Neighbour down the street was vacuuming his lawn again this evening. Third time this week. I suspect yesterday’s snow slowed him down.

I think we have had enough winter.

Lots of excellent advice here! Grad students this is for you too!

Trillium flower - 3 white petals around a yellow centre -against a background of green leaves.

First trillium!

(Also it snowed 3x today.)

Maybe they’re better than the “lovely ladies are waiting to meet you” other half of my work spam?

Yes absolutely; tons of fake conferences for academics. Also invitations to contribute to/edit a special issue of/etc fake journals.

Are we sure he’s aware there is an Ontario beyond Toronto?

Opinion: The Artemis II mission was a glorious distraction from more serious problems in space Now that the astronauts’ journey is complete, we should ask: why, in 2026, would anyone fly around the moon?

Gift article: My essay on space militarization.

The Secret Language of Astrophysics Plots Ever been confused by a plot online or in a paper? This post decodes the secret language of astrophysics plots so you can finally read the universe like a pro.

From @jaydewst.bsky.social: Ever been confused by a plot online or in a paper? This post decodes the secret language of astrophysics plots so you can finally read the universe like a pro. ⚛️ 🔭 ☄️ 🧪
astrobites.org/2026/04/17/secrets-of-plots-in-astro/

OpenAI: We’re burning money like the Joker. A miracle needs to happen for us to turn a profit

Microsoft: Please please use our AI systems, we’re teetering on the edge here

Anthropic: I wonder what’ll kill us first: lawsuits, regulations or model collapse

Media and universities: AI is here to stay

A poem at the beginning of a peer-reviewed and accepted science paper. The poem reads: Freedom. It isn't once, to walk out under the Mily Way, feeling the reivers of light, the fields of dark-- freedom is daily, prose-bound, routine remembering. Putting together, inch by inch the starry worlds. From all the lost collections. -- Adrienne Rich, "For Memory"

Oh, they used to put poems at the beginning of science papers, and this was allowed and published?!

I like it!

Rankin, J. M., 1983, ApJ, 274, 333

'Toward an empirical theory of pulsar emission. I. Morphological taxonomy'

I do not want to create an account or open a subscription I just want to buy a thing and never hear from you again why is this so hard.

Not sure I've ever seen an image capture OH SHIT better.

"The Impossibility of Fall Prevention" is a poignant and moving short story that'll resonate for anyone who has felt the love, anxiety, fear, and frustration of trying to care for an aging loved one who prioritizes their independence over their safety. A moving and powerful read!

The Impossibility of Fall Prevention The Impossibility of Fall Prevention by Pauline Barmby

Does my story warn of satellite catastrophe? Yes.

Is it about leaving home, aging parents, and inevitability? Also yes.

“The Impossibility of Fall Prevention” in issue 10 of @heartlines-spec.com.

www.heartlines-spec.com/the-impossib...

Seems odd to fly past Kitchener, Hamilton, and London though.

Today in Ontario planespotting: why is WestJet 801 from Halifax to Toronto diverting to *Windsor* ??

Ad poster for the 'Normal People Scare Me: Abnormality in Horror' panel at Can*Con Virtual, April 18th from 11 am to 11:50 am EST. Featuring Suzan Palumbo, David Demchuk, Ai Jiang, and Kelly Robson.

SATURDAY SATURDAY SATURDAY: Can*Con Virtual

Join @daviddemchuk.com, @aijiang.bsky.social, Suzan Palumbo, and @kellyrobson.com for a discussion of why normal people scare them and abnormality in horror!

Register at the website! If you're not at least a little scared by David you win a prize*!

Tell me why? A case for Human(e) Astrophysics Artemis, AI, Astronomy, and our place in it. The author asks why do astrophysics at all. To produce results faster, or to turn graduate students into inefficient stand-ins for software? Or because ast...

From @qwasistellar.bsky.social: Artemis, AI, Astronomy, and our place in it. The author asks why do astrophysics at all. To produce results faster, or to turn graduate students into inefficient stand-ins for software? ⚛️ 🔭 ☄️ 🧪
astrobites.org/2026/04/10/tell-me-why-a-case-for-humane-astrophysics/

Woot!

If you're worried your poster or talk is too simple, remove one or two more figures and you'll be alright.

I’m offering a lightly used set of regalia in UC Berkeley colors to a junior faculty member, preference for a mom and 1st gen scholar. DM me your details— I’ll ship for free.

Not personally but will circulate to appropriate channels..

More of the crew images after landing on the aircraft carrier found here if you want to download them.

The smiles on their faces .... 13/10.

www.nasa.gov/gallery/arte...

Reruns!!

Now would be a great time to reconsider that 46% cut to NASA’s science budget for FY2027.

It’s like landing early and the gate’s not ready yet

Canadians much more likely to go to the nearest institution: less touring to do.

Now who’s in the fishbowl?

-END-

I rotate the helmet, thinking of childhood goldfish and what they knew of the world beyond. I could have been gentler with them.

My stomach plummets as the pod is lifted, shuddering, from the liquid. The helmet slips from my grasp.

An orange-black spiral — an eye? — appears in the porthole.