Book Review

May. 3rd, 2026 10:42 pm
kenjari: (mt greylock)
[personal profile] kenjari
Semiosis
by Sue Burke

This is the first novel in a sci-fi trilogy about people colonizing an alien planet and their first contact with intelligent aliens. A group of humans leave a war-torn and environmentally depleted Earth to find a new home. They eventually land on a planet they christen Pax, in honor of their desire to live in peace and in harmony with their new environment. As they struggle to domesticate food crops and acclimate to their new home, they slowly begin to realize that the vines are sentient. When the move to a city left behind by the earlier visitors to Pax, they learn that the bamboo-like pant that grows around the city is not only sentient, but intelligent. Over generations, they develop a mutually beneficial relationship with the bamboo and eventually accept it as a full member of their community. Eventually, the humans also encounter the remnants of the earlier visitors and must figure out how to relate to them as well.
Semiosis is incredibly fascinating. I found Burke's concept of what an intelligent plant would be like very compelling, as well as her ideas of how it would relate to humans. Each chapter in the book is told from the perspective of a different character, mostly moving forward through each successive generation. Thus there is a focus on the development of the human-bamboo relationship and the settler society rather than individual character development. It gave me a lot to think about around what it really means to live in harmony with the natural world. It's very reminiscent of Le Guin's work in a lot of ways.
starandrea: (Default)
[personal profile] starandrea
So I was going to make a manifesto for [community profile] polyamships' write a ship manifesto challenge, but then I read fanfic instead. All dogs are good dogs, and all ships are good ships. I took my dog to the playground this evening, picked up some more farm-fresh compost on the way home (they leave it by the side of the road and you put your money in a tin), and also got groceries.

Not at the farm, which was lucky for me, because the grocery store had tea roses! Mini roses! Whatever. I love roses for no particular reason I can identify. I bought some mini roses at another grocery store four years ago, and I don't remember what possessed me to plant them in the garden, but they've come back every year and they always look adorable. I have added new colors each year, and I thought I had them all - but no! What luck! I found a variegated mini rose.

I did not know such a thing existed, and I am delighted.

Assessing.

May. 3rd, 2026 09:42 pm
hannah: (Laundry jam - fooish_icons)
[personal profile] hannah
I knew I'd have dishes waiting for me when I got back, and I left them anyway. I'm not going to bed until they're done, but that might not be for a while. Same with putting laundry away. It'll get done before bedtime, and it'll affect bedtime in ways I can't yet guess at.

The opera today might've moved me on more than a technical level if I'd gone in with a better mood. Adjusting to the pace of slow crowds when we're all going to the same place isn't a skill I've developed, and left me with enough low-grade irritation I didn't even want to read the program - but then found what little I'd read was still more than what the other people with me had done. I don't regret going, largely for having seen opera and for the dinner after. But I'll need to adjust for the future, if this happens again.

Nert

NSFW May. 3rd, 2026 06:10 pm
brokenallbroken: (brer-rabbit)
[personal profile] brokenallbroken
( You're about to view content that the journal owner has advised should be viewed with discretion. )

fannish musings

May. 3rd, 2026 06:11 pm
snickfic: Jess (Jess)
[personal profile] snickfic
* I finished that Gallaghercest fic at the beginning of April, wrote 100 words for my drabble assignment, and otherwise wrote nothing all month. I keep getting the vague urge to write but without any concrete inspiration.

* Probably doesn't help that I started a new Stardew farm. A week and a half later, I'm most of the way through fall of Year 1, so clearly that's where my time and brain have gone. Oops.

* OTOH I'm so impatient for [personal profile] summerofhorrorexchange, which doesn't even open noms for almost two weeks, that I might start my letter tonight. Current plans include Ready or Not, maybe The Housemaid, maybe Re-Animator.

* The other day I moved over 100 drables and ficlets to a separate AO3 account. The idea was to make me feel a little less overwhelmed by the number of works on my main, but I'm not sure how well that's going to work, given there are still over 300. But in case you're like "where did Snick put all her drabbles?!?" they're here.

* I've been dealing with the existential horrors by buying books. There are worst vices. In the past month or so I've bought more books, mostly used, than in the last year combined. Specifically:
Frisson - museum art exhibition book
A God in the Shed - JF Dubeau
In the Forest of Serre - Patricia McKillip (have now read)
The Enterprise of Death - Jesse Bullington
My Death - Lisa Tuttle (had already read)
Black Light - Elizabeth Hand
Silk - Caitlin Kiernan
Anathem - Neal Stephenson (already read)
Flyaway - Katherine Jennings (already read)
Knock Knock Open Wide - Neil Sharpson (already read)

At some point I was like, shoot, I need to start reading again to justify all these new books. And then I did... and so far it's been nearly all library reading. LOL oh well, that still beats not reading.

