iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

PAM Dirac @pam-dirac.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

Went to a wedding at the Peabody Library in Baltimore. Very joyful ceremony. It was fun to dress up.

A woman and a man in formal wear waiting for a wedding ceremony.

PAM Dirac @pam-dirac.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

I am an alumnus that has stopped giving. It was a few years ago over the plan to have a real gun carrying campus police. They had a program where you got called by freshman who tried to tell you your concerns were not important. I wonder if they had quotas for these working students. Very creepy.

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PAM Dirac @pam-dirac.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

We took a cruise a few years back that stopped at Bordeaux. We didn't get a chance to visit Pichon Baron, but we did get a nice view from our veranda as the ship passed it on the river.

A view of Château Pichon Baron from the river Garonne.

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PAM Dirac @pam-dirac.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

You would first need to account for the difference in the number of games. As the late, great Earl Weaver said, "This ain't football, we do this every day".

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PAM Dirac @pam-dirac.bsky.social · 25/07/2026

Even better she calculated trajectories that got people back from the moon safely, even when things didn't go according to plan.

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PAM Dirac @pam-dirac.bsky.social · 08/07/2026

When I worked for the government I had a position high enough that I had to go through complete background checks every few years. When the last one I went though ended, in the interview with the investigator he straight out told my my life was boring. He explained that he meant as a subject, but...

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PAM Dirac @pam-dirac.bsky.social · 08/07/2026

Slackers! Always looking for someone else to do their work for them.

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PAM Dirac @pam-dirac.bsky.social · 08/07/2026

I'm sure it was a sense of stubbornness and defiance I got from that, but I've always thought that trees, especially old trees had much, much more personality than short lived animals. I just get a strong sense that they say "I'm here and I'm going to be here no matter what happens.

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PAM Dirac @pam-dirac.bsky.social · 08/07/2026

Many, Many times I passed the sign for the Maryland Wye Oak and passed on by. Finally in the late 90s I delayed arrival at the beach to visit the tree. It was breathtaking. Over 400 years old, all kinds of thing happening around it and it just stood in the same place and endured.

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PAM Dirac @pam-dirac.bsky.social · 08/07/2026

I've always thought it was strange to grant some kind of right to life to all kinds of small animals that live for a year or two and not to trees that have been alive for 10s or even hundreds of years. I grew up in the Washington, DC area and regularly went the Atlantic beaches.

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PAM Dirac @pam-dirac.bsky.social · 06/07/2026

With a broken heart we had to say goodbye today to our gentle, sweet Ennis. We are enormously greatful to have had her for almost 7 years. I will miss you always my sweet girl.

A 13 year old black labrador retriever resting on and under some fluffy blankets looking up at the camera.

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PAM Dirac @pam-dirac.bsky.social · 02/07/2026

I think you have to give Pochettino a lot of credit. He understood that his deliverable was the WC performance, not friendlies in the year before. They are playing with intensity and decisiveness as a team, not as individuals. Also the decision to put Chris Richards on the squad despite concerns.

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PAM Dirac @pam-dirac.bsky.social · 22/06/2026

Well we need something to keep us around til Dragonfly gets to Titan and let me give a strong endorsement to wildflower stanning over adventures in HVAC😀

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PAM Dirac @pam-dirac.bsky.social · 19/06/2026

I think it is more accurate to say that a 2-0 lead has the biggest difference between "We've got this" and "Oops, no we don't". It just isn't as safe as it sounds but in absolute terms it is safer than 1-0.

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PAM Dirac @pam-dirac.bsky.social · 19/06/2026

I think the linesman got mixed up as to who actually scored the goal because one US player was offside but Freeman wasn't even close to being offside.

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PAM Dirac @pam-dirac.bsky.social · 05/06/2026

I was listenting to a randomized playlist and "Secret Message" by Rasputina came up with the lyrics: Two objects at equal distance Acting as if they cared Does weight follow mass in this instance Oh e equals mc squared It made me wonder if any other song has notable equations in it.

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PAM Dirac @pam-dirac.bsky.social · 26/05/2026

It was less bready. My wife and I both liked that. Does a really good job of meeting the structural requirements of a crust without trying to compete with the toppings.

