Three Weeks for Dreamwidth: Architecture
Apr. 26th, 2026 01:45 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ysabetwordsmithThis year during Three Weeks for Dreamwidth, I'm writing about reading as a way of becoming an expert in a given subject. Read Part 1: Introduction to Becoming an Expert.
Three Weeks for Dreamwidth Part 2: Architecture
Architecture is the art of designing and building structures, such as houses, offices, churches, or skyscrapers. It goes back only a little less far than humanity does. People have always needed shelters and event spaces, and started making their own rather early on. Here on Dreamwidth, check out![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
farmhouseprints, flaneurs, photographic_i, and urban_photos.
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Three Weeks for Dreamwidth Part 2: Architecture
Architecture is the art of designing and building structures, such as houses, offices, churches, or skyscrapers. It goes back only a little less far than humanity does. People have always needed shelters and event spaces, and started making their own rather early on. Here on Dreamwidth, check out
farmhouseprints, flaneurs, photographic_i, and urban_photos.( Read more... )
Today's Adventures
Apr. 25th, 2026 11:11 pmysabetwordsmithToday we went to the Douglas-Hart Nature Center for their Earth Day celebration and native plant sale.
( Read more... )
( Read more... )
Philosophical Questions: Different
Apr. 25th, 2026 11:10 pmysabetwordsmithPeople have expressed interest in deep topics, so this list focuses on philosophical questions.
What would be different if the 9/11 terrorist attack never occurred?
We would have a lot more freedom, privacy, and civil rights. I might still be willing to use airports.
The terrorists may have missed the White House, but they scored a direct hit on the American way of life. It's among the most effective terrorist attacks in recorded history, and it's still working.
What would be different if the 9/11 terrorist attack never occurred?
We would have a lot more freedom, privacy, and civil rights. I might still be willing to use airports.
The terrorists may have missed the White House, but they scored a direct hit on the American way of life. It's among the most effective terrorist attacks in recorded history, and it's still working.
Dept. of The Darkest Timeline
Apr. 25th, 2026 09:44 pmkaffy_rI Used to Trust ...
I remember how I didn't believe Bob after the "assassination attempt" on That Man In Butler, PA, when he said the whole thing was more than suspicious, it was obviously a setup. We had a largely friendly contretemps about it. After I watched the man's miraculously healed ear I started to think Bob was right.
And now it's happened again, just when his approval ratings are in the toilet. Funny, that; Butler, PA happened when his approval ratings were tanking, too.
A lot of the reporting I'll trust will be independent journalists' not the legacy media types who put on their best duds and attended the White House Correspondents Dinner.
As I said, I used to trust.
But this was, you should pardon my cynicism, a fucking setup.
I remember how I didn't believe Bob after the "assassination attempt" on That Man In Butler, PA, when he said the whole thing was more than suspicious, it was obviously a setup. We had a largely friendly contretemps about it. After I watched the man's miraculously healed ear I started to think Bob was right.
And now it's happened again, just when his approval ratings are in the toilet. Funny, that; Butler, PA happened when his approval ratings were tanking, too.
A lot of the reporting I'll trust will be independent journalists' not the legacy media types who put on their best duds and attended the White House Correspondents Dinner.
As I said, I used to trust.
But this was, you should pardon my cynicism, a fucking setup.
You Don't Have to Stay
Apr. 25th, 2026 08:40 pmysabetwordsmithThe Game Is Rigged And You Don't Have To Stay
Most people don't leave because they think they can't. Not because of money. Not because of the kids. Because nobody ever said out loud that leaving is a rational choice.
If you are unhappy with your life, do something about it. If you only have one or a few issues, then it makes sense to try fixing them first. But if you hate most or all things about your job, where you live, your family, whatever -- then leaving IS a rational choice. See Introduction to Goal-Setting Frameworks for ideas about making logical decisions. As long as you are a legal adult, you have the right to leave situations that don't suit you. It's not selfish to stay alive.
( Read more... )
Most people don't leave because they think they can't. Not because of money. Not because of the kids. Because nobody ever said out loud that leaving is a rational choice.
If you are unhappy with your life, do something about it. If you only have one or a few issues, then it makes sense to try fixing them first. But if you hate most or all things about your job, where you live, your family, whatever -- then leaving IS a rational choice. See Introduction to Goal-Setting Frameworks for ideas about making logical decisions. As long as you are a legal adult, you have the right to leave situations that don't suit you. It's not selfish to stay alive.
