iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Syd Andersen @smandersen.bsky.social · 20/08/2026

The spectroscopy demo was chaotic but I think folks enjoyed it!

A nonbinary presenter stands next to a projection screen, smiling and posing before starting an outreach talk. The screen has a still from video instructions on building a spectroscope.

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Syd Andersen @smandersen.bsky.social · 27/07/2026

“The worst picture day we ever had” per our driver on the Ring of Kerry tour 🥲

A picture of gray mist with a stone barrier at the bottom of the frame.

A picture of a winding road next to a valley but most of the image is foggy.

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Syd Andersen @smandersen.bsky.social · 02/05/2026

Things are rough but I get to see this note every day and keep going 💖

A greeting card pined to a cork board. It reads:
Syd, We are so proud of you for taking this leap of faith and for following your dreams. We are so excited for the new experiences and adventures that you will get to have. We love you forever and for always. Good luck at U-Dub and go Huskies!! (And beat ND if they ever play!). Love Mom, Dad, and T

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Syd Andersen @smandersen.bsky.social · 16/04/2026

❤️❤️❤️ love Astrobites

A screenshot from an Astrobites blog post. It says the following.

This launch on April fool's day was no joke. It took years of hard work, dedicated researchers, and billions of dollars spent not just on the spacecraft but also the countless scientists behind this
effort. The real April fools joke came two days later, when the President's Budget Request (PBR) was released.

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Syd Andersen @smandersen.bsky.social · 16/12/2025

More circle than cat but still kitty cat

A tortoise shell cat sitting in a circular cat bed. She is looking up at the camera from over her shoulder with big eyes and alert whiskers.

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Syd Andersen @smandersen.bsky.social · 19/11/2025

Just paid $1k to learn she gives herself a heart murmur when she’s stressed (and she is stressed because the vet is trying to listen for a heart murmur)

A tortie cat in a hard carrier. She is loafing and licking her nose.

The same tortie cat, still in the carrier but now sitting up. She’s looking down and away from the camera and her whiskers are very dramatic.

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Syd Andersen @smandersen.bsky.social · 31/10/2025

Beebs Please Go a Month Without a Health Problem Challenge

A tortie cat sitting with her tail curled up under her chin. Her pupils are large and she’s looking down, away from the camera.

The same tortie cat from a slightly different angle. She looks off to the right and has huge pupils

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Syd Andersen @smandersen.bsky.social · 28/08/2025

Astronomy on tap was a nice break from my last week of work and a warm up for grad school… in retrospect I should have recused myself from trivia.

A selfie of a non-binary white person holding a huckleberry wine slushy

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Syd Andersen @smandersen.bsky.social · 24/02/2025

Turning 30 less than a month into my graduate program like

Steve Buscemi on 30 Rock wearing a backwards baseball cap and holding a skate board. Caption text: “How do you do, fellow kids?”.

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Syd Andersen @smandersen.bsky.social · 21/01/2025

She’s getting me through the week/month

A tortie cat with bright eyes and a bald chin is poorly framed by the camera so you can’t see her ears. She is loafing on a person’s stomach - the person is sitting with their knees up and is wearing navy starry sweatpants.

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Syd Andersen @smandersen.bsky.social · 03/01/2025

The full list! All titles (some subtitles removed for space) included in alt text.

A graphic showing the covers of all books read this year, cataloged on story graph.

The Couple's Guide to Thriving with ADHD by Nancie Kohlenberger, Melissa Orlov
Contact by Carl Sagan
Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler
A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
Legend of the Galactic Heroes, Vol. 5: Mobilization by Yoshiki Tanaka
Will My Cat Eat My Eyeballs? by Caitlin Doughty
Fun Home by Alison Bechdel
No Bad Parts by Richard C. Schwartz
Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton
System Collapse by Martha Wells
Impact Parameter and Other Quantum Realities by Geoffrey A. Landis
The Glass Universe by Dava Sobel
Parable of the Talents by Octavia E. Butler
Fugitive Telemetry by Martha Wells
Cold Dark Matter by Alex Brett
The Lost World by Michael Crichton
And the Band Played On: Politics, People, and the AIDS Epidemic by Randy Shilts
Legend of the Galactic Heroes, Vol. 1: Dawn by Yoshiki Tanaka
The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury
The Andromeda Strain by Michael Crichton
Alien Vision: Exploring the Electromagnetic Spectrum with Imaging Technology by Austin Richards
Legend of the Galactic Heroes, Vol. 2: Ambition by Yoshiki Tanaka
On a Sunbeam by Tillie Walden
Pregnant Butch by A. K. Summers
Legend of the Galactic Heroes, Vol. 4: Stratagem by Yoshiki Tanaka
The Possibility of Life by Jaime Green
The Well of Loneliness by Radclyffe Hall
Network Effect by Martha Wells
Neuro-queer by CJ DeBarra
Legend of the Galactic Heroes, Vol. 3: Endurance by Yoshiki Tanaka
The Little Book of Exoplanets by Joshua N. Winn
Smoke Gets in Your Eyes: And Other Lessons from the Crematory by Caitlin Doughty
Let This Radicalize You: Organizing and the Revolution of Reciprocal Care by Kelly Hayes, Mariame Kaba
Exit Strategy by Martha Wells
Never Whistle at Night: An Indigenous Dark Fiction Anthology by Shane Hawk, Theodore C. Van Alst Jr.
Breathe: Journeys to Healthy Binding by Maia Kobabe
Carmilla by J. Sheridan Le Fanu
From Here to Eternity by Caitlin Doughty.

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Syd Andersen @smandersen.bsky.social · 03/01/2025

Crushed my reading goal last year (30 books!)

A story graph summary of books read in 2025 by sydbean. The first read was Smoke Gets In Your Eyes and Other Lessons from the Crematory by Caitlin Doughty. The last read was And The Band Played On: Politics, People, and the AIDS Epidemic by Randy Shilts. This was also the longest books while the shortest was Breathe: Journeys to Healthy Binding by Maia Kobabe and Dr. Sarah Peizmeier. Total books read was 38 and total pages read was 11,506. The top genre was Science Fiction at 16 books, Sith LGBTQIA+, Classics, Science, and Graphic Novel as the next most read genres. The top authors were Yoshiki Tanaka, Martha Wells, and Caitlin Doughty.

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Syd Andersen @smandersen.bsky.social · 30/12/2024

Train pictures! It was a blast!

Picture of the train platform at Seattle King Street station between tracks 5 and 6. The LCD screen says “Empire Builder No. 8 To Chicago. Status On Time”.

A blurry picture of some mountains in Glacier National Park with evergreen trees in the foreground. The mountain is most bare with some patches of snow and the sky is cloudy.

A blurry picture of snow-covered trees somewhere in Minnesota. The sky is cloudy and the ground is blanketed with snow.

The observation car on an Amtrak train. Blue seats face windows with additional windows overhead.

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Syd Andersen @smandersen.bsky.social · 24/11/2024

Oh to be a cozy kitty with no responsibilities

A tortie cat lies wrapped in a mint green weighted blanket. Her arms are stretched out in front of her and her eyes are closed in contentment.

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Syd Andersen @