billroper | Network

Went to the Taiwan National Museum. I failed my research, I thought it was going to be a big art museum. It's a natural history and anthropology museum. Big hall on Taiwanese butterflies and moths, one on fossils especially rhinos. I went to skim-mode after that: 2nd floor has an indigenous peoples hall, and more fossils + geology. 3rd floor is "Discovering Taiwan", the history of local natural history studies, with a lot of Japanese role there. Basement is children's section, which might have stuff worth checking out; also has the normal toilets, vs. the squat toilets above.

( Read more... )

mount_oregano

list of nominees

My translation of “Bodyhoppers” by Rocío Vega, published at Clarkesworld Magazine, has been nominated in the category of the Best Translated Short Fiction for the British Science Fiction Association Awards. The annual awards are voted on by members of the BSFA and will be presented at this year’s British National Science Fiction Convention, called Eastercon because it takes place over Easter weekend, April 3 to 6.

I’m honored to be listed among such talented translators, and the full BSFA Awards shortlist is a great reading list. Congratulations to all the nominees!

james_davis_nicoll

Who is stalking the son of the man convicted for causing the Seryong Lake Disaster?

Seven Years of Darkness by You-Jeong Jeong (Translated by Chi-Young Kim)

watervole

I've just finished the first season of 'For All Mankind'. Enjoyed it, but I'm puzzled by the season finale.

How did Ed manage to get upto the Apollo module and down to the moon again? And then up again!

Surely there's no way salvaged fuel could power two lunar take-offs, let alone give the course correction for the Apollo module as well?

and the way lunar landers worked was for the base part to be left on the moon, in any case.

watervole

Went to see the diabetes nurse today to sort out medication.

I forget how it came up, but apparently iron deficiency can lead to blood sugar readings that look exactly the same as diabetes...

So, now booked in for an iron test, just in case it isn't diabetes at all.

Also, skinny people can sometimes get Type 2 diabetes, so I'm not even sure which kind of diabetes I have... But the treatment is the same either way in the early stages, so what the heck.

lsanderson

Wegovy users have five times greater risk of sudden sight loss than Ozempic users, study finds
‘Eye strokes’ that reduce blood flow to optic nerve likely to be side-effect of active ingredient semaglutide, says author
Anna Bawden Health and social affairs correspondent
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2026/mar/10/wegovy-sudden-sight-loss-ozempic-study-semaglutide

‘My lovely distraction’: live stream of kākāpō – world’s fattest parrot – and her chicks captivates New Zealand
More than 100,000 people have tuned in to watch ‘kākāpō cam’, which captures a rare flightless bird sleeping, tidying her nest and fighting off intruders
Eva Corlett in Wellington
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/mar/11/kakapo-cam-live-stream-parrot-new-zealand ( Read more... )

madfilkentist posting in

girlgenius_lair

She did say not to dawdle.

apod_feed

https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260310.html

Are lasers from giant telescopes being used to defend the Earth?

https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260310.html

china_shop posting in

fan_flashworks

Our new challenge is:

PLANT

As always, you can interpret the prompt literally or figuratively, in whatever way works for you.

Each work created for this challenge should be posted as a new entry to the comm. Posting starts now and continues up until the challenge ends at 4pm Pacific Time on Friday, 20th March. No sign-up required.

Mods will tag your work for fandom. When you've posted entries to three consecutive challenges, you will earn a name tag, and we'll go back and tag all your previous entries with your name, as well.

All kinds of fanworks in all fandoms are welcome. Please have a look at our guidelines before you play. If you have any questions or concerns, don't hesitate to contact a mod. And if you have any suggestions for future challenges, you can leave them in the comments of this post.

You can view stats for

fan_flashworks entries and search and filter them via the Community Report and Creator Report. See our FAQ post for more details.

Also, keep an eye out for the next

ffw_social post, which will go up in the next couple of days. If you haven't joined the

ffw_social comm, it's never too late to come and check it out. (Posts are locked, which means you have to join to see them.)

china_shop posting in

fan_flashworks

The Anticipation challenge is now closed. Here are the entries:

The Professionals: Fanfiction: Sexy Sunday by

lucy_roman
FAKE: Fanfic: The Big Jump by

badly_knitted
Doctor Who: Fanfiction: Cloudbound Dreaming by

infinitum_noctem
Culture Club: Fanfic: Six Hats and a Suitcase by

midnight_heavenly_bodies
The Double: fanfic: some fences will forever stay unmended by

teaotter
Viola come il mare: Fanfic: First Date by

veronyxk84
Spooks (MI5): Fanfic: An Unexpected Situation by

smallhobbit
Torchwood: Fanfic: Desperate times by

m_findlow
9-1-1: Fan Fiction: Worth It by

darkjediqueen
Crash Fever: Fanart: in the digital rain by

x95
Ponies (TV 2026): Fanfic: waiting for someone else by

alasse_irena
Marvel 1610 (comics): icons: Step into my Parlor by

highlander_ii
Fanservice Paradox: Fanfic: the rise of the wall (in the future, things will happen) by

bluedreaming

\o/ \o/ \o/

Thank you to everyone who participated! You're now free to post your entries to your journal or wherever else you'd like. If you're archiving on AO3, you can add your work to our fan_flashworks collection there.

