Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

ryan @ryanfm.bsky.social · 3d

what it felt like to be given laughing gas for dental surgery when i was 13

a framed poster with a jumble of brown red and yellow words that sort of reads "it / fantastic life intrins / astic terrific is mag/ xcessive expressive / xpevted to neglecti/ be explorative lived/ everything / verywhere." the red words spell out "it life is hto be lived" and there is a foreboding jumble of pixelated words at the bottom

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ryan @ryanfm.bsky.social · 6d

oops i meant to respond to your post specifically. also @sabs.bsky.social what's your inat!!

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ryan @ryanfm.bsky.social · 7d

it looks like a catocala to me - big, very triangular, fuzzy, long proboscis. there's a guy bob borth on inaturalist who's really good with this genus but it might not get below genus level

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ryan @ryanfm.bsky.social · 8d

madwy in wuv :)

ryan @ryanfm.bsky.social · 9d

madison square park is basically the same

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ryan @ryanfm.bsky.social · 9d

i found a connecticut warbler on the way to work this morning and it we the exact opposite of what connecticut warbler experiences are supposed to be like

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ryan @ryanfm.bsky.social · 12d

www.popsugar.com/hobbies/rise...

Suddenly Birding Is the Hot-Girl Hobby of the Year

Birding — AKA watching, listening to, and sometimes tracking birds in the wild — was once an overlooked pastime. Now it's the hot-girl hobby of the year.

www.popsugar.com

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ryan @ryanfm.bsky.social · 12d

im like actually unreasonably offended that people are talking about birdwatching being a hot girl thing now and not 10 years ago when i started

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Reposted by ryan

Jer Thorp @jerthorp.bsky.social · 14d

At this point I'm just barely making enough $ on this cohort to cover the platform fees.

It's going to run anyway but I'd really love to have a few more people signed up.

Use the code SIXTY for 60% off at registration.

Jer Thorp @jerthorp.bsky.social · 15d

The autumn evening cohort for Binoculars to Binomials starts Thursday.

Which means you have a little over 48 hours to jump on board!

Get to know your local birds, learn some fun approaches to data viz, and... completely rewire your 🧠?

jerthorp.me/learning

Why birds & data?
To see the whole picture.
Data is a system, not a thing.
To truly understand data, you need to know how it gets made,
how it is changed by the processes of computation, and how
the choices we make in representing it affect the stories that
can be told.
Birding offers a way to get intimate with this entire system. To
watch as our observations become data. To see how they are
recast and reshaped by algorithms and models. To explore the
many practical and poetic ways we might tell our data's story.
Through birding, data is revealed not as static record, but as a
living process of which we (and our feathered neighbors) are
very much a part.
Autumn cohorts of Binoculars to Binomials start September 23rd.
Register now: jerthorp.me/learning

Birds of a feather
learn together.
Binoculars to Binomials is an online
course about birding and data
visualization.
Join a cohort of curious people to
build new skills and make
new things.
Autumn cohorts start September 23rd.
Register now: jerthorp.me/learning

Why birds & data?
It'll change
vour brain.
> Researchers have shown that cultivating a
birding practice strengthens memory and
improves ability to notice detail. In case that
wasn't enough, being around birds makes you
happier.
Everyday encounters with birds have been
demonstrated to significantly reduce
psychological distress, and improve overall
well-being.
Binoculars to Binomials is an
online course about birding
and data visualization.
Autumn cohorts start September 23rd.
Register now: jerthorp.me/learning

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ryan @ryanfm.bsky.social · 15d

i love that inaturalist includes common names for the birds from like... 1840

a screenshot of an inaturalist search for "red knot" where northern cardinal is described as "top-knot redbird"

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Reposted by ryan

Jer Thorp @jerthorp.bsky.social · 15d

The Binoculars to Binomials retreat last week was pure magic, five days of delights like this gem of a fish.

