matrixmann | Reading

This year I'm doing Community Thursdays. Some of my activity will involve maintaining communities I run, and my favorites. Some will involve checking my list of subscriptions and posting in lower-traffic ones. Today I have interacted with the following communities...

* Posted "How to cope with broken resolutions and the mid-January slump" in

goals_on_dw.

* Posted "Finding Art in 2026" on

art.

* Commented on the January 28 post in

awesomeers.

Current Mood: accomplished

ysabetwordsmith

gs_silva made a post pointing to the Patreon post in which he answers one of my questions about Maurice. It's just such a unique backstory for the character, and I love it. :D

Current Mood: amused

ysabetwordsmith

Thanks to

nsfwords, both Arts and Crafts America and The Bear Tunnels are now up to date. \o/

Current Mood: accomplished

ysabetwordsmith

These are the content notes for "Shopping for College."

( Read more... )

Current Mood: busy

ysabetwordsmith

430,000-Year-Old Wooden Tools Are the Oldest Ever Found

The finding, along with the discovery of a 500,000-year-old hammer made of bone, indicates that our human ancestors were making tools even earlier than archaeologists thought.

( Read more... )

Current Mood: busy

ysabetwordsmith

Today is sunny and cold, but less frigid than yesterday.

I fed the birds. I refilled the suet feeder. I've seen a flock of sparrows, two starlings, a mourning dove, and a fox squirrel at the corncob.

I put out water for the birds.

EDIT 1/28/26 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

EDIT 1/28/26 -- I did more work around the patio.

I refilled the hopper feeder.

I've seen a male cardinal and a wren.

EDIT 1/28/26 -- I did more work around the patio.

I am done for the night.

Current Mood: busy

andrewducker

1. India and EU announce Free Trade Agreement: (tags:india europe trade )
2. Risk of dying from cancer in Scotland at lowest rate on record (down almost 25% in the last few years): (tags:cancer scotland GoodNews )
3. Nigella to avoid Bake Off tent innuendo culture from the moment she opens the flaps: (tags:bakery TV satire funny celebrity sex )
4. Charities shouldn't exclude trans people, regulator says: (tags:UK charity transgender LGBT )
5. How to not revise for exams: (tags:exams funny )
6. Doing the thing is doing the thing: (tags:advice productivity )
7. How the UK became Putin's enemy number one: Britons might be surprised to learn how much hatred their country receives from Russia, with threats of nuclear obliteration now a fairly common occurrence
(tags:russia uk politics )

lautenist

Bei mir wird die Wohnung renoviert. Und da dachte ich: Solange mein Schlafzimmer gestrichen und tapeziert wird kann ich mich auch verdrücken. Mehr durch Zufall als bewußt fiel meine Wahl auf Schleswig.

Für das dortige Schloß Gottorf hatte ich ein paar Lautenstücke aufgenommen, die mit auf eine CD sollten, die Paaren, die auf dem Schloß heiraten, als Geschenk überreicht würden (sagte man mir). Ich habe nach den Aufnahmen nie wieder von den Leuten gehört und wollte auf dem, Schloß bei dieser Gelegenheit schauen, ob es die CD (noch?) gibt und ob meine Aufnahmen überhaupt verwendet wurden. Leider wird im Schloß umgebaut, so daß dieser Teil meiner Planung nicht durchgeführt werden konnte.

Ansonsten war es dort zwar kalt, aber sehr schön. Hier ein paar Fotos:

Schloß Gottorf

auf dem Weg nach Schleswig

eisekalt war es - der Fjord war nahezu zugefroren

( Mehr Fotos ... )

Current Mood: creative
Current Location: my Room
Current Music: Vihuela

poliphilo

I like the story (which I believe is true though I don't insist on you believing me) about the traveller on the inner planes who met an ET and asked them if they'd ever had an incarnation on Earth- to which the ET replied "I wouldn't stoop so low."

Thiis sounds contemptuous but probably wasn't. The ET- insensitive to nuance because English is not their first language- would have done a mind meld and extracted the words they thought appropriate from the Earthling's memory banks- and all they were actually saying was they had no intention of undertaking such a difficult assignment. Earth is known through all the worlds as a particulary difficult planet- exceptionally low vibration, exceptionally low everything else apart from opportunities for learning and growth- and these are exceptionally high. The tougher the game the greater the reward- and those of us who come down here and submit to Earth conditions are acknowledged as stupidly brave....

I also like the story (almost certainly true) about the four year old who told his mother, "I'm bored with this reality; I can't fly, I don't have X-ray vision, I can't read minds....."

lautenist

Sehr meinem Geschmack entsprechen bislang all Bücher von Ayelet Gundar-Goshen. So auch "Ungebetene Gäste", das sich tief in die Psyche des Menschen begibt. Dabei reißt die Autorin sehr viele Aspekte an und auch die Spaltung der israelischen Gesellschaft (besonders der zwischen dem europäisch-jüdischen und dem arabischen Teil). Dabei ist sie scharfe Beobachterin, richtet und urteilt aber nicht mit erhobenem Zeigefinger, sondern legt Widersprüche offen. Diese werden nicht alle gelöst.
Vielleicht nähert man sich dem Buch am besten, indem man davon ausgeht, die erzählte Geschichte behandele "Beziehungen". Beziehungen zwischen Mann und Frau, Frau und Frau, Mann und Mann, Beziehungen zwischen den verschieden gesellschaftlichen und ethnischen Gruppen in Israel (und Nigeria), ein wenig auch Beziehungen zwischen den Generationen. Überall finden sich Konflikte verschiedener Intensität. Nicht einer dieser Konflikte ist notwendig.

