Olly Olly
Nov. 25th, 2025 08:43 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
syzygisOne foot still trapped but the other one free
Sing olly, sing olly, oh, olly oxen free!
Twins tied to schedule but not so for me
Sing olly, sing olly, oh, olly oxen free!
Still to prepare and to bake and to fry
Sing olly, sing olly, oh, olly oxen free!
Soon comes the feasting with good tastes to try!
Sing olly, sing olly, oh, olly oxen free!
-K Royka, 11/25/2025
Sing olly, sing olly, oh, olly oxen free!
Twins tied to schedule but not so for me
Sing olly, sing olly, oh, olly oxen free!
Still to prepare and to bake and to fry
Sing olly, sing olly, oh, olly oxen free!
Soon comes the feasting with good tastes to try!
Sing olly, sing olly, oh, olly oxen free!
-K Royka, 11/25/2025
Stories! The Vertigo Project
Nov. 24th, 2025 09:38 pmsoniamrissa posted about her contributions to The Vertigo Project, a generous handful of poems and stories (and journal prompts, and more).I especially loved the last two stories:
She Wavers But She Does Not Weaken (story), when the waves hit you even on dry land, it's good to have someone who's willing to swim against the current for you
The Torn Map (story), rewriting the pieces of the former world into something new
Links: Anti-AI
Nov. 23rd, 2025 09:36 pmsoniaThe Right to Say "No" by Audrey Watters. A rant about AI, eugenics, and Epstein (no details).
Why Science’s press team won’t be using AI to write releases anytime soon by Emily Underwood at The Last Word On Nothing.
The AI Invasion of Knitting and Crochet by Jonathan Bailey in Plagiarism Today.
Edited to add:
I don't care how well your "AI" works by Fiona Fokus.
The dark side of AI: Climate chaos, pollution, and injustice by Dwaign Tyndal. "Massive data centers pose serious risks to Black and brown communities."
WorkersDecide.tech, including AI Implementation Bingo. "Frustrated by your employer's generative AI policies? We're here to help you organize."
erinptah's list of a lot more relevant links, content note: teen suicide.
More great links in comments!
There is a real rot at the core of many of our institutions – and certainly at the core of those powerful players operating within and adjacent to them. "Artificial intelligence" emerges from this rot. It cannot be a bulwark against it.
Why Science’s press team won’t be using AI to write releases anytime soon by Emily Underwood at The Last Word On Nothing.
Every time a translator takes a book and puts it in their own words, they are interpreting the material slightly differently. What we found was that ChatGPT Plus couldn’t do that. It could regurgitate or transcribe, but it couldn’t achieve the nuance to count as its own interpretation of a study.
I think that’s because ChatGPT Plus isn’t in society — it doesn’t interact with the world. It’s predictive, but it’s not distilling or conceptualizing what matters most to a human audience, or the value that we place in narratives that are ingrained in our society. [...]
Now, after this experiment, we’re very against using it. After a year of data, we know it can’t meet our standards. If we ever did plan to use it, we’d have to implement super rigorous fact-checking, because we don’t want to lose reporters’ trust.
The AI Invasion of Knitting and Crochet by Jonathan Bailey in Plagiarism Today.
Creating a pattern requires considering the entire work; each step has to fit with and work with all the others. Blindly selecting the next step without that consideration will, more often than not, fail. This is especially true since AI can’t “test” the pattern after writing it, which is a big part of what humans do. [...]
However, the best and simplest advice is to buy from patternmakers that you trust. If you know someone who is a human making high-quality patterns, turn to them first. Rewarding known human creators rather than chasing the cheapest pattern is the best way to avoid buying AI slop.
Edited to add:
I don't care how well your "AI" works by Fiona Fokus.
No matter how well “AI” works, it has some deeply fundamental problems, that won’t go away with technical progress. I’d even go as far and say they are intentional.
The dark side of AI: Climate chaos, pollution, and injustice by Dwaign Tyndal. "Massive data centers pose serious risks to Black and brown communities."
