Interested in science, natural history, preserving biodiversity. Restoring and protecting a 2-acre prairie remnant for 20+ years 😱 ... I have a lot of questions. I try to read, but tend to fall asleep when I stop moving. Wisconsin
389 followers 134 following 3,156 posts
view profile on Bluesky
#MinCup25 Decision Time Voting for haüyne, one of two minerals contributing to the most beautiful blue color of the stone lapis lazuli. Sought after for over 9000 years, important for artistic expression and symbolic communication. www.dailyartmagazine.com/lapis-lazuli...
Now I’m wondering whether lazurite and haüyne are chemically stable, and the relative abundance in a sample of pigment can tell where the lapis luzuli used for the preparing the pigment was mined. Beyond just continent. 🤔 Not my job. Too much other stuff to Google. 🫠 Sooooooo many questions. 😊
I understand. You sort of confirmed my interpretation of the mindat information. I also understand — based merely on listening to a couple podcasts — that it’s often difficult to decide where one mineral ends and another starts. And it’s not even a simple linear gradation.
please sorry for being rude
Wikipedia article, referencing mindat, says someone noticed most samples of Lapis Lazuli didn't contain true Lazurite, and the definition of Lazurite was changed so most samples WOULD contain true Lazurite. WTH? Seems non-scientific. I need answers before voting. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lazurite
#MinCup25 This article about pigments sourced from gem material suggests some Lapis Lazuli is mostly Lazurite, while other samples or sources are mostly Haüyne. www.gia.edu/doc/fall-202...
#MinCup25 Okay, mineralogists ... inquiring minds need to know. Is Lazurite actually Haüyne? Does Lazurite or Haüyne contribute the deep blue to Lapis Lazuli? I've been Googling for hours and it all looks a bit sketchy.
I’m thinking we need some blazing star flowers tonight … #NativePlants
App says Argiope trifasciata. I believe this is correct.
tbh not just for sensitive souls, but for everyone i associate fabric softener stench with not really clean, just covered up it is not a positive odor
They’re adding fabric softener stench to everything. My kitchen does not have to smell like fabric softener. Why, Dawn, why did you do this?
My objection to no mow May is that it appears to invite wildlife (including insects) into an area which is abruptly mowed down after a few weeks. Very rude and not helpful. 🧐 Like, hey, I’m going to build a nest here where there’s food! Yay. Hey! Where did the meadow go??!! 😱 Just an opinion.
Here's Stibnite X Okenite inks in the #MinCup25 sketchbook 💎 #minerals
If only there were experienced educated professionals in advisory and leadership positions who could have warned elected officials this would happen … 🙄 … fortune.com/2025/08/28/t...
Not falling for cute adorable today. Voting for kohl, early chemistry and medicine, crisp movable type, solar panels, and better batteries. Voting for #Stibnite.
Antimony hardens the lead and prevents shrinkage and deformation when the alloy cools from a melt in a mould to make the moveable type. It meant that high quality clear text could be repeatably printed on mass unlike previous printing that used carved wood blocks that deteriorated quickly /3
thinking about holding a press conference to announce I might hold another press conference to highlight and provide some critical details regarding a future announcement … maybe, maybe not
Thinking about voting for the mineral a learn the most from while trying to learn about the mineral. Awkward sentence. Sorry. Anyway, I don’t recall learning about Ocken prior to five minutes ago. Thanks, fuzzy little mineral #Okenite. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lorenz_...
#MinCup25 Named in honor of German biologist Lorenz Ocken. Is there a story here? www.mindat.org/min-2967.html
App says Polistes fuscatus, Northern Paper Wasp. The goldenrod appears to be a critical pollen or nectar source right now, filling in before more fall asters open. #NativePlants
It was a mistake to walk through a field of this. Took extra allergy meds on return to the house. Oy. 🫠
Sorghastrum nutans flowers. The common name is Indiangrass. And I’m wondering if that’s okay, actually preferred, or are the alternative common names. Also, why “Indiangrass” for this specific grass?
Grasshopper season.
By the way, another reason you don’t want AI reporting people to law enforcement. I was Googling pistil repeatedly to confirm the spelling and Google kept showing me guns. Now AI is going to think I’m obsessed with guns and show me endless ads for guns or send someone to check on me. 😑
Compass Plant happy to see you if you are carrying some pollen. #NativePlants
App says Isodontia mexicana. It is a most beautiful wasp, whatever its name.
Not-so-fun fact: Chrysotile asbestos was commonly used as fake snow in movies or as decoration through the 1930s to 50s. ⚒️🧪 #MinCup25 www.mesothelioma.com/blog/asbesto...
