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docfancy.bsky.social
Doc Fancy
@docfancy.bsky.social
340 followers 170 following 2.9K posts
Writer, singer, marine biologist. Enjoys making smartarse remarks and quips, getting the laughs, explaining things with nerdy enthusiasm, and ranting, but tries to make the rants entertaining as penance. I am back in my house in the woods. (she/her)
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docfancy.bsky.social
Doc Fancy @docfancy.bsky.social · Jan 22
Seems timely to cross-post a thread of mine from the Bad Place, about karyotyping: essentially, examining people’s chromosomal arrangements.

This can be done for many reasons, but in this case, I’m focusing on bigoted arsehats thinking they should test for sex chromosomes.

Copy pasta, let’s go!

🧵
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docfancy.bsky.social
Doc Fancy @docfancy.bsky.social · 6h
But 100 samples carefully arranged and then contaminated/mixed up is… gut-wrenching 🫠
docfancy.bsky.social
Doc Fancy @docfancy.bsky.social · 6h
Aiiieeee.

I was trying to convey the taxonomic horror of a new species discovered but then finding the provenance label is lost, and realised that “missing label” is horror in SO MANY fields.

Type specimen possibly bombed out of existence?

That *might* be taxonomic horror.
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docfancy.bsky.social
Doc Fancy @docfancy.bsky.social · 6h
Ohhh I’ve heard enough of your stories — and spent enough time working in museum collections and old library spaces — to have that send chills down my spine 😅
docfancy.bsky.social
Doc Fancy @docfancy.bsky.social · 8h
In order:

- Taxonomist

- Geneticist

- Dive guide
docfancy.bsky.social
Doc Fancy @docfancy.bsky.social · 8h
In honour of spooky month, share a 4 word horror story that only someone in your profession would understand.

I have a couple, depending on which hat I wear.

“Type specimen: unknown, Europe.”

“Polymerase shouldn’t be *warm.*”

“Another feet first ascent?!”
queenoliviaiii.com
Queen Olivia III @queenoliviaiii.com · 11h
In honour of spooky month, share a 4 word horror story that only someone in your profession would understand.

“The tapes wouldn’t start”
zaichishka.bsky.social
Eleanor G @zaichishka.bsky.social · 11h
In honour of spooky month, share a 4 word horror story that only someone in your profession would understand.

“Translate 'yoroshiku onegai shimasu'”.
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docfancy.bsky.social
Doc Fancy @docfancy.bsky.social · 9h
Not sure if Australia Post is still refusing to ship to the US, but that was certainly the case when this all kicked off.
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Reposted by Doc Fancy
kirstimiller30.bsky.social
Kirsti Miller @kirstimiller30.bsky.social · 17h
It appears that politicians should display their sponsorships on their attire, akin to sponsored sports teams, thereby ensuring transparency regarding their affiliations.
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docfancy.bsky.social
Doc Fancy @docfancy.bsky.social · 1d
There is a *reason* that the only spectator sport my ADHD ass could ever get through was basketball.
nameshiv.bsky.social
Shiv Ramdas Mens Rice Activist @nameshiv.bsky.social · 1d
I never want to hear from baseball fans about how cricket matches go on too long ever again
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docfancy.bsky.social
Doc Fancy @docfancy.bsky.social · 2d
Me, a genetics PhD who literally designs primers for PCR: “…wait there’s another way to pronounce it?!”

(Also, me, an Australian: “Nonsense,” because I am pretty sure literally no one in my entire country is going to pronounce the first one, unless English is a language learned later in life.)
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Reposted by Doc Fancy
tkingfisher.com
Kingfisher & Wombat @tkingfisher.com · 2d
Big adventure in the yard today!

NATIVEPLANTGUY: *bent over to pull a weed* Yeah, I’ve been trying to catch these little weeds while they’re small—
ME: STOP
NPG: *freezes*
ME: Step back, slowly.
NPG: *steps back*
ME: Whew.
NPG: Rattlesnake, right? Where?
ME: *points*
NPG: …whoa.
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Reposted by Doc Fancy
thedailyshow.com
The Daily Show @thedailyshow.com · 2d
The following is REAL footage from Portland, 2025. Viewer discretion is advised.
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Reposted by Doc Fancy
ouinne.bsky.social
ouinne @ouinne.bsky.social · 3d
The only correct take on a fundamentally anti-human technology.
Screenshot of David Simon interview SHAPIRO: OK, so you've spent your career creating television without Al, and I could imagine today you thinking, boy, I wish I had had that tool to solve those thorny problems... SIMON: What? SHAPIRO: ...Or saying... SIMON: You imagine that? SHAPIRO: ...Boy, if that had existed, it would have screwed me over. SIMON: I don't think Al can remotely challenge what writers do at a fundamentally creative level. SHAPIRO: But if you're trying to transition from scene five to scene six, and you're stuck with that transition, you could imagine plugging that portion of the script into an Al and say, give me 10 ideas for how to transition this. SIMON: I'd rather put a gun in my mouth.
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docfancy.bsky.social
Doc Fancy @docfancy.bsky.social · 3d
10/10, no notes
kenwhite.bsky.social
Popehat Agitates And Irritates @kenwhite.bsky.social · 3d
OK. It's going to be coming out soon because of the relentless investigations of Pam Bondi and Kash Patel, so I might as well admit it before the news breaks:

