A line graph showing NSF grant awards made through 2/27/26 for fiscal year 2026 compared with grant awards for fiscal years 2021-2025.
NSF Update (Awards through 2/27/26)
Directorates to follow
1/10
Why do I suddenly want some spicy mustard?
MacKenzie Scott's net worth is less than a third of the most generous billionaire on this list but to date she has given away an amount close to half of Buffett's donations, multiples of anyone else on the list while innovating a whole new model of more fficient & effective giving...
There’s no Wi-Fi on trail, but the connection’s much better.
Thanks for watching our live stream 💚
Bar chart titled "Annual US Births" spanning 1970 to 2025. The chart shows births climbing from 2 million in 1970 to a peak of 4.3 million around 2007, followed by a steady decline to 3.62 million in 2025, matching birth rates from four decades prior.
US births held steady at 3.62 million in 2025, near a 40+ year low.
America’s Own Goal: Who Pays the Tariffs? "Foreign exporters pay 4% of the tariffs—the remaining 96% is passed through to US buyers."
www.kielinstitut.de/publications...
A better choice is to end tax subsidies for interest payments. Instead, reward humans (only) for paying down principal.
This week’s main story details what Medicare Advantage is, why it basically has all the pitfalls of private insurance, and what a Mountain Chicken is. And if you don’t already know what a Mountain Chicken is, go ahead and visualize a “Mountain Chicken” in your head now. Great. It’s not that.
Can you imagine the insurers surprise as the size of the surprise bill? Could be almost as fun as health care sticker shock.
Mist on the Manistee River with fall foliage in peak color
Fall foliage and early morning mist on the Manistee River
Chicory flower, sky blue petals
Chicory flower
Photo of Doubtful Lake, from above on Sahale Arm, with autumn colors.
Doubtful Lake, above Cascade Pass on the Sahale Arm. The cloud cover lifted momentarily to show off the autumn colors.
Aye, we were thinking to ourselves before we left about how lucky we were this year with the fire season. The lightning storm that ignited all these fires started them on the day we hit the trail.
No worries, we're WA natives, so we can go back and finish Section I next year instead. Trail closures is now a normal part of the PCT experience.
Sure was! We awoke on Day 5 of PCT Section H (in Goat Rocks Wilderness) to smoke filled air. There was nothing to do but keep hiking North towards White Pass where we could get off the trail.
Green beans, hanging from a climbing wall and trellis made from hand bent cattle fencing.
The cattle fencing ladder-and-trellis is working splendidly. While off hiking Section H of the PCT, the green beans grew into over drive.
The Goat Rocks Wilderness is a stunningly beautiful place. Having it filled with smoke made it much less enjoyable. Because much of the traverse through Goat Rocks was at 7,000', the views were long, expansive, and smoky.
For 8 more seconds. Her phone is at the ready!
A Pyrocumulus cloud over the Wildcat fire
The Pyrocumulus cloud over the Wildcat fire, which filled the area with smoke and knocked us off the PCT this week. Taken from Goat Rocks, a handful of miles South on the PCT from White Pass.
Wildcat fire, taken from the South on the PCT in Goat Rocks, a ways below White Pass
Major +1 to the Povidone Iodione 10%, among the most used items. An improvement for the list: 1-2' of leukotape, the best for managing blisters. Same as with some duct/gorilla tape: don't carry a roll, just wrap some around something useful you're carrying anyway. (ski pole, water bottle, etc..)

I'm curious, what are your TOU prices like in greater Chicagoland? I'm in Seattle and we're *just* now rolling out TOU as an option. Doesn't affect me, I'm ineligible because of solar and net metering. I think you can see my "all electric" usage here: egauge46354.egaug.es/68388/classi...
It's somewhat addicting, because you realize that if you buy an electric car, you buy electrons with money in your right hand and put the money in your left pocket.
Or as you deploy solar. The cost of solar isn't linear, the first kW is expensive (sales cost, install, permits, etc) and every kW after gets cheaper. The more electrons you use, the faster the array pays you back. Tossing out all the gas appliances at once is part of how I got a 5 year ROI
Hydronics is great in cold weather climates. Air to water heat pumps. Some of the units are combined so one unit does domestic hot water and your hydronic heating.
My key to fast solar payback was to electrify everything. Gas furnace to heat pumps. Heat pump water heater. Induction cooktop. BEV in the driveway. No more gas & oil for car, no nat. gas bill, and no CO2 sources. Also, I produce more than I consume, so my total energy bill is $10/mo. #worthIt
East & West works well enough, that's how my panels are. I had my 9.6 kW array put on in 2016. It paid for itself by 2021. In '24 tore off panels and roof, DIYed a new metal roof, put the array back down with fancy no-penetration clamps, and added 2.4 kW more panels.
Yep, in areas with ToU pricing and low solar penetration (most of the Midwest), midday prices are higher, providing a higher ROI for solar self consumption, esp in summer. Out here on the Best coast, midday is cheap b/c CA produces more solar than they can use or store.
Maybe don't? I just cleaned my pollen coated 11 kW array. The daily difference is 68 kWH dirty and 71 kWh clean, so about $0.40/day and maybe $100 worth of production over a year. Let the rain clean them.
