#program: hotspot

[forthedancingandthethriving]

The Viruses/Programs

Viruses

Ozymandias

Virus

Status: Active(

Ozymandias is one of a pair who once occupied an area with a Program named Leto. Both had an agreement where the other would not attack, as both knew that the other could kill it. However, when Ozymandias began to leave and destroy universes to grow stronger, Leto set out to get more power. This resulted in a fight months later, with both of them firing a shot of code that caused everyone to forget their true names.

Enraged, Ozymandias went on a rampage until reigned in by Antivirus, CPU, and Crash. It was trapped in a prison of its own code until escaping in Fleeting Sands, causing chaos, and then being drawn back in once more.

However, he escaped permanently after Raging Riptides and has been on the loose since.

Morris

Virus

Status: Deactivated

Introduced here!

Morris was a twin Virus, paired up with her sister Root. The two were viruses that were made from Ozymandis's scales that got cut off when it was escaping its prison. Morris's end goal was to siphon power from the Admins and anyone of similar power in order to free Ozymandias. However, it didn't go to plan, as Root didn't share her sister's sentiment, and Root killed Morris.

Root

Virus

Status: Active

Introduced here!

Root is a former twin Virus, having once been a twin to Morris. The duo were made from the scales of Ozymandias, but Root didn't know this as her code formed wrong. This left her with memory issues and being blind. However, as time went on, she began to remember and was horrified at the prospect of having to have all these people who cared about her die. So when she had the chance, she struck and killed Morris.

This left Root with being able to see in one eye, but she still had memory problems. She currently resides at the Showgrounds Castle.

Lockdown

Virus Status: Active/Contained

Introduced here!

A prisoner at the Containment Zone and a part of the Illusion Gang. He's the second eldest of the group and is a terrifying Virus, using his ability to force any area of code into a lockdown. Whenever she makes he attempts to escape, Warden often chases him.

Dust

Virus

Status: Active/Contained

Introduced here!

A prisoner at the Containment Zone and a part of the Illusion Gang. He's the second youngest and is a near harmless Virus, only using his abilities to help his friends make an escape after a successful plan. Whenever she makes her attempts to escape, Supervisor often chases him.

Worm (belongs to @duckapus)

Virus

Status: Deactivated

Introduced here!

Once a powerful Virus that reigned with a cruel hand, during his first inital defeat at the hands of Antivirus (a failed fusion of Glitch and a red Doomguy), he went into hiding and planned his revenge. During the events of the Legacy Arc, he re-emerged with two helpers, Mira and Garyboy. However, this still failed in the end, and he died at the hands of ClearAll.

Glitch (belongs to Duckapus)

Virus

Status: Deactivated

Introduced here!

Originally a creation of Worm, her code had the ability to damage any other code she touched. She didn't agree with her creator and hated him, but initially thought there was nothing she could do. However, she then met a red Doomguy recolor, Dave, and Matrix. While the initial fight did not go their way, in the final moments of Glitch's life, she got the friendly contacted she'd wanted for so long. From this, she and the red Doomguy fused, creating Antivirus.

Mira (belongs to Duckapus)

Virus

Status: Active

Introduced here!

Originally created by Worm to distract and distance Antivirus whenever the virus was working on his plans, she was eventually freed from his influence following his defeat at ClearAll's hands. She now resides in the Mushroom Kingdom, dating Amy Rose the hedgehog.

Garyboy (belongs to Duckapus)

Virus

Status: Active

Introduced here!

He was originally created by Worm to help him further his goals and plans. However, now that Worm is dead, he's working for another major virus: Ozymandias. While Ozymandias is still trapped in his prison, Garyboy is capable of coming and going and is spending a considerable amount of time teaching Ozymandias that brute strength alone won't win a battle.

Programs

Leto

Program

Status: Active

Introduced here / here!

Leto is one of a pair who once occupied an area with a Virus named Ozymandias. Both had an agreement where the other would not attack, as both knew that the other could kill it. However, when Ozymandias began to leave and destroy universes to grow stronger, Leto set out to get more power. This resulted in a fight months later, with both of them firing a shot of code that caused everyone to forget their true names.