I am the General Counsel of Antifa.
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docfancy.bsky.social
Doc Fancy @docfancy.bsky.social · 5d
oh my god you can tell how tired I am. "getting the back on gasket on"?!

GETTING THE GASKET BACK ON.

AIIEEE.
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docfancy.bsky.social
Doc Fancy @docfancy.bsky.social · 5d
Or, if not chill, at least test out my hand sander on the bits under the eaves. I am curious to see if it works...

(note that I am not commenting on wider events right now, I have nothing to offer other than reposts, but that's where I'm at.)

take care,
-Doc out
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docfancy.bsky.social
Doc Fancy @docfancy.bsky.social · 5d
Anyways, I have myotherapy hangover (we addressed my shoulders, chest and subscaps, all of which were very angry about the sanding yesterday), and I've done a bunch of annoying life admin, and run some errands, and the gigantic puppy is asleep making "milk dream" noises...

Gonna chill for a bit.
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docfancy.bsky.social
Doc Fancy @docfancy.bsky.social · 5d
Our tool cupboard offers so much scope for MacGyvering, and as an added bonus, it is in our kitchen pantry, which is very normal.

We even have two pantry shelves for tools. One is specifically for power tools!

"Name one thing in your pantry."

"Electric hammer drill."

"...what."
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docfancy.bsky.social
Doc Fancy @docfancy.bsky.social · 5d
At least, the ones attached to nail clippers are.

Getting the back on gasket on - in the correct position, appropriately sealed - was actually much, much harder, and I don't know the name of the tool I used. It was in our tool cupboard, in a specialised case that also had a small clamp.
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docfancy.bsky.social
Doc Fancy @docfancy.bsky.social · 5d
Now, the cost here is in terms of narrative. Powerful is the trope of escaping a prison cell or dungeon using a nail file. To any aspiring author (or, I guess, imprisoned protagonist) interested in this method, I offer this caution:

You may want to try a rasp instead.

Nail files are weak as shit.
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docfancy.bsky.social
Doc Fancy @docfancy.bsky.social · 5d
Disassembling the respirator and cleaning it is actually not that hard overall. There's one tricky bit involving the removal of a gasket, and I literally used the probes from my dissection kit to make that happen without tearing the damn thing.

Before that, I tried a nail file.
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docfancy.bsky.social
Doc Fancy @docfancy.bsky.social · 5d
Husband is about to apply the stinky fire retardant oil, and since I am fierce about him using the appropriate PPE, he has asked to borrow my full-face respirator so his glasses don't keep fogging up.

It was covered with sawdust, as I'd been using it for sanding.
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docfancy.bsky.social
Doc Fancy @docfancy.bsky.social · 5d
I'm not sure if it was *just* the standard P40 sanding discs that wrecked the blade, or if cutting the ceramic P120 disc was the bridge too far (I'm experimenting, dammit), but it will now cut nothing without serious physical force.

(mostly I use this thing to cut the crew necks out of t-shirts.)
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docfancy.bsky.social
Doc Fancy @docfancy.bsky.social · 5d
I need to hand-sand some tricky bits of wall that I can't access even with the multi-tool, so I am cutting sanding pads to fit the velcro hand-sander.

Me: "I wonder if my rotary cutter will work?"

In fact it does! It works very well!

In related news I am now ordering new rotary cutter blades.
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docfancy.bsky.social
Doc Fancy @docfancy.bsky.social · 5d
(This has incidentally confirmed my personal belief that I shouldn't go anywhere - except through airport security and the subsequent flight - without a Leatherman on my person.)

But it can have unexpected costs (husband praised the short-term fix in his absence, but worries for the paintwork).
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docfancy.bsky.social
Doc Fancy @docfancy.bsky.social · 5d
I am a fan of hacky ADHD problem-solving, ie "how can I fix this situation using only resources that exist within a 50m radius?"

For example: secure torn felting to the undercarriage with PVC tape (having cleaned surfaces with hand sanitizer so it will stick) at a service centre on a road trip.
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