不審猫。-Suspicious Cat.- #Shorts
Aug. 23rd, 2025 05:51 am![[syndicated profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/feed.png){kind=small}
maru_feed不審な猫。（もちろん、まるさん！） Suspicious Cat. (Of course, it’s Maru!)
新しいソファで遊んで寝るねこ。-Maru plays and naps on the new sofa.-（動画）
Aug. 23rd, 2025 05:05 ammaru_feed新しいソファで遊んでお昼寝するまるさん。Maru plays and naps on the new sofa.
weekend open thread – August 23-24, 2025
Aug. 22nd, 2025 11:07 pmaskamanager_feed
This comment section is open for any non-work-related discussion you’d like to have with other readers, by popular demand.
Here are the rules for the weekend posts.
Book recommendation of the week: Bring the House Down, by Charlotte Runcie. When a performer discovers a theater critic wrote a scathing review of her show the same night he slept with her, she creates a hit show about what happened. Told through the eyes of the critic’s friend and colleague, it’s an exploration of what (some) badly behaved men tell themselves and the chaos they create for those around them. (Amazon, Bookshop)
* I earn a commission if you use those links.
The post weekend open thread – August 23-24, 2025 appeared first on Ask a Manager.
h-o-t-t-o-g-o
Aug. 22nd, 2025 03:36 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
gwynWorldCon was fun! A lot of the things I was stressed about were things that turned out to be totally okay, and I think the con comm and the venue both did a great job of setting things up for people with disabilities, although I do want to send some feedback about a couple things if I can figure out where. I definitely overextended myself in terms of trying to make it to panels and events and meet up with friends, considering I'd limited my attendance to just Friday and Saturday. But I got to meet up with Caroline Stevermer and a very old friend of mine named Tim, as well as mecurtin and seekingferret and of course wickedwords, and ![[archiveofourown.org profile]](https://p.dreamwidth.org/b164c54b26e4/-/archiveofourown.org/favicon.ico)
mizmak ventured over the mountains to meet up with Caroline, which meant we also got to spend time with her (not at the con), so it was like having some of the Media Cannibals gang back together. And I ran into kormantic while she was minding a table in the dealers' room.
Of course, there's never enough time to really spend with people at a convention, and WorldCon is ginormous so it seems even harder to get together with them (probably easier if you're staying in one of the hotels). I was intending to go to dinner withmecurtin, but somehow, standing in line at the restaurant, this overwhelming fatigue came over me (more than my usual incredible fatigue) and I ended up having to bug out. (I'll spare you my Lyft nightmare story but suffice to say there was definitely some time there where I thought it's a really good thing I don't carry deadly weapons on me.) Fortunately, she was generous enough to come over to my part of town to have lunch with me Tuesday, which was awesome.
My biggest problem was that I was constantly overheating because of my chemo drugs, which make me insanely sensitive to heat, and so I was always ducking into the gender neutral restrooms to mop at all the sweat drenching me. What an unbelievable drag on your fun that is, to just have water dripping down you and being damp all the time (moist, the most hated word), it's just so fucking awful. I did find myself, in all the panels about writing and such, kind of thinking more about the final chapter of my Bucky and Steve in a virtual world WIP, and I think I'm at a point where I can really tackle it finally. (Of course, as I've said previously, every time I'm ready to try to write, I manifest work, and sure enough...I manifested a proofread that arrived today. Clearly I should not be allowed to possess this power, and I would love it if someone else would harness the power instead.)
The new Summit convention center building is light years better than the original convention center, which was built in the late '70s/early '80s. We haven't had any real rain for months here, so of course it rained hard on Friday, but at least most people weren't given only rain as their Seattle experience, since it cleared up by Friday night. I would have loved to attend the masquerade, as that's my favorite event, Friday night, but I watched it streaming and it's just...not the same, you know? It was fine, but it just doesn't compare to being able to really see the cosplayers on stage and get the full range of what they're doing. I've heard there's some whining about the Hugos, as usual, but I didn't watch that.
Highlights were definitely hearingmarthawells reading from Queen Demon and the (May 2026) new Murderbot Diaries book Platform Decay, as well as her Q&As, and a really cool panel on queer representation in SF that included Matt Baume, whose videos I watch a lot where he discusses the history of queer people in TV and movies. There was also a neat panel on dystopian fiction that looked at how in the global south, it's not future fiction, it's been part of their lives for a long time, which unfortunately I couldn't stay for the whole thing for because I was sweating so bad and the room was packed and just...ugh. But what I did hear was great.
