Katherine Derbyshire
@kderbyshire.bsky.social
Renewable energy. Climate science. Semiconductor manufacturing. Plus various randomness.
https://tocarbonzero.tumblr.com/
https://semiengineering.com/author/katherine/
https://beyondwave.tumblr.com
https://tocarbonzero.tumblr.com/
https://semiengineering.com/author/katherine/
https://beyondwave.tumblr.com
Pinned
Copy of MicroFlash Zine #3 PDF - Kate Williams's Ko-fi Shop
PDF version of the third issue of the MicroFlash Zine, focused on fiction of 800 words or less. For readers outside the US, or anyone who would prefer...
ko-fi.com
Hey, it wouldn't be a zine if I didn't miss an issue occasionally. But after many alarums and excursions, MicroFlash #3 is now available.
ko-fi.com/s/f12fcdd92c
ko-fi.com/s/f12fcdd92c
I hadn't seen this one in a while. Sound on.
It has just been brought to my attention that the greatest ever video in this genre is, in fact, cat jump fail vs Sail by AWOLNATION...
December 4, 2025 at 7:49 PM
I hadn't seen this one in a while. Sound on.
Probably @edzitron.com has seen this already. OpenAI is claiming that it will use more than double the world's HBM production all by itself. Color me skeptical.
www.technology.org/2025/12/03/m...
www.technology.org/2025/12/03/m...
www.technology.org
December 4, 2025 at 6:53 PM
Probably @edzitron.com has seen this already. OpenAI is claiming that it will use more than double the world's HBM production all by itself. Color me skeptical.
www.technology.org/2025/12/03/m...
www.technology.org/2025/12/03/m...
Hmmph. Thought I had that word muted.
(Fumbles through settings.)
Mute expired? Why did I think that was a good idea?
"Forever" mute FTW.
(Exhales, relaxes.)
(Fumbles through settings.)
Mute expired? Why did I think that was a good idea?
"Forever" mute FTW.
(Exhales, relaxes.)
November 28, 2025 at 8:10 PM
Hmmph. Thought I had that word muted.
(Fumbles through settings.)
Mute expired? Why did I think that was a good idea?
"Forever" mute FTW.
(Exhales, relaxes.)
(Fumbles through settings.)
Mute expired? Why did I think that was a good idea?
"Forever" mute FTW.
(Exhales, relaxes.)
Reposted by Katherine Derbyshire
Today's Love Letter is a stunning meditation on birdwatching and the loss of a friendship, from the one and only @amalelmohtar.com
stone-soup.ghost.io/love-letter-...
stone-soup.ghost.io/love-letter-...
Why I Need the Birds
A Love Letters Feature by Amal El-Mohtar - November 2025
stone-soup.ghost.io
November 25, 2025 at 11:33 PM
Today's Love Letter is a stunning meditation on birdwatching and the loss of a friendship, from the one and only @amalelmohtar.com
stone-soup.ghost.io/love-letter-...
stone-soup.ghost.io/love-letter-...
Reposted by Katherine Derbyshire
Walter de Staplecat, Simpkin IV, Teabag, Balthasar and Benny D Cat take the stage as we meet the college cats of Oxford. And, of course, Magdalen’s Ozymandias. Read on for our photo special. (Includes a cat map.) oxfordclarion.uk/college-cats...
College cats of Oxford
Once upon a time, we featured an image of Magdalen's kitten, Ozymandias, in our newsletter. We figured it might be a gentle contrast to our regular diet of planning and local politics.
The grey ball ...
oxfordclarion.uk
November 20, 2025 at 11:44 AM
Walter de Staplecat, Simpkin IV, Teabag, Balthasar and Benny D Cat take the stage as we meet the college cats of Oxford. And, of course, Magdalen’s Ozymandias. Read on for our photo special. (Includes a cat map.) oxfordclarion.uk/college-cats...
A thing that I wrote, about the useful kind of AI.
semiengineering.com/machine-lear...
semiengineering.com/machine-lear...
Machine Learning Tools Accelerate Materials Discovery
But only if the data is in a format and context that machines can understand.
semiengineering.com
November 20, 2025 at 11:15 PM
A thing that I wrote, about the useful kind of AI.
semiengineering.com/machine-lear...
semiengineering.com/machine-lear...
Maybe #booksky can help?
Some years ago, in I think @strangehorizons.bsky.social, I read a short story about a Sikh custodian at a university library and the mess when the frat boys accidentally summon something.
