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the funniest dynamc between my boyfriend and i is the chef/baker divide runs so deep. experimentally my boyfriend is a genius with figuring out what flavor profiles will not just taste good together but also will be enjoyed by the specific audience he is cooking for. a recipe is not a guidebook so much as a suggestion and he will frankenstein ideas together to get exactly what he wants to happen. he also didnt know that sugar will not work properly if you dont mix it with the wet ingredients in banana bread and when i asked 'why didnt you do it in the order of the recipe' he said 'i didnt really think it mattered'. autistically i exploded his head in my mind

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Spin the wheel. That's who's trying to kill you.

Spin the wheel again. That's who's trying to protect you.

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there’s a website where you put in two musicians/artists and it makes a playlist that slowly transitions from one musician’s style of music to the other’s

it’s really fun

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KNITTING UPDATE!

The Summer's Lease top was made specifically for an evening out in December; it was finally finished on the 12th, and we went out on the 14th. I was very happy with the interwoven grapevine lacework, and relieved that the jagged, uneven neckline resolved into something smoother with the seed stitch border.

After Summer's Lease I wanted something low-pressure to knit and had this lovely graduated grey yarn (with sequins!). The pattern was something like: knit in garter stitch, make increases and decreases as instructed, bind off when the yarn runs out. It worked out beautifully, and I love the way the ends corkscrew.

Another low-pressure pattern, the Honeycomb Scarf, paired with the more demanding White Frost beanie. Honeycomb is 16 rows of mesh alternating with 10 rows of garter.

White Frost is a more challenging knit, as it immediately punishes inattention. I started this a while back, and when I picked it up again I realised that I had messed up the cables between the ribs on the brim a bit by only working the odd-numbered rows (as shown on the chart) and missing out the even-numbered rows (not shown on the chart), which left the first two twists too tightly wound.

Another error was made when transitioning between the brim and body of the hat, when I started everything 2 stitches too soon, so the pattern there is slightly skew.

I don't care, I love this pattern and will probably make it again at some point.

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i’m just someone’s weird coworker

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A personalized Valentine’s Card for Bibliophiles. My cartoon for this week’s guardian books.

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Guys they reintroduced Galapagos tortoises to espanola island and they’ve essentially terraformed their environment, knocking over invasive plants so that endangered albatrosses (who need space to take off using the ground as a runway) have returned and established nests!

https://www.popsci.com/environment/galapagos-giant-tortoises-ecosystem-conservation/

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"During an archaeological dig in a desert area north of Jerusalem 40 years ago, a seed was discovered which was determined to be in pristine condition but had obviously seen many a year.

Now, despite falling from its parent 1,000 years ago, it has grown into a mature tree, and botanists examining it believe it may be an extinct species that was used for medicinal purposes for thousands of years—even receiving a nod in the Bible.

Neither Israeli botanists, nor Dr. Sarah Sallon, a physician who founded the Louis L. Borick Natural Medicine Research Center at Hadassah University Medical Center in Jerusalem, could determine what species it was from simply from the seed covering. So they did what nature intended—they planted it.

Using a well-documented technique that saw 2,000-year-old date palm fruit pits germinate, Dr. Sallon soaked the seed in hormones, liquid fertilizer, and water, and then planted it in a pot of sterile seed; then waited.

Despite its genetic code being exposed to environmental stressors for over 1,000 years, the seed sprouted after 5 weeks. The shoot was protected by a caplike feature called an operculum. As the shoot grew, the operculum was shed—leaving something for the team to radiocarbon date. It narrowed down the age of the almost 10-centuries-old seed to between the years 993 an 1202.

Fast forward 14 years and the plant has become a 10-foot-tall tree. Dr. Sallon shared images of the tree, its bark, and its leaves with botanists around the world. One expert suggested it belonged to the genus Commiphora, found across the Arabian Peninsula and parts of Africa. A genetic analysis subsequently revealed this was the case, but a perfect match was lacking.

Pictured: The tree, now 14 years old.

Dr. Sallon and her team thought it was an extinct species known from history as Judean Balsam, but the best way to confirm that suspicion would be to have some aromatic traces similar to the resins of the myrrh tree to which it is related. However, no such fragrant compounds were detected.

Instead, the chemical analysis of the leaves identified a group of phytochemicals known as guggulterols which have been observed in a related species called Commiphora wightii that’s known to possess certain cancer-fighting properties in its resin.

A medicinal balm, the origin of which is not known, is mentioned in multiple historical texts including the Bible as ‘tsori,’ and rather than the fragrant Judean Balsam, it’s this tsori that Dr. Sallon and her team believe they have found.

They must wait until the tree, now 14 years old, produces flower or fruit to know for sure if it’s an extinct species, and if so, how to perhaps keep it alive.

Dr. Louise Colville, senior research leader in seed and stress biology at Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, in London who wasn’t involved in the research, told CNN that it was a major accomplishment to grow a seed that old and possibly lead to a resurrection of this Biblical botanical.

“What’s surprising in this story is it was just a single seed and to be able to have one chance for that to germinate is extremely lucky,” she said.

“Working in a seed bank, seeing the potential for that extreme longevity gives us hope that banking and storing seeds that some at least will survive for very long periods of time.”"

-via Good News Network, October 8, 2024

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Note: This is such a good demonstration of why seed banks are so important!! They give us such real and massive hope for deextinction and the revival of endangered species.

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Me, plunking Stinky Bastard Man’s carrier on the counter: hi he’s here for shots and a nail trim and he’ll need to be sedated

Nurse: Are you sure? We can try-

Me: he needs to be sedated

Nurse: Well, it’ll take longer-

Me: he needs to be sedated, he will try to rip your face off

Nurse: Well we’ll try without first and we’ll let you know if we need to sedate

Me, watching her carry him away: you will need to sedate him

Nurse, coming back 10 minutes later clutching her hand: so, we will need to sedate him

Me:

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Not only is this a horrible idea in selfish practical terms (reducing the amount of contagious disease circulating in a world with international travel is good for everyone actually), it sends a terrible message.

Anti-vaxx nonsense is at an all-time high. We're staring down the barrel of another pandemic. And the US government is actively undermining the World Health Organisation. All the countries not ruled by demented demagogues need to unite in support of basic public health measures.

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I have released three new prints. This is one of them. They are all available now: www.tomgauld.com/shop

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A new cat collage, including the most recent ones. Which is your favourite? I’m planning to select a small number for the spring shows as it’s not sustainable for me to keep them all in stock if I am also going to dye dog yarn. Mothyandthesquid.com

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I don't want my cellphone to have AI I want it to have 3 days of battery time. I don't want my computer to have AI preinstalled I want it to have seven usb ports and high ram at affordable price. I don't want my games to have AI built levels I want them to be so optimized I could run them on a nokia.

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“In 1404, King Taejong fell from his horse during a hunting expedition. Embarrassed, looking to his left and right, he commanded, “Do not let the historian find out about this.” To his disappointment, the historian accompanying the hunting party included these words in the annals, in addition to a description of the king’s fall.“

LMFAOOOOOO rip to that guy