I also literally ran into Martha Wells in the art show--I totally thought she'd be surrounded by a phalanx of security or something, so I was all awkward and stupid and just like completely blanked-out on what to say and I'm sure I came across as a total moron. But I knew going in I wouldn't be able to handle anything like a book signing line, so I never expected to be able to just say a quick hello. (I mean, yes, it's a con full of world-class nerds, but still. There's awkward and then there's awkward.) And I kept running across a couple of authors I sort of vaguely knew from my days of going to Norwescon more often, and it almost got to be funny, just kind of waving at each other but not really saying anything, over and over.
I only had a couple of interactions with people who were kind of crappy and a little ableist; and I even was able to make the trek to the Taco del Mar over at the old Convention Center, where I used to get lunch every week back when I worked down there. I miss that place so much and we don't have any of their shops near me anymore, so I revved myself up and hiked over there on Friday, and on Saturday went to Starbucks, because the in-building options weren't great for me. I wish I could have worked things so I had more time to have meals with folks and chat, but at least I know that next time, if I can go again, I have to allow for more time for everything. The art show was pretty cool and I found an artist I really want to buy something from.
All in all, my first WorldCon was a success, and I'm seriously thinking about trying to talk my BFF into going to next year's if I'm able and the cancer isn't too bad. I sincerely doubt after Anaheim, the con is coming back to the US for a good long while, not with so many people afraid to cross our borders.
mecurtin and seekingferret and of course wickedwords, and Of course, there's never enough time to really spend with people at a convention, and WorldCon is ginormous so it seems even harder to get together with them (probably easier if you're staying in one of the hotels). I was intending to go to dinner with
mecurtin, but somehow, standing in line at the restaurant, this overwhelming fatigue came over me (more than my usual incredible fatigue) and I ended up having to bug out. (I'll spare you my Lyft nightmare story but suffice to say there was definitely some time there where I thought it's a really good thing I don't carry deadly weapons on me.) Fortunately, she was generous enough to come over to my part of town to have lunch with me Tuesday, which was awesome.My biggest problem was that I was constantly overheating because of my chemo drugs, which make me insanely sensitive to heat, and so I was always ducking into the gender neutral restrooms to mop at all the sweat drenching me. What an unbelievable drag on your fun that is, to just have water dripping down you and being damp all the time (moist, the most hated word), it's just so fucking awful. I did find myself, in all the panels about writing and such, kind of thinking more about the final chapter of my Bucky and Steve in a virtual world WIP, and I think I'm at a point where I can really tackle it finally. (Of course, as I've said previously, every time I'm ready to try to write, I manifest work, and sure enough...I manifested a proofread that arrived today. Clearly I should not be allowed to possess this power, and I would love it if someone else would harness the power instead.)
The new Summit convention center building is light years better than the original convention center, which was built in the late '70s/early '80s. We haven't had any real rain for months here, so of course it rained hard on Friday, but at least most people weren't given only rain as their Seattle experience, since it cleared up by Friday night. I would have loved to attend the masquerade, as that's my favorite event, Friday night, but I watched it streaming and it's just...not the same, you know? It was fine, but it just doesn't compare to being able to really see the cosplayers on stage and get the full range of what they're doing. I've heard there's some whining about the Hugos, as usual, but I didn't watch that.
Highlights were definitely hearing
marthawells reading from Queen Demon and the (May 2026) new Murderbot Diaries book Platform Decay, as well as her Q&As, and a really cool panel on queer representation in SF that included Matt Baume, whose videos I watch a lot where he discusses the history of queer people in TV and movies. There was also a neat panel on dystopian fiction that looked at how in the global south, it's not future fiction, it's been part of their lives for a long time, which unfortunately I couldn't stay for the whole thing for because I was sweating so bad and the room was packed and just...ugh. But what I did hear was great.I also literally ran into Martha Wells in the art show--I totally thought she'd be surrounded by a phalanx of security or something, so I was all awkward and stupid and just like completely blanked-out on what to say and I'm sure I came across as a total moron. But I knew going in I wouldn't be able to handle anything like a book signing line, so I never expected to be able to just say a quick hello. (I mean, yes, it's a con full of world-class nerds, but still. There's awkward and then there's awkward.) And I kept running across a couple of authors I sort of vaguely knew from my days of going to Norwescon more often, and it almost got to be funny, just kind of waving at each other but not really saying anything, over and over.
