Lorem ipsum @innocent-smith - Tumblr Blog

One of the most annoying genres of people on the internet are people who act like they believe science is one single monolithic thing. Like, you'll see an article saying something like "scientists studying the movement of tectonic plates", and then in the comments there'll be several smug people saying "smh why are scientists doing this instead of finding a cure for cancer", like. Why would a geologist be doing that.

nateconnolly

*hefts my cartoonishly large shovel* It’s gotta be buried down there SOMEWHERE

#science!

lichenaday

What's the difference between lichen and fungus, like mushrooms? Thank you.

Hoo boy, that's the question, huh?

So, fungi are a lot of things. "Fungi" is an entire kingdom of life, like "Plantae" (plants) or "Animalia" animals. Consider how much diversity there is within those 2 groups, and now shift your perception of what a fungi can look like to that level of complexity. In, say, animals, those complex differences are pretty obvious when looking at like, a clam vs a honeybee vs a crocodile vs a human. But in fungi, most of that complexity isn't super visible to the human eye because most fungi are small and cryptic, so it gets overlooked even though the diversity is there.

"Mushrooms" are the fruiting bodies of basidiomycete fungi: just one division of the entire fungal kingdom. A fruiting body is like, well, a fruit! It is a reproductive structure that releases spores, which are like the seeds of plants. These structures are attached to a "mycelium," a connected network of fungal hyphea (long filaments containing fungal cells). Think of the mycelium as like, the trunk of a tree, and the mushroom as an apple.

Not all fungi have a mycelium (the same way not all plants have a trunk)--many are unicellular organisms, and others have simpler body plans, and some (like lichens) have more complicated body plans.

Besides basidiomycete mushrooms, ascomycete fungi produce mostly "cup-shaped" fruiting bodies, often referred to as "mushrooms" even though they aren't technically mushrooms. Confused yet? Stick with me. What is a lichen? Lichenization (a fungus forming a symbiotic relationship with a photosynthesizing organism) is a lifestyle trait more than it is a distinct group. While most "lichens" are ascomycete fungi, there are some basidiomycete fungi that have lichenized as well. It is a way for a fungi (we call it the mycobiont) to basically "farm" algae and/or cyanobacteria (we call these the photobionts) to harvest energy from, and in return the mycobiont provides the photobiont with a safe environment.

Most lichens have "apothecia" as seen in the picture above: the cup-shaped fruiting bodies often found in the ascomycete fungi. BUT some (very few) lichens actually *have* mushrooms because they are a symbiosis between an algae and a mushroom-producing fungi (basidiomycete):

SO to conclude: --Fungi is a diverse kingdom of life --Mushrooms are a reproductive structure of a specific lineage of fungi --Lichens are a symbiotic organism made up of a fungus and a photosynthesizing organism (algae and/or cyanobacteria) --Most lichenized fungi are ascomycetes, but some are basidiomycetes --You can think of lichenization as a lifestyle as opposed to a specific group

Fungi are complicated and difficult and confusing, and wonderful and beautifully complex and endlessly fascinating!

#but can you kill them in a way that matters?#lichenology #mycology #science!

wokefrogvirus

let’s have a blast with mama

oblivioustoast

photographer credit from the notes!

#elephants #wet beast wednesday #with mama

mariana-oconnor

#gnu terry pratchett #the glorious 25th of may #discworld

magpiesketchins

Every year he forgot

#the glorious 25th of may #gnu terry pratchett

lestatslestits

Do you ever see something that makes you laugh so hard that you have to buy it

#this is some deep i understood that reference #junji ito #the enigma of amigara fault

pwlanier

Hedgehog-shaped jar, Neolithic period (3500-3000 BCE)

Courtesy Alain Truong

redscharlach

I feel you, Neolithic hedgehog. I feel you.

#just a little guy

natalieironside

I think the aversion in our society to coming up w/ utilitarian answers to ethical questions (my favorite hobby) has caused us to cede way too much ground to the assholes of the world in the vein of "Evil will always triumph because good is dumb," as Dark Helmet put it. Like.

Laypeople (and also a concerning number of scientists) have often got the idea that unethical human experimentation is some sort of ultra-effective super science that would fix all the disease and discover all of the medicine and we only don't do it because it isn't nice (see: every science fiction show ever). No! Jumping straight from abstract theory to human trials is a terrible way to do science. It produces incoherent results and useless observations and nonsensical conclusions. We have pages and pages of historical precedent demonstrating this.

