The bus is coming…

https://desertbus.org/2026

#DesertBus2026 #DesertBus

Roman Space Telescope Enters Final Commissioning Phase

“We’ve established that the observatory is fully functional,” said Julie McEnery, Roman’s senior project scientist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center

https://science.nasa.gov/blogs/roman/2026/10/22/nasas-roman-space-telescope-enters-final-commissioning-phase/

#Roman #space #telescope #astrodon #astronomy #astrophysics #science #news

LOLOLOL. Apparently each Lunar Starship now requires *22* Starship tanker flights. That means you'd need to launch the world's largest rocket once a day for *more than three weeks* before each landing. And there's never three solid weeks of good weather on the Gulf.

All this is because 1) Musk forced SpaceX to propose a lunar lander that's way too big because he wanted NASA to fund his Mars fantasy, and 2) Starship has way less performance than advertised, due to requiring much heavier structures and heat shields than the initial optimistic design. This is at least partly due to its garbage aerodynamics, because Musk wouldn't let them optimize the shape.

In other words, Starship ain't never gonna land on the Moon. Not in '28, not never.

ok new plan: writing all of my code on parchment, which i’ll place under a rock in the forest

Cedar waxwings getting some cotoneaster berries this morning!

#birds #BirdsOfMastodon #pnw #Seattle #WestSeattle

I love autumn in the Pacific Northwest

You have decided to forsake the thinking sand, the wretched computer! What’s your new calling?

The team at @ThePSF are looking for a developer in residence to work on CPython.

They are looking for someone to enable, strengthen and organise work of new and existing volunteers.

Global remote role, to $170K, apply by Nov 19

https://pythonsoftwarefoundation.applytojob.com/apply/or9un7DlwI/CPython-Developer-In-Residence

#FediHire #Fossjobs

We're actively doing updates so you may see some disruption.

If you are running anything PHP, now would be a good time for you to also do updates.

https://www.php.net/archive/2026.php?2026-10-21-5

Submit a comment to oppose Amazon trying to slip a data center in to Seattle's Belltown neighborhood:

https://web.seattle.gov/SDCI/ShapingSeattle/buildings/Details/3044228-LU

While you're at it, paste your comment into an email email to council@seattle.gov to let them know this is not OK.

#Seattle #DataCenters #Amazon

🏷️ BOO! There's a flash sale over on https://www.ciaraioch.com/artprints on the spookier folklore and mythology prints until Hallowe'en - the perfect opportunity to support bog-hag-made art AND pick up something a little creepier for the cherished undead in your life 🧟

#MastoDaoine #MastoArt #Art #HumanArt #Samhain #Halloween #SpookySeason

#Spotted While Roaming in Aotearoa New Zealand:

A man wearing a full wetsuit, a bum bag*, a life vest and trainers, carrying a big bunch of parsley with a six pack of beer under his arm, is cheerfully striding down a sunny street.
Chatting animatedly to a bubbly friend wearing a death metal T-shirt, an orange skirt and pink Crocs.

A woman (80s?) is sitting on some steps in front of a veterinarian's.
Hugging and softly singing to an elderly brindle staffy.
This is love.

Two young humans (7 & 8?) are strutting down a shady street with two GIANT plastic swords slung over their shoulders.
Checking here and there for bad guys to defend the universe from.
Settling on smiting a light pole instead.
(Light pole looks suitably repentant.)

A woman (50s?) cycles up to a farm gate on a country walking track only for a big burly man jogging from the other direction (40s?) to open it for her.
Offering a charming bow when she thanks him.
She cycles off grinning.

A VERY enthusiastic small terrier (Jack Russell cross Energiser Bunny?) RACES AWAY from his human and into a field.
Then BACK TO HIS HUMAN.
Then away.
THEN BACK.
Then away.
He can go forever!

Any typos spotted in this post are proud to announce that their second Tiny Moments book: More Tiny Moments of Joy: Spotted While Roaming in Aotearoa New Zealand is available for pre-order today. If typos spotted, they'll be drinking a celebratory glass of wine out of their favourite writing mug.

(Continued Below)

If you want to make sure to hear about my latest weird science explorations (these days they're mostly lasers and optics), sign up for my newsletter! Short emails approximately once a week.

Or add to your RSS feed! You can also follow it directly (it's on ghost, which is federated) - @blog

https://www.aiweirdness.com/jolly-rancher-fluorescence/

this looks amazing -- heads up #solarpunk friends:

"the kinds of big, human questions Bradbury wrote about: censorship, surveillance, climate, otherness, wonder, and what it means to remain human in inhumane systems."

https://theraybradburycenter.org/ray-bradbury-studies/publications/after-the-fire-anthology/

#InarticulateLiberty quilt top is finished!

It’s been a while since I did a design this scrappy and I really enjoyed the freedom to cut loose (pun intended 😉)

Also pleased with the chain link border that I had to add when the original design was too small - looks like I planned it all along!

My next quilt isn’t going to be scrappy tho because my rotary cutter and my arm need a break 💪🏻 after all this

#Quilt #ToBeQuilted

Conservative assholes "Let's Go Washington" has made voting really easy this year: vote NO on all the Washington state initiatives.

I-001 can harm queer kids by revealing private medical records and outing them to their parents.

I-638 is anti-trans and opens up young girls to harm by requiring "gender checks" that include genital inspection.

I-645 is to repeal the millionaires tax -- the one small fix we have to our regressive tax system.

Vote NO.

#voteWA #Seattle #WAstate

RE: https://vhs.social/@vhs_berlin/117460394775926652

Sometimes "You're darn tootin'" means "you are posting to fedi about repairing clothes"

There is a long narrow road near where I live that is very mossy and overgrown and, according to the map, leads to a dead end. It also still has sodium streetlights. Sometimes people appear from the road, coming up it, but I never see anyone walk or drive down it.

I can’t seem to take a normal photo of it, either.

someone needs to turn the "places adjacent" infobox on Wikipedia into a really bad text adventure game

YOU ARE IN MARTIN'S LOCATION
> LOOK
THERE ARE TWO PEOPLE HERE (ACCORDING TO THE 2020 CENSUS). TO THE EAST IS A GRAVEL PATH LEADING TO BEAN'S PURCHASE.
> NORTH
YOU WALK NORTH. YOU ARE NOW IN GORHAM

FIVE DAYS UNTIL LAUNCH 🚀

My friends, it’s time we went to Phobos.

#MMXLIFTOFF 10.20 at 04:41:03 JST 🚀🛰️

(That is the Tanegashima launch pad behind me. It is indeed one of the most beautiful in the world. No notes.)