lysora | Reading

https://www.esa.int/Applications/Observing_the_Earth/Space_for_our_climate/A_troubling_shift_in_Europe_s_forest_carbon_balance

Europe’s forests play a crucial role in removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, but research led by the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre has found their capacity to absorb carbon dioxide has declined in the past decade.

https://www.esa.int/Applications/Observing_the_Earth/Space_for_our_climate/A_troubling_shift_in_Europe_s_forest_carbon_balance

azurelunatic

https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-components/storage/yes-you-can-store-data-on-a-bird-enthusiast-converts-png-to-bird-shaped-waveform-teaches-young-starling-to-recall-file-at-up-to-2mb-s

Taking this proof-of-concept to a ridiculous destination, imagine taking a very simple secret message, converting it to sound, and tasking a starling to smuggle it out somewhere. (This seems very impractical compared to an amateurishly knitted scarf with a code in the seemingly random purl stitches.)

musesfool

I had to go into the office yesterday (for the first time since March! March!!!) and it has wiped me out. I mean, "had to" in the sense that my boss wanted to take us out for lunch since in addition to my birthday in July, 2 other team members had birthdays in late June. We made a reservation at a restaurant about a block and a half from the office, which was great since it was so hot! But not great because the restaurant...didn't exist? There was a sign, but nothing inside the building and the phone had been disconnected. Even though we had made a reservation!

So we stood there for a while in the heat, trying to figure out where else we could go, and I was like, "Pepolino is 2 blocks away, we could go there!" And thankfully, they still existed and were open and had a table for 5 available right underneath the air conditioner, so lunch was lovely after a rough start.

I didn't get a whole lot of work done, but I did have one or two quick conversations of the sort that is easiest in the office since you don't have to set up time - you just run into someone in the hall and chat. Still, not worth having to get up an hour earlier and spend 2 hours a day commuting.

(Also, I ran into oldboss3 and she was like, "wow I haven't seen you in so long! It's so good to see you! Can you send an email for me???" And I was just like, "...I think it's best if Assistant L sends the email, since she will be able to answer any questions received in response and I won't." *shudders* Dodged that one.)

Since I knew I was going to be in the city, I arranged to have dinner with

innie_darling and

tenaciousmetoo, which was also lovely!

And then I came home and even though I'd set the air conditioner to go on about an hour before I knew I'd arrive home, my apartment was still unpleasantly warm. Bleh. Took my bedroom some time to drop in temperature too, which is the real key to sleeping well, I think, at least for me. So I didn't have a great night of sleep. But I probably don't have to go back into the office until late September, so I guess it's okay. *g*

*

Current Mood: sleepy
Current Music: A Little Respect - Erasure

esa_int_feed

https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/Webb/Webb_traces_details_of_complex_planetary_nebula

More than one star contributes to the irregular shape of NGC 6072 – Webb’s newest look at this planetary nebula in the near- and mid-infrared shows what may appear as a very messy scene resembling splattered paint. However, the unusual, asymmetrical scene hints at more complicated mechanisms underway, as the star central to the scene approaches the very final stages of its life and expels shells of material, losing up to 80 percent of its mass.

https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/Webb/Webb_traces_details_of_complex_planetary_nebula

esa_int_feed

https://www.esa.int/Applications/Observing_the_Earth/FutureEO/Greenland_subglacial_flood_bursts_through_ice_sheet_surface

Using data from several Earth-observing satellites, including ESA’s CryoSat and the Copernicus Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2 missions, scientists have discovered that a huge flood beneath the Greenland Ice Sheet surged upwards with such force that it fractured the ice sheet, resulting in a vast quantity of meltwater bursting through the ice surface.

https://www.esa.int/Applications/Observing_the_Earth/FutureEO/Greenland_subglacial_flood_bursts_through_ice_sheet_surface

esa_int_feed

https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Videos/2025/07/VV27_road_to_liftoff

Video: 00:07:00

Highlights and liftoff of Vega-C flight VV27 from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana, at 23:03 local time on 25 July (03:03 BST/04:03 CEST on 26 July).

Flight VV27 was operated by Arianespace and launched Airbus’s four CO3D satellites and the French space agency CNES MicroCarb mission.

The four small satellites in the CO3D constellation (an abbreviation of the French 'Constellation Optique en 3D') are set to map the globe in three dimensions from low Earth orbit, to serve public and private sector needs.

