Karen
@kpdooty.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy
Former Stockpile Stewardess. Classically trained. Loner. Rebel. Off-topic for all.
🌉 bridged from ⁂ https://mastodon.social/@kpdooty, follow @ap.brid.gy to interact
🌉 bridged from ⁂ https://mastodon.social/@kpdooty, follow @ap.brid.gy to interact
The big lake currently has a Common Loon and two Tundra Swans. I was lucky that the swans stayed put as I walked to the spot on the other side of the lake #birding
December 3, 2025 at 9:53 PM
The big lake currently has a Common Loon and two Tundra Swans. I was lucky that the swans stayed put as I walked to the spot on the other side of the lake #birding
Listening to the tape of my youth: an unknown* pianist playing Liszt's Rhapsodie Espagnole. On the other side, a few of Liszt's Transcendental Etudes, also unknown artist**
* I didn't know enough to note the artist back then!
** There may still be a record somewhere?
* I didn't know enough to note the artist back then!
** There may still be a record somewhere?
December 2, 2025 at 1:24 PM
Listening to the tape of my youth: an unknown* pianist playing Liszt's Rhapsodie Espagnole. On the other side, a few of Liszt's Transcendental Etudes, also unknown artist**
* I didn't know enough to note the artist back then!
** There may still be a record somewhere?
* I didn't know enough to note the artist back then!
** There may still be a record somewhere?
I was in the middle of Area Lake looking at a Brown Thrasher and a Gray Catbird having a territorial dispute with a Northern Mockingbird when the email from my violin teacher came. We moved our in-person lesson today to virtual tomorrow. I probably would have gone somewhere else this morning had […]
Original post on mastodon.social
mastodon.social
December 1, 2025 at 3:34 PM
I was in the middle of Area Lake looking at a Brown Thrasher and a Gray Catbird having a territorial dispute with a Northern Mockingbird when the email from my violin teacher came. We moved our in-person lesson today to virtual tomorrow. I probably would have gone somewhere else this morning had […]
I wanted to look at the guys laying the Trex deck, but one of the guys needed better fitting pants
December 1, 2025 at 3:28 PM
I wanted to look at the guys laying the Trex deck, but one of the guys needed better fitting pants
Am I GLAD to have wrapped up my career in science and computing before this Genesis thing.
November 28, 2025 at 5:32 PM
Am I GLAD to have wrapped up my career in science and computing before this Genesis thing.
Went to a spot I haven't been for a while, not because of the Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Tennessee Warbler, and Red-breasted Merganser sightings, but because of Orange-crowned Warbler. Birder Ed was so disappointed that I wanted to see such a "common" bird. He showed me the spot. It was cold and […]
Original post on mastodon.social
mastodon.social
November 28, 2025 at 4:00 PM
Went to a spot I haven't been for a while, not because of the Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Tennessee Warbler, and Red-breasted Merganser sightings, but because of Orange-crowned Warbler. Birder Ed was so disappointed that I wanted to see such a "common" bird. He showed me the spot. It was cold and […]
The Chinese grocery store was busy! Spouse and I each got a big box of food at the hot food bar for $12.99 each, then I did some grocery shopping -- picked up 2 15-lb bags of rice for $10.99 each.
November 27, 2025 at 9:02 PM
The Chinese grocery store was busy! Spouse and I each got a big box of food at the hot food bar for $12.99 each, then I did some grocery shopping -- picked up 2 15-lb bags of rice for $10.99 each.
Reposted by Karen
Our Thanksgiving guest of honor: #challurkey No. 12.
November 27, 2025 at 6:13 PM
Our Thanksgiving guest of honor: #challurkey No. 12.
