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plumptardigrade.bsky.social
A.F.
@plumptardigrade.bsky.social
70 followers 56 following 530 posts
My life is just one big post-it note.
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Reposted by A.F.
tomgauld.bsky.social
A recent cartoon for @theguardian.com
title: The Writer in January Panel 1. “A short stroll...” says the writer aleaving the house. The sun has begun to peek over the horizon. Panel 2. “Then back to my desk for a good day's writing in the winter sun.” The sun has risen a little higher. Panel 3. “Surely it's not going down yet?” The sun is indeed on its way down. Panel 4. “Perhaps I'll catch the last rays.” Says the writer breaking into a sprint. Panel 5. The writer is back at home sitting at a desk saying “Damn!”. The sun is gone. The sky is gloomy.
January 26, 2026 at 11:53 AM
Reposted by A.F.
tomgauld.bsky.social
My cartoon for this week’s @newscientist.com
Panel 1. A graveyard: the gravedigger sits on a pile of earth. Hamlet stands before him, holding a skull. Hamlet: “Alas, poor yorick! I knew him, professor Horatio.” He tis looking at a lab-coated figure. Prof. Horatio: “Actually, my analysis suggests this skull belonged to a young woman from the late Neolithic era.” Panel 2. Leaving the graveyard Hamlet: “Prithee, Horatio, tell me one thing.” Prof. Horatio: “What’s that, my lord?” Hamlet (angrily): “Dost thou have to spoil everything.”
January 24, 2026 at 10:12 AM
Reposted by A.F.
riverteeth.bsky.social
✨We are honored to share that The Humble Essayist has featured “Harvey” by Lynda Rushing, an essay from River Teeth 27.1 this week.

Check out his commentary on this “Paragraph of the Week” at www.the-humble-essayist.com

#RiverTeeth #TheHumbleEssayist #LiteraryCommentary #PersonalEssay
January 23, 2026 at 4:32 PM
Reposted by A.F.
explore.org
Baby Anteater has been rescued by our partners Toucan Ranch Rescue.
January 22, 2026 at 5:55 PM
plumptardigrade.bsky.social
Yesterday I had a former student knock on my door during my planning period, grab me in a fierce hug, then scamper away hollering over their shoulder: "Love you, Ms. F! Miss you!"

These are the moments I cling to when everything else feels like a dumpster fire on a rollercoaster.

#edusky #HS
January 22, 2026 at 12:29 AM
Reposted by A.F.
explore.org
Tree hugs.
January 21, 2026 at 7:44 PM
plumptardigrade.bsky.social
I am literally at the point of opening a small fabric store because of so many reasons.
January 21, 2026 at 2:19 AM
plumptardigrade.bsky.social
Absolutely *NEVER* order anything from Michael's online. Aside from hiding order information from their customers, their customer service is no help.

I say this as someone who worked in customer service for over a decade.

Gah, I miss JoAnn.
January 21, 2026 at 1:30 AM
plumptardigrade.bsky.social
Whale sharks 😍😍😍
bighippoart.bsky.social Big Hippo 🇮🇪 @bighippoart.bsky.social · 9d
The sea is such an incredible, vast space 🐟 #sciart
An illustration showing numerous marine creatures.
January 21, 2026 at 12:14 AM
Reposted by A.F.
dj-acid-reflux.bsky.social
I doubt I will ever see a more inspired bit of upcycling.
A "chicken flap" in the wall of a chicken house, made out of an old toilet seat. (If they'd flipped it around, they could have also had a little entry ramp.)
January 18, 2026 at 8:55 AM
plumptardigrade.bsky.social
Such a good read!!!
deepseadawn.bsky.social Dr. Dawn Wright @deepseadawn.bsky.social · 13d
“Everybody came, partly to see the girl geophysicist, but also to hear what the revolution could mean for them.”

Absolutely delighted by this story of my friend, mentor, & scientific hero, TANYA ATWATER ⚒️ 🌊 🧪

www.hcn.org/issues/58-1/...

