iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Mark Panning @markpanning.seismology.space · 17h

Bought tickets for the Sunday Dodgers playoff game. May be Yamamoto v Sale if rumors are to be believed. That should be fun to watch. Only made 1 playoff game last year, but that was the NLCS game 4 with Ohtani going off, so I’m expecting good things

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Riding With Robots @ridingrobots.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

From NASA: How do you get a probe ready for the heat of Venus? Put it in a furnace.🔥 From Aug. 28 to Sept. 10, a model of our DAVINCI probe went through six cycles to 869°F (465°C), each matched to its planned hour-long descent. It came out unscathed: go.nasa.gov/3VYwVKR

Close-up of the DAVINCI probe engineering model, a rounded metallic vessel about the size of a yoga ball, before heat testing.
Credit: NASA/Mike Guinto

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Mark Panning @markpanning.seismology.space · 30/09/2026

Go Phillies! Way to support LA in the quest to have your wild card series go the full 3 games! Also please win tomorrow as well, even though I’m more scared of your pitchers because I don’t want to have to listen to the Tomahawk Chop ever.

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Mark Panning @markpanning.seismology.space · 30/09/2026

The Jesuits were responsible for the first regularly published earthquake catalog and the namesake of the widely used Mercalli intensity scale was also a Catholic priest (although I’m not sure if he was actually a Jesuit).

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Mark Panning @markpanning.seismology.space · 30/09/2026

I don’t really care too much about Yankees-Red Sox, so I’ll default to wanting the Yankees to lose and I’d like them to avoid hanging Tolle with a loss because he’s just so charming.

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Mark Panning @markpanning.seismology.space · 30/09/2026

Wanted the Phillies to win just because I’ve hated the Braves since I was a kid thanks to Ted Turner pushing them on us. But White Sox won so that’s good.

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Mark Panning @markpanning.seismology.space · 28/09/2026

Are there other examples of this beyond Green Bay here in the US? I like this a lot...

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Mark Panning @markpanning.seismology.space · 28/09/2026

This is not to say that Starship will inevitably follow the same, um, trajectory, but Falcon is a remarkable success story no matter how you slice it.

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Mark Panning @markpanning.seismology.space · 28/09/2026

I mean, you can say it doesn’t count for various reasons, but it has really revolutionized access to LEO. And yes, Starlink launches have driven a significant fraction of that, but basically everything is going up on them now because it’s so much cheaper than how things were before.

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Mark Panning @markpanning.seismology.space · 28/09/2026

They make us (allow us to?) work anyway…

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Mark Panning @markpanning.seismology.space · 28/09/2026

First day of the new fiscal year should be a holiday.

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Gwen C. Katz @gwenckatz.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

Fuck ChatGPT flyers. The future is broadsheets.

A crowded broadsheet with way too many fonts. It says:
Forget ChatGPT Flyers
Say it with
Broadsheets
Unlimited fonts
Stretch them
Or cram a really long sentence into one line for no good reason
No whitespace
Mix capital and lowercase
Pointing hands
(They're called manicules!)
Don't be left behind
Broadsheets are the future

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Mark Panning @markpanning.seismology.space · 25/09/2026

I like the fact that it’s super sofet.

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Mark Panning @markpanning.seismology.space · 24/09/2026

Why do I get tickets for midweek concerts?

Lit up marquee saying Beck live at the Greek Theatre with glowing BF seats behind it.

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Mark Panning @markpanning.seismology.space · 23/09/2026

Nicky Fox (the head of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate) showed up in person to JPL’s all hands meeting to let us know that PRIMA had been selected for the first ever Astrophysics Probe mission. It’s not my field, but this is a big deal. Cool new space telescope! www.nasa.gov/news-release...

nasa.gov

NASA Selects Far-Infrared Telescope as First in New Mission Class - NASA

NASA announced Wednesday a mission to explore the history and evolution of the universe, PRIMA (PRobe far-Infrared Mission for Astrophysics), is advancing to

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Reposted by Mark Panning

Dr. Wendy Panero @mineraltoplanet.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

Want to hear from NSF program directors about the latest at NSF in Earth Sciences? Come hear updates and hear us answer your questions. October 6, 3 pm EDT. Register here: www.nsf.gov/events?f%5B0...

nsf.gov

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Mark Panning @markpanning.seismology.space · 22/09/2026

I’m confused. Could you please explain how this relates to the Moon or Mars?

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Mark Panning @markpanning.seismology.space · 20/09/2026

To me, you don’t need any Marxist theories to understand it. Fascism is just an institutionalized version of the worst of human tribalism. Define in groups and out groups and enforce that and hierarchy violently. I would assume it can emerge anywhere people let it emerge.

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Mark Panning @markpanning.seismology.space · 20/09/2026

Yeah, any dog can bite when scared enough.

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Mark Panning @markpanning.seismology.space · 20/09/2026

I love dogs. Big and small. But I give them all a bunch of space since runners can startle them and make them do things that we’ll all end up regretting.

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Mark Panning @markpanning.seismology.space · 20/09/2026

For other runners out there, how do you react to dogs along the route? I go in the road to leave them the max space. Ever since I ran close to a seemingly friendly dog that seemed friendly and then just snapped at me and I jumped just clear enough that it only tore a big hole in my shorts.

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Mark Panning @markpanning.seismology.space · 20/09/2026

This is so weird to me. I mean I know it’s different in the humanities, but I’m a quarter century past my first paper, and I’ve got a decent number behind me now, and I have yet to have a single author paper.

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Mark Panning @markpanning.seismology.space · 19/09/2026

Ha, it was weird to see this pop up in my feed. The original post thread goes on about the Miller house, which is about five blocks from where I grew up.

