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Maitri

@maitri.vatul.net

560 followers 300 following 190 posts

Geophysicist, computational scientist, multilingual. Thinks a lot about rocks, data, science fiction, pop culture, and the future of earth. Personal account. she/her

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Maitri @maitri.vatul.net · Nov 11

Hi and welcome, everyone! You might remember me from such films as VatulBlog, #geobloggers, and #NOLATwitter. Made the move here a couple of months ago after attempts at Mastodon & Threads. I mainly skeet about #geology, #books, and my general state of disbelief at everything.

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Maitri @maitri.vatul.net · Aug 29

“If New Orleans goes, we won’t lose mere possessions but one of the world’s greatest cities and many of its greater citizens.” - me on August 28, 2005

20 years ago, we had just reached Houston after 16 long hours on the road, and I stayed for what turned out to be six months.

vatul.net/640

Day 0/1: Katrina Update #5: Evacuated To Houston

This is my first chance to update everyone since D and I evacuated New Orleans for Houston 16 hours ago. First off, thank you to EVERYONE for keeping us in your thoughts . If I could only express to y...

vatul.net

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Maitri @maitri.vatul.net · Aug 23

Hi #geosky, it’s been a minute. Where can I find the latest trends and techniques in geologic map making? How are undergraduates learning to map - on paper or using digital techniques? If digital, what tools are prevalent and who are the leading experts/researchers in this area? TY! #geology #maps

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Maitri @maitri.vatul.net · May 25

Book 19 of 2025: Signs Preceding the End of the World by Yuri Herrera, political scientist & Tulane prof. Second 5 stars given. 📚💙

“Don’t let it get you down. They don’t understand it either, they live in fear of the lights going out, as if every day wasn’t already made of lightning and blackouts.”

Reposted by Maitri

AGU (American Geophysical Union) @agu.org · May 2

Even when the political winds shift, science must keep moving forward.
That’s why @AGU and @ametsoc are stepping up with a first-of-its-kind special collection on climate change in the U.S.—across 29+ peer-reviewed journals. 🌍📚

Read all about it: buff.ly/6G05hQD

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Maitri @maitri.vatul.net · Apr 18

If you're interested in downloading available data quickly, I found the DownThemAll website scraper extension for Firefox pretty useful. ⚒️🧪

Jenna C. Hill @chillocean.bsky.social · Apr 17

NOAA just announced a long list of datasets that are going away🧪⚒️🌊: www.nesdis.noaa.gov/about/docume...
Download what you need asap and send comments to: [email protected]

Notice of Changes

Notices of changes are formal public announcements of planned services changes to applications and other products.

www.nesdis.noaa.gov

Maitri @maitri.vatul.net · Apr 17

So is there any point to downloading the databases listed here that NOAA has asked fellow scientists to download? And the new ones are easier to access from where and how?

Reposted by Maitri

California Geological Survey @cageosurvey.bsky.social · Apr 17

The Sierra Nevada Earth Atlas showcases California’s longest and tallest mountain range and its iconic geologic features. It represents the most current, complete, and largest-scale, range-wide syntheses of geoscience data. Learn more - www.conservation.ca.gov/cgs/document...

Geologic map of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. The different colors on the map are different types of rocks.

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Maitri @maitri.vatul.net · Apr 2

On, Wisconsin! On! 🦡 🧀 💚

The New York Times @nytimes.com · Apr 2

Breaking News: Susan Crawford, a liberal judge, won a pivotal Wisconsin Supreme Court seat despite $25 million in spending by Elon Musk on her opponent.

Susan Crawford Wins Wisconsin Supreme Court Election, Despite Elon Musk’s Millions

Susan Crawford defeated Brad Schimel for a State Supreme Court seat in a race that shattered spending records and maintained a liberal majority on the court.

www.nytimes.com

Maitri @maitri.vatul.net · Mar 30

Where can someone who lives in Yakima, WA (in the ash fall path of a Mt Adams eruption) get accurate scientific information as they are hearing only inflammatory local news? They are far away enough that they would not have to evacuate, but would like to be better informed/prepared. 🧪⚒️

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Maitri @maitri.vatul.net · Mar 17

“‘There are no ghosts, but up here’-she gestured toward her head-‘it’s a haunted house.’”

Just finished Gabrielle Zevin’s Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and it’s going to be a favorite. This is the book I wanted Ready Player One to be. #gamer #BookSky💙📚

Maitri @maitri.vatul.net · Mar 13

Book 5 of 2025: Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin. Read this bit of dialogue set in the 1980s and now staring at Oregon 2025. #youdiedofdysentery #BookSky💙📚

"You're not supposed to make me laugh.
Do people truly die of dysentery?" Sam asked.
"In the olden days, I guess they did."

