Gary Oberbrunner
@gary.oberbrunner.com
Emmy-winning software dev, entrepreneur, scientist, sailor, jazz lover, vfx/film software guy, feminist, traveler. #longnowboston, #openfx, #emacs. More at https://oberbrunner.com
Pinned
PackZen - Travel Packing Made Easy
PackZen - A mobile-first packing list app for mindful travel
packzen.org
As a long-time traveler, I used to always forget one or two things. I started using packing-list apps years ago, never found one that worked the way I like. Simple, flexible, with sub-containers, on all your devices, open source. So I finally made my own. Try it out! packzen.org You might like it.
Reposted by Gary Oberbrunner
I finally figured out how to get daily Arctic sea-ice volume data from PIOMAS (thanks Torstein!).
The graphic below shows daily sea-ice volume since Jan. 1, 1979. So far, 2026 is tracking the previous record low, set in 2017.
Will we see a new record low maximum? Stay tuned!
The graphic below shows daily sea-ice volume since Jan. 1, 1979. So far, 2026 is tracking the previous record low, set in 2017.
Will we see a new record low maximum? Stay tuned!
February 11, 2026 at 8:02 PM
I finally figured out how to get daily Arctic sea-ice volume data from PIOMAS (thanks Torstein!).
The graphic below shows daily sea-ice volume since Jan. 1, 1979. So far, 2026 is tracking the previous record low, set in 2017.
Will we see a new record low maximum? Stay tuned!
The graphic below shows daily sea-ice volume since Jan. 1, 1979. So far, 2026 is tracking the previous record low, set in 2017.
Will we see a new record low maximum? Stay tuned!
As a long-time traveler, I used to always forget one or two things. I started using packing-list apps years ago, never found one that worked the way I like. Simple, flexible, with sub-containers, on all your devices, open source. So I finally made my own. Try it out! packzen.org You might like it.
PackZen - Travel Packing Made Easy
PackZen - A mobile-first packing list app for mindful travel
packzen.org
February 11, 2026 at 2:03 PM
As a long-time traveler, I used to always forget one or two things. I started using packing-list apps years ago, never found one that worked the way I like. Simple, flexible, with sub-containers, on all your devices, open source. So I finally made my own. Try it out! packzen.org You might like it.
Reposted by Gary Oberbrunner
This year's Climate Fiction Prize longlist looks great. Read all of last year's list, haven't read any of these yet. Time to get stuck in.
Explore the longlist - The Climate Fiction Prize
Explore the inaugural longlist for the Climate Fiction Prize
climatefictionprize.co.uk
February 5, 2026 at 12:59 PM
This year's Climate Fiction Prize longlist looks great. Read all of last year's list, haven't read any of these yet. Time to get stuck in.
Reposted by Gary Oberbrunner
How does pace layering apply to investing?
New today on 𝘐𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘴 Dave Bujnowski of Baillie Gifford uses case studies from Facebook, FarmVille, Apple and IBM to explain why “it’s good to be infrastructure”.
longnow.org/p/70c7978a-6...
New today on 𝘐𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘴 Dave Bujnowski of Baillie Gifford uses case studies from Facebook, FarmVille, Apple and IBM to explain why “it’s good to be infrastructure”.
longnow.org/p/70c7978a-6...
It’s Good to Be Infrastructure
Using Stewart Brand’s Pace Layers framework to think about platforms, power, and long-term investing
longnow.org
February 4, 2026 at 10:34 PM
How does pace layering apply to investing?
New today on 𝘐𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘴 Dave Bujnowski of Baillie Gifford uses case studies from Facebook, FarmVille, Apple and IBM to explain why “it’s good to be infrastructure”.
longnow.org/p/70c7978a-6...
New today on 𝘐𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘴 Dave Bujnowski of Baillie Gifford uses case studies from Facebook, FarmVille, Apple and IBM to explain why “it’s good to be infrastructure”.
longnow.org/p/70c7978a-6...
Sunset in the BVI. #photography #HDR
February 3, 2026 at 9:50 PM
Sunset in the BVI. #photography #HDR
Reposted by Gary Oberbrunner
#Arctic air temperature rank by month over the satellite era - now updated through all of 2025 🔥
+ Ranks: 1=warmest (red), 47=coldest (blue)
+ Download higher resolution: zacklabe.com/arctic-tempe...
+ Ranks: 1=warmest (red), 47=coldest (blue)
+ Download higher resolution: zacklabe.com/arctic-tempe...
