Susan Valot
@susanvalot.bsky.social
Public radio reporter. Podcast producer/host (Quanta magazine). Professor. Hockey player. Globe trekker. Hiker. Work has been heard on KCRW, NPR's "Only A Game," KPCC. I’m also a freelance audio editor for podcasts. www.susanvalot.com
Two funny things about this: 1) I almost didn't get a job interview years ago because my resume was in Times New Roman and the hiring person considered it an "old person's" font. And 2) at my old radio station, we had to do our scripts in Comic Sans. No joke. So I got used to it.
Rubio is not alone in going to war over fonts on.ft.com/4iVhWZO | opinion
Rubio is not alone in going to war over fonts
We can expect strong opposition to the US secretary of state bringing back staid old Times New Roman
on.ft.com
December 13, 2025 at 6:18 AM
Two funny things about this: 1) I almost didn't get a job interview years ago because my resume was in Times New Roman and the hiring person considered it an "old person's" font. And 2) at my old radio station, we had to do our scripts in Comic Sans. No joke. So I got used to it.
Chocolate for everyone!! :)
Scientists have uncovered a surprising link between dark chocolate and slower aging. A natural cocoa compound called theobromine was found in higher levels among people who appeared biologically younger than their real age.
www.sciencedaily.com/releases/202...
www.sciencedaily.com/releases/202...
Scientists find dark chocolate ingredient that slows aging
Scientists have uncovered a surprising link between dark chocolate and slower aging. A natural cocoa compound called theobromine was found in higher levels among people who appeared biologically young...
www.sciencedaily.com
December 13, 2025 at 5:31 AM
Chocolate for everyone!! :)
It last rained a while ago, but holy cow, the adobe clay parts of the trail were sticky! And a cowboy Christmas! (To get to the trail, you have to take a fire road through a stable area. The goats there are hilarious!)
December 13, 2025 at 12:40 AM
It last rained a while ago, but holy cow, the adobe clay parts of the trail were sticky! And a cowboy Christmas! (To get to the trail, you have to take a fire road through a stable area. The goats there are hilarious!)
Pretty view from tonight’s Sierra Club walk in Palos Verdes.
December 12, 2025 at 6:18 AM
Pretty view from tonight’s Sierra Club walk in Palos Verdes.
Saw a fireball meteor tonight over Altadena. The Geminids. Pretty amazing to see so clearly over a city. Also, Christmas Tree Lane.
December 11, 2025 at 6:26 AM
Saw a fireball meteor tonight over Altadena. The Geminids. Pretty amazing to see so clearly over a city. Also, Christmas Tree Lane.
I have one! A science teacher’s side project. You can tell people that you have Mt St Helens in your bathroom!
Only 8 boxes remain! Thanks for the continued support. Its a fun hobby for me (when I have time).
www.etsy.com/shop/Phaneri...
www.etsy.com/shop/Phaneri...
December 11, 2025 at 12:55 AM
I have one! A science teacher’s side project. You can tell people that you have Mt St Helens in your bathroom!
Took me 1 1/2 hours to get from South Bay to Pasadena/Altadena. Standstill traffic thru downtown LA. (So I could take a photo.) I’ve been working with my editor since 2012/2013 & tonight’s the 1st time we’ll ever meet in person. (Dinner with a couple of us who’ve been working on post-fire stories.)
December 11, 2025 at 12:35 AM
Took me 1 1/2 hours to get from South Bay to Pasadena/Altadena. Standstill traffic thru downtown LA. (So I could take a photo.) I’ve been working with my editor since 2012/2013 & tonight’s the 1st time we’ll ever meet in person. (Dinner with a couple of us who’ve been working on post-fire stories.)
Also a nice evening for a sunset walk, with both Santa Barbara and San Nicolas islands visible on the horizon. It’s not often that you can see the flatter one that’s further out.
December 9, 2025 at 5:11 AM
Also a nice evening for a sunset walk, with both Santa Barbara and San Nicolas islands visible on the horizon. It’s not often that you can see the flatter one that’s further out.
Took a friend visiting from Maine to Sleepy Hollow in Torrance tonight. Best time to go is early in the season, on a weeknight. Not too crowded!
December 9, 2025 at 5:07 AM
Took a friend visiting from Maine to Sleepy Hollow in Torrance tonight. Best time to go is early in the season, on a weeknight. Not too crowded!
Still a bit muddy out, but nice view of downtown LA with just a slight layer of haze.
December 8, 2025 at 12:44 AM
Still a bit muddy out, but nice view of downtown LA with just a slight layer of haze.
Reposted by Susan Valot
American Science, Shattered
A multipart series on how the Trump administration has disrupted labs, upended lives, and delayed discoveries.
www.statnews.com/american-sci...
A multipart series on how the Trump administration has disrupted labs, upended lives, and delayed discoveries.
www.statnews.com/american-sci...
American Science, Shattered
An eight-decade partnership between universities and the federal government made U.S. science preeminent. It took Trump less than a year to shred that
www.statnews.com
December 8, 2025 at 12:04 AM
American Science, Shattered
A multipart series on how the Trump administration has disrupted labs, upended lives, and delayed discoveries.
www.statnews.com/american-sci...