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Maitri @maitri.vatul.net · Mar 8

Broccoli and zucchini bhaji are part of the repertoire in my family now. But nothing beats good old potato and green chili. I want to try sauteed okra and eggplant/aubergine bhaji next.

Maitri @maitri.vatul.net · Mar 8

Hahahaha. You did not just sayYorkshire paneer! Stop! What’s next - the Jedburgh Jalfrezi?

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Maitri @maitri.vatul.net · Mar 8

Breaking news: Area Indian-American woman married to a Scots-American learns that there is such a thing as a haggis pakora. Film at 11.

a woman with her eyes closed and her hands on her forehead says what

Alt: a woman with her eyes closed and her hands on her forehead says what

media.tenor.com

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Maitri @maitri.vatul.net · Mar 6

Mardi Gras Day | March 4, 2025 | New Orleans, LA

“The system of patriarchy can function only with the cooperation of women.”

Dressed as Medusa for Mardi Gras Day; planning to make and collect stones for the foreseeable future.

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Maitri @maitri.vatul.net · Feb 28

I won Muses! #mardigras #NOLASky

A boot from the Muses parade made by my lovely friend K!

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Maitri @maitri.vatul.net · Feb 24

Yeah yeah D wants to know if you’re going to be out there tomorrow night to get your doubloons.

Maitri @maitri.vatul.net · Feb 24

They don’t women and people of color to make any gains because in their unimaginative zero-sum world, if one gets ahead the other has to lose. However, they are anti-science, too, so leave us scientists to practice as we want?

Maitri @maitri.vatul.net · Feb 23

The year King Arthur paraded during BAD rains (2012?), they rolled super fast, there were maybe two people per block, and riders were forced to chuck out $$$ worth of throws to puddles and the streets bc can’t leave anything on the float at the end. A lot of angry riders after that year.

Reposted by Maitri

Jordan S. Carroll @jordanscarroll.bsky.social · Feb 22

the rise of the fascist nerds was anticipated by Ellen Ullman's 1995 essay "Out of Time: Reflections on the Programming Life."

Real techies don’t worry about forced eugenics. I learned this from a real
techie in the cafeteria of a software company.

The project team is having lunch and discussing how long it would take
to wipe out a disease inherited recessively on the X chromosome. First
come calculations of inheritance probabilities. Given a population of a
given size, one of the engineers arrives at a wipe-out date. Immediately
another suggests that the date could be moved forward by various
manipulations of the inheritance patterns. For example, he says, there could be an education campaign.

The six team members then fall over one another with further
suggestions. They start with rewards to discourage carriers from breeding.
Immediately they move to fines for those who reproduce the disease. Then they go for what they call “more effective” measures: Jail for breeding. Induced abortion. Forced sterilization.

Now they’re hot. The calculations are flying. Years and years fall from
the final doom-date of the disease.

Finally, they get to the ultimate solution. “It’s straightforward,” someone
says. “Just kill every carrier.” Everyone responds to this last suggestion
with great enthusiasm. One generation and—bang—the disease is gone.

Quietly, I say, “You know, that’s what the Nazis did.”

They all look at me in disgust. It’s the look boys give a girl who has
interrupted a burping contest. One says, “This is something my wife would say.

When he says “wife,” there is no love, warmth, or goodness in it. In this
engineer’s mouth, “wife” means wet diapers and dirty dishes. It means
someone angry with you for losing track of time and missing dinner.
Someone sentimental. In his mind (for the moment), “wife” signifies all
programming-party-pooping, illogical things in the universe.

Still, I persist. “It started as just an idea for the Nazis, too, you know.”

The engineer makes a reply that sounds like a retch. “This is how I know
you’re not a real techie,” he says.

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Maitri @maitri.vatul.net · Feb 22

⚜️ KREWE OF KING ARTHUR PARADE RAIN DELAY!⚜️ Due to 100% chance of downpour tomorrow, King Arthur is now a night parade and will roll on Tuesday at 5:30pm. See y’all on the route! #NOLAsky #mardigras

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Reposted by Maitri

They Might Be Giants @tmbg.bsky.social · Feb 19

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Maitri @maitri.vatul.net · Feb 22

Go. Off. Sis.

Maitri @maitri.vatul.net · Feb 22

Don’t know if it’s the writing that telegraphs the killer from the start or the result of having watched 5000+ British murder mysteries, but I knew whodunnit within the first 10 minutes of all three Ellis episodes. Same for other newer shows.

Love Sharon D. Clarke in the role, though. Fierce queen.

Maitri @maitri.vatul.net · Feb 21

Listen to me about deep and indiscriminate layoffs in science, tech, and engineering (private and public sector). Once the talent is gone, it is gone. For a whole generation or more. A company/research institution cannot simply recoup its former power by hiring back staff/contractors here and there.