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PAM Dirac @pam-dirac.bsky.social · 25/05/2026

Baking day part 2. Found a recipe to use the starter discard from this morning's sourdough bread to make pizza dough. Pepperoni pizza with Ridge 2022 Evangelho. Great recipe, great wine, great together. #wine #sourdough

Sliced freshly baked pizza on a cutting board. A glass of red wine behind along with a bottle of Ridge 2022 Evengelho.

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PAM Dirac @pam-dirac.bsky.social · 25/05/2026

It's baking day. These are sourdough rye.

Two loaves of sourdough rye bread on a cooling rack after coming out of the oven.

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PAM Dirac @pam-dirac.bsky.social · 14/05/2026

Two novels by Sara Blaydes: The Last Secret of Lily Adams: A Novel and The Restoration Garden: A Novel. Both intelligent stories, intelligently told. Both jump back and forth in time, which I usually find annoying, but these were very well done.

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PAM Dirac @pam-dirac.bsky.social · 10/05/2026

I think this is a fantastic and important essay, but I think it applies equally well to science. When you get to graduate school the mission isn't to reproduce what is in the book, it is to go beyond the book and that takes more than rearranging different parts of different existing books.

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PAM Dirac @pam-dirac.bsky.social · 03/05/2026

You think that's bad, 6-8 years ago I was reading some posts by a professor at the university where I got my PhD. They mentioned their age and a quick approximate calc suggested that this individual was not even alive when I got my PhD. Turns out they were about 1 year old, but still.

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PAM Dirac @pam-dirac.bsky.social · 02/05/2026

It was wonderful. Concentrated fruit, maybe a bit of apricot and pear, but with the acid sufficiently mellowed that it complimented rather than dominated. Maybe also just a tiny hint of butterscotch. A really pleasant wine to drink on its own, but I could see it going quite well with dense fish.

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PAM Dirac @pam-dirac.bsky.social · 02/05/2026

A little over a year ago I posted on tasting the '22 Grenache Blanc we got from the Paradise Found Wine Club at Popelouchum Vineyard. We thought it was a bit too exuberantly acidic, but very promising. We had another bottle tonight and patience is rewarded! (cont.) #wine

A glass of wine wine with a deep gold color.

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PAM Dirac @pam-dirac.bsky.social · 02/05/2026

I would think it means that Spouse can ride the bike home and you can get a big loom AND a spinning wheel 😀

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PAM Dirac @pam-dirac.bsky.social · 21/04/2026

It is true that NASA is investigating supersonic jets with greatly reduced sonic boom so you could have supersonic flights over land. Doesn't sound like like it is anywhere close to resulting in a commercial passenger jet. Quesst www.nasa.gov/mission/ques...

nasa.gov

Quesst

NASA's aeronautical innovators working on the Quesst mission are leading a government-industry team to collect data that could make supersonic flight over land possible, dramatically reducing travel t...

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PAM Dirac @pam-dirac.bsky.social · 19/04/2026

Yeah, my vines take up about an eighth of an acre. Very impressive and ambitious. Again very best of luck and rooting for you to keep a good balance between the mental health advantages of growing things and the stress of getting everything done.

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PAM Dirac @pam-dirac.bsky.social · 19/04/2026

Wow! It's hard to tell how much land is actually being cultivated, but it looks like more than what I use in my yard for ~180 grape vines and I'm retired 😀 Very best of luck.

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PAM Dirac @pam-dirac.bsky.social · 03/04/2026

I second this. If your main goal is convey scientific information, the face probably gets in the way a bit, but if like here, you are trying to convey wonder, joy, and coolness, I think the face is a major plus.

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PAM Dirac @pam-dirac.bsky.social · 28/03/2026

Sure, but Raskin was born and raised in DC, was Harvard educated, served in the MD legislature from 2007-2016 and a member of the House from MD since 2017. I don't think he has ever lived in NY.

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PAM Dirac @pam-dirac.bsky.social · 28/03/2026

At No Kings in Frederick, MD

Sign pinned on a woman's back that says "When injustice becomes law, resistance becomes duty"

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PAM Dirac @pam-dirac.bsky.social · 12/03/2026

Did HVAC appear in any of her dreams?