WorkersDecide.tech, including AI Implementation Bingo. "Frustrated by your employer's generative AI policies? We're here to help you organize."
erinptah's list of a lot more relevant links, content note: teen suicide.More great links in comments!
Interpretation
Nov. 24th, 2025 08:49 pmsyzygisNightmares may chase you down, my son;
With fear and shadow they may strike.
Still please remember, son:
Like other dreams with thought they break.
-K Royka, 11/24/2025
With fear and shadow they may strike.
Still please remember, son:
Like other dreams with thought they break.
-K Royka, 11/24/2025
this time for sure
Nov. 24th, 2025 01:18 pmredbirdI think I have arranged to transfer the inherited IRA money from my mother's account at BNY to a new account in my name at Fidelity. It's at Fidelity because they were willing and able to do this, rather than telling me that I would have to go somewhere else to get a medallion signature.
A couple of weeks ago Adrian's advisor at Fidelity said that they could provide the medallion signature, and would do it for free because she has an account there. When she called this morning to make an appointment, they told her that they couldn't do that for her partner, but if I created an account today to transfer the money into, I could go there tomorrow and get the medallion signature. So, I called Fidelity to set up the account.
That went more smoothly than I expected. Someone walked me through the process of creating the new account, and setting up the transfer. He said the Fidelity back office people will take care of moving the money, and he didn't think I would need the medallion signature, meaning I don't need to go to their office. The website said the "estimated completion date" was Dec. 16, and the man I was talking to said it would probably be sooner than that.
I want this to be done before the end of the year, so I can take the 2025 required minimum distribution.
I am hopeful that this will work, even if they call me and tell ne to come in and get the medallion signature guarantee.
A couple of weeks ago Adrian's advisor at Fidelity said that they could provide the medallion signature, and would do it for free because she has an account there. When she called this morning to make an appointment, they told her that they couldn't do that for her partner, but if I created an account today to transfer the money into, I could go there tomorrow and get the medallion signature. So, I called Fidelity to set up the account.
That went more smoothly than I expected. Someone walked me through the process of creating the new account, and setting up the transfer. He said the Fidelity back office people will take care of moving the money, and he didn't think I would need the medallion signature, meaning I don't need to go to their office. The website said the "estimated completion date" was Dec. 16, and the man I was talking to said it would probably be sooner than that.
I want this to be done before the end of the year, so I can take the 2025 required minimum distribution.
I am hopeful that this will work, even if they call me and tell ne to come in and get the medallion signature guarantee.
Maps Release: Greater Northshore Bike Connector, MEGAMAP 2.0.7
Nov. 23rd, 2025 12:50 amsolarbirdGreater Northshore Bike Connector Map 2.0.7 – 23 November 2025 – is now available on github, as is MEGAMAP 2.0.7.
This release contains two major corrections to the 2 Line Bike Connector Map, as well as notice of a December 1-5 closure of the EastRail Trail in Renton near the Seahawks Training Centre.
Here’s the complete changes list:
- WARNING: EastRail Trail South in Renton near the Seahawks Training Centre will be CLOSED from December 1-5 for regravelling. (MEGAMAP only)
- CORRECTION: 132nd/134th from NE 24th to NE 60th in Bellevue along Bridal Trails Park is currently INCORRECTLY labelled as having bike lanes. IT DOES NOT. This will be corrected locally (ala Seattle corrections) and I will relay the error to the maintainers of the 2 Line Bike Connector Map. Thanks to @astruder for the correction. (MEGAMAP only)
- CORRECTION: NE 40th in Bellevue between 140th and 148th Ave NE is currently INCORRECTLY labelled as having bike lanes. IT DOES NOT. This will be corrected local (ala Seattle corrections) and I will relay the error to the maintainers of the 2 Line Bike Connector Map. Thanks to @astruder for the correction. (MEGAMAP only)
- REMOVED: Work on Sammamish River Trail in Woodinville between 175th and 178th is functionally complete, and no more closures are listed. (Both maps)
All permalinks continue to work.