Following this, it left its home in search of ways to grow its power in case of Ozymandias returning. It then found Avatar Nimbus in her universe, and due to the Avatar's preexisting insecurities, Leto was able to convince Nimbus to use its programs. This resulted in an incredibly toxic 'friendship', and Leto's manipulation only ended when Nimbus's friends came to her aid and the Program was imprisoned in its own home.

Following more antics, Leto now has Bio-Lumi, Baxter Stockman, and Disc/Rahzar working with (moreso for) her.

Hotspot (belongs to @duckapus )

Program

Status: Active

Introduced here!

Hotspot owns a bar named the Internet Cafe, called that because she doesn't have a license and is trying to keep the Moderators from coming down on her ass.

Vector (belongs to Duckapus)

Program

Status: Active

Introduced here!

Vector is a who really doesn't like the Admins. Per the post he came from; "As far as he's concerned, they're a bunch of self-righteous blowhards who act like they're in charge of everything just because they have ridiculous powers and get rid of a few viruses every once in a while. Never mind the fact that their battles, both against so-called threats and each-other, often cause far-reaching devastation, leaving everybody outside their little club to pick up the pieces."

His grievances are understandable. However, he doesn't have the full picture, and unfortunately, the barkeep he's venting to doesn't exactly have his best interests in mind.

Circuit

'Program'

Status: Active

Introduced here!

A second identity for Mr L as he finds himself able to access the code world. With this failsafe of an identity, he's obliviously going to get up to something..

Overseer

Program

Status: Active

Introduced here!

An egmnatic Program that keeps to its own space. Not many know what it does. All they know is that it documents everything. Leaving some a little.. unsettled, because sometimes you can clearly see evidence of how it gets information it wants. Often leaving its targets with trauma, be it physical or mental.

Click/Blotch

Program / NPC

Status: Active

Introduced here / here!

An NPC who is cursed to never be able to stay in a universe for too long, they met Overseer, and the two formed a friendship quickly. Blotch often uses a bracelet given to them by Overseer to come with them into the world of code, simply to learn and try to figure out what their role should be.

Sparks

Program

Status: Active

Introduced here!

The owner of a restaurant/bar that's pretty popular with many Programs. He's a kind hearted Program, but he isn't above getting cruel if someone decides to try and make any of his patrons uncomfortable.

Cipher

Program

Status: Active/Contained

Introduced here!

A prisoner at the Containment Zone and a part of the Illusion Gang. She's the eldest of the group and its founder. She's a tricky Program, using her puzzle-themed abilities to scam and harm others to get what she wants. Whenever she makes her attempts to escape, Warden often chases her.

Chainlink

Program

Status: Active/Contained

Introduced here!

A prisoner at the Containment Zone and a part of the Illusion Gang. She's the youngest of the group and is a tricky Program, using her chain-based abilites to hold down victims and take their code or items. Whenever she makes her attempts to escape, Supervisor often chases her.

Disc

Program

Status: Active

Introduced here!

A brother-in-arms to a long forgotten Healer, and tried to cheat death multiple times, and has been cursed to be in a constant state of pain, and can only speak in Binary that's intentionally garbled. He intends on getting revenge soon enough..

RAM

Status: Active

Introduced here!

The Lead Archivist for the Internet Archive, she really has her work cut out for her. But hey, she can get through it! Even if some Programs are ruder than others.

Madam Stinger

Status: Active Introduced here! A black arms/information dealer that's very prolific in the Dark Web. She has many, many connections, and as such, has dedicated clientele. She's assured, smug, and full of herself. While she chose this way of life because it fits what she wants, it's also to desperately have control she'd been denied for under the supervision of Encode.

Mixer

Status: Active Introduced here! Madam Stinger's right-hand man! He unfortunately got on the wrong side of her, in a story involving a contract, some drinks, and a goddamn goose for some reason. He tries to balance her out, but its hard when she always has her sights set on bigger things.

Encode

Status: Unknown Introduced here! The former Admin to CPU and Madam Stinger in their younger years. She was not a good Program, often abusing the duo to gather information on her magnum opus, Neo Programs. However, she was found out by fellow Admins and stripped of her status before she fled. Her whereabouts are unknown.