I only had a couple of interactions with people who were kind of crappy and a little ableist; and I even was able to make the trek to the Taco del Mar over at the old Convention Center, where I used to get lunch every week back when I worked down there. I miss that place so much and we don't have any of their shops near me anymore, so I revved myself up and hiked over there on Friday, and on Saturday went to Starbucks, because the in-building options weren't great for me. I wish I could have worked things so I had more time to have meals with folks and chat, but at least I know that next time, if I can go again, I have to allow for more time for everything. The art show was pretty cool and I found an artist I really want to buy something from.
All in all, my first WorldCon was a success, and I'm seriously thinking about trying to talk my BFF into going to next year's if I'm able and the cancer isn't too bad. I sincerely doubt after Anaheim, the con is coming back to the US for a good long while, not with so many people afraid to cross our borders.
Me-and-media update
Aug. 23rd, 2025 10:15 amchina_shopPrevious poll review
In the Obsessions poll, 9.8% of respondents have one current active fandom, 31.4% have a couple, 25.5% have a handful, and 15.7% have none at the moment. The most common response was "it's complicated" with 37.3%. Seven point eight percent have blorbos but no fandom.
In ticky-boxes, goth butterflies and punk moths came second to hugs, 56.9% to 76.5%. Dream parkour came third with 47.1%. Thank you for your votes! <3
Reading
Audio: Inventing the Renaissance by Ada Palmer, read by Candida Gubbins -- I'm a third of the way through this delightful thirty-hour tour of the Renaissance. No idea how much is lodging in my brain (versus in-one-ear-and-out-the-other-ing), but I'm getting bits here and there. Like, for example, the Renaissance framing of "grace" as heavenly political capital. And theology as it relates to Hamlet. The general tone is very fun. In progress.
Audio: Stone and Sky (Rivers of London) by Ben Aaronovich, read by Kobna Holdbrook-Smith and Shvorne Marks. Having settled Peter into married life, Aaronovich is porting all the relationship stuff over to Abigail. I guess that makes sense. (The case isn't coming together for me, but that might be because I keep falling asleep while we're listening.) In progress.
Library book: A Lady for a Duke by Alexis Hall. Just a few chapters. Historical romance, and I'm pretty sure all the characters are speaking/behaving anachronistically, but I'm looking forward to the reveal. In progress.
Guardian by priest. We've finished the main story, just one short story extra to go. Wow, this has been a ride!
Kdramas/Cdramas
Still rewatching Nothing But Love (AKA Nothing But You), ahhh, I love them so much.
I've also started My Girlfriend is the Man, a Kdrama about a woman with a genetic predisposition to sudden-onset sex swap, who does indeed wake up in a male body. I only just finished episode 1, so I don't know yet how well they're going to handle it, but I'm fairly sure the narrative pressure on the boyfriend is to accept that his girlfriend is still his girlfriend, whatever body she's currently wearing. No idea where they'll take it after that.
Pru and I finished Sell Your Haunted House this week. We're planning to start Love Scout next (rewatch for me), unless I can think of something good (and Korean) with murders/ghosts/cases of the week. Hmm, maybe I should give Mystic Pop-Up Bar one more try... I bounced off it before, but I know several people who loved it.
Other TV
( Cut for length. )
Guardian/Fandom
It's the last weekend of the Guardian novel scheduled readalong, and then we're heading into a slo-mo rewatch of the drama (half an episode per week). If you've been Guardian-curious or thinking of revisiting the show, now's your chance. *lures*
![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
fan_writers is going so well. Love to see so much conversation and interaction over there! If you have thoughts on writing, please feel free to post to the comm, either directly or with a link!
Audio entertainment
Letters from an American (lots, including a great half-hour interview with Gavin Newsom). Half an episode of Sinica, Writing Excuses, a couple of episodes of You Can Learn Chinese, some Eight Days of Diana Wynne Jones, and a couple of episodes of A Life Indigenous.
Plugged-in life
The last few days, I've been experimenting with not spending every waking non-keyboard moment listening to audiobooks and podcasts. I was kind of hoping some silence and/or music would wake up my creative brain, and then ideas would come spilling out my fingertips. So far, it's just created an opening for brain weasels. Pbthpbthpbhtpbhpth!
Writing/making things
I spent Monday morning writing a political submission and then finished my meta post about story middles. I spent Tuesday's writers' hour writing most of this. I am working on a fic, but it's slow going. It's veered into one of my DNWs (D/s). I mean, you know how sometimes you can write your own DNWs, because you instinctively avoid the aspects that actively squick you? That part is working. It's just that neither the Shen Wei in my head nor I have any idea what we're doing, lol. Playin' it by ear. *rattles keyboard*
I threw something verrrry last minute together for thefan_flashworks Twinkle challenge. No idea if that worked.