And now that I want to share it, I can't find it again. Any ideas?
Some years ago, in I think @strangehorizons.bsky.social, I read a short story about a Sikh custodian at a university library and the mess when the frat boys accidentally summon something.
And now that I want to share it, I can't find it again. Any ideas?
November 10, 2025 at 3:24 AM
Maybe #booksky can help?
Some years ago, in I think @strangehorizons.bsky.social, I read a short story about a Sikh custodian at a university library and the mess when the frat boys accidentally summon something.
And now that I want to share it, I can't find it again. Any ideas?
Some years ago, in I think @strangehorizons.bsky.social, I read a short story about a Sikh custodian at a university library and the mess when the frat boys accidentally summon something.
And now that I want to share it, I can't find it again. Any ideas?
I'm a bad Brand Manager (tm). I haven't been consistent about linking to my own stuff.
Here's my latest, on managing the power demands of local AI models. semiengineering.com/why-in-memor...
Here's my latest, on managing the power demands of local AI models. semiengineering.com/why-in-memor...
Why In-Memory Computation Is So Important For Edge AI
Researchers focus on limiting data movement to reduce power and latency in edge devices.
semiengineering.com
October 29, 2025 at 1:57 AM
I'm a bad Brand Manager (tm). I haven't been consistent about linking to my own stuff.
Here's my latest, on managing the power demands of local AI models. semiengineering.com/why-in-memor...
Here's my latest, on managing the power demands of local AI models. semiengineering.com/why-in-memor...
The video is adorable, but be careful if your own cats will be upset by distressed kitten meowing.
Washington State Patrol troopers rescued a kitten stuck under a concrete barrier on I-5 on Wednesday.
Video: WA troopers save kitten hiding under I-5 barrier near Tacoma
www.seattletimes.com
October 23, 2025 at 3:20 AM
The video is adorable, but be careful if your own cats will be upset by distressed kitten meowing.
This tracks. I'm writing an article about AI now, and the first sentence is "this article is not about LLMs." (Link to come once it's published.)
Okay, for the folks who asked: here's the majority AI view, writing up the reasonable, thoughtful view on AI that the vast majority of people in tech hold, that gets overshadowed by the bluster and hype of the tycoons trying to shill their nonsense. anildash.com/2025/10/17/t... Please share!
The Majority AI View - Anil Dash
A blog about making culture. Since 1999.
anildash.com
October 19, 2025 at 4:29 PM
This tracks. I'm writing an article about AI now, and the first sentence is "this article is not about LLMs." (Link to come once it's published.)
There's a whole world of literature out there, only a small fraction of it in English. This project aims to increase that fraction a little, with translations from non-colonial African languages.
It's TUESDAY PEOPLE
Learn about the African Translation Project today!!
Donate and share!
TAKE A LOOK at the art shop
Share, please, share
If we don't get eyes on this, the books don't happen
ko-fi.com/africantrans...
Learn about the African Translation Project today!!
Donate and share!
TAKE A LOOK at the art shop
Share, please, share
If we don't get eyes on this, the books don't happen
ko-fi.com/africantrans...
Support African Translation Project
African Translation Project, Goal 4: Fully Fund Two Translations, by 31 October, still needed: $3345, 67%, If this goal is met: Translations will be fully funded for Bengithi Lizokuna and Zvinobvinza,...
ko-fi.com
October 15, 2025 at 2:27 AM
There's a whole world of literature out there, only a small fraction of it in English. This project aims to increase that fraction a little, with translations from non-colonial African languages.
The cat. He is old, and sick. Cream? He liked it last week, today he sniffs disdainfully. Tuna? Salmon? He moves further away, out of reach under the bed.
Feed the cat? How about I have another look at that dragon instead?
Feed the cat? How about I have another look at that dragon instead?
Some quests are grand, involving a lot of swords and wyrms and magical grandmothers and attracting all sorts of media attention. Other quests are quiet and relatively unnoticed; rewilding a field or mastering the art of sourdough. What quest do you face today?
#TinyTalesTuesday #WritingPrompt
#TinyTalesTuesday #WritingPrompt
September 16, 2025 at 6:33 PM
The cat. He is old, and sick. Cream? He liked it last week, today he sniffs disdainfully. Tuna? Salmon? He moves further away, out of reach under the bed.
Feed the cat? How about I have another look at that dragon instead?
Feed the cat? How about I have another look at that dragon instead?
