Michael Porter @MichaelPorter@qoto.org
- Pronouns
- he/him
- Size
- XLT
- Philosophy
- Humanist
- Politics
- Lefty-Antifa
Retired Chem/Physics/Earth Sciences teacher. I'm interested in everything.
I like a good debate that introduces me to other perspectives. I don't waste much time with people who devolve to name-calling or insults, aside to call them out on it.
I think society performs at its best when we take care of others, especially the weakest among us. That means a strong social safety net, with "free" healthcare, education, and public transit. It's a dream, I know.
30+ years of explaining stuff to teenagers has left me with some habits... I'm not a mansplainer, but I *do* like to find ways to 'splain stuff to receptive ears 😊
I like dogs, cats, and astronomy pictures with a bias towards the shorter wavelengths (kinda leaves out all those lovely Hα pics 😄).
The first thing I look at when shopping for cars is headroom/legroom. Saves a lot of time.
Joined Nov 2022
Michael Porter
boosted
Michael Porter
boosted
Today is my last astro 101 lecture of the semester! I will point out that it is only slightly colder on Mars today https://mars.nasa.gov/msl/weather/ than it is here in Regina (where the current weather is actually, no joke, listed as "ice crystals." WHAT.)
I'll also point out the Mars occultation next week: https://in-the-sky.org/news.php?id=20221208_16_100
And of course, the Pale Blue Dot! If you've never listened to the best speech ever written about astronomy, please listen right now: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GO5FwsblpT8
Michael Porter
boosted
I will never understand far right Conservatives who claim to be fans of #StarTrek but who then complain about current Trek being “too woke”
From Day 1 the entire premise of the Federation is that it’s a post-scarcity socialist utopia whose mission is scientific discovery and the peaceful exploration of space and discovery of new cultures.
The shows have always pushed the social boundaries of the times they aired in. Trek isn’t “turning woke”, Star Trek has always been woke. How’d you not know?
Michael Porter
boosted
Random photo of the day.
#photography #random #photooftheday #POTD #dailyphoto #OttawaPhotographer #birds #cedarwaxwing
Michael Porter
boosted
This tree has a message for anyone thinking about chopping it down.
suicide, death, depression
@Rhube I was sitting at a dinner listening to people who had never experienced depression talk about how selfish people who commit suicide were. (“Perform suicide”? What’s the correct term these days? “Commit” probably dates back to when it was illegal)
Just about lost half my tongue from biting it 😄
Michael Porter
boosted
suicide, death, depression
It's a difficult time of year. I'm feeling it. Finding the energy to deal with work and life stress has been getting me down. And yet this year is so much better than last year. And I have been in worse places before.
I hate the way that the stigma healthy people apply to suicidal thoughts make it difficult to talk about in the ways we need to in order to heal.
I'm not saying this to request comfort, I'm saying it because I *understand*.
Michael Porter
boosted
suicide, death, depression
Life can be very hard, and it's not guarranteed to get better. But circumstances can make things seem much worse than they really are.
Time, perspective, even just more light in the day and warmer temperatures - these things can change so much more than we think in the darkest times.
You're not as much of a bother to your friends as you think you are. Reach out to them if you need to talk. A job is just a job. You can find joy in new things.
suicide, death, depression
@Rhube “Inadequate counselling” – When I was leaning heavily on therapy I discovered that it is *really* necessary to shop around. The people I talked to were all lovely, but only the last one clicked with my perspective. It also helped to realize that they are a facilitator, you still need to participate and find your own revelations.
Michael Porter
boosted
#CopernicusAtmosphere Monitoring Service #ECMWF total column #SO2 5-day forecast from 2 December 00 UTC showing the plume with very high values (white areas > 10 DU) from the #MaunaLoa 🌋 Hawaii eruption already crossing southern US/northern Mexico as far as the Atlantic and recirculating over the Caribbean early next week. Layer height observations show the plume at ~8 km altitude.
Read more at https://atmosphere.copernicus.eu/cams-monitors-so2-mauna-loa-volcano-awakens-first-time-40-years
Michael Porter
boosted
The Holocaust did not begin with killing; it began with words.
Genocides do not start with mass murder. That's where they end up.
Genocides & other mass atrocity crimes begin with words - specifically, with powerful people dehumanizing a minority.
Once they are seen as less than human, anything is possible, even mass murder.
👉 You can speak out loudly today for the rights of others, or you can stay silent & wait for tomorrow, when your rights will be taken away too.
@ikeacurtains Purple has always been my favourite colour. But anything in the blue end of the spectrum shingling at night is bad for people and the environment. Even the “white” light from properly-functioning LEDs is probably screwing up the flora and fauna.
@voooos @RobinLacassin Regarding the power issue, this seems like an ideal site for solar. I guess power lines are/were the cheap ’n’ easy option, but now that lava has taken them out…
Michael Porter
boosted
As you've probably heard, the lava flows have cut through the road to Mauna Loa Observatory, cutting off access and power. Let's be clear: What's remarkable (and lucky for the world!) that this hasn't happened since 1984 -- MLO *is* built on an active volcano.
CO2 measures will continue globally at many sites. Fortunately so far, MLO itself is spared. But restoring power and access will be no joke.
HT @RobinLacassin for spotting the new photo.
@OkieSpaceQueen Happy Friday!
Michael Porter
boosted
A woman was arrested for "chemical endangerment" for using drugs while pregnant. The problem: She wasn't pregnant. So officers released her, but told her if she gets pregnant in the next few month she will be re-arrested.
The people who told us we were overreacting when Roe was overturned were never arguing in good faith and also they were very wrong.
What is true? Who won the election? What’s my mark?
I used to tell my students that their mark was an estimate, at best ±5% uncertainty. I railed against having to assign precise percentages, and having conversations regarding those precise percentages. Perhaps most egregious was the school award for best mark in a course, which may have had several sections and multiple teachers. Often what separated the winner and runner up was 1%.
When I had that discussion, I also brought up election results. I *used* to used the Florida recount in 2000 (remember hanging chads?) but updated the example as time went by.
This would have been a nice addition to the discussion:
Michael Porter
boosted
#ReferenceLetters for jobs are the biggest gate-keeper in #academia
My week was rough - I skipped applying to an interesting job that would have needed 3 references.
What is wrong with the system:
1. References create a system of life-long dependencies with supervisors
2. They exclude those who are shy about asking for favors
3. Referees have STRONG biases and they play out
4. switching fields is bad
@Odedrechavi wrote about abolishing - I fully agree!
- Pronouns
- he/him
- Size
- XLT
- Philosophy
- Humanist
- Politics
- Lefty-Antifa
Retired Chem/Physics/Earth Sciences teacher. I'm interested in everything.
I like a good debate that introduces me to other perspectives. I don't waste much time with people who devolve to name-calling or insults, aside to call them out on it.
I think society performs at its best when we take care of others, especially the weakest among us. That means a strong social safety net, with "free" healthcare, education, and public transit. It's a dream, I know.
30+ years of explaining stuff to teenagers has left me with some habits... I'm not a mansplainer, but I *do* like to find ways to 'splain stuff to receptive ears 😊
I like dogs, cats, and astronomy pictures with a bias towards the shorter wavelengths (kinda leaves out all those lovely Hα pics 😄).
The first thing I look at when shopping for cars is headroom/legroom. Saves a lot of time.
Joined Nov 2022
