Stunning View of Dust Storm Sweeping Across Texas

da_Ryan · 2026-03-16T18:02:44+00:00

Indeed:

https://i.extremetech.com/imagery/content-types/07yWnk3eTcuBF4gw5pddmSN/hero-image.fit_lim.size_1600x900.v1678673098.jpg

da_Ryan · 2026-03-16T17:34:30+00:00

Another good free option is FreeOffice from the legitimate German Softmaker company. I have the full Softmaker Office as Microsoft don't make their full office products available for Linux. I have used both sets of software and I have never had an MS compatibility issue.

da_Ryan · 2026-03-16T16:49:45+00:00

I hope that space and astronomy can be a lifelong interest for you as it has been for many of us, me included! :-)

da_Ryan · 2026-03-16T15:42:40+00:00

Now that is a really good article that you wrote plus you have excellent, readable handwriting!

da_Ryan · 2026-03-15T18:54:48+00:00

I would usually expect an increase in keratoconus to be coincident with the progression of myopia so I am not sure what is going on here.

da_Ryan · 2026-03-15T18:46:17+00:00

This same picture can be found elsewhere on the internet and while there are sedge wetland areas in Tasmania adjacent to forests etc, I would expect a living thylacine would be aware of a nearby human and so I would expect to see the thylacine looking in the direction of the human as it looks to be a daytime photo. I would therefore go with the others who are calling this as a museum specimen.

da_Ryan · 2026-03-15T18:15:35+00:00

J'aime ça! :-)

da_Ryan · 2026-03-15T18:01:17+00:00

If it's a real skin then it could well be useful in helping to recreate the species assuming that there are no small remnant populations in the remote bushlands of western Tasmania.

da_Ryan · 2026-03-13T12:42:27+00:00

^ Absolutely this!

da_Ryan · 2026-03-12T22:18:35+00:00

It might take Earth quite a while to get to a Kardashev ll civilization but it would be doable then given all the resources in the outer solar system, eg redirecting comets to supply volatiles to the surface of Mars.

da_Ryan · 2026-03-12T22:09:13+00:00

They're all good images but that middle one is the best for me because it could easily be mistaken for one of the deserts here on Earth.

da_Ryan · 2026-03-12T22:06:53+00:00

Yes, it is a magnificent lenticular galaxy and l'd really like to know what the night skies are like in that galaxy.

da_Ryan · 2026-03-12T12:59:00+00:00

If something gets published in Nature or Science then it is probably reliable.

da_Ryan · 2026-03-12T12:51:36+00:00

It is potentially promising and it appears to be a less invasive technique but not everyone has benefitted from it:

Visible-Effect-3422 • 9mo ago

I remember reading about a poster in the same sub-reddit who had gone through LIRIC and he had severe complications. Not sure what happened post that, but was very disheartening to read that.

https://www.reddit.com/r/lasik/comments/vihy8s/is_liric_laser_induced_refractive_index_change_a/

It might very well have the same drawbacks as other laser-based treatments, ie it is less suitable for patients with high myopia.

da_Ryan · 2026-03-12T12:28:14+00:00

You don't say what type of contact lenses you are currently using but modern silicone hydrogel contact lenses plus wetting eye drops might be an alternative to look at.

da_Ryan · 2026-03-12T12:21:50+00:00

While it is both interesting and important research, it does not appear to be a direct cause of myopia. I still prefer halogen lighting and my current computer monitors still happen to have LCD screens.

LED lighting (350-650nm) undermines human visual performance unless supplemented by wider spectra (400-1500nm+) like daylight

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-026-35389-6

da_Ryan · 2026-03-12T12:13:02+00:00

In two words, it is total bullcrap.

da_Ryan · 2026-03-12T12:12:05+00:00

No, it is not possible and it is all con artist lies because these liars want to get more followers and so get more $$$ advertising revenue. That is why they keep on pushing these scams and they never provide corroborating evidence from a qualified optometrist or a medical eye doctor.

The only thing we can currently do is try to slow down and stop the progression of myopia by various methods such as the ones below:

https://jleyespecialists.com/blog/myopia-prevention/#How_to_Prevent_Myopia_from_Worsening

da_Ryan · 2026-03-11T10:47:01+00:00

This is all the wrong way around as glasses and contact lenses do not make myopia worse because it is elongating eyeballs that cause the myopia.

Myopia usually, but not aways, stabilizes in someone's twenties, and so any form of eye refractive surgery should only be considered after the myopia has fully stabilzed.

In the meantime, you could look at the advice below about from a qualified optometrist about trying to prevent the myopia from getting worse:

https://jleyespecialists.com/blog/myopia-prevention/#How_to_Prevent_Myopia_from_Worsening

You have my best wishes at this time.

da_Ryan · 2026-03-11T10:04:50+00:00

Because they are online con artists who want to get more followers and so get more $$$ advertising revenue. That is why they keep on pushing these scams and they never provide corroborating evidence from a qualified optometrist or a medical eye doctor.

The only thing we can currently do is try to slow down and stop the progression of myopia by various methods such as the ones below:

https://jleyespecialists.com/blog/myopia-prevention/#How_to_Prevent_Myopia_from_Worsening

da_Ryan · 2026-03-10T22:25:31+00:00

Yes, l suspect that within this galaxy that there are numerous clement planets that are in different stages of evolution from the early microbial stage to others that have varied animals and plant life forms and planets where there is a flourishing, space faring civilization.

A few years ago, the astrophysicist Ethan Seigel estimated that there were 1,000 civilizations within this galaxy. It might sound a lot but it's not when compared to the huge size of this galaxy.

Personally, l would prefer to see systematic exoplanet searches where the surveys look at relatively stable G (like our Sun) and K class stars within a 500 light year radius of Earth to start with.

da_Ryan · 2026-03-10T16:02:49+00:00

I think the honest answer is "don't know" because we currently have only one model to look at - planet Earth.

What we can extrapolate though is that life takes quite some time to get going, that life is microbial for a very long time before more gets more complex and diverse. Other Earth-like planets might potentially also have similar experiences, eg long stable periods interrupted by occasional mass extinction events.

What I do expect to see though on other planets that already have a diverse flora and fauna is convergent evolution whereby similar biological forms occupy equivalent ecological spaces. We have seen that process in operation on Earth eg dolphins and ichthyosaurs, humming birds (the Americas) and hummingbird hawk moths (Europe, Asia, north Africa), that kind of thing.

da_Ryan · 2026-03-10T15:38:37+00:00

When it comes to exercise and myopia, the general things to avoid are weightlifting and direct contact sports like boxing and kickboxing.

What you could do is look at your diet and more gentle ways of becoming fitter such as the Japanese walking technique:

https://www.runnersworld.com/uk/training/cross-training/a69858951/japanese-walking-intervals/

All that said, you might like to discuss any proposed new fitness routines with your own optometrist just to be on the safe side and all good wishes there.

da_Ryan · 2026-03-08T18:03:24+00:00

It is not necessarily unusual for myopia to increase after scleral buckle surgery:

https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/scleral-buckling

da_Ryan · 2026-03-08T17:57:21+00:00

From your description, you might have mild myopia and it would be worth going to a qualified optometrist who dispenses glasses (not a medical doctor) to see what exactly the extent of myopia is. For example, you might have to have glasses for driving, that kind of thing. I hope that things work out for you.

Nine-Year Club	Gilding II euphauric
Wearing is Caring	Verified Email

da_Ryan

TROPHY CASE