Today is partly sunny and sweltering.

I fed the birds.  I've seen a mixed flock of sparrows and house finches, a male cardinal, and a mourning dove.

I put out water for the birds.

EDIT 8/16/25 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

EDIT 8/16/25 -- I did a more work around the patio.

EDIT 8/16/25 -- I watered the patio plants and old picnic table garden.

EDIT 8/16/25 -- I watered the new picnic table garden.

I picked 5 ground cherries and a red cherry tomato.  The ground cherries are related to tomatillos, with a sweet fruit inside a husk.  They are about the size of a chickpea with a faint pineapple flavor.  :D

EDIT 8/16/25 -- I watered the telephone pole garden and a few of the savanna seedlngs.

Cicacas and crickets are singing.  Fireflies are out.  I saw a bat.

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

Mexican cave stalagmites reveal the deadly droughts behind the Maya collapse

Summary:
Chemical evidence from a stalagmite in Mexico has revealed that the Classic Maya civilization’s decline coincided with repeated severe wet-season droughts, including one that lasted 13 years. These prolonged droughts corresponded with halted monument construction and political disruption at key Maya sites, suggesting that climate stress played a major role in the collapse. The findings demonstrate how stalagmites offer unmatched precision for linking environmental change to historical events.


Just in case you thought climate change wasn't very important, a shift in the environmental conditions is one of the leading causes of civilization collapse.

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

What are the benefits and drawbacks of diversity in society?

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Today we went out to Mattoon in search of evening farmer's markets.

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Today is partly sunny and sweltering. :P

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

EDIT 8/15/25 -- I put out water for the birds.

EDIT 8/15/25 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

I've seen a flock of sparrows and house finches.

EDIT 8/15/25 -- I did more work around the patio.

EDIT 8/15/25 -- I did more work around the patio.

EDIT 8/15/25 -- I watered the patio plants, old picnic garden, and new picnic garden.

I picked a red cherry tomato.

I am done for the night.

These futuristic 3D-printed homes start at just $200K. One city is building 80 of them.

The development will include energy-efficient, high-quality homes with an average size of about 1,360 square feet.

HiveASMBLD plans to print two unique home designs, each with a two-bedroom and two and a half bathroom configuration, as well as an office or flex space, and a covered patio.

Pricing for these homes starts in the mid to high $200,000s.

( Read more... )

Today is sunny, humid, and hot.

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

EDIT 8/14/25 -- I put out water for the birds.

EDIT 8/14/25 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

EDIT 8/14/25 -- I did more work around the patio.

EDIT 8/14/25 -- I watered the patio plants and old picnic table garden.

I've seen a male cardinal in the forest garden.

EDIT 8/14/25 -- I watered the new picnic table garden, telephone pole garden, and some of the savanna seedlings.

Crickets and cicadas are singing. Fireflies are out; I haven't seen them in a while.

There was a skunk in the south lot.

I am done for the night.

Scientists confirm two new species of pika in the Himalayas after 20 years of research

Using data collected from 2003, 2023, and 2024, researchers Pan Xuan and Wang Xuming were able to delineate previously unidentified species as Ochotona galunglaensis and O. legbona.

“Our findings highlight the previously underestimated diversity within Conothoa and contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of pika diversity in the Himalayan region,” Xuan and Xuming observed in their study, which was published in Ecology and Evolution.

Pint-sized pikas, which resemble hamsters in appearance, are not rodents but lagomorphs, meaning that they are closely related to rabbits and hares.


Good news, but hardly a surprise. Pikas are currently alpine species. That means they are easily isolated and thus prone to speciation. Think of mountaintops as islands, in the sense that creatures dwelling there find it difficult or impossible to move from one to another.

This poem came out of the August 5, 2025 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired and sponsored by janetmiles. It also fills the "As If By Magic" square in my 8-1-25 card for the Crime Classics Bingo fest. This poem belongs to the series Monster House. It falls between "Secondhand Sight" and "Paper, Scissors, Stone" so reading in that order will make more sense.

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This is an online magazine that is anti-capitalist and degrowth.  It's something you can read when you get disgusted with enshittification and planned obsolescence and all that crap.