iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Jenn Walter @jenngwalter.bsky.social · 18/04/2024

They say AI is gonna automate all the meaningless/dumb tasks ... if that's the case can someone pls explain why there's still no graceful way to convert a PDF to a Word doc without fcking up the formatting???

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Jenn Walter @jenngwalter.bsky.social · 17/04/2024

I love birdwatching any season, but spring is a favorite because the birds are WILD this time of year! I wrote about some of my fav springtime bird behaviors this week on the newsletter: #birdsky #🪶 jgw.substack.com/p/its-dumb-b...

jgw.substack.com

It's Dumb Bird Season

Welcome to nature's version of reality TV

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Jenn Walter @jenngwalter.bsky.social · 14/03/2024

Hah okay, I guess it's been a while since I posted on here 😅 Life has been busy. And the only time I'm on social media is when I'm browsing LinkedIn for freelance gigs/advice or shitposting on my Instagram story. BlueSky is cool, but hasn't stuck for me yet. Maybe I'll give it another try?

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Jenn Walter @jenngwalter.bsky.social · 14/03/2024

My pal @itsdrfunk.bsky.social is better at sharing my essays than I am 😂 Anyway, meet my favorite bird, Harv (I think I've shared some pics of him on here a while back...) He's a robin with a beautiful white crown who's captured my heart.

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Phil PlAIt @philplait.bsky.social · 12/12/2023

Geez, the wave of science writing layoffs continues. I'm really unhappy to see this.

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Jenn Walter @jenngwalter.bsky.social · 22/11/2023

A few weeks ago I went to the lake and saw what I thought was a young coot -- turns out it was a pied-billed grebe! I feel lucky to have spotted it a second time when I had my binoculars on hand. First grebe I've ever seen irl🪶 (@jenniferwhanson.bsky.social, you were right!) #birds #birdwatching

A small, round, brown bird floats on the water. It has a thick beak and white tailfeathers.

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Jenn Walter @jenngwalter.bsky.social · 22/11/2023

I never even thought of this, but now I'm never gonna look at SUV ads the same way again.

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Jenn Walter @jenngwalter.bsky.social · 10/11/2023

Absolutely love this time of year where I'll be sitting in my quiet apartment minding my own business when the distant sound of 300+ honking geese suddenly becomes louder until they're flying directly over my rooftop

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Jenn Walter @jenngwalter.bsky.social · 07/11/2023

Spotted a hooded merganser hanging out with a bunch of mallards! The ducks are officially on their way to Lake Michigan for the winter 🦆 #birds

A pristine-looking duck with bright yellow eyes, a black beak, and a striking crown of black-and-white plumage stands on the grass next to a brown female mallard and a green and brown male mallard. The duck has a white chest and brown feathers on its side and rump.

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Jenn Walter @jenngwalter.bsky.social · 03/11/2023

Went for an impromptu lake walk today and didn't have my binoculars, but I did get to see some coots on the water! I think the one in the back is a juvenile? Kinda hard to see in this phone pic. Both birds are a similar size/shape and the only difference is their coloring... #birds #birdwatching

Two small, round ducks swimming on the water. The one in the front has a white beak and black body. The one in the back is various shades of brown.

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Jenn Walter @jenngwalter.bsky.social · 25/10/2023

I learned recently that ChatGPT can communicate in many different languages, so I've been using it to practice German. It's a lot less stressful than talking to people online tbh... I think this is the most practical personal application I've found for the program thus far

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ProPublica @propublica.org · 25/10/2023

Dairy Workers on Wisconsin’s Small Farms Are Dying. Many of Those Deaths Are Never Investigated. OSHA sometimes investigates deaths on small farms if they provide housing to immigrant workers. Other times the agency says it can’t take action.

propub.li

Dairy Workers on Wisconsin’s Small Farms Are Dying. Many of Those Deaths Are Never Investigated.

OSHA sometimes investigates deaths on small farms if they provide housing to immigrant workers. Other times the agency says it can’t take action.