The Community Report and Creator Report will be updated shortly with the entries from this round. See our FAQ for more details.

Next challenge is on its way.

seaofstarsrpg_feed

Posted by seaofstarsrpg

https://seaofstarsrpg.wordpress.com/2026/03/10/tuesday-magic-item-point-of-the-spear/

http://seaofstarsrpg.wordpress.com/?p=27740

Gollaon and Voddick watched the ranks of warriors march by in their polished cuirasses, showing idealized forms. In perfectly dressed rank, they assembled before the archon to recieve the city’s blessing and for the lead warrior of each formation to be presented with a spear made just for them. A symbol of leadership and courage.

“I do not envy those warriors, to be the ‘point of the spear’ in the coming battle will be a place of honor and of even greater danger,” whispered Voddick.

Gollaon nodded. “They know it too.”

Point of the Spear

Made for the City-States, these spears are designed to channel civic pride and love of their city to their leadership on the battlefield. The spears are decorated to honor their city-state, but subtly, for they are weapons of war first and foremost. Their full powers can only be accessed when the weapon is given to the wielder by the state or it representative and only in battle.

The point of the spear is a +1 long spear and the wielder gains a +2 morale bonus to saves against fear.

When presented to a warrior for service on campaign, it becomes a +3 long spear and the wielder is immune to fear generated by beings of lower level than them.

When leading warriors in battle, as long as they take the lead, they gain a sacred bonus to their armor class equal to the +1 + an additional 1 for each order of magnitude (1, 10, 100, 1000, usw) of warriors they are leading. They also gain DR with a value equal to 3 + the order of magnitude of the unit they are leading. And as long as they are in the front of the unit any ranged attacks against anyone else in the unit suffer a -4 penalty.

Those following the wielder of the Point of the Spear, gain a +4 morale bonus to resist fear effects and a +1 morale bonus to attack as long as the wielder remains standing.

Should the bearer of the spear ever betray the city-state which entrusted them with the weapon, all of the damage the spear had prevented is visited upon them.

Aura strong abjuration; CL 13th
Slot none; Price 75,000; Weight 9 lb
Construction Requirements
Craft Wondrous Items, prayer, protection from arrows, quest; Cost 37,500

For D&D 5E:

Magic weapon (spear), rare (requires attunement)

First and last paragraph as above.

The point of the spear is a magic long spear that gives the wielder +1 to hit and to damage and the wielder gains a +1 bonus to saves against fear.

When presented to a warrior for service on campaign, its bonuses to hit and damge becomea +3 and the wielder is immune to fear generated by beings of lower level than them.

When leading warriors in battle, as long as they take the lead, they gain a bonus to their armor class equal to the +1 for each order of magnitude (1, 10, 100, 1000, usw) of warriors they are leading. They also gain resistance to bludgeoning, piercing and slashing damage along with 4d6 temporary hit points for each order of magnitude of warriors they are leading. And as long as they are in the front of the unit any ranged attacks against anyone else in the unit suffer disadvantage on their to hit rolls.

Those following the wielder of the Point of the Spear, gain advantage on saving throws to resist fear effects and a +1 bonus to hit as long as the wielder remains standing.

Notes: A powerful item for large battles, of course, the person wielding it will get targeted by just about everything until they are brought down. What price glory? As promisted, a martial magic item for March.

Image Athenian hoplite holding aspis, corinthian helmet and xyphos by Tilemahos Efthimiadis found on Wikimedia Commons and is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.

https://seaofstarsrpg.wordpress.com/2026/03/10/tuesday-magic-item-point-of-the-spear/

http://seaofstarsrpg.wordpress.com/?p=27740

lizvogel posting in

little_details

Okay, I thought I knew science, but after several days of researching this, all I've got is indecision and a headache.

Original fiction, unspecified not-too-far-future time.

My character is the pilot of a small cargo ship in the asteroid belt. (No FTL, no artificial gravity.) Said ship has sufficient radiation shielding to be safe under normal conditions. My idea is that there's an unusually strong solar event (solar flare? coronal mass ejection?), and he has to survive by positioning his ship on the shadowed side of an asteroid (rocks are good shielding), and use his excellent piloting skills to stay there until the storm passes.