Reposted by Katherine Derbyshire
"Fire & Flight" by @cornellwriter.bsky.social now free to read online!
"I know the song is at the part where speaks of lighting the fire—le feu. I know that part. If there’s one thing a dragon knows it’s fire."
plotthoundmag.com/fire-flight-...
"I know the song is at the part where speaks of lighting the fire—le feu. I know that part. If there’s one thing a dragon knows it’s fire."
plotthoundmag.com/fire-flight-...
September 9, 2025 at 6:12 PM
"Fire & Flight" by @cornellwriter.bsky.social now free to read online!
"I know the song is at the part where speaks of lighting the fire—le feu. I know that part. If there’s one thing a dragon knows it’s fire."
plotthoundmag.com/fire-flight-...
"I know the song is at the part where speaks of lighting the fire—le feu. I know that part. If there’s one thing a dragon knows it’s fire."
plotthoundmag.com/fire-flight-...
Reposted by Katherine Derbyshire
STUNNING
"Traditionally, wearing blankets was functional, but I thought, If fashion evolves, why can’t Native wearable art evolve too? So I used metallic thread to make the blanket shimmer, adapting an old form to a contemporary aesthetic."
hyperallergic.com/1014669/mari...
"Traditionally, wearing blankets was functional, but I thought, If fashion evolves, why can’t Native wearable art evolve too? So I used metallic thread to make the blanket shimmer, adapting an old form to a contemporary aesthetic."
hyperallergic.com/1014669/mari...
The Diné Weaver Who Turns Microchips Into Art
Marilou Schultz, a math teacher and fourth-generation weaver, pushes the boundaries of the art form by combining technological aesthetics and Diné techniques.
hyperallergic.com
September 7, 2025 at 4:04 PM
STUNNING
"Traditionally, wearing blankets was functional, but I thought, If fashion evolves, why can’t Native wearable art evolve too? So I used metallic thread to make the blanket shimmer, adapting an old form to a contemporary aesthetic."
hyperallergic.com/1014669/mari...
"Traditionally, wearing blankets was functional, but I thought, If fashion evolves, why can’t Native wearable art evolve too? So I used metallic thread to make the blanket shimmer, adapting an old form to a contemporary aesthetic."
hyperallergic.com/1014669/mari...
Relevant to your interests, @wnwagner.bsky.social?
We don't usually think of mushrooms as "invasive" but this cool story from the @ncbg.bsky.social reveals otherwise:
Fungus (not quite yet) Among Us: Golden Oyster Mushroom Gone Rogue 🧪 1/n
ncbg.unc.edu/2025/08/14/f...
Fungus (not quite yet) Among Us: Golden Oyster Mushroom Gone Rogue 🧪 1/n
ncbg.unc.edu/2025/08/14/f...
September 6, 2025 at 5:40 PM
Relevant to your interests, @wnwagner.bsky.social?
"Rather than seizing thieves and punishing their crimes, it would be better to make the world a place where people do not go hungry or cold. ... There will be no end to crime while the world is not governed well."
Essays in Idleness #142 Yoshida Kenko tr. Meredith McKinney, 1330 CE
#QOTD
Essays in Idleness #142 Yoshida Kenko tr. Meredith McKinney, 1330 CE
#QOTD
September 4, 2025 at 9:33 PM
"Rather than seizing thieves and punishing their crimes, it would be better to make the world a place where people do not go hungry or cold. ... There will be no end to crime while the world is not governed well."
Essays in Idleness #142 Yoshida Kenko tr. Meredith McKinney, 1330 CE
#QOTD
Essays in Idleness #142 Yoshida Kenko tr. Meredith McKinney, 1330 CE
#QOTD
You need this today. Trust me.
Sharing not for the first time and probably not for the last either...for 3:39 of pure joy, watch this with the subtitles ON. (Trust me!) www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7Um...
#TinyJoys
#TinyJoys
Pöpcørn | Recipes with The Swedish Chef | The Muppets
YouTube video by The Muppets
www.youtube.com
September 2, 2025 at 8:21 PM
You need this today. Trust me.
Libraries are usually free. Museums usually aren't, but I'm increasingly convinced that a museum membership is one of the best cultural investments you can make. They're usually pretty inexpensive, and being able to go whenever. you. want. changes how you see and think about art. Recommended.
August 23, 2025 at 5:25 AM
Libraries are usually free. Museums usually aren't, but I'm increasingly convinced that a museum membership is one of the best cultural investments you can make. They're usually pretty inexpensive, and being able to go whenever. you. want. changes how you see and think about art. Recommended.
