Kelsey J.R.P. Byers

this is like

the thesis statement of our times

Happy birthday! May your year be full of everything you hope for, as much as it's possible right now.

Amazing, the fire brigade finally arrived after 60 minutes of alarms going off, good job we've not been burnt to a crisp already. Hoping they don't kick us out of the lobby into the cold as I've not got my wheelchair nor my coat. Did think to grab my meds & fanny pack/bum bag, thankfully.

Amazing, the fire brigade finally arrived after 60 minutes of alarms going off, good job we've not been burnt to a crisp already. Hoping they don't kick us out of the lobby into the cold as I've not got my wheelchair nor my coat. Did think to grab my meds & fanny pack/bum bag, thankfully.

Always a good time at the Holiday Inn Express here in Leeds, where the fire alarm has been going off for 60 minutes every 15-30 seconds at 2am, and no provision was made for evacuating wheelie-me from my non-ground-floor room, nor was my room called to ask if I needed help. Good job I can walk some.

Mosquito Bucket Challenge - Homegrown National Park Natural mosquito control: The Mosquito Bucket Challenge is a safe, affordable way to control mosquitoes without harming kids, pets, or pollinators.

Instead of spraying for mosquitos this summer, try the Mosquito Murder Bucket!

It's cheaper than paying a company and doesn't kill all of the beneficial insects in the area.

#garden #gardening

Wolf Worm

Just in case you missed it, I have a new horror novel out on the 24th! Distract yourself from the horrors with smaller, more controllable horrors?

torpublishinggroup.com/wolf-worm/?i...

Wasp Beetle, Clytus arietis.

Wasp Beetle, Clytus arietis.

Wasp Beetle, Clytus arietis.

Wasp Beetle, Clytus arietis.

Wasp Beetle, Clytus arietis.

Found in the living room today. It had emerged from firewood (Hazel coppice poles). Released into the back garden.

www.naturespot.org/species/wasp...

#Beetles #UKWildlife

people are so extraordinary in what they can do

is there a term like "sheeple" but for people with car brain?

Private money cannot replace public funding of science Who should pay for American science? In the current political climate, many are looking to the private sector to compensate for cuts in public funding. At the Harvard School of Public Health—particula...

A response to the opinion that private $ can replace the NIH.

Businesses are not charities. They work on profit margins. Decades of $ is essential for research to progress from an initial discovery to treatment. Most of the dirty work goes on in academic labs.

🧪 www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Please make it stop. Ugh. This is worse than Googling symptoms.

Lots of people making fun of this, but as someone who showers a disabled person, this is a goddamn dream.

One awesome thing about the internet is that if you have something strange happen with a medication you can go online and search and find people who take that medication talking about having similar experiences and be reassured that it's probably not actually an issue.

‘Unbelievably dangerous’: experts sound alarm after ChatGPT Health fails to recognise medical emergencies Study finds ChatGPT Health did not recommend a hospital visit when medically necessary in more than half of cases

Study finds ChatGPT Health did not recommend a hospital visit when medically necessary in more than half of cases. www.theguardian.com/technology/2...

Amazing peppered moth story from Saccheri lab - same locus, but different structural variants, underly parallel evolution of industrial melanism in the UK and across continental Europe.

just making sure everybody saw these kittens

Regret to announce that we’ve reached Wrong Coat season. Every coat you wear from now til mid April will be The Wrong Coat for the weather

Alas, no - I've seen them at Cley Marshes NWT and a few times at Titchwell Marsh RSPB, and one flyover at Strumpshaw Fen RSPB (apparently a first for that site!) but never inland besides the one time at Strumpshaw. They are super neat birds - so fun with their spoony bills!

Interesting, thanks for the info! I know seronegative Sjoegren's exists but good point re: common chronic illness symptoms. Aggressive hydration I need to be more consistent with, good to know it helps you!

A Eurasian Coot strides across grass and dirt. This odd bird has a grey body, black head, and thick greenish grey legs ending in oddly lobed long toes. The bill is pointy and white and it has a white shield on its forehead and red eyes.

A Black-headed Gull floats on open water. This bird has a black head, reddish black bill, white neck and chest, and light grey wings with black tips folded along its back.

A Carrion Crow sits on a wooden park bench in front of a forest full of bare trees. This large songbird is solid black with a thick black bill.

A Great Cormorant stands on a wooden pillar in front of out of focus bare branches. This large bird has a black body with a white patch on its flank, thick black legs, and a peppered white and black head. The bill is long and hooked and has some orange skin at the base.

Nice day out at Whitlingham Great Broad to take advantage of a sunny and warm afternoon. Saw 28 species of birds - tons of gulls, cormorants, and waterfowl.

Here a Eurasian Coot, Black-headed Gull, Carrion Crow, and Great Cormorant - all monochrome edition!

If anyone on here has Sjoegren's Disease/Syndrome and is willing to chat privately about the diagnosis process and symptoms, would be much appreciated! (feel free to repost)

I've had dry mouth for a year or so & dry eyes for at least 5-10 years, plus more fatigue, & thinking they may be connected.

How a rare chronic illness left me unable to play my bagpipes Katie Robertson went back and forth to her GP and local hospital before being diagnosed with postural tachycardia syndrome.

So pleased to see so much BBC coverage of PoTS/hEDS these days - surprisingly common conditions that aren't well understood by most practitioners in the medical field and that can be quite disabling, as in my case!

Very recent examples:

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Unexpected Elements - Seeing double - BBC Sounds A pair of twins on trial for murder has us wondering about all things identical.

Separately, I've been quite quiet here! Alas.

I was recently able to be on an episode of the BBC World Service's "Unexpected Elements", where I responded to a listener question about why Gorse flowers smell like piña coladas (I agree!) - minutes ca. 36:30 - 42:00 :

www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...

Bluesky Map Interactive map of 3 million Bluesky users, visualised by their follower pattern.

Friend found this and it's quite neat to explore one's Bluesky connections/area!

bluesky-map.theo.io

Works best in Chrome, bit slow in Firefox.

Ahh, that makes sense! "Wheelchair-bonded" does sound lovely with that association, actually, even if "wheelchair-bound" still rubs me personally the wrong way. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!

I was just thinking myself also that tasks other than directly digging themselves might be suitable - e.g. rough processing of samples (sifting is what I thought of too!), sorting, initial scouting, sketching/site description, and so on. But it depends on what the student wants to do, of course

Personally I like the terms "wheelie" or "wheelchair user" or "wheelchair-based" - they carry the "this person uses a chair" meaning while avoiding the negative connotation that the chair is somehow hindering rather than freeing their mobility.

Individual preference does apply for sure! But I've (at least personally) yet to meet a fellow wheelie (speaking as a majority-time wheelie myself), entirely chair-based or not, who prefers the term "bound" - agree 100% that it's because our chairs give us freedom, they don't take it away.

Also dropped you an email just FYI!