A multipart series on how the Trump administration has disrupted labs, upended lives, and delayed discoveries.
www.statnews.com/american-sci...
Someone forgot to tell the refinery that Halloween is over.
December 8, 2025 at 12:20 AM
Someone forgot to tell the refinery that Halloween is over.
Saw some protestors out yesterday in Orange County.
December 7, 2025 at 7:31 PM
Saw some protestors out yesterday in Orange County.
My Saturday. A working Saturday.
December 6, 2025 at 8:49 PM
My Saturday. A working Saturday.
And then I look out the window and this guy gets up on his/her hind legs, giving me flashbacks to the raccoon gang when I was camping near Big Sur in October. Big animal night here! (Raccoons are at least easy to scare off, if needed.) Watch out for coyotes, little dude!
December 6, 2025 at 8:59 AM
And then I look out the window and this guy gets up on his/her hind legs, giving me flashbacks to the raccoon gang when I was camping near Big Sur in October. Big animal night here! (Raccoons are at least easy to scare off, if needed.) Watch out for coyotes, little dude!
Came home from hockey to find two coyotes in the yard for the first time ever, even in the time my mom grew up here. They weren’t bothered by me yelling at them. The ones on the trails are more skittish. Took me longer to get in the house. And now I’ve got to get up early tomorrow. Ugh. Late games!
December 6, 2025 at 8:38 AM
Came home from hockey to find two coyotes in the yard for the first time ever, even in the time my mom grew up here. They weren’t bothered by me yelling at them. The ones on the trails are more skittish. Took me longer to get in the house. And now I’ve got to get up early tomorrow. Ugh. Late games!
I was fortunate to record an interview with Frank Gehry in late September of this year. He sang me the Canadian national anthem and afterwards, told me the story of how he stopped playing ice hockey, a shared interest. I found him to be funny & interesting, beyond his impact on architecture.
Breaking News: Frank Gehry, a titan of architecture, has died at 96. He designed some of the world’s most recognizable buildings — many widely regarded as masterpieces. nyti.ms/4rGCYiE
December 5, 2025 at 10:40 PM
I was fortunate to record an interview with Frank Gehry in late September of this year. He sang me the Canadian national anthem and afterwards, told me the story of how he stopped playing ice hockey, a shared interest. I found him to be funny & interesting, beyond his impact on architecture.
Reposted by Susan Valot
"I did not resign to make a symbolic point," writes Dr. Debra Houry, former chief medical officer of the CDC. "I resigned because staying silent would have made me complicit." 🛟 🧪 time.com/7338714/dr-d...
I Left the CDC 100 Days Ago. My Worst Fears About the Agency Are Coming True
"Things have not improved," writes Dr. Debra Houry. "They have worsened. And Congress has still failed to act."
time.com
December 5, 2025 at 10:08 PM
"I did not resign to make a symbolic point," writes Dr. Debra Houry, former chief medical officer of the CDC. "I resigned because staying silent would have made me complicit." 🛟 🧪 time.com/7338714/dr-d...
I’m ready for the upcoming year! :)
December 2, 2025 at 5:12 AM
I’m ready for the upcoming year! :)
Tuzigoot National Monument in Arizona. This was a “village” of Native Americans, but more like apartments, going back to something like 1100AD. They were farmers and hunter-gatherers. About 250 people lived in this complex, with a family in each tiny room. Hard to imagine life at that point in time.
December 1, 2025 at 10:45 PM
Tuzigoot National Monument in Arizona. This was a “village” of Native Americans, but more like apartments, going back to something like 1100AD. They were farmers and hunter-gatherers. About 250 people lived in this complex, with a family in each tiny room. Hard to imagine life at that point in time.
Six-mile loop to Devil’s Bridge with my cousin. We picked up a lot of trash, but beautiful views.
November 30, 2025 at 11:12 PM
Six-mile loop to Devil’s Bridge with my cousin. We picked up a lot of trash, but beautiful views.
From the neighbor’s deck, where we went to a “bring your leftovers” gathering. Sedona, AZ.
November 30, 2025 at 5:25 AM
From the neighbor’s deck, where we went to a “bring your leftovers” gathering. Sedona, AZ.
Reposted by Susan Valot
“Changing gender on your profile does not affect how your content appears.” - a @linkedin.com spokesperson. But, the anecdotes are piling up. “The kind of stats that I’m seeing at the moment are a 1,600% increase in profile views.” www.theguardian.com/technology/2... via @theguardian.com
Bro boost: women say their LinkedIn traffic increases if they pretend to be men
Collective experiment found switching profile to ‘male’ and ‘bro-coding’ text led to big increase in reach, though site denies favouring posts by men
www.theguardian.com
November 30, 2025 at 1:14 AM
“Changing gender on your profile does not affect how your content appears.” - a @linkedin.com spokesperson. But, the anecdotes are piling up. “The kind of stats that I’m seeing at the moment are a 1,600% increase in profile views.” www.theguardian.com/technology/2... via @theguardian.com
Not a bad view for getting some grading done.
November 28, 2025 at 8:27 PM
Not a bad view for getting some grading done.