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Space Exploration

New rocket fuel compound packs 150% more energy

A new boron-rich compound, manganese diboride, delivers much higher energy density than current solid-rocket materials while remaining stable until intentionally ignited. Its power comes from an unusual, strained atomic structure formed during ultra-hot synthesis, with promising uses beyond propulsion.

Honestly, I'm FAR more impressed by the stability than by the power boost. Making things go "boom" is easy. Making wait until you tell them to go "boom" is much harder. One of the biggest risks in space exploration is the fuel itself -- says the person who has seen a lot of model rocket mishaps.

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Today's Adventures

Today we went to the Second Annual Fall Fest at the Milk & Honey Coffeehouse in Mattoon. Here are some pictures from the event.

( Read more... )

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Birdfeeding

Today is mostly sunny and sweltering.

I fed the birds. I've seen a few sparrows and house finches.

I put out water for the birds.

EDIT 10/4/25 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

EDIT 10/4/25 -- I did more work around the patio.

I heard a bluejay screaming but didn't see it.

EDIT 10/4/25 -- I watered the irises, telephone pole garden, and a few of the savanna seedlings.

As it is almost suppertime, I am done for the night.

(no subject)

The week is confusing with Texas being here. Not that we are doing anything except eating together. That and if they are not here I get calls at 9:30 at night (I still get up at 3:30 AM).

Stroke cousin has been home and seems very happy. Her retired friends are more than happy to be with her and take her places. Her sisters seem mad that she is happy. They take it as a slight and that she was not grateful for their help. Ummm she is happy because no one is yelling at her every 5 minutes. On the other side she doesn't understand why they won't keep the dining room set up as a bedroom for her. SMH. But the thing is that they all are finding their normal and that is good.

Fridays I need to NOT SIT IN THE CHAIR. I should go out. I should do SOMETHING. I understand up sitting in the chair in a vegetative state. The TV isn't even on. I need some sort of transitional activity that will blow off the tired from work and get me motivated to do something. I should have walked the home beach.

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recurring posts

Philosophical Questions: Money

People have expressed interest in deep topics, so this list focuses on philosophical questions.

Should tax payers have the option to explicitly say what they don’t want their tax dollars spent on?

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Current Mood: accomplished

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food

Today's Cooking

I made apple cider caramel sauce to put over vanilla ice cream. :D

Current Mood: amused

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Gaming

In new heist video game, players return museum artifacts stolen from African countries

Set in the late 21st century, the game follows Nomali, a fast-thinking, acrobatic leader who assembles a crew of ordinary citizens-turned-thieves.

Their mission: to reclaim 70 real-life African artifacts from Western institutions and return them to their rightful homelands.

I am amused. :D And there are so many other cultures that could design similar games to retrieve their own artifacts. See, this is what we get from diverse game developers: new game plots instead of rehashes.

Current Mood: busy

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Friday Five

This set of questions comes from

thefridayfive community...

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Birdfeeding

Today is partly sunny and sweltering.

I fed the birds. I've seen a few sparrows and house finches.

I put out water for the birds.

EDIT 10/3/25 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

EDIT 10/3/25 -- I did more work around the patio.

EDIT 10/3/25 -- I watered the old picnic table and new picnic table.

I heard a squirrel chattering but didn't see it.

As it is almost suppertime, I am done for the night.

Current Mood: busy

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Activism

Recently I posted about the importance of how small actions can change the future. Here's an example: the Grapefruit Ladies.

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Follow Friday 10-3-25: Japan / Japanese

Today's theme is Japan / Japanese.

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Gender Studies

The Downside of Fertility

The fertility decline is everywhere in the world today. Moreover, the decline goes decades back in the histories of rich countries.

While not universal, this is a widespread trend. At the moment, it's great that fertility is falling because the human population is ravaging the planet. At some point, however, the population will need to stabilize. So it's good to think about factors that influence the number of births.

( Read more... )

Current Mood: busy

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Birdfeeding

Today is mostly sunny and hot.

I fed the birds. I've seen a few sparrows and house finches.

I put out water for the birds.

EDIT 10/2/25 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

EDIT 10/2/25 -- I did more work around the patio.

EDIT 10/2/25 -- I did more work around the patio.

EDIT 10/2/25 -- I watered the irises and the patio plants.

EDIT 10/2/25 -- I watered the telephone pole garden, savanna seedlings, and old picnic table.

EDIT 10/2/25 -- I did more work around the patio.

As it is time for supper, I am done for the night.

Current Mood: busy

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Hobbies: Seatweaving

Folks have mentioned an interest in questions and conversations that make them think. So I've decided to offer more of those. This batch features hobbies.

Seatweaving is a practical hobby of creating seats, backs, and other furniture parts from various materials. Among its branches are caning, strapping, and rope / rush weaving. These traditional crafts span a wide range of time, location, and materials. It's especially useful if you like upcycling old chairs with broken or missing parts.

On Dreamwidth, consider communities like

crafty,

everykindofcraft,

get_knitted, and

justcreate.