If you enjoy these maps and feel like throwing some change at the tip jar, here’s my patreon. Patreon supports get things like pre-sliced printables of the Greater Northshore, and also the completely-uncompressed MEGAMAP, not that the .jpg has much compression in it because honestly it doesn’t.
Enjoy biking!
Posted via Solarbird{y|z|yz}, Collected.
Field Experience
Nov. 22nd, 2025 09:02 pmsyzygisBack when I was still in high school,
The entire fucking class
Took a trip to New York City
(No museums, though, alas).
Now, I still cannot remember
Why this field trip we were on,
But I know I had no camera,
So I scribbled some notes down.
It was boring, we went shopping,
And my classmates thought me odd --
Who records their life on paper
While they're living it? Dear G-d!
(Nearing thirty long years later,
I most humbly submit:
Whatsomever that field trip *was*,
It was never "living it".
-K Royka, 11/22/2025
The entire fucking class
Took a trip to New York City
(No museums, though, alas).
Now, I still cannot remember
Why this field trip we were on,
But I know I had no camera,
So I scribbled some notes down.
It was boring, we went shopping,
And my classmates thought me odd --
Who records their life on paper
While they're living it? Dear G-d!
(Nearing thirty long years later,
I most humbly submit:
Whatsomever that field trip *was*,
It was never "living it".
-K Royka, 11/22/2025
new glasses
Nov. 21st, 2025 07:21 pmredbirdI picked up my new glasses today, and I like them. I am seeing better than with the old glasses, either because it's a slightly different prescription, because the old pair had gotten scratched, or some combination.
A few hours later, the lenses have gotten smudged, so I am going to clean them after posting this.
I stopped on the way home at New City Microcreamery, which now has a branch in Arlington Center, half a block from the optician's. After tasting a few flavors, I bought a pint of dairy cinnamon ice cream for myself, and a pint of vegan peanut butter foradrian_turtle, at her request.
A few hours later, the lenses have gotten smudged, so I am going to clean them after posting this.
I stopped on the way home at New City Microcreamery, which now has a branch in Arlington Center, half a block from the optician's. After tasting a few flavors, I bought a pint of dairy cinnamon ice cream for myself, and a pint of vegan peanut butter for
adrian_turtle, at her request.Reminisce
Nov. 19th, 2025 08:10 pmsyzygisThere once was a lady who gave birth to twins
Who wins? She gave birth to twins!
Beside her, her husband sat holding her hand
Great man, holding her hand!
Then there was the doc supervising the birth.
What worth! Keep watch on the birth!
And he brought a resident, hands on to aid...
That's what I said, a resident's aid.
And she brought a resident trying to learn!
What a turn, just trying to learn!
And they brought a high schooler shadowing that day!
This was no play but she shadowed that day!
And someone brought doctors in case cuts were needed --
No c section called for, but still none retreated.
And nurses and others stood by or stayed seated.
Life was a circus, the clowns undefeated.
-K Royka, 11/19/2025
Who wins? She gave birth to twins!
Beside her, her husband sat holding her hand
Great man, holding her hand!
Then there was the doc supervising the birth.
What worth! Keep watch on the birth!
And he brought a resident, hands on to aid...
That's what I said, a resident's aid.
And she brought a resident trying to learn!
What a turn, just trying to learn!
And they brought a high schooler shadowing that day!
This was no play but she shadowed that day!
And someone brought doctors in case cuts were needed --
No c section called for, but still none retreated.
And nurses and others stood by or stayed seated.
Life was a circus, the clowns undefeated.
-K Royka, 11/19/2025
More about Medicare
Nov. 19th, 2025 06:45 pmredbirdFollowing up on my post from Monday: adrian_turtle talked to a different advisor (also with SHINE, like the person we talked to Monday).
He told her that "CommonHealth" is a Medigap plan, which you can only enroll in if you are under 65 and on Medicare because you're disabled. They don't require you to have less than X amount of money or income, but the premiums are based on a percentage of your income, and for us would be significantly less than a standard Medigap plan. He urged her to apply by printing the form and sending it in with a cover letter saying that this is a CommonHealth application, because otherwise they might treat it as a MassHealth application, which is not what we'd be looking for.