And lots of people have got the idea that totalitarianism is some sort of magic super-government that does all the government stuff really effectively abd efficiently and we only don't do it because it isn't nice. No!!!! "Let's put one idiot in charge and do whatever dumb shit they say" is the worst way to organize any project at all, let alone an economy and a political machine. Fascist regimes are models of corruption, waste, and inefficiency.

And so on

cutestdoughboy

The biggest trick fascists pulled these past 80 years has been convincing people that they were hyper competent perfectionists who ran everything efficiently. Rather than the truth which is they killed every one who was competent (trade unionists, socialists) and then killed every who reported that they were in fact incompetent. (Journalist and newsroom persecutions were very common)

#us politics

my-flying-sister

I love rebloging. It’s the adult equivalent of showing everyone the cool rock I just found.

the-dandy-liar

#oh tumblr

str-ngeloop

"public schooling in america is by and large not designed for ideal learning and has a lot of fucked up incentives and structures that encourage mistreatment of children" ✅

"it would be preferable to have no structure or standardization and just go by vibes" ❌

"education itself is the problem, knowledge is fake, math and writing are unimportant, and ignorance is wisdom" ❌❌❌

stele3

One thing I need people to understand is that we’re largely making this up as we go. Compulsory public education, meaning public education for everyone, including the poor, was not a thing in the United States until the mid to late 19th century. And then it was for white children exclusively; integration of schools happened much later.

The U.S. public education system is a nightmare mess and it’s one of the primary tools of equity and equality in our country. If we get rid of it then we go back to only the rich having access to education.

#us politics

rogue-ai-cat

The thing is, even if you were lucky and your parents taught you how to clean, they probably didn't teach you how to clean the stuff you clean stuff with, like brushes, mops, sponges, rags, and so on. Or how to clean your cleaning appliances, like a dish washer, clothes washing machine, and clothes dryer and its ducts (if you have a ducted dryer), or a carpet cleaner, vacuum, Or how to clean up clean messes, like spilled bleach or detergent.

My parents threw away all of these things (even the vacuum cleaners and the dryer) when they got too dirty to function, because no one even told them THAT they could be cleaned. Cost them thousands of dollars over the years.

All I'm saying is that cleaning is not intuitive, and not knowing how to clean is not a moral failing, but it is something you can learn.

I'm going to reblog this post with resources for learning how to clean things and how to clean cleaning things (I'm not at my desk at the moment). If you have any favorites, please feel free to add them in too!

rogue-ai-cat

I like this video because it does a great job of introducing the basic foundations of house cleaning (and because he doesn't use bleach, which is a common allergy in addition to being awful to inhale). He also talks a little about how to clean a vacuum. And why you shouldn't put grease from your pots and pans down the sink drain. I also love that he mentions that different houses and different people have different needs and different versions of what clean and cleaning looks like.

He doesn't mention though that the toilet seat comes off. I take my toilet seat off to clean under the hinges and clean the seat more thoroughly once a quarter.

rogue-ai-cat

This is another video from the same guy about cleaning and depression. This advice, especially at the beginning, can feel really really difficult and oppressive to hear. However, I find that it's generally pretty solid. But I'm autistic and so is he, so that gets a massive Your Mileage May Vary stamp on it.

I have a favorite part of this video. It's from 10:52 to 12:36. I think we could all use to hear that. There's a HEFTY pause after that one. I promise the narration does come back.

I'm also going to recommend KC Davis' book "How To Keep House While Drowning"

rogue-ai-cat

This is a pair of videos about how to correctly load and use a dish washer.

The first one is a quick 1 minute 30 second overview on loading. I can't find the exact video I'm looking for, so consider this a substitute for that. If I can find the one I'm looking for, I'll swap it in.

The second is a half hour deep dive on dishwashers and detergents. The short form of that is you shouldn't need to pre-rinse anything, detergent pods are overpriced and can cause problems, some dishwashers have a filter in the bottom that needs to be cleaned (but most don't), run your sink until the water is HOT before starting your dish washer, and put a little detergent in the pre-rinse dispenser when you're washing extra dirty dishes (or on the inside of the door if your dishwasher doesn't have a pre-rinse dispenser).

rogue-ai-cat

Favorite Scrub Brushes + How to Clean Them. The right tools for cleaning tasks make all the difference! Scrub brushes are great tools and it

Here's a blog post about scrubbing brushes and how to clean them.

