MASmith

@masmith

Mostly here for renewable energy and public health news/insights, and appreciative of those on this site who share their expertise. Also enjoy the nature photography. Views are my own.

599 Folgt242 Follower228 Posts

Bluesky

Ist das dein Profil?Übernimm es — dann gehört dir masmith.dirty.social.Profil übernehmen

MASmith@masmith· Jul 27

A Southern Magnolia flower blooming today at Brookside Garden. The magnolias have a fascinating pollination strategy that involves beetles. The distinctive top and bottom portion of the central “receptacle” of the flower are the female (carpels) and the male parts (stamens), respectively. (1/2)

Large white southern magnolia flower with dark green leaves in back ground. In center of flower are the carpels (female reproductive parts) at the top of the central receptacle and at the bottom are the stamen (male reproductive parts)

MASmith@masmith· Jun 7

I don’t understand why there isn't more outrage at the SpaceX IPO and the way it is structured to transfer wealth from the 99% of the public toward those who already have the most, with Elon Musk as the primary beneficiary. 🧵 1/8

A cartoon shoing a bridge labelled NASDAQ with a banner for "Your Retirement Savings" with a SpaceX IPO Day 15 toll being collected by an Elon Musk figure with people going through the toll with sacks of money on their back labelled 401(k), IRA, Pension Fund. A sign says "Help Elon Reach $1 Trillion" and another sigh says "S&P 500 Said No".

MASmith@masmith· Apr 22

Scene from San Diego Convention Center. #Photogrsphy

Scene from San Diego convention center showing a tunnel-like scene with open walls

MASmith@masmith· Apr 14

White trillium negotiating for space in the wildflower garden with sessile trillium and May apple #flowers #photography

White trillium in foreground with sessile trillium and May apple in background

MASmith@masmith· Apr 13

Fossil Fools (from Steve Sack)

Cartoon showing a path diverging with a "tin man" figure with a US flag on its chest carrying an oil barrel and a bucket of coal on a path to "the past" and with a robot with a China flag on its chest carrying a solar panel and a wind mill on a path to "the future"

MASmith@masmith· Mar 30

Went to Brookside Gardens (Maryland) today expecting to see beautiful flowers and trees and was not disappointed, but was surprised to see an Osprey overlooking one of the ponds! #Birds #Photography

Osprey perched on a branch, tilting its head to the left.

MASmith@masmith· Mar 25

Yes, now is a perfect time to buy an EV (if you need a new car). Also, a good summation paragraph by @mikegrunwald.bsky.social. NYT Gift Article. www.nytimes.com/2026/03/23/o...

In reality, all emissions matter. They accumulate in the atmosphere, so every tank of gasoline, cross-country flight and fossil-fueled load of laundry makes the earth a little warmer. And anything you can do to reduce your emissions makes the problem a little easier to solve, once we collectively decide we want to solve it. Maybe if $5 gas can inspire more individual Americans to change, our leaders will eventually follow.

MASmith@masmith· Feb 28

A quote from Barry Ritholtz being interviewed by Paul Krugman on what a future with AI will look like. Today the quote applies equally to Iran. What will the second, third, and fourth order effects be that play out over the coming days, weeks, and months?

“…. you throw a pebble in a pond. It’s not the first ripples that matter. Those are easy to predict. It’s what happens when it bounces off this rock and then hits another, another pebble comes in, and you have all these reverberations, and it becomes so challenging to figure out where they end up.” Quote from Barry Ritholtz being interviewed by Paul Krugman (February 2028)

MASmith@masmith· Feb 7

From Wired: So many Chinese battery factories being built throughout the world. Probably a good thing for the Chinese companies as well as the countries where the factories are being built. And certainly good for the renewable energy transition. www.wired.com/story/chines...

MASmith@masmith· Jan 30

The head of the federal vaccine advisory panel, Kirk Milhoan, wants “individual autonomy” rather than “public health” as the top priority of the country’s public health apparatus. He's curious about how many unvaccinated people will die of measles. NYT gift article. www.nytimes.com/2026/01/28/o...

“What we’re going to have is a real-world experience of when unvaccinated people get measles,” Dr. Milhoan, the head of the vaccine advisory panel, said, sounding somewhat excited about the possibility. “What is the new incidence of hospitalization?” he asked. “What’s the incidence of death?”

MASmith@masmith· Jan 25

I can only imagine the heartbreak and anger of Alex Pretti's parents as they live the consequences of the reckless thuggery of ICE agents who murdered their son and the sickening lies told by government officials about their son. www.cbsnews.com/minnesota/li...

Michael and Susan Pretti, the parents of Alex Pretti, released the following statement:

"We are heartbroken but also very angry.

