Tootfinder

I'm reading PhD applications today - a moment that's always a mix of hope and a feeling of futility. Some applications aren't great but many are seriously fantastic. Of course, this means that more than one strong candidate with an excellent file and an exciting project won't get in.

Even mythical creatures need their naps. Though we can only see two heads of the Hydra in this image, its slumber allowed us to venture close and grab this image before fleeing. Born of the fearsome pair Typhon and Echidna, the Hydra remains there still, guarding the entrance to the couch. #CatsOfMastodon

If you are an anti-fascist, you are against petroleum. Petroleum funds fascism globally. It is at the heart of the military industrial complex driving global imperialism, from both the US and Russia. Motonormitivity is fascist, both in it's elitist roots and in it's ties to historical fascism (Hitler hated bikes, just on principle). Oil is militarism.
Oil is the dominant resource which drives war, both in terms of it being the primary spoil wars are fought over and in terms of fueling the military vehicles and weapons that carry out those wars. Practically every war since (and including) WWII has been over oil. Genocides are carried out to secure oil. Gaza is over oil, in more ways than one.
Oil is the absolute enemy, and AI is simply an extension of that: an attempt to atomize us so we can't resist the oil-centric global order, one last grasp at the control over our lives oil has given to those whose power is now threatened by a solar punk future.
"I haven't written for a few weeks now. As I write the closing chapter and begin rewriting previous sections, everything feels both more distant and more immediate. The working title [Kairos] has only continued to feel more and more resonant, both during the writing and during my pause."
Now is the time to resist by making something different, by creating a world fundamentally opposed to these systems of oppression.
This is the last in my Kairos series. From here on out I'll be editing to try and make it more of a book than a series of posts. Thanks to everyone who has helped so far. All editing is welcome (typos, spell checks, questions and challenges). Between ADHD and dyslexia, it's always hard for my brain to notice mistakes in my own text so I always appreciate the support of those who can.
https://anarchoccultism.org/building-zion/kairos

"Declared extinct in 2025: A look back at some of the species we lost"
#Animals #Nature

Declared extinct in 2025: A look back at some of the species we lost
Some species officially bid us farewell this year. They may have long been gone, but following more recent assessments, they’re now formally categorized as extinct on the IUCN Red List, considered the global authority on species’ conservation status. We may never see another individual of these species ever again. Or will we? Slender-billed curlew This […]

Declared extinct in 2025: A look back at some of the species we lost https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/12/declared-extinct-in-2025-a-look-back-at-some-of-the-species-weve-lost/

Declared extinct in 2025: A look back at some of the species we lost
Some species officially bid us farewell this year. They may have long been gone, but following more recent assessments, they’re now formally categorized as extinct on the IUCN Red List, considered the global authority on species’ conservation status. We may never see another individual of these species ever again. Or will we? Slender-billed curlew This […]

Well. I’ve been accepted to my first conference!
This will sound strange to many academics out there, but working in the fine arts I don’t generally pay much attention to academic conferences—but having had a research semester last fall I was able to do a deep dive into the educational philosophy of practice-based filmmaking education and apparently the conference organisers agree that it’s interesting! I got an email this morning that my abstract was accepted.
Now I just need in…

Second International Conference on Embodied Education 2026
Copenhagen 8 - 11 June 2026: The 2nd International Conference on Embodied Education is aimed at conveying a community of people interested in embodied education and the related topics, like enaction, emotion, extended mind, embedded cognition, sports, wellbeing, and the performative arts (such as music, dance and drama).

Filing: Paramount extends the deadline for WBD shareholders to vote on its $30-per-share offer to February 20 (Dade Hayes/Deadline)
https://deadline.com/2026/01/paramount-extends-deadline-warner-bros-discovery-netflix-1236692082/

Paramount Extends Deadline For Warner Bros. Discovery Shareholders To Back Hostile Bid
Paramount has extended the deadline for Warner Bros. Discovery shareholders to throw their support behind the company’s hostile takeover bid. The initial deadline of Wednesday has now been pushed to February 20. Paramount CEO David Ellison, along with his senior exec team and financial backers, have been meeting with WBD investors in recent weeks in […]

🚒 'A personal embarrassment': Why fire agencies keep failing to put out blazes that later turn disastrous
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2025-12-01/holdover-fires
🆓

Why fire agencies fail to put out blazes that later turn disastrous
Rekindled blazes are raising questions about whether agencies need to rethink how they ensure fires are truly extinguished.

Went out canvassing with the Green Party in ward next door.
The candidates seem nice and meeting other green members is nice, but the actual process of going around knocking on people's doors isn't really a great deal of fun for me.
Mostly nobody home, or else maybe peering through the spy-hole feeling intimidated by me I guess? Hard to tell.
Spoke to mostly Labour voters who claim not to be sure what they'll do next time. Couple of folks already Green.
Nobody around here is gonna vote Conservative or Liberal or Reform of course. "Your Party" not likely to get it together in time to even stand. It's a race to see how many Green and Independent opposition councilors can be elected to avoid a Labour full house. 47 Lab to 3 Green seats last time. Less than 200 votes in it in that seat. Probably will do better this time, maybe even win the seat. At least make some of the safe Labour seats a bit less safe.
Most exciting part was when the flat over the road went on fire and we had to call the fire brigade and a triplet of fire engines and couple of cop cars turned up to deal with it. Started with smelling smoke and wondering if that flat was on fire, by the time the fire fighters turned up remarkably quickly (someone else already called I imagine) there were flames licking at the windows.
An exploding e-scooter battery someone was saying, but dunno how they knew.
Nice to share a drink in the pub with the green crew after, but dunno that this canvassing lark is for me. I felt like either a spare part, or just backup muscle probably intimidating people into not opening the doors.
Probably I'd enjoy it more if I could get into an argument but apparently that's rare and the advice is to disengage anyway.
#green #london #greenPartyEW

So here’s a little JavaScript initialisation order quiz.
Take the following code:
```js
class A {
constructor (parameters = {}) {
Object.assign(this, parameters)
}
}
class B extends A {
foo
constructor (parameters) {
super(parameters)
this.foo ??= ‘no’
}
}
const b1 = new B()
const b2 = new B({ foo: ‘ok’ })
console.info(`${b1.foo}, ${b2.foo}`)
```
What output would you s…