Bryan Wright

I'm the IT manager for the UVa Physics Department. I have a PhD in physics, and used to do research in nuclear physics. I teach introductory programming to undergrads. Also, flies are underrated.

Web: https://discovery.phys.virginia.edu/~bkw1a/
Book: https://tinyurl.com/practical-c
INaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?place_id=any&subview=grid&user_id=bryanwright&verifiable=any
Course: https://discovery.phys.virginia.edu/classes/1660/2022/

Public Key

npub1r023632durmwq7rw7h8ts5n579k06vau9ja7tdctz9rtjjc3vrtqaff6ma

NIP-05 Address

catselbow_at_fosstodon.org@momostr.pink

Profile Code

nprofile1qqsph4gag4x7pahq0ph0tn4c2f60zm8axw7zewl9ku93z34efvgkp4spz3mhxue69uhhyetvv9ujuerpd46hxtnfduqs6amnwvaz7tmwdaejumr0dsfzxk50

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relay.damus.io

nos.lol

Author Public Key

npub1r023632durmwq7rw7h8ts5n579k06vau9ja7tdctz9rtjjc3vrtqaff6ma

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Last Notes

2024-09-10 13:43:26

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You're right!

2024-09-10 11:20:34

An abandoned cicada exuvia hanging from the back of a poison ivy leaf.
#Cicadas #hemiptera #insects #photography
https://cdn.fosstodon.org/media_attachments/files/113/112/915/255/954/771/original/d45f6bb83bdd9699.jpg

2024-09-09 12:16:16

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Sincerity. If you can fake that, you've got it made.

2024-09-09 12:07:26

A "Beautiful Wood-nymph" moth larva (Eudryas grata) on a grape leaf. What a lucky creature to have such a striking appearance AND such a wonderful name!
#moths #mothstodon #lepidoptera #insects #photography
https://cdn.fosstodon.org/media_attachments/files/113/107/494/300/046/554/original/f08bca5bbdde523f.jpg

2024-09-08 22:24:08

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Was yours a laundromat or a dry cleaner? The only smell I associate with laundromats is the perfume of laundry detergent and a whiff of dirty laundry. I've spent many pleasant hours in laundromats, reading books while listening to the slosh, whirl, and clunk of washers and dryers.

2024-09-08 21:57:46

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The one I remember had a stack of crates beside the machine, for empty bottles.

2024-09-08 16:51:24

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Ahhhhh.

2024-09-08 16:06:47

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Definitely Fresca. Back in the days when sodas had real sugar, my dad had a shop beside a laundromat. The laundromat had a soda machine with a thermostat turned down so low that the sodas (in glass bottles) were frozen slush. In hot weather, the best thing in the world was a frozen Fresca.

2024-09-08 15:50:30

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"I think this photo captures the essence of what it's like to live with her."
Constant fear for your life?

2024-09-07 11:46:49

When I was very small I spent a lot of time at my grandmother's house. At bedtime, with me lying in the rollaway bed beside her bed, the lights turned out, crisp white sheets pulled up to my chin, and the sound of train whistles in the distance, she'd ask me "What do you want to talk about?" and I'd always answer "Elephants!"
I'm glad to see that modern researchers are still exploring this topic:
"Elephant trunk wrinkles: A mathematical model of function and form"
https://arxiv.org/abs/2409.03075

2024-09-07 11:25:13

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I use GIMP. If you're working with RAW files you might want to take a look at rawtherapee, but it seems to take more knowledge/skill than I possess to get good results out of it.

2024-09-07 11:19:35

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This looks very cozy, but how do people reach the books on the high shelves? Are there ladders?

2024-09-07 10:35:02

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I see the FBI* is already on the case.
* Feline Bureau of Investigation

2024-09-06 19:26:20

I just now read the article below, about grade inflation. I agree that this is problematic, but the author seems to think the problem is that grade inflation doesn't allow us to adequately label students as "good" or "bad".
I'm not interested in labeling students. I just want to teach them. All of them: The ones who struggle and the ones who glide.
I know this is complicated, but I think part of the solution has to be focusing on doing a better job of teaching.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/other/college-grades-have-become-a-charade-it-s-time-to-abolish-them/ar-AA1q7z05

2024-09-06 17:31:51

Happy Scutoid September! (A new @vihart video!)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JbKDxHWPFac

2024-09-06 11:29:14

A leaf-footed bug on a blackberry leaf.
#bugs #hemiptera #insects #photography
https://cdn.fosstodon.org/media_attachments/files/113/090/242/312/123/566/original/05d61f0c2ada2320.jpg

2024-09-03 12:28:04

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The human race has a bus factor of about 8 billion.