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PAM Dirac @pam-dirac.bsky.social · 23/02/2026

Mr Ives comparing himself to the new art work.

Black and white cat sitting on a mantel next to a painting of a black and white cat

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PAM Dirac @pam-dirac.bsky.social · 15/02/2026

Hidden Figures is a story where it is almost essential to read the book AND watch the movie. The book has much more detail and gives you a good sense of exactly what she (and they) did, while the movie is a more emotional experience and lets you stand up and cheer.

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PAM Dirac @pam-dirac.bsky.social · 14/02/2026

When I was in the lab we didn't have any tricks to prevent the nonsense, but we strengthened our resolve to push through it by telling ourselves that if the gods of science were resorting to such ridiculous and crude tactics to thwart progress, surely they were about to give up.

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PAM Dirac @pam-dirac.bsky.social · 08/02/2026

We were worried sick about the spleen removal of out 13yo Lab. It was done 5 days ago and she is almost completely back to her old goofy self. Sending good energy that SDL's surgery goes just as well.

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PAM Dirac @pam-dirac.bsky.social · 03/02/2026

Our baby is home resting after successful surgery to remove her spleen. Much pampering to come.

Black Lab with shaved belly laying on a rug, resting after surgery.

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PAM Dirac @pam-dirac.bsky.social · 27/01/2026

I have proved what kind of cheese, but the proof is too long to to fit into a skeet.

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PAM Dirac @pam-dirac.bsky.social · 26/01/2026

I visited Philly about 40 years ago and was driving in a downtown area going right around 30 mph, which I thought was probably a bit high for the crowded conditions. Someone was enraged that I was going so slow and pulled up on the sidewalk to get around me and zoomed off at ~50 mph.

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PAM Dirac @pam-dirac.bsky.social · 24/01/2026

#photometry update V0582 Cas telescopes: various, including FSM-MPO61 from AAVSONet Project: SNEWS Monitoring A red super giant that shows changes fairly typical of a red super giant. Swings of ~1 mag with no regular pattern. #astronomy

photometry (brightness vs time) for the star V0582 Cas with the V filter. The plot goes from Jan 2024 to Jan 2026. The is about a 1 mag smooth brightening from April 2024 to Jan 2025. From About Aug 2025 to the present time there are some wiggles of about 0.1 mag.

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PAM Dirac @pam-dirac.bsky.social · 24/01/2026

#photometry update NSV 3717 aka HD 62745 telescopes: various, including BSM-NM and BSM-Berry from AAVSONet Project: SNEWS Monitoring A red super giant that seems to bit a bit quieter than most of the stars in that category. Maybe a modest dimming over the last 2 years. #astronomy

photometry (brightness vs time) plot for the star NSV 3717. The plot goes from Jan 2024 to Jan 2026. Brightness for 2 filters are plotted; B and V. In both filters there is approximately a 0.4 magnitude dimming over the 2 years plotted.

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PAM Dirac @pam-dirac.bsky.social · 24/01/2026

#wine 2024 Bedlam - Black Ankle Vineyard, MD USA grapes: 28% chardonnay, 25% sauv blanc, 19% albariño, 15% grüner veltliner, 13% viognier A real kitchen sink wine. They say this is mostly the last bit out of the press, so a bit more skin contact and a bit more extraction. Works very well and unique

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PAM Dirac @pam-dirac.bsky.social · 24/01/2026

#wine 2024 VGV - Black Ankle Vineyard, MD, USA grapes: 56% Grüner Veltliner, 44% Viognier interesting blend, but in this particular case the sum is a bit less than its parts. A perfectly pleasant wine, but I think I would have preferred to have the grapes bottled separately.

Bottle of 2024 VGV from Black Ankle Vineyard MD, USA

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PAM Dirac @pam-dirac.bsky.social · 24/01/2026

#wine 2024 Grenache Blanc Tablas Creek, CA grapes: 100% grenache blanc This is a beautiful wine. Hints of the crisp clean flavors of an albarino, but also some of the round, melon flavors of a viognier. A wine that can just be enjoyed.

Bottle of 2024 Grenache Blanc from Tablas Creek Vineyard, CA, USA

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