MicroCarb is designed to map sources and sinks of carbon dioxide on a global scale. ESA coordinated and procured the launch of MicroCarb on behalf of the European Commission, as part of its In-Orbit Demonstration / In-Orbit Validation (IOD/IOV) programme.

https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Videos/2025/07/VV27_road_to_liftoff

azurelunatic

July 22: I message my symptoms team for a refill on my primary pain med (which is still only the next step up from Tylenol 3). And yet, it's what keeps me from regularly screaming when I exert myself in a way that stresses my right hip. I have 21 + 5 (a week plus a day and 2/3) left.

July 24: A list of detailed follow-up questions from the symptoms nurse, and my detailed reply. About 20 left.

July 25:
Hi [Azz],

I wanted to let you know that [doctor] sent a refill of the [med] to the Costco!

[Discussion of discontinuing another med]

And can I just say how much I enjoy your MyChart messages; I am always impressed at how in tune you are with your body.

Take care,
[Nurse]

Me: It's time to renew my prior auth again, alas.

Nurse: Aw dang!
No worries though, you gave us time (thank you by the way).
I have asked our billing specialist to help with this so we will call the Costco when we get it and then let you know.
Thanks,
[Nurse]

About 17 left.

***

July 26: About 14 left.
July 27: About 11 left.

***

July 28
Different nurse:
Hi [Azz],

We needed a new prior authorization on [med]. We received approval for this over the weekend. However, Costco has been unable to get this medication to process. They are in the process of calling your insurance to figure out where the issue lies.

[Image of prior auth as sent to doctor]

I will keep you updated

Thanks,
[Nurse]

Me: Thanks for the update!

***

A hair bleaching, trip through the shower, and time to drip dry later, I figure I will call Costco pharmacy and see what they've discovered, since they're still open and the symptoms care office is not.

[Call time: 6 minutes 54 seconds]

***

Me: I talked with darling [Don't Panic Pharmacy Assistant] at the pharmacy, who had my back the last time UHC was like this, and we had a real good chat about the state of things at UHC, and she is putting me through for 12 days so I can have some breathing room while you and she go and wrestle alligators. I will get that picked up tonight and we'll see when UHC can be made to see the light.

I drive to the pharmacy.
I receive my jar.
I tell our friend that I was so glad it was her who picked up when I called.
Don't Panic Pharmacy Assistant tells me that when she took my call about the prior auth on my med, the rest of the pharmacy was looking at her funny, because she swapped registers straight out of professional. "Is that a family member on the phone?" And yet again we had words about United Healthcare. Also, the pharmacy we used to go to is shutting down; she has this from her friend and ours, the guy with the Emperor's New Groove pin. He prefers to stay with that company, so he's not coming to Costco.

***

About 8 left, plus 12 days.

marina

A wild post appears!

( a purely personal update )

musesfool

I keep intending to post and then forgetting to do so. Nothing much is going on. I pan-fried a steak for dinner tonight and it was delicious but it also reminded me why I do it so infrequently - the smoke condition was intense and ongoing despite 2 fans going and the smell is going to linger. But I ate it with a nice arugula salad and it was good.

Here's a couple of links I found interesting recently:

- Sydney’s Choice How The Bear cooked up season four’s best episode.

- After ‘iconic’ Rangers tenure, Chris Kreider opens up about New York departure: 1-on-1 (do not read the comments)

- Why Your Team Sucks: New York Giants - this is an annual event (for every NFL team) and remains hilarious because in the case of the Giants, it's all sad but true. On this one, the comments are great.

*

Current Mood: relaxed
Current Music: Mets vs Giants on the radio

azurelunatic

As sent to my primary care, who I actually do like:

United Healthcare, in their omnibenevolent wisdom, sees fit to drop the One Touch Ultra from my preferred drug list as of September. They have offered several alternatives.

My primary goal with a glucometer is to not require a smartphone to do the simple task of marking whether any reading is before or after a meal. Out of their list of suggestions, the Contour Plus Blue meter meets my requirements and is not discontinued.

Joy. And happiness.

(This is the primary care who, upon learning which insurance I had, while we were trying to solve a problem, asked whether I was up to date on the then-recent news about their CEO, then said "You'd think they'd have learned their lesson." She's from Canada.)

[Edit: I am not currently in need of a CGM, I just want to be able to enter whether a reading is before or after a meal without involving an app.]

azurelunatic

After Belovedest and I got our Home Depot errand finished, we went out to the car.

Belovedest: 6'4", white, short clipped brown hair, receding hairline, white Honeywell dome type N-95 mask, white T-shirt reading" Classically Trained" with a bunch of old-school video game controllers (but not any as old as the ones they started with), khaki colored cargo shorts, dark plastic slide type sandals.

