Mark Zec
@markzecwrites.bsky.social
Aspiring writer, mostly SF/F with an emphasis on the environment ("eco-fic" or "cli-fi"), but not exclusively. Husband, dad, former IT/data analyst, cook, baker, musician.
All of my stories (so far): https://shorturl.at/qFErZ
All of my stories (so far): https://shorturl.at/qFErZ
Good luck in your continued recovery. Mostly back to normal here from hip replacement surgery at the beginning of December.
January 26, 2026 at 12:51 PM
Good luck in your continued recovery. Mostly back to normal here from hip replacement surgery at the beginning of December.
Our longest outage (NE of C'ville) is 9 hours, but we made it through yesterday. Multiple 24+ hour outages when we were in Crozet, though.
Also on a well pump, but we still have 20+ gallons of water that were drained from our rain barrel (with the means of filtering it for drinking).
Also on a well pump, but we still have 20+ gallons of water that were drained from our rain barrel (with the means of filtering it for drinking).
January 26, 2026 at 12:48 PM
Our longest outage (NE of C'ville) is 9 hours, but we made it through yesterday. Multiple 24+ hour outages when we were in Crozet, though.
Also on a well pump, but we still have 20+ gallons of water that were drained from our rain barrel (with the means of filtering it for drinking).
Also on a well pump, but we still have 20+ gallons of water that were drained from our rain barrel (with the means of filtering it for drinking).
There are times (like now) that I regret not going with ground-based solar instead of roof. I think it would have been an extra $10k, but I would have at least been able to go out and remove the snow with a broom to keep the power flowing.
January 24, 2026 at 1:05 PM
There are times (like now) that I regret not going with ground-based solar instead of roof. I think it would have been an extra $10k, but I would have at least been able to go out and remove the snow with a broom to keep the power flowing.
Unfortunately, not the first.
January 23, 2026 at 2:29 PM
Unfortunately, not the first.
I don't remember last night's dream that caused me to yell in my sleep (without waking up), but my wife sure as hell does.
January 22, 2026 at 1:56 PM
I don't remember last night's dream that caused me to yell in my sleep (without waking up), but my wife sure as hell does.
Same here, until a few years ago. Moved to Linux Mint and started using LibreOffice. The switch was seamless, with every old Office doc rendering correctly in Libre.
The only Office program I still occasionally use is Access, and it's an old version (2003) running in a Windows 7 virtual machine.
The only Office program I still occasionally use is Access, and it's an old version (2003) running in a Windows 7 virtual machine.
January 7, 2026 at 12:10 PM
Same here, until a few years ago. Moved to Linux Mint and started using LibreOffice. The switch was seamless, with every old Office doc rendering correctly in Libre.
The only Office program I still occasionally use is Access, and it's an old version (2003) running in a Windows 7 virtual machine.
The only Office program I still occasionally use is Access, and it's an old version (2003) running in a Windows 7 virtual machine.
I had to cringe when watching an episode of Alien Earth last night. They attributed the Arthur C. Clarke quote about advanced technology being indistinguishable from magic to Asimov.
January 2, 2026 at 12:08 PM
I had to cringe when watching an episode of Alien Earth last night. They attributed the Arthur C. Clarke quote about advanced technology being indistinguishable from magic to Asimov.
This past spring, my wife woke up one morning to find a tick had affixed itself to her eyelid. Not painful to remove (I did the honors), but it was pretty horrifying.
December 31, 2025 at 10:16 PM
This past spring, my wife woke up one morning to find a tick had affixed itself to her eyelid. Not painful to remove (I did the honors), but it was pretty horrifying.
On the up side, they update how they calculate their various metrics every time they release new models. On the down side, things like this sometimes happen.
On my old Vivoactive 4, getting a 100% body battery used to happen ever week or so. My Venu 3? Not once. Low 80s is the best I've gotten.
On my old Vivoactive 4, getting a 100% body battery used to happen ever week or so. My Venu 3? Not once. Low 80s is the best I've gotten.
December 1, 2025 at 1:02 PM
On the up side, they update how they calculate their various metrics every time they release new models. On the down side, things like this sometimes happen.
On my old Vivoactive 4, getting a 100% body battery used to happen ever week or so. My Venu 3? Not once. Low 80s is the best I've gotten.
On my old Vivoactive 4, getting a 100% body battery used to happen ever week or so. My Venu 3? Not once. Low 80s is the best I've gotten.