The way the field "AI" exploded in the last 5-10 years inevitably leads to some low-quality work by researchers (such as they were) who will not withstand the test of time. That they would use AI to generate peer reviews -- showing utmost disrespect for the scientific method -- is almost […]
Original post on mastodon.social
mastodon.social
November 27, 2025 at 2:41 PM
The way the field "AI" exploded in the last 5-10 years inevitably leads to some low-quality work by researchers (such as they were) who will not withstand the test of time. That they would use AI to generate peer reviews -- showing utmost disrespect for the scientific method -- is almost […]
No reports of Evening Grosbeak since a couple birders retroactively claimed they heard one four days ago. I was at a neighborhood retention pond when Evening Grosbeak came up on Merlin (I had it on for something else). It was loud and clear. I looked up and saw a bunch of European Starlings […]
Original post on mastodon.social
mastodon.social
November 27, 2025 at 2:25 PM
No reports of Evening Grosbeak since a couple birders retroactively claimed they heard one four days ago. I was at a neighborhood retention pond when Evening Grosbeak came up on Merlin (I had it on for something else). It was loud and clear. I looked up and saw a bunch of European Starlings […]
I don't think Merlin sound ID is as good as it used to be. It's like AI Slop: as Merlin gets more popular, more people are making recordings. Most of these recordings are of dubious quality -- go do some of the Merlin Sound Quizzes to find out for yourselves; hard for me to not see the Sound […]
Original post on mastodon.social
mastodon.social
November 26, 2025 at 6:17 PM
I don't think Merlin sound ID is as good as it used to be. It's like AI Slop: as Merlin gets more popular, more people are making recordings. Most of these recordings are of dubious quality -- go do some of the Merlin Sound Quizzes to find out for yourselves; hard for me to not see the Sound […]
I went to my "usual" patch (which I have not been for a long time). Ran into one of the photographers who showed me a photo of a Red-headed Woodpecker caching a frog into a tree. Then I ran into ZZ Top, who had stories! Yes I did get the photographer to show the picture of the woodpecker and […]
Original post on mastodon.social
mastodon.social
November 26, 2025 at 5:38 PM
I went to my "usual" patch (which I have not been for a long time). Ran into one of the photographers who showed me a photo of a Red-headed Woodpecker caching a frog into a tree. Then I ran into ZZ Top, who had stories! Yes I did get the photographer to show the picture of the woodpecker and […]
I finally saw Mila xiaolongbao at a Costco and got myself a bag. It is definitely as good as everyone says! Mila is cheaper & much yummier than the *other* brand sold at Costco. Maybe I'm just hungry, but it is also way better than those at that famous Taiwanese place in Rockville (that I'm not […]
Original post on mastodon.social
mastodon.social
November 26, 2025 at 5:24 PM
I finally saw Mila xiaolongbao at a Costco and got myself a bag. It is definitely as good as everyone says! Mila is cheaper & much yummier than the *other* brand sold at Costco. Maybe I'm just hungry, but it is also way better than those at that famous Taiwanese place in Rockville (that I'm not […]
Reposted by Karen
November 26, 2025 at 12:47 AM
LOL "scope in the car" Dude you drove all the way to the bottom of the bay with your scope and didn't lug it on the 0.7 mile paved trail to the viewing area??? #birding
November 25, 2025 at 10:43 AM
LOL "scope in the car" Dude you drove all the way to the bottom of the bay with your scope and didn't lug it on the 0.7 mile paved trail to the viewing area??? #birding
Reposted by Karen
I wish Secretary Duffy would concentrate on keeping the skies safe and leave the moral hectoring to me. I'm better at it.
Sean Duffy: "Dressing with respect -- whether it's a pair of jeans and a decent shirt, I would encourage people to maybe dress a little better which encourages us to maybe behave a little better. Let's try not to wear slippers and pajamas as we come to the airport."
November 24, 2025 at 7:35 PM
I wish Secretary Duffy would concentrate on keeping the skies safe and leave the moral hectoring to me. I'm better at it.