Mineral Cup pro tip: Wait at least 12 hours before voting unless your favorite is involved. Or your least favorite. There's almost always someone who loves a mineral so much they bring pics and charts and pop culture. Enjoy the wooing, learn some facts, be an informed voter. #MinCup25
Suggestions for better collection medium welcome. I just want temporary, not permanent, mounts. I was slightly frustrated by the intense halogen light cooking the samples. If you've successfully replaced the halogen light on something like a Nikon Alphaphot with a cooler light, please let me know.
Here's another attempt to photograph #pollen, this time Brickellia eupatorioides (False Boneset). Collected in water. I'm pretty sure there are three lobes, but the pollen grains I could photograph tended to lay on their "side".
I personally am against drowning in one’s own lungs but the sheer enthusiasm (and excellent alt text) warrants reposting this #MinCup25 campaign
Kili's campaign for asbestos has singlehandedly gotten me into the mineral cup proceedings, I did not know what this #MinCup25 business was until 20 minutes ago. Also read the alt text, it's fantastic.
Also … but I love my em dashes. ☹️ What’s a reasonable frequency? I don’t want folks to think I’m a bot. Of course, that’s probably what a bot would say. Actually, no. A bot would not write this.
Now I want to know when human writers started using false ranges. Was there a successful title like “From Asparagus to Zucchini”, which made sense, and others tried to emulate? How far back does this go? Maybe @waywordradio.org will see this and let us know. Just say no to false ranges!
News from Episode 225: A small fossil wing represents the first dragonfly known from the Mesozoic Era of Canada.
Before we begin #MinCup25 a reminder: The mineral perovskite has absolutely nothing to do with the crystals used in industry called perovskite. They have a similar crystal structure, that's it.
#MinCup25 Round 1 Match 1: Hazardous (but useful!) #Chrysotile faces off against stunning gem #Pectolite. Do you pick the forbidden cotton candy, or the anti-pulverization beauty? VOTE: www.mineralcup.org/2025/vote/r1... Check RESULTS: www.mineralcup.org/2025/results...
#MinCup Round 1 Match 1 starts at 00:00 GMT on September 1st. That’s just 6 more hours!!
Myriad important points! I’ll sort of quote one, not necessarily most important: There is no need for more efficient writing of obituaries! Fine Print: Listen to be informed, not to relax. I’m so effing angry right now. I need some natural history to calm down. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/m...
it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mannard...
So, I guess I’ll learn a little German or Italian while learning about Mannardite. 🤨 #MinCup25 de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mannardit
Taenite vs. Nontronite #MinCup25 ? You’re going to force me to choose between a space mineral and possibly biogenic mineral ? My default is always go for the space mineral or biogenic mineral. 😬
Was looking for a podcast to replace my once favorite geology podcast, which sadly drifted into relying on video. ☹️
Is it a banded iron formation or a lava flow? 🧐 Listen and find out. Well, learn current view. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/b...
Hey #AI … how about scraping the internet and proposing ten distinct NEW ideas for replacing, eliminating, letting go of asbestos? Bonus task … propose ten distinct NEW ideas for finding good jobs for displaced miners.
Vibe driving … might be fun … until you find yourself stranded in middle of nowhere, no internet, no phone signal, no printed maps, and never learned real problem solving skills.
Another American Idiot cover. I like this one. youtu.be/jT3BwgXimQw
Searching for American Idiot covers … youtu.be/oXnP_YIG7Ww
Just sayin’. youtu.be/Ee_uujKuJMI
#TeamStibnite youtube.com/watch?v=mGgM...
Cool fun fact though … used to reinforce pottery long ago. How did someone figure that out? Like, who thought, I’ll add fibers to my clay? Humans once had so much potential. But no longer want to study and learn from nature. So foolish.
#MinCup25 I assumed asbestos was banned globally, but apparently still used in building materials in Russia, China, and India. WTH? No one has developed affordable better technology not requiring asbestos? Time to bury the past, literally and figuratively. I will probably vote for Pectolite. 🧐
#MinCup25 Chrysotile vs. Pectolite? Utility vs. Pretty ? Both consist of tiny deadly needles. But asbestos is common enough to exploit and cause widespread disease and death. And it is still harming people.
Carpathite ... interesting ... 🤔
Meat Rock energy is a bit terrifying.
mincup, MinCup, MINCUP! Are you casting your votes for the best mineral in #MinCup25 this year? Make your case, whether it's about utilitarian uses, lick-ability, mineral structure, or how good it looks on your shelf! 🗳️ It's a fun and fast moving way to connect with the geoscience community here!
You can tell I'm excited about #MinCup25 because I wrote a #MinPoem out of season. #TeamCalcite
Exactly! If you learn, you win. And there are quite a few weird minerals to learn about this year. I just started Googling and already feeling overwhelmed. Deep breaths. Must relax.
