just some Alicia
@aliciaaarnio.solar
The un-knit ball of wool is in its highest state of being, and this is why I stash yarn.
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I knit, spin, sew, and teach physics. These are my random thoughts.
(banner image is my handspun yarn, fiber dyed by FatCatKnits in colorway Melody)
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I knit, spin, sew, and teach physics. These are my random thoughts.
(banner image is my handspun yarn, fiber dyed by FatCatKnits in colorway Melody)
Pinned
just some Alicia
@aliciaaarnio.solar
· Jul 18
wanna see a spinning wheel glow-up?
ha ha jk i know you do
ha ha jk i know you do
Reposted by just some Alicia
Sigh. Shutting down the National Center for Atmospheric Research will make the world a more dangerous place for all of us.
Colorado senators’ bid to save NCAR funding fails as U.S. Senate passes spending bills
“In the face of unrelenting political attacks from President Trump, we are standing together to protect institutions like NCAR that are vital to our state and our economy,” Sen. John Hickenlo…
www.denverpost.com
January 16, 2026 at 1:14 AM
Sigh. Shutting down the National Center for Atmospheric Research will make the world a more dangerous place for all of us.
time for 'what makes you feel older, faculty edition!'
1) a student visiting office hours tells you they were born in 2006
2) a student you had as an undergrad 20 years ago emails to tell you they're using your book for their Modern Physics class this semester 😅
1) a student visiting office hours tells you they were born in 2006
2) a student you had as an undergrad 20 years ago emails to tell you they're using your book for their Modern Physics class this semester 😅
January 14, 2026 at 10:09 PM
time for 'what makes you feel older, faculty edition!'
1) a student visiting office hours tells you they were born in 2006
2) a student you had as an undergrad 20 years ago emails to tell you they're using your book for their Modern Physics class this semester 😅
1) a student visiting office hours tells you they were born in 2006
2) a student you had as an undergrad 20 years ago emails to tell you they're using your book for their Modern Physics class this semester 😅
I don't understand how blocking an email address in Outlook just consigns them to the junk folder. I still have to scan that folder because it's not always just junk, so I still see this garbage even though I blocked it. bleedin' useless, microsoft
January 14, 2026 at 9:31 PM
I don't understand how blocking an email address in Outlook just consigns them to the junk folder. I still have to scan that folder because it's not always just junk, so I still see this garbage even though I blocked it. bleedin' useless, microsoft
did comic sans break past cringe and back into tolerable
January 14, 2026 at 1:45 PM
did comic sans break past cringe and back into tolerable
if the weather's good this weekend, going to use the three days to do some much needed car repairs. I finally decided after pricing something new that it's a much better idea to fix what i have, which i love anyway! 😍 grateful to have finally found the motivation.
(it was under the couch)
(it was under the couch)
January 12, 2026 at 10:27 PM
if the weather's good this weekend, going to use the three days to do some much needed car repairs. I finally decided after pricing something new that it's a much better idea to fix what i have, which i love anyway! 😍 grateful to have finally found the motivation.
(it was under the couch)
(it was under the couch)
wait, why does 1 appear twice on the shift knob
January 12, 2026 at 5:07 PM
wait, why does 1 appear twice on the shift knob
yeeeah no i'm not submitting grade change requests via microsoft form that doesn't even say who receives it. give me a break, this is silly
January 12, 2026 at 4:53 PM
yeeeah no i'm not submitting grade change requests via microsoft form that doesn't even say who receives it. give me a break, this is silly
student worried about getting into intro physics: "I don't want to have to take another biology class!"
I've never gotten "I'd prefer a physics to a bio class" before, but since uncg has cut things, they added bio sections to compensate for lost seat$. the students don't like having fewer options!
I've never gotten "I'd prefer a physics to a bio class" before, but since uncg has cut things, they added bio sections to compensate for lost seat$. the students don't like having fewer options!
January 12, 2026 at 4:45 PM
student worried about getting into intro physics: "I don't want to have to take another biology class!"
I've never gotten "I'd prefer a physics to a bio class" before, but since uncg has cut things, they added bio sections to compensate for lost seat$. the students don't like having fewer options!
