Merricat71
@lisapallatroni.bsky.social
Special projects @sciam. Life project @getting out of my own way. Random quotes in a trench coat. I forget what eight was for.
Reposted by Merricat71
I wrote about my chameleon-strange name-changes as a child, as well as a medical mystery from my adolescence. Together, they show that many of the arguments denying support to trans kids are untrue.
June 27 Friday roundup
Links to the podcast! Also: a strange story about gender and medical care from my childhood.
degenerateart.beehiiv.com
June 27, 2025 at 5:31 PM
I wrote about my chameleon-strange name-changes as a child, as well as a medical mystery from my adolescence. Together, they show that many of the arguments denying support to trans kids are untrue.
Reposted by Merricat71
Vaccination schedules on the CDC website have already started changing under RFK Jr. So we published a guide to the evidence-based vaccine recommendations in place *before* all 17 members of the advisory panel were abruptly dismissed by the new admin. www.scientificamerican.com/article/see-... 🧪
Here’s Your Cheat Sheet for Vaccine Recommendations Backed by Science
These graphics will guide you through science-based vaccine guidelines for children and adults
www.scientificamerican.com
June 25, 2025 at 11:49 AM
Vaccination schedules on the CDC website have already started changing under RFK Jr. So we published a guide to the evidence-based vaccine recommendations in place *before* all 17 members of the advisory panel were abruptly dismissed by the new admin. www.scientificamerican.com/article/see-... 🧪
Reposted by Merricat71
That reporter really looked at the president of a country being battered by an invading force and asked “but what was he wearing”
March 1, 2025 at 12:38 PM
That reporter really looked at the president of a country being battered by an invading force and asked “but what was he wearing”
“Guess the game’s over,” said Paper.
In six words or fewer, write a story about this photo.
#sixwordstory #WritingCommmunity #writing #prompt
#sixwordstory #WritingCommmunity #writing #prompt
January 31, 2025 at 8:35 PM
“Guess the game’s over,” said Paper.
Reposted by Merricat71
Reposted by Merricat71
Reposted by Merricat71
Monday morning we are entering a new chapter in this country's history and we are entering it together, with our friends and principles held close and our eyes wide open.
January 18, 2025 at 3:04 PM
Monday morning we are entering a new chapter in this country's history and we are entering it together, with our friends and principles held close and our eyes wide open.
Reposted by Merricat71
Once again God took the wrong 78 year old.
January 16, 2025 at 7:05 PM
Once again God took the wrong 78 year old.
Wonderful thread
what’s your favorite instance of haptic nostalgia—the poignant memory of the physicality of an obsolete thing—like dialing a rotary phone, shifting gears in a manual transmission, opening a soda can with a pull ring?
January 12, 2025 at 5:06 PM
Wonderful thread
Reposted by Merricat71
"To turn off, go to Settings > Apps > Photos on iOS and turn off Enhanced Visual Search. On Mac, open Photos and go to Settings > General to do the same. You must do it on each of your Apple devices."
Apple has opted iOS and MacOS users into an AI photo scanning feature which tries to extract landmarks from your photos called Enhanced Visual Search by default with little notice.
www.theregister.com/2025/01/03/a...
www.theregister.com/2025/01/03/a...
Apple opts everyone into having their Photos analyzed by AI
Homomorphic-based Enhanced Visual Search is so privacy-preserving, iPhone giant activated it without asking
www.theregister.com
January 11, 2025 at 1:13 PM
"To turn off, go to Settings > Apps > Photos on iOS and turn off Enhanced Visual Search. On Mac, open Photos and go to Settings > General to do the same. You must do it on each of your Apple devices."
Reposted by Merricat71
Fact-checking is not censorship.
Requesting evidence is not censorship.
Refuting falsehoods is not censorship.
Stopping a lie from travelling halfway round the world before the truth has got its boots on is not censorship.
But Zuckerberg's grovelling to Trump will sure as hell lead to censorship.