( Read more... )
At this time.
Apr. 25th, 2026 10:18 pmhannahHaving now taken steps to divest myself of some old pajamas, it's feeling a little easier to approach some other clothes I look at often. I haven't done anything yet, but I feel better about the prospect of doing so, which is one of the bigger initial hurdles.
Next up: DVD box sets of TV shows and deciding if I want the object of the box set after ripping the media. It'll be a while before I need to start thinking about digital storage space, but at the moment, I'll be happy to get some floor back. There's no point in buying a 12TB hard drive right now - at least, not yet. By the time I can buy what's on the market, I'll probably be able to spend that much on 16TB with no issue.
Next up: DVD box sets of TV shows and deciding if I want the object of the box set after ripping the media. It'll be a while before I need to start thinking about digital storage space, but at the moment, I'll be happy to get some floor back. There's no point in buying a 12TB hard drive right now - at least, not yet. By the time I can buy what's on the market, I'll probably be able to spend that much on 16TB with no issue.
One of my absolute favorite etymologies is "snoop"
Apr. 27th, 2026 09:40 pmconulyFrom Dutch snoepen (“to pry, eat in secret, sneak”)
How often were the Dutch eating in secret that they decided they needed a verb for it!?
**********
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How often were the Dutch eating in secret that they decided they needed a verb for it!?
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Science
Apr. 25th, 2026 08:00 pmysabetwordsmithScientists just discovered Africa is closer to breaking apart than we thought
East Africa may be cracking open—and the same forces tearing it apart could be why we have such a vivid record of human origins.
Beneath East Africa’s Turkana Rift, scientists have found the crust is thinning to a critical point, suggesting the continent is gradually breaking apart. This “necking” process marks an advanced stage of rifting that could eventually lead to a new ocean forming millions of years from now. Surprisingly, the same geological forces that are splitting the land may also explain why the region holds such a rich fossil record. Instead of being the birthplace of humanity, Turkana may just be where the story was best preserved.
... or the rift could rip open suddenly and unexpectedly quite a bit sooner. Say, if some other part of the crust made a massive shift to release pressure. I wouldn't want to live or work near there. It's fascinating to watch from a safe distance though.
East Africa may be cracking open—and the same forces tearing it apart could be why we have such a vivid record of human origins.
Beneath East Africa’s Turkana Rift, scientists have found the crust is thinning to a critical point, suggesting the continent is gradually breaking apart. This “necking” process marks an advanced stage of rifting that could eventually lead to a new ocean forming millions of years from now. Surprisingly, the same geological forces that are splitting the land may also explain why the region holds such a rich fossil record. Instead of being the birthplace of humanity, Turkana may just be where the story was best preserved.
... or the rift could rip open suddenly and unexpectedly quite a bit sooner. Say, if some other part of the crust made a massive shift to release pressure. I wouldn't want to live or work near there. It's fascinating to watch from a safe distance though.
Day 25 check in!
Apr. 25th, 2026 07:55 pmomens posting in writethisfanficHope everyone is having a nice weekend :)
How did your week in writing go? Mine was mid-to-not-bad, I think.
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 4
How are your projects going today?
View Answers
Pretty good
1 (25.0%)
Great!
1 (25.0%)
Haven't started yet
1 (25.0%)
Not happening..
1 (25.0%)
How did your week in writing go? Mine was mid-to-not-bad, I think.
All of Agatha: Book Review: Elephants Can Remember (1972)
Apr. 25th, 2026 07:33 pmstonepicnicking_okapiThis series of entries is commentary on my lifelong quest to read all of Agatha Christie's works in UK publication order. It was begun in January 2021.
So for 3 Weeks for Dreamwidth, my working theme is Arsenic, Belladona, Cyanide, the ABCs of Murder.
Day 1: A is for Agatha, specially my All of Agatha series. Can you believe that after 5+ years, I am finally nearing the end. I have 3 more works to go.
Elephants Can Remember [1972] is not new or particularly interesting. We see themes that have appeared again and again (but she has been doing this now for 50 years and they are tropes because she did them and did them well for many of those fifty years). There is a cold case which has a bearing on a young couple who want to marry. There is Ariadne Oliver as Aggie's stand-in and Poirot. There are really unhealthy views of adoption vs. biological motherhood as well as marriage. There is a repetition of a phrase (in earlier works it was nursery rhymes but now it is the title). The key clue is that a woman had four wigs. It is available in two parts on Youtube narrated by Hugh Fraser. That is the version I listened to and it was okay. I did a collage. For newcomers, this is a scan of a physical collage with paper, washi tape, stickers, etc.
