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 1.6.1 – 3 May 2025 – is now available on github, as is MEGAMAP 1.6.1.

This release wasn’t supposed to happen yet – arguably at all, the next was supposed to be 1.7 – but I mislabelled a couple of blocks of split sharrow/bike lane in Snohomish County as full both-sides bike lanes and that’s not okay. I had to get that fixed, and I have, so: new maps drop. Corrections are in all latest maps, of course.

Additions and changes since 1.6:

  • Correction of errors on 48th West in Snohomish County, where sharrows had been incorrectly shown as full bike lanes across a couple of blocks where only one side has full bike lanes
  • Added bike lane markers for Forbes Creek Drive in Kirkland
  • Further cleanup of the trail situation in and around Crestwoods Park, Kirkland
  • Added Old Market Street Trail in Juanita
  • Added continuation notes showing how far infrastructure continues on the MEGAMAP’s northern border

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 it doesn’t. If you have an iPhone, please use the website interface and not the app, because Apple takes 30% if you use the app. I’ll keep doing this regardless, but you know. Thank you! ^_^

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

threatening the supreme court

May. 9th, 2025 04:22 pm
solarbird: (korra-on-the-air)
[personal profile] solarbird

Miller’s out there again threatening the courts with a suspension of habeas corpus if they don’t rule the way the fascists want. Explicitly. In words.

They’re threatening to start arresting anyone and everyone they want, at will, with absolutely no legal recourse for anyone. That’s what “suspending habeas corpus” means. Habeas corpus is the right to challenge an imprisonment through law, through the courts – it means you have to have a reason to arrest someone and it has to be valid, and people can demand you demonstrate that it’s valid or otherwise release that person.

Most people are quoting the “looking at” part, but I want to highlight two other phrases. First, I want to point at the monstrous cur calling this fundamental right of the Constitution a “privilege”:

“…the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus can be suspended…”

Habeas corpus is a fundamental right, not a goddamn privilege, you solipsistic ghoul, and you know it but you don’t care. It predates the Constitution; hell, it predates the Magna Carta. What he’s doing here is telling the MAGAt base what to say and how to react, saying that it’s not a right, it’s some kind of bonus which can be taken away.

And that’s horseshit. If you don’t have the right to contest your own imprisonment, if you can be imprisoned by them at will, thrown overseas or into some dark hole to die with absolutely no recourse, then you have no rights at all, and that’s what they’re going for. You: no rights. Them: absolute power. That’s the intent.

Now, to the threat:

“[suspending habeas corpus] depends upon whether the courts do the right thing or not.”

If the courts don’t let them do whatever they want, they’ll throw out the most fundamental right that can exist – the right not to be arbitrarily imprisoned without recourse.

The right not to be disappeared.

The right to exist at all.

For anyone.

That’s what he wants to take away. That’s what they want to take away.

This alone should be cause for impeachment, conviction, and removal.

That it’s not is a complete condemnation, by their own hands, of the Republican Party.

If you’re not getting out there on the streets, why the hell not? Here are some places to look for protests near you:

  • Tesla Takedown – this is a big weekend for anti-Musk protests at Tesla dealerships. Find yours. Get out there.
  • Indivisible – this is a bigger list with a more general focus. Find something near you. Get out there.
  • No Kings – June 14th. Put it on your calendar now. Be there.

The more effective we are, the more of us there are, the more radical and scary they’ll get up to the point where they piss off enough people that they get taken down. But we have to keep building, and we have to keep getting out there, and dragging as many people out there with us as we can if we ever want to reach that point.

It’s been said a bunch, but the rubber has hit the road, and if you’ve ever wondered what you would do in the 1930s, you’re finding out now, because it’s what you’re doing right now.

Make it the right thing.

Get out there, team. And stay out there. If we want to keep a republic, we have to get this done.

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

solarbird: our bike hill girl standing back to the camera facing her bike, which spans the image (biking)
[personal profile] solarbird

2 Line Eastside Bike Connector updated their map to include the new train stations opening today! If you’re seeing this on May 10th, you can go to the opening events!