Daily Check-In

May. 3rd, 2026 09:02 pm
mecurtin: Icon of a globe with a check-mark (fandom_checkin)
[personal profile] mecurtin posting in [community profile] fandom_checkin
This is your check-in post for today. The poll will be open from midnight Universal or Zulu Time (8pm Eastern Time) on Sunday, May 3, to midnight on May 4 (8pm Eastern Time).

Poll #34561 Daily check-in poll
Open to: Access List, detailed results viewable to: Access List, participants: 9

How are you doing?

I am OK
5 (55.6%)

I am not OK, but don't need help right now
4 (44.4%)

I could use some help
0 (0.0%)

How many other humans live with you?

I am living single
3 (33.3%)

One other person
1 (11.1%)

More than one other person
5 (55.6%)



Please, talk about how things are going for you in the comments, ask for advice or help if you need it, or just discuss whatever you feel like.

lists / movies

May. 3rd, 2026 08:02 pm
chazzbanner: (Glacier)
[personal profile] chazzbanner
Yesterday I listened to a Rosebud podcast interview with Rose Boyt, novelist, photographer and great- granddaughter of Sigmund Freud, daughter of the painter Lucian Freud.

No reason to mention this, except she was a friend of the band Rip Rig + Panic, and singer Neneh Cherry. They're on the list I'm developing for my next listening project 'new music punk post punk.'

'Only' 29 left in my current listening project 'new music between 1971 and punk.' I've been slack, it's taking longer than it should.

I took another look at my 'movies watched' list. I have indeed watched To Catch a Thief, and Charade.

Thelma Ritter was in Rear Window. She never won an Oscar, but was nominated a record six times for Best Supporting Actress. I might make this a project, to watch all six if I can find them. One is All About Eve, another 'I've seen so many clips' film. Others: The Mating Season, With a Song in My Heart, Pickup on South Street, Pillow Talk, and Birdman of Alcatraz. I know I've seen Pillow Talk.

She also was The Misfits; I will not watch that.

-

forgot to mention yesterday

May. 3rd, 2026 08:48 pm
lauradi7dw: (abolish ICE)
[personal profile] lauradi7dw
Similar to the first Saturday of May in the past, after doing all the day's things including Somerville open studios, I got almost home while there were still fifes and drums playing in the park, although the group had dwindled to about a dozen folks by the time I got there. Still cool.

https://lauradi7dw.dreamwidth.org/820311.html

We haven't switched to sword for the summer yet this year. In fact it seems like the weather hasn't switched to summer either. It keeps going into the 40s at night, although flowers are busting out all over.
I did buy a drum I hardly ever practice.

3WFD: alphabet meme

May. 4th, 2026 10:07 am
tielan: lorne (Angel - Lorne)
[personal profile] tielan
The ABC's of me.

A. Age: nearly 50

B. Bed Size: Double

C. Chore You Really Dislike: Washing Up

D. Dogs: I like them, but I prefer to live with cats.

E. Essential Start to Your Day: A cup of coffee (small latte, one sugar) is nice

F. Favorite Color: Blue

G. Gold or Silver: Silver

H. Height: 5'4"

I. Instruments You Play: I've played piano, flute, and tuba. I'd kind of like to learn violin and oboe, but who has time?

J. Job: IT Systems Analyst

K. Kids: No. I'm not childfree - love my nieces and nephews - but I never had a partner and that was the dealbreaker for me.

L. Live: I liked their first few albums. Haven't heard of them since the 90s. (Yes, I know this is not what the question is asking, but I don't quite know how to answer.)

M. Mom’s Name: Nope.

N. Nicknames: One, two, many, lots.

O. Overnight Hospital Stays: Once for the yeeterus. I have been very healthy otherwise.

P. Pet Peeve: People who think that because they haven't done anything evil, they haven't benefited from anything evil.

Q. Quote From A Movie: I have many, but can't think of any right now. The one that's coming to mind is Have you ever danced with the devil in the pale moonlight? and that leads to The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn't exist.

R. Right or Left Handed: Right.

S. Siblings: Two full sisters, three stepbrothers (two on mum's side, one on dads), and a half-brother.

T. Time You Wake Up: Right now, six hours after I went to sleep. That can manifest as 3am (like last night, after falling asleep around 9pm) or at 6am if I stay up until around 11:30pm.

U. Underwear: Cotton, mostly, although I really liked the elastane 'no underwear lines' but they don't make them like they used to. The first set I bought back in 2009 have lasted 15 years, the ones that I bought back in 2022 are already losing their stretch.

W. What Makes You Run Late: Finishing a task that wasn't completely done the first time on the way out.

X. X-Rays You’ve Had: Lots of ones for the teeth and jaws. One for a broken fingertip. One for possible issues with the foot. And probably a bunch of others that I don't remember.

Y. Yummy Food You Make: Just about everything? There are somethings that are distinctly less tasty, but they're usually home experiments, and I just didn't put enough of the spice/acid in.

