sithwitch

Tonight we made stir-fry inspired by the leftover peppers and onions from yesterday's mint chicken.  For the initial aromatics I used freeze-dried ginger, freeze-dried garlic, and a ball carrot cut into matchsticks.  I also added a can of baby corn since the volume of vegetables wasn't all that large.  For meat I added shrimp.  The sauce was made from the juice of two lemon slices, some full-flavor olive oil, a dribble of Worcestershire sauce, and a little tapioca starch.  It didn't need more seasoning because it had some of the mint spice coating mixed in with the vegetables.  It turned out rather well.

Extinct human relatives left a genetic gift that helped people thrive in the Americas

A new study found that a gene passed down from extinct archaic humans provided an adaptive advantage for Indigenous people of the Americas and is still common today in people of Indigenous descent.
Scientists have discovered that a gene called MUC19, inherited from Denisovans through ancient interbreeding, may have played a vital role in helping Indigenous ancestors adapt as they migrated into the Americas. Found at unusually high frequencies in both modern and ancient populations, the gene likely provided immune advantages against new pathogens. This research highlights how archaic DNA, passed through both Denisovans and Neanderthals, enriched human genetic diversity in ways that still shape us today.

Today we went down to Effingham for the Oddities Market at the Thelma Keller Convention Center, hosted by Hazel-Jayne Crystals & Gifts. We still have not made it back to the actual Hazel-Jayne and want to do so.

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arlie mentioned in a post that Protonmail allows you to create email aliases to avoid spam.  This also seems extremely useful for cases where someone extorts your email from you before giving you something you need, but you don't really want to hear from them afterwards.

 

23 Must-Read Books About Hope That Inspire Change & Action

John Parsi, executive director of the Hope Center, says that while optimistic people see the glass as half full, hopeful people ask how they can fill the glass full.

“Hope requires a person to take responsibility for their wants and desires and take action in working towards them,” Parsi says.

So whether you’re looking to start, sustain, or complete something, we hope the books included in this list inspire you to take action and work towards whatever goals you have in front of you.


I am particularly charmed to see “The Impossible Will Take a Little While: A Citizen’s Guide to Hope in a Time of Fear” edited by Paul Rogat Loeb because I've got a poem in that one, "Origami Emotion," from a couple decades ago.

My Noise has a bunch of new soundscapes that you can play with. 

These are active communities in Dreamwidth from Summer 2025. They include things I've posted, but only the active ones; the thematic posts also list dormant communities of interest. This list includes some communities that I've found and saved but haven't made it into thematic posts yet. This post covers A-I.

See my Follow Friday Master Post for more topics.

Highly active with multiple posts per day, daily posts, or too many to count easily
Active with (one, multiple, many) posts in (current or recent month)
Somewhat active (latest post within current year, not in last month or few)
Low traffic (latest post in previous year)
Dormant (latest post before previous year, but could be revived because membership is open and posting is open to all members or anyone)
Dead (not listed because there are no recent posts, plus membership and/or posting are moderated)
Note that some communities are only active during a limited time, or only have gather posts on a certain schedule.

Follow Friday 6-6-25: Active Communities on Dreamwidth Spring 2025 J-Z
Follow Friday 6-13-24: Hetalia
Follow Friday 6-20-25: Highlander
Follow Friday 6-27-25: Hiking
Follow Friday 7-4-25: Historical Fiction
Follow Friday 7-11-25: History
Follow Friday 7-18-25: Homestuck
Follow Friday 7-25-25: Horror
Follow Friday 8-1-25: House
Follow Friday 8-8-25: Icons
Follow Friday 8-15-25: Indie

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