So for 3 Weeks for Dreamwidth, my working theme is Arsenic, Belladona, Cyanide, the ABCs of Murder.
Day 1: A is for Agatha, specially my All of Agatha series. Can you believe that after 5+ years, I am finally nearing the end. I have 3 more works to go.
Elephants Can Remember [1972] is not new or particularly interesting. We see themes that have appeared again and again (but she has been doing this now for 50 years and they are tropes because she did them and did them well for many of those fifty years). There is a cold case which has a bearing on a young couple who want to marry. There is Ariadne Oliver as Aggie's stand-in and Poirot. There are really unhealthy views of adoption vs. biological motherhood as well as marriage. There is a repetition of a phrase (in earlier works it was nursery rhymes but now it is the title). The key clue is that a woman had four wigs. It is available in two parts on Youtube narrated by Hugh Fraser. That is the version I listened to and it was okay. I did a collage. For newcomers, this is a scan of a physical collage with paper, washi tape, stickers, etc.
Poet's Corner: Tree by Jane Hirshfield
Apr. 25th, 2026 07:01 pmstonepicnicking_okapiTree by Jane Hirshfield
It is foolish
to let a young redwood
grow next to a house.
Even in this
one lifetime,
you will have to choose.
That great calm being,
this clutter of soup pots and books—
Already the first branch-tips brush at the window.
Softly, calmly, immensity taps at your life.
It is foolish
to let a young redwood
grow next to a house.
Even in this
one lifetime,
you will have to choose.
That great calm being,
this clutter of soup pots and books—
Already the first branch-tips brush at the window.
Softly, calmly, immensity taps at your life.
Why Dreamwidth?
Apr. 25th, 2026 05:42 pmsenmutWhen everything happened on LJ back in the late 00s, I was loathe to give up a 'permanent' home, a place where I could easily find my own posts, a place where I had made so many friends. It was my second true migration; I wasn't on Yahoo Groups long enough to consider it a home, and the previous jump had been leaving mIRC as well as Usenet.
But here was this site that was supposed to be similar to LJ in feel and workings, but with the added bonus of dividing things into access and subscription.jerico_cacaw gave me an invite, my now-wife acquired me the seed account.
It helped, I admit, that I'd gotten into a kerfluffle in DC fandom, was moving more fully into Transformers, and was happy on that aspect to be starting over.
Why Dreamwidth now, though?
Permanent. My posts stay in a logically ordered fashion that I can go back and search in a number of ways. Not image intensive, which is a blessing to my eyes some days. Privacy controls I can use easily.
Or, in other words, it's where I keep my stuff.
But here was this site that was supposed to be similar to LJ in feel and workings, but with the added bonus of dividing things into access and subscription.
jerico_cacaw gave me an invite, my now-wife acquired me the seed account.It helped, I admit, that I'd gotten into a kerfluffle in DC fandom, was moving more fully into Transformers, and was happy on that aspect to be starting over.
Why Dreamwidth now, though?
Permanent. My posts stay in a logically ordered fashion that I can go back and search in a number of ways. Not image intensive, which is a blessing to my eyes some days. Privacy controls I can use easily.
Or, in other words, it's where I keep my stuff.
Three Weeks 2026
Apr. 25th, 2026 01:26 pmwinterfirelightIt's Three Weeks for Dreamwidth time!
I will admit that this sort of snuck up on me, so I have no real plans for anything special to do this time around. But I will try to post more, if nothing else! And, perhaps, be more active in the comments of other posts. True to form, I am a habitual lurker, but maybe one of these days I'll manage to break out of the shell a bit more. The thing that I enjoy about this site compared to others is that you really get out of it what you put in. Other places have felt like an engagement black hole, but here, the more I engage, the more rewarding it is. I'm still just terrible at making the time for it.
But fortunately (?) I'm sick today, so I have no excuse not to take some time while lying in bed to make a post. Here's a few random updates on life:
I am crossing my fingers that whatever cold I've got passes soon. I feel like I've been sick every other week for a couple of months now - always different things, never just allergies. Nothing severe, fortunately, but still deeply annoying. Oh well! Nothing to be done for it now but to lay around and drink copious amounts of tea and find more ways to pass the time.