Requesting evidence is not censorship.
Refuting falsehoods is not censorship.
Stopping a lie from travelling halfway round the world before the truth has got its boots on is not censorship.
But Zuckerberg's grovelling to Trump will sure as hell lead to censorship.
January 7, 2025 at 4:36 PM
Fact-checking is not censorship.
Requesting evidence is not censorship.
Refuting falsehoods is not censorship.
Stopping a lie from travelling halfway round the world before the truth has got its boots on is not censorship.
But Zuckerberg's grovelling to Trump will sure as hell lead to censorship.
Requesting evidence is not censorship.
Refuting falsehoods is not censorship.
Stopping a lie from travelling halfway round the world before the truth has got its boots on is not censorship.
But Zuckerberg's grovelling to Trump will sure as hell lead to censorship.
Reposted by Merricat71
THREAD: In 2023, I received an envelope with no return address. Inside was a flash drive containing tens of 1000s of secret files.
It came from a vigilante with a tumultuous past, who'd conducted a years-long undercover operation. He didn’t tell the FBI or his family. He only told me.
It came from a vigilante with a tumultuous past, who'd conducted a years-long undercover operation. He didn’t tell the FBI or his family. He only told me.
January 4, 2025 at 12:48 PM
THREAD: In 2023, I received an envelope with no return address. Inside was a flash drive containing tens of 1000s of secret files.
It came from a vigilante with a tumultuous past, who'd conducted a years-long undercover operation. He didn’t tell the FBI or his family. He only told me.
It came from a vigilante with a tumultuous past, who'd conducted a years-long undercover operation. He didn’t tell the FBI or his family. He only told me.
Reposted by Merricat71
buying a cybertruck and putting it in long term storage so i can rent it in 30 years to filmmakers who want to convey "this guy is a dipshit" in period pieces
January 3, 2025 at 5:26 PM
buying a cybertruck and putting it in long term storage so i can rent it in 30 years to filmmakers who want to convey "this guy is a dipshit" in period pieces
Reposted by Merricat71
Word of the Day is one I keep posting at the end of the year, hoping its time will come.
‘Respair’, from the 16th century, is fresh hope, and a recovery from despair.
Here’s to a few drops of respair in 2025.
‘Respair’, from the 16th century, is fresh hope, and a recovery from despair.
Here’s to a few drops of respair in 2025.
December 31, 2024 at 7:12 PM
Word of the Day is one I keep posting at the end of the year, hoping its time will come.
‘Respair’, from the 16th century, is fresh hope, and a recovery from despair.
Here’s to a few drops of respair in 2025.
‘Respair’, from the 16th century, is fresh hope, and a recovery from despair.
Here’s to a few drops of respair in 2025.
Kerning matters
Who was in charge of font spacing for this episode of MR. ED?
December 30, 2024 at 12:40 AM
Kerning matters
Reposted by Merricat71
Jacob Marley: Tonight you will be visited by 2 ghosts.
Scrooge: I thought it was 3.
Jacob Marley: LOL no it's 2024 there is no future.
Scrooge: I thought it was 3.
Jacob Marley: LOL no it's 2024 there is no future.
December 22, 2024 at 12:27 PM
Jacob Marley: Tonight you will be visited by 2 ghosts.
Scrooge: I thought it was 3.
Jacob Marley: LOL no it's 2024 there is no future.
Scrooge: I thought it was 3.
Jacob Marley: LOL no it's 2024 there is no future.
Reposted by Merricat71
Interviewer: Can you explain your gap in your resume
Writer: It’s called a “time jump” and we do it in narrative to sort of… fast forward over the boring parts and no it’s not a “plot hole” I did it on purpose shut up
Writer: It’s called a “time jump” and we do it in narrative to sort of… fast forward over the boring parts and no it’s not a “plot hole” I did it on purpose shut up
Interviewer: Can you explain this gap in your resume
Writer: damn I was supposed to go back and fill that bit in later
Writer: damn I was supposed to go back and fill that bit in later
Interviewer: Can you explain this gap in your resume?
