thewayne: (Default)
[personal profile] thewayne
(Is rural Vermont redundant? I've never been there.)

Patrick Schlott is an electrical engineer and encounters cellular dead zones regularly while driving through work. So he gave himself a hobby and a calling.

He's buying pay phones from Ebay and Craig's List, restoring them, setting them up to make VOIP calls over the internet, and installing them in towns throughout rural Vermont, letting anyone make free calls to anywhere in the US and most of Canada. And thus far, paying for all of it out of his pocket.

I just now checked Ebay, and a push-button pay phone is running typically $100-300+.

These aren't going just anywhere, but into places like libraries, schools, etc. And they're getting used, and proving useful to drivers who have car breakdowns, students who need to call their parents, etc.

Very cool project!

https://www.npr.org/2025/08/04/nx-s1-5484013/engineer-restores-pay-phones-for-free-public-use

July check-in post

5/8/25 10:08
redbird: closeup of me drinking tea, in a friend's kitchen (Default)
[personal profile] redbird posting in [community profile] thisfinecrew
July was a quieter month on the community, with four posts:

On July 17, [personal profile] gingicat posted about virtual Good Trouble Lives on rallies.

On July 22, [personal profile] executrix post about a Womens March program on feminism and fan culture.

Also on July 22, [personal profile] gingicat warned about apparent voter registration shenanigans and linked to a place to check your registration.

On July 30, I posted about a call for public comments about gender-affirming care.

Thanks to everyone who posted.

Here's a poll to tell us what you've been doing:

Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 4


Since the last check-in, I....

View Answers

called one of my senators
0 (0.0%)

called my other senator
0 (0.0%)

called my congressmember
0 (0.0%)

called my governor
1 (25.0%)

called my mayor, state rep, or other local official
1 (25.0%)

did get-out-the-vote work, such as postcarding or phone banking
0 (0.0%)

voted
0 (0.0%)

sent a postcard/email/letter/fax to a government official or agency
1 (25.0%)

went to a protest
1 (25.0%)

attended an in-person activist group
0 (0.0%)

went to a town hall
0 (0.0%)

participated in phone or online training
1 (25.0%)

donated money to a cause
1 (25.0%)

worked for a campaign
0 (0.0%)

did textbanking or phonebanking
0 (0.0%)

took care of myself
3 (75.0%)

not a US citizen, but worked in solidarity in my community
0 (0.0%)

did something else (tell us about it in comments)
0 (0.0%)

committed to action in the coming month
0 (0.0%)



As always, everyone is free to make posts about any issues and actions they think the comm should know about. You can also drop some information into a comment to our sticky post if you'd like the mods to do it.

If you're looking for information on anything else, you can use our tags to check for any ongoing actions or resources relevant to the issues you care about. I try to keep the tag list up-to-date. If you need a tag added, you can DM me.
conuly: (Default)
[personal profile] conuly
And then tonight as I took out the trash I saw where it's evidently been burrowing, a big hole directly under the retaining wall to our yard.

Now what?
dialecticdreamer: My work (Default)
[personal profile] dialecticdreamer
Cobbling Together a Plan
By Dialecticdreamer/Sarah Williams
Part 1 of 1, complete
Word count (story only): 1400
[End of March 179-]


:: In the morning, while working on plans for Laszlo’s trip, a newcomer arrives, bringing a surprise for Laszlo, and one for the mazil. Part of the “Lost Son” story arc in the Frankenstein’s Family universe. ::




Just after dawn, Laszlo pads down the stairs from the loft to find Gregory stirring up the coals in the hearth, and feeding coals into the tiny, round brazier set on the flagstone floor nearby. “Morning?” Laszlo asked, already crouching beside the small, strange object. “What’s this?”

“It’s a copy of a brazier for making tea,” Gregory explained. “The original belonged to a sailor friend of Vladimir’s, who got it from someone who had been all the way to the edges of Chinese waters. It may not be very accurate, but this version works well. I wanted to teach you how to use it before you leave.”

“It-- I-- What?” Laszlo stammered.
Read more... )

Linguistics

4/8/25 20:57
ysabetwordsmith: Cartoon of me in Wordsmith persona (Default)
[personal profile] ysabetwordsmith
[personal profile] prettygoodword is posting about the Uto-Aztecan language family, and today's word is saguaro.  Apparently they have edible fruit.
conuly: (Default)
[personal profile] conuly
Crossing the street right in front of my house!

I didn't see his shadow, so I have no idea if the current [insert whatever] will be long or short.