Life/health/mental state things
I'm okay, just a bit disconnected. The weather's been so cold I want to stay home all the time. I really hate everything our government is doing (not on the same scale as the US, but terrible in its own libertarian way), so by day I'm a mild manner fangirl, but at night I wake up periodically to scrawl angry letters to politicians and/or newspaper editors in my notebook. I should send more of these; I'm always held back by feeling like I don't know enough and need to fact check.
Food
I made two small batches of vegetable dumplings -- Moosewood's sweet potato recipe, and mushroom & coriander adapted from the Omnivore's Cookbook's chicken recipe. I had to use my dumpling press because of my arms, but that worked okay.
Recently made: enchiladas, crispy orange beef (consistency would have been better if I hadn't shoehorned a ton of vege in there too), plus experimenting with crispy tofu in various dishes. A lot of the sauces make the tofu go slimy, but it's so good when they don't.
Goals
My goal for this year is to make goals for next year.
Good things
Guardian stuff -- the readalong, Wishlist!!, the upcoming rewatch, yay! I'm hoping the latter two will combine to get me writing again. Playing with paint pens (drawing butterflies like a six year-old). Sunshine. Cat. Boy. Assimilating my little-worn 'tidy' clothes into my everyday wardrobe so I don't have to shop.
In the Obsessions poll, 9.8% of respondents have one current active fandom, 31.4% have a couple, 25.5% have a handful, and 15.7% have none at the moment. The most common response was "it's complicated" with 37.3%. Seven point eight percent have blorbos but no fandom.
In ticky-boxes, goth butterflies and punk moths came second to hugs, 56.9% to 76.5%. Dream parkour came third with 47.1%. Thank you for your votes! <3
Reading
Audio: Inventing the Renaissance by Ada Palmer, read by Candida Gubbins -- I'm a third of the way through this delightful thirty-hour tour of the Renaissance. No idea how much is lodging in my brain (versus in-one-ear-and-out-the-other-ing), but I'm getting bits here and there. Like, for example, the Renaissance framing of "grace" as heavenly political capital. And theology as it relates to Hamlet. The general tone is very fun. In progress.
Audio: Stone and Sky (Rivers of London) by Ben Aaronovich, read by Kobna Holdbrook-Smith and Shvorne Marks. Having settled Peter into married life, Aaronovich is porting all the relationship stuff over to Abigail. I guess that makes sense. (The case isn't coming together for me, but that might be because I keep falling asleep while we're listening.) In progress.
Library book: A Lady for a Duke by Alexis Hall. Just a few chapters. Historical romance, and I'm pretty sure all the characters are speaking/behaving anachronistically, but I'm looking forward to the reveal.
Spoiler.
The lady in the title is trans and was best friends with the duke before she went MIA at war and transitioned; he thinks she died, and he's now grieving his friend.Guardian by priest. We've finished the main story, just one short story extra to go. Wow, this has been a ride!
Kdramas/Cdramas
Still rewatching Nothing But Love (AKA Nothing But You), ahhh, I love them so much.
I've also started My Girlfriend is the Man, a Kdrama about a woman with a genetic predisposition to sudden-onset sex swap, who does indeed wake up in a male body. I only just finished episode 1, so I don't know yet how well they're going to handle it, but I'm fairly sure the narrative pressure on the boyfriend is to accept that his girlfriend is still his girlfriend, whatever body she's currently wearing. No idea where they'll take it after that.
Pru and I finished Sell Your Haunted House this week. We're planning to start Love Scout next (rewatch for me), unless I can think of something good (and Korean) with murders/ghosts/cases of the week. Hmm, maybe I should give Mystic Pop-Up Bar one more try... I bounced off it before, but I know several people who loved it.
Other TV
( Cut for length. )
Guardian/Fandom
It's the last weekend of the Guardian novel scheduled readalong, and then we're heading into a slo-mo rewatch of the drama (half an episode per week). If you've been Guardian-curious or thinking of revisiting the show, now's your chance. *lures*
fan_writers is going so well. Love to see so much conversation and interaction over there! If you have thoughts on writing, please feel free to post to the comm, either directly or with a link!Audio entertainment
Letters from an American (lots, including a great half-hour interview with Gavin Newsom). Half an episode of Sinica, Writing Excuses, a couple of episodes of You Can Learn Chinese, some Eight Days of Diana Wynne Jones, and a couple of episodes of A Life Indigenous.
