Bipedal Meatbag

SHOULD THE U.S BLOT OUT THE SUN AND USHER IN AN AGE OF ETERNAL DARKNESS? - Gallup 2/20/26-3/5/26

NO - 41%
YES - 38%
UNSURE - 21%

I reached out via DM, as I am one of these weird niche scientists.

Being an academic is equal parts awesome and stupid.

Got an email telling me I’ve been added to a new committee because I’m an active researcher in the system. Soon a flood of emails from people explaining why they can’t participate is followed by more replying-all to ask people not to reply-all.

Thibaud Flament speaks for all of us 🙃

He is hedge enthusiast across the range of sizes.

Hedgehogs are illegal to own as pets where we live and there are no native species on the islands. It is also unlikely that he would have encountered one before he came to us.

A big Newfoundland dog using a hedgehog toy as a pillow

A Newfoundland dog hoarding 5 hedgehog toys of multiple sizes on his bed

A Newfoundland dog using a hedgehog toy as a jowl rest with other hedgehog toys piles near him

A Newfoundland dog burying his jowls in a pile of hedgehog toys.

Klaus’ love for hedgehogs knows no limit. The boy has hedgie madness!

Another fantastic turntable that is not in my budget. #Audio #Audiophile

Sponge candy Pele’s hair.

A skier in the Olympics being chased down by a wolf dog named Nazgûl. They are reporting his time and Italian affiliation in a small graphic.

I always root for Nazgûl. Bummer he didn’t qualify for the next round.

As someone who lives with their own canine crimebag, I find this story both relatable and endearing.

I looked into having him play at my wedding but he was well out of my price range.

It is a very humbling experience to be there. It makes you feel small and insignificant but in a profound sort of way.

I’m a volunteer interloper from the UHH geology faculty, credit where it’s due to my USGS colleagues.

The fountains actually hit a max height of ~400m for this eruption!

I’ve worked with NASA before and have conducted geophysical surveys for archeologists; do those experiences count?

Maine did have volcanoes 420 million years ago, but different flavor of eruptions. Isle au Haut is a great example where some of the preserved remnants of this explosive past can still be found.

False; Maine has no active volcanoes.

I go out in the field with the USGS as an extra set of hands during the eruption response. Most of my job is actually teaching at the local university! The credit goes to the USGS technicians who make sure everything is maintained between the eruptions.

Seems like a perfectly reasonable thing to explain to folks who don’t know the difference.

My career has taken me to Masaya.

A lava fountain feeding a flow in a blustery day, as seen from a webcam.

The distance between the humans and the fountain is ~800m/0.5 miles. This image was taken from the cameras that are visible in the original photos.

I am the mouth, not the pen: I live to disappoint grammarians.

Comfortably warm, not unbearable. I have a respirator and other PPE for when I do this type of work.

Though*

I got a mean biscuit recipe, too.

We only had step dancing in Mordor, the antithesis of arm movement. Unsure of what my excuse is.

I take the reverence and respect aspect of being allowed in that space very seriously. I was just very animated while chatting with colleagues about the activity.

I take the reverence and respect aspect of being allowed in that space very seriously. I was just very animated while chatting with colleagues about the activity.