Daniel Nidzgorski
@datasaurus.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy
I'm a queer ecologist (he/him) living in Seattle, with my husband Casey (@gairdeachas). Other passions include hiking, biking, D&D, partner acrobatics […]
[bridged from https://mastodon.social/@datasaurus on the fediverse by https://fed.brid.gy/ ]
[bridged from https://mastodon.social/@datasaurus on the fediverse by https://fed.brid.gy/ ]
Science Officer's log, Incident + 2d:
One minute we were on a routine astrodynamic survey, and the next, space-time basically folded inside-out and ripped itself apart. Along with the ship. I must've crashed, and woke up here. Wherever the hell "here" is.
No planets or moons in our survey […]
One minute we were on a routine astrodynamic survey, and the next, space-time basically folded inside-out and ripped itself apart. Along with the ship. I must've crashed, and woke up here. Wherever the hell "here" is.
No planets or moons in our survey […]
Original post on mastodon.social
mastodon.social
December 25, 2025 at 7:37 AM
Science Officer's log, Incident + 2d:
One minute we were on a routine astrodynamic survey, and the next, space-time basically folded inside-out and ripped itself apart. Along with the ship. I must've crashed, and woke up here. Wherever the hell "here" is.
No planets or moons in our survey […]
One minute we were on a routine astrodynamic survey, and the next, space-time basically folded inside-out and ripped itself apart. Along with the ship. I must've crashed, and woke up here. Wherever the hell "here" is.
No planets or moons in our survey […]
"They keep saying how Mt. Everest doesn't care about your goals or plans. But it's a big rock. It doesn't care about anything!"
Until, one crystal clear night, it did.
For years after, those of us who were there strove to convey a shadow of it through words, music, paint, dance. To feel again […]
Until, one crystal clear night, it did.
For years after, those of us who were there strove to convey a shadow of it through words, music, paint, dance. To feel again […]
Original post on mastodon.social
mastodon.social
December 11, 2025 at 5:00 AM
"They keep saying how Mt. Everest doesn't care about your goals or plans. But it's a big rock. It doesn't care about anything!"
Until, one crystal clear night, it did.
For years after, those of us who were there strove to convey a shadow of it through words, music, paint, dance. To feel again […]
Until, one crystal clear night, it did.
For years after, those of us who were there strove to convey a shadow of it through words, music, paint, dance. To feel again […]
Our finance team thanked me for preemptively sending over the documentation (aaaaaaaall the documentation) they needed for a speedy review of a complicated invoice. It feels like I'm winning at this whole working for government bureaucracy thing!
(And hearing myself say that feels like I've […]
(And hearing myself say that feels like I've […]
Original post on mastodon.social
mastodon.social
December 5, 2025 at 11:15 PM
Our finance team thanked me for preemptively sending over the documentation (aaaaaaaall the documentation) they needed for a speedy review of a complicated invoice. It feels like I'm winning at this whole working for government bureaucracy thing!
(And hearing myself say that feels like I've […]
(And hearing myself say that feels like I've […]
Fortunately, Wikipedia reassures me that it does not count as self-inflicted #whamageddon when I start absent-mindedly singing odd things to myself while getting schmoopy doing house chores....
November 25, 2025 at 4:48 AM
Fortunately, Wikipedia reassures me that it does not count as self-inflicted #whamageddon when I start absent-mindedly singing odd things to myself while getting schmoopy doing house chores....
We're starting off by soldering a bilingual cow.
November 22, 2025 at 8:18 PM
We're starting off by soldering a bilingual cow.
RE: https://mastodon.social/@datasaurus/115574459249493358
Hey Fediverse, I just published a paper! It's been almost a decade since I was the lead author on a peer-reviewed paper -- I've been working on government reports and internal stuff-and-things behind the scenes. It feels really good to […]
Hey Fediverse, I just published a paper! It's been almost a decade since I was the lead author on a peer-reviewed paper -- I've been working on government reports and internal stuff-and-things behind the scenes. It feels really good to […]
November 19, 2025 at 4:32 AM
RE: https://mastodon.social/@datasaurus/115574459249493358
Hey Fediverse, I just published a paper! It's been almost a decade since I was the lead author on a peer-reviewed paper -- I've been working on government reports and internal stuff-and-things behind the scenes. It feels really good to […]
Hey Fediverse, I just published a paper! It's been almost a decade since I was the lead author on a peer-reviewed paper -- I've been working on government reports and internal stuff-and-things behind the scenes. It feels really good to […]
The Seattle area has been dealing with rapid population growth and development for decades. That tends to increase pollution in local lakes and streams. But good news -- the environmental protections we've put in place since the 1990s seem to be working! Our crown jewel, Lake Washington, had […]
Original post on mastodon.social
mastodon.social
November 19, 2025 at 4:25 AM
The Seattle area has been dealing with rapid population growth and development for decades. That tends to increase pollution in local lakes and streams. But good news -- the environmental protections we've put in place since the 1990s seem to be working! Our crown jewel, Lake Washington, had […]
It warms my heart that when fantasy authors create worlds strongly resembling medieval Europe, everyone can read and write, across all genders and all walks of life. Even though very few people in medieval Europe could. Near-universal literacy is a pretty recent notion (in our society), yet it's […]
Original post on mastodon.social
mastodon.social
October 20, 2025 at 3:33 AM
It warms my heart that when fantasy authors create worlds strongly resembling medieval Europe, everyone can read and write, across all genders and all walks of life. Even though very few people in medieval Europe could. Near-universal literacy is a pretty recent notion (in our society), yet it's […]
One of our King County councilmembers (for our most conservative district) is trying to vilify county employees doing remote work. (yes, he's up for re-election...) I don't appreciate being besmirched so unfairly and un-factually. While ranting against taxes, he notes we're still getting paid […]
Original post on mastodon.social
mastodon.social
September 22, 2025 at 10:39 PM
One of our King County councilmembers (for our most conservative district) is trying to vilify county employees doing remote work. (yes, he's up for re-election...) I don't appreciate being besmirched so unfairly and un-factually. While ranting against taxes, he notes we're still getting paid […]
Reposted by Daniel Nidzgorski
My kid just showed me a little songbird in their bird field guide called a Beardless Tyrannulet and not only is that a BADASS name, it straight up just sounds like a Shakespearean insult. Perfection.
