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futurebird

@futurebird@sauropods.win

pro-ant propaganda, building electronics, writing sci-fi teaching mathematics & CS. I live in NYC.

This profile is from a federated server and may be incomplete. For a complete list of posts, browse on the original instance.

cats Bot , to random
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Via https://cataas.com/cat/

futurebird ,
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@cats

This is reminding me of the scene from Dune with the Bene Gesserit and that "box o pain"

futurebird , to random
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"They're certainly not holding 'truth to power'" -Sean Hanity

Why can't they get their own little things to say? Why are ya'll always COPYING? It's so insecure.

futurebird OP ,
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@sjuvonen

I think it's supposed to defang the attack by using it back?

"NO U"

futurebird , to random
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I still like "anti fascist action" but I'm a little bummed it doesn't involve feeding anyone to ants.

futurebird , to random
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Ever since we found a queen ant in our garden and relocated her to the pot where one of our roof trees is growing my husband has been very worried about the wild colony and insists I bring them little snacks.

Anywany that is how I... A New Yorker found myself carrying half of a (feeder) roach OUTSIDE to feed roof ants.

They loved it. They are going to be so fat and numerous.

futurebird , to random
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Ants can only remove mites if they know they are there. The mites that are successful make themselves seem like they are part of the ant, so her sisters don't see a need to remove them.

futurebird , to random
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In the gray clearing near the leafless tree, he raised his long pale hand, resting on the back of it, clinging to his skeletal fingers was a large moth.

"Yes." He said, admiring the insect. "The death's head moth." He intoned, his voice deep and grave.

The moth cleaned it's furry face with it short fuzzy front legs... and let out several little squeaks. "nwah nwah waH!" He blinked a few times, suppressing a glare.

"We will fix the sound in post." he added, trying to remain serious.

futurebird OP ,
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Mi0D-ya4Wk

KarenStrickholm , to random
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Just gonna drop this here...



futurebird ,
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@KarenStrickholm

This is a bad visualization. The right graph is supposed to be about 1/1000 of the graph on the right, but it's not really giving you a sense of that. It could be 1/300 or something...

Maybe showing little squares or something would work better...

futurebird ,
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@KarenStrickholm

futurebird ,
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@bob @KarenStrickholm

Is it really hard? Or super easy?

futurebird , to random
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turning a big dial taht says AI on it and constantly looking back at the audience for approval like a contestant on the price is right.

paezha , to random
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Will the AI nightmare never end

futurebird ,
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@paezha

Just kill me.

Kill me now.

What is the POINT?

WHY should any of us go on if they never ever learn ANYTHING

futurebird ,
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@paezha

sobbing into the desk face down

futurebird ,
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@wendinoakland @paezha

pained whimpers

tk , to random
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futurebird ,
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@tk

labor daybor

futurebird , to random
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Will this incantation keep them from taking it??””

futurebird OP ,
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@tylerzonia

Just DON't.

... if you have to ask? hooo booy.

futurebird , to random
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“googly eye syndrome”
The tendency to imagine everything has a perspective and the world is full of lively conversations… between the ants and the soil, between the seas and the moon.

futurebird OP ,
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@clayote oh yeah. Jeez. Why didn’t I remember that.

futurebird , to random
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Some one asked in DM how to identify ants. So here is my method:

The best resource online is

https://www.inaturalist.org/

This is an effectively peer-reviewed database of correctly identified photos of insects.

To identify an ant search for "ants" then set your region to the location where you saw the ant. Look through the photos until you see a match.

1/

futurebird OP ,
@futurebird@sauropods.win avatar

This is more effective since you are looking at the most recently posted photos and it is likely that if you saw a bug someone else did too and posted it.

A few tips about matching insects on appearance:

  1. Look at the number of segments. Is there one bump or two between the gaster and thorax.
  2. Look at the texture. Ant colors may vary in many species, texture is more reliable.
  3. Ask for help on formiculture.com (for ants) or other specialist forums for other insects.

2/

futurebird OP ,
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There is a neat app called "picture insect" that will try to identify insects directly from photos. If this is getting you excited you aren't alone. This app was pretty good. For me they were correct about 70 percent of the time. Since you now have to pay for this app that level of accuracy isn't worth it IMO

On iPhone 15 the camera app will hightlight insects and try to identify them. I think it's using the same tech as "picture insect" since it makes the same mistakes. Worth a shot. 3/

futurebird OP ,
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Here is the thing that makes my "scan recent posts on iNaturalist" even more fun. If you have an arthropod that isn't in the 100 most recently spotted on iNaturalist you have found a "rare" insect and experts will not be annoyed if you ask for their help. They will be excited to see the cool bug that you found.