Me: 5'6.5", white, shoulder length dark brown and variously blue fine 2c wavy hair held back with a grey rhinestone headband, violet eyeshadow with black liner behind blue frame rectangular glasses, black Breath of the Nature KF-94 mask, black chain necklace with spikes, silver star necklace, dark blue velour cardigan over a full length flowing embroidered black Holy Clothing dress, smartwatch with rainbow band, several medical bracelets and a medical necklace, some silver bangles with black, violet, and labradorite semiprecious gems, toeless black compression stockings, and a charcoal and violet pair of serious business support hiking sandals, just done driving a motorized grocery cart.

Him: sitting in his candy-colored Tesla, medium colored hair, with a full mountain man beard.

"You fuckin' weirdos," he muttered, deliberately loud enough to be heard inside the open windows of Belovedest's Toaster.

"Same to you, buddy!" I called as he started to pull out, waving my hand out the window.

Current Mood: amused
Current Music: 🎵🎶I wish that you would just leave 🎶🎵

esa_int_feed

https://www.esa.int/About_Us/Week_in_images/Week_in_images_21-25_July_2025

Week in images: 21-25 July 2025

Discover our week through the lens

https://www.esa.int/About_Us/Week_in_images/Week_in_images_21-25_July_2025

esa_int_feed

https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Images/2025/07/Earth_from_Space_Kuwaiti_waters

Image:
The turquoise waters southeast of the Kuwaiti island of Failaka are captured in this image acquired by the Φsat-2 mission.

https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Images/2025/07/Earth_from_Space_Kuwaiti_waters

ysobel

I dreamed I was playing a very casual game where you went around harvesting things -- a few types of mushrooms, different berries, catnip plants, even clouds somehow -- and you would also encounter creatures that you could offer the items to. Critters would respond with 😍 (love), 😊 (like), 😐 (neutral), 😝 (dislike), or 🤮 (ew), and their attitude would adjust accordingly. Enough positive points got a ❤️ and they became huggable; enough negative points meant they'd run away from you, though you could still leave gifts. There was a 'notebook' where you could keep track of discovered rules ("hyrax doesn't like snozzberries" is one I remember from the dream) and sometimes a creature would have a floating thought bubble with what they were in the mood for.

...I kinda want this game to actually exist...

esa_int_feed

https://www.esa.int/Applications/Observing_the_Earth/Meteorological_missions/MetOp_Second_Generation/First_MetOp_Second_Generation_satellite_fuelled

The journey to launch is picking up pace for Europe’s MetOp Second Generation weather satellite – which hosts the Copernicus Sentinel-5 as part of its instrument package. Specialists at Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou have completed the critical and hazardous task of fuelling the satellite, marking a major milestone in its final preparations for liftoff.

https://www.esa.int/Applications/Observing_the_Earth/Meteorological_missions/MetOp_Second_Generation/First_MetOp_Second_Generation_satellite_fuelled

esa_int_feed

https://www.esa.int/Applications/Observing_the_Earth/Copernicus/Sentinel-6/Sea-level_monitoring_satellite_Sentinel-6B_sets_sail

Copernicus Sentinel-6B on route to launch site

The next sea-level monitoring satellite, Copernicus Sentinel-6B, has begun its journey from Europe to the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, where it is scheduled to launch in November. Carefully packed into a climate-controlled container, the satellite is currently crossing the Atlantic Ocean aboard the cargo ship Industrial Dolphin.

https://www.esa.int/Applications/Observing_the_Earth/Copernicus/Sentinel-6/Sea-level_monitoring_satellite_Sentinel-6B_sets_sail

esa_int_feed

https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Videos/2025/07/Ignis_Mission_Return_to_Earth

Video: 00:03:46

On 15 July 2025, with the splashdown of the Dragon capsule off the coast of California, the Ignis mission ended after a 20-day space journey. ESA project astronaut Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski from Poland, during nearly 230 orbits around Earth, completed about 120 hours of telework on the International Space Station and contributed to more than 20 experiments from his orbital office.

Following medical checks on the recovery vessel, Sławosz flew to shore by helicopter and then travelled from the United States to Germany in order to undergo a week of recovery at the European Astronaut Centre. Dozens of people gathered to give him a warm welcome at the Cologne Bonn airport.

Access the realted broadcast quality footage: Launch / ISS / Return to Earth

https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Videos/2025/07/Ignis_Mission_Return_to_Earth

esa_int_feed

https://www.esa.int/Applications/Observing_the_Earth/Meteorological_missions/MetOp_Second_Generation/Watch_MetOp-SG-A1_and_Sentinel-5_media_briefing

MetOp Second Generation A-type satellite

With launch slated for August, the first MetOp Second Generation satellite, MetOp-SG-A1, which also carries the Copernicus Sentinel-5 mission, is currently undergoing final preparations for liftoff aboard an Ariane 6 rocket from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana.

