DecaturNature @DecaturNature@social.cleverlibre.org

In the late 19th century, the American west was plagued by locust. Then they went extinct. Did the plow do it? (this is a really good, dramatic podcast story)
http://thememorypalace.us/2018/09/lost-locusts/

Wishful thinking from 150 years ago lead to the "dust bowl"...because rain does not follow the plow. But sometimes the plow does change the environment for the better (see next)
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2018/09/how-the-west-was-lost/569365/

A publication in Science proposes that solar and wind energy installations will bring rain to the Sahel and Sahara. This reminds me of the old American idea that "rain follows the plow" (see next)
http://science.sciencemag.org/content/361/6406/1019

Here's a collection of 100+ outstanding #journalism stories. I can vouch for "the prophet" on the "Reply All" podcast -- it blew my mind.
https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2018/08/slightly-more-than-100-fantastic-articles/567574/

#Fediverse ?

1. How will administrators raise revenue? Will this limit the size, reliability, and sustainability of instances? It seems that the developers are adamantly against putting adds in the timeline. Maybe adds could go somewhere on the side (like on a regular website)? Some admins ask for donations, others are trying have a sign-up fee. Are there other models? Will instances need to be provided by existing institutions (schools, activist groups, professional societies)?
2. How will instances resist coordinated attacks? It seems like federation opens some avenues for attacks (as does open registration)...but maybe it's nothing more than for any web server.
3. In the linked article, the author discusses two extremes: "special interest forums" vs "global real time social network. ". What is the middle? I imagine a structured #network, where each instance is tightly linked to a few others, but most of the network is "over the horizon" and information moves between those instances indirectly. There probably would be some hub instances (perhaps occupied by major media producers). There could also be "protected" instances and "buffer" instances -- where the former emphasizes the complete exclusion of certain people (both internally and in federation), and the later places similar exclusion rules on their own membership, but not on federated instances.

Thoughts? Are there other essays on this?

I'm mulling how the #mastadon federation could evolve. I found one good article on the topic (https://medium.com/@lim_nick/mastodon-systemic-sustainability-afe172699cb2). A few of my thoughts below...

For the USA -- it's time to register to vote (register online here!) http://www.ncsl.org/research/elections-and-campaigns/electronic-or-online-voter-registration.aspx#Table%20of%20states%20w/ovr
#election #voting

@bnys Brendan Nystedt: Thanks for bringing my attention to Mastadon! I like a lot of it...but one essential feature is missing (easy account migration):
https://github.com/tootsuite/mastodon/issues/177
#mastadon

Let me know if my profile picture is too gruesome. It's just something I found walking around my neighborhood (evidence of a bird of prey). #birding

I'm looking for #bioinformatics content to follow.

I'm here because of this article on Wired. https://www.wired.com/story/join-mastodon-twitter-alternative/ #introduction

I use some Android apps to help me identify and document the life I see. The one I use most commonly is the Audubon app (https://www.audubon.org/app). The most impressive bird in this area is a brown-tailed hawk. I also hear owls occasionally, but have never seen them. My hummingbird feeder has attracted several ruby-throated hummingbirds. My most recent "discovery" was the Eastern Towhee. #birding #apps

Greetings ya'll. I'm a biologist living in Decatur GA. I sit in front of a computer all day, so I'm making a point of paying attention to all of the life around me. Some of it I try to nurture or attract (e.g. butterfly garden), but a lot of it shows up on it's own, or I just pass it by during my day. That's not why I'm here, just something I do (and the meaning of my handle). #introduction

arXiv fans: how would I get a biorXiv feed here? https://www.biorxiv.org/collection/evolutionary-biology

@arxiv_cs @arxiv_math @arxiv_physics