Edited to add: the only part of this information that's relevant for me right now is the "special election period"--because I inherited money this year, while I could enroll in CommonHealth, it wouldn't save money and might cost more than a standard Medigap policy. I have made a calendar entry to check in one year, and in two years, to see if it makes sense then.
Standard Medicare Open Enrollment ends on Dec. 7th, making this seem urgent--especially if we want to trust it to the post office--but I remembered that the letter saying my current Medicare Advantage plan won't be offered next year said I therefore have more time to choose a new plan.
So, I opened a chat window at Medicare.gov, and ran into a weird bit of terminology. Open enrollment ends on Dec. 7th, but I have a "special election period" from Dec. 8 to the end of February. The agent wanted to make clear that if I don't choose a plan by Dec. 31st, I wouldn't have Part D drug coverage or a Medicare Advantage plan.
I then asked if the special election period also applied to Medigap, and they told me that Medigap doesn't have annual open enrollment, if you don't buy it within six months after starting on Medicare the private insurance companies don't have to sell it to you. At that point, I thanked him and said that Massachusetts has different rules, and I think I need to talk to someone from the state.
adrian_turtle talked to a different advisor (also with SHINE, like the person we talked to Monday).He told her that "CommonHealth" is a Medigap plan, which you can only enroll in if you are under 65 and on Medicare because you're disabled. They don't require you to have less than X amount of money or income, but the premiums are based on a percentage of your income, and for us would be significantly less than a standard Medigap plan. He urged her to apply by printing the form and sending it in with a cover letter saying that this is a CommonHealth application, because otherwise they might treat it as a MassHealth application, which is not what we'd be looking for.
Edited to add: the only part of this information that's relevant for me right now is the "special election period"--because I inherited money this year, while I could enroll in CommonHealth, it wouldn't save money and might cost more than a standard Medigap policy. I have made a calendar entry to check in one year, and in two years, to see if it makes sense then.
Standard Medicare Open Enrollment ends on Dec. 7th, making this seem urgent--especially if we want to trust it to the post office--but I remembered that the letter saying my current Medicare Advantage plan won't be offered next year said I therefore have more time to choose a new plan.
So, I opened a chat window at Medicare.gov, and ran into a weird bit of terminology. Open enrollment ends on Dec. 7th, but I have a "special election period" from Dec. 8 to the end of February. The agent wanted to make clear that if I don't choose a plan by Dec. 31st, I wouldn't have Part D drug coverage or a Medicare Advantage plan.
I then asked if the special election period also applied to Medigap, and they told me that Medigap doesn't have annual open enrollment, if you don't buy it within six months after starting on Medicare the private insurance companies don't have to sell it to you. At that point, I thanked him and said that Massachusetts has different rules, and I think I need to talk to someone from the state.
Untitled 11/18/2025
Nov. 18th, 2025 08:35 pmsyzygisI cannot think of anything
No notions to be found.
I'm just too plain exhausted
For that hope to turn around.
-K Royka, 11/18/2025
No notions to be found.
I'm just too plain exhausted
For that hope to turn around.
-K Royka, 11/18/2025
Medicare questions/decisions
Nov. 17th, 2025 03:03 pmredbirdI just had a phone appointment with someone, funded by the state of Massachusetts, to help decide between basic Medicare plus a Medigap plan, or a Medicare Advantage plan. I have gotten some useful information, but am going to double-check everything, because in at least one case what she told me contradicts what the official Medicare.gov site says. It's a relatively minor point--the existence of a roommate discount for some Medigap plans--but I asked about which plans it applied to, and she said it doesn't exist.
The new and interesting information is that apparently, because I am under 65 and disabled, I'm eligible for a Medicaid plan, without an income limit. It's called CommonHealth, and seems to be part of the state's "Commonwealth Care." If I understand correctly, after Medicare paid 80% of a bill, it would cover the rest, but only at providers that take MassHealth.