h/t @floragraham.bsky.social
cc @drwendyrocks.bsky.social
How plate tectonics revolutionized our understanding of Earth - High Country News
And how scientist Tanya Atwater was at the center of it all.
www.hcn.org
January 18, 2026 at 7:30 PM
Reposted by A.F.
tomgauld.bsky.social
My books cartoon for this week’s @theguardian.com
Panel One. Two figures walk up a hill in a park. One walks in front and the other is walking a dog Front "My new year's resolution is to stop lending books" Dog-walker "Really?" Panel Two. Front, becoming agitated "It's just not worth the risk: cracked spines! Bent corners! Torn pages! Grubby fingers! Crumbs! Baths! Burglars! Rats! Children!! I can't allow such precious artefacts to fall into the careless hands of clumsy philistines!" Panel Three. Dog-walker "And how do the other librarians feel about this?" Front "Less supportive Than I'd hoped."
January 18, 2026 at 4:45 PM
Reposted by A.F.
mcnees.bsky.social
It’s a section that appears on my syllabi. Here’s the version from an intro physics class this past semester.
Should I Use ChatGPT Or Another LLM To Study? I wouldn't recommend it. I try to keep up with the capabilities of the major LLMs. They can do some things really well, if you use them the right way. However, they frequently make mistakes when generating responses to questions about physics. Sometimes these mistakes are obvious, sometimes they are subtle and hard to spot. The fact that you cannot trust the output of LLMs should be reason enough not to rely on these systems when you are trying to learn a new subject. But that's not the only problem. Interactions with LLMs feel like a dialog, so it's natural to think the usual rules of conversation apply. You ask a question and expect the response will be an answer to that question. It's important to understand that this is not what's happening. An LLM is designed to generate statistically likely responses to the question "What would an answer to this query sound like?" This is not the same thing as answering the question. It might produce what you are looking for, or it might not. This is one reason why output from an LLM will sound authoritative even when it's wrong, and apologetic when mistakes are pointed out. It isn't authoritative or apologetic, and it isn't "thinking" about your question. These are just the sorts of responses that best fit a very complicated set of likelihood criteria…
December 21, 2025 at 11:25 PM
Reposted by A.F.
explore.org
Shamans Rock sunrise with wolf.
January 17, 2026 at 4:36 PM
Reposted by A.F.
juliepackard.montereybayaquarium.org
The first international High Seas Treaty takes effect this weekend. It's a significant step toward protecting Earth's largest living space: the deep ocean beyond all national borders. bit.ly/3NmqsoZ #HighSeasTreaty #MarineBiodiversity #MarineProtectedAreas #InternationalLaw #OceanConservation
A Landmark 'High Seas Treaty' Has Arrived. Here's Why It's a Big Deal.
The United Nations Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction Agreement (BBNJA) – nicknamed the 'High Seas Treaty' – comes into force on January 17, a massive milestone in efforts to conserve marine li...
www.sciencealert.com
January 16, 2026 at 5:37 PM
plumptardigrade.bsky.social
Day 8 of antibiotics and still fighting multiple infections while also teaching full time.

Thank goodness for a long holiday weekend so I can collapse and sleep like Rip Van Winkle.
January 17, 2026 at 12:09 AM
Reposted by A.F.
amnh.org
It’s Fossil Friday! Apatosaurus excelsus may look intimidating, but this dinosaur maintained its mind-boggling bulk on a diet of plants! A soup of microbes in this 27-ton animal's belly broke down otherwise hard-to-digest plants by fermentation.🦕🌳
A photo of the Museum's Apatosaurus skeleton. It is massive in size and dark in color. Also visible in the background are hanging light fixtures and other mounted dinosaurs.
January 16, 2026 at 9:01 PM
Reposted by A.F.
origamiorganelles.bsky.social
You can learn a lot from #dissections but not everyone likes to do them. Our Frog Dissection paper model offers an environmentally & frog-friendly solution! Includes both male & female parts. Find out more here: buff.ly/3GOHts6

#EduSky #iteachbio #frogdissection #anatomy #scienceteacher
January 16, 2026 at 11:00 AM
plumptardigrade.bsky.social
Finishing out this birthday with antibiotics and muscle spasms, but also laughter, love, and a giant stuffed octopus my parents surprised me with 😆🥹
January 15, 2026 at 11:45 PM
Reposted by A.F.
amnh.org
The Caribbean reef octopus is distinguished by its eye-catching blue coloring, but this master of disguise can change its looks in an instant. Like other octopuses, it uses pigmented cells in its skin, called chromatophores, to alter its appearance.

Photo: Christian Long, CC BY-NC 4.0, iNaturalist
A photo of a Caribbean reef octopus on the seafloor. It is a vibrant blue color, and seems to be using its tentacles to walk across the sandy terrain.
January 14, 2026 at 2:29 PM
Reposted by A.F.
studiohoffmann.bsky.social
Tomorrow at 6pm et on insta

#kidlit superstar, and returning guest, Adam Rex is the coolest of cool. An amazing artist? ✅ An amazing writer? ✅ both at the same time? ✅
@adamrex.bsky.social

#kidlitart #illustration #kidlitillustrators #kidlitartists
January 14, 2026 at 6:01 PM
Reposted by A.F.
mbarinews.bsky.social
Fragile pink sea urchins roam the seafloor in large groups, grazing on dead kelp and organic material. With each nibble, they make nutrients and carbon available for other organisms on the seafloor and in the water column above. Dive in: youtu.be/9aN3m4uO91c
youtu.be
January 14, 2026 at 6:19 PM
Reposted by A.F.
sciencenews.bsky.social
Some tattoos do age well. More than two millennia ago, a woman in Siberia rocked some sick sleeves. https://www.sciencenews.org/article/siberian-ice-mummy-tattoos
This ancient Siberian ice mummy had a talented tattooist
Researchers reconstructed a roughly 2,000-year-old woman’s tattoos, from prowling tigers to a fantastical griffinlike creature.
www.sciencenews.org
January 2, 2026 at 1:00 PM
Reposted by A.F.
explore.org
Snowy Owl.
January 13, 2026 at 4:27 PM
Reposted by A.F.
pikaole.bsky.social
Names
Colorful seahorses are depicted against a black background. Their common names are written next to the seahorses, along with some descriptions. Colorful seahorses are depicted against a black background. Their common names are written next to the seahorses, along with some descriptions. Colorful seahorses are depicted against a black background. Their common names are written next to the seahorses, along with some descriptions.
January 12, 2026 at 6:11 PM