1. Does this, theoretically, actually work?

2. I'd like the solar event to be a Coronal Mass Ejection, because some CMEs move relatively slowly, and that gives my character time to make a narratively interesting choice. But is it the CME itself that's hazardous to human life, or a sort of "bow wave" of radiation that precedes it? And if the latter, is that radiation moving at the speed of the CME, or the speed of light? (I keep thinking I have a grasp on this, and then the next source I read contradicts it.)

Guidance appreciated, fellow space enthusiasts!

james_davis_nicoll

NDP MP Lori Idlout crossing floor to Liberals, bringing Carney closer to majority

torachan

1. I fried up some frozen croquettes to go with the leftover curry tonight and they were so good. Nothing like a crispy croquette fresh from the frying oil!

2. I was worried that daylight savings might throw me off my morning schedule, since I did wake up an hour late on Sunday, but yesterday and today I've woken up at my usual time, despite it technically being an hour earlier now, so fingers crossed that it continues. I like the time I wake up now because it gives me plenty of time to take a long morning walk, do all my morning chores, and have breakfast without even feeling the least bit rushed about starting work, and I really don't want to have to be waking up with an alarm in order to do that.

3. The annoying lady at work who recently moved into my office and was at the desk next to mine messaged me Friday that she is leaving the company and Monday would be her last day and she was sorry she wouldn't see me to tell me in person. I don't like, hate her or anything, but she is just low level annoying, and as seen by her text, for some reason thinks that we are closer friends than we are, so I am glad that she will no longer be at the desk next to mine.

4. I haven't seen Tuxie around today, but hopefully he will come around tomorrow like nothing happened and lounge on his cardboard scratcher again.

marycatelli

sharonlee_feed

Posted by Sharon

https://sharonleewriter.com/2026/03/tuesday-and-the-adventures-thereto/

https://sharonleewriter.com/?p=15150

Tuesday. Sunny, already warm and heading for the 70sF. They say.

Trash and recycling are at the curb. Breakfast has been et.

Slept well last night. The cats all piled on top of me, set purr boxes on HIGH, pushed the personal gravity fields to the top and — it worked. Eight hours and change, and I feel much more human.

My second cup of tea is brewing. Once I’ve dealt with that, I’ll be doing errands, including getting gas, while there’s any left to get, and a Staples run — very likely my last at our in-city store, which will be closing next month. What else — ah, the usual: grocery, bank, post office, goodwill, CVS. Home for lunch and possibly catching up the filing before I leave again for the library and needleworking.

What’s everybody doing today?

I did try this morning to get a picture of all four of us, but Firefly refused to be photographed until she had gotten her eyes done properly, which means you guys get two pictures of three.

#
LOCAL PEEPS OF THE FLANNEL SHIRT WEARING INCLINATION: I just bought two flannel shirts at Reny’s for $5/each, and the Word is that they’re being “put away” today. So, if you’re wanting to stock up on flannel — get thee to Reny’s, like, now.

Obviously, I’m home again. Not only that, I accomplished almost all of my errands (I did not manage to buy two things, not for lack of trying, but for lack of Stuff Being In Stock).

I bought notebooks, legal pads and folders at Staples. Mind you, I don’t need any more notebooks or legal pads, but — sale. Also — new notebooks.

Did my Smol grocery shop at the Elm Plaza Hannaford, not wishing to brave the KMD Hannaford, where the freezers and cold keepers were out for most of the weekend.

The oven is heating for my Very! First! CookUnity Experience, which is apparently … Mediterranean Chicken Shawarma Bowl with Mint-Tahini sauce.

Many thanks to everyone who admired my new haircut. I must, however report, that it was only wet hair dragged back into a ponytail. This is what it looks like, after I’ve been running around all morning. And, yes, I do need a haircut, but — not today.

#
Report on my very first Cook Unity meal, Mediterranean Chicken Shawarma Bowl with Mint-Tahini sauce, and a crazy little side salad, made with pickles, cherry tomatoes, and something yellow and dense, in cubes (edited to add: I am informed that these were pickled turnips). I love cultures that treat pickles like a food, rather than an afterthought. Just by the way.

The main course was good, but a little more than I’m accustomed to eating for lunch, which is my big meal of the day. I’ll have the rest of it tonight, but this could be an unexpected downside to having a meal service. Or, not, if I routinely get two meals out of one.

Anyhow, no complaints of the food, for Meal One.

Onward.
#
So, I just learned a whole new way to be rude. I forgot to go to the bank when I was out earlier (this is what happens when you don’t Write It Down), so I went out after lunch. And as the teller was counting out my twenties for me, I saw one that was taped together, and another, that Ought To Have Been taped together. So, when she was done counting, I pulled those two bills and asked for replacements.

