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Aster Hesperus @rlstar.bsky.social · 15h

The questions in this survey are so depressing, go do it and put some resistance in your answers, like asking where the space is for research that isn't just giving money to businesses and doing their R&D for them.

Nico Mara-McKay 🦇 (they/iel) @nicomaramckay.com · 7d

Canadians: The federal government is seeking public input on how AI should be developed and used in business, research, and the military.

If this scares the shit out of you, please let them know:

Help define the next chapter of Canada's AI leadership

Current status: Open from October 1 to October 31, 2025 Canada helped invent modern AI. To stay a leader—and protect our digital sovereignty—we're running a 30-day national sprint to shape a renewed...

ised-isde.canada.ca

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Aster Hesperus @rlstar.bsky.social · 11d

I don't wear socks, so the only ones I ever knit are gifts. These ones are in a really nice mohair sock yarn from Whistlebare, and they were for my lovely sister-in-law who had very kindly received my inkle loom and shipped it to me from the US. #ShowMeYourKnits

A dusty pink knitted sock with a loop motif running up the side from the toe and in the middle. The sock is being blocked on a wooden blocker so it is very flat and there's a mysterious black paw touching the cuff.

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Aster Hesperus @rlstar.bsky.social · 18d

The project top of mind for me this week for care in knitting is the Emotional Support Chicken I knit for work. I had a couple students last week who were super nervous before a big event and trying to hold it together, and they both took advantage of the offer to hug the chicken. #ShowMeYourKnits

A knitted chicken in primarily pale brown and white marled yarns. She has purple stripes on her neck and tail, and she is sitting in a window box with some red and orange flowers. She looks super kind and friendly, and her name is Eglantine Beckett.

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Aster Hesperus @rlstar.bsky.social · 27d

Find the bolshiest other parent you can find, sit next to them and ask the authorities hard questions.

Aster Hesperus @rlstar.bsky.social · Sep 6

I know someone who rarely knits pairs of socks, just one from any pattern. She has a standard sock yarn so that they are all the same colour, but I honestly think that's genius.

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Aster Hesperus @rlstar.bsky.social · Sep 6

Gorgeous!

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Aster Hesperus @rlstar.bsky.social · Sep 6

I just finished my blanket yesterday, so my WIP is just a tiny wee starting triangle of a Sophie hood in the new colour of Isager Soft. it's really hard to get the actual colour to photograph - it's lavender, but it does tone quite grey, which I actually love. #ShowMeYourKnits

A thin triangle of garter stitch knitting with i-cord edges. It is next to a ball of yarn. The yarn is fuzzy, with glimpses of the cotton core showing. The colour is a very soft grey-purple. The knitting is on a desk covered with other bits of knitting in the background, some random balls of yarn, a cushion and a cat toy that looks like a wee sausage roll. No cat in evidence.

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Aster Hesperus @rlstar.bsky.social · Aug 30

For Sweater week I picked Mayu by Espace Tricot because it's the most successful and loved sweater I made for my kid. I first made one in 2017, and he loved and wore it so much I had to make a new one a couple years ago after it wore out. This is version 2. #ShowMeYourKnits

A person standing outside on a patio holding a branch of cherry blossom. The image is cropped to feature their torso and they are wearing an oversized sweater with very wide sleeves and a rolled neck. The sweater is dark grey and it has a fuzzy mohair halo.

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Aster Hesperus @rlstar.bsky.social · Aug 27

Button with a shank is one way to go, but you can also essentially make a shank by looping yarn/thread around your stitches underneath the flat button as you sew it on. You can find lots of youtube tutorials to show you how.

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Reposted by Aster Hesperus

Courtney Milan @courtneymilan.com · Aug 27

Hi authors! Please remember to file a claim!

Ars Technica @arstechnica.com · Aug 27

AI advocates have warned that if every author in the class action filed a claim, it would "financially ruin" the entire industry.