A pre-launch press briefing will be held on Monday, 28 July at 14:00 CEST, and will be streamed live on ESA Web TV One – tune in to hear more about these two exciting new missions!

https://www.esa.int/Applications/Observing_the_Earth/Meteorological_missions/MetOp_Second_Generation/Watch_MetOp-SG-A1_and_Sentinel-5_media_briefing

musesfool

Today was my first day back at work after my vacation and I did not sleep at all well last night, despite, you know, working from home and didn't have to get up early or anything. I was tossing and turning until sometime after 4 am, at which point I finally fell asleep.

Work was fine - busy, and kind of a lot, but not difficult despite the lack of sleep - but then I sat down on the couch after dinner to watch the Mets and fell asleep for about 40 minutes. *hands*

I'm really glad I took yesterday off too. I 100% recommend adding an extra day onto your vacation if you can - especially if it's a Monday, and doubly so if you actually went away. It makes it easier to get back into the grind, at least for me. I had 333 emails to sort through this morning, and there is way too much going on, as usual, but I timed it so that all of my regular meetings happened while I was out, so this week should be fairly quiet.

On the home front, I've had my new dishwasher for a week now and it is working really well, though I am still learning how to load it. The tines are much closer together and shorter than in my old one, which makes it difficult to get stuff in between them. But it's so quiet! And it doesn't leak! *knock wood* It does take 2.5 hours to run the full normal cycle, but I can live with that.

On the TV front, I finished Murderbot and enjoyed it - Mensah is still my favorite and I wish Bharadwaj had had more to do because I liked her as well.

I also finished the last 2 available episodes of My Life Is Murder because I read they are doing a new season, though who knows when it will be available here. I enjoyed the s4 2-part finale, and I do kind of low-key ship Alexa and Madison, though I also like that they have not had any real romantic interests for Alexa, and those 2 episodes really focused on her lingering grief for her husband.

In other news, Baby Miss L went to Sesame Place this past weekend and the videos of her vibrating with joy over meeting Elmo and Grover and Cookie Monster are amazing!

*

Current Mood: sleepy
Current Music: Mets vs Angels on tv

azurelunatic

I have a locational song for Yellface.

There's a kitten on the bed.
There's a kitten on the bed,
Please pet her silly head,
This kitten on the bed.

There's a kitten on the sill.
There's a kitten on the sill,
So please don't speak her ill,
This kitten on the sill.

There's a kitten on the couch.
There's a kitten on the couch,
She just might be a grouch,
This kitten on the couch.

Current Mood: silly
Current Location: near the cat
Current Music: The Doors

Profile

lysora

July 2025

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Page Summary

esa_int_feed - A troubling shift in Europe’s forest carbon balance
azurelunatic - Starlinography?
musesfool - a little something to make me sweeter
esa_int_feed - Webb traces details of complex planetary nebula
esa_int_feed - Greenland subglacial flood bursts through ice sheet surface
esa_int_feed - VV27 road to liftoff
azurelunatic - Prior Auth, my beloathéd
marina - A purely personal post appears
musesfool - and it's one and two
azurelunatic - Alas, new glucometer
azurelunatic - I put up my middle finger at him.
esa_int_feed - Week in images: 21-25 July 2025
esa_int_feed - Earth from Space: Kuwaiti waters
ysobel - Dream - video game
esa_int_feed - First MetOp Second Generation satellite fuelled
esa_int_feed - Sea-level monitoring satellite Sentinel-6B sets sail
esa_int_feed - Ignis Mission: Return to Earth
esa_int_feed - Watch: MetOp-SG-A1 and Sentinel-5 media briefing
musesfool - that's 21 straight successful stolen bases
azurelunatic - Riders on the what?

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Theme: Milkshakes & Rock 'n' Roll by dancing_serpent

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Page generated Jul. 31st, 2025 01:16 pm

excuse me too busy you're writing your tragedy

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A troubling shift in Europe’s forest carbon balance

Starlinography?

a little something to make me sweeter

Webb traces details of complex planetary nebula

Greenland subglacial flood bursts through ice sheet surface

VV27 road to liftoff

Prior Auth, my beloathéd

A purely personal post appears

and it's one and two

Alas, new glucometer

I put up my middle finger at him.

Week in images: 21-25 July 2025

Earth from Space: Kuwaiti waters

Dream - video game

First MetOp Second Generation satellite fuelled

Sea-level monitoring satellite Sentinel-6B sets sail

Ignis Mission: Return to Earth

Watch: MetOp-SG-A1 and Sentinel-5 media briefing

that's 21 straight successful stolen bases

Riders on the what?

Profile

July 2025

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