Cloak and Dagger (belong to Duckapus)

Statuses: Active Introduced here! The Moderators to Roulette in her Snake-Eyes Casino. They help Roulette with whatever she needs.

Array

Status: Active

Introduced (formally) here!

The Program running the Codespace Train, and the former mentor of CPU. A Program as old as Vitality and Sparks, and a caring one at that. She often lets the lost and lonely spend as much time as they need upon her train. Many stickmen work on the train with her.

[manchesterau]

support your local libraries and sign up for a library card today!

[ssruis]

Going through a straight up comical amount of irritating situations to get the stupid 4* guaranteed ticket from the welcome to sekai campaign. It Will Be Mine.

[adashofniallandasprinkleoflunacy]

just have to get through today and then I’m off 3 days

[morningtonpeninsulanews]

Crime rates in Mornington Peninsula and Frankston are rising fast, with police reports revealing the top suburbs for burglaries, theft, and family violence.

[frankensteindotpdf]

im homestly so frighetened right now

[izzy-b-hands]

'if you lose power due to the ongoing storms, please still attempt to keep dialing'

????????

[reasonsforhope]

"High along the peaks and ridges of the mountains in Ecuador, a 25-year-long conservation program is bearing succulent fruit in the form of cleaner water and abundant wildlife.

Established in the year 2000, Quito’s fund for the protection of water has allowed a critical South American ecosystem unique to the world and vital to both plants and animals to reclaim vast tracts of its former landscape, and people are noticing the difference.

“Before the water fund, the páramo in Antisana was very degraded. The only thing you would see was sheep.” Silvia Benitez, the Nature Conservancy’s Director of Freshwater for Latin America, said in a statement. “The change has been amazing. Vegetation is back. The wetlands are restored.”

“Now people see groups of deer. They see puma. I saw a fox. I had never before seen a fox in this area.”

The story of this quarter-century success began when the United States nonprofit the Nature Conservancy partnered with Quito’s water utility company, known as EPMAPS. The second-highest capital city on Earth by altitude, Quito is surrounded by a famous ecosystem called the páramo, a biodiversity hotspot where masses of mosses, lichen, high-altitude palms, and endemic grasses create a mountain environment unlike any other.

The páramo covers slopes above 10,000 feet in elevation all over the Andes Mountains, and acts like a giant sponge absorbing and condensing moisture from the lower ground before releasing it in streams and rivers further down. The Nature Conservancy estimates that in Colombia, where páramos cover just 2% of land area, this hydrological service provides 70% of all municipal water. It’s estimated that páramo sequesters 6 times more carbon than tropical rainforest.

EPMAPS and the Nature Conservancy organized $21,000 in seed money to kick-start a trust fund that would charge downstream users of water from the páramos around Quito for the conservation measures needed to protect them.

Called the Fund for the Protection of Water, or FONAG, it’s accumulated $2.5 million in annual contributions over the last 25 years, and as a result, páramos are retaking ranchland that once displaced them, and the wildlife like whitetail deer, Andean bears, Mountain tapirs, and condors are returning as well.

“Since FONAG’s beginning, its priority has always been the protection of the water sources. But when you conserve water sources, it’s almost automatic that you have other co-benefits—biodiversity, carbon sequestration, and social benefits,” said Bert de Bievre, Technical Secretary of FONAG.

Local communities have become very involved in FONAG’s work. Two dozen have become páramo rangers, local ranchers have moved their animals to lower elevations, agriculturalists have worked with EPMAPS to switch to low-impact methods of cultivation away from watersheds, and the Nature Conservancy runs a nursery that grows many of the endemic páramo plants for use in reforestation.

The Quito-FONAG model is now being implemented across the northwestern areas of South America, and it shows how much can be achieved by simply letting rivers run free.

“Each year, the global water sector spends $700 billion on building and repairing pipes and reservoirs, using grey solutions to engineer themselves out of a problem created by deforestation, agriculture or other threats upstream,” said Brooke Atwell, Associate Director of the Nature Conservancy’s Resilient Watersheds strategy.