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Mark Panning @markpanning.seismology.space · 19/09/2026

2026 JPL night at Dodger Stadium for the Dodgers-Giants game. And a very bright Hawaiian shirt.

Selfie with the beautiful wife at the JPL night at the Dodgers. Both wearing very bright JPL and Dodger-themed Hawaiian shirts

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Robert "The Bobby Yaga" McNees @mcnees.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

This is shocking to hear! Einstein kept a picture of Maxwell on his office wall and admired him more than any other scientist. Every fall I teach a whole course about his work. This is like hearing that Westminster Abbey might be purchased so a new car rental place can built on Newton’s grave.

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Astronomer Royal for Scotland | Catherine Heymans @astroroyalscot.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

Help! Parton Community Council has 60 days to raise £70k to buy Parton Kirk (resting place of James Clerk Maxwell). They plan to turn it into a visitor centre celebrating our great hero! The other buyers could turn it into long-term storage 😬 Even £5 would help 🙏🧪⚛️ www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding...

justgiving.com

Help raise £70000 to Save Parton Kirk – JustGiving Crowdfunding

Iʼm raising money to Save Parton Kirk. Support this JustGiving Crowdfunding Page.

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Mark Panning @markpanning.seismology.space · 17/09/2026

This stuff is cool. The two large craters on Mars (~100m) which were also detected by InSight’s seismometer were amazing. I want to catch these on the Moon. Imagery, lunar impact flash, and seismic detection combined could better define the seismic efficiency factor and the physics of impacts.

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Mark Panning @markpanning.seismology.space · 16/09/2026

While giving a talk at the Lunar Exploration Analysis Group (LEAG) meeting today at Purdue University, I decided to do a dramatic reveal of putting on my hat of my (national champion) alma mater at the beginning of the talk.

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Mark Panning @markpanning.seismology.space · 15/09/2026

I managed to successfully finish the flight with no Final Destination situations arising. Phew…

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Mark Panning @markpanning.seismology.space · 15/09/2026

Does it mean something that I have the lucky 13th row all to myself?

An image of the view from my window seat showing no one in any of the other seats. Lots of space to spread out!

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Mark Panning @markpanning.seismology.space · 15/09/2026

This is a great product, and I love the topography of California.

Color relief map of the most varied relief state of the contiguous 48 states, i.e. California. it’s from the USGS, and it’s beautiful with purple-red Sierra and dark green Central Valley and desert valleys.

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Mark Panning @markpanning.seismology.space · 15/09/2026

Off to LEAG (the Lunar Exploration Analysis Group). After a flight delay, I should make it to my hotel around 3am! What could be better?

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Mark Panning @markpanning.seismology.space · 07/09/2026

I presume this is all made up. The Times of India story is the most legit source and it’s just saying what the guy is claiming with no verification beyond the existence of a promotional website.

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Reposted by Mark Panning

Vicky Veritas @vickyveritas.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

Andalusite “Chiastolite”, was a very popular stone among 16th-century religious pilgrims traveling through Spain due to its unique appearance. And the stones, although not holy, are certainly mineral miracles. #MinCup26 ⚒️ sci-fi 🧪 🖖🏼 scifi Geosciences #WomenInSTEM geology #geosky #GIS 🍎 🪐 🔭 🌋

A wooden bowl with andalusite “chiastolite” stones with cruciform patterns in pinkish white stone with black crosses.

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Mark Panning @markpanning.seismology.space · 07/09/2026

I think this perfectly describes one of my usual Spotify daily recommended list.

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Mark Panning @markpanning.seismology.space · 07/09/2026

Vote #andalusite. I fight for these polymorphs every year like I did when I made this stupid edit a couple years ago when kyanite was the underdog in a late cup matchup (it lost).

2 year old stupid edit of Russel Crowe with a blue kyanite blade with the andalusite/sillimanite/andalusite phase diagram on his shield on top of a scene from gladiator.

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Mark Panning @markpanning.seismology.space · 07/09/2026

For me, it’s usually been about guaranteed ways of predicting natural hazards. Even since I switched to planetary work.

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Mark Panning @markpanning.seismology.space · 06/09/2026

9 miles in the rain. September rain is actually perfect running weather. Too bad it almost never happens without weird Pacific hurricane action. Also the Rose Bowl loop which is part of my runs longer than 6 miles or so is a whole lot less crowded when it’s raining.

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Mark Panning @markpanning.seismology.space · 05/09/2026

Hmm, a place you’ve never actually lived. That’s a fun one.

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Mark Panning @markpanning.seismology.space · 04/09/2026

I mean, the internet is always swallowing all of our information and digesting it into something else.

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Mark Panning @markpanning.seismology.space · 04/09/2026

Given how many places I’ve lived, I’m not surprised it didn’t get where I’m from (Indiana). At this point, though, I’ve lived in California about as long as I lived in the Midwest, so I guess it makes some sense. Florida also got a little red patch somehow, but New Jersey didn’t stick.

A map of the US with the brightest red in California, but red extending across to the Great Lakes region. The darkest blues are the Southeast and the Dakotas and the northeast. There’s a little red patch in Florida. The scale goes from Blue “Least like you” to red “Most like you”

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Mark Panning @markpanning.seismology.space · 04/09/2026

I’m going to be looking out for this from now on.

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Reposted by Mark Panning

Dots and Lines @dotsandlines.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

It's #anorthite for me today, because of labradorite, iridescent blue and made in part of anorthite. It's beautiful, and I have a more reaching reason as well... www.mindat.org/min-2308.html

Labradorite, deep iridescent blue with a little green sheen and mottled darker parts, looking a bit like islands seen from space.

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