******************


Read more... )
conuly: (Default)
[personal profile] conuly
Betrayed

To despise your government
To distrust your government
To be unable to respect your government
To know the leader of your country has contempt
for the people of your country
To be angered
not because it’s “Not in my name”
but because it IS in my name

Emergency Food

4/8/25 20:32
ysabetwordsmith: Cartoon of me in Wordsmith persona (Default)
[personal profile] ysabetwordsmith
[personal profile] dialecticdreamer has expanded her comment under my first Emergency Food post into a separate post with more tips for people with special dietary needs

Lake Lewisia #1286

4/8/25 16:44
scrubjayspeaks: Town sign for (fictional) Lake Lewisia, showing icons of mountains and a lake with the letter L (Lake Lewisia)
[personal profile] scrubjayspeaks
Everyone occasionally enjoys the pleasure of canceled plans, when a day that had been locked away behind the gates of obligation is opened up into a wide field of freedom, but we can’t always get out of our real schedules. A new service, Change of Plans, is available via phone or email, which allows you to create imaginary appointments, dates, and meetups, then cancel them after a time period of your choosing. Staff will even accept requests for levels of resistance--from cheerful agreement, to passive-aggressive undermining, to tearful pleading--to help you achieve a true sense of having gotten away with something.

---

LL#1286
[syndicated profile] wtfjht_feed

Posted by Matt Kiser

1/ White House adviser Kevin Hassett defended Trump’s firing of the Bureau of Labor Statistics chief, but offered no evidence to support the claim that jobs data was “rigged.” He called the routine revisions “hard evidence” and admitted that Trump just “wants his own people there” to make the numbers “more transparent and more reliable.” Hassett described the data as “very unreliable” and blamed lingering pandemic issues, but didn’t explain how a new appointee would fix it. Nevertheless, he claimed the agency failed to justify the changes, saying, “I’ve never seen revisions like this,” but didn’t say whether the White House asked for clarification before removing Bureau of Labor Statistics Commissioner Erika McEntarfer, who he still called “a terrific person.” (Washington Post / CNN / CNBC / NBC News / Axios / The Hill / Washington Post)

  • 🗓️ WEEKEND NOTABLES:

  • U.S. employers added 73,000 jobs in July, while May and June totals were revised down by 258,000, cutting combined job growth over three months to 33,000 – the weakest stretch since the 2020 recession. The unemployment rate rose to 4.2%. Health care and social assistance accounted for nearly all job gains. Federal employment, meanwhile, fell by 12,000 and is down 84,000 since January. (CNN / CNBC / Washington Post / New York Times / Wall Street Journal / Associated Press / NBC News)

  • Trump fired the head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics hours after the release of a jobs report, accusing the agency of “suppressing real numbers” and claiming the report was a “scam,” “fake,” and “meant to damage me politically.” He called the data “rigged garbage” and said career officials were “trying to sabotage the economy.” No president has ever removed a BLS commissioner over an official jobs report. Trump also escalated pressure on the Federal Reserve, attacking Jerome Powell as “Too Late Powell” and demanding immediate rate cuts. “IF HE CONTINUES TO REFUSE, THE BOARD SHOULD ASSUME CONTROL,” Trump posted on social media, calling on the Fed board to override Powell ahead of its September meeting. He added: “We cannot wait. The damage is already being done.” (New York Times / Axios / Washington Post / NBC News / Politico / CNN / Bloomberg / Wall Street Journal / Associated Press / CNBC)

  • Federal Reserve Governor Adriana Kugler will resign on August 8, creating an early vacancy on the board that Trump can immediately fill. Kugler’s term was set to end in January 2026, but her departure gives Trump a chance to shift Fed leadership months ahead of schedule. Trump called the opening “very happy” news and claimed Kugler stepped down because she disagreed with Powell. Her exit follows Trump’s repeated public demands for the Fed to cut interest rates and remove Powell. (Bloomberg / Washington Post)

2/ Texas Democrats fled the state to block Republicans from redrawing the state’s congressional map under pressure from Trump that would shift five U.S. House seats to Republicans. Their departure denied the Texas House the quorum needed to vote, prompting Gov. Greg Abbott to authorize civil arrest warrants and threaten to remove absent lawmakers from office. “This truancy ends now,” Abbott said, calling the move an “abandonment” of elected duties and warning that accepting donations to cover daily fines may constitute bribery. Democrats, now in Illinois, New York, and Massachusetts, said they will stay out until the special session ends on Aug. 19 and called the maps “rigged.” House Speaker Dustin Burrows said, “All options will be on the table.” (New York Times / Washington Post / Bloomberg / Politico / Bloomberg / NBC News / ABC News / Associated Press / Texas Tribune / Texas Tribune / Washington Post / Politico / CNN)