When I get a moment to process photos, be prepared to be bombarded by strange and wonderful creatures.

ryan @ryanfm.bsky.social · 15d

usually when i go on a tropical trip the most memorable thing i see is a bird but on @jerthorp.bsky.social's retreat last week it was the most beautiful fish i have ever seen in my whole life while swimming in a pool under a waterfall

a small cyan fish with a yellow and bronze stripe along its back, black stripes on its sides, and a black-based blue-green dorsal fin, swimming to the right against some stones

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ryan @ryanfm.bsky.social · 15d

usually when i go on a tropical trip the most memorable thing i see is a bird but on @jerthorp.bsky.social's retreat last week it was the most beautiful fish i have ever seen in my whole life while swimming in a pool under a waterfall

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ryan @ryanfm.bsky.social · 21d

i was stung by a wasp in the tropics whose spanish name translates to "cheese butt." humiliating

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Reposted by ryan

eric @ericcarlschwartz.com · 24d

great things happening in the world of beans rn

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ryan @ryanfm.bsky.social · Sep 8

i am using it synonymously with "adorable"

ryan @ryanfm.bsky.social · Sep 8

too true

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ryan @ryanfm.bsky.social · Sep 8

typos will be fixed before then lol

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ryan @ryanfm.bsky.social · Sep 8

i will be giving an intro to quantum presentation in the colombian tropical forest tomorrow

a slide titled "Quantum birdwatching: quantization and uncertainty"
the left column has two blurry antbirds smeared together with the caption "A one-antbird cloud, spread between two locations"
and beneath that another blurry antbirds with the caption "An antbird with a measured location, but unmeasurable speed"

to the right is text that reads "And there are certain values that can’t be measured simultaneously.

If I measure the exact location of the antbird with my binoculars, then I can no longer calculate the speed.

If I measure its speed with a radar gun, it becomes a cloud diffusing between the possible locations."

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Reposted by ryan

Jer Thorp @jerthorp.bsky.social · Sep 5

All of the usual things one brings to the jungle.

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ryan @ryanfm.bsky.social · Sep 2

i used to get paid a living wage for logging on every day and writing blog posts with titles like "this butterfly has a head for a butt"
ryanmandelbirder.substack.com/p/these-butt...

these butterflies have a head for a butt

a good old fashioned blog post

ryanmandelbirder.substack.com

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ryan @ryanfm.bsky.social · Aug 31

stupid

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ryan @ryanfm.bsky.social · Aug 29

bluesky was never good. but also twitter was never good. facebook was never good. no social media was ever actually good!!!!

darth™️ @darthbluesky.bsky.social · Aug 29

it is a little weird to read stuff like “this place used to be great once” i mean it’s only been a little over two years and a portion of that was just twenty people posting alf memes lol

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ryan @ryanfm.bsky.social · Aug 26

i walked up to a guy who was fishing because i heard the bells on his rod jingle and he just kept saying “no it’s a little one it’s a little one” and was so perplexed when i was like i don't care i just want to take a picture of the fish for inaturalist (inat says it's an atlantic croaker)

a small silver fish with a long low dorsal fin and darker streaks along its midsection hanging from a fishing line against blue water

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Reposted by ryan

Jer Thorp @jerthorp.bsky.social · Aug 21

There is just ONE spot left for this strange and wonderful 🐦🌿📊🎨 retreat I'm facilitating with @ryanfm.bsky.social next month.

We have an absurdly interesting group of people convening in the jungle - this is your last chance to join us!

Jer Thorp @jerthorp.bsky.social · Jun 2

In September, I'll be hosting the first annual Binoculars to Binomials retreat in the jungle of Santa Marta, Colombia!

5 days in the forest with me, @ryanfm.bsky.social, and a group of bird + data + art enthusiasts.

Space is VERY LIMITED and already 50% full...! 🪶📊

www.jerthorp.me/btb-retreat-...

BtB Retreat 2025 | jerthorp

Spend five days in the lush and bird-filled jungle of Santa Marta, Colombia with Jer Thorp and a small group of curious bird + data + art enthusiasts. We'll wander the forest with local guides, learn ...

www.jerthorp.me

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ryan @ryanfm.bsky.social · Aug 19

experimenting with some adult humor. "peep show." lol do you get it. because small sandpipers are called peeps 🪶

two small sandpipers against a white background in the mud, the ground white reflecting the white sky. on the left is a reddish one facing right and preening its breast feathers. on the right is a browner one with black legs staring at the ground.

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