Naturally, we’ve picked up the new version, and Greater Northshore Bike Connector and MEGAMAP 1.7 – 10 May 2025 – are now available to download.

Move Redmond have also expanded their core area further north. Online, they’ve started doing the Seattle thing where they have some infrastructure information outside their region.

I’m not including their extended area at all, and I’ve also only extended their core map very slightly further north. There are a few reasons, the biggest of which being that we have features they don’t, and I think those features are important in lower-density infrastructure areas like north Kirkland and north Redmond. Without them, Briar wouldn’t have any markings at all.

They’ve also left me with a bit of a quandary: they’ve changed their map key on me. The markings are different, now. Fortunately, only a little, but it’s still a change.

In their area, fully separate bike paths are now dark green, rather than red. Given that I specifically used their key system – before expanding upon it – for consistency, I should probably go along. But to be honest, I don’t like the change. I think it adds confusion, because before, all bike infrastructure was red. Now most is red, but some is dark green, instead.

All one colour was simpler and easier.

On the other hand, having now three different systems – two of which are only very slightly different to each other – is more confusing than having two, and I could fix that.

Any thoughts on what I should do? Should I move to theirs, despite not liking the change? I’m genuinely uncertain.

Anyway, additions and changes since 1.6.1:

  • MAJOR EASTSIDE UPGRADE with the freshly dropped 2 Line Eastide Bike Connector Map. There are several updates, but the biggest are the two light rail stations opening today, 10 May 2025. If you’re reading this on the 10th, there are opening day celebrations and you can go join them.
  • Notes about infrastructure continuance off-map now appear on both Greater Northshore and MEGAMAP, with the notes and arrows relocating as appropriate.
  • Same for the two major directional notices to Alderwood Mall and City of Snohomish, both of which are too far north for this map.
  • Addition (with reservations) of a short section of what are technically bike lanes in Woodinville. I don’t like them and have marked them as undermarked, because they are.
  • Construction on NE 132nd has extended bike lanes! And made the crossing of I-405 more confusing and probably slower! But also maybe safer despite that. It’s a tradeoff, and it’s on the maps now.
  • NE 116th in Redmond has extended bike lanes now, but without the added complexity of 132nd.
Screen-resolution preview of MEGAMAP 1.7, a large-area Greater Northshore and Seattle-area bike map, updated with 2 Line Eastside Bike Connector Map, released 10 May 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 it doesn’t. If you have an iPhone, please use the website interface and not the app, because Apple takes 30% if you use the app. I’ll keep doing this regardless, but you know. Thank you! ^_^

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

In Which Elessir Explores Nchardak

May. 9th, 2025 09:46 pm
annathepiper: My character Elessir the Dunmer in Skyrim (Elessir in Skyrim)
[personal profile] annathepiper

Catchup post for my Elessir Skyrim run from last year. This post dates from mid-September.

Read the rest of this entry »

Read more on Anna Plays Skyrim.

There's a new gadget at work

May. 9th, 2025 09:17 am
james_davis_nicoll: (Default)
[personal profile] james_davis_nicoll
It's a small box just inside door two. Installed by tech, we think it controls the house lights. At some point I will wonder about it when there's a tech to question.

The important thing is that (unlike the intercom handsets) it is mounted fairly low on the wall, so it's easy to reach. Or rather, bump into in the dark, causing a mysterious light to go off and another mysterious light to go on. Or, as happened last night, lean on it to discover it's at just the right angle to trigger a back spasm.

The Dark We Know by Wen-Yi Lee

May. 9th, 2025 09:06 am
james_davis_nicoll: (Default)
[personal profile] james_davis_nicoll


A meagre inheritance tempts a starving art student back to the small town from which she fled years before, to which return is unwise.

The Dark We Know by Wen-Yi Lee

colonoscopy

May. 8th, 2025 05:30 pm
redbird: closeup of me drinking tea, in a friend's kitchen (Default)
[personal profile] redbird
I had a colonoscopy this afternoon. The preparation was not fun, though not as bad as I'd feared; the main problem is that I am short on sleep. The worst part of the colonoscopy was the nurse placing an IV, because I was dehydrated (as expected in this context), and what would otherwise have been the best location is bruised from having blood drawn Monday.

