Squishy Squirrel

LMAO

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I learned in a Latin Studies class (with a chill white dude professor) that when the Europeans first saw Aztec cities they were stunned by the grid. The Aztecs had city planning and that there was no rational lay out to European cities at the time. No organization.

How to read a scientific paper

Step 1: begin at the beginning

read the title

get excited for cool science

note the authors 

get mad at them for having more papers than you

spend ten minutes wondering if you’d have been better off going to whatever institution they’re at

die a little inside

Step 2: the abstract and introduction

read the abstract

skip right to the introduction because you’re not completely sure what they’re talking about and maybe that will clear it up

alright now we’re talking

understand the entire first paragraph of the introduction

mostly get the second and third paragraphs

skip over the technical bit at the end because boring

Step 3: the results (aka the good stuff)

read the first paragraph

really not get what’s being said

skip right to figure 1

read the figure caption

call it good, you got the jist

repeat for the remaining figures

Step 4: give up

this paper really isn’t answering the question you had in the first place

you’ll just cite it later it’s fine

Step 5: keep doing science!

fail because of some unexpected and puzzling problem

spend 2-6 weeks troubleshooting and getting nowhere

decide to do another literature search to see if anyone else has had this issue

find the same paper you read before cited a bunch

Step 6: reread

actually like read it this time

get to the end 

find the answer to your question

die a little inside

wonder why you didn’t just read it fully to begin with and save yourself weeks of work

Step 7: follow citations to another paper that looks relevant

repeat entire cycle

wonder why science is so hard

llustrations for Fantasy Flight Games by Lenka Šimečková

Black Sails Season Two is like parallels on parallels on parallels on parallels on parallels

Akiya Kageichi.

women should not be drafted into the US military

nobody should be drafted into the US military

nobody should be forced to participate in imperialist violence. 

I JUST FINISHED THE WATCHMAKER OF FILIGREE STREET AND I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO READ NEXT. CAN YOU RECOMMEND ME SOMETHING OF THE SAME CALIBER?

THE BEDLAM STACKS, ALSO BY NATASHA PULLEY, HAHA

I’m deadly serious – I loved The Bedlam Stacks even MORE than Watchmaker, if that’s possible. the same ‘here’s a weird, random period of history’ setting, the same ‘here are some really niche things you know nothing slash don’t care about’ plot, the same ‘here’s the quietest, sneakiest love story you’ve ever not noticed creeping up on you’ romance. but with more ADVENTURING. and PERIL. and a CAMEO from a certain CLAIRVOYANT, eh eh eh 

buuuuut it doesn’t come out until July, so to tide you over here are some lists for books in the same-ish vein: queer historical novels, queer fantasy (almost exclusively YA), and some non-YA, adult, classic novels. 

I was scrolling through the notes after I posted something similar, and absolutely agree! Additionally whatever point is attempted to be made, if you overstate an issue you end up undercutting the actual problems at hand, as instead ppl want to focus on "larger problems" (whether these bigger problems are actually reflective of reality, it grabs attention more easily as it alarms the reader).

Approximately 130,000 - 260,000 Americans have been forced to flee their homes because of legislation criminalizing trans existence.

open.substack.com

US Internal Refugee Crisis: 130-260k Trans People Have Already Fled

A growing refugee crisis is occurring in the United States, and it is getting very little coverage. I highlight the growing migration crisis

That’s 8% of transgender Americans. An additional 43% of transgender Americans are seriously considering moving due to laws criminalizing our existence and healthcare.

“So many people are completely helpless to get out, even with all the bumps and roadblocks, the fact is I'm still one of the lucky ones.” Said Sheena, a trans woman who fled from from Florida.

“it's evident that the United States is in the throes of a swelling crisis of internally displaced political refugees. Over a million people, themselves contemplating relocation in the coming months, remain in a state of apprehensive vigilance, awaiting the potential signal that they too must bid farewell to their homes.”

Via Erin Reed, a professional policy tracker of transgender legislation. June 13, 2023.