3/ New York and California said they will pursue new congressional maps to offset Republican redistricting efforts in Texas. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said she is exploring ways to redraw the state’s map and called its independent commission “a vestige of the past.” California Gov. Gavin Newsom confirmed plans to put a redistricting measure on the November ballot that could wipe out several Republican-held districts. Both governors framed their actions as responses to Trump-backed Republican tactics, with Hochul calling it a “war” and Newsom saying the maps would only take effect “if Texas changes its map.” (Politico / Politico / New York Magazine / Washington Post / The Hill / Wall Street Journal / New York Times)

4/ The Congressional Budget Office said Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” will increase the federal deficit by $4.1 trillion over 10 years and raise debt interest payments by $718 billion. The CBO had initially projected a $3.4 trillion deficit increase before Republicans reworked the bill to pass it in the Senate. The law includes major tax cuts and new spending with no offsets, which the CBO said will raise interest rates and borrowing costs “for the federal government and other borrowers.” The agency warned the total cost could reach $5 trillion if temporary tax breaks are made permanent. (Politico / ABC News)

5/ The Corporation for Public Broadcasting will shut down after Trump and Congress eliminated its federal funding. The $1.1 billion rescission signed into law last month removed the CPB’s entire budget for the next two years. Most of its roughly 100 employees will be laid off by Sept. 30, with a small team staying on through January to wind down operations. The closure ends CPB’s nearly 60-year role in funding local NPR and PBS stations, licensing music for classical and jazz radio, supporting emergency alerts in 25 states, and backing educational shows like Sesame Street. “Despite the extraordinary efforts of millions of Americans […] we now face the difficult reality of closing our operations,” CPB CEO Patricia Harrison said. Trump, meanwhile, called CPB “a biased, taxpayer-funded scam” and wrote, “REPUBLICANS HAVE TRIED DOING THIS FOR 40 YEARS, AND FAILED […] BUT NO MORE.” (Poynter / NPR / CNN / Axios / CBS News / NBC News / Politico / New York Times / Associated Press / Washington Post)

The midterm elections are in 456 days.


✏️ Notables.

  1. The White House has no plans to mandate insurance coverage for in vitro fertilization, despite Trump’s campaign promise to expand access. In 2024, Trump said “The government is going to pay for it, or we’re going to get — we’ll mandate your insurance company to pay for it.” The White House now claims legal limits block such a mandate without a new law, and no legislation is in progress. The administration is also stepping back from proposals to require coverage through the Affordable Care Act exchanges. (Reuters / USA Today / Washington Post)

  2. The Department of Veterans Affairs moved to ban nearly all abortions at VA hospitals, revoking a Biden-era rule that allowed abortions in cases of rape, incest, or health risks. Under the new rule, abortions would only be allowed if a physician certifies the life of the mother is at risk. The VA called the previous rule “politically motivated” and said the new policy aligns with “historical norms.” The Trump administration claimed the Biden-era policy created a “purported Federal entitlement to abortion for veterans where none had existed before.” The proposal is open for public comment until early September. (Washington Post / CNN / Navy Times)

  3. The State Department will require some foreign visitors to pay up to $15,000 to enter the U.S. under a 12-month pilot program set to begin August 20. The program targets business and tourist visa applicants from countries with high overstay rates or weak vetting systems. Consular officers will set bond amounts, with adults expected to pay $10,000 and children $5,000, though that can vary based on financial hardship or risk level. Travelers who comply with visa terms will get their bond refunded. The State Department said the move “reinforces the Trump administration’s commitment to enforcing U.S. immigration laws and safeguarding U.S. national security.” (New York Times / Politico / Associated Press)

  4. Ghislaine Maxwell was transferred to a minimum-security federal prison camp in Texas. The move came days after Maxwell, who was convicted for helping Jeffrey Epstein abuse underage girls, met privately with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, a former Trump defense lawyer, for two days of undisclosed discussions. Federal policy prevents such transfers for sex offenders without a waiver, which Bureau of Prisons officials have refused to acknowledge granting. (Politico / NBC News / CNN / Associated Press / CBS News)

  5. The FBI redacted Trump’s name from the Epstein files during a final review before deciding not to release more documents. The redactions were reportedly based on privacy exemptions, since Trump was a private citizen when the Epstein investigation began. In July, the DOJ and FBI issued a joint statement saying “no further disclosure would be appropriate or warranted.” (Bloomberg)

  6. Trump’s acting head of the Office of Special Counsel opened an investigation into Jack Smith, the former prosecutor who led two federal cases against Trump. The agency is reviewing whether Smith violated the Hatch Act, a law limiting political activity by federal employees. The probe began after Sen. Tom Cotton, without evidence, accused Smith of trying to influence the 2024 election. Smith dropped both cases after Trump’s win and left government in January. (Politico / CNN / NBC News / Washington Post / Associated Press / Wall Street Journal)