I've now visited two places that had Evening Grosbeak and came up with nothing. I've learned that they are more like finches & this could be an irruption year, and I've watched several Cornell's Ontario Feeder Cam clips multiple times to get their calls ingrained in me. It'd be really cool to […]
Original post on mastodon.social
mastodon.social
November 24, 2025 at 6:28 PM
I've now visited two places that had Evening Grosbeak and came up with nothing. I've learned that they are more like finches & this could be an irruption year, and I've watched several Cornell's Ontario Feeder Cam clips multiple times to get their calls ingrained in me. It'd be really cool to […]
Today we had a bird walk in the rain. I volunteered to carry my scope in case we had ducks. The Plant Guy asked me to scope the Potomac because there was "something interesting". I looked and found a male Common Goldeneye. We hollered for the rest of the […]
[Original post on mastodon.social]
[Original post on mastodon.social]
November 22, 2025 at 7:42 PM
Today we had a bird walk in the rain. I volunteered to carry my scope in case we had ducks. The Plant Guy asked me to scope the Potomac because there was "something interesting". I looked and found a male Common Goldeneye. We hollered for the rest of the […]
[Original post on mastodon.social]
[Original post on mastodon.social]
The orchestra "concert" went well. Our conductor brought in "ringers" like my last community orchestra: a bassoon, a double bass, and the most useful, a tympany (the tympanist's day job, such as it is, is publicist for the music school). I was a little bummed that I flubbed the difficult passage […]
Original post on mastodon.social
mastodon.social
November 22, 2025 at 11:52 AM
The orchestra "concert" went well. Our conductor brought in "ringers" like my last community orchestra: a bassoon, a double bass, and the most useful, a tympany (the tympanist's day job, such as it is, is publicist for the music school). I was a little bummed that I flubbed the difficult passage […]
After coming home from the rink this morning, I never made it out of the house again, but the birds came to me: in the morning, about 50 crows arranged themselves in the trees around the block; in the afternoon, a flock of Cedar Waxwings buzzed about outside the living room window. #birding
November 19, 2025 at 9:54 PM
After coming home from the rink this morning, I never made it out of the house again, but the birds came to me: in the morning, about 50 crows arranged themselves in the trees around the block; in the afternoon, a flock of Cedar Waxwings buzzed about outside the living room window. #birding
Reposted by Karen
I'm sorry, I have to step down from my role propping up a massive hype cycle based on fraudulent financial claims and broad product misrepresentation, because my correspondence with a pedophile sex trafficker revealed that I'm an immoral misogynist
Larry Summers resigns from OpenAI board amid Epstein revelations
Summers said this week he would step back from public commitments amid the latest Epstein news.
www.axios.com
November 19, 2025 at 12:47 PM
I'm sorry, I have to step down from my role propping up a massive hype cycle based on fraudulent financial claims and broad product misrepresentation, because my correspondence with a pedophile sex trafficker revealed that I'm an immoral misogynist
Went over the toe picks this morning...Icing my rib cage and knees until it's time to go #birding #figureskating
November 19, 2025 at 1:07 PM
Went over the toe picks this morning...Icing my rib cage and knees until it's time to go #birding #figureskating
Yesterday I mentioned I listened to my Suzuki Level 1 graduation tape. Yeah, I *did* purchase a tape player that uses Audacity to convert tape audio to MP3. I found a way to install Audacity on my Chromebook. Alas, the tape player was not recognized by Chrome. It was a good casette tape player […]
Original post on mastodon.social
mastodon.social
November 16, 2025 at 11:37 PM
Yesterday I mentioned I listened to my Suzuki Level 1 graduation tape. Yeah, I *did* purchase a tape player that uses Audacity to convert tape audio to MP3. I found a way to install Audacity on my Chromebook. Alas, the tape player was not recognized by Chrome. It was a good casette tape player […]
About a month before my retirement my CI poly was to expire and I would not be able to access computing for my last few weeks on the job. I scheduled the poly. It was the worst experience ever because my examiner was definitely screwing with me (I hope she loses her job). My boss thought for […]
Original post on mastodon.social
mastodon.social
November 16, 2025 at 7:42 PM
About a month before my retirement my CI poly was to expire and I would not be able to access computing for my last few weeks on the job. I scheduled the poly. It was the worst experience ever because my examiner was definitely screwing with me (I hope she loses her job). My boss thought for […]
I finally laid my eyes on some American Pipit. No photos because I had to keep my hands on the scope so it wouldn't get blown away. I am still convinced that most people that checked off American Pipit on their lists around here were in the wrong habitats & heard it wrong #birding
November 16, 2025 at 4:30 PM
I finally laid my eyes on some American Pipit. No photos because I had to keep my hands on the scope so it wouldn't get blown away. I am still convinced that most people that checked off American Pipit on their lists around here were in the wrong habitats & heard it wrong #birding