Read something amazing today. Amazing both because of what we're learning about Jupiter and its moons, and because of the human ingenuity deployed to learn it. www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-...
Say Goodbye to Juno, NASA's Groundbreaking Mission to Jupiter
The Juno spacecraft has rewritten the story on Jupiter, the solar system’s undisputed heavyweight
www.scientificamerican.com
August 19, 2025 at 3:58 PM
Read something amazing today. Amazing both because of what we're learning about Jupiter and its moons, and because of the human ingenuity deployed to learn it. www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-...
The Ballard Collective, which houses a number of galleries and studios here in Seattle, was seriously damaged in a fire last week. They're fundraising to replace lost supplies and help artists find work spaces while they figure out rebuilding plans.
www.gofundme.com/f/help-the-b...
www.gofundme.com/f/help-the-b...
Donate to Help The Ballard Collective artists rebuild, organized by Ballard Collective
On Friday, August 8th, at around 8:45pm, a fire broke out behind The Ba… Ballard Collective needs your support for Help The Ballard Collective artists rebuild
www.gofundme.com
August 13, 2025 at 7:07 PM
The Ballard Collective, which houses a number of galleries and studios here in Seattle, was seriously damaged in a fire last week. They're fundraising to replace lost supplies and help artists find work spaces while they figure out rebuilding plans.
www.gofundme.com/f/help-the-b...
www.gofundme.com/f/help-the-b...
Happy book day to me. 💖 (Although I’ve got some work to do before I can read them.)
August 11, 2025 at 9:54 PM
Happy book day to me. 💖 (Although I’ve got some work to do before I can read them.)
#amediting. Significant continuity error fixed. Up to Chapter 40 of 48. Gathering steam.
August 11, 2025 at 12:12 AM
#amediting. Significant continuity error fixed. Up to Chapter 40 of 48. Gathering steam.
Currently reading about Christian "sorcerers" in Japan. "Great Lord of Heaven, give me monies and also good health."
bookshop.org/a/109809/978...
bookshop.org/a/109809/978...
August 6, 2025 at 5:08 PM
Currently reading about Christian "sorcerers" in Japan. "Great Lord of Heaven, give me monies and also good health."
bookshop.org/a/109809/978...
bookshop.org/a/109809/978...
New day job thing, on tasks that "AI" can actually help with. semiengineering.com/machine-lear...
(Small win: I called LLMs an environment-destroying plagiarism machine, and my editor left it in.)
(Small win: I called LLMs an environment-destroying plagiarism machine, and my editor left it in.)
Machine Learning Tools Help Bridge Design-To-Manufacturing Gap
Despite the AI hype, ML tools really are proving valuable for leading-edge chip manufacturing.
semiengineering.com
July 31, 2025 at 6:34 PM
New day job thing, on tasks that "AI" can actually help with. semiengineering.com/machine-lear...
(Small win: I called LLMs an environment-destroying plagiarism machine, and my editor left it in.)
(Small win: I called LLMs an environment-destroying plagiarism machine, and my editor left it in.)
I examined the sashimi dangling from my chopsticks. Firm white flesh, a line of purple suckers. Octopus?
I dunked it into the dish of wasabi and soy sauce, whereupon it curled into a ball and turned a revolting shade of green. Nope, definitely not octopus.
"Waiter? Is it supposed to do that?"
I dunked it into the dish of wasabi and soy sauce, whereupon it curled into a ball and turned a revolting shade of green. Nope, definitely not octopus.
"Waiter? Is it supposed to do that?"
It seems impossible we made olives palatable, or learned that asp venom boiled, frozen, & fermented makes a passable soy sauce substitute. But it's amazing what happens when unhealthy curiosity meets willingness to eat ANYTHING. What concoction have you discovered?
#TinyTalesTuesday #WritingPrompt
#TinyTalesTuesday #WritingPrompt
July 8, 2025 at 6:14 PM
I examined the sashimi dangling from my chopsticks. Firm white flesh, a line of purple suckers. Octopus?
I dunked it into the dish of wasabi and soy sauce, whereupon it curled into a ball and turned a revolting shade of green. Nope, definitely not octopus.
"Waiter? Is it supposed to do that?"
I dunked it into the dish of wasabi and soy sauce, whereupon it curled into a ball and turned a revolting shade of green. Nope, definitely not octopus.
"Waiter? Is it supposed to do that?"