I've never gotten "I'd prefer a physics to a bio class" before, but since uncg has cut things, they added bio sections to compensate for lost seat$. the students don't like having fewer options!
uncg is going to lose a lot of money today (fdoc) in parking revenue because the parking deck exit gate has been broken for at least a week now. they'll probably just cut more academic programs to make up for losses
January 12, 2026 at 1:38 PM
uncg is going to lose a lot of money today (fdoc) in parking revenue because the parking deck exit gate has been broken for at least a week now. they'll probably just cut more academic programs to make up for losses
Reposted by just some Alicia
Mamdani's entire Big Block of Cheese Day video is worth watching, but in particular, his chat with Samina, a Pakistani woman who reminds me of my Bengali mom, made me tear up.
I think her English is perfectly intelligible. But it's amazing to see how eloquent she becomes once they switch into Urdu.
I think her English is perfectly intelligible. But it's amazing to see how eloquent she becomes once they switch into Urdu.
THE MAYOR IS LISTENING
YouTube video by Zohran Mamdani for NYC
youtu.be
January 11, 2026 at 2:24 AM
Mamdani's entire Big Block of Cheese Day video is worth watching, but in particular, his chat with Samina, a Pakistani woman who reminds me of my Bengali mom, made me tear up.
I think her English is perfectly intelligible. But it's amazing to see how eloquent she becomes once they switch into Urdu.
I think her English is perfectly intelligible. But it's amazing to see how eloquent she becomes once they switch into Urdu.
i feel so old and grumpy. when cars go by blasting music, windows in my house rattle and i just think, 'is it worth permanent hearing damage?'
maybe it's not age or grumpiness but that i've lived with hyperacusis and tinnitus for years & i'd happily go back in time and yoink my own headphones out
maybe it's not age or grumpiness but that i've lived with hyperacusis and tinnitus for years & i'd happily go back in time and yoink my own headphones out
January 11, 2026 at 5:22 PM
i feel so old and grumpy. when cars go by blasting music, windows in my house rattle and i just think, 'is it worth permanent hearing damage?'
maybe it's not age or grumpiness but that i've lived with hyperacusis and tinnitus for years & i'd happily go back in time and yoink my own headphones out
maybe it's not age or grumpiness but that i've lived with hyperacusis and tinnitus for years & i'd happily go back in time and yoink my own headphones out
Reposted by just some Alicia
Every woman has heard it. Your daughter, your sister, your mother, your wife. We have ALL heard it.
I haven’t (and most likely won’t) watch the recently released video but I swear I can hear that “fucking bitch” in my head clear as day. The snarling hate and disgust. Every woman has heard it.
January 9, 2026 at 8:38 PM
Every woman has heard it. Your daughter, your sister, your mother, your wife. We have ALL heard it.
kinda fun to use the textbook one of my undergrad professors wrote :)
not fun: new class prep this semester, modern physics, which I will get to teach .. once.
not fun: new class prep this semester, modern physics, which I will get to teach .. once.
January 9, 2026 at 4:54 PM
kinda fun to use the textbook one of my undergrad professors wrote :)
not fun: new class prep this semester, modern physics, which I will get to teach .. once.
not fun: new class prep this semester, modern physics, which I will get to teach .. once.
Reposted by just some Alicia
Maybe the horrors could tone down their freshness for a bit?
January 8, 2026 at 7:08 PM
Maybe the horrors could tone down their freshness for a bit?
Reposted by just some Alicia
Well at least no one’s dying anymore… oh
The U.S. is in the middle of a 12th wave of COVID. Career scientists at the CDC summarized this week in JAMA Internal Medicine that COVID continues to directly cause >100,000 deaths/year, with many excess deaths on top of that.
More at pmc19.com/data
More at pmc19.com/data
January 8, 2026 at 7:01 AM
Well at least no one’s dying anymore… oh
Reposted by just some Alicia
Oh my god STOP PUTTING AI IN EVERYTHING it is bad for us, it is bad for the world, it is also just BAD AT THE JOB YOU GIVE IT jesus fucking christ
The National Weather Service used AI to create a forecast for Idaho. Low chances of wind for the nonexistent towns of Cocrerrireod, Orangeotild and Whata Bod www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2026...