( Read more... )

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Fall Festival Bingo Card 10-1-25

Here is my card for the Fall Festival Bingo over in

allbingo. The fest runs from October 1-31. (See all my 2025 bingo cards.)

If you'd like to sponsor a particular square, especially if you have an idea for what character, series, or situation it would fit -- talk to me and we'll work something out. I've had a few requests for this and the results have been awesome so far. This is a good opportunity for those of you with favorites that don't always mesh well with the themes of my monthly projects. I may still post some of the fills for free, because I'm using this to attract new readers; but if it brings in money, that means I can do more of it. That's part of why I'm crossing some of the bingo prompts with other projects, such as the Poetry Fishbowl.

Underlined prompts have been filled.

FALL FESTIVAL BINGO CARD

Wizards	Autumn	"I wasn’t afraid of you."	Alone in the Woods	Mystery
Black / Orange	Herbs	Werewolves	Transformation	Talking Dog
Magic	Dark Side	WILD CARD	Moon Bathing	Someone Touched the Thing
Witches	Candles	Cats	Destroy It with Fire	"That felt weird."
Unstable	Broken	"What are you?"	Books the Best Weapon in the World	"Do you trust me?"

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reading meme

Wednesday Reading Meme for Oct 1 2025

I am v tired so my descriptions are a bit thin tonight.

What I’ve Read
Strong Poison – Dorothy Sayers – Our heroine is finally introduced! It’s so good, but it’s also meaningfully unfinished in terms of their relationship.
The Left Hand of Darkness – Ursula K. Le Guin – This book moved me – I had read it last in high school and what stayed with me was etched deep. But, there was a lot that I honestly forgot and the ending hit me like a truck.

What I’m Reading

The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club – Dorothy Sayers
The Mismeasure of Man – Stephen Jay Gould
Mimesis – Erich Auerbach

What I’ll Read Next
Witness for the Dead Katherine Addison

Current Mood: pensive

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Moment of Silence: Jane Goodall

Primate activist Jane Goodall has passed away.

She basically invented the field of chimpanzee primatology, living alongside the chimpanzees at what is now the Gombe Stream National Park in Tanzania. I'm sure they shared with her the entrance to their afterlife and she is now happily reuniting with many old friends.

( Read more... )

Current Mood: busy

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Birdfeeding

Today is mostly sunny and sweltering.

I haven't fed the birds yet, but I saw a wren, possibly a Bewick's wren or Carolina wren, at the hopper feeder. :D

EDIT 10/1/25 -- I fed the birds. I've seen a few sparrows and house finches.

I heard a squirrel chattering but didn't see it.

EDIT 10/1/25 -- I put out water for the birds.

EDIT 10/1/25 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

EDIT 10/1/25 -- I did more work around the patio.

EDIT 10/1/25 -- The tree guy came! We walked around the yard discussing what needs to be done. Based on a preliminary estimate (we should get solid numbers tomorrow) we should be able to get the branches cleared beside the driveway, the parking lot cleared, the path to the east edge and the orchard path restored, and the tree-sized branch removed from the south lot. Small stuff will be chipped for mulch, large stuff will be cut down for firewood. :D 3q3q3q!!! I really hope it comes together.

I also watered the irises, telephone pole garden, savanna seedlings, and old picnic table.

As it is now dark, I am done for the night.

Current Mood: busy

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recurring posts

Cuddle Party

Everyone needs contact comfort sometimes. Not everyone has ample opportunities for this in facetime. So here is a chance for a cuddle party in cyberspace. Virtual cuddling can help people feel better.

We have a cuddle room that comes with fort cushions, fort frames, sheets for draping, and a weighted blanket. A nest full of colorful egg pillows sits in one corner. There is a basket of grooming brushes, hairbrushes, and styling combs. A bin holds textured pillows. There is a big basket of craft supplies along with art markers, coloring pages, and blank paper. The kitchen has a popcorn machine. Labels are available to mark dietary needs, recipe ingredients, and level of spiciness. Here is the bathroom, open to everyone. There is a lawn tent and an outdoor hot tub. Bathers should post a sign for nude or clothed activity. Come snuggle up!

Current Mood: accomplished

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New Year's Resolutions Check In

We made it to the end of September! \o/ If you have completed some of your medium-term goals or subgoals, and/or you're still chugging away at your ongoing goals, then pat yourself on the back. You worked hard for that. We have also started autumn. If you're doing seasonal goals, share what you're working on for this fall.

This year I'm trying something new, continuing to track goals at the end of each month. So far it seems to be helping, so that's encouraging. I'm looking at my goal list more often and trying to keep ticking off more of them. The main drawback is that this update becomes more of a chore each month.

These are the previous check in posts:
New Year's Resolutions Check In January 4
New Year's Resolutions Check In January 10
New Year's Resolutions Check In January 17
New Year's Resolutions Check In January 24
New Year's Resolutions Check In January 31
New Year's Resolutions Check In February 28
New Year's Resolutions Check In March 31
New Year's Resolutions Check In April 30
New Year's Resolutions Check In May 31
New Year's Resolutions Check In June 30
New Year's Resolutions Check In July 31
New Year's Resolutions Check In August 31

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