And a video for all cleaning tools, including scrub brushes. This video does use bleach. I'll try to find some alternatives to that.

rogue-ai-cat

How to clean a front load washer (with bleach). This should be done monthly or every time you wash really soiled clothes.

With expert tips and tricks for all types of washers.

How to clean a top loader (without the removable agitator thing). This should be done every 1-3 months depending on you unit, or every time you wash really soiled clothes.

Regular cleaning of a top-load washing machine will prolong the life of the appliance and leave your laundry cleaner and brighter.

How to clean a top loader (with the removable agitator thing). This should be done every month, or every time you wash really soiled clothes.

rogue-ai-cat

This video is for pet owners.

These carpet brushes are a LIFE SAVER if you have dogs. This thing allows me to go from vacuuming about 4 square feet before my vacuum is full to vacuuming half the living room (I don't vacuum often enough. You should vacuum weekly, and I just can't.). I have to unclog the vacuum less often. It fluffs up some of the flat spots in the carpet. And I also use the brush to shampoo my rugs in the spring.

A spot cleaner (or a carpet cleaner with a spot cleaner attachment) is another life saver, ESPECIALLY if you can afford to splurge on a heated one. I see them at Goodwill or at yard sales occasionally, and they're worth picking up. The shark one in the video is great too.

This channel is gold. There's tutorials for cleaning EVERYTHING on there. Just go subscribe!

fivekoboldsinacoat

Gonna throw another potential resource at the end of this very long list, which may be potentially helpful for others like me who loathe videos. It's... the weirdest thing that has genuinely been helpful to me in housekeeping. Absolutely full of useful advice, and bizarrely still relevant in large part. (Though, caveat, research ANYTHING to do with chemicals or cleaning products more complicated than vinegar + lemon + water for modern information.)

It's America's Housekeeping Book (1941). Available for free download on the Internet Archive. (Large PDF file at the link here).

The LISTS y'all. The step by step lists. The emphasis on efficiency and arranging spaces for the least resistance possible. The basic concept of "take a tray or basket into a room when you are tidying up so you can put things that belong elsewhere on it and take them out LATER in ONE GO".

My ADHD-having ass could cry.

#resources #how to

my-past-disgusts-me

Okay okay okay okay. So I read Rogue Protocol yesterday, slept on it, it's still fucking me up whatever. I am so stuck on Murderbot's reaction to Miki. It's so, it's so so resonant with my experiences and what I've seen. The pity, the bitterness, the objective view of Miki's situation soaked in complicated emotions that MB has to work through, the jealousy, oh my god the jealousy. Miki has no specialization, it speaks like a child, it's infantilized, it can't pretend to be a human, it's just a bot, it's stupid, it can't see that it's a pet. "Friend"? Friendship is built on mutual respect. Who could respect Miki? MB certainly doesn't. It respects Miki's autonomy of course, but that's a different kind of respect. That's a base level of respect for sentient beings. It thinks of Miki as a naive idiot, nowhere near the level that Murderbot is operating on. And yet. And yet, Miki is afforded something MB has never* received. Miki is treated as part of its human group, Miki is protected, Miki is loved. Even though MB denies this love until it is proven without any doubt. Proven through Don Abene's respect for Miki's autonomy, something I don't think MB realized humans could have for bots. After all, if humans can't respect a construct's autonomy, something so much more like them than a bot, how could they ever think of bots that way? MB has to hide everything about itself to gain respect and autonomy. Why does Miki get it without doing anything at all?

Being autistic myself and having known all kinds of other autistic people, this hits sickeningly close to home. This is a thought process I am well familiar with, one that I return to in my darker moments even with the knowledge that it's illogical and cruel. There's a sense of superiority you build up as a shield, to explain away all of the ways you're different, to pretend the things that you want aren't there. And when someone who doesn't match that, who is "worse" than you gets those things you've convinced yourself you can't have, it breaks you. And I know this isn't just an autistic experience, I see it everywhere. I see it in trans people, people of color, people with other disabilities, the working class, I see it everywhere, so many underprivileged people feel this way. Some people have confronted it and some have let it morph them into something worse, a cruel pos trying desperately and failing to be "the good one." It's tragic. And my god is it lonely.

It's not surprising that Murderbot is going to Preservation Alliance after this book. After all, *these are the humans who treated Murderbot as a person. Even knowing what it is. Dr. Mensah is the first person it met who wanted to protect it, not the other way around. It needs a reminder that it isn't uniquely unlovable, whether it realizes that or not.

#murderbot #the murderbot diaries #rogue protocol