“If we were able to reallocate just 1% of that spending ($7 billion) toward protecting nature, it would eclipse all global philanthropic spending on conservation today.”"

-via Good News Network, April 1, 2025

[capesandshapes]

If you're an American and you're really scared about the Trump administration overtaking the Institute for Museum and Library Services, I'm just going to quick break down how this works on the library side from someone who has worked in libraries, made the director handbook for libraries in my system, managed archives, and continues to engage with libraries pretty actively:

-Federal funding for the bulk of libraries in the US is far less than most people think it is. This is because the majority of libraries are sustained by local and state taxes in their area.

-Typically new developments like growing stem programs, hotspot services, and adding library locations is done through federal grants. In a few select states because of how they've structured their libraries and how new their libraries are to the system, Federal grants do technically still pay for ebook services and (less frequently) day to day operations in libraries that have less foot traffic, but still serve an important role to the communities surrounding them. A few libraries do pay additional staff via federal grants, but typically core staff are funded via state and local taxes.

-There's a whole lot of reasons why libraries are funded the way that they're funded, part of it is that conservatives at one point did argue that a library should provide enough value to its community that like it is supported only by the local and State taxes, which is a valid reason.

Another argument for why libraries don't take more Federal funding that's been popping up a lot in the 2020s is that taking a significant portion of your funding on a federal level would make you more beholden to the federal government and encourage them to begin making restrictions that impact the ecosystem of libraries and what you are allowed to have on the shelves, which likely wouldn't necessarily serve your patrons. It also would basically mean that book banners would have a place to go to push their agenda wide scale.

-all this is not to say that this isn't going to hurt libraries.

This is going to hurt a lot of rural locations, independent libraries, and summer reading programs-- which are important resources for education, socialization, and just the general well-being of our nation's youth.

These programs provide an important break for parents who have months-long stretches where their kids are suddenly home all of the time and don't have the same easy social access that they had before.

I cannot put into words just how important summer reading programs are for communities, they provide so many opportunities for kids to learn and interact and foster a lifelong appreciation of reading.

Even if you have just read a hundred books to get an ice cream cone, you were reaping the emotional and social benefits of reading, we learn so many cues in communication from reading and so much empathy.

I cannot put into words how much reading impacts child development. When you teach a child to read and you teach a child to read well, you are giving them tools to communicate with the world around them-- and summer reading programs help maintain and in some cases supplement the skills that kids develop during the school year. Learning is not something that should be restricted to just 9 months of the year.

Reading programs are important programs to the development of our nation's youth!

A lot of the additional summer programming is done through grants, and while a lot of states have really expansive Grant opportunities, the federal funding cuts in other areas are likely going to result in people looking really close at what we're spending on and why.

-one of the most important things that you can do for your state libraries is continue to use their services, show that you appreciate what they offer. If you want a program to remain, you have to be an active part of it.

Most libraries are allowed to count services in patron numbers to show interest in ebook catalogues and other things, but visiting in person and using community courses when you can helps further support the existence of branch locations.

Some states are likely going to get hit harder by this than others that have larger systems, but you using and talking about your local library helps make a case to hold onto the funding they have and look into additional ways to replace federal funding.

-what is an ungodly awful part of this is that we're going to see a lot of national libraries get hit hard by this. And national/federal libraries are typically legal libraries and special topics libraries.

It's a lot of historical preservation, information about our environment and agriculture, medical research, and technology AS WELL AS collections/limited libraries that were created via federal funding to inspire diversity and inclusion. A lot of these libraries don't have bustling locations to inspire funding via foot traffic, but they do provide resources to our library ecosystem. A really important way that they do this is by making large print, braille, playaways, and other ability aids accessible via the interlibrary loan system. They even scan items that are too fragile or precious for transport so that patrons and different systems can use them.

