Maybe it's the weather. Maybe it's the fact that my titanium bones make me a human barometer who detects every change in said weather with screaming bone pain. Maybe it's the end of the school year. Maybe it's a lot of things. But: Today, I have a hefty case of "what is the use?" when it comes to our AI future. This...

One of the other librarians emailed this morning asking if the rest of us had gotten an email from an outfit called Librar Labs. We hadn't, but I looked them up. And yeah, this whole webpage can fuck off: Librar Labs How can it fuck off specifically? Let us count the ways: "Librar makes it easier to set up and...

Most of my friends pull out their phones even in the middle of the woods. I tend to roll my eyes and tolerate this. Merlin and PlantNet are certainly useful. But I grew up on field guides and conversations with more experienced naturalists. Instant AI-enabled possible-answers feel more like junk food info to me....

Quackgrass, aka couchgrass, aka Elymus repens: (this little mumbletyswear) has long been my sworn foe. Only recently did I learn its roots and grains are edible. i'm sorry, you can eat WHAT Close up, quackgrass reminds me of corn: a tough central green stalk with leaf blades that fold away at intervals, sharp and...

My library shelves are organized by genre. There about 14 subdivisions. Within each subdivision, books are arranged alphabetically by author's last name. Each shelf has a tag indicating its range (which authors, alphabetically, are on each shelf). The ranges use the last three letters of the authors' last names,...

I grew up tromping around the woods of upper lower Michigan. I am one of the few people I know who would not starve to death if dropped into the middle of said woods. Yet every single year, I learn that something else is edible. Here are three things I learned are edible THIS WEEK. Also a revelation I had on...

I always have a notebook going. It's always a single-subject, college-ruled spiral notebook. I fill about one a month. I buy them in July during back to school sales, when I can get them in bulk. It's always just one notebook. I use a tab system to keep track of each notebook's contents by broad categories -...

(A series in which I ramble some personal perspective on ICYDAK's "30 Proven Tactics to Resist Authoritarianism in Daily Life," because most of this stuff is just default daily life to me.) ICYDAK: 30 Proven Tactics to Resist Authoritarianism in Everyday Life #1: know your rights #2: secure your communications #3:...

I have started seeds and early planting, so I also started a list. I have four times the available full-sun garden space this year, and I fully intend to use it. Started Indoors Acorn squash White acorn squash Butternut squash Spaghetti squash Zucchini (Fordhook) Zucchini (Black Magic) Cucumber (Picklebush) Cucumber...

most A student invited me to their improv class "final exam," which is a show at a downtown venue known for student/avant-garde work. Of course I said yes. I asked two kids if they'd help me reclaim a couple wandered library chairs from a classroom. They were EXCITED for this and turned it into an ADVENTURE. Another...

On Monday, I sent an email to the local amateur radio club, asking about their classes. That evening, I get a response: "Your timing is impeccable. The next class starts tomorrow evening." I spent Tuesday signing up for other classes I want to take. These include a Skywarn training this weekend and a Master Gardener...

I spent the weekend thinking about various and sundry warehouse fires. And Luigi Mangione. And universal healthcare. And "all you had to do was pay us enough to live." The Epstein class does not understand how reasonable our terms are. The vast majority of people agitating for change aren't asking for a fundamental...