Z. Zoo - favorite animal: I haven't been to the zoo in ages. But probably the flamingos. The pink is just amazing.

If any of the words don't work for you, choose a different word that uses the same letter. That way the meme changes and evolves as it travels around.

Fight fire with.... infrasound?

May. 3rd, 2026 05:33 pm
thewayne: (Default)
[personal profile] thewayne
This is pretty cool. A startup founded by a former NASA engineer has created a device for extinguishing fire with infrasound: super low frequency sound waves that literally push the oxygen away from the fire, denying the fire of one of the things that it needs for combustion!

It's safe to be around when it's in operation as it doesn't destroy or deplete the oxygen in the area, i.e. you won't asphyxiate, and being low frequency it won't damage the hearing of people or pets. In the video there's a demonstration of the device in use on a simulated oil pan kitchen fire, which it extinguishes in under 30 seconds.

There are a lot of unanswered questions, such as will it activate again if the fire reignites, what are long-term maintenance requirements, what about furniture, mattress, or electrical fires, crosswinds, etc. So far, the company hasn't released any specifics as to how its testing is being conducted, nor have any units been released for third parties to verify testing conditions or parameters.

The company also hopes that the unit could be used to fight wildfires, such as mounted on the front of bulldozers. It's working with one California wildfire agency to see if such testing can be done.

https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/05/startup-says-sound-waves-can-replace-fire-sprinklers-experts-arent-so-sure/

30 Days of Blake's 7 - day 3

May. 4th, 2026 09:02 am
vilakins: Cally with moondiscs (cally alien)
[personal profile] vilakins
I forgot to post last night, so it's now the 4th here.

Day 3: Favourite female character

It's hard to pick a favourite as they're all good in their different ways. Jenna is sensible, pragmatic, and tough; Dayna lively and determined, and Soolin cool and logical - like Avon should have been in season 4. But I'll pick Cally as she was so wonderfully fierce at the start and her telepathy fascinated me. It's such a pity that they softened her down into the crew nurse; she would have given them an awesome tactical advantage that was hardly used.

All the questions are on Tumblr.

cdrama watching

May. 3rd, 2026 06:57 pm
aurumcalendula: Jiang Li and Shen Man sitting on a bed with Shen Man resting her head on Jiang Li's shoulder (Jiang Li and Shen Man)
[personal profile] aurumcalendula
暴锋雨 | Sharp Downpour (2026):

Read more... )

work work

May. 3rd, 2026 06:28 pm
unicornduke: (Default)
[personal profile] unicornduke
strawberries are planted, two acres, 20k plants! We got done an acre a day because we have rows that are 4 feet apart and the tractor drives at 0.78 miles per hour because that is the optimal speed for the people putting plants in the grabbers on the back. I was on the planter the whole time because there needs to be one experienced person placing plants since less experienced people will miss grabbers and the experienced person has to fill in. The workers rotated through since the other job was to replant skips and make sure the plants' roots were fully covered. It was so cold both days. Temps were mid 50s plus wind and we soak the strawberry plants so they don't dry out and die and my hands were cold and wet in my gloves the entire time. I asked my mom to run out both days and pick up donuts and hot chocolate which was so nice in the morning. 

Although there was some counting kerfuffle with the number of rows in the fields. Neither my dad nor I can understand why we ended up with more rows than flagged out and counted. No idea what happened. It happened in both fields too. I did last year's fields exactly the same but we didn't have this issue. So we are short on plants, so I'm going to call and see if we can get another box or two shipped. 

my brain looked at my to-do list last week and abruptly switched modes from emotional and irritated by everything and not wanting to work to no emotions, only work. that was useful. I got a lot of shit done. I can't even list them all and I'm too tired to remember out all the stuff I did. I have consumed freezer taquitos, lemon bars that I found in the freezer and ice cream is up next. I really should get some side job work done but I'm too tired for that as well. 

I'm planning to work tomorrow, there's a lot of cleanup stuff that needs to get done although it won't be a full long day since I need to make food and have crafting. I might sleep in a bit. I keep meaning to pick up my pottery from my class in february but the last time I tried to go get it mid april, they hadn't actually run the glaze kiln and I haven't been able to go anywhere on a day they're open since then. 

I'm going to take wed/thurs off work since it will be raining both days and I didn't take monday off last week. jeez I just checked the forecast and predicted is 34F thurs night. so maybe I'll spread frost covers. Although rain does help mitigate the temp swing sometimes. 

I did spread frost covers yesterday because we had 32F predicted, which could swing as low as 27, but it was 34f instead. Arg. 

for some reason, mom offered to let me keep the lounge chair in the living room. you know, the one that her and dad spend hours every day sleeping in. absolutely baffled by this offer. I guess I would accept this if I wanted them to keep sleeping in my living room? I don't want this. no idea. I really don't want it anyway. 

I have managed to do some crocheting and watching hockey games in a few of the evenings so that's been nice. And reading. need to type up some posts but eh, at some point I'll get to them.

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