  7. The Smithsonian will restore information about Trump’s two impeachments to its presidential history exhibit “in the coming weeks,” after removing a placard in July. The exhibit, unchanged since 2008, previously listed only Johnson, Nixon, and Clinton as facing removal. The Smithsonian said the Trump placard “did not meet the museum’s standards” and was “not consistent” with other sections, but denied removing the display due to political pressure. Trump recently signed an executive order directing the Smithsonian to remove “improper ideology.” (Washington Post / NBC News / CNN / NPR)

  8. In a social media post, Trump ordered two nuclear submarines to reposition near Russia “just in case” after former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev referenced Moscow’s last-resort nuclear launch system. Trump called Medvedev’s statements “foolish and inflammatory” and warned him to “watch his words,” saying “words are very important, and can often lead to unintended consequences.” Medvedev, meanwhile, responded that if Trump was “so jittery,” then “Russia must be completely in the right.” (New York Times / Axios / Politico / Reuters / CNBC / The Atlantic)

  9. Trump’s Transportation Secretary ordered NASA to fast-track plans to build a nuclear reactor on the moon by 2030. Sean Duffy, who Trump named interim NASA administrator in July, directed the agency to seek industry proposals and assign a program lead within 60 days. (Politico)

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mdlbear: (rose)
[personal profile] mdlbear

Well. Today is my daughter Amethyst's 35th birthday. (I used present tense two years ago, and it still feels right. Past conditional is awkward and just plain wrong. If we can celebrate Washington's Birthday, I can celebrate Ame's.) This time last year her birthday fell on a Sunday, so it got attached to the weekly "Done Since" post. This year she has her own day back, and her own post.

Last year, too, we were getting ready to move to Den Haag; we have been here for ten months now.

G and I just raised a glass in her honor a little while ago, and I've sung her song, "For Amy". I don't seem to have much to say tonight.

"That's ok, Dad; neither do I."

"Good night, Ame."

purplecat: An open book with a quill pen and a lamp. (General:Academia)
[personal profile] purplecat
The work I'm involved with on the CRADLE Project involves trying to put together an assurance case for an automonous robot to be deployed... somewhere. At the moment the various bodies like HSE, The Office for Nuclear Regulation, The Civil Aviation Authority and so on, don't really want to be drawn on what evidence they would need to be certain due diligence had been performed for the deployment of an autonomous robot. We're therefore trying to produce some evidence that a robot is safe and see if they might at least admit they wouldn't throw such evidence out immediately.

We're also interested in how the production of such evidence could be made more stream-lined to avoid having to come up with new processes each time a different robot is considered. Hence Towards Patterns for a Reference Assurance Case for Autonomous Inspection Robots (which doesn't appear to be Open Access even though it should be, but I'm pretty sure anyone reading this here knows how to contact one of the authors and request a copy, should they be interested)
solarbird: our bike hill girl standing back to the camera facing her bike, which spans the image (biking)
[personal profile] solarbird

Greater Northshore Bike Connector Map 2.0 – 4 August 2025 – is now available on github, as is MEGAMAP 2.0.1.

Mostly small updates this time, but one in particular is very important, and another is pretty important if you’re in Shoreline:

  • ADDED: Alaskan Way Connector linking Elliot Bay Trail to Waterfront Trail with fully separated bikeways. Decades in the making, finally here (MEGAMAP only)
  • ADDED: Painted bike lanes on Meridian Ave N in Shoreline between 155th and 175th streets (both maps)
  • ADDED: “Commonly used” markers on Meridian Ave N throughout Shoreline (both maps) – this is somewhat aspirational, as there has been use of this road as a secondary to tertiary bike arterial but not quite enough to justify marking it as such until now. I am fairly certain that the new bike lanes in the middle of the route will increase its utility enough to justify it (both maps)
  • ADDED: “Commonly used” makers on a section of Fremont Ave in Shoreline, because that section is used a little more than parts of Meridian which now carry that marking, and one should be consistent (both maps)
  • ADDED: A weird little section of bike path I found in Lynnwood north of 196th at Wilcox Park. As 196th loses its sidewalks in that area, even this standalone oddness serves a useful purpose if you’re having to sidewalk-bike on 196th, say, to get to Gregg’s Cycles (MEGAMAP only)
  • ADDED: A few more street names in City of Seattle, along with a couple of small adjustments on difficult streets (both maps)
  • CORRECTION: REI Lynnwood’s icon was placed very slightly left of its actual location, and has been adjusted (MEGAMAP only)
Screen resolution preview of MEGAMAP 2.0.1 - 4 August 2025

All permalinks continue to work.

If you enjoy these maps and feel like throwing some change at the tip jar, here’s my patreon. Patreon supports get things like pre-sliced printables of the Greater Northshore, and also the completely-uncompressed MEGAMAP, not that the .jpg has much compression in it because honestly it doesn’t.

Enjoy biking!

Posted via Solarbird{y|z|yz}, Collected.

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