#engaged and engaging

[sparrowlucero]

like the most politically neutered movie of all time unironically

[arttsuka]

Big challenges

[hinge]

Hinge presents an anthology of love stories almost never told. Read more on https://no-ordinary-love.co

[authenticcadence18]

EVERYONE SAY HAPPY PRIDE MONTH TO BUFORD !!!!!! 🌈

[spooksier]

young artist posting your work online, heed my warning. im holding your face so gently in my hands, you have to stop caring about numbers right now and start caring about making the weirdest and most self-indulgent art you possibly can

[fly-chicken]

A Pragmatic and surprisingly comforting perspective about the Trump 2nd Presidency from the ACLU

***Apologies if this is how you found out the 2024 election results***

Blacked out part is my name.

I’m not going to let this make me give up. It’s disheartening, and today I will wallow, probably tomorrow too

AND

I will continue to do my part in my community to spread the activism and promote change for the world I want to live in. I want to change the world AND help with the dishes.

And I won’t let an orange pit stain be what stops me from trying to be better.

A link to donate to the ACLU if able and inclined. I know I am

[dc-posting]

Jason who is still hesitant to spend any of Bruce’s money until…

Bruce: Hey, what’s this charge on my card? $1000 for… Robux? Is that like cryptocurrency?

Jason: Uh. I wanted VIP in ‘Dress to Impress’ and then I realised I could customise my avatar and then I wanted to buy items in-game and-

Bruce: Oh, so it’s like a video game thing? And not crypto? That’s fine then.

Dick, a Runway Diva in DTI: You play fucking Roblox? Lame.

Jason: Yeah? You would too if you had any joy or whimsy in your heart.

Tim, has been spending hundreds on Roblox using Bruce’s card for months, knows Bruce knows what Roblox is: Oh, Roblox! I’ve heard of that, it’s like… minecraft but mini games, right?

Jason, eye twitching: Something like that.

Damian, has also spent hundreds of Bruce’s dollars on Robux recently: It sounds like a frivolous investment. But whatever makes you happy, Todd.

Duke: Wait… I am not using my free will and rich adults to my advantage. I’ve been doing free to play shit this whole time. Bruce, give me your card.

Bruce, bewildered but supportive: O-okay?

Steph, who has been using Tim’s money (which is Bruce’s money) for Robux: Hey, I also want your card. (She does not intend to buy Robux. God knows what she will purchase. I support her.)

[owlpero]

free will is all about headcanoning your faves as autistic

[welcome2h]

Now that it's getting warmer outside again, I just want something like this 🌻☀️

[rumalas]

Such a fun duo.

[nyaa]

[amygdalae]

i think what people tend to forget is that laughing at modern art also counts as having a dialogue with it. like as long as you're respectful of the museum space and whatnot. you are under no obligation to take any of it seriously. when i go to a modern art museum I do engage with every piece and read the blurb and think deeply/discuss its intention and its execution but it doesnt stop me from having a giggle at the ones i think are stupid. often the artist is equally aware that it may be stupid. sometimes that's the point also. it's fun!

[catgirltoes]

I don't think I've seen anyone talk about how transfems are pretty much entirely barred from working in childcare.

[northerlyfilms]

How old is the oldest movie you've ever seen?

My friend Nader and his family are still suffering under the besiegement and occupation of Gaza. Food and water have grown so scarce and expensive after two entire years of these genocidal conditions that Palestinians are dying of hunger and thirst in one of the gravest humanitarian crises in memory. If you are able to donate to help a Gazan family eat and drink and restore some hope, please please please consider helping Nader @abdalsalam2000 (# 4 on the vetted Gaza fundraiser list!) support his family.

https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-nader-alanqar-and-his-family-overcome-this-war-in-gaza

[markscherz]

Meet the seven new frog species we just named after iconic Star Trek captains!

Artwork by A. Petzold, CC BY-ND 4.0

At the right time of year along rushing streams in the humid rainforests that stretch the length of Madagascar's eastern and northern mountain ridges, otherworldly trills of piercing whistles can be heard.

Are they birds? Insects? Communicator beeps? Tricorder noises?

No, they're little treefrogs!

Boophis janewayae. Photo by M. Vences, CC BY-SA 4.0

Until recently, we thought all of the populations of these little brown frogs across the island were one widespread species, Boophis marojezensis, described in 1994. But genetics in the early 2000s and 2010s showed that there were several species here, not just one.

Now my colleagues and I have shown that they are in fact eight separate species, each with unique calls!

These whistling sounds reminded us so much of Star Trek sound effects that we decided to name the seven new species after Star Trek captains: Boophis kirki, B. picardi, B. janewayae, B. siskoi, B. pikei, B. archeri, and B. burnhamae.

Photos of all new species described by Vences et al. 2024. CC BY-SA 4.0

I subtly and not-so-subtly built some Star Trek references into the paper, but probably the best one is this one:

'Finding these frogs sometimes requires considerable trekking; pursuing strange new calls, to seek out new frogs in new forests; boldly going where no herpetologist has gone before.'

— Vences et al. 2024

There’s a real sense of scientific discovery and exploration here, which we think is in the spirit of Star Trek.

Of course, it doesn't hurt that there are at least two Trekkies amongst the authors (including yours truly). As fans of Star Trek, we are also just pleased to dedicate these new species to the characters who have inspired and entertained us over the decades.

On a personal note, this marks a milestone for me, as it means I have now described over 100 frog species! I am very pleased that the 100th is Captain Janeway's Bright-eyed Frog, Boophis janewayae (if you count them in order of appearance in the paper)—she is probably my favourite captain, and I really love Star Trek: Voyager.

You can read more about the discovery of these new species on my website! You can also read the Open Access paper published in Vertebrate Zoology here.