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Brett "Solidarity 2026" Banditelli @banditelli.org · 24/10/2023

🚨 BUFFLEHEAD SEASON HAS BEGUN 🚨 🪶

A big fluffy bufflehead comes towards the camera in total chill out mode and the light shows off it's colorful plumage

A bufflehead swims to the right and closes its eyes

To buffleheads wait in the water the one in the back is slightly larger and out of focus but the one in front is in Focus will both of them have perfect light showing a golden hue and their colorful plumage

A bufflehead clearly in focus with water coming off the bill and everything

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Jenn Walter @jenngwalter.bsky.social · 24/10/2023

This week's newsletter is part game recommendation and part analysis of why I seem to play more games when the weather gets colder. Anyone else do the same thing? I'd love to know I'm not the only one. jgw.substack.com/p/shifting-i...

jgw.substack.com

Shifting into Gamer Mode

It's kind of a (seasonal) phase

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Helen Branswell 🇨🇦 @helenbranswell.bsky.social · 20/10/2023

1. Happy Friday, all. Time for a flu update, courtesy of CDC's latest FluView, with surveillance data for the week ending Oct. 14. A 🧵 Flu activity is still minimal in the US, though it appears to be picking up a little, notably in Alaska. FluView is here: www.cdc.gov/flu/weekly/i...

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Jenn Walter @jenngwalter.bsky.social · 20/10/2023

My toxic trait is having my first cup of coffee at 1pm (I have been awake since 8am)

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Jenn Walter @jenngwalter.bsky.social · 17/10/2023

The hottest statement piece in my wardrobe is a pair of fingerless weightlifting gloves that protect my hands during eczema flare-ups. Now that fall is here, I wrote about breaking out the gloves again:

substack.com

The Eczema Glove Has Entered the Chat

It's called fashion, look it up <3

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Jenn Walter @jenngwalter.bsky.social · 16/10/2023

Saw the eclipse this weekend, it looked like a perfect little cookie with a bite out of it

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Jenn Walter @jenngwalter.bsky.social · 16/10/2023

I was gone from Twitter for so long that I forgot how to use platforms like these an actually enjoy it. (Did anyone even *enjoy* being on Twitter? I have no idea)

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Gabe Bullard @gbullard.bsky.social · 11/10/2023

Six months after leaving Twitter…not a lot has changed for NPR. My latest: niemanreports.org/articles/npr...

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Jenn Walter @jenngwalter.bsky.social · 06/10/2023

I would wear these unironically

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Jenn Walter @jenngwalter.bsky.social · 06/10/2023

Some days coffee turns me into a hyper-focused productivity machine and other days it backfires and I spend the entire day spacing out and opening the same three apps on my phone over and over. There is no in between

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Jenn Walter @jenngwalter.bsky.social · 06/10/2023

Just an FYI that some pharmacies are experiencing shortages in updated Covid shots right now, due to distribution changes. My appt at CVS got cancelled this morning. Pharmacist said their system is automatically cancelling appts when stock gets low. www.cnbc.com/2023/09/21/c...

cnbc.com

Providers struggle to get latest Covid shots into arms amid early supply issues

Some Americans are having Covid vaccine appointments canceled or finding a pharmacy doesn't have a shot for them, as the U.S. tries an unprecedented rollout.

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Helen Branswell 🇨🇦 @helenbranswell.bsky.social · 06/10/2023

1. Wondering where things stand with flu season? CDC released its latest FluView today, so let's take stock. This report is for the week ending Sept 30. It will be the last weekly report of the 2022-23 season, I think. Next week will be the first report for the 2024-24 season, I believe. 🧵

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Jenn Walter @jenngwalter.bsky.social · 06/10/2023

Stoked for this ngl Also the cover is so beautiful in person!! @taylorlorenz.bsky.social

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Jenn Walter @jenngwalter.bsky.social · 04/10/2023

The weather does not dictate the start of Soup Season. Your heart does

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Jenn Walter @jenngwalter.bsky.social · 27/09/2023

Man, how are y'all finding time to read books? Sometimes I get into the swing of reading a few chapters a day but most of the time I have a pile of started-but-not-finished novels sitting on my coffee table that I can't seem to get to. And my reading list is always so long. Ugh.

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Phil Lewis @phillewis.bsky.social · 27/09/2023

The WGA has “established regulations for the use of artificial intelligence (“AI”) on MBA-covered projects in the following ways:” www.wgacontract2023.org/the-campaign...

