Author | Lightnews

Entropy Generator @egen.bsky.social · 4h

17:34 had brief view of one extremely close to the tip of Pt Defiance coming up from The Narrows.
About 15 minutes later brief views of male + 2-4 others milling in the channel off Gig Harbor, just NNW of PtD. Last view was the male + 1 other heading S to Pt D or Narrows. I never got a good count.

Entropy Generator @egen.bsky.social · 1d

More post-dam-removal good news: Fish wasted no time hauling tail upstream. Chinook salmon return to Upper Klamath Lake (pin on map) and Klamath headwaters after dams were removed in 2024. 🌿🦑
archive.ph/7NVsj

Map showing the border of Oregon and California, with the Pacific Ocean to the left/west. A pin marker is in Upper Klamath Lake in the upper right, south of Crater Lake National Park and north of Klamath Falls. The river's path does not show up on the map, but it winds all around and then enters the ocean between Crescent City and Redwood National + State Parks.

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Entropy Generator @egen.bsky.social · 2d

After dispatching a seal near Owens Beach, they returned to Vashon then struck out north-east, up East Passage, staying fairly close in to Maury. They are likely close to Pt Robinson by now if they didn't stop for another hunt.

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Entropy Generator @egen.bsky.social · 3d

Have been to all 20.
Have driven road trips from home to those cities for all of them but Honolulu.

Entropy Generator @egen.bsky.social · 3d

No Malachite reports today? Have there been any sightings of him since shortly (30-45 minutes) before the orca pods arrived in Dalco Passage on Saturday?

Entropy Generator @egen.bsky.social · 4d

The existence of heating blankets is proof that we were never designed nor expected to get out of bed before noon on a rainy, cold weekend.

Entropy Generator @egen.bsky.social · 4d

Interesting but not surprising that a dozen+ orca pass through the area where a juv humpback has been hanging out for weeks with not a single interaction reported. No way did each not know the other was nearby. Once the orca reached Dalco they were down the Narrows and outta there. #psws

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Entropy Generator @egen.bsky.social · 5d

Just blowing the day scoping the water for orca instead of roasting tomorrow's coffee, doing dishes, cleaning the bird feeders, maintenance on the fall-start seedlings, laundry, business paperwork, sewing curtains ...

... whaddya mean weekends are a break from *work* ?

Entropy Generator @egen.bsky.social · 5d

Pod of 4 orca just now turning the corner around Dash Point and heading SW towards Browns Point. VERY close to the mainland shore, superb photo opportunities. Adult male + 3 others. Given how strung out the pods have been today I wouldn't be surprised to see another behind them.

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Entropy Generator @egen.bsky.social · 5d

Different from the group that passed by about half an hour ago with 2-3 adult males and a couple of others, very spread out, heading from East Passage towards Dalco

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Entropy Generator @egen.bsky.social · 5d

About 5 minutes ago had adult male + 2 females + possible 4th just north of Dash Point Pier/Beach, heading south. VERY close in to the mainland side.

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Entropy Generator @egen.bsky.social · 6d

I've seen layoff NDA-severances that will not only not pay any severance, they terminate all benefits including health insurance (which was paid in advance for the month via payroll deduction) that same day if the ex-employee doesn't sign. Thankfully I wasn't in a situation where that was a problem.

Entropy Generator @egen.bsky.social · 6d

Same here. It was so broad I would not have been allowed to provide objective professional test review of their products (which is in part what I get hired for) if it wasn't glowing praise. Nor honest review of proposals, submissions for conference presentations, and so on. #nope #upyourssideways

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Entropy Generator @egen.bsky.social · 6d

It was in the Artists' contracts (I pasted an excerpt above). Also in the Dealer's room contracts -

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Entropy Generator @egen.bsky.social · 6d

The AX Chibi contract also forbid helping run a similar event ("Japanese culture event or convention") for TWO YEARS after appearing at their con. Unless they gave permission.

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Entropy Generator @egen.bsky.social · 11d

Captured by the OrcaConservancy East Passage (Burien - just south of Seattle) at 18:21 Pacific Time - which would be far too late to be one of today's SpaceX launches?

The exhaust plume of a rocket is crossing the sky. The background is uniform greyish late afternoon overcast and the exhaust catches the setting sun and stands out. The timestamp on the screencap is 2025-10-19 18:21:21 (it is Pacific Time but not indicated as such)

Entropy Generator @egen.bsky.social · 12d

Humpback in Dalco Passage, between Tallequah (south tip of Vashon) and Pt Defiance. The San Juan Clipper is there.

#psws

Entropy Generator @egen.bsky.social · 13d

Bald eagle flyover yesterday afternoon with a stick longer than its wingspan. Fall home improvement? Bit early for nesting. The crows were thrilled their enemy was encumbered and unable to outfly them and were enthusiastically screaming and attacking en masse. random bird thoughts ..
#pnwbirds 🪶

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Entropy Generator @egen.bsky.social · 21d

A sharpie is going to look a lot like this bird, but the presence of the starlings in the photo gives a great size reference. They're MUCH smaller than the Cooper's instead of just smaller than the Sharpe :)

Entropy Generator @egen.bsky.social · 22d

From the early 80s computer staff room corkboard ...

And ppppbbbttth on you, I am still getting paid to maintain systems running ADA and PASCAL even today, 40+ years later.

alttextbot seems to not be working, sorry.

A yellowed-with-age single page titled "Real Programmers . . " followed by a list of bullet points all beginning with "DON'T" and the first one is "DON'T eat quiche"

Entropy Generator @egen.bsky.social · 22d

Why I hate using Google Drive/Docs/etc reason #2821: Popups for undocumented things that block access to needed icons, can not be moved, and can not be dismissed except by clicking an undocumented option

Entropy Generator @egen.bsky.social · Sep 26

Good looks from north of Dash Point Beach, they were straight out, N end of Shore Acres, 1 adult male + 3 females/non-sprouters. Middle of the northbound shipping channel (aka mainland side of center). Breathing then long dive, no surface splashing. #psws #orca #stealthorca

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Entropy Generator @egen.bsky.social · Sep 26

Just saw two dorsals - one adult male, the other descending below the waves before I could get a good impression - heading out from Commencement towards Maury/Vashon. Almost to the yellow bouy, and probably about in line with Browns Point.

Entropy Generator @egen.bsky.social · Sep 25

don't WANNA adult today

errands can go eff themselves

so can the chores

It's cold outside. No one wants to scrub plant pots and get wet in this cold. Appearances to the contrary, I'm not a cetacean with thick blubber insulation.

Entropy Generator @egen.bsky.social · Sep 25

The San Juan Clipper peeled off around 13:10 from following the T123s when they were approaching Gold Beach (Maury Island) and went down the Narrows. Judging from the track, they found something worth hanging around and watching for some time:

Track of the whale watching boat named San Juan Clipper. It shows blue (normal/high speed) coming in from the north on East Passage, slowing down (yellows-orange-red) to go into Commencement Bay, slow loop in the Bay as the T123 orca hunted, ate, then moved back into East Passage heading north.The track then suddenly reverses as the boat stops tracking the T123 orca and goes back west into Dalco Passage, around the tip of Pt Defiance and down the Tacoma Narrows, stopping a bit south of the bridge and slooowly pacing south then back north. The sustained slow tracks are a good indicator of the boat following a whale or some other interesting thing.

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