January 3, 2026 at 3:20 PM
#Arctic air temperature rank by month over the satellite era - now updated through all of 2025 🔥
+ Ranks: 1=warmest (red), 47=coldest (blue)
+ Download higher resolution: zacklabe.com/arctic-tempe...
+ Ranks: 1=warmest (red), 47=coldest (blue)
+ Download higher resolution: zacklabe.com/arctic-tempe...
My prediction for 2026: just as we don't check the assembly generated by the compiler anymore, soon we won't bother checking the code Claude Opus writes. It'll just work.
January 3, 2026 at 12:46 PM
My prediction for 2026: just as we don't check the assembly generated by the compiler anymore, soon we won't bother checking the code Claude Opus writes. It'll just work.
JetBlue says Caribbean airspace is closed, my flight to STT is cancelled. No more flights today. Presumably due to US attack on Venezuela.
January 3, 2026 at 11:16 AM
JetBlue says Caribbean airspace is closed, my flight to STT is cancelled. No more flights today. Presumably due to US attack on Venezuela.
Reposted by Gary Oberbrunner
Some reflections after returning back from a conference at which I and 20,000 colleagues learned that the Trump administration intends to dismantle #NCAR. This outrage should not happen. deepconvection.substack.com/p/save-ncar
Save NCAR
Field notes from New Orleans, where I and 20,000 colleagues learned that Trump intends to destroy the National Center for Atmospheric Research.
deepconvection.substack.com
December 21, 2025 at 7:25 PM
Some reflections after returning back from a conference at which I and 20,000 colleagues learned that the Trump administration intends to dismantle #NCAR. This outrage should not happen. deepconvection.substack.com/p/save-ncar
Reposted by Gary Oberbrunner
Let’s see what we can learn from temperature change in the next two years – mailchi.mp/caa/global-t...
Also available on Substack: jimehansen.substack.com/.../global-t....
Also available on Substack: jimehansen.substack.com/.../global-t....
December 18, 2025 at 2:26 PM
Let’s see what we can learn from temperature change in the next two years – mailchi.mp/caa/global-t...
Also available on Substack: jimehansen.substack.com/.../global-t....
Also available on Substack: jimehansen.substack.com/.../global-t....
Reposted by Gary Oberbrunner
Yet another 'Science Talk' must watch.
"Well, I sure hope we can stay beneath 3°C because 3°C is a very different world. Really, really dangerous, scary world."
www.youtube.com/watch?v=3kcO...
"Well, I sure hope we can stay beneath 3°C because 3°C is a very different world. Really, really dangerous, scary world."
www.youtube.com/watch?v=3kcO...
Greenland Ice Sheet I Life on A Little-Known Planet I The Biggest Threat to Biodiversity and Planet
YouTube video by Science Talk
www.youtube.com
December 20, 2025 at 9:43 PM
Yet another 'Science Talk' must watch.
"Well, I sure hope we can stay beneath 3°C because 3°C is a very different world. Really, really dangerous, scary world."
www.youtube.com/watch?v=3kcO...
"Well, I sure hope we can stay beneath 3°C because 3°C is a very different world. Really, really dangerous, scary world."
www.youtube.com/watch?v=3kcO...
Good article by @billmckibben.bsky.social in the @newyorker.com (sorry, paywalled): "A Low Point of Human Inaction on Climate Change" — www.newyorker.com/culture/2025...
A Low Point of Human Inaction on Climate Change
The second Trump Administration’s assault on the environment has been as damaging as expected, but other developments this year give at least some hope for the future.
www.newyorker.com
December 10, 2025 at 2:46 PM
Good article by @billmckibben.bsky.social in the @newyorker.com (sorry, paywalled): "A Low Point of Human Inaction on Climate Change" — www.newyorker.com/culture/2025...
