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Riding With Robots

@ridingrobots.bsky.social

1.3K followers 490 following 550 posts

Robotic solar system exploration, night sky photography, exasperating earnestness. Opinions my own.

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Riding With Robots @ridingrobots.bsky.social · 8d

The government is shut down, but they can't stop me from posting stuff here.

At Mars this weekend, it's all eyes on the skies. NASA's robotic explorers – in orbit and on the ground – will attempt observations when Comet 3I/ATLAS cruises past the Red Planet on Oct 3

www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZtQH...

NASA Spacecraft Observe Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS as It Approaches Mars

YouTube video by NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory

www.youtube.com

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Faine Greenwood @faineg.bsky.social · 7h

there’s this weird idea a lot of people seem to have about how all of us writers and artists must secretly want to use AI and are merely resisting temptation for ethical reasons, and like, no, it’s not hard for me to resist drinking the bowl of Piss With Glass In It actually

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Riding With Robots @ridingrobots.bsky.social · 7h

Similar terrain in a different crater (Dunkassa) at the same latitude. www.uahirise.org/ESP_089559_1...

Frost on the deeply gullied, shadowed walls of a crater, seen from above.

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Riding With Robots @ridingrobots.bsky.social · 11h

Will be searching for Earth-like exoplanets

ESA Space Science @science.esa.int · 21h

Plato is in its final shape! 🙌

Engineers have completed the construction of the spacecraft by mounting its sunshield and solar panels.

#ESAPlato is on track to launch in December 2026, as originally planned, on an Ariane 6.

More details at 👉 www.esa.int/Science_Expl...

#exoplanets 🔭

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Davis Bickford @davis.social · 14h

This video never names it, but it nails the “woozle effect”: when something seems true bc sources cite each other instead of an original. The term’s from Winnie the Pooh, where Pooh and Piglet follow their own tracks in circles looking for "woozles." Perfect metaphor for AI ouroboros poisoning info.

AI Slop Is Destroying The Internet

YouTube video by Kurzgesagt – In a Nutshell

www.youtube.com

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Melina Thévenot🏳️‍⚧️ @melina-iras07572.bsky.social · 15h

Planet #Uranus 🪐 and inner moons with #JWST NIRCam 🔭 #planetsci Observation from this Monday (lol moon🌕day).

Filters: F150W2; F162M
Date: 2025-10-06 between 02:15:43 UT and 04:46:47 UT

Program: www.stsci.edu/jwst-program...

Uranus with rings and small elongated dots (tracks) around it.

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Riding With Robots @ridingrobots.bsky.social · 1d

Writing about space today in the cabin where Ed Abbey wrote some of his books.

“This is the most beautiful place on Earth. There are many such places.”

A small wooden cabin under a large tree. Mountains glowing red with sunset in the background.

A road sign reads: Desert Solitaire Road. Mountains glowing red with sunset in the background.

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BWJones @bwjones.bsky.social · 1d

Some percentage of America is OK with the President of the United States constantly issuing forth a withering stream of lies, contempt, and vituperative grievances and attacks on Americans who are their brothers, sisters, friends, parents, and co-workers.

Those people are telling you who THEY are.

Michael J. Stern @michaeljstern.bsky.social · 1d

Remember this?

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Maxim Peter Griffin @maximpetergriff.bsky.social · 1d

8/10/25 - nocturn

small hours
big time

clear night for Draconids meteor shower
look up at Ursa Minor then left to Hercules

turn all the lights off
do not sleep

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ESA Space Science @science.esa.int · 1d

This new catalogue of dust devils gives us a much clearer picture of the Red Planet’s weather and climate.

But besides pure science, it will also be useful for planning future missions, like dealing with the irksome dust that settles on the solar panels of our robotic rovers.

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celli @aliascelli.bsky.social · 1d

I love words.