Just running down a short list of times that national, federally funded libraries have really helped my patrons via interlibrary loan services: one of the various libraries for the deaf and blind provided me with the cds that I needed in order to allow a patron to read the next cj box book while long haul trucking, I have received copies of photographs of people's parents on reservations via interlibrary loans and using grant funding have also uploaded photos of people's family members and newspaper articles that are relevant to their family history, I've actually received sheet music for a trombone player as a result of the various music libraries , and there was a niche queer library that mailed us so many books that were requested because we didn't have access to any of the 1970s queer pulp paperbacks and a patron desperately wanted to read the books that she had seen on shelves when she was growing up but never been brave enough to check out. (The art on their covers was wonderful)

THESE ARE IMPORTANT SERVICES TO OUR LIBRARY ECOSYSTEM. We want these services and access to these collections to remain, because you never know what is going to happen to you in this life, and because people deserve the opportunity to interact with their own history and their own culture. These will be lost if these libraries are no longer funded.

SO WHAT DO WE DO?

What can you as an ordinary person do?

1. Kick up a fight and make sure that you are hounding your lawmakers the moment you so much as sniff someone trying to defund your libraries.

2. Use all the resources that you can to show that they actually matter to you and do so while understanding that because life gets busy, your usage is also advocating for other people in the community who don't currently have the time to use those resources but would appreciate them later on.

3. Make sure you're talking about libraries and what they offer to other people, a lot of people don't know what their local library has going on.

4. Take the time to volunteer and look into ways to donate not necessarily money, but your time and resources to the library. Not every library takes old books, but some that won't put your books on the shelves will put them in the library book sales. Not every library allows volunteers to shelf, but they do often allow for people to join their friends of the library organization and help raise money and come up with community events and staff them.

5. You can donate money, but I want to note with donating money, that not every library is structured the same.

Please check with your local librarian how their donations work.

I have worked at libraries in the past where we got donated money that went into the city slush fund, and are late fees also went into the city slush fund... Which was used on a road. Not a road near us, but just a road. One that actually kind of fucked a lot of people over.

We actually had to come up with a separate method of donation for monetary things that classified them as being earmarked for specific services and usage so then the city couldn't take it. Which is insane but you know.

We would take money from patrons and ask them if they wanted to go into our general fund, or if they would like it specifically to go towards the repair of our roof.

A lot of people once they realize the reason why we were asking about the repair of our roof did in fact get heated about the way that the city was treating us, but the city still fought back about whether or not we would get to hold our own donations rather than specifically earmarked ones.

Just having people know how our donation system worked and fight for us to actually hold the money that had been donated specifically to us did make a difference in the end, because suddenly we had a roof. And, you know, some people lost seats in elections.

EDIT:

-YOU CAN ALSO START A BOOK CLUB THROUGH YOUR LIBRARY, WHICH IS SO IMPORTANT!!!

Most libraries will give you a free place to meet and promote your event, you can also engage with your community and make new friends,

aaand something that's really important is that you can show your support to the books that you love.

Not only do book clubs encourage foot traffic, they help promote different niches of offers, and form lasting community bonds. Heavy book club usage has in my experience actually shaped when we had our library hours. Like to the point where we added an extra day a week because they were coming in so frequently and they had indicated that they would keep coming in with even more people if they were able to come in on the weekend.

It also allows libraries to show that our space is being used, and have like a solid number of formalized meetings that happened there and helped us exist.

You can start a book club for almost anything in most cases, though most libraries ask for a lack of profanity in the name of your organization, and if you formally affiliate with your library then most branches help clubs acquire their books at the same time and arrange resources for whatever events you have planned.

[forthedancingandthethriving]

One more collection of incorrect quotes (code beings edition)

Abyssal: Here, Vitality, we made you a cake as a peace offering!

Vitality: Thank you, that’s-

Vitality: … Wait. Why are you giving me a peace offering?

Abyssal: … We’d hate to ruin the surprise.

----

Umbra: You do realize that stunt you pulled defines "out of control"?

Abyssal: I just wanted you to see that I would never put any of you at risk if I wasn't willing to take the same chances myself.

Umbra: I love how you think that's comforting.

----

Ping: Just because something is theoretically impossible doesn't mean that it's not possible.

Buffer: I believe that is exactly what it means.

----

CPU: Kill them with kindness.

Forum: That’s very nice of you, CPU!

Buffer: Not really.

