David C. Simon

"Free AI training!" is like "Free pack of cigarettes!"
They're not trying to help us, they're trying to exploit us.

Photograph of a juvenile Australian King Parrot focused on its face. The image is a little hard to interpret at first glance because the parrot has its right foot raised over its wing as it scratches the side of its face. The parrot is mostly bright green, but it has red "pant" feathers on and around its legs, an orange beak, pinkish feet/legs, and the side of its face appears creamy yellow and white where it has pulled the feathers back to reveal the softer, light down below.

Baby King Parrot having a scratch.
#birds

Photograph of a juvenile Australian King Parrot focused on its face. The image is a little hard to interpret at first glance because the parrot has its right foot raised over its wing as it scratches the side of its face. The parrot is mostly bright green, but it has red "pant" feathers on and around its legs, an orange beak, pinkish feet/legs, and the side of its face appears creamy yellow and white where it has pulled the feathers back to reveal the softer, light down below.

Baby King Parrot having a scratch.
#birds

Photograph of a Brushtailed Possum holding onto vertical wooden slats, looking at the viewer form above. The possum is shades of grey with hints of brown, dark round eyes, a pink nose, and long ovoid ears.

Oh hi there.

Photograph of a Brushtailed Possum holding onto vertical wooden slats, looking at the viewer form above. The possum is shades of grey with hints of brown, dark round eyes, a pink nose, and long ovoid ears.

Oh hi there.

A reminder to the news media: “conflicting accounts” is what you say BEFORE the incontrovertible video evidence appears. After that, your job is to ask why one side is lying, not to repeat the lie and pretend no one knows the truth.

Two more #kākāpō matings last night, both on Anchor:
- Boomer 💚 Horton
- Konini 💚 Quill
Here's Boomer during the last breeding season.
#kakapo2026 #conservation #birds #parrots

your avi... let's see it!

Self-portrait (digital painting) from 2022.

Photograph of a Common Bronzewing - a medium-sized pigeon - perched on a power line in the pouring rain. It is shades of brown rich irridescent patches on many of its wing feathers reflecting the diffuse lighting, with the finish of bronze (colours ranging from orange to red to green and even a little purple). The bird has streamlined its body to present the smallest target possible for the raindrops.

I've been dealing with some Technical Difficulties this week, so here's a Bronzewing in the rain from last weekend.
#birds

Fistful of superb parrot

Photograph of a Common Bronzewing - a medium-sized pigeon - perched on a power line in the pouring rain. It is shades of brown rich irridescent patches on many of its wing feathers reflecting the diffuse lighting, with the finish of bronze (colours ranging from orange to red to green and even a little purple). The bird has streamlined its body to present the smallest target possible for the raindrops.

I've been dealing with some Technical Difficulties this week, so here's a Bronzewing in the rain from last weekend.
#birds

Remembrance is my 2nd favourite Dalek story (after Genesis, of course), and the Doctor/Ace dynamic is perfection.

AI boom could falter without wider adoption, Microsoft chief Satya Nadella warns Big tech boss tells delegates at Davos that broader global use is essential if technology is to deliver lasting growth

I was present for the birth of the web, the explosion of personal sites, and the blogging revolution, and you know what we never had to do? Beg people to use our shit.

Baby King Parrot regular bathing.
#birds

(actually I've only ever seen King Parrots bathe by splashing about in tree canopies while it's raining. I suspect this baby is just hunkering down and enduring the rain rather than deliberately bathing)

Baby King Parrot regular bathing.
#birds

(actually I've only ever seen King Parrots bathe by splashing about in tree canopies while it's raining. I suspect this baby is just hunkering down and enduring the rain rather than deliberately bathing)

Photograph of a juvenile Pied Currawong with its beak open. It is a large passerine that resembles a crow (but isn't). Instead of being mostly black, like an adult, it is mostly brown with black and grey patches and white on its wings. Its eyes are dark amber instead of bright gold, and its gape is orange.

Baby Pied Currawong!
#birds

Photograph of a juvenile Pied Currawong with its beak open. It is a large passerine that resembles a crow (but isn't). Instead of being mostly black, like an adult, it is mostly brown with black and grey patches and white on its wings. Its eyes are dark amber instead of bright gold, and its gape is orange.

Baby Pied Currawong!
#birds

Photo of a juvenile Australian King Parrot on a power line in the sunlight. It is a bright green parrot with red "pants" and an orange yellow beak. It has fanned its long tail feathers and is leaning back to expose its face to the sun. Its eyes are closed.

