Paul Sutton @zleap@qoto.org

And let's not discount the older people saying "I just used this to check my email and look things up, why would I buy a new one?" They really don't mind if you install Mint and set it up with a similar layout, even appreciate how much faster it is than Windows 10 on their computer with a Windows 7 or 8 sticker on the front.

𝗙𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘀 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗔𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗗𝗮𝘆 — 𝗦𝗲𝗽𝘁 𝟮𝟮, 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱

Today is Falls Prevention Awareness Day. Falls are the leading cause of injury-related emergency visits and a major cause of disability and death for older adults. Small changes at home and in daily routines can dramatically reduce risk. Share this post to help protect a neighbor, friend or family member.

𝗤𝘂𝗶𝗰𝗸 𝗽𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝘁𝗶𝗽𝘀
- 𝗥𝗲𝗺𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗽 𝗵𝗮𝘇𝗮𝗿𝗱𝘀: secure loose rugs, coil or tape long cords, clear walkways.
- 𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴: add night lights in hallways, stairs and bathrooms; use brighter bulbs.
- 𝗔𝗱𝗱 𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗯 𝗯𝗮𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗻𝗼𝗻-𝘀𝗹𝗶𝗽 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝘀: install grab bars by toilets and in showers; use non-slip bath mats.
- 𝗖𝗵𝗲𝗰𝗸 𝗳𝗼𝗼𝘁𝘄𝗲𝗮𝗿: choose sturdy, well-fitting shoes with non-slip soles — avoid slippers with poor grip.
- 𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄 𝗺𝗲𝗱𝘀: ask a pharmacist or provider about side effects (dizziness, low blood pressure) that increase fall risk.
- 𝗞𝗲𝗲𝗽 𝗺𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴: balance and strength exercises (sit-to-stand, heel raises, Tai Chi) reduce falls.
- 𝗩𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲: schedule annual eye exams and update glasses as needed.
- 𝗨𝘀𝗲 𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗹𝘆: walkers and canes should be fitted and used properly.
- 𝗘𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗰𝘆 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻: consider a medical alert device or a phone within reach; set up quick-check calls with family or neighbors.

If you care for an older adult, start with a brief home-safety walk-through and a medication review this week. Small actions save lives.

𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗲𝘀
- Talk with your primary care provider or pharmacist about fall risk.
- Ask about local balance classes or community programs for older adults.

Share to raise awareness — one post could prevent a fall.

#FallsPrevention #FallsPreventionAwarenessDay #PreventFalls #SeniorSafety #OlderAdultHealth #HomeSafety #BalanceAndStrength #MedicationSafety #VisionHealth #SafeFootwear #FallFree #CommunityHealth #PublicHealth #SCABPharmacy

I'm going through and re-doing a lecture I last gave 6 months ago, and astronomers are discovering too many new moons!!! (A good problem to have, but still a problem for keeping lectures up to date!)

In the last 6 months:

Uranus has gone from 28->29 https://www.iflscience.com/jwst-spots-tiny-new-moon-just-outside-uranuss-rings-bringing-total-to-29-80480

Jupiter has gone from 95->97 https://www.minorplanetcenter.net/mpec/K25/K25HL0.html

And Saturn has outdone itself... Saturn has gone from 146->274!! Which was of course, partially, accidentally my own fault. https://mastodon.social/@sundogplanets/114179503618251688

https://www.europesays.com/uk/442627/ CRISPR breakthrough that can remove the chromosome responsible for Down syndrome raises ethical questions #Genetics #Science #UK #UnitedKingdom

Trump has halted an 80 percent completed wind farm, which would have powered 350,000 homes in New England with clean energy.

That is a 6 billion dollar investment which gave thousands of Americans a job and could have delivered cheap energy, but instead the expensive tech is now left to rust on the ocean, because Trump has a grudge against green energy.

Moral of the story: Don't build in the US under Trump — even if you have a permit, because it is worth nothing.

https://youtu.be/LQvAulL6-aE?si=bmIa-OVAx46XcOfF

I’ve said this before, but it’s worth repeating:

There’s freedom of speech, and there’s freedom of association.

If I block, ban, or defederate, I’m not denying you freedom of speech. I’m exercising my own freedom of association.

I made a post on Bluesky regarding their current situation and someone actually ask me about Mastodon as a possible alternative.

Now I summon you fedipeople to give me recommendations for them, mainly those who allow +18 NSFW artistic material since those are the folks mainly affected by the new bsky policies.

This is a fun twist:

Though astronauts aboard the International Space Station age more slowly (at a rate of about 0.01 seconds per year or--as I calculated earlier--about 317 picoseconds per second), a computer at the top of a server rack would experience time more quickly than one at the rack's bottom.

That's because the orbital speed of ISS negates gravitational time dilation.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gravitational_time_dilation

#science #GeneralRelativity #ScientificComputing

The Hobbit #OnThisDay

On 21 September 1937 The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien, was published by George Allen & Unwin (UK). "In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, not yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a hobbit-hole, and that means comfort."

https://theorkneynews.scot/2025/09/21/the-hobbit-onthisday/

9/21 - 4:25 PM EDT #ARI @ #SF
9/21 - 8:20 PM EDT #KC @ #NYG
9/22 - 8:15 PM EDT #DET @ #BAL

#nfl #nflfootball #football

Hey everyone, made a chatroom on matrix.

https://matrix.to/#/!NGALrMakZGaEyTPrPH:matrix.org?via=matrix.org

For general chatting, come join!

Polish border guards found a tunnel from Belarus near Narewka used by four migrants.

https://www.podlaski.strazgraniczna.pl/pod/aktualnosci/67906,Probowali-byc-niewidoczni-w-tunelu.html

#Ukraine #Russia #EU #Poland #Belarus

Not only was airfield at Bagram built in 1950s by Soviet Union, but potus was one who wanted US out of Afghanistan.

“It was Trump's administration that signed the peace agreement with the Taliban that paved the way for the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan near the end of his first term.”

Bad things may well happen to US soldiers if potus follows through on this.

quote source: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2025/09/18/trump-bagram-military-base-afghanistan/86220636007/

source of potus post: https://trumpstruth.org/statuses/33047

#USpol #Afghanistan

The Trials of Gaia: Milestones in the Evolution of Earth With Reference to the Anthropocene by Andrew Yoram Glikson, 2023

This books presents a documentation and resulting perspectives regarding James Lovelock's multidisciplinary evolution theory. It looks at past and current climate changes and their consequences, including detailed accounts of the global warming.

#books
#nonfiction
#EarthSciences
#Gaia
#ClimateChange
#GlobalWarming
#anthropocene
#Lovelock
#Springer

As TikTok US falls under Larry Ellison due to fears of mass surveillance through the platform, it's worth reminding that Larry Ellison is very excited about AI powered mass surveillance.

At the end of the day, all that changes is who is aggregating the data.

Oh, and the propaganda.

#TikTok #Propaganda #Surveillance #Privacy #USpol

Whether BIPOC and LGBTQ+ people can safely invoke their Miranda rights is sensitive and case-specific. There’s nuance probably not suited for a social media discussion.

Let’s start by applauding those marginalized people who are brave enough to stand their ground and demand their rights. They make it easier for all of us to do the same when faced with the coercive, armed power of the state. /2

There is a lot of demand for digital privacy and security advice out there right now and lots of people are giving advice and writing guides. I beg them to do a few things:

1. Be explicit about the threat model your advice is meant for.

2. Do not give advice you haven't tried implementing yourself. Eat your own dog food.

3. Get feedback on your guide from your target audience before publication.

4. Incorporate that feedback. This is not an optional step.