Nick @internic@social.cleverlibre.org

We usually build space telescopes for a nominal lifetime of a few years but also in a way that allows them to live much, much longer. Combine this with the ingenuity of some of the engineering and operarions folks, and you have missions in space for more than 20 years. It's not without challenges, though...

▶️ https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20230815-the-ancient-tech-keeping-space-missions-alive

#astrodon #space #esa

Protein
http://smbc-comics.com/comic/protein (click for bonus panel)
#smbc #hiveworks #comics

The 2023-2024 academic year will be the first full year where students have unlimited access to ChatGPT and other LLMs.

While it's easy to short-circuit AI use in the classroom or by requiring that they show their work on written assignments, it's harder to prevent its use, or use it effectively, in online assignments.

So I want to know: what's your best idea for an ONLINE assignment that either:
(1) teaches them to use it effectively, or
(2) asks them for something they can't easily produce with an LLM?

I'll go first, with one example of each.

First, I ask them to have AI write a paragraph about a topic we studied in the module, and then have them fact-check each sentence with the assigned class readings.

Second, since the pandemic I've added journaling to all my classes. I ask students to reflect on the content of that module using examples from their lives, their thoughts, or their lived experience. It's easy to tell if their response isn't personalized, meaning that they used AI to write it (not just improve it, which I am fine with).

What do YOU suggest?

With #HurricaneHilary headed toward Mexico & California, it’s worth noting that while #ClimateChange may not be causing storms, warmer ocean waters make them more stronger & more dangerous.

Forecast for maximum #wind gusts from NWS for #Hilary. #cawx #tropics #azwx

I was somewhere last month where I found an unexpected treasure trove of rare keyboards I have never seen before…

https://science.nasa.gov/learners/back-to-school#highschool
Attention high school educators!

Explore NASA Science lessons and activities to help make your curriculum out-of-this-world!

This Electromagnetic Spectrum & Infrared Astronomy unit from NASA's Astronomy Activation Ambassadors supplements physical science curricula with hands-on activities and lessons comparing and contrasting visible light with infrared ("invisible") light for existing grades 6-14. Some student materials are available in Spanish.

#science #education

Some positive news: Some New York hospitals are starting to reinstate their mask mandates due to rising COVID cases.

Auburn Community Hospital and Upstate University Hospital reinstated their mask mandate this week, while NYC Health + Hospitals continued their mask mandate through the summer.

http://bit.ly/NYHealthMaskGuide

#KeepMasksInHealthcare

Masto admins this week

I wonder if threads with listed head and unlisted tail promote less discussion in mastodon than threads with everything listed.

Haven't boosted this in a while. Perhaps there's someone/something new? Please boost for reach.

Please find in this thread a collection of #philosophy resources on Mastodon. Please let me know if there's anything missing!

Boosts welcome!

@philosophy

Many people don't understand what a high level of community spread means, so it's very helpful to translate wastewater data into estimated infections like this. 1 in 55 works out to roughly 2-4 people with an active #COVID infection in every crowded subway car. Wear a mask.

Oh.

Oh no.
#foraging

@tao I find it funny that “countless” tends to be used by the public for discrete things which very much can be counted, there are just a lot to count.

Lay use of “periodically” means the opposite of being regular and is closer to meaning sporadic.

And I’d claim on a technicality that when people say “sphere” they mean all of the interval volume which is the ‘opposite’ to just the surface.

Your Cosmic Microwave Background for your Zoom calls.

#CMB #Background #Astrodon #AstroPhysics

Thousands of scientists are cutting back on Twitter, seeding angst and uncertainty https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-02554-0 #yup #twitter #xodus #mastodon #threads #bluesky

#Papertime! 🌌 💫 📡 (From Monday, but I totally did not have the time to post this before ...)

"The first mm detection of a neutron star high-mass X-ray binary" led by the amazing J. van den Eijnden, including @fuerst, @pkretsch, yours truly et al.
MNRAS submitted (not yet refereed).

▶️ https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2023arXiv230806021V/abstract

What is this about and why is this important? Follow along for a science 🧵

#Astrodon #astronomy #XraysAreTheBestRays #astrophysics
1/7

“A ground-up rewrite is coming in a way that simplifies the X codebase…”

Um, I don’t think I trust you with that. https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1692132278720434514?s=12

Btw., thread written with https://rstockm.github.io/mastothread/ - which is a bit buggy but still HIGHLY recommended!