If they can send me over the second half of my thesis I would appreciate it enormously! 😀
The analytics tools that I am personally uncomfortable with involve dynamic, changing forms of data. I run GPSLogger on my phone (without a SIM card) and continuously log the GPS data to a text file. This data is then synced to my computer when WiFi is available. I can display this data on a map using gpx-viewer, and show very detailed tracking data of myself.
I have explored this map with some friends/family. They get to see a time-stamped movie of my life - my trips to work, to the shop, when I go out, if I go on a trip, etc. The data displayed in this manner is somewhat intimate, personal information. Anyone I have shown this to has said that they would not be so comfortable with such a map of their lives existing... Well, if they are carrying a active phone with a SIM card, it does.
To think that a company like Google can own such a map for a very large number of people makes me uncomfortable. On top of that, each of those map trajectories can be associated with an individual and their personality... They have the ability to pick out specific trajectories on the basis of the political ideologies or shopping behaviors of the personas behind them. This is extreme. I am of the opinion that the convenience afforded by a these technologies does not justify the allocation of that super-power to the companies that enable the technology.
A few years ago Facebook enabled a "Graph search" feature. This allowed users to create search queries such as"Friends of friends of X who like the page "X" and went to school near Z". That tool seemed super cool on the surface, but it quickly became obvious how something like that could be easily exploited. Later on in Snowden's book I learned about XKeyscore from the NSA, which is like an extra-powerful no-consent-needed graph search that is available to some people. This is not just targeted ads.
I guess that what I am trying to convey is... For me, making the privacy-conscious choice is about not contributing to the ecosystem of very concrete tools that give super-powers to groups of people that may not have my best interest in mind. In my mind it is something very tangible and concrete, and I find many of those convenience tradeoffs to be clearly worth it.
These past few days I have been learning about bootloaders, kernels, assembly, and general OS stuff. In that process I stumbled upon your project of Redox OS.
I like the concept of the more modular micro-kernel architecture. Using Rust seems like the right choice if one were to start an OS from scratch today.
Very cool stuff. I'll use your project as my reference as I continue to learn. Happy to find you in Lemmy! Just wanted to stop by to give you a thumbs up 👍
I don't think I would be able to identify them, sorry.
Some specific information could help. The breaking veil of a young specimen showing the web-like cortina of Cortniarius (like in the first image here) would suggest that genus.
I think that the spore print you have shown rules out Tubaria.
A photo of the spores taken with a microscope could help definitely rule out Psilocybe. However, confirming definitely Psilocybe would still be difficult from the spores. If any of the specimens would show some blue bruising that would be a very strong argument for Psilocybe.
Very interesting list! I am especially curious about Matt Brown's videos. Thanks!
Fresh from the Farm Fungi - he is a mushroom farmer from Colorado. He has a ton of valuable information on growing mushrooms and running a business. He also has a few series of videos on very interesting experiments such as growing boletus, morelles, and cordyceps.
Microbehunter - he is a biology teacher that runs a microscope channel. His videos are very useful for learning the basics of microscopy.
Huygen Optics - I'm not sure about this guy's background. He worked in R&D for Phillips in the 90s and he knows a lot about optics and chemistry, but I don't know much more. He has built some equipment in has garage for sputtering metals on surfaces and has some pretty cool videos.
MissOrchidGirl - she is more popular than the others. She has great info about caring for orchids and a fantastic orchid collection.
Ben Felix - he is a portfolio manager with very solid financial advice. He supports his claims with research articles.
Nice photos! I am finding it very difficult to ID with confidence.
If I would see even a tiny speck of blue bruising I would be more inclined to agree with P. cyanescens, but I don't see any at all, which makes me very suspicious.
Some alternatives I looked into: Cortinarius, Inocybe, Tubaria, Psathyrella.
The "Slur filter" is a server setting. The filter makes use of a "regex" (a text matching algorithm) to automatically remove any text that matches those words. An admin needs to explicitly set the rules for that regex. The regex does not take language into account, it is a simple text matching algorithm.
The box is in the Admin settings page and looks like this:
I know that lemmy.ml makes use of a strict set of regex rules. The translation of the french word for "late" matches an ableist slur in English, and so it is removed by lemmy.ml. I am not sure about whether you can check regex for each individual server, but I believe that most instances don't filter that specific word out.
EDIT: Ah, I found out how to check the regex. You can check an instance's regex by going to the the URL https://{instance}.{TLD}/api/v3/site and looking for "slur_filter_regex". For example, for lemmy.ml you would go to:
If you don't mind sharing, please do!
I looked a bit more into it and discovered that some people do use UV lights for inducing stress responses on plants. Most of what I found is from cannabis growing communities that make use of the UV light to increase the potency of the plant. I don't know how effective that is, but that did signal to me that some shops might sell UV lamps as grow lamps.
An example of a specific lamp I could find is the MIGRO UVB 310. If you follow that link and look through the images you will see that the bulb is clearly labeled with "UV BOOST".
These lamps are meant to be used as supplemental inputs to stress the plant. It is not very likely that you ended up with such a lamp by mistake as it is still a niche type application. But it is good that you are making sure.