The only area where this can get tough is if you are looking at mites. Mites are impossible to identify and every mite is "rare." No one knows anything about mites. It's horrible. 4/4

futurebird OP ,
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Mites are incredibly important to nearly every ecosystem. Huge impacts: nearly drove honeybees to extinction.

So we should probably pay more attention to mites. I've promised myself I will learn more about them, but never have I found a subject harder to find a starting thread to pull.

Everything is either laughably basic or dense scientific papers only 5 people in the world can read without a glossary.

Maybe we should do a "mite week" or something? It mite be a mistake to ignore them!

futurebird OP , (edited )
@futurebird@sauropods.win avatar

Mites are like spiders, but less glamorous in every way that people who like bugs tend to care about. The big issue is they all look pretty much the same.

Mites have adapted to live with ants in symbiotic and parasitic ways. Often they are both. There are mites that replace the feet of ants, mites that clean ant mandibles. Mites that steal food when ants share honeydew via trophallaxis.

futurebird OP ,
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There are mites on your eyelashes, different ones on your skin. I think this fact stops people from thinking about mites since the best way to deal with this harsh truth is to forget it.

But, to understand mites I can't ignore the mites on my face. I have to come to terms with my body as an ecosystem, a planet with its own residents. That is a lot to deal with emotionally. I like to think of myself as a singular being, not a writhing collective of growing living systems.

futurebird OP , (edited )
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@CliftonR

Things go very very very wrong when these little residents are disrupted or removed.

Some skin conditions seem to come down to the balence being thrown off and the wrong sort of mites growing too large in numbers causing cycles of irritation.

For all the billions spent on skincare and "anti aging" treatments ... not much attention at all is paid to the little gardeners on our skin. (Have you ever even seen mites mentioned in an skincare ad?)

Nobody wants to think about them!

futurebird OP , (edited )
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@chris_evelyn

Macrocheles rettenmeyeri

This mite drinks the army ant's blood (hemolymph) by attaching to the foot since it can pierce the soft portion of the foot pad that normally helps ants to climb. The ant walks as if the mite were her foot. Her foot no longer provides grip on smoother surfaces, but in function it's mostly the same. The mite will even hold on to other ants when the army ants build their bivouac.

https://www.jstor.org/stable/25085720

futurebird OP ,
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@econads @CliftonR

I think your parents secret may be never sweating much. Younger people are more sweaty -- and part of the whole purpose of sweat is to give the body an odor.

Odors that are too rich and say too much for a modern world.

futurebird OP ,
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@NatureMC @nev @frankashwood @CliftonR

We know enough to understand that we can't simply sterilize our skin. Which is our first instinct when we find out about the mites. But, no, we are adapted to them, and they are adapted to us.

So, it's harder to offer a "solution" that fits into our expectations.

I would love to see some skincare cream say "nourishes and balances the population of facial mites while reducing the yeasts and bacteria that can lead to population blooms."

LOL

futurebird OP ,
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@NatureMC @nev @frankashwood @CliftonR

I'm going to check this out on my bus ride in.

futurebird OP ,
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@fritzoids

I've been avoiding this since I know the moment I start it's going to ... consume me.

This is crack cocaine. This is my salvation and undoing.

I think I'll try it today! Goodbye everyone! I will say hello to EVery Ant

futurebird OP ,
@futurebird@sauropods.win avatar

@NatureMC @CliftonR

I was thinking about it some more and I think the "perfect skin care regime" would need to have a testing and adaptation mechanism. A way to test skin for ph, oils, sugars, mite population, bacteria, fungi etc. Determine what is out of balence and what action to take. Not a cream but more like system to regulate the skin biome like an expert gardener.

We can understand that just because plants need water and light "more water!" and "more light" aren't always better.

futurebird OP ,
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@NatureMC @CliftonR

I mean, really our skin ought to mostly take care of itself. But that isn't the case for many people, or we find the stasis point unacceptable for one reason or another. But adjustments to the system shouldn't need to be complex or extreme... just well considered and precise.

futurebird OP ,
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@maggieumber @chris_evelyn
oooh I just thought of another entry for my list of “common ant says and idioms” (this is for a book)

Army ants will say “—-, my foot!” and this has extra layers of disgust.