Plugged-in life
The last few days, I've been experimenting with not spending every waking non-keyboard moment listening to audiobooks and podcasts. I was kind of hoping some silence and/or music would wake up my creative brain, and then ideas would come spilling out my fingertips. So far, it's just created an opening for brain weasels. Pbthpbthpbhtpbhpth!
Writing/making things
I spent Monday morning writing a political submission and then finished my meta post about story middles. I spent Tuesday's writers' hour writing most of this. I am working on a fic, but it's slow going. It's veered into one of my DNWs (D/s). I mean, you know how sometimes you can write your own DNWs, because you instinctively avoid the aspects that actively squick you? That part is working. It's just that neither the Shen Wei in my head nor I have any idea what we're doing, lol. Playin' it by ear. *rattles keyboard*
I threw something verrrry last minute together for the
fan_flashworks Twinkle challenge. No idea if that worked.Life/health/mental state things
I'm okay, just a bit disconnected. The weather's been so cold I want to stay home all the time. I really hate everything our government is doing (not on the same scale as the US, but terrible in its own libertarian way), so by day I'm a mild manner fangirl, but at night I wake up periodically to scrawl angry letters to politicians and/or newspaper editors in my notebook. I should send more of these; I'm always held back by feeling like I don't know enough and need to fact check.
Food
I made two small batches of vegetable dumplings -- Moosewood's sweet potato recipe, and mushroom & coriander adapted from the Omnivore's Cookbook's chicken recipe. I had to use my dumpling press because of my arms, but that worked okay.
Recently made: enchiladas, crispy orange beef (consistency would have been better if I hadn't shoehorned a ton of vege in there too), plus experimenting with crispy tofu in various dishes. A lot of the sauces make the tofu go slimy, but it's so good when they don't.
Goals
My goal for this year is to make goals for next year.
Good things
Guardian stuff -- the readalong, Wishlist!!, the upcoming rewatch, yay! I'm hoping the latter two will combine to get me writing again. Playing with paint pens (drawing butterflies like a six year-old). Sunshine. Cat. Boy. Assimilating my little-worn 'tidy' clothes into my everyday wardrobe so I don't have to shop.
Poll #33518 Plaguefic
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 43
Covid in fiction
View Answers
I'm okay reading fiction about Covid and related subjects
21 (48.8%)
I'm okay reading fiction that includes mentions of Covid
21 (48.8%)
There are aspects of the pandemic I avoid
9 (20.9%)
I like it when characters mask sometimes
13 (30.2%)
I prefer my reading matter to avoid the subject entirely
9 (20.9%)
It's better in profic / a novel
3 (7.0%)
It's better in fanfic
2 (4.7%)
other
1 (2.3%)
I don't read much atm
5 (11.6%)
ticky-box of gossimer and thistledown
14 (32.6%)
ticky-box of steel girders
10 (23.3%)
ticky-box of half a bottle of flat champagne
7 (16.3%)
ticky-box of battery acid and protest signs
16 (37.2%)
ticky-box of three wallabies at a 1970s disco
18 (41.9%)
ticky-box full of hugs
31 (72.1%)
Do the people whisper 'bout you on the train like me?
Aug. 22nd, 2025 09:49 pmmetafilter_feedThe new video for Halsey's Gasoline, in honor of 10 years of their album 'Badlands'.
One Book, Two Book, Old Book, New Book
Aug. 22nd, 2025 09:19 pmmetafilter_feedIs it time to move on from Dr. Seuss? The staying power of Green Eggs and Ham.
2025 Womens Rugby World Cup kicks off
Aug. 22nd, 2025 08:26 pmmetafilter_feedThe 2025 Womens Rugby World Cup kicks off from the 22nd August to the 27th of September in Great Britain.