Assyriologist: Du[ring] grad sch[ool] I [took?] a position ... [13 lines illegible] ... now.
Assyriologist: Du[ring] grad sch[ool] I [took?] a position ... [13 lines illegible] ... now.
December 21, 2024 at 2:55 PM
Interviewer: Can you explain your gap in your resume
Writer: It’s called a “time jump” and we do it in narrative to sort of… fast forward over the boring parts and no it’s not a “plot hole” I did it on purpose shut up
Writer: It’s called a “time jump” and we do it in narrative to sort of… fast forward over the boring parts and no it’s not a “plot hole” I did it on purpose shut up
Reposted by Merricat71
Did you know Scientific American publishes original poetry every month? Each poem is previously unpublished and hand selected by the amazing Dava Sobel. This year we had poems about math, DNA, rocket launches, owls, fractals, plate tectonics and more. Here are a few of my favorites (a thread)
December 12, 2024 at 10:15 PM
Did you know Scientific American publishes original poetry every month? Each poem is previously unpublished and hand selected by the amazing Dava Sobel. This year we had poems about math, DNA, rocket launches, owls, fractals, plate tectonics and more. Here are a few of my favorites (a thread)
Don’t threaten me with a good time
Bill Maher “may quit,” his HBO show to avoid having to talk about Donald Trump for the next few years.
Bill Maher Threatens to ‘Quit’ His Show Over Trump Win
The host told Jane Fonda he’s “bored” with talking about the president-elect, but would have no choice.
www.thedailybeast.com
December 4, 2024 at 10:26 PM
Don’t threaten me with a good time
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If I was going to pardon anyone, it would be Tom after he murdered fucking Jerry.
December 2, 2024 at 1:10 AM
If I was going to pardon anyone, it would be Tom after he murdered fucking Jerry.
Reposted by Merricat71
Reposted by Merricat71
You know the "🔹AI Overview" you get on Google Search?
I discovered today that it's repeating as fact something I made up 7 years ago as a joke.
"Kyloren syndrome" is a fictional disease I invented as part of a sting operation to prove that you can publish any nonsense in predatory journals...
I discovered today that it's repeating as fact something I made up 7 years ago as a joke.
"Kyloren syndrome" is a fictional disease I invented as part of a sting operation to prove that you can publish any nonsense in predatory journals...
November 22, 2024 at 4:06 PM
You know the "🔹AI Overview" you get on Google Search?
I discovered today that it's repeating as fact something I made up 7 years ago as a joke.
"Kyloren syndrome" is a fictional disease I invented as part of a sting operation to prove that you can publish any nonsense in predatory journals...
I discovered today that it's repeating as fact something I made up 7 years ago as a joke.
"Kyloren syndrome" is a fictional disease I invented as part of a sting operation to prove that you can publish any nonsense in predatory journals...
Reposted by Merricat71
🎶 She-bop, he-bop, we-bop, I-bop, you-bop, they-bop 🎶 - Cyndi Lauper teaching people about pronouns
November 22, 2024 at 1:23 PM
🎶 She-bop, he-bop, we-bop, I-bop, you-bop, they-bop 🎶 - Cyndi Lauper teaching people about pronouns
Reposted by Merricat71
The holiday season is upon us, so it's time to start sharing weird AF Victorian Christmas cards!
First up... whatever this is 😂
There's a whiff of Star Wars to this one!
First up... whatever this is 😂
There's a whiff of Star Wars to this one!
November 22, 2024 at 1:51 PM
The holiday season is upon us, so it's time to start sharing weird AF Victorian Christmas cards!
First up... whatever this is 😂
There's a whiff of Star Wars to this one!
First up... whatever this is 😂
There's a whiff of Star Wars to this one!