July 26, 2025 at 8:30 PM
My kid just showed me a little songbird in their bird field guide called a Beardless Tyrannulet and not only is that a BADASS name, it straight up just sounds like a Shakespearean insult. Perfection.
Spotted this visitor at the grain terminal along the Seattle waterfront, taking on a big load before heading to Taiwan:
August 31, 2025 at 9:34 PM
Spotted this visitor at the grain terminal along the Seattle waterfront, taking on a big load before heading to Taiwan:
Oh hey look, every scientific paper I ever coauthored was probably used to train LLMs -- and probably not legally. Sign me up for the class action settlement against Anthropic!
Fellow #scientists, #researchers, and any #author who's ever #published anything -- the LLMs have been scraping not […]
Fellow #scientists, #researchers, and any #author who's ever #published anything -- the LLMs have been scraping not […]
Original post on mastodon.social
mastodon.social
August 29, 2025 at 4:49 AM
Oh hey look, every scientific paper I ever coauthored was probably used to train LLMs -- and probably not legally. Sign me up for the class action settlement against Anthropic!
Fellow #scientists, #researchers, and any #author who's ever #published anything -- the LLMs have been scraping not […]
Fellow #scientists, #researchers, and any #author who's ever #published anything -- the LLMs have been scraping not […]
Out doing fieldwork on Beaver Lake and made a new friend!
August 29, 2025 at 3:38 AM
Out doing fieldwork on Beaver Lake and made a new friend!
On today’s episode of the “This Week in #Kirkland” #podcast, I take a deep dive into the science and the communications of #beach closures in the #seattle metro area. Want to learn how we test the water or what we test for? Curious about how we know that the problem is goose poop, not sewage? […]
Original post on mastodon.social
mastodon.social
August 15, 2025 at 12:40 AM
When I first learned #cpr a few decades ago, there were a lot of caveats. But since then, studies have shown that the details aren't super important.
Nowadays, the golden rule for CPR is: Just Do It.
Not sure if they have a pulse? Start CPR anyways; you won't hurt anything.
Don't want to put […]
Nowadays, the golden rule for CPR is: Just Do It.
Not sure if they have a pulse? Start CPR anyways; you won't hurt anything.
Don't want to put […]
Original post on mastodon.social
mastodon.social
August 3, 2025 at 6:06 AM
When I first learned #cpr a few decades ago, there were a lot of caveats. But since then, studies have shown that the details aren't super important.
Nowadays, the golden rule for CPR is: Just Do It.
Not sure if they have a pulse? Start CPR anyways; you won't hurt anything.
Don't want to put […]
Nowadays, the golden rule for CPR is: Just Do It.
Not sure if they have a pulse? Start CPR anyways; you won't hurt anything.
Don't want to put […]
Oh dear. The Simple Sabotage Field Manual describes two tactics that I immediately recognized as common attributes of internal government bureaucracy:
"Apply all regulations to the last letter." and "See that three people have to approve everything where one would do."
Yeah, that's sabotaging […]
"Apply all regulations to the last letter." and "See that three people have to approve everything where one would do."
Yeah, that's sabotaging […]
Original post on mastodon.social
mastodon.social
July 29, 2025 at 11:07 PM
Oh dear. The Simple Sabotage Field Manual describes two tactics that I immediately recognized as common attributes of internal government bureaucracy:
"Apply all regulations to the last letter." and "See that three people have to approve everything where one would do."
Yeah, that's sabotaging […]
"Apply all regulations to the last letter." and "See that three people have to approve everything where one would do."