The 2025 tournament features 16 teams from 6 regions around the world: a team apiece from Africa (South Africa), Asia (Japan) and South America (Brazil), seven from Europe (Spain, England, Italy, France, Scotland, Wales, Ireland) four from Oceania (Fiji, Samoa, Australia & NZ) and two from North America (Canada, USA). The first WRWC was held in Wales in 1991 and largely organised by four women who were with the Richmond Women's Rugby Club. The 1991 tournament was not approved by the International Rugby Board (IRB), yet it still went ahead despite the disapproval of the sport's governing body. If you're interested in the current tournament, find out a little bit more about the teams and why its arguably a much more interesting and exciting game to watch than the mens equivalent - A Guide to Women's Rugby for fans of the Men's Game . England are favourites to win based on form, but previous WRWC winners, the Black Ferns can't be discounted; particularly with the return of star Portia Woodman-Wickliffe back from retirement. (A brief three minute beginners guide to rugby for the uninitiated)
The 2025 tournament features 16 teams from 6 regions around the world: a team apiece from Africa (South Africa), Asia (Japan) and South America (Brazil), seven from Europe (Spain, England, Italy, France, Scotland, Wales, Ireland) four from Oceania (Fiji, Samoa, Australia & NZ) and two from North America (Canada, USA). The first WRWC was held in Wales in 1991 and largely organised by four women who were with the Richmond Women's Rugby Club. The 1991 tournament was not approved by the International Rugby Board (IRB), yet it still went ahead despite the disapproval of the sport's governing body. If you're interested in the current tournament, find out a little bit more about the teams and why its arguably a much more interesting and exciting game to watch than the mens equivalent - A Guide to Women's Rugby for fans of the Men's Game . England are favourites to win based on form, but previous WRWC winners, the Black Ferns can't be discounted; particularly with the return of star Portia Woodman-Wickliffe back from retirement. (A brief three minute beginners guide to rugby for the uninitiated)
Shot on iPhone. With Parkinson's.
Aug. 22nd, 2025 08:17 pmmetafilter_feedA short film from Apple highlights how iPhone users with Parkinson's are taking advantage of image stabilization to minimize the visible effects of shooting video while experiencing tremors.
These puzzles are very much in want of a theory
Aug. 22nd, 2025 07:48 pmmetafilter_feedAdventures in State Space is a short but slick little video about the mathematical structures associated with sliding block puzzles like Klotski.
Don't miss the interactive exploration page.
Don't miss the interactive exploration page.
We'd all do well to look a little more closely at the potential paths ah
Aug. 22nd, 2025 07:24 pmmetafilter_feedIf you now look to the future, I'm sure you can picture some important landmark events, but you may be hard-pressed to imagine further transformation in your core characteristics. It is as if your sense of self has reached its final destination, and you assume you'll keep the same traits, values and interests that you have today ... This bias is known as the "end-of-history illusion" and it can have many unfortunate consequences for our personal and professional lives. from How the 'end of history' illusion shapes your life choices [BBC]
PSA: The Middleman
Aug. 22nd, 2025 09:33 pmtrobadoraRemember The Middleman?
Viamuccamukk:
Via
muccamukk:Javier Grillo-Marxuach (on BlueSky): hey everyone, wanna watch my tv show “the middleman”I have such fond memories of that show. And it's now freely available online Archive.org!
on streaming with no added charges?
More Mountains, Less Sprints, Let's Go!
Aug. 22nd, 2025 06:24 pmmetafilter_feedSaturday, August 23, marks the 90th anniversary and start of the last professional cycling grand tour of 2025: Vuelta a España. The three week, 21 stage race will cover a distance of 3,151 kilometers and require its participants to climb a total of 53,000 meters in altitude to make it to the finish in Madrid.
The major favorite for the race is Team Visma-Lease A Bike's Jonas Vingegaard, a two time winner of the Tour de France, Vingegaard has been forced off the top podium position by the dominance of Tadej Pogačar of Team United Arab Emirates. However, after his fourth Tour de France victory, Pogačar is sitting out the Vuelta and offering a window of opportunity for Vingegard. Not to be outdone, Pogačar has capable lieutenants, team leaders in their own right and skill, who see a chance to win their own grand tour in his absence, too. Keep an eye on João Almeida and Juan Ayuso in their black and white UAE jerseys, particularly Almeida who left the Tour de France early after a crash and enjoys an advantage in not having finished the grueling race of races. Many others remain in the peloton with eyes on the red jersey. Here is a description of the stages and their destinations.
The major favorite for the race is Team Visma-Lease A Bike's Jonas Vingegaard, a two time winner of the Tour de France, Vingegaard has been forced off the top podium position by the dominance of Tadej Pogačar of Team United Arab Emirates. However, after his fourth Tour de France victory, Pogačar is sitting out the Vuelta and offering a window of opportunity for Vingegard. Not to be outdone, Pogačar has capable lieutenants, team leaders in their own right and skill, who see a chance to win their own grand tour in his absence, too. Keep an eye on João Almeida and Juan Ayuso in their black and white UAE jerseys, particularly Almeida who left the Tour de France early after a crash and enjoys an advantage in not having finished the grueling race of races. Many others remain in the peloton with eyes on the red jersey. Here is a description of the stages and their destinations.
