Notices by aprilfollies (aprilfollies@mastodon.online)

https://mastodon.social/@IveyJanette/114648604553167645

https://mas.to/@meganL/114645932404637642

https://mathstodon.xyz/@johncarlosbaez/114647121035048179

Starting with some context.

https://www.emptywheel.net/2025/06/08/the-big-ugly-stephen-miller-uses-his-war-on-home-depot-to-invade-california/

From: @emptywheel.bsky.social
https://fed.brid.gy/r/https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:bbp2b224lro3bfnzcqwwnkfo/post/3lr3s35unok2z

https://med-mastodon.com/@cbarbermd/114647992586208587

https://fed.brid.gy/r/https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:yobyqjt4hs5icoihvaombhhn/post/3lr3silhpwk2t

https://mstdn.social/@MaryAustinBooks/114647739779036486

https://journa.host/@w7voa/114647762356555484

https://infosec.exchange/@Crispius/114647881214329835

https://noc.social/@AltAltNPS/114647771707976140

https://mastodon.social/@indivisibleteam/114648598507704197

So, I happen to think that #Astronomy is very keen, and I love it and will talk about it rather a lot. There are probably thousands of other people who have posted information and explainers and resources, but just in case some folks haven’t seen those, I’d like to post some #IntroToAstro recommendations and resources.

One of my first recommendations tends to be Stellarium (https://stellarium.org/). It’s free! It’s like having a planetarium on your computer! There’s a simpler web version!

From: @GottaLaff
https://mstdn.social/@GottaLaff/114439386528860346

#Monsterdon Maybe they should’ve asked Green Prophet or Web Witch how to get in to the Castle once they got there.

#Monsterdon Fortunately the castle walls are easy to climb, because a castle built for outer space couldn’t possibly be penetrated by a bunch of barbar- oh, they’re in.

#Monsterdon Oh yeah, this film has a heroine, nearly forgot her. She’s predictably frightened. Otherwise these scenes of strolling through various landscapes exchanging quips might lack urgency.

@heidilifeldman IANAL, but doesn’t most of this boil down, in plain language, to “Fuck you, that’s why”?

So of course I wanted to be a scientist when I grew up. I found out early that I didn’t have the stomach for biology, but I became fascinated by the stars. I grew up in the age of Carl Sagan and many others, who wanted the knowledge and practice of science to be made accessible to everyone, a democratization of disciplines. Through heavy reading, I also gained respect for many, many other fields of study, and the place of research and academia in the modern world.

How strange this is. I was born in the year that the first humans - who were, not incidentally, citizens of the U.S., landed on the moon. My parents had jobs in academia and research, which had received great boosts during the Space Race. I was brought up in the tradition that science, while a two-edged tool, was a strong route to develop society if used well. One parent’s work was in health science research - a minor role, but part of what I saw as the great human enterprise of progress.

The writing was already on the wall, had I the eyes to see; but I was blinded by idealistic views of my childhood. Meanwhile, Carl Sagan was writing the “Demon-Haunted World” - you know the quotes. My cousin was working on health effects of passive smoking, and ran up against the tobacco corporations & their scientists/deniers-for-hire. The Space Program was cut back and back in order to kill more people in Vietnam & elsewhere… & people were starting to forget vaccine-preventable diseases.