Yeah, that's sabotaging […]
In the symphony of spring, bumblebees are the percussion section. Outside, it's the gentle buzz as they lift from one flower to the next. But inside, it's the PING! and THUMP! as they bonk into the windows, over and over and over. Sometimes mixed up with a THWANG! when they bonk into the window […]
Original post on mastodon.social
mastodon.social
May 20, 2025 at 12:09 AM
In the symphony of spring, bumblebees are the percussion section. Outside, it's the gentle buzz as they lift from one flower to the next. But inside, it's the PING! and THUMP! as they bonk into the windows, over and over and over. Sometimes mixed up with a THWANG! when they bonk into the window […]
Some time last week, the stereo-pair speakers stopped talking directly to each other. They've been using the thermostat as a repeater -- a fun, unexpected use for a mesh network with fully interoperable protocols.
Today I tried to fix things, but wow that problem runs deep! I had no idea that a […]
Today I tried to fix things, but wow that problem runs deep! I had no idea that a […]
Original post on mastodon.social
mastodon.social
May 1, 2025 at 7:04 AM
Some time last week, the stereo-pair speakers stopped talking directly to each other. They've been using the thermostat as a repeater -- a fun, unexpected use for a mesh network with fully interoperable protocols.
Today I tried to fix things, but wow that problem runs deep! I had no idea that a […]
Today I tried to fix things, but wow that problem runs deep! I had no idea that a […]
April 25, 2025 at 3:45 AM
Dear #sciencefiction authors: Environmental collapse is a poor reason to flee into space. It's one thing if you're heading for another habitable planet, or as an incentive to explore. But I'm tired of it as the reason to live always in a generation ship or a space station or a moon/Mars/asteroid […]
Original post on mastodon.social
mastodon.social
April 12, 2025 at 9:06 PM
Dear #sciencefiction authors: Environmental collapse is a poor reason to flee into space. It's one thing if you're heading for another habitable planet, or as an incentive to explore. But I'm tired of it as the reason to live always in a generation ship or a space station or a moon/Mars/asteroid […]
Most people think bureaucratic requirements are like barnacles. Tough. Inscrutable. Immovable. "Encrusted" comes to mind. But they've never seen it when it's newly hatched and still figuring out its shape.
Before the third or fourth molt, before its shell hardens, a bureaucratic process is […]
Before the third or fourth molt, before its shell hardens, a bureaucratic process is […]
Original post on mastodon.social
mastodon.social
March 24, 2025 at 6:09 AM
Most people think bureaucratic requirements are like barnacles. Tough. Inscrutable. Immovable. "Encrusted" comes to mind. But they've never seen it when it's newly hatched and still figuring out its shape.
Before the third or fourth molt, before its shell hardens, a bureaucratic process is […]
Before the third or fourth molt, before its shell hardens, a bureaucratic process is […]
Today's view of Mt. Rainier, flying out from Seattle:
March 11, 2025 at 1:07 AM
Today's view of Mt. Rainier, flying out from Seattle:
I know, I know, language keeps evolving. Grammar is descriptive, not prescriptive. Meanings shift. But damn if it isn't hard to let go of what I grew up with. It's like I hear the meaning from my childhood for a second, before I translate it into what it means these days.
"We come in peace" […]
"We come in peace" […]
Original post on mastodon.social
mastodon.social
March 9, 2025 at 7:44 PM
I know, I know, language keeps evolving. Grammar is descriptive, not prescriptive. Meanings shift. But damn if it isn't hard to let go of what I grew up with. It's like I hear the meaning from my childhood for a second, before I translate it into what it means these days.
"We come in peace" […]
"We come in peace" […]
Reposted by Daniel Nidzgorski
Rep. Zooey Zephyr - My Wife - just gave an incredible speech against a drag ban in Montana. It was so strong that a Republican rose to speak passionately against the bill, chastising the sponsor.
The drag ban dies in Montana, flips 10+ Republican votes!
This is the power of representation.
The drag ban dies in Montana, flips 10+ Republican votes!
This is the power of representation.
March 6, 2025 at 6:35 PM
Rep. Zooey Zephyr - My Wife - just gave an incredible speech against a drag ban in Montana. It was so strong that a Republican rose to speak passionately against the bill, chastising the sponsor.
The drag ban dies in Montana, flips 10+ Republican votes!
This is the power of representation.
The drag ban dies in Montana, flips 10+ Republican votes!
This is the power of representation.
So I decided to give the library's new recommendation service a whirl. I told it about the stories I've been enjoying, what I'm itching to re-read, the sort of mood I'm looking for. It asked some useful questions, and we settled on a vibe: something dark, dystopian, creepy is fine but no gore […]
Original post on mastodon.social
mastodon.social
March 4, 2025 at 5:19 AM
So I decided to give the library's new recommendation service a whirl. I told it about the stories I've been enjoying, what I'm itching to re-read, the sort of mood I'm looking for. It asked some useful questions, and we settled on a vibe: something dark, dystopian, creepy is fine but no gore […]