gaming related
1 (9.1%)
Weekly watch party
2 (18.2%)
Other
0 (0.0%)
Have you ever done a group viewing regularly?
View Answers
No
10 (62.5%)
Yes, for some things but not others
1 (6.2%)
Yes, as part of events
0 (0.0%)
Yes, as an activity with friends
5 (31.2%)
What's your favorite thing to watch with a group?
View Answers
Start of a TV show season
1 (9.1%)
A weekly watch of a show
4 (36.4%)
Debut of a new show
0 (0.0%)
Special TV event
2 (18.2%)
Something I have a bet on/gambling pool
0 (0.0%)
TV show rewatch
5 (45.5%)
Something we can play along with
0 (0.0%)
Other
1 (9.1%)
Round 185 Theme Poll
Mar. 17th, 2026 09:38 amrunpunkrun posting in fancakeApril will be a Flashback round where we revisit a classic theme from the early years of the comm.
Poll #34378 round 185 theme poll
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: Just the Poll Creator, participants: 41
Pick the next theme of fancake:
Arranged Marriage
17 (41.5%)
Forced Proximity
11 (26.8%)
Threesome
13 (31.7%)
(no subject)
Mar. 19th, 2026 12:29 pmconulyThem: Go look at any official communication from a company. Have you ever received a ConEd bill that says, “Ya should of paid ya bill on time, now we gonna haveta cut off ya powa”? Of course not. Why? Because that is not standard English, and it would reflect poorly on the company.
Me: I take it you've never called ConEd on the phone in NYC? Because, whew, that'd disabuse you of this fiction pretty quick. Them and National Grid, wow. And I'm not even talking about their representatives, I'm talking about their recordings! Never heard such a thick NYC accent in my life, and I grew up here!
Me: I take it you've never called ConEd on the phone in NYC? Because, whew, that'd disabuse you of this fiction pretty quick. Them and National Grid, wow. And I'm not even talking about their representatives, I'm talking about their recordings! Never heard such a thick NYC accent in my life, and I grew up here!
fun with errors
Mar. 17th, 2026 11:22 amjulianThere's this Utah murder case I just found out about, with this woman who killed her husband with Fentanyl, who then wrote a children's book on grief and loss called "Are You With Me?"
I tried looking this up on Amazon, and presumably the listing's been taken down due to the, you know, murder parts, so the first result in the search currently leads to another author's book...
There Are Moms Way Worse Than You.
No, no, I don't... quite think so.
( Are You With Me? looks syrupy but perfectly fine. Meanwhile, There Are Moms Way Worse Than You looks quite fun.)
I tried looking this up on Amazon, and presumably the listing's been taken down due to the, you know, murder parts, so the first result in the search currently leads to another author's book...
There Are Moms Way Worse Than You.
No, no, I don't... quite think so.
( Are You With Me? looks syrupy but perfectly fine. Meanwhile, There Are Moms Way Worse Than You looks quite fun.)
Switch 2's new "Handheld Mode Boost" can run original Switch games at 1080p
Mar. 17th, 2026 03:11 pmarstechnica_feedThe Nintendo Switch 2's backward-compatibility with Switch games is generally pretty good, and a few games have gotten patches from their developers to allow them to take advantage of the higher resolutions the console supports, among other features.
For unpatched Switch games running on the Switch 2 while it's docked, there should generally be no loss of quality compared to playing the same game on the Switch—the game will run at 1080p on both consoles and should generally run about the same as long as there aren't other compatibility problems. But games running on the Switch 2 in handheld mode can actually look worse than they do on the original Switch, mainly because they'll still run at the original Switch's native 720p resolution, which then has to be stretched out to fit the Switch 2's 1080p display.
A new Switch 2 system update released yesterday (as reported by NintendoLife) has introduced a partial solution for this specific problem. Version 22.0.0 of the Switch's software includes an optional feature called "Handheld Mode Boost," which can be enabled by opening the console's settings, then System settings, and scrolling down to "Nintendo Switch Software Handling." This setting will attempt to run original Switch games using the same settings they would use while docked, even while the console is in handheld mode—this usually means a step up to the Switch 2's native 1080p resolution, along with other graphical upgrades.
Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra review: Private and performant
Mar. 17th, 2026 02:18 pmarstechnica_feedSamsung is nothing if not consistent.
Just as it has for many years, the company is starting the year with a new generation of Galaxy S phones. Rumors about remixing the lineup did not pan out, so there are still three versions of the phone—the Galaxy S26, S26 Plus, and S26 Ultra. It's the Ultra, with its whopping $1,300 price tag, that makes up the largest chunk of Samsung flagship sales, even though you can get a perfectly serviceable smartphone for a third of the price. The S26 Ultra serves a different market than a budget phone, though.
