Zach Behrens

Was thinking of maybe canceling a subscription to a service. Couldn't find the page so headed to the AI chatbot:

Me: Where do I cancel?

AI: I've gone ahead and canceled you.

Concerning that AI canceled an indecisive customer's subscription. What else is it doing without explicit instruction?

This reminds me of something Toni Morrison wrote.

This basically happens in “American War” by Omar El Akkad.

My last night at the Ranch I was just walking back from the bathroom to my tent when I stopped to look up at the Milky May. It was Perseids season, and a giant fireball reentered right over the iconic Tooth of Time. I gasped audibly enough that someone behind me whispered "did you just see that?!"

Can confirm: I've gone from living in a Bortle 9 to high 5 to low 3. Getting into the 3s and below is life-changing. To see the Milky Way while taking out the trash ain't bad.

Came here to say the same about palisade. Didn't know about hotchkiss so looking forward to trying this upcoming season!

My head explodes a little when the premise of a novel finds it way into the news. Still, everyone should read “How High We Go in the Dark” by @sequoian.bsky.social.

We cannot have a rational debate about technology. As long as we rely on screens rather than on forests and sunsets to soothe our pain, we will fight to defend the screens, not the forests.

As long as we rely on screens rather than on forests and sunsets to soothe our pain, we will fight to defend the screens, not the forests.

A coyote walks through the Streeterville neighborhood Monday evening in Chicago.

Google AI Overviews put people at risk of harm with misleading health advice Exclusive: Inaccurate information presented in summaries, Guardian investigation finds

It's quite incredible how this poor and inaccurate tool has been prioritised and integrated *so* effectively that I regularly have people tell me something they've 'looked up' and I have to say 'you're not just reading the AI overview are you' and they are.

www.theguardian.com/technology/2...

Dragons, Sex and the Bible: What Drove the Book Business This Year

“In some ways, I think that’s a response to the turmoil of 2025 in this country and reflects a backlash against billionaires and algorithms. Indie bookstores are proving to be an antidote for the time we’re living in.” [gift link]

www.nytimes.com/2025/12/30/b...

Sandia Rose The Sandîa Mountain range east of Albuquerque earns its name from the dusty rose-magenta glow acquired as the sun splashes its last remaining rays over the majestic mountain range’s 10,600 foot peaks....

Unlikely this was it but could be a fun one to try. It’s a blended black tea that combines cinnamon and red chile, among other ingredients: tea-o-graphy.com/products/san...

Or their Woofland Walk blend, which includes cinnamon chips and pink peppercorn.

I generally don't like to post screenshots of text, but someone posted this in our local Strong Towns group and it was too good not to share here.

I think people today don't understand just how dramatically the night sky has changed - it looked like it does in super remote areas *everywhere* before the invention of electric lighting, and light pollution that obscures the sky has gotten dramatically worse in the last 25 years.

Opinion | The Way to Pay for Free Buses Is to End Free Parking Free buses would be transformative not only for riders, but for the ecosystem of the city as a whole.

“Pairing free buses with paid parking says we value people in motion more than cars at rest,” writes Nicolas Rohatyn.

Screenshot from “The Veldt” by Ray Bradbury: "I wouldn't want the nursery locked up," said Peter coldly. "Ever." "Matter of fact, we're thinking of turning the whole house off for about a month. Live sort of a carefree one-for-all existence." "That sounds dreadful! Would I have to tie my own shoes instead of letting the shoe tier do it? And brush my own teeth and comb my hair and give myself a bath?" "It would be fun for a change, don't you think?" "No, it would be horrid. I didn't like it when you took out the picture painter last month." "That's because I wanted you to learn to paint all by yourself, son." "I don't want to do anything but look and listen and smell; what else is there to do?" "All right, go play in Africa." "Will you shut off the house sometime soon?" "We're considering it."

Was just reading a 1950 Ray Bradbury story last night…

Once upon a time we learned how to drive cars. In rain, in snow, in fog. We looked at maps. We remembered routes. Think twice about technology that renders you dependent and helpless.

PCW doesn’t just install Wi-Fi – we also set up PurpleAir monitors on our network in North Philadelphia! We’ve installed monitors across Norris Square & Fairhill at community orgs and residential homes. Thanks to the EPA Region 3 Sensor Loan Program for supplying us with 10 PurpleAir monitors!

I’ve visited dark sky areas before moving to one, but there’s nothing like living under it. The act of just looking up while walking from your car to the front door is wondrous.

bsky.app/profile/zach...

Green and purple with a steak of pink northern lights over a beach.

It’s nice there, too. From the nephew

Vibrant red northern lights under a dark sky full of stars over a small building and trailer.

Reporting in from Taos, N.M.

BLACK SUN: Amorphous Flocks of #Starlings Swell Above the Danish Marshlands - amazing #murmuration #photography by Søren Solkær

Link for more photos: www.thisiscolossal.com/2020/11/sore...

Landkeeping With rising temperatures, longer summers, drought, and more wildfires occurring in the United States and Canada, there is growing interest in the impact and efficacy of Indigenous fire and cultural bu...

I’m pleased to share that a book I’ve coedited, *Landkeeping: Restoring Indigenous Fire Stewardship and Ecological Partnerships* is now available for preorder everywhere books are sold—including at the OSU Press website, where the promo code S26 will extend a 20% discount and free shipping to you.

Our new research highlights the extent that aspen stands may act as a firebreak, slowing or stopping fire. Applications for land management and implications for fire-driven conifer-to-aspen forest conversion. Thanks @grumpyunclesean.bsky.social for the summary below. doi.org/10.1002/eap....

A Chicago Pope implies the existence of an MLA Pope and APA Pope

Winter isn't over yet, New Mexico! Snow moves into the state Friday night through Saturday. 1-4" likely across eastern NM, over 6" north of I-40, and up to 18" in the northern mountains. A mix of rain/snow possible in ABQ early Saturday morning. #NMwx

"The system" is a thing we create to organise ourselves. We should rule it, not the other way round. Systems can be changed, because they are human inventions. All of us can make our corner of "the system" better, more empathetic, greener. Progress comes by valuing the humans above the system.

This is the kind of dystopian post-collapse content I come to Bluesky for.