Authors celebrate “historic” settlement coming soon in Anthropic class action

Advocates fear such settlements will “financially ruin” the AI industry.

arstechnica.com

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Reposted by Aster Hesperus

l m rainer @etiquettecentral.bsky.social · Aug 23

#bloomscrolling

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Aster Hesperus @rlstar.bsky.social · Aug 16

Okay, look. If I am honest, this is my favourite striped sweater, but there's a reason it's called "Unphotogenic Boxy" in my projects. #ShowMeYourKnits

A rectangular, boxy sweater, shown sideways lying flat. It has stripes of varying thickness in 2 shades of black. One of them is mohair, not that you can tell by looking.

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Aster Hesperus @rlstar.bsky.social · Aug 13

Perfect pool afternoon.

Kits pool in the foreground looking across English Bay to Stanley park, and the mountains in the background. The pool is a bright turquoise, the water in the bay is greenish blue and it's very clear so the mountains look particularly pointy.

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Aster Hesperus @rlstar.bsky.social · Aug 11

I often recommend older books for precocious readers because precocious readers aren't always ready for super scary books, which is where a lot of popular recent sf writing has been trending more recently. Kids who are emotionally ready for scary books, we're all good.

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Aster Hesperus @rlstar.bsky.social · Aug 10

It's really well-written, and I like that she gives instructions for some specific sizes but also makes clear you can just freestyle your own size and shape. Some really good explanations of techniques, too, so I learned a couple tricks from it.

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Aster Hesperus @rlstar.bsky.social · Aug 10

Thank you! I had an embarrassment of riches to choose from.

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Aster Hesperus @rlstar.bsky.social · Aug 10

Scrap projects, you say? This one is on my needles right now! Sweet Shop Blanket by Laura Penrose, and perfect for making a dent in the massive pile of minis and leftovers. #showmeyourknits

A knitted blanket made up of squares. Each square is made of 2 triangles, one in off-white, one in either green or purple. The greens and purples range from lime to forest and lilac to grape.

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Aster Hesperus @rlstar.bsky.social · Jul 30

Let's hope tomorrow's message isn't: "jackhammering has caused a partial building collapse."

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Reposted by Aster Hesperus

Opal @opalescentopal.bsky.social · Jul 27

With Tom Lehrer's passing, I suppose this is a moment to share the story of the prank he played on the National Security Agency, and how it went undiscovered for nearly 60 years.

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Aster Hesperus @rlstar.bsky.social · Jul 26

Happy Birthday #ShowMeYourKnits! Love the inspiration and the vibe here so much. This is absolutely the moment to post one of my faves from the last year which is Human Expression of Fairy Bread. Pattern is Calliope from Espace Tricot, and the yarn is Bubble Wand from Sweet Georgia.

A person's torso showing a knit sweater in a cream yarn with flecks of colour and a lot of multi-coloured glass beads sprinkled on it like the sprinkles on the Aussie party fave fairy bread.

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Aster Hesperus @rlstar.bsky.social · Jul 25

I just got an agastache this summer and the hummingbirds love it!

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Aster Hesperus @rlstar.bsky.social · Jul 24

"I didn't read that email".

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Aster Hesperus @rlstar.bsky.social · Jul 24

#AcademicSky If you are faculty and you have ever sent an email to an admin staff member the gist of which is "tee hee, policy processes are so mysterious", I need you to know that all the staff talk about what a dumbass you are and wonder how you got your job. You don't have imposter syndrome.

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Aster Hesperus @rlstar.bsky.social · Jul 20

The Merry Maidens in Cornwall earlier this month. Gorgeous day, no one there but me and my 2 friends, and we just sat with them and enjoyed feeling their place in the landscape. #StandingStoneSunday

5 standing stones curving away from the first stone, which is seen close up. They are all about the same height and roughly rectangular, but different shapes and widths.

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Aster Hesperus @rlstar.bsky.social · Jul 20

The part where it says "I panicked" and he sees that as a plausible explanation is such a moment. It's an AI, dude, come on, it doesn't have emotions.

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