Merriam-Webster @merriam-webster.com · 1d

grawlix | noun | a series of typographical symbols (such as $#!) used in text as a replacement for profanity

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Steve Brown - astronomy and astrophotography @sjbastro.bsky.social · 1d

Renewable energy overtook coal as the world's leading source of electricity in the first half of this year - a historic first, according to new data from the global energy think tank Ember. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Renewables overtake coal as world's biggest source of electricity

Developing countries lead the historic clean energy charge but the US and EU rely more on fossil fuels than before, a think tank study shows.

www.bbc.co.uk

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Hourly Cosmos @hourlycosmos.bsky.social · 2d

Petroglyphs at Parowan Gap - From Bill (ridingrobots.bsky.social) - https://flic.kr/p/2nDk5hi

I'm most definitely not the first person to watch the sky here.

Near Parowan, Utah

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NightMar on Hicks Street, Part 4: The Rabbit’s Revenge @histoftech.bsky.social · 2d

Never forget that Dolly Parton gave a million bucks for covid research at the *very start* of the pandemic—including money that helped fund the development of the Moderna vaccine.

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Janet Hill @saskajanet.bsky.social · 2d

Look at her go!
#invertebrates 🌿

Screen shot of Project Monarch app map of progress of a monarch butterfly from southern Ontario to Oklahoma.

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Riding With Robots @ridingrobots.bsky.social · 2d

Moonrise over Salt Lake City

The full moon rises in hazy skies over tall mountains. In the foreground, city lights carpet the valley floor. Photo: Bill Dunford

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Jameel Jaffer @jameeljaffer.bsky.social · 3d

It's a pretty big deal that the NYC Bar Association--one of the most prominent and respected bar associations in the country--is accusing the President of ordering the "unlawful summary execution," i.e. murder--of civilians in violation of US and international law. www.nycbar.org/press-releas...

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Timnit Gebru @timnitgebru.bsky.social · 2d

A someone who has written extensively about the eugenic roots that permeates those who claim to be building so-called artificial general intelligence, I'm here to tell you to please NOT compare criticism against corporations claiming to build a machine god, with eugenics. The audacity.

if you're writing a sentence that sounds like eugenics but you go "oh that's fine to say because it's not a real person" (whatever that means) you may want to consider what made you okay with saying that.

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Andy @andyoregon.bsky.social · 3d

Jess Waters recycling the same guy over and over to represent “former” different enemies

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Jamison Foser @jamisonfoser.bsky.social · 2d

aside from the whole "that definitely isn't constitutional" part can anyone see any problems with Trump just transferring government revenue to whatever bank account he wants or nah?

George Pearkes @peark.es · 2d

Well that's not how appropriations work at all

*WHITE HOUSE TO TRANSFER TARIFF REVENUE TO FUND WIC: LEAVITT

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Indivisible ❌👑 @indivisible.org · 2d

“Never before have we issued a joint public warning like this. But the profound, immediate and unprecedented threat that Kennedy’s policies and positions pose to the nation’s health cannot be ignored.”

Opinion | Six surgeons general: It’s our duty to warn the nation about RFK Jr.

We took an oath to declare dangers when we found them. We’re doing that again today.

wapo.st

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Riding With Robots @ridingrobots.bsky.social · 2d

I was able to catch the launch while I was at the Cape for Europa Clipper. This is such a cool mission, following up on NASA's DART asteroid impact. Go Hera! www.esa.int/Space_Safety...

A rocket ascends from a launch pad on a pillar of flame. A waterway in the foreground. Photo: Bill Dunford

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Shannon Stirone @shannonstirone.bsky.social · 2d

Here’s the thing I wish everyone could hold in their minds about writers—we love em dashes. We use em dashes. We are humans and not AI. We will not be deleting our em dashes just because AI uses them too. We were here first. You can pry my em dashes from my cold dead hands. F*ck AI.

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ESA Space Science @science.esa.int · 2d

First images of comet #3I/ATLAS from Europe's Mars orbiters 😍

Observing the comet from 30 million km away, #ExoMars reveals the halo of gas and dust surrounding the comet's nucleus.

Read more 👉 www.esa.int/Science_Expl...
🔭🧪

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Riding With Robots @ridingrobots.bsky.social · 3d

Sound on

Riding With Robots @ridingrobots.bsky.social · 3d

A mountain stream flowing by yellow bushes under a bright blue sky.

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