Same subject, tighter angle focused on the parrot's face. it appears to be dozing off.

Baby King Parrot sunbathing.
#birds

Photo of a juvenile Australian King Parrot on a power line in the sunlight. It is a bright green parrot with red "pants" and an orange yellow beak. It has fanned its long tail feathers and is leaning back to expose its face to the sun. Its eyes are closed.

Same subject, tighter angle focused on the parrot's face. it appears to be dozing off.

Baby King Parrot sunbathing.
#birds

A group of six nature valentines. A picture of a bog with pitcher plants, with text saying "Our love is like a bog. Built up over time, resistant to decay, deeply interesting to just a small number of people." A yellow slime mold stretching out and exploring. "Our love is like a slime mold. Collaborative, complex, at times unnerving to behold." A piece of limestone with a small trilobite in the corner. "Our love is like limestone. Layered, useful for many purposes, shaped by the friends we met along the way." A ring-billed gull with a french fry on a beach. "Our love is like a ring-billed gull. Abundant, found in North America, sometimes sustained by french fries." An Atlantic horseshoe crab walking on the sand. "Our love is like a horseshoe crab. Tough, timeless, unrelated to true crabs." A drawing of the phosphorus cycle, with arrows connecting various parts of a scene, including algae and fish and a farm and a river and a forest. "Our love is like the phosphorus cycle. Important, really hard to draw."

Nature valentines. This comic is now available as a set of 6 Valentines cards: topatoco.com/collections/...

Photograph of four small frogs on a cement water tank with standing water and surrounding foliage. The frogs are upright with their necks/chests ballooned as they SCREAM at each other.

Tighter, sharper photo of one of the frogs standing by the water's edge and reflected in it. The frog is brown, green, and yellow, with a pale belly.

Photo of two of the frogs on the edge of the water tank facing each other and only an inch or two apart. No doubt they're trying to out scream each other.

Every evening at this time of year the Screaming Tree Frogs gather around the rainwater on our neighbour's water tank to scream at each other.

(poor photos because low light, long distance, adn small aperture)
#frogs

digital painting of a grey squirrel

the terrible beast - portrait of a grey squirrel

When I find a photo with weird lighting in my camera roll I am cursed with the compulsion to make a study of it. Fur is kind of fun to paint tho.

I thought it *was* a photo until I read your post! Magnificently rendered.

Photograph of four small frogs on a cement water tank with standing water and surrounding foliage. The frogs are upright with their necks/chests ballooned as they SCREAM at each other.

Tighter, sharper photo of one of the frogs standing by the water's edge and reflected in it. The frog is brown, green, and yellow, with a pale belly.

Photo of two of the frogs on the edge of the water tank facing each other and only an inch or two apart. No doubt they're trying to out scream each other.

Every evening at this time of year the Screaming Tree Frogs gather around the rainwater on our neighbour's water tank to scream at each other.

(poor photos because low light, long distance, adn small aperture)
#frogs

Photograph of a small finch standing on this edge of a large blue ceramic bird bath, lit buy the sun. The bird is grey and olive with vivid red beak, brows, and rump. It has a glint in its eye as it smugly stands over all the water in the world (as far as it's concerned).

Red-browed Finch on our bird bath.
#birds

Photograph of a small finch standing on this edge of a large blue ceramic bird bath, lit buy the sun. The bird is grey and olive with vivid red beak, brows, and rump. It has a glint in its eye as it smugly stands over all the water in the world (as far as it's concerned).

Red-browed Finch on our bird bath.
#birds

a reminder, again, that AltNPS is a grifter account run by people who have no affiliation with the National Park Service and indeed who never did have any affiliation with the National Park Service. They have no sources, they have no information, they are purely there to scam you.

Photograph of a small Kingfisher (picture a fun-sized Kookaburra) on a tree branch. The bird has bright blue feathers on its wings, back, and crown, with buff and cream neck and body, and a dark stripe under its eyes. It has a long, robust beak, longer than its skull.

I finally got a photo of the tiny Sacred Kingfisher that's been flitting around our garden for the past month or so.
#birds

Photograph of a small Kingfisher (picture a fun-sized Kookaburra) on a tree branch. The bird has bright blue feathers on its wings, back, and crown, with buff and cream neck and body, and a dark stripe under its eyes. It has a long, robust beak, longer than its skull.

I finally got a photo of the tiny Sacred Kingfisher that's been flitting around our garden for the past month or so.
#birds

Discord wants to know how you feel about AI.

Go tell them: discord.sjc1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_...