I will admit that this sort of snuck up on me, so I have no real plans for anything special to do this time around. But I will try to post more, if nothing else! And, perhaps, be more active in the comments of other posts. True to form, I am a habitual lurker, but maybe one of these days I'll manage to break out of the shell a bit more. The thing that I enjoy about this site compared to others is that you really get out of it what you put in. Other places have felt like an engagement black hole, but here, the more I engage, the more rewarding it is. I'm still just terrible at making the time for it.
But fortunately (?) I'm sick today, so I have no excuse not to take some time while lying in bed to make a post. Here's a few random updates on life:
- The garden is bursting with all kinds of life! Angelica and sage are both on the verge of flowering. Borage and comfrey are actively flowering. Other things are still waking up and shaking off their dormancy, but it's looking to be a busy (and hot summer.
- I've finally managed to get back into reading! I hardly read at all last year, too much else going on and not enough attention span left. But a couple months ago I finally picked up a book, and now we're back to it, at least as time allows. Books read lately include:
- The Birthgrave, by Tanith Lee - a fascinating re-introduction to sci fi/fantasy as a genre after some time away
- The Wild Girls (and other poems/essays), by Ursula LeGuin - my aunt gave me a (signed!!) copy for Christmas last year and WOW am I glad she did
- Uncultured, by Daniella Mestyanek Young - a more comfortable read in the sense that when I last spent more time reading, memoirs were my bread and butter. A deeply uncomfortable read in the sense that cults are no joke to experience, even second-hand
- Currently reading: Kindred, by Octavia Butler - so far so good! A little weird I never read this one before, honestly
- After finishing Harvard's Intro to Computer Science class last year and having a blast with it, now I'm working through Intro to Python, with a couple more of their free courses on deck after that
- I think I mentioned awhile back that I managed to finish writing my longfic that's been in progress for 10+ years? The update on that is that I've now finished editing it as well, and am posting a chapter a day on Ao3 until it's done :)
- I... may be doing yoga classes again? The jury is still out, and it's moot while I'm sick anyway, but the studio is in walking distance and reasonably priced. Unfortunately I am out of shape enough that it is MUCH harder than it used to be, which is unpleasant, if a clear sign that I should do more of it. I just wish the activities I preferred for exercise were more accessible.
I am crossing my fingers that whatever cold I've got passes soon. I feel like I've been sick every other week for a couple of months now - always different things, never just allergies. Nothing severe, fortunately, but still deeply annoying. Oh well! Nothing to be done for it now but to lay around and drink copious amounts of tea and find more ways to pass the time.
Summer of Horror 2026
Apr. 25th, 2026 04:59 pmsummerofhorrorexchangeThe schedule for the 2026 round of Summer of Horror is up! You can view all the date here, and nominations will open on May 15.
Start brainstorming your preferred kinds of spookiness for the summer season!
Start brainstorming your preferred kinds of spookiness for the summer season!
Doors of Sleep, by Tim Pratt
Apr. 25th, 2026 01:47 pmrachelmanija
This is the first book I've read by Tim Pratt. I had somehow gotten the impression that they wrote very highbrow, abstract sf that I probably wouldn't enjoy. I have no idea where that came from because this novel, which I tried because of the delightful premise, is completely not that and I enjoyed it very much.
Zax Delatree, a social worker/mediator from a utopian post-scarcity world, develops a condition where he travels to a random other world every time he sleeps. Through a lot of trial and error, he also discovers that he can take with him items on his person, and also other people if he's touching them when he falls asleep. If they're asleep too, they will arrive fine. If they're not, they arrive insane. ("The Jaunt" is one of many spottable influences.) Here's Zax and his companion, Minna, explaining their situation:
"Do you know the word 'multiverse?' [...] We're travelers, sort of. Sort of explorers. And sort of refugees."
"If this is true, the implications are immense."
"The implications are also very small and also personal," said Minna.
This is the most charming and heartfelt novel I've read in a while. It's mostly a picaresque, with Zax and Minna (and assorted friends and pursuing enemies) visiting all sorts of colorful other worlds, exploring and surviving and trying to be of use. The many worlds are great, I loved Zax and Minna and the friends they meet, and it's full of sense of wonder and hopefulness and people being kind under extremely difficult circumstances. I also liked that Zax and Minna are friends who are explicitly not romantically or sexually involved with each other.
There is a sequel, Prison of Sleep, which I have ordered.