Wie immer ist die Geschichte sehr gut geschrieben, an der Übersetzung hatte ich nichts auszusetzen und das Buch ist schön gestaltet — und verfügt über einen Lesestreifen. Eine klare Leseempfehlung für Freunde intelligenter Unterhaltung.

Nahezu spoilerfrei wird das Buch auch im SRF-Literaturclub besprochen:

https://www.srf.ch/play/tv/-/video/-?urn=urn:srf:video:5343e7e3-bb8b-4138-b9d2-9d2703c09fb7

Current Mood: productive
Current Location: my Room
Current Music: Angelo Branduardi: And merry we will be

ysabetwordsmith

Life is full of things which are hard or tedious or otherwise unpleasant that need doing anyhow. They help make the world go 'round, they improve skills, and they boost your sense of self-respect. But doing them still kinda sucks. It's all the more difficult to do those things when nobody appreciates it. Happily, blogging allows us to share our accomplishments and pat each other on the back.

What are some of the hard things you've done recently? What are some hard things you haven't gotten to yet, but need to do? Is there anything your online friends could do to make your hard things a little easier?

Current Mood: busy

simplyn2deep posting in

1word1day

Tuesday, January 27, 2026

Serendipity (noun)
serendipity [ser-uhn-dip-i-tee]

noun, plural serendipities
1. an aptitude for making desirable discoveries by accident.
2. accidental discovery, or an instance of this: Alton’s premiere novel was a serendipity that affected my thinking in the most positive way.
3. good fortune; luck: What serendipity—she got the first job she applied for!

Other Word Forms
serendipiter noun
serendipitist noun
serendipitous adjective
serendipper noun

Related Words
fluke, happenstance

See more synonyms on Thesaurus.com

Origin: Serendip + -ity; coined in 1754 by English novelist Horace Walpole ( def. ) for an ability possessed by the heroes of a fairy tale called The Three Princes of Serendip, using a former name for Sri Lanka

Example Sentences
New ideas spring, as if by serendipity, from individuals.
From The Wall Street Journal

“Gen Z wants to connect authentically. They believe in romance. They’re open to serendipity,” he said.
From Los Angeles Times

When you’re just another tourist following a well-trodden itinerary, serendipity is rare, but the Georgian hinterland seems to regularly yield chance happenings.
From The Wall Street Journal

She felt relying heavily on AI to source investment opportunities could kill the serendipity of scouting for deals, which can uncover talented entrepreneurs in unsuspecting ways.
From The Wall Street Journal

Then in the 1940s, "serendipity" catapulted it into the big time, says Prof Silhavy.
From BBC

Now YOU come up with a sentence (or fic? or graphic?) that best illustrates the word.

ysabetwordsmith

Here are the vehicle notes for "Shopping for College."

( Read more... )

Current Mood: busy

ysabetwordsmith

What happens to forests when the planet warms up too fast

New sediment records from the Norwegian Sea offer a rare, close-up look at how quickly nature can unravel when the planet warms. During a past episode of extreme global warming, coastal forests along the Arctic margin collapsed within just a few centuries.

What followed was a cascade of change – widespread wildfires, heavy soil erosion, and a rush of carbon back into the atmosphere. The study shows how land ecosystems can rapidly flip from storing carbon to releasing it, amplifying warming long after the initial trigger.

( Read more... )

Current Mood: busy

ysabetwordsmith

Today is sunny and quite cold.

I fed the birds. I've seen a large flock of sparrows, a pair of cardinals, two starlings, and a mourning dove.

I put out water for the birds.

EDIT 1/27/26 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

I put out more birdseed. I've seen a male and a female cardinal pulling kernels off the corncob.

EDIT 1/27/26 -- I did more work around the patio.

I refilled the hopper feeder again. I've seen a flock of mourning doves and two male cardinals.

EDIT 1/27/26 -- I did more work around the patio.

I am done for the night.

Current Mood: busy

ysabetwordsmith

Snowflake Challenge 14: Meta

In your own space, create a promo and/or rec list for someone new to a fandom. Leave a comment in this post saying you did it and include a link to your post if you feel comfortable doing so.

Trying to convince our friends and loved ones to join our fandom is a frequent activity for many of us. It's great to have someone to talk to and obsess with! This is your chance to try to entice people into your fandom or to gently introduce new fans to your favorite parts of it.

Maybe you'd like to write a manifesto on your favorite ship. Maybe you'd like to write a breakdown of the many characters that appear in a long running franchise. Maybe you'd like to rec the fics you think everyone in your fandom should read. The possibilities are endless!

If you need inspiration (or are confused about terms), check out the Fanlore pages (with definitions, examples, and links!) for Ship Manifesto, Primer, PowerPoint, Rec, Newbieguide , and Crack Van. There are also DW communities like

shipmanifestos,

recs,

recthething, and more.

See also my extensive Meta: "Why We Need Fanifestos." Part 6 covers "How to Write a Fanifesto."

A gold snowflake ornament is nestled amidst pine boughs

( Read more... )

Current Mood: busy

poliphilo

I thought I'd have another go at having AI conjure me up an old master. I asked for a Leonardo Virgin and Child again but it can't get the Mona Lisa out of its machine mind so I went sideways and asked for a Raphael Madonna.

It gave me this.

"But that's not the Virgin Mary," I thought,

And then a moment later..." O, I see....."