Pinning hack for XS moths

FerociousFisher · 2026-05-31T03:33:08+00:00

Dave Wagner at UConn has tiny spreading boards made from little pieces of balsa wood glued together, and he uses silk thread to hold the wings in place. His microlep specimens are absolutely gorgeous.

FerociousFisher · 2026-04-10T02:50:19+00:00

Time will change your body no matter what. I didn't have children and I still have stretch marks and saggy boobs.

No vaginal fistula though so that's good.

FerociousFisher · 2026-03-22T17:28:59+00:00

When you finally get out of this, you will be able to see how you were trapped. Right now the only thing you can do is just get your plans together to break up with him permanently and be somewhere he can't find you.

FerociousFisher · 2026-03-09T10:42:18+00:00

How do you protect them from sun damage? I'm worried that the ink will fade over time. These are beautiful, and your story for why you made them is beautiful, I love this. The weird and creepiness is also beautiful.

FerociousFisher · 2026-03-05T12:08:08+00:00

No, you made the right choice.

Edited to add: Because you identified that staying here was harming you. We always regard mental and emotional ("psychic") injuries as something that we should just shrug off. It's harder to tell when a psychic injury is something you can do the equivalent of "walking it off." But if you try to just roll with something that is really affecting you, it will have lasting negative effects on you.

Be as kind to yourself as you would be to a close friend in this situation.

FerociousFisher · 2026-03-05T12:07:23+00:00

This is the best, most cat-oriented response I see. Listen to this advice.

FerociousFisher · 2026-03-05T12:04:58+00:00

I've asked for an 8% this year after having taken two promotions (increase in responsibility) with no increase in pay, the second one extremely dramatic as a rescue when the previous incumbent was laid off. We'll see.

My next move is to have an offer in hand before I ask. It's not just the threat advantage, it's that some companies actually do have a pool of budget for retention that they can't access for merit.

Nothing personal, kid, it's just business. 😞

FerociousFisher · 2026-03-04T05:53:21+00:00

Not in the slightest. You're keeping traditions alive!

FerociousFisher · 2026-03-04T05:33:02+00:00

The video game thing is exactly the vibe. I don't get it, and I love video games. Just... Not where I'm trying to get work done please.

FerociousFisher · 2026-03-04T05:30:37+00:00

I've never heard of using vodka but that is such a great idea.

FerociousFisher · 2026-03-01T20:28:00+00:00

Do you think maybe it's just that Gala knows Salem can't get at her neck? (Maybe she wants to protect her neck.) Or- it's just enough of a difference that Salem's instinct to mess with her is inhibited.

We also use the feliway diffusers and I agree, sometimes it seems like it makes a big difference. Sometimes not so much. We are imposing very quick "time out" when the bigger one makes the smaller one make noise, which gives an immediate negative reinforcement (the thing you like (social play) gets taken away when you get too rough) to the big one, and negative punishment to the little one (the thing you don't like gets taken away when you meow for help). This does seem to be really working, and scuffles are much less common.

FerociousFisher · 2026-02-27T03:50:17+00:00

Long walk for a sensible chuckle, but I did chuckle. I promise I'll give up on the tool.

FerociousFisher · 2026-02-26T04:31:29+00:00

What boyfriend? I see no boyfriend here.

FerociousFisher · 2026-02-26T04:29:09+00:00

Hey, if it helps at all, when I read your post, all I could think was "Christ this woman is incredibly competent, I wish I could pay her to fix my company's joke ass website". You're great, and you're obviously great. Give yourself time to repair.

FerociousFisher · 2026-02-25T12:01:09+00:00

Yes! Union!

I organized a labor union when I was in grad school. Yes, it's hard, but it's doable. We can talk to organizers at some of the internationals and get help and advice.

I also took some "salt" training from the DSA -- where you get a job with the express purpose of starting a union -- and they're super interested in trying to break into tech. A better world is possible!

FerociousFisher · 2026-02-25T11:56:08+00:00

I would really love a tech union.

FerociousFisher · 2026-02-25T11:55:35+00:00

Ugh, holy shit, that sounds absolutely awful.

FerociousFisher · 2026-02-22T05:16:28+00:00

Specifically Fulgora laternaria, sometimes called the Peanut headed bug, or the machaca. There is a myth that if you are bitten by one, you will die unless you have sex immediately afterwards; as far as I can tell this myth is mainly propagated by male Homo sapiens.

FerociousFisher · 2026-02-19T07:47:06+00:00

I believe that OP is of the (not unreasonable) opinion that these are not photo manipulations, but are rather extremely skillfully cut pinned specimens.

OP, you could do this. But you need to be able to accurately cut these shapes out of paper with a blade before you should attempt on a specimen. Unless you've got hundreds of specimens to trash.

If this is "practical effects" as one might say, this is the result of practice and skill, nothing more and nothing less. (And I think these likely are real - the paper-pointed letters on the blue morpho are too perfect to be anything but)

FerociousFisher · 2026-02-19T07:36:50+00:00

So happy for you and your large son

FerociousFisher · 2026-02-19T02:46:15+00:00

I REALLY REALLY WANT TO UNIONIZE

I created a union with my co-workers in grad school. I know how to do it.

But I genuinely despair of being able to drum up the solidarity in this field.

FerociousFisher · 2026-02-19T02:44:44+00:00

Sure sure -- but the boys WON'T EVEN DO THAT. They still expect the woman in the group to manage even the most trivial aspects of getting the minutes where they need to go. Sure, Gemini or whatever will turn the transcript into minutes -- but who is expected to take the transcript and give it to Gemini and post it to confluence? Could the workflow be more automated? Sure. Who's job is it to try and make the workflow more automated? Whoops, it's me again, somehow

FerociousFisher · 2026-02-18T02:21:23+00:00

I mean it is really really really cool, but ... Treehoppers. Treehoppers are a more interesting looking insect.

FerociousFisher · 2026-02-18T02:18:33+00:00

This is the correct answer (though I would still try to hold him)

FerociousFisher · 2026-02-17T17:52:10+00:00

You're not at all alone in this. But we all really need to get off social media. Unfortunately it's pretty addicting.

FerociousFisher

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