The Galaxy S26 Ultra is big, powerful, and overflowing with features. It can be a bit too much at times, particularly if you don't care for mobile AI. It's expensive, but you get long support and just about everything you could want from a smartphone in 2026. Still, with other smartphone makers scaling back amid skyrocketing component prices, the S26 Ultra may end up looking like a good value in hindsight.
Open (More or Less) Post on Covid 235
Mar. 17th, 2026 10:13 amecosophia
We are now well into the fifth year of these open posts. When I first posted a tentative hypothesis on the course of the Covid phenomenon, I had no idea that discussion on the subject would still be necessary all these years later, much less that it would turn into so lively, complex, and troubling a conversation. Still, here we are. Crude death rates and other measures of collapsing public health remain anomalously high in many countries, but nobody in authority wants to talk about the inadequately tested experimental Covid injections that are the most likely cause; So it's time for another open post. The rules are the same as before:
1. If you plan on parroting the party line of the medical industry and its paid shills, please go away. This is a place for people to talk openly, honestly, and freely about their concerns that the party line in question is dangerously flawed and that actions being pushed by the medical industry and its government enablers are causing injury and death on a massive scale. It is not a place for you to dismiss those concerns. Anyone who wants to hear the official story and the arguments in favor of it can find those on hundreds of thousands of websites.
2. If you plan on insisting that the current situation is the result of a deliberate plot by some villainous group of people or other, please go away. There are tens of thousands of websites currently rehashing various conspiracy theories about the Covid-19 outbreak and the vaccines. This is not one of them. What we're exploring is the likelihood that what's going on is the product of the same arrogance, incompetence, and corruption that the medical industry and its wholly owned politicians have displayed so abundantly in recent decades. That possibility deserves a space of its own for discussion, and that's what we're doing here.
3. If you plan on using rent-a-troll derailing or disruption tactics, please go away. I'm quite familiar with the standard tactics used by troll farms to disrupt online forums, and am ready, willing, and able -- and in fact quite eager -- to ban people permanently for engaging in them here. Oh, and I also lurk on other Covid-19 vaccine skeptic blogs, so I'm likely to notice when the same posts are showing up on more than one venue.
4. If you plan on making off topic comments, please go away. This is an open post for discussion of the Covid epidemic, the vaccines, drugs, policies, and other measures that supposedly treat it, and other topics directly relevant to those things. It is not a place for general discussion of unrelated topics. Nor is it a place to ask for medical advice; giving such advice, unless you're a licensed health care provider, legally counts as practicing medicine without a license and is a crime in the US. Don't even go there.
5. If you don't believe in treating people with common courtesy, please go away. I have, and enforce, a strict courtesy policy on my blogs and online forums, and this is no exception. The sort of schoolyard bullying that takes place on so many other internet forums will get you deleted and banned here. Also, please don't drag in current quarrels about sex, race, religions, etc. No, I don't care if you disagree with that: my journal, my rules.
6. Please don't just post bare links without explanation. A sentence or two telling readers what's on the other side of the link is a reasonable courtesy, and if you don't include it, your attempted post will be deleted.
7. Please don't post LLM ("AI") generated text. This is a place for human beings to talk to other human beings, not for the regurgitation of machine-generated text. Also, please don't discuss large language models (the technology popularly and inaccurately called "artificial intelligence" these days) except as they bear directly on the Covid phenomenon. Here again, my finger is hovering over the delete button.
Please also note that nothing posted here should be construed as medical advice, which neither I nor the commentariat (excepting those who are licensed medical providers) are qualified to give. Please take your medical questions to the licensed professional provider of your choice.
With that said, the floor is open for discussion.
The latest addition to my Tumblr Sticky Intro post (also a Tumblr x-post)
Mar. 17th, 2026 10:42 amcapri0mniBecause of the latest Tumblr Update regarding Reblogs and Replies
I with be disabling both options, and cross-posting all my longer Original Blog Entries to my Dreamwidth Journal at Capri0mni.dreamwidth.org/.
I with be disabling both options, and cross-posting all my longer Original Blog Entries to my Dreamwidth Journal at Capri0mni.dreamwidth.org/.
I will include a link to all such cross-posts at the end of each Tumblr entry. If you wish to converse with me there, you are free to do so anonymously (no need for a Dreamwidth account). Note that all anonymous replies will be screened and invisible to everyone but me until I release them. Your IP address will also be logged. And if you are abusive to myself or anyone else, I will not hesitate to block you.
basque
Mar. 17th, 2026 07:07 amprettygoodwordbasque (BAHSK) - n., a close-fitting bodice, especially one that extends below the waist; the part of a bodice or corset that so extends.
Today used mainly of lingerie, but historically outerwear. From French, from a type of close-fitting women's jacket, almost a bodice, adopted from traditional Basque clothing.
---L.
Today used mainly of lingerie, but historically outerwear. From French, from a type of close-fitting women's jacket, almost a bodice, adopted from traditional Basque clothing.
---L.