January 7, 2026 at 4:15 PM
Oh my god STOP PUTTING AI IN EVERYTHING it is bad for us, it is bad for the world, it is also just BAD AT THE JOB YOU GIVE IT jesus fucking christ
I want to preface this by saying I am fine; nothing has happened. I noticed this a little while ago but uh. Fam, is this a bullet hole in my window? If the window weren’t painted shut, would I find the bullet between the panes? I think this happened a while ago but I’m not sure (1/2)
January 8, 2026 at 1:13 AM
I want to preface this by saying I am fine; nothing has happened. I noticed this a little while ago but uh. Fam, is this a bullet hole in my window? If the window weren’t painted shut, would I find the bullet between the panes? I think this happened a while ago but I’m not sure (1/2)
Reposted by just some Alicia
It takes a Canadian pundit to nail it down this well:
Occam’s kazoo: When it comes to Trump’s behavior, the most plausible explanation is the stupidest.”
www.theglobeandmail.c...
Occam’s kazoo: When it comes to Trump’s behavior, the most plausible explanation is the stupidest.”
www.theglobeandmail.c...
January 7, 2026 at 2:26 PM
It takes a Canadian pundit to nail it down this well:
Occam’s kazoo: When it comes to Trump’s behavior, the most plausible explanation is the stupidest.”
www.theglobeandmail.c...
Occam’s kazoo: When it comes to Trump’s behavior, the most plausible explanation is the stupidest.”
www.theglobeandmail.c...
working here is constantly getting emails about good people you relied on and enjoyed working with, leaving. going to wager a guess we have among the higher support staff turnover rates, despite a recent fluff piece only quoting admins saying things here are rosy and the climate is great
January 7, 2026 at 7:44 PM
working here is constantly getting emails about good people you relied on and enjoyed working with, leaving. going to wager a guess we have among the higher support staff turnover rates, despite a recent fluff piece only quoting admins saying things here are rosy and the climate is great
Reposted by just some Alicia
went outside to try to figure out what creature is tip-tip-tapping on the side of my house, couldn't hear a thing over continuous low-level traffic noise. apple watch can measure noise levels in real time: apparently my back yard gets up to 80dB when quiet cars go by. continuum level noise is 60 dB.
January 7, 2026 at 4:38 PM
went outside to try to figure out what creature is tip-tip-tapping on the side of my house, couldn't hear a thing over continuous low-level traffic noise. apple watch can measure noise levels in real time: apparently my back yard gets up to 80dB when quiet cars go by. continuum level noise is 60 dB.
Reposted by just some Alicia
Email to a faculty member provided by Texas A&M AAUP chapter: ~get rid of your woke Plato readings or teach ethics for engineers at 8 AM~
January 7, 2026 at 3:30 PM
Email to a faculty member provided by Texas A&M AAUP chapter: ~get rid of your woke Plato readings or teach ethics for engineers at 8 AM~
Reposted by just some Alicia
For anyone who didn't know…
So it looks like i hadn't mentioned this, here, so just in case let me say this plain: Instructure, the parent company & producer of the Canvas learning management software platform, has partnered with OpenAI, as of last year. There are a number of claims being made about privacy but… well. Heads up
Instructure and OpenAI Announce Global Partnership to Embed AI Learning Experiences within Canvas
www.instructure.com
January 7, 2026 at 3:54 PM
For anyone who didn't know…
Reposted by just some Alicia
The perfect two sentence story.
When I was 23, I saw a bunch of really cute velvet furniture on the side of the road, totally nice. Took it in and a year later a friend’s new gf came to my house and it turns out I’d stolen her entire living room while she was moving.
January 6, 2026 at 11:58 PM
The perfect two sentence story.
i think a depression pit(TM) mutual cleaning pact should be a thing. help me clean my despair den and i'll help you clean your hidey habitat, because we're both probably more willing to help others than be nice to ourselves
January 6, 2026 at 8:45 PM
i think a depression pit(TM) mutual cleaning pact should be a thing. help me clean my despair den and i'll help you clean your hidey habitat, because we're both probably more willing to help others than be nice to ourselves