How Comedy Was Destroyed by an Anti-Reality Doomsday Cult
Aug. 22nd, 2025 05:34 pmmetafilter_feedHow Comedy Was Destroyed by an Anti-Reality Doomsday Cult is The Elephant Graveyard's epic follow-up to last March's "How Comedy Became a Dystopian Imperial Hell World" (previously), covering Joe Rogan's creation of a Baudrillardian hyperreal comedy simulacrum and its utility to "techno-wizards" such as Peter Thiel and Elon Musk, the inner mechanics of the simulacrum itself, doomsday cults, and human migration since the late Devonian period.
Old Friends: Final Fantasy XII: Fanfic: (Re)United
Aug. 22nd, 2025 01:18 pmthe_paradigm posting in fan_flashworksTitle: (Re)United
Fandom: Final Fantasy XII
Characters/Pairings: Penelo/Basch
Rating: G
Challenge: Old Friends (Amnesty)
Spoilers/Warnings: Post-Canon, doesn’t particularly matter.
Word Count: 282
Summary: A short, abstracted view of a single decision.
Disclaimer: I do not own FFXII or the characters.
( “(Re)United” )
Crossposted:
sweetandshort - Aug Bingo: Hair, Luck, New, Candle
fandomweekly - #030- Moment of Truth (Amnesty 027)
Fandom: Final Fantasy XII
Characters/Pairings: Penelo/Basch
Rating: G
Challenge: Old Friends (Amnesty)
Spoilers/Warnings: Post-Canon, doesn’t particularly matter.
Word Count: 282
Summary: A short, abstracted view of a single decision.
Disclaimer: I do not own FFXII or the characters.
( “(Re)United” )
Crossposted:
sweetandshort - Aug Bingo: Hair, Luck, New, Candlefandomweekly - #030- Moment of Truth (Amnesty 027)Face: Spooks (MI5): Fanfic: At The Funeral
Aug. 22nd, 2025 05:13 pmsmallhobbit posting in fan_flashworksTitle: At The Funeral
Fandom: Spooks (MI5)
Rating: G
Length: 579 words
Summary: Lucas is at a funeral
Fandom: Spooks (MI5)
Rating: G
Length: 579 words
Summary: Lucas is at a funeral
myNoise.net update
Aug. 22nd, 2025 09:10 amrunpunkrunWhile I was away from my keyboard at the start of the year, Dr. Stéphane Pigeon was busy creating a bunch of new soundscapes! Here's a round up of all the new generators he's posted this year:
The Nyquist Frontier: An electronic music generator that sounds like it's coming straight to you from the 1980s. I felt like The Pet Shop Boys were about to start singing at any moment. Comes with a little history lesson about synthesizers.
Glacier Lagoon: Recorded in Iceland! Lots of different water noises here, including ice. Play around with the sliders to combine them. I like the "Fresh Water" presets with lapping waves and some of the underwater recordings (the four on the right) thrown in.
Flock Of Flutter: Well, this isn't what it sounds like at all. It's not birds, it's a Swiffer duster attached to a motor that causes it to brush against crumpled kraft paper, creating a warm white noise (though perhaps closer to what's called pink noise), similar to the steady hum of a fan.
Organic White: A white noise generator created from carefully selected recordings of wind and rain. Unlike synthetic white noise, which is unchanging, this has a bit more texture and variation to it.
Indigo Amanita: Dr. Pigeon's attempt at Goa Trance, which I'm unfamiliar with, but is, apparently, a genre of electronic dance music that originated in the early 1990s in the Indian state of Goa. It's upbeat.
Floating: From Dr. Pigeon's description: An ambient soundscape for deep relaxation, Floating avoids rhythm and melody, using slowly evolving textures and warm low-frequency tones to help the mind slow down by removing musical expectations.
Upstream: This soundscape traces the path of a waterfall back to its source, a small stream.
Uganda Tales: Recorded on the shores of Lake Victoria in Uganda. I recommend trying the presets to experience the many different pairings of natural sounds, music, and human speech this soundscape offers.
Glacier Chorus: More from Iceland. This time it's underwater sounds recorded in a glacier lagoon. Dr. Pigeon writes, "At times, you might think you're hearing birds or sea creatures. But these sounds don't come from any animals. They all are the voice of the glacier itself. As the glacier melts, the ice cracks and groans under its own heavy weight and small rocks that were once frozen inside are freed and tumble down the ice. Underwater, tiny air bubbles that were trapped in the ice pop and fizz as they escape."