If I got basic Medicare (parts A and B), a part D drug plan, and a Medigap plan, I could see any provider that takes Medicare, without worrying about what's in-network. However, a Medigap plan would cost significantly more than this CommonHealth thing.
Or, I could sign up for another Medicare Advantage plan. The advantage there is there are some that would cost no more than the Medicare Part B premium. The disadvantage is being limited to in-network providers unless I'm willing to pay significantly more for that service.
I thought the question was, is it worth $250-$300/month (Medigap + prescription coverage) more to not have to worry about being in-network and prior authorization. It sounds like this CommonHealth plan would cost significantly less per month, but if the provider doesn't take MassHealth, I'd be paying 20%. Which gets back to the larger problem that there's no way to find out what number that will be 20% until after the visit.
If I understood correctly, all these options have copays for some things, and CommonHealth may require prior authorization for some things.
The new and interesting information is that apparently, because I am under 65 and disabled, I'm eligible for a Medicaid plan, without an income limit. It's called CommonHealth, and seems to be part of the state's "Commonwealth Care." If I understand correctly, after Medicare paid 80% of a bill, it would cover the rest, but only at providers that take MassHealth.
If I got basic Medicare (parts A and B), a part D drug plan, and a Medigap plan, I could see any provider that takes Medicare, without worrying about what's in-network. However, a Medigap plan would cost significantly more than this CommonHealth thing.
Or, I could sign up for another Medicare Advantage plan. The advantage there is there are some that would cost no more than the Medicare Part B premium. The disadvantage is being limited to in-network providers unless I'm willing to pay significantly more for that service.
I thought the question was, is it worth $250-$300/month (Medigap + prescription coverage) more to not have to worry about being in-network and prior authorization. It sounds like this CommonHealth plan would cost significantly less per month, but if the provider doesn't take MassHealth, I'd be paying 20%. Which gets back to the larger problem that there's no way to find out what number that will be 20% until after the visit.
If I understood correctly, all these options have copays for some things, and CommonHealth may require prior authorization for some things.
Stories! Find your own way
Nov. 16th, 2025 08:08 pmsoniaThe Crow’s Second Tale by Marissa Lingen, mrissa. A hopeful coming of age story about a very determined young person who finds her own way forward.
The Things You Know, The Things You Trust by Marissa Lingen,mrissa. Shifting and changing science fiction that is also about the present moment.
Open House on Haunted Hill by John Wiswell. At the end, John Wiswell comments, "Off the top of my head I gave them the example that if I wrote a haunted house story, it wouldn’t be like Haunting of Hill House – it would be about a haunted house that was lonely and desperately wanted someone to live in it. One of my fellow authors reached across the table, grabbed me by the hand, and said, “Please write this.” On the train ride home, I did."
mrissa. A hopeful coming of age story about a very determined young person who finds her own way forward.The Things You Know, The Things You Trust by Marissa Lingen,
mrissa. Shifting and changing science fiction that is also about the present moment.Open House on Haunted Hill by John Wiswell. At the end, John Wiswell comments, "Off the top of my head I gave them the example that if I wrote a haunted house story, it wouldn’t be like Haunting of Hill House – it would be about a haunted house that was lonely and desperately wanted someone to live in it. One of my fellow authors reached across the table, grabbed me by the hand, and said, “Please write this.” On the train ride home, I did."
Links: Emotions, trauma, research
Nov. 16th, 2025 07:22 pmsoniayoufeellikeshit.com, a self-care game by Amanda Miklik, based on a twine site by Jace Harr. Step by step questions to help you feel better.
Using the Arousal-Valence Model to Better Your Emotional Intelligence by Dr. Megan Anna Neff. Some aids to naming emotions for people who find it difficult, including an Unpleasant/Pleasant, High/Low Arousal grid.
Finding the Middle Way in Black & White Thinking with Marbling by Cait Klein.
Self Compassion and How The Science of Kindness Changes Your Brain interview with Dr. Kristin Neff, audio with summary.
