There are so many FCC comment periods that will close right at the beginning of January, on really stupid, short-sighted, make-billionaires-richer things they want to do with loosening the already incredibly loose regulations for satellites. I am tired. But I have to write stuff for these, because it's the one and only way to formally protest. Fuck.
HEADS UP that the FCC comment period for Reflect Orbital's first hideously bright, ecology-disrupting satellite will open probably in mid- to late-January. I'm gonna need EVERYBODY to write in for that one.
https://fccprod.servicenowservices.com/icfs?id=ibfs_application_summary&number=SAT-LOA-20250701-00129
There are so many FCC comment periods that will close right at the beginning of January, on really stupid, short-sighted, make-billionaires-richer things they want to do with loosening the already incredibly loose regulations for satellites. I am tired. But I have to write stuff for these, because it's the one and only way to formally protest. Fuck.
placenta
I find it completely hilarious that Air New Zealand specifically says that you can bring a placenta on their flights, as long as it's in a leak-proof container! Enough people have asked about this that they have decided it should be in the FAQ what-can-I-pack list!!
https://www.airnewzealand.com/items-not-allowed-on-flight
Improved frivolous poll thanks to a suggestion from @silverfox@toot.cat (currently the poll winner is "Goat!!")
Which term better describes gently but firmly wrestling silly yearling goats up onto a stanchion for hoof trimming + carrying struggling annoyed yearlings for a weigh-in:
The excellent essay by @pluralistic@mamot.fr today https://pluralistic.net/2025/12/08/giant-teddybears/ reminds me that I should have also included Judas goat as an option in the frivolous goat poll!
(Yes that is a ridiculous connection. Just go read the essay, it's fantastic.)
Frivolous poll of the evening: Does gently but firmly wrestling silly yearling goats up onto a stanchion for hoof trimming + carrying them for a weigh-in count as goat yoga?
Improved frivolous poll thanks to a suggestion from @silverfox@toot.cat (currently the poll winner is "Goat!!")
Which term better describes gently but firmly wrestling silly yearling goats up onto a stanchion for hoof trimming + carrying struggling annoyed yearlings for a weigh-in:
Frivolous poll of the evening: Does gently but firmly wrestling silly yearling goats up onto a stanchion for hoof trimming + carrying them for a weigh-in count as goat yoga?
It must be nice to have so much lovely wool that you don't even notice that you're covered with snow. (The goats are definitely jealous of him).
Trimmed the hooves of 6 of the 11 goats who needed it. Will try to get the other 5 done tomorrow.
Started the big job of packing up a lot of my family's stuff from 3 rooms that the farmsitter will be living in. I will definitely have nightmares about packing up and moving tonight (that's my brain's go-to stress dream, since I moved an average of once a year for the ~decade and a half before I moved to Saskatchewan. Ah, academia....)
Best part of starting to clean out my home office room is that I found a bunch more stickers, so my laptop is way better prepared to face the world now.
Trimmed the hooves of 6 of the 11 goats who needed it. Will try to get the other 5 done tomorrow.
Started the big job of packing up a lot of my family's stuff from 3 rooms that the farmsitter will be living in. I will definitely have nightmares about packing up and moving tonight (that's my brain's go-to stress dream, since I moved an average of once a year for the ~decade and a half before I moved to Saskatchewan. Ah, academia....)
selfie (barely)
First -30C morning (well, probably not quite, the very old mercury thermometer outside my house seems to read a couple of degrees low.) I almost didn't need a headlamp, the moon was so bright (Jupiter tried too)
I'm only milking 1 goat every morning now, but this magical goat is still giving almost 2L per day! I have to dry her off soon, so I'll try to only take a liter or so the next few mornings.
Very frosty face after feeding all the animals! And it was still dark.
Prof. Sam Lawler