Recently updated blogs

I do work on Wikipedia sometimes. Since I’ve been working for the Flickr Foundation, my life overlaps more with free content. Sometimes I try to combine work and play and add things to Wikimedia Commons, or to Wikipedia, or both. My username in the Wikipedia extended universe is Jessamyn, so it’s pretty easy to see what I’ve been up to. Here’s my wrap-up of 2024 Wikipedia stuff I did. – …

I have a ritual I do most every time I'm in Los Angeles. I make my way to the end of the Santa Monica Pier at sunset. The Pier is loud and filled with tourists; there's a ferris wheel and a roller coaster. It's not the type of place I'd normally seek out. But I go because the Pier is the end of Route 66, the fabled highway that originates …

A return to a five day working week this week. This brought with it the inevitable struggle to get into a working rhythm and I spent a lot of time second-guessing my own work. On Tuesday I played in Worthing D&D White's 65-123 away win against Horsham Hawks Black. I finished the game with 12 points, making four three-pointers which set a new season high in points for me. I …

THE FIRST BOOK length study of the work of Poison Girls will be published this November by PM Press. Written by the editor of this site Rich Cross, designed by Alex Dunn and edited by Erin Yanke, This is a Message to Persons Unknown: The Story of Poison Girls traces the history of the band “from their first gigs in Brighton, through their years of touring DIY venues across Britain …

Greetings in the New Year, Everything is ramping up around here now! Kaila started back to work last week and there was more than enough to fill her time. I’m so grateful to have her help now as things are getting busier and that will only increase going forward into spring. Her first days back found her sowing a massive amount of seeds into 128 count plug flats. There will …

Yesterday, I received the following email, forwarded to me by Bill: Yes, you read that correctly. They allegedly made an AI say something, and are thus claiming that it is true, because AIs never lie, I guess?Large Language Models are improving all the time, and both Google and Microsoft have free AIs that you can use for several purposes, including generating text on request. For instance, I asked an AI …

Venturing into the wilderness under the stars can be a thrilling experience, offering a unique perspective on nature. However, hiking at night requires careful planning and heightened awareness to ensure safety. Whether you’re an experienced outdoor enthusiast or a newcomer to the trails, understanding the nuances of nighttime excursions is essential. Here’s a comprehensive guide to help you prepare for your next adventure after sunset. Why We Love Night Hiking …

In terms of metacognition, cognitive load and cognitive load theory is one of the biggest concerns of any English teacher. We might not dress it up with a fancy term, but we know that how much or how little we present of text can make or break a student’s understanding of a text. Too much of a text and you can overwhelm them with too much information. Too little text …

Should've used Zombies as the AI analogy.

I have never been into the look of a Rolex or the unnecessarily busy dials on an Omega. But I was smitten by the appearance of the Grand Seiko SBGA211, also known as the Snowflake. I was also intrigued by the Spring Drive, which offers the mechanical complexity of an automatic with the accuracy and ease of use of a quartz watch. But alas the Snowflake was an exceptionally expensive …

Lying host Rachel Campos-Duffy is married to Trump’s pick for transportation secretary, Sean Duffy.

Research from Massachusetts General Hospital, I believe, in the United States, possibly underscores what many of us already suspect: that prolonged use of social media may not be the best: This kind of study cannot prove that your hours of doomscrolling is directly making you Tik’d off, but in light of known associations of irritability and mental health issues, maybe we should put down our phones just a little more. …

Hearing politics getting thrown around during this fire is tired. I’ve heard Rick Caruso, Patrick Soon-Chiang, Karen Bass, Gavin Newsom, Donald Trump all play the blame game. As irritating as it is, it’s not the thing that is pissing me off the most right now. While we all know the answer to this question, I don’t hear this being voiced at all: WHY THE FUCK DO WE HAVE TO CROWDFUND …

When a mischievous maid’s stove doesn’t light up quickly enough, she splashes in some paraffin… and a bit more… and a bit more! An explosive comedy. Home Media Availability: Released on DVD and Bluray. An Earth-Shattering Kaboom George Albert Smith was on a roll in the 1890s and 1900s. His 1897 comedy The X-Rays used […]

OKRs (Objectives & Key Results) are a framework for validating alignment through the organization. As a company, as a department, as a team: what are we focused on this quarter? What are we trying to make true? Alignment looks nice when the team OKRs roll up to the department OKRs, and those add up to the company OKRs. This is logical. And terrible. Occasionally Summation Makes Sense In the Sales …