Reposted by Gary Oberbrunner
Enjoying that #brattlefilm in #cambridgema will be running #terrygilliam's classic film #brazil for all shows starting the evening of 12/25-12/30. Lovely new 4k restoration, too! #bostonfilm #boston
December 1, 2025 at 1:42 PM
Enjoying that #brattlefilm in #cambridgema will be running #terrygilliam's classic film #brazil for all shows starting the evening of 12/25-12/30. Lovely new 4k restoration, too! #bostonfilm #boston
Great visualization of 15-minute cities via isochrone heat map: availability of services within a short walk from any location. Boston is near the top of American cities. Check it out at www.cityaccessmap.com
November 29, 2025 at 1:06 PM
Great visualization of 15-minute cities via isochrone heat map: availability of services within a short walk from any location. Boston is near the top of American cities. Check it out at www.cityaccessmap.com
Reposted by Gary Oberbrunner
Massachusetts Coastal Zone Management Unveils 50-Year Plan to Protect Coastlines from Rising Seas and Extreme Weather
insideclimatenews.org/news/2711202...
insideclimatenews.org/news/2711202...
Massachusetts Coastal Zone Management Unveils 50-Year Plan to Protect Coastlines from Rising Seas and Extreme Weather - Inside Climate News
The state’s new ResilientCoasts Initiative lays out adaptation plans to protect people, infrastructure and ecosystems—a costly effort that officials say will save more than it spends.
insideclimatenews.org
November 28, 2025 at 5:00 PM
Massachusetts Coastal Zone Management Unveils 50-Year Plan to Protect Coastlines from Rising Seas and Extreme Weather
insideclimatenews.org/news/2711202...
insideclimatenews.org/news/2711202...
Reposted by Gary Oberbrunner
ahah IT WORKS look it's a C² dual quaternion B-spline!!
this is interpolating *poses* in dual quaternion form, coupling position and rotation, instead of treating them independently (this is a really neat thing!!)
this is interpolating *poses* in dual quaternion form, coupling position and rotation, instead of treating them independently (this is a really neat thing!!)
November 26, 2025 at 3:10 AM
ahah IT WORKS look it's a C² dual quaternion B-spline!!
this is interpolating *poses* in dual quaternion form, coupling position and rotation, instead of treating them independently (this is a really neat thing!!)
this is interpolating *poses* in dual quaternion form, coupling position and rotation, instead of treating them independently (this is a really neat thing!!)
Now we see how much of the web depends on Cloudflare. Services we count on for work, life, and safety.
November 18, 2025 at 1:45 PM
Now we see how much of the web depends on Cloudflare. Services we count on for work, life, and safety.
electrek.co/2025/11/13/s... — fossil fuel generation will be flat for 2025; solar & wind outpacing new demand.
Solar and wind are covering all new power demand in 2025
Solar and wind growth met all new power demand in 2025, pushing fossil generation to stall for the first time since the pandemic.
electrek.co
November 16, 2025 at 1:33 PM
electrek.co/2025/11/13/s... — fossil fuel generation will be flat for 2025; solar & wind outpacing new demand.
github is down. Pushes fail with "Internal Server Error".
November 13, 2025 at 3:01 PM
github is down. Pushes fail with "Internal Server Error".
New paper: www.nature.com/articles/s43... shows strong AMOC weakening signal, happening since the 1970s at least. Does not predict collapse, but continued weakening.
Equatorial Atlantic mid-depth warming indicates Atlantic meridional overturning circulation slowdown - Communications Earth & Environment
Mid-depth warming in the equatorial Atlantic Ocean serves as a fingerprint of a slowdown of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation on decadal scales, according to ocean model experiments, and...
www.nature.com
November 13, 2025 at 11:58 AM
New paper: www.nature.com/articles/s43... shows strong AMOC weakening signal, happening since the 1970s at least. Does not predict collapse, but continued weakening.
Reposted by Gary Oberbrunner
Boston Seaport: built despite #climate warnings, now one of the world's most imperiled neighborhoods. Join us for _Inundation District_ screening w/ director @davabel.bsky.social . Sun Nov 23, 1:30pm at Cambridge Foundry. Free tix: lnb-inundation-district.eventbrite.com. Be part of the conversation!
Inundation District: Film Screening with Director Q&A
Join Long Now Boston for a special screening of the acclaimed documentary Inundation District, followed by a Q&A with the director.
lnb-inundation-district.eventbrite.com
November 12, 2025 at 5:43 PM
Boston Seaport: built despite #climate warnings, now one of the world's most imperiled neighborhoods. Join us for _Inundation District_ screening w/ director @davabel.bsky.social . Sun Nov 23, 1:30pm at Cambridge Foundry. Free tix: lnb-inundation-district.eventbrite.com. Be part of the conversation!