It happens so frequently here that a satire headline from 2017 turned into a meme.
November 30, 2025 at 12:48 PM
It happens so frequently here that a satire headline from 2017 turned into a meme.
Don't know if you collect ignored warnings from outside environmental science, but this one has been on my mind since I had to start prep today for my surgery next week.
www.futurelearn.com/info/courses...
www.futurelearn.com/info/courses...
A warning from Fleming
An excerpt from Alexander Fleming's 1945 Nobel Prize acceptance speech for his, Howard Florey, Ernst Chain's discovery of Penicillin.
www.futurelearn.com
November 28, 2025 at 4:57 PM
Don't know if you collect ignored warnings from outside environmental science, but this one has been on my mind since I had to start prep today for my surgery next week.
www.futurelearn.com/info/courses...
www.futurelearn.com/info/courses...
With scientists now talking about 1.5C overshoot, this is the overshoot that keeps me up at night. Because "electrify everything" means electrifying and perpetuating this level of resource consumption.
overshoot.footprintnetwork.org/how-many-ear...
overshoot.footprintnetwork.org/how-many-ear...
How many Earths? How many countries? - Earth Overshoot Day
overshoot.footprintnetwork.org
November 28, 2025 at 3:02 PM
With scientists now talking about 1.5C overshoot, this is the overshoot that keeps me up at night. Because "electrify everything" means electrifying and perpetuating this level of resource consumption.
overshoot.footprintnetwork.org/how-many-ear...
overshoot.footprintnetwork.org/how-many-ear...
How long has the bird been dead? It appears to have been lying in the sun for quite some time.
November 27, 2025 at 5:19 PM
How long has the bird been dead? It appears to have been lying in the sun for quite some time.
We're just as good at finding reasons to discount health warnings as well.
November 27, 2025 at 2:57 PM
We're just as good at finding reasons to discount health warnings as well.
Can't wait for his treatise on poor health resulting from an imbalance of humors.
Moron.
Moron.
November 26, 2025 at 3:25 PM
Can't wait for his treatise on poor health resulting from an imbalance of humors.
Moron.
Moron.
Well, I'm doomed.
November 25, 2025 at 3:04 PM
Well, I'm doomed.
Two more for me this past Friday, pneumonia and shingles (even though I never had chicken pox as a kid).
November 24, 2025 at 8:50 PM
Two more for me this past Friday, pneumonia and shingles (even though I never had chicken pox as a kid).
Would that put it from the first IPCC report?
November 24, 2025 at 6:22 PM
Would that put it from the first IPCC report?
From a 1980s documentary.
November 23, 2025 at 9:27 PM
From a 1980s documentary.
I'll go with The Prisoner.
November 23, 2025 at 12:50 PM
I'll go with The Prisoner.
As an American, I'd say it's akin to what I've heard for years: "Guns don't kill people. People kill people."
November 21, 2025 at 5:17 PM
As an American, I'd say it's akin to what I've heard for years: "Guns don't kill people. People kill people."
The pandemic has always been one of my favorite analogies for climate change, and not in a good way.
Many weren't willing to mask and/or stay home for a few months to contain the spread of the virus. Climate action is a "for the rest of everyone's lives" commitment.
Many weren't willing to mask and/or stay home for a few months to contain the spread of the virus. Climate action is a "for the rest of everyone's lives" commitment.
November 20, 2025 at 3:18 PM
The pandemic has always been one of my favorite analogies for climate change, and not in a good way.
Many weren't willing to mask and/or stay home for a few months to contain the spread of the virus. Climate action is a "for the rest of everyone's lives" commitment.
Many weren't willing to mask and/or stay home for a few months to contain the spread of the virus. Climate action is a "for the rest of everyone's lives" commitment.
And our yearly EV adoption rate is about half the rate for the entire world, most of which is poor compared to the US.
We can afford pickups (avg price $65k) and SUVs (avg price $49k for midsize), but balk at the average price of an EV ($55k).
We can afford pickups (avg price $65k) and SUVs (avg price $49k for midsize), but balk at the average price of an EV ($55k).
November 19, 2025 at 2:48 PM
And our yearly EV adoption rate is about half the rate for the entire world, most of which is poor compared to the US.
We can afford pickups (avg price $65k) and SUVs (avg price $49k for midsize), but balk at the average price of an EV ($55k).
We can afford pickups (avg price $65k) and SUVs (avg price $49k for midsize), but balk at the average price of an EV ($55k).