I already have results back via MyChart, and since the colonoscopy was done by GI doctor who recommended I get one, I know she has the information. It looks basically OK--no evidence of inflammation and no polyps--but they did detect internal hemorrhoids. She "randomly" biopsied eight locations, so they can look for microscopic colitis, and I will probably have those results in about two weeks. The recommendation is to wait for the pathology report and then see her again.

ETA: Also, I had to take my N95 off for the colonoscopy, because it was done under sedation. The sedative was given via IV, but they had a tube feeding oxygen into my nostrils, and the anesthesiologist needs to be able to see that the patient is continuing to breathe properly. I gave them the mask when I lay down, and they gave it back to me (in a zip-lock bag) when I woke up.
james_davis_nicoll: (Default)
[personal profile] james_davis_nicoll


A Quick Deal offering the complete Delta Green Impossible Landscapes campaign.

Bundle of Holding: DG Impossible Landscapes
james_davis_nicoll: (Default)
[personal profile] james_davis_nicoll


For some reason, cloning or copying people never goes according to plan...

Five Books About Duplicating Human Beings

The Seep by Chana Porter

May. 8th, 2025 08:56 am
james_davis_nicoll: (Default)
[personal profile] james_davis_nicoll


Surviving the end of a world gave Trina FastHorse Goldberg-Oneka valuable coping skills she will need the next time her world ends.

The Seep by Chana Porter
james_davis_nicoll: (Default)
[personal profile] james_davis_nicoll
I believe I am setting a personal record for slowest start to a trpg campaign:

Session 0: the group create the world
Session 0: (the sequel): the players create the characters
Session 0: (this time it's personal): game mechanics and combat demo.

The first gave me general plot ideas, the second PC-specific ideas and the third let me know if the system I wanted to track combat works. Which it will, with tweaks. I also need to add some bookmarks to my rules, and create some useful charts for players.
james_davis_nicoll: (Default)
[personal profile] james_davis_nicoll


This all-new Menagerie Shadowdark Bundle features third-party adventures from Menagerie Press for The Arcane Library's old-school FRPG, Shadowdark.

(Shadowdark rulebook not included)

Bundle of Holding: Menagerie Shadowdark
gentlyepigrams: (art - madame x)
[personal profile] gentlyepigrams
Tamara de Lempicka, at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. April 27, 2005.

De Lempicka is one of my favorite artists, which I realized after seeing one of her works in the Blanton in Austin. Her Art Deco style is infused with boldness and sexuality. I couldn't have told you for certain she was queer until I saw this exhibit with all its female nudes lined up, but it was no surprise. I also learned that de Lempicka retired to my hometown. In fact, I knew almost nothing about her history until this exhibit, which explained a lot about her personal and artistic origins.

The exhibit brought together a wide variety of her paintings from her active period and contextualized it with Art Deco furnishings, fashion, and photographs. In addition to the art and artifacts, there was also a short film featuring de Lempicka's family members explaining some of her history, and an additional slideshow demonstrating her influences from Mannerism to Cubism in individual works. It was the kind of exhibit that makes me appreciate a strong practical grounding in art history.

Overall I was educated and delighted, and as always pleased to see a woman artist getting her due as a major influence in a period where she's been overlooked. I purchased the exhibition catalog, though I haven't had time to crack it yet, and am looking forward to further acquainting myself with de Lempicka's work and life.

The exhibit was on the second floor of the Law Building, which is the Mies van der Rohe addition to the original neoclassical museum; it's been here since my childhood. The mezzanine exhibit space has the Pavia Tapestry exhibit, which we saw at the Kimbell last year and briefly enjoyed here. We missed the exhibits at the (new) Beck Building and the new(er) Kinder Building though I hope to be back before the British Landscape exhibit closes in July. I was excited enough that I bought a membership to the museum to remind myself to come back to Houston more often.