2024-09-02 22:47:07

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Remember to leave a dish of sewing machine oil out for the repair fairies.

2024-09-02 22:04:34

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Awww! Good mama chicken.

2024-09-02 21:40:04

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Mmmm. Circus peanuts.

2024-09-02 21:39:01

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Give them a try! Don't let the squirrels have all the fun.

2024-09-02 12:11:38

The fruit of a kousa dogwood (Cornus kousa). These are just getting ripe now, and they're edible. They're very sweet, and it only recently dawned on me that their texture is similar to "Circus Peanuts" (a sugary candy that's shaped like giant peanuts). There's a tree right across the street from the physics building, and I sometimes stop to snack from it.
#plants #trees #photography #foraging
https://cdn.fosstodon.org/media_attachments/files/113/067/821/398/530/794/original/33b2ae8150e5a94b.jpg

2024-09-01 21:03:33

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You knowed it was full of bees 'cause you seedum.

2024-09-01 12:12:08

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You too! Did you have any trouble from the typhoon?

2024-09-01 11:39:42

#SilentSunday #plants #trees #sunlight #photography
https://cdn.fosstodon.org/media_attachments/files/113/062/071/309/899/502/original/9375fbceb575cf26.jpg

2024-08-31 11:45:37

I found this girl standing on the edge of the cat food bowl. At first I thought she was eating cat food, but she was really eating the *butterflies* who came to eat cat food. She caught two of them, and tried unsuccessfully to catch several flies and a yellow jacket.
#insects #mantis #arthropods #photography
https://cdn.fosstodon.org/media_attachments/files/113/056/345/404/233/427/original/18fd3345f823acba.jpg
https://cdn.fosstodon.org/media_attachments/files/113/056/348/849/350/886/original/b8e26384019e0eae.jpg

2024-08-31 10:27:25

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I'd replace the touchscreen on my car's dashboard with a set of knobs, buttons, and sliders that let me do the same things without making me take my eyes off the road. Turning on the A/C or changing the radio station while I'm driving is life-endangering.

2024-08-30 12:29:21

Seed pods of a pearl bush (Exochorda). Hearts from the side, stars from the top.
#plants #flowers #photography
https://cdn.fosstodon.org/media_attachments/files/113/050/883/405/915/841/original/014b75b495a3b940.jpg
https://cdn.fosstodon.org/media_attachments/files/113/050/883/383/069/422/original/2ac2bc214b103f41.jpg

2024-08-30 10:26:16

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That's so terrible! I hope you're doing well.

2024-08-29 22:54:00

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You can't look your best
If you don't have a crest.

2024-08-29 15:35:21

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Be safe!

2024-08-29 11:24:50

Buds of Clematis virginiana, which Wikipedia tells me is known as:
"devil's darning needles, devil's hair, love vine, traveller's joy, virgin's bower, Virginia virgin's bower, wild hops, and woodbine"
Whew! That's a lot of baggage for a delicate vine with foamy sprays of little white flowers.
These grow wild everywhere around here and are now bursting into bloom. The vines grow up into trees and shrubs and spread a layer of white on top, like snow.
#plants #flowers #photography
https://cdn.fosstodon.org/media_attachments/files/113/044/998/397/374/236/original/9773e1b5f07cfe77.jpg

2024-08-28 15:51:37

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True. I've seen fields completely covered with a maze of it.

2024-08-28 14:48:25

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Yes, but tasty.

2024-08-28 11:26:18

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Try them! When they're unripe they're very astringent, so in that case wait a few days and try them again.
We've also found that there's a lot of variation in the flavor between different trees. Sometimes even neighboring trees will taste very different.

2024-08-28 11:12:17

Some autumn olive fruit (Eleagnus umbellata). These are tasty, but invasive, and the twigs have long sharp spines that will poke you when you least expect it.
#plants #trees #foraging #photography
https://cdn.fosstodon.org/media_attachments/files/113/039/291/353/172/265/original/9dd0105e3ffc24fe.jpg

2024-08-27 12:20:57

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Thank you!

2024-08-27 11:16:37

The surface of a false nettle leaf (Boehmeria). A maze of twisty little passages.
#plants #photography
https://cdn.fosstodon.org/media_attachments/files/113/033/618/298/839/322/original/ffeccc5a2eacbd2e.jpg

2024-08-24 14:25:21

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Slicey paw, patty paw.