The Collapse of Self-Worth in the Digital Age by Thea Lim.
“To See it All at Once”: Black Southern Placemaking Technologies with Zandria Robinson
How our noisy world is seriously damaging our health by James Gallagher.
Women are three times more likely than men to get severe long COVID by Gillian Rutherford.
Opinion | I’m just 16, and I already have too many memories of mass shootings by Lydia Ganser. "It’s easy to offer condolences from afar while doing nothing to stop the guns."
What I Need You To Understand, Notes from Chicago in Late October by Dan Sinker.
Using the Arousal-Valence Model to Better Your Emotional Intelligence by Dr. Megan Anna Neff. Some aids to naming emotions for people who find it difficult, including an Unpleasant/Pleasant, High/Low Arousal grid.
Finding the Middle Way in Black & White Thinking with Marbling by Cait Klein.
Black and white thinking is a trauma response that is important to break down for our overall happiness and wellbeing. When we are not feeling safe, it’s easy to slide into rigid thought patterns such as everything is either good or bad, friend or enemy, kind or mean, awesome or awful etc. The reality is things are rarely ever all one or the other, and as we break down binary ways of thinking we allow more space for connection and collaboration to move forward in our lives.
Self Compassion and How The Science of Kindness Changes Your Brain interview with Dr. Kristin Neff, audio with summary.
The Collapse of Self-Worth in the Digital Age by Thea Lim.
When I was twelve, I used to roller-skate in circles for hours. I was at another new school, the odd man out, bullied by my desk mate. My problems were too complex and modern to explain. So I skated across parking lots, breezeways, and sidewalks, I listened to the vibration of my wheels on brick, I learned the names of flowers, I put deserted paths to use. I decided for myself each curve I took, and by the time I rolled home, I felt lighter. One Saturday, a friend invited me to roller-skate in the park. I can still picture her in green protective knee pads, flying past. I couldn’t catch up, I had no technique. There existed another scale to evaluate roller skating, beyond joy, and as Rollerbladers and cyclists overtook me, it eclipsed my own. Soon after, I stopped skating.
“To See it All at Once”: Black Southern Placemaking Technologies with Zandria Robinson
It was amazing to me to get to graduate school and to discover that I was a Southerner, and to discover that there was this idea that once all the Black [Southern] people left for the Great Migration, apparently we just didn’t even exist anymore, despite the inconvenient fact of the whole civil rights movement. So I had a bone to pick, and I just continued picking it.
How our noisy world is seriously damaging our health by James Gallagher.
"You have an emotional response to sound," says Prof Clark. Sound is detected by the ear and passed onto the brain and one region – the amygdala – performs the emotional assessment. This is part of the body's fight-or-flight response that has evolved to help us react quickly to the sounds like a predator crashing through the bushes. "So your heart rate goes up, your nervous system starts to kick in and you release stress hormones," Prof Clark tells me.
Women are three times more likely than men to get severe long COVID by Gillian Rutherford.
Through analysis of immune cells, biomarkers in the blood and RNA sequencing, they identified a distinct immune signature in female versus male patients.
They found evidence of “gut leakiness” in the women patients, including elevated blood levels of intestinal fatty acid binding protein, lipopolysaccharide, and the soluble protein CD14 — all signs of gut inflammation that can then trigger further systemic inflammation once they reach the circulatory system.
Opinion | I’m just 16, and I already have too many memories of mass shootings by Lydia Ganser. "It’s easy to offer condolences from afar while doing nothing to stop the guns."
What I Need You To Understand, Notes from Chicago in Late October by Dan Sinker.
There's noise, so much noise, but there's also signal and the signal was that they were here that they were everywhere. Smash and grab jobs happening across the city nearly simultaneously. But the things being stolen aren't jewels, they're lives. Off streets, from yards. One roofer plucked off a ladder. A landscaper thrown to the ground, tackled by a half-dozen men in camo with weapons. Sixteen people on this day. Sixteen people disappeared, from just the northern side of the city and suburbs. More across the entire city.