We ate at: several places in Houston

Apr. 29th, 2025 11:38 am
gentlyepigrams: (food)
[personal profile] gentlyepigrams
Taco Stand. New in the Heights, this is not a replacement for my beloved Berryhills (RIP) but a decent taco stand on its own. Good salsa, nice birria, lovely day to eat on the patio. If we were still in the Heights, I'd definitely figure this place into the taco rotation.

The Hobbit Cafe. Reassuringly the same. They failed to take the tomato off my Smaug's Delight but otherwise it was a perfect return to the food of my youth. Plus: pretty healthy. No peach smoothie but I did get a strawberry smoothie, and they're still no-dairy, which has ruined me for a lot of smoothies.

Ouisie's Table. This was one of my mom's favorite places but until our money guy took me there, weirdly, I'd never eaten there. Their flounder sole was excellent and the service was so good that until our money guy pointed it out, I didn't notice that Michael got his bread first (which is a failure only in the most top notch of service). Definitely would also put this in the rotation if we were still in town.

Kraftwerk

Apr. 25th, 2025 11:30 am
gentlyepigrams: (music - neon guitars)
[personal profile] gentlyepigrams
Kraftwerk at the Majestic Theater. April 22, 2025. Multimedia tour commemorating the 50th Anniversary of Autobahn.

Between Kraftwerk shows, it's easy to forget how good their live extravaganza really is. For four guys standing at keyboards in front of a screen, it's big and overwhelming. They've been around since 1970 so if they sound a little dated, it's because they invented a lot of the musical tricks that have since become cliche. But if you know electronic music, you know most of what you're going to hear at a Kraftwerk show, and more than they have time for because of the sheer depth and breadth of their back catalog.

Only one of the original members is still with the group: Ralf Hütter, after Florian Schneider died in 2020. Hütter is pushing 80 and you have to respect that he's still out here pleasing the crowds when he could be home relaxing. The music keeps up with the times too: Radioactivity includes Fukushima on its list of disasters along with Three Mile Island (Harrisburg) and Chernobyl.

If you've seen Kraftwerk on recent tours, you have a good idea of what you're getting into: the four band members at the podiums doing the music in the suits with light bands, standing still for the most part and letting the colored light do the work, with the visuals projected on a screen behind. The suits change colors to match what's on the screen, which is hard to explain but easy to see. The graphics are for the most part computer animations, some of which clearly date back to earlier periods of Kraftwerk's oeuvre but some of which are also clearly newer. In some cases they've put older and newer graphics side by side during the same song, which is interesting to watch. One song where the band used vintage film is The Model, where the fashion puts the film from the 50s or 60s, contrasting the fluid movement of the women and the clothing with the staccato sound of the synths.

The sound crept up on me in this concert. Usually I'm quick to grab my earplugs for hearing protection, but the bass was strong enough that it was rocking the seats in the Majestic before my husband asked for his. I probably lost a little hearing. It was worth it.
gentlyepigrams: (music - vinyl)
[personal profile] gentlyepigrams
Books
Fair Play: A Game-Changing Solution for When You Have Too Much to Do (And More Life to Live), by Eve Rodsky. The author developed a "game" card based system to promote fairness and equity in household chore sharing. The idea is to make each person take on the mental load of their own tasks as well as execution. I'm not sure it would work in our house, because we're always in some state of emergency, but I think giving the game a look might strengthen our systems.

Music
Missy Mazzoli, Apple Music Essentials. I remember listening to her electronic & classical ensemble at SXSW in about 2010. Her repertoire is a lot broader and deeper than I imagined. I didn't like all of it but I appreciated it.
In the Nursery, Recordings 1981-1999. 77 songs and demos from the 80s, which is more Goth and less electronic, which is the part of their oeuvre I'm more familiar with (specifically the soundtracks). Their post-punk influences are definitely on display here, not in a terrible way, but in a fairly obvious one. This is more for completists than for me.
james_davis_nicoll: (Default)
[personal profile] james_davis_nicoll


Obtaining a vital software patch in Japan should be easy-peasy... if only most of the software engineers were not long dead.


Touring After the Apocalypse, volume 3 by Sakae Saito

April 2017

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