Reposted by Gary Oberbrunner
I've finally got around to curating a selection of films about the #climate crisis 🎥
There's lot of mediocre climate films out there, but for me these stand out head & shoulders above the rest 🎞️
They make excellent resources for classrooms, lecture halls, or community cinema's 🎬
Thread:🧵Plz RT
There's lot of mediocre climate films out there, but for me these stand out head & shoulders above the rest 🎞️
They make excellent resources for classrooms, lecture halls, or community cinema's 🎬
Thread:🧵Plz RT
November 1, 2025 at 10:17 AM
I've finally got around to curating a selection of films about the #climate crisis 🎥
There's lot of mediocre climate films out there, but for me these stand out head & shoulders above the rest 🎞️
They make excellent resources for classrooms, lecture halls, or community cinema's 🎬
Thread:🧵Plz RT
There's lot of mediocre climate films out there, but for me these stand out head & shoulders above the rest 🎞️
They make excellent resources for classrooms, lecture halls, or community cinema's 🎬
Thread:🧵Plz RT
Reposted by Gary Oberbrunner
How to make complex data easy to grasp?
Visualization helps bring meaning into view 📈
#DataViz Weekly shows how it works.
Latest examples 👇
- AI industry links @tijd.be
- U.S. funding halt @nytimes.com
- TikTok watch-time @washingtonpost.com
- Global sea temps @gary.oberbrunner.com
Visualization helps bring meaning into view 📈
#DataViz Weekly shows how it works.
Latest examples 👇
- AI industry links @tijd.be
- U.S. funding halt @nytimes.com
- TikTok watch-time @washingtonpost.com
- Global sea temps @gary.oberbrunner.com
How Visualization Reveals Meaning in Data — DataViz Weekly
Discover how visualization reveals meaning in data, with new examples from De Tijd, NYT, The Post, and Gary Oberbrunner.
www.anychart.com
October 29, 2025 at 11:46 AM
How to make complex data easy to grasp?
Visualization helps bring meaning into view 📈
#DataViz Weekly shows how it works.
Latest examples 👇
- AI industry links @tijd.be
- U.S. funding halt @nytimes.com
- TikTok watch-time @washingtonpost.com
- Global sea temps @gary.oberbrunner.com
Visualization helps bring meaning into view 📈
#DataViz Weekly shows how it works.
Latest examples 👇
- AI industry links @tijd.be
- U.S. funding halt @nytimes.com
- TikTok watch-time @washingtonpost.com
- Global sea temps @gary.oberbrunner.com
Reposted by Gary Oberbrunner
It's almost as if a major portion of the city was built ignoring this: "In all, 99 percent of what’s been built in the Seaport in the last quarter-century is at risk of flooding by 2050, according to a recent analysis from the Metropolitan Area Planning Council." apps.bostonglobe.com/2025/10/metr...
A rising flood zone risk is affecting the Seaport, 10 percent of Boston's tax base
Buildings in the Seaport fund one-tenth of Boston’s property-tax base. Flood waters and sea level rise will soon put that at risk.
apps.bostonglobe.com
October 28, 2025 at 11:52 AM
It's almost as if a major portion of the city was built ignoring this: "In all, 99 percent of what’s been built in the Seaport in the last quarter-century is at risk of flooding by 2050, according to a recent analysis from the Metropolitan Area Planning Council." apps.bostonglobe.com/2025/10/metr...
Reposted by Gary Oberbrunner
Since 2013, five tropical cyclones would have been category 6 - if the traditional hurricane scale didn’t stop at 5.
Unlike, say, the Richter earthquake scale and the Celsius scale.
Hurricanes are getting so intense, scientists propose a Category 6
#Melissa
www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2024...
Unlike, say, the Richter earthquake scale and the Celsius scale.
Hurricanes are getting so intense, scientists propose a Category 6
#Melissa
www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2024...
Hurricanes are getting so intense, scientists propose a Category 6
The hypothetical new label could go to any tropical cyclone with sustained winds of at least 192 mph — an intensity that five storms have surpassed since 2013, the scientists said.
www.washingtonpost.com
October 28, 2025 at 4:30 AM
Since 2013, five tropical cyclones would have been category 6 - if the traditional hurricane scale didn’t stop at 5.
Unlike, say, the Richter earthquake scale and the Celsius scale.
Hurricanes are getting so intense, scientists propose a Category 6
#Melissa
www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2024...
Unlike, say, the Richter earthquake scale and the Celsius scale.
Hurricanes are getting so intense, scientists propose a Category 6
#Melissa
www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2024...