Prof. Sam Lawler
Prof. Sam LawlerJust today, my external monitor hooked to my laptop has started showing a smattering of flickering red pixels inside any large areas of black in any images. What is up with that?! Is this a sign of imminent failure? Or something I could fix by changing settings or whacking it just right?
EDIT: Thanks for suggestions! I unplugged and cleaned HDMI connection and restarted monitor and no more flickery red pixels! We'll see how long it holds.
Prof. Sam LawlerI want to go for a walk but the windchill never got above -25C today...
Prof. Sam LawlerEvery astronomer who complains about satellite streaks has heard the same response from techbro-types: "Why don't you just put all your telescopes in space?"
There are an incredibly large number of reasons why that is totally not going to work. But here's another from Borloff et al "Satellite megaconstellations will threaten space-based astronomy"
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-09759-5
Prof. Sam LawlerThe accompanying News & Views piece "Even in space, satellites photobomb telescopes" by @merrdiff.bsky.social@bsky.brid.gy is excellent!
https://rdcu.be/eSZJX
Here's a lovely space-based telescope image, with 560,000 satellite friends. Thanks, techbros.
Prof. Sam LawlerEvery astronomer who complains about satellite streaks has heard the same response from techbro-types: "Why don't you just put all your telescopes in space?"
There are an incredibly large number of reasons why that is totally not going to work. But here's another from Borloff et al "Satellite megaconstellations will threaten space-based astronomy"
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-09759-5
Prof. Sam LawlerAcademics, looks like there's an open letter against solar geoengineering that you can sign on to here: https://www.solargeoeng.org/
Prof. Sam Lawler'Theoretically, rogue billionaires could afford to at least start changing the climate on their own. That’s the premise of the science fiction novel “Termination Shock,” which inspired Iseman to found Make Sunsets in 2022.'
WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK TECHBROS
https://wapo.st/3MeKCkf
Prof. Sam LawlerJust tried a lazy risotto recipe (involves baking rice+stock in the oven rather than stirring) and completely forgot that brown rice takes one million years to cook and the recipe was for arborio rice. So. We'll have dinner...maybe by breakfast time?
Prof. Sam LawlerCame out tasty after giving up on the oven method and just boiling/stirring it on the stovetop! Not exactly risotto, but still delicious, with pumpkin, sage, nutmeg, and some of the aged garlic/black pepper chevre I made months ago.
Getting close enough to our trip now that we are only allowed to buy more food if it helps us eat something in the freezer/pantry. It's an exciting game...I've definitely been eating a bit more weird combos as a result!
Prof. Sam LawlerJust tried a lazy risotto recipe (involves baking rice+stock in the oven rather than stirring) and completely forgot that brown rice takes one million years to cook and the recipe was for arborio rice. So. We'll have dinner...maybe by breakfast time?
Prof. Sam Lawler"Even Carrington would be impressed" 😬
https://spaceweather.com/archive.php?view=1&day=02&month=12&year=2025
Hopefully we just get "someone should check on our satellites" levels of auroras and not "A bunch of open questions in solar-terrestrial physics are about to be answered"
Prof. Sam LawlerThis is blowing up a bit: not trying to scare you all! There is a gigantic set of sunspots coming around the limb of the sun, comparable in size to the sunspots sketched by Carrington. They may or may not send some plasma our way. There is also a minor aurora event predicted for 2 days from now due to interactions between an eruption from this sunspot group and previously emitted solar wind/magnetic fields.
ESA has some good info on big solar storms here: https://www.esa.int/Space_Safety/Space_weather/Flying_through_the_biggest_solar_storm_ever_recorded
Prof. Sam Lawler"Even Carrington would be impressed" 😬
https://spaceweather.com/archive.php?view=1&day=02&month=12&year=2025
Hopefully we just get "someone should check on our satellites" levels of auroras and not "A bunch of open questions in solar-terrestrial physics are about to be answered"
Prof. Sam LawlerI was going to make another cup of tea before my next meeting starts, but I am now trapped at my desk under 2 cats.