Her: You saw those?

Me: (Not in the OutLoud voice: Obviously.) Yes, I watch when people count money out. Old Habit.

Her: You want different bills?

Me: Yes. I don’t want my money to fall apart before I spend it.

Her: Replaces the twenties. Sighs heavily.

Me: Thank you. Leaves. Sighs heavily.

#
Finished my latest project

https://sharonleewriter.com/2026/03/tuesday-and-the-adventures-thereto/

https://sharonleewriter.com/?p=15150

ericcoleman posting in

filk

Chris Conway, Griff the Filker, Cynthia McQuillin, S. J. Tucker, Naomi Hinchen, Carol Ferraro, Barisha Letterman, Clif Flynt, Escape Key, Duras Sisters, Suzette Haden Elgin, Dave Clement, Alexander James Adams, John McDaid, Tim Griffin

Available on iTunes, Google Play and most other places you can get podcasts. We can be heard Wednesday at 6am and 9pm Central on scifi.radio.

filkcast.blogspot.com

solarbird

Have I played my part well in the farce of life?
— Augustus Caesar, first Emperor of Rome

as reported by Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus
in The Life of Augustus
originally published 121 C.E., Roman Empire

Did you love my performance in Venezuela?
My performance in Iran is better, isn’t it?
— Donald Trump, President of the United States

as reported by Jonathan Carl of ABC News
originally reported March 6, 2026 C.E., United States

Posted via Solarbird{y|z|yz}, Collected.

calimac

Where the small access street to our development meets the main artery, there's a traffic light, and the exit direction of the small access street splits into two lanes.

Therein lies the rub, because the left lane of those two is a left-turn-only lane, clearly marked with an arrow on the pavement. That leaves the right lane, which has no markings, for both going forward and turning right.

I was in my car at the front of this lane, waiting at a red light, because I was going forward. Behind me was a U-Haul truck whose driver wanted to turn right. He thought I had to turn right too - which I could have done safely, had that been my intent - and got impatient. So - since there was nobody in the left lane - he decided to go around me.

At that moment the light turned green, and - not seeing this truck pulling this dangerous maneuver - I started to move forward. And he came around and clipped me, wrecking my left headlight cover and a bunch of other stuff. So, instead of saving 3 seconds, he wasted half an hour, because that's how long it took to settle things after we pulled over.

"Why didn't you go?" he asked me.

"The light was red," I replied.

"You could have turned right safely," he said.

"I wasn't turning right. I was going forward," I replied.

"Then you should have been in the other lane," he said.

"That's a dedicated left turn lane," I replied.

He then went over and looked at it, and what he thought after seeing the arrow on the pavement - which he could easily have seen when he was behind me - I don't know.

I got very angry with him and he responded by calling the police. The cops were bemused by what was a civil dispute, not a criminal matter, and mediated our exchange of information. One of the cops advised me not to get angry, with an implication that I did so as some kind of negotiating tactic. I said I expressed anger because I was angry. He said it wasn't a big deal, insurance will cover it.

Well, it won't. I have a large deductible, my insurance doesn't cover the cost of a rental car while mine is in the shop, and that doesn't count the nuisance and fuss of dealing with all this. My usual body shop has abruptly gone out of business, to my surprise, so I had to get the insurer to find another one on their approved list. I hope the insurer agrees that I wasn't responsible for this. That the other driver tried this tight going-around maneuver in a large truck is what seemed most to impress my insurance adjuster.

lsanderson

Can we expect to see more U.S. citizens denaturalized?
Immigrants with citizenship and other legal status worry about losing the protections they rely on to live in Minnesota.
by Nora Hertel
https://www.minnpost.com/greater-minnesota/2026/03/can-we-expect-to-see-more-u-s-citizens-denaturalized/

Ex-Missouri house speaker sentenced 21 months for misusing Covid relief funds
John Diehl admitted using federal pandemic loans for country club dues, cars and other personal expenses
Associated Press
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/mar/10/covid-fraud-missouri-house-speaker-john-diehl ( Read more... )

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billroper

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Bill Roper's Journal

Network

Taipei, Mar 11

Best Translated Short Story nomination

Seven Years of Darkness by You-Jeong Jeong (Translated by Chi-Young Kim)

For All Mankind season 1

Diabetes and iron deficiency....

2026.03.11

Wednesday's page

(no subject)

Challenge 509: Plant

PLANT

Admin: Challenge closed

Tuesday Magic Item – Point of the Spear

Hiding from stellar radiation behind an asteroid

Canadian political news

Daily Happiness

Alice is preparing for the winds of change.

Tuesday and the adventures thereto

This week on FilkCast

compare, contrast, despise

impatient crash

2026.03.10

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March 2026

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