2024-08-24 10:24:17

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Congratulations on your successful surgery! I hope you have many years of good health.

2024-08-24 01:48:03

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I hope the same.

2024-08-23 23:31:58

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This is a beautiful creature and a beautiful photo. I love the way the image is made out of three very different shapes: the beetle, the fingers, and the dark background. They're different from each other in almost every way -- shape, color, texture -- but they harmonize so well when put together like this.

2024-08-23 22:34:24

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I hope the test results are good!

2024-08-23 21:22:43

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I'm so sorry. I hope you get some relief soon.

2024-08-23 20:07:03

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Yes! It's only a minor inconvenience.

2024-08-23 20:05:53

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My condolences. I'm so sorry.

2024-08-23 19:20:48

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I'm glad they caught yours early. The woman I described now needs to have a colonoscopy and a CT scan every year for at least the next 5 years.

2024-08-23 19:16:16

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I'm glad they caught it!

2024-08-23 19:14:43

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Good point about the home testing kits, although they do have a high false-positive rate.
Here in the US the recommendation now is to start screening at 45:
https://www.cdc.gov/colorectal-cancer/screening/index.html

2024-08-23 19:09:35

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Indeed. I've had 2 colonoscopies. They require a day of prep that's unpleasant, but then you take a nap and when you wake up it's over. It's not really a big deal.

2024-08-23 19:06:31

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I wish him luck.

2024-08-23 17:23:57

If you're over 45, get a colonoscopy.
I know someone in her 60s who recently had her first colonoscopy. They found a tumor, requiring surgery to remove a section of her colon. She had no symptoms before, and is an otherwise healthy and active person.
The pathology report showed that the tumor had just penetrated the outer wall of her colon. If she'd waited longer, it would have metastasized. An earlier colonoscopy could have nipped it as a polyp.
Just do it. It could save your life.

2024-08-23 17:04:06

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Jelly lichens, likely gelling.

2024-08-21 17:56:20

I miss boredom.
I'm working from home today, in a room full of books. Bright pre-autumn sunshine is coming through the window. I'm sitting at a computer, typing.
I miss the kind of boredom where there's nothing to worry about, except maybe vague far-future worries. The kind where you've read all the interesting books and you reach for the ones you've been putting off. Then you draw a little. Then you sit and think.
I'm sitting here in the bright sunshine and the sound of cicadas, typing.

2024-08-21 10:49:57

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Showered with blessings.

2024-08-21 10:40:07

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May you be kissed by the horse lips of happiness.

2024-08-11 13:27:22

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We've had only slightly cooler temperatures here recently, but last night the temperature dropped to a blissful 20 C. The temperature has started to rise now, so I've closed the windows.
We live in an old house without air conditioning. We manage the heat in the summer by opening the windows at night an closing them in the morning.
Stay cool, and take good care of yourself.

2024-08-06 12:29:03

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That's why kitties have retractable claws. "Nothing to see here but my soft pink toe pads."

2024-08-06 12:26:45

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Yay! I hope you have a great time together.

2024-08-03 22:42:37

I've been in need of some light reading as a distraction recently, and I know of nothing better for this than Giant Days, written by John Allison with art by Max Sarin and others. I've been binge-reading this comic on Hoopla lately. It follows a group of friends at the University of Sheffield through their undergraduate careers. It's warm and silly, and often makes me laugh out loud.
https://www.boom-studios.com/series/giant-days/
#comics

2024-08-03 16:54:50

An interesting article about aphantasia:
https://www.quantamagazine.org/what-happens-in-a-mind-that-cant-see-mental-images-20240801/

2024-08-01 21:08:44

"Electric Butterfly" sounds like a 1970s R&B group.
"We’ve discovered that butterflies and moths accumulate so much static electricity when flying, that pollen is literally pulled through the air towards them as they approach a flower."
https://www.bristol.ac.uk/news/2024/july/butterflies-static-electricity.html

2024-08-01 12:44:40

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This is a beautiful picture. I keep coming back to look at it.

2024-05-30 11:25:10

A very handsome beetle (Hippopsis lemniscata) with long, Long, LONG antennae, on a wild onion.
#beetles #coleoptera #insects #arthropods #photography
https://cdn.fosstodon.org/media_attachments/files/112/529/677/373/403/782/original/5bc395d670a5bca3.jpg
https://cdn.fosstodon.org/media_attachments/files/112/529/680/103/584/796/original/051ddebf52f9d90b.jpg
https://cdn.fosstodon.org/media_attachments/files/112/529/681/209/065/046/original/25b3ce2b29250472.jpg