NonCompliant Cyborg

Disabled marine scientist & artist | mid 20s, he/they | Talk to me about: marine inverts (especially ctenophores, polychaetes, and cephalopods), tidepooling, hydrothermal vents, methane hydrates, ROVs, microCT & 3D imaging generally. Oh yeah and embroidery. I do a lot of that.

[noncompliantcyborg]

Obligatory Introduction/Pinned Post

Hi, I'm JA, a disabled queer cyborg, marine scientist, embroiderer, photographer, poet, and otherwise curious/creative person.

Tumblr was one of my internet homes years ago, but I haven't been an active poster in years here and decided to start over. The layout is definitely worse here now and idk how folks connect here these days, but if you somehow find me, please tell me.

Some Intro Info/Questions I'm Hoping Someone Might Want Answers To:

Where can I find your embroidery? You Can check out my tag on here #My Embroidery, and items are available for purchase in my shop, NonCompliantCyborg. You can also reach out for customizations and full on commissions.

Do you sell prints of your photography? Yes, I have archival quality prints available through InPRNT. If you really want one and have financial barriers, you can ask me for a discount code and I'll do what I can. You buying my art helps me pay my bills, so I appreciate whatever capacity you do that in.

Where can I find your poetry? If I share it here it will be in the tag #My Poetry. I currently have one chapbook, Request for Amendment which was reviewed in WordGathering. I also have work in HAD and Cool Rock Repository. I really need to submit more places, and would love if you send me reqs.

You have to pick one book to recommend, right now. What is it? I hate these kind of questions. But the book is Paring by Travis Chi Wing Lau.

You have to pick one essay to recommend, right now. What is it? "Anthropodermic Biblioplegy, disabled bodies, and who gets to have boundaries" by Karrie Higgins

You are listening to one song on repeat on the bathroom floor. What is it? Boreas by The Oh Hellos

What do you mean about being a cyborg? Here is one possible primer on cyborgs, by Cy Jillian Weise for Granta: Common Cyborg. Someone actually ask me, and I will say a lot more, and then link it on here too.

What's your favorite phylum? Ctenophora. Ask me why.

I want to see marine critters. Please help. #My Marine Biology Videos #taking myself to the water to remind myself I'm allowed to just exist

Where else can I find you online? I'm on Tik Tok @CtenophoreCreative and @NonCompliantCyborg on Instagram and BlueSky.

[noncompliantcyborg]

My outer coast camping trip got thwarted by my back going into spasm Saturday evening, but I managed to get to the tide pools closer to home for a little bit today.

[noncompliantcyborg]

Please have some escapism today: https://www.sbnation.com/a/17776-football

[semiohazard]

a word to the furthest denizens of the Earth!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 17776 day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[noncompliantcyborg]

We were supposed to get football forever starting today and instead we have.... this

[polychaete-of-the-day]

Today's worm is Cheilonereis shishidoi.

Photo by Leslie Harris

[noncompliantcyborg]

[noncompliantcyborg]

Item: The Time Machine Rarity: ⏶ Common

What game do you associate most strongly with a specific time in your life?

Feed your dashboard by answering my question, blogger.

DoA (3?). I was an exceptional button smasher as a toddler.

[noncompliantcyborg]

[noncompliantcyborg]

Is this the 3d modelling you were talking about?? I saw it in this article also, were you involved in this whole thing? If so thank you for your work.

I wasn't involved in this one but I'd love if you sent me a link to the paper.

[funstyle]

Im always like "i will not add my two cents. i will not add my two cents" but i cant lie the pennies are getting sweaty in my hand

[noncompliantcyborg]

Thank you, https://youraislopbores.me/

[noncompliantcyborg]

[noncompliantcyborg]

[noncompliantcyborg]

[noncompliantcyborg]

Thank you, https://youraislopbores.me/

[noncompliantcyborg]

[noncompliantcyborg]

[noncompliantcyborg]

Thank you, https://youraislopbores.me/

[noncompliantcyborg]

[noncompliantcyborg]

Why, when and what started you loving ctenophores and all the other stuff, iam literally a big fan of ctenophores myself (even have had dreams of them) and have never encountered someone else who is a ctenophore fan. And personally i wanna know about your love for them, reasons and other whatnot.

Hi fisch,

As far as I know I first saw and learned about ctenophores in Spring of 2016. I had a graduated student who was mentoring me who had been part of research that compiled the first Pleurobrachia bachei genome. He loved them so much and would turn bright red anytime anyone called them jellyfish and would have to work so hard to to get past his own wall of enthusiasm for them and deep desire for them to be accurately appreciated to explain what they actually were and why it was actually really cool they weren't jellyfish and how they were very likely the earliest branch of animal. Sometimes, I'd joking call ctenophores jam fish or I'd call jellyfish false ctenophores to rib him.

I spent a lot of time that Spring with him out on docks at all hours looking for ctenophores and learning the names and life histories of anything we could spot together. Ctenophores were always my favorite to watch. He told me all about an embryology and larval development graduate level course he'd taken he thought I'd love and I vowed I had to take it some day.

I came back to the field station ocassionally and we'd meet up and look for ctenos and play boardgames. In 2018 I managed to make it back for another term of college out there. He had less capacity but we still met up when we could. He died later that year, far too young. He left me with his love of ctenos and life histories and evo devo and an incredibly frustrating level of pedantic enthusiasm always duking it out with an equal desire to educate empathetically.

Later, I worked on developing preservation and staining methods for CT scanning ctenophores to create 3D models of them. A local ctenophore expert also connected me with some researchers that had been begging her to send samples for years and I ended up providing collections for a few different labs a few times. Eventually, I got to take the embryology and larval development course my mentor had always wanted me to. Then after that I ended up doing some contract work that including 3D modeling of ctenophores, among other animals, which lead me to do some independent research developing low cost imaging tools for transparent animals (including ctenos). I still want to finish up the latter, but ironically some of the equipment I need to order is not low cost enough for me to afford currently.

In 2022 or 2023, I also decided it was time to start seeing more ctenos and take it into my own hands to make that happen. I bought a fishing light to go out observing on my own and in late 2023 I joined iNaturalist. Starting in 2024 I made it a goal to be out by the water looking for critters at least half the calendar days a year. It didn't take long before I ended up the top global observer of ctenos on iNat. I'd be absolutely delighted to live in a world where I was dethroned though - we need more cteno observers and appreciators. It's a little ridiculous the percentage of the observations that are mine... especially for certain species and for my region.

I'm really hoping to get accepted for a funded artist spot at Ctenopalooza Ctwo later this year - a ctenophore conference happening at MBARI.

[noncompliantcyborg]

Thank you, https://youraislopbores.me/

[delicate-viscera]

poll time!

do you know what prev looks like?

yes, i have seen photos/video

yes, we have met irl

no

Voting ended onMar 11