I don't know how to set up a specific image captcha, but I like that idea! I have added that to the registration form 😛
Does the bulb have some model written on it? If you tell us the specific model we may be able to find the properties of that light.
There is a good chance that you do not have a "UV lamp" but instead a purple grow light that does not emit a lot of UV. The purple grow lights have an emission that is tuned to the regions of the spectrum for which green plants absorb the most light - so, the lamp emits mostly in the blue and red, which is why they look purple. There is no need to worry about that light, it is perfectly safe.
If you do have a UV lamp and are using that lamp for a plant: Then we really do need more information to estimate the level of risk. Chances are that, if that UV lamp is harmful to you, it is also harmful to the plant, and it is better to swap it for some other type of lamp.
It is not very likely that you are using a one of the more dangerous UV lights - like a mercury-vapor lamp with a quartz bulb - which will produce smelly ozone and can burn your eyes if you stare at them. Those lamps tend to be specialized items that you are unlikely to end up with by mistake. More common lamps would be the blacklights with common variants that produce 365 nm or 395 nm light. Continuous direct exposure of moderately intense 365 nm carries a low risk inducing skin cancer and is better to avoid. 395 nm is relatively safe but I would still not want to expose my skin continuously to it as it may still cause oxidative stress to the skin. These are used ornamentally for making things glow, but they are not the best choice for plants.
Very cool!! My opinion is that it is a thin gila monster
I found another image of a Gila monster with a similar color pattern - with the small black dots inside hexagonal orange patches: https://btarboretum.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/20230410_102910-1536x1536.jpg
Purpose & Motivation:
The Thought Forge was created as a space for exploring unconventional and fringe ideas that may not be well-received in mainstream science communities. Many of the most innovative and boundary-pushing concepts in history started as ideas that were dismissed or challenged by the prevailing scientific consensus.
This space is for people who are interested in discussing, developing, and testing ideas that may seem radical, speculative, or contrary to current scientific understanding. However, it's important to note that the purpose of this space is not to affirm or validate these ideas as truth. We are here to critique, question, and refine ideas, not to claim they are correct or proven.
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Not an Echo Chamber: While we welcome unconventional ideas, this is not a space for reinforcing beliefs without critique or exploring ideas in a vacuum. Our focus is on constructive discussion and critical thinking, not confirmation bias.
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The Thought Forge is here to foster exploration and growth. If you have ideas that fall outside of mainstream science, we encourage you to present them—but expect feedback that challenges your ideas and pushes you to refine them. Our goal is to explore ideas, refine them, and evaluate them critically—not to validate them without question.
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Certainly a fun fact 😄 Reminds me of the painful sandspurs that stick one's feet while walking through the beach.
Good question. The green pigment is biliverdin, which is a product of the breakdown of heme. But more specifically I am not quite sure, I'll have a look.
I have found this open access article from 2020:Taboada, Carlos, et al. "Multiple origins of green coloration in frogs mediated by a novel biliverdin-binding serpin." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 117.31 (2020): 18574-18581.
This article goes into more specificity about the protein that binds the pigment and allows it to become concentrated inside of the body and bones. In this article they point out that green is a difficult pigment to make using vertebrate biochemistry. Multiple frogs have evolved in parallel this mechanism to sequester the green biliverdin within the body, develop a translucent skin, and become green this way (for camouflage).
However, the common milk frog is not very green. It could be that the biliverdin-binding protein is a trait that is derived from an ancestor and is now vestigial. In the cited article, near the end, they do include a section "Other BBSs Functions". In this section they point out that some frogs with green bones do not look green, and suggest that the protein could be involved in inflammation pathways and behave as an anti-oxidant. But nothing conclusive.
I quickly skimmed for other recent papers but I can't find anything conclusive.
Hey, thanks a lot! I agree with your assessment.
I spent some time looking through pictures and these Verticillium photos were the best matches I could find:
http://ephytia.inra.fr/en/I/7133/Verticillium481
But that Acremonium certainly looks like an even better match. And you are completely right in pointing out that the arrangement seen in my image is irregular whereas the Verticillium images show a more regular symmetric relationship between the condiogenous cells (term of the day for me).
I kept a Lion's mane petri dish stored in the fridge for well over a year.
I decided to make an attempt at refreshing it by transferring into fresh petri dishes. After a week I noticed some strong mycelium growth.
After inoculating a grain jar with one of the cultures, I decided to have a look under the microscope to double check, just in case.. And that's when I noticed a morphology that I had never seen before. It looked nothing like Lion's Mane. The full length of the mycelium is covered with these pegs with a sphere at the end.
After some searching, I am almost convinced that this is a Verticillium sp. - a new contaminant for me!
I then checked all of the petri dishes and they are all this same fungus. So, time to get a new fresh culture 😅
This is a Trachycephalus typhonius, formerly Trachycephalus venulosus, from Yucatan.
These frogs secrete a sticky and irritant milk-like fliud through its skin when bothered. Several years ago I got some some of that fluid into my eyes by accident - that hurts similar to scratching one's eye after touching a spicy pepper. So, they are not terribly toxic but I certainly do not recommend the experience.