Artificial Intelligence

We have established regulations for the use of artificial intelligence (“AI”) on MBA-covered projects in the following ways:

AI can’t write or rewrite literary material, and AI-generated material will not be considered source material under the MBA, meaning that AI-generated material can’t be used to undermine a writer’s credit or separated rights.
A writer can choose to use AI when performing writing services, if the company consents and provided that the writer follows applicable company policies, but the company can’t require the writer to use AI software (e.g., ChatGPT) when performing writing services.
The Company must disclose to the writer if any materials given to the writer have been generated by AI or incorporate AI-generated material.
The WGA reserves the right to assert that exploitation of writers’ material to train AI is prohibited by MBA or other law.

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Jenn Walter @jenngwalter.bsky.social · 23/09/2023

I did NOT get to see the flamingos in Wisconsin yesterday but I did see some very cute sanderlings and a majestic double-crested cormorant!!

Two fluffy black and white shorebirds standing on a rock near the water. One is pecking at something with its black beak and the other is lifting its wings in the air after preening

A majestic goose-sized bird, called a cormorant, swims in the water. It has a long yellow beak with a hook at the front and an all-black body

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Jenn Walter @jenngwalter.bsky.social · 23/09/2023

Flamingos were spotted for the first time in Wisconsin this week. This is truly nuts to me www.jsonline.com/story/news/l...

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Jenn Walter @jenngwalter.bsky.social · 22/09/2023

This fig from a Reuter's Institute poll caught my eye: the more climate change news people read, the less they believe the government is doing enough to protect us from the climate crisis.

Graphic that reads "Figure 25. Proportion that agree that the government is doing each -- by climate change news use (all countries)." There are four questions: is doing enough to help avoid a climate catastrophe, is acting in line with climate science, is doing everything it can to protect the planet for future generations, is paying enough attention to climate change. Respondents who read climate change news weekly agreed the least with all four statements, and those who read climate change news less than monthly agreed the most.

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Neil Gaiman @neilhimself.neilgaiman.com · 21/09/2023

I'm so shocked. Who could ever have seen this one coming? Paint me pink and call me a banana my shockitude runneth over.

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Jenn Walter @jenngwalter.bsky.social · 19/09/2023

Pro tip: grind up cardamom seeds with your coffee beans before you brew it. So simple but makes the perfect aromatic fall drink

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Jenn Walter @jenngwalter.bsky.social · 14/09/2023

One of the coolest things I learned recently is that chickadees -- sweet, cute, little chickadees -- can be absolutely menacing when scaring predators away from the nest. They do something called the snake display, which was beautifully captured in this nest cam video: youtu.be/CgO_zDGgTjA?...

youtu.be

I Put a Camera Inside a Chickadee Nest Box for 54 Days

Watch a Black-capped Chickadee nest box over a span of 54 days shortened down to 20 narrated mins. From nest building to fledging. 🔴Black-capped Chickadee ...

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Victor Tangermann @vtanger.bsky.social · 14/09/2023

today in AI-generated garbage being published by mainstream aggregators. this is probably some of the laziest and (unintentionally?) offensive AI slop I've come across so far, and that's saying something. futurism.com/msn-ai-brand...

futurism.com

MSN Publishes Garbled AI Article Calling Tragically Deceased NBA Player "Useless"

Microsoft's MSN news portal published a garbled, seemingly AI-generated article that derided Hunter as "useless" in its headline.

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Jenn Walter @jenngwalter.bsky.social · 08/09/2023

Friendly reminder to start taking your vitamin D soon <3 Winter is coming <3

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John Wenz @johnwenz.bsky.social · 08/09/2023

Seems more like a Twitter thing, but some ~personal news~ that today is my last day at Inverse. I'm taking a job a little outside journalism, though I may still dust off my byline from time-to-time.

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Jenn Walter @jenngwalter.bsky.social · 07/09/2023

A few months ago I realized that I missed writing for the sake of writing. Not reporting, just good ol writing whatever's on my mind for the hell of it. So I started newslettering again. This week I tackled garage spiders, next week ... well, sign up to find out! jgw.substack.com

jgw.substack.com

engulfed in flames | Jennifer Walter | Substack

writing whatever the hell I want! Click to read engulfed in flames, by Jennifer Walter, a Substack publication. Launched 4 years ago.

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Jenn Walter @jenngwalter.bsky.social · 07/09/2023

I have to share my banner pic on the feed bc it's very special to me. This is Harv, a robin that lives in our neighborhood and has a beautiful white crown on his head. He's a special boi!! We haven't seen him in a while but I hope he's okay...

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