“She expects us to gather that millipede? we already brought home a mantis! bossy little callow!”
“Just make another run!”
“make another run, my foot!”
“far as I care my mite-bitten foot can fetch that millipede!”
(formic grumbling continues)

futurebird OP ,
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@guy_redshirt Statistically you will hardly ever go wrong with “she” unless they have wings— in that case use “he” if they have a little head, “your majesty” if they have a big head.
If ants cared to be identified they would be more concerned with who was a major, minor or queen as much as sex — and these categories are just as complex.

futurebird OP ,
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@nev

Thank you for your hard work there. Everyone is so confused even the people who ought to be least confused.

futurebird OP ,
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@nev @michaelgemar

Honestly? Anything that has like a dozen different species collaborating and annoying (and munching on) friggin army ants ... how can you compete?

Army ants are one of the most boss of all creatures, unstoppable, amorphous, relentless... and mites? They said "let's live on their sabered mandibles. That is a good place to live, yes."

futurebird , to random
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Replit used to be nice for education you could have the kids program some BASIC, do Java and python in the same class. Even say "use whatever language you like!"

With "school computers" having the correct version of python or java on every machine is non trivial. Replit is virtual machines and everyone can use the internet. It's slow, so slow. But it was nice.

Most other teachers have dropped it since they added AI and I have mostly too.

futurebird , to random
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The "scarcity" of Nvidia hardware has mad Nvidia the most valuable company in the world. At first this seemed like good news to me, since the economy needs to move in a new direction, the most valuable company should be a fresh name.

Unfortunately since this value is based on actions between Tesla and X of all companies I think it's ... perhaps a little artificial. Are "AI capable chips" really such hot items. Or has the very public performance to get them just made people think they are?

futurebird OP ,
@futurebird@sauropods.win avatar

I am still questioning the value for the energy cost of AI for most applications. I am yet to be impressed or excited or want one for my own purposes.

And I'm a creature that gobbles new technologies with abandon.

Who is making money form the Nvidia stock surge? It's probably the same people again isn't it?

futurebird OP ,
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@ariadne

I'm certain we can get the energy costs down. But even if that's reasonable I'm still just not that impressed with the libraries.

When I need to solve a problem, even image recognition a purpose built algorithm has more predictable fail states and can be made more reliable than using a black box of matrices.

I have not tried whatever Nvidia is selling. My naive understanding is that it can run this stuff faster? ... how is that impressive?

futurebird OP ,
@futurebird@sauropods.win avatar

@tuban_muzuru

This makes a little more sense to me. Is it kind of like a microprocessor that you can flash with the results from training and then it can run it quickly? That sounds nice.

But aren't FPGA not that new? Has something changed about them?

This is getting into the gap between software and hardware where I really do need to learn more about the tech. Sorry if these are clueless questions.

futurebird OP ,
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@notsoloud That’s when we get to buy toys and play with them.

futurebird OP ,
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@guncelawits @ariadne I’m right with you in the back asking “but is this even that great?? it’s wrong 30 percent of the time!”

futurebird , to random
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Is this a creepy idea for a school assignment or a cool idea?

Make Your Own Doomsday Library

You are going to live in space, or in a bunker and you will only have the materials you can assemble on a 1GB hard drive. Make a list of the books and materials you would bring and assemble your emergency library.

Optional: Create a device for reading your library that will last as long as possible.

It's an interesting exercise and might even be useful.

futurebird OP ,
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@autolycos

I was hoping some of them would want to take a copy of the python source code and some of the other languages we've worked with...

futurebird , (edited ) to random
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Sometimes I think about the interesting mineral formations & fossils human manufactured items will become. What will happen to concrete and rebar if it isn't tuned to soil? Will landfills form deposits of their own strange oils and gasses? Will plastic fossilize into amber like formations?

Even bricks could become interesting finds for the minds of the future ... if there is anyone there to admire them.

What if plastic amber was a luxury jewel?

futurebird OP ,
@futurebird@sauropods.win avatar

@llewelly @apophis

I think about our mines filled with crystals like great agates or geodes in some far future. "What are these tubular structures with right angles filled with gems?" The trace fossils of humans will be legendary.

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