Funnily enough I just ran a search and found a publication of someone who describes a similar but worse experience: https://www.thebhs.org/publications/the-herpetological-bulletin/issue-number-152-summer-2020-1/3101-09-a-caution-on-handling-i-trachycephalus-venulosus-i-anura-hylidae-toxic-effects-of-skin-secretion-on-human-eyes/file
You may notice that the finger pads of this frog look green. That's because its bones are green! A characteristic feature of this species. Here is a photo (not mine) of a skeleton of one of these : https://www.pybio.org/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/t-ven31.jpg
I think that the videos on ginger and turmeric from "Self Suficient Me" have valuable information: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PE32IxRIgow https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bFHQir72ams
I have experience growing small plants of ginger, turmeric, and galangal in pots - if I bury the store-bought pieces in soil mix I get young plants with no problem. Unfortunately my luck ends there, because I don't have the space nor access to the weather to grow large healthy plants, and eventually they do stall when winter comes.
Aaah, I got the fly butts first 😆
But lots of treats after that :D Thanks!!!
This gullfriend got an itchy eye during the photo-shoot.
Took this photo in Park Frankendael in Amsterdam a few years ago - just learned about this community and thought it would fit 😁
A device that delivers a small electrical current to the brain has beneficial effects in cases of depression that doesn't respond to drugs or therapy.
Found this Imantodes cenchoa sleeping on top of a leaf in Punta Laguna, Quintana Roo.
Here is a photo of where it was sleeping:
There are a few different snakes of the genus Imantodes in Yucatán. What sets this species apart is that the row of scales on its back consists of enlarged scales. Here is a closeup emphasizing that row of scales. The green arrow points at an enlarged mid-dorsal scale, the blue arrow at a regular scale.
In comparison, here is a photo from an Imantodes tenuissimus that I took back in 2009 in Mérida, Yucatán (with a less sharp camera), and a closeup of its mid-dorsal scales that does not show this enlargement.
One of my favorite frogs! Spent some time specifically looking for it. Managed to find two near Cobá, in Quintana Roo (in the Yucatán peninsula). This frog hides in holes in lime stone and tree trunks, and makes use of its flat head to block the entrance. This type of defense is known as phragmosis.
Some other shots:
Found this anole in Yucatan. I am not sure of its exact species - probably an Anolis sp..
Anoles often sleep at the tips of leaves and twigs. My guess is that this is a strategy to prevent nocturnal predators sneaking up on them through the branches without making its bed vibrate. When woken up they can quickly drop down.
These are quite common in Yucatan, Mexico.
The leatherleaf slugs belong to the family Veronicellidae. This particular one could be Sarasinula plebeia, but it is not so easy to definitively ID these.
I originally identified this species a few years ago from the description on this website, but since then they have added an update stating that my original source is also unsure on this one.
>UPDATE: It seems that IDing certain slugs by pictures isn’t a good idea. In 2024 when pictures on this page were uploaded to iNaturalist, another user suggested a different species in the genus Leidyula, and then user “deneb16,” a mollusk specialist at UNAM, Mexico’s main university, added the comment that all Mexican species of the family this slug belongs to can’t be identified without dissecting their sexual organs. The family, she agrees, is the Leatherleaf Slug Family, the Veroncellidae.
So, I am not 100% of the species, but it is a leatherleaf slug.
This bird poop caught my attention because it looked a bit too perfectly shaped, and when I looked at it closer its orange osmeteria came out.
Searching online, I suspect that this might be Papilio cresphontes. However, I see a lot of variation in the photos of Papilio cresphontes and so I am not sure if this the correct ID.
Found in Yucatan, Mexico.
Found many of these frogs under a wet trash bag in a back yard in Mérida, Yucatán. I made use of a handheld flash with a remote trigger for lighting, and a Sigma 105 mm as my macro lens.
These frogs do not seem to match with any of the local frogs reported in Julian C. Lee's field guide to the amphibians and reptiles of the maya world.
From a reverse image search, I mostly found images of the green house frog Eleutherodactylus planirostris. Eleutherodactylus planirostris is native to Cuba and the Bahamas, and is often introduced with plants that come from green houses in those areas. These frogs go from tadpole to frog while still inside of the egg, which explains why the baby frogs are so small.
The visual aspect, the incredibly small baby frogs, and the fact that they were found in a back yard in the city with greenhouse plants, all lead me to conclude that it is likely Eleutherodactylus planirostris.
Electro-optical photonic integrated circuits based on lithium tantalate perform as well as current state-of-the-art ones using lithium niobate but the material has the advantage of existing commercial uses in consumer electronics, easing the problem of scalability.
Structures of the growing peptide chain on and off the ribosome reveal that the ribosome destabilizes the unfolded nascent chain, promoting the formation of partially folded intermediate states.
Two photonic platforms using a convolutional processing system with partially coherent light sources is shown to boost computing parallelism, demonstrated using the classification of gaits of patients with Parkinson’s disease and the MNIST handwritten digits dataset.
A chemical reaction could be producing oxygen by splitting water molecules, but its source of energy remains unknown.