Buffer: “Kindness” is what he named his gun.

----

Crash: This was a bad idea…

CPU: I could have told you that ten minutes ago. Oh wait, I did!

----

Emulator: Sorry I've been *static noises*

----

Lag: Some things are better left alone. Like me, for instance.

----

Domain: Have fun. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.

Emulator: I thought you just said “have fun”.

----

Abyssal (possibly): Of course, the best part of anyone's corruption arc is their cool new outfit.

----

Sparks: You kidnapped some of the Admins? That's illegal!

Hotspot: But Sparks, what's more illegal... briefly inconveniencing the Admins or destroying the rebellion?

Sparks: Kidnapping the Admins, Hotspot!

Vector: Sparks, listen, whatever I may think of you, right now these guys are counting on you. You inspire them!

Sparks: What, to kidnap Admins?

Vector: To work together!

Sparks: To kidnap people, Vector?!

Circuit: Sparks, we all agreed that Admins do not count as people.

----

CPU: Whenever Lag doesn't just take a moment to try and care for himself, I hide all of his tools.

*sounds of cabient being forcefully yanked open in the background*

CPU: It hasn't worked yet, but it will.

----

Antivirus: WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU LAST NIGHT?

Umbra: Do you wanna hear what really happened or the lie that I'm gonna tell everybody else?

Antivirus: START WITH THE LIE. IT'S PROBABLY MORE INTERESTING.

----

Lil Coding: My assistance will be an act of beneviolence.

Penny: ... Don’t you mean benevolence?

Lil Coding: No.

----

Lil Coding talking to Penny: This may be a personal question, so feel free not to answer.

Lil Coding: But were you, by chance, homeschooled by a pigeon?

----

Sparks: Today is a day of running through hurdles.

Database: Aren’t you supposed to jump OVER hurdles?

Sparks: Whatever. Fear is only something to be afraid of if you let it scare you.

----

Blotch: But Overseer, it was medicinal!

Overseer: For the last time, there's no such thing as medicinal robbery.

----

Abyssal: You two will never get along, will you?

Database & Duck: No.

[foldingfittedsheets]

Oh my god. Okay. Technology rant incoming.

So I sell beds. I get deals on stuff like mattresses and adjustable bases. The adjustable vibrates which helps me fall asleep and tips the head and feet up for comfort. I got us a Tempurpedic Ergo Smart Base for the new king size bed. I have an eight year old Ergo Premier that’s in the guest room now and has never had any problems. It is far and away better than the current model we just got.

The new one has a bunch of features like monitoring your sleeping and we’re told to pitch the app that comes with it. Now my beef is we tell customers that they can use their phone as the remote if they want. But the only way to do that is to get the app and agree to let Tempurpedic have all your data, much of which relate to medical conditions? Hated that.

But then I started snoring. And one of the features that’s only on the app is an automatic response to snoring. It’ll vibrate you to have you turn over or elevate the bed more. For my beloved wife I wanted to activate the snore response. So I joined the fucking app. It requires your height and weight. I told it I was seven feet tall and weighed one pound cause fuck their data.

Then I set up the app. It requires an internet connection. Because I don’t want that fucker beaconing my data that I was forced to sign up for I tethered my phone and had it connect to that. Once setup was done I disconnected it.

It ceases to function without WiFi. A basic thing that is programmed in the base itself will not activate without WiFi. I’m fuming. Tried to hook it up to actual WiFi and this fucking thing won’t connect to the non-hotspot WiFi at all. Their help page just talks about getting a better router.

Livid doesn’t come close to covering my feelings about this shit. I’m emailing support but I am gonna fully stop recommending their product on this basis.

[keferon]

...support Class Mecha don't exist in Jazz's Mecha AU because the cost couldn't be justified but Prowl's does because of the inferior pilot-mecha tech.... Pilots were dying but not at a rate that hurt enough to justify doing more to ensure pilot survival when compared to all of humanity.... smthn smthn parallels to usual JP writing were Prowl is a coldconstruct mech and Jazz is forged/hotspot and difference of quality of life smthn smthn along those lines.