My office whiteboard is ready! #MinCup25
No way sanidine will knock out hematite in the first round. The cultural significance of hematite alone will push it to the next round.
And no vivianite. ☹️
No zircon. 😊
Normal Great Plains stuff
🎉 Woohoo!!! 🎉
This might help reduce my chocolate consumption.
Oh boy, here we go.
Vibe driving … might be fun … until you find yourself stranded in middle of nowhere, no internet, no phone signal, no printed maps, and never learned real problem solving skills.
Hey #AI … how about scraping the internet and proposing ten distinct NEW ideas for reducing work hours so humans can enjoy life, liberty, pursuit of happiness? Tech bros and their predecessors have been promising brighter future, productivity gains, more leisure for workers for over a century.
Hey #AI … how about scraping the internet and proposing ten distinct NEW ideas for affordable safe lightweight batteries? Preferably free of rare minerals.
Hey #AI … how about scraping the internet and proposing ten distinct NEW ideas for reducing greenhouse gas emissions?
I will never understand how American elites managed to convince themselves that uncivil debate — not fascism, not impunity and not widespread indifference to facts — is the defining problem of our time. www.nytimes.com/2025/08/26/o...
Fucking losing it how little of the reporting I’m reading about the CDC not mentioning how an anti-vaxxer gunman killed a police officer and fired hundreds of rounds at the building 2 weeks ago. An end to end ouroborous of delusional mania. The GOP will probably give the shooter a posthumous medal.
The single most important thing to understand about digital futurism is this: When the digital future that Sam Altman ( or Elon, or Andreessen, etc) predicts fails to materialize, he doesn’t have to give the money back.
No. It is impossible to mute too many things.
Oh … And seriously, it is only a matter of time before an autonomous vehicle listening to a conversation locks the doors and delivers a person to law enforcement.
This alone should mark the end of ChatGPT and every single alternative.
So when ChatGPT, working as it's intended to, helps push someone into a crisis, they will call the police, who we know are all well-trained and good at handling mental health crises. You'd shut the app down, for this and other reasons, if you had any conscience.
That’s some weird karma going on.
I need to learn some basic Spanish
Sheridan Park, Milwaukee County — 2025 This is what almost the whole lakefront of Milwaukee County looked like just 200 years ago
Walk at my pace through the woods all day and you will see things like this: Another stump microcosm with a yellow birch up on tripod roots and some mushrooms. And an older yellow birch on stilts because it grew on a stump that's now completely decomposed.
Beautiful capture of slobbery drool. Very sharp focus. Its like I’m there. 😊
There’s the foundation for a joke here, where ICE tries to raid an Office Depot or Best Buy and confusion erupts. Entire staff arrested and deported for impersonating law enforcement.
i suspect this is the normal situation for the vast majority of humans, and it is quite scary at times, especially when one imagined experienced professionals were running the show
Nit sure what the downside of becoming a vampire is … or becoming a ghost. I guess I have the romantic view. Immortal, roam at night, observe the world change over millennia. No need to accumulate power or wealth or interact with people.
preferably fiction
Same here. I interact to learn. Let’s all learn together.
the news both-sidesing everything has warped people's brains, along with having to put a disclaimer on every post because the pedants will attack.. it's like if they had a different opinion about who played the part in the movie
You know who the enemy is? Cancer. Viruses. Asteroids. Earthquakes. Floods. Put on your big boy pants, stare the real problem in the eye, stop being afraid of the real world, and go fucking save us, boss man. Bigotry is cowardice. 4/4
This is not a political post. The original post is not a political post. Recognition of reality is not political. It’s the starting point for how we’re going to react. That’s where politics enters the scene .. deciding how to react. Thank you for this post.
ROCK LOOKS COOL REGARDLESS
My impulse buys of vintage microscope objectives from Europe past few months no longer seem decadent. Might have been final opportunity for a while.
It's Minnesota State Fair time! It's time for Minnesotan folk art! Here, for example, is Saturn Devouring His Corn, in the seed art category!
And now for something very serious ... I occasionally scroll through the Auschwitz Memorial page, studying faces, seeing coworkers, friends, family members. Familiar faces, though long dead, murdered by their neighbors. And terrified that it is still happening somewhere. And could happen here.
Asking Google AI for some suggestions regarding reducing greed. And mildly surprised by Its answer.
How did humans ever get this far?
Thank you for reading my rant.
And the apps that announce alert alert alert visit our website for more information can just eff off. I’ve deleted them. If there’s an emergency, tell us. Don’t let people die just to squeeze in an ad before sharing important information. We’ll see your ads next time we’re curious about radar.
Also, the local weather folks need to stop using “alert” referring to simple daily weather update. Partly cloudy zero wind 75F no smoke and no sign of hazardous weather does not call for word “alert”.