Gong Bath — ft. Reggie Hubbard: A meditation in vibrations, taken from a live recording during a public sound bath at Kripalu. Dr. Pigeon writes, "These are not sounds that say, 'everything is fine.' These are sounds that ask questions. That challenge your sense of ease. That's why gongs are so powerful in meditation: they don't lull you — they awaken you. They agitate the quiet — revealing what usually lies buried beneath." Which is a very generous way to say that this sounds like the soundtrack to a horror movie.
The Architect's Eclipse: Space ambient music. This one sounds like a more relaxed version of the soundtrack to the movie Cube.
Icelandic Shores: A sea, wind, and rain noise generator. Very similar vibes to that of the beloved Irish Coast Soundscape, only recorded in Iceland. This is for you if you like your beaches cold and windy.
Now we're all caught up!
If you want to keep up with the myNoise news, Dr. Pigeon has left corporate social media, but there are plenty of other ways to get updates. You can follow myNoise.net on Mastodon or wherever you access the Fediverse. You can subscribe to his mailing list that notifies you of new soundscapes. Or you can follow the myNoise RSS feed in your favorite RSS reader or here at Dreamwidth atmynoise_feed.
The Nyquist Frontier: An electronic music generator that sounds like it's coming straight to you from the 1980s. I felt like The Pet Shop Boys were about to start singing at any moment. Comes with a little history lesson about synthesizers.
Glacier Lagoon: Recorded in Iceland! Lots of different water noises here, including ice. Play around with the sliders to combine them. I like the "Fresh Water" presets with lapping waves and some of the underwater recordings (the four on the right) thrown in.
Flock Of Flutter: Well, this isn't what it sounds like at all. It's not birds, it's a Swiffer duster attached to a motor that causes it to brush against crumpled kraft paper, creating a warm white noise (though perhaps closer to what's called pink noise), similar to the steady hum of a fan.
Organic White: A white noise generator created from carefully selected recordings of wind and rain. Unlike synthetic white noise, which is unchanging, this has a bit more texture and variation to it.
Indigo Amanita: Dr. Pigeon's attempt at Goa Trance, which I'm unfamiliar with, but is, apparently, a genre of electronic dance music that originated in the early 1990s in the Indian state of Goa. It's upbeat.
Floating: From Dr. Pigeon's description: An ambient soundscape for deep relaxation, Floating avoids rhythm and melody, using slowly evolving textures and warm low-frequency tones to help the mind slow down by removing musical expectations.
Upstream: This soundscape traces the path of a waterfall back to its source, a small stream.
Uganda Tales: Recorded on the shores of Lake Victoria in Uganda. I recommend trying the presets to experience the many different pairings of natural sounds, music, and human speech this soundscape offers.
Glacier Chorus: More from Iceland. This time it's underwater sounds recorded in a glacier lagoon. Dr. Pigeon writes, "At times, you might think you're hearing birds or sea creatures. But these sounds don't come from any animals. They all are the voice of the glacier itself. As the glacier melts, the ice cracks and groans under its own heavy weight and small rocks that were once frozen inside are freed and tumble down the ice. Underwater, tiny air bubbles that were trapped in the ice pop and fizz as they escape."
Gong Bath — ft. Reggie Hubbard: A meditation in vibrations, taken from a live recording during a public sound bath at Kripalu. Dr. Pigeon writes, "These are not sounds that say, 'everything is fine.' These are sounds that ask questions. That challenge your sense of ease. That's why gongs are so powerful in meditation: they don't lull you — they awaken you. They agitate the quiet — revealing what usually lies buried beneath." Which is a very generous way to say that this sounds like the soundtrack to a horror movie.
The Architect's Eclipse: Space ambient music. This one sounds like a more relaxed version of the soundtrack to the movie Cube.
Icelandic Shores: A sea, wind, and rain noise generator. Very similar vibes to that of the beloved Irish Coast Soundscape, only recorded in Iceland. This is for you if you like your beaches cold and windy.
Now we're all caught up!
If you want to keep up with the myNoise news, Dr. Pigeon has left corporate social media, but there are plenty of other ways to get updates. You can follow myNoise.net on Mastodon or wherever you access the Fediverse. You can subscribe to his mailing list that notifies you of new soundscapes. Or you can follow the myNoise RSS feed in your favorite RSS reader or here at Dreamwidth at
mynoise_feed.