I've been spending many of my days thinking of Mecha AU and transformers as my previous fandoms try to suck me back into their clutches and AUs...

In Mecha au most of the budget goes into human side. Lots of procedures, lots of training and experiments to see what human brain is truly capable of. Many pilots die or go insane because they're treated like lab rats. But the experience those scientists gather helps them to make their Mechs as human oriented as possible. This is why they could just invite Blurr and give him a mech.

While in Reverse Mecha most of those money go into robots. They have different classes and purposes. The program can afford having striker mechs and support mechs and tanks and scouts. But the piloting technology is underdeveloped so the humans are the ones who have to suck it up and adapt and then live through all the side effects. The dysphoria and withdrawals is just a normal thing everyone have.

Basically

In Mecha universe the mechs were more adapted for human brain but less adapted for any purposes less specific than just fighting.

In reverse universe mechs are more adapted for strategic fighting but less for humans that pilot them.

"Mech is an extention of a human"

and

"human is a filler for a mech"

[dandelionsresilience]

Dandelion News - April 1-7

Like these weekly compilations? Tip me at $kaybarr1735 or check out my Dandelion Doodles! Last month’s Doodles are free to the public, so go take a look :D

1. Galapagos tortoises at Philadelphia Zoo become first-time parents at nearly 100

“Mommy, the female tortoise, is considered one of the most genetically valuable Galapagos tortoises in the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ species survival plan. [… T]he zoo said it is “overjoyed” at the arrivals of the four hatchlings, a first in its more than 150-year history.”

2. Massachusetts home-electrification pilot could offer a national model

“In total, the program is providing free or heavily subsidized solar panels and heat pumps to 55 participating households, 12 of which also received batteries at no cost. […] It’s a strategy that program planners hope can help address the disproportionate energy burden felt by lower-income residents of the region[….]”

3. National Park Rangers rebel against queer erasure on Trans Day of Visibility

“[… A] group of over 1,000 off-duty, fired, and retired National Park Service employees launched Rangers Uncensored, an online archive that restores and amplifies LGBTQ+ stories quietly scrubbed from government websites since President Donald Trump’s second inauguration.”

4. World's largest wildlife crossing reaches critical milestone

“Over the next few days they'll be adding 6,000 cubic yards of specially manufactured soil to cover the crossing, a mix of sand, silt and clay inoculated with a bit of compost and hyperlocal mycorrhizal fungi, carefully designed and tested to mimic the biological makeup of native soils around the site.“

5. Bipartisan bill to boost green building materials glides through House

“[B]ipartisan legislation the House of Representatives passed in a 350-73 vote last week would give the Department of Energy a clear mandate to develop a full program to research, develop, and deploy clean versions of the building materials.”

6. Tribal Wildlife Grants Funding Announced

“Tribal Wildlife Grants are intended to help Tribes develop programs for the conservation of habitat and species of traditional or cultural importance[….] Typically funded projects include: conservation planning, fish and wildlife management and research, habitat mapping and restoration, inventory and monitoring, and habitat preservation. […] A total of $6.1 million is available for this round of funding[….]”

7. Germany adds another one million PV arrays to take solar total to 104 gigawatts

“Following a rapid rise in household solar panel installations, Germany’s total number of PV arrays has passed the five million “milestone[.…]” Solar systems already cover almost 15 percent of Germany’s electricity demand, BSW-Solar said. […] The total capacity of all PV systems installed in Germany surpassed 100 GW at the start of the year.”

8. Stronger together: Bilby conservation efforts enhanced by Indigenous knowledge

“Ms. Geyle said the results showed combining [conventional science and traditional tracking methods] more accurately estimated bilby abundance than using either technique individually[….] "[… ensuring] that Indigenous people remain central to decision-making about their lands and species that inhabit them," Ms. Geyle said.”

9. Lennar will build 1,500new Colorado homes with geothermal heat pumps

“The homebuilder is partnering with Dandelion Energy to install the tech, which is efficient but expensive — unless it’s built into new homes from the start. […] And by eliminating the need for new gas pipelines and reducing the peak electricity demands on the power grid, subdivisions built on this model could save a bundle on utilities as well[….]”

10. New strategy launched to protect Tanzanian biodiversity hotspot

“Conservationists have launched a 20-year-long project to protect what is arguably Tanzania’s most biologically rich landscape: the Udzungwa Mountains. The strategy places notable emphasis on communities living here, with more than half of its budget allocated to social and economic projects and managing human-wildlife conflict.”

March 22-28 news here | (all credit for images and written material can be found at the source linked; I don’t claim credit for anything but curating.)

[hobgirlonao3]

well i mean i can have all the big plans i want but considering i don't have internet in the new house yet this all depends on how quickly my laptop slurps my phones data. bc that shit is not unlimited

spent an entire week stressed out of my mind because of moving and now that it's sort of finished i can finally sit down and write again. turns out being stressed as fuck is exactly the mindset i needed to be in to finally work on the prime fic again so with any luck i can finish the first draft soon

[dolokhoded]

with greece legalizing gay marriage and everything i'm so tired of people diminishing queerness in greece to "oh your ancient greek ancestors would be proud ! alexander the great would be proud ! achilles would be proud sappho would be proud plato would be proud" etcetc.

queer rights progressing in greece wouldn't make our "ancient greek ancestors" proud because they had an entirely different concept of marriage than us, viewed women as objects to be sold and traded and only accepted homosexuality between men, or even more likely, a man and a literal underage boy.

gay rights in greece aren't benefiting some people who died a few thousand years ago or are Literally Fictional. greek queerness isn't just some ancient dionysian fantasy of feeding each other grapes and reciting poetry to each other by the sea. actual greek people who do benefit from this still exist. it doesn't honor some ancient guy who condoned slavery. it honors greek queer people who were out there protesting at the controversy this law raised with the church and actually made the effort to win this fight.

ancient greece isn't the epitome of queerness, not even close. absolutely in no way when it concerned exclusively just gay men. the epitome of queerness is the trans kid from my hometown who insisted on cutting their hair and dressing masculine even within their transphobic high school environment and strict orthodox family, or the woman who taught me programming who was married with children and realized she was aromantic fifteen years into marriage, or the gay punks who kept cops out of the university's anarchist hotspot.

greek queer people aren't history or mythology, and ancient greece isn't the queer utopia you make it out to be. we're still here, and we're fighting against the exact ideas our ancient culture perpetuated.

[reasonsforhope]

"Construction of the “largest wildlife crossing in the world” passed a significant milestone in April placing the first girders over an 8-lane freeway near Los Angeles to preserve the local mountain lion population.

After years of tireless work, erecting the first horizontal section of the 210-foot-long crossing was an historic moment for the National Wildlife Federation, the Caltrans highway department, and many private and public partners.

“We all cheered when the crane lowered the first concrete beam across the freeway, as we truly saw the bridge starting to take shape,” said an excited Beth Pratt, the California Executive Director of National Wildlife Federation.

“This structure is a testament to us all wanting a future for wildlife and mountain lions in the Santa Monica Mountains.”

Moving forward, up to 82 additional concrete girders will be placed, with each beam weighing between 126 and 140 tons. As these critical horizontal supports are placed, the structure will ultimately reconnect two long fractured global biodiversity hotspots in the Southern California region—providing safe passage for not only the cougars, but bobcats, deer, lizards, and coyotes, as they move between the Santa Monica Mountains and the Simi Hills of the Santa Susana mountain range.

[Note: The setting looks pretty rural in that rendering, but the wildlife crossing is actually only five minutes from the Los Angeles city border and the densely populated San Fernando Valley.]

For drivers on the 101 Freeway in Agoura Hills, the construction is interrupting traffic from 11:00 PM to 4:00 AM on one side of the highway each week (Northbound or Southbound). The FAQs can be found here.

CBS news estimates about 1,500 of these wildlife passages have been built both over and under major highways and rural roads across America.

Watch CBS’s recent feature that highlights crossings over America’s longest highway, US 90, which runs across the northern states, and how a new US grant program is paving the way for more crossings…"

-via Good News Network, May 9, 2024

-video via CBS Sunday Morning, April 21, 2024