Alex was a kindhearted soul who cared deeply for his family and friends and also the American veterans whom he cared for as an ICU nurse at the Minneapolis VA hospital. Alex wanted to make a difference in this world. Unfortunately he will not be with us to see his impact. I do not throw around the hero term lightly. However his last thought and act was to protect a woman.

The sickening lies told about our son by the administration are reprehensible and disgusting. Alex is clearly not holding a gun when attacked by Trump's murdering and cowardly ICE thugs. He has his phone in his right hand and his empty left hand is raised above his head while trying to protect the woman ICE just pushed down all while being pepper sprayed.

Please get the truth out about our son. He was a good man. Thank you."

MASmith@masmith· Dec 23

Just a sliver of moon this evening.

MASmith@masmith· Dec 5

Looking to the horizon to see the December Cold Moon, which they say is around 10–14% larger and noticeably brighter than an average full moon.

Full moon with slight orangish-brownish tinge.

MASmith@masmith· Nov 23

Brown oak leaves covering the forest floor have a quiet beauty of their own, distinct from the brilliance of brightly colored maple leaves #FallScenes #Photography

A Fall tableau of brown oak leaves covering the forest floor

MASmith@masmith· Nov 21

When OilPrice.com recognizes an AI bubble that appears ripe for bursting, caveat emptor.

• Prominent investors and utilities are signaling caution that the AI boom may be overheating.
• Rapid technological changes—like more efficient Chinese AI models and emerging quantum computing—could undermine the economics of today’s massive AI infrastructure investments.
• Classic bubble warning signs are emerging: cheap capital, overexpansion, underutilization, and risk shifting to utilities and consumers.

MASmith@masmith· Nov 17

A bale of turtles lined up on a log enjoying a sunny November day, with colder winter days on the way.

7 Eastern turtles lined up on a log in an algae covered pond on a sunny November day

MASmith@masmith· Nov 16

View near Santa Clarita, CA #photography

Chain link fence with a yellow caution sign with "End" written on it, and with mountains in the background that appear closer because of image compression from the telephoto lens

MASmith@masmith· Nov 14

A commentary in Science nicely summarizes the contributions of the Mitchell, et al. article. I particularly liked this quote from a co-author: www.science.org/content/arti...

The field reminded them of early genetics research, when scientists
hailed every tenuous link found between individual genes and health conditions. In that early work, “everybody was jumping up and down and saying ‘there’s something there!’ when, in fact, everybody was finding something slightly different,” Bishop says.

MASmith@masmith· Nov 12

Raven portraiture #birds #ravens

MASmith@masmith· Oct 7

Saw a common buckeye butterfly on a walk at Brookside Gardens, Montgomery County on Sunday morning. Torn wings indicate life hasn't been easy, but it's still here. #NaturePhotography

Common buckeye butterfly on a chain with foliage in the background. The butterfly has little pieces of both wings missing.

MASmith@masmith· Oct 4

Solar steps up to the plate .... natural gas, not so much www.canarymedia.com/articles/sol...

MASmith@masmith· Sep 27

Beautiful evening in Boston along the Charles River

Sunset at Charles River with light from the seeing sun lighting up the river.

MASmith@masmith· Sep 23

Great article on an important vaccine for young children, but it didn't identify the NIH researchers who made the critical discovery. From Perplexity AI, the answer is below:

MASmith@masmith· Sep 19

Sunrise over the Mississippi River, New Orleans.

Sun rising over the Mississippi River with an urban landscape in the foreground.

MASmith@masmith· Sep 10

Found this on the ground. Held it up to the sky by its stem and took a picture of it. The stem was distracting, so took it out of the picture. Would love to know what it is. Oak gall? Tree fruit? Something else? #Nature #NaturePhotography

A round tree fruit (perhaps) made of hexagonal sides with spikes in the center of each hexagon.

MASmith@masmith· Sep 9

Seagulls following the Cape May-Lewes ferry #birds #birdphotography

Multiple sea gulls in flight over a choppy, frothy sea

MASmith@masmith· Sep 4

Queen Anne's lace seed head at Garrett Family Preserve in Cape May NJ

Monochromatic picture of Queen Anne's lace seed head.

MASmith@masmith· Sep 2

On Lewes-Cape May ferry yesterday and saw Indianapolis LNG tanker exiting Delaware Bay. It can carry 30,000 metric tons of LNG that has a life cycle CO2 equivalent of > 100,000 metric tons.

Picture of the LNG tanker Indianapolis in Delaware Bay with clouds in background

MASmith@masmith· Sep 1

Half moon, early evening August 31

Half moon against black backdrop, monochromatic

MASmith@masmith· Aug 24

Sunset