T. Michael Redmond

Also yes, they helped kill off a lot of the obligate anaerobic species (e.g., bacteria, archaea) that ruled the world before photosynthesis came along.

The owl showed up early for its shift and the harrier objected strenuously. Union rules and all!

An owl with short ear tufts sitting on a mound in a marsh turns its head to look at the photographer. It is surrounded by brownish yellow marsh vegetation.

Happy #SuperbOwl Sunday to all who celebrate! Here is a nice Short-eared Owl that we found last month in a marsh on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. They are hard to come by.

A mountain-top pavement comprised of glacier-polished brownish cross sections of cabbage-like concentric fossilized blue-green algae.

If you take a breath today remember to be grateful to the bottom of your lungs to these guys that made it all possible. Ice-polished ~1.5 billion yo Proterozoic fossil cyanobacterial stromatolite pavement, at Grinnell Glacier, Glacier NP, MT. Oldest fossils I have ever seen!

This weather station provided the crucial reports that set D-Day in motion over 80 years ago.

Spent more on that recent flick than a year’s worth of salary for all those let go. Will they AI-up photos in future?

cover of The Washington Post on Wednesday Feb 4, 2026. Headline on bottom, right: Musk wanted to hook users; his chatbot got more sexual

My story on Elon Musk cutting safeguards at xAI is on the front page of today's @washingtonpost.com. I’m also among 100’s of reporters laid off. I absolutely loved my job my brilliant coworkers & the thrill of reporting @ the center of forces upending the world: AI & Silicon Valley’s political power

Nitasha one of the best to do it, have followed her for years from outlet to outlet and will continue to, but this fuckin’ sucks. It’s nothing more than oligarch maxxing and yacht hoarding.

But for a “grown” man to attack teenage girls is f——d up on its own!

That is so beautiful a gesture of gratitude for your generosity in a time of utter pain 🙏!

For my birthday I was offered a choice between the Melania movie and a colonoscopy. I chose the colonoscopy and it turned out better! Honestly!

MAPA (Make America Poorer Also)

Because I'm talking about measles. It is also A VERY VERY VERY CONTAGIOUS VIRUS. If someone is in a room and has measles and then leaves that room and you enter that room within TWO HOURS (depending on humidity) you can get measles.

And people are contagious for four days before the rash appears.

I’ll say! only the best born this day. Happy Birthday David!

🙏

Awful news about the sublime Catherine O Hara passing away. RIP. What a legend ❤️

Great place! The tomb of João I and Philippa of Lancaster, among whose descendants were kings or queens of Portugal, Spain and England.

Winter Wren sitting on a rock in the snow. One of two wrens we saw. We usually see this wren in the summer, on the banks of the Savage R in Garrett Co, MD. Always happy to see it.

Snow fort has increased in size. Builders have begun corbeling a roof and have begun adding ice sculptures as interior decorations.

Man standing with dog on the top of a sledding hill with multiple snow moguls at the bottom. I want to sled on this hill something fierce.

The winter wren sitting on a rock or a log.

Sóla’s Thursday AM walk: 7/67%/5MPHWNW. Dogs:4; Winter Wren:2. Teachers’ parking lot was plowed o/n. Parents will be happy for school tomorrow. Want to get out of town, cabin fever is bad right now. TG for streaming for the distraction it provides. #Dogsofbluesky

A few suggestions @wcratcliff.bsky.social. I know which kind of snowflake yeast I’m most excited for.

A science slumber party!

We can leave the street now that the county plow came! Prolly could have done it earlier in the 4runner but as predicted had to dig an exit through the ice for the Rav4 to get to the plowed lane!

The worst mistake the British government made in tackling the Irish War of Independence over a century ago! Setting brutal irregulars on an Irish population equivocal about independence. They ended up a byword for mindless savagery!

Thanks for the heads up! Will avoid it if I get to go to Valencia. @bwjones.bsky.social please copy!

What about the “Catholic” (JD is one) nuns in Ireland (and elsewhere?) who dumped the dead babies (boys AND girls) of teenage and other “fallen” mothers into septic systems, just to cover up?

Very nice! What’s the weather like? Sister and BiL are down the coast from you in Malaga and say that they are contending with rain and wind, but warmer than Ireland!

I am “hoping” to go there for a science conference in August…

Bonwit Teller is on line 1…

If you’re 50+ get your Shingrix shot!

Yes, we also like to visit some of the places near Blackwater associated with Harriet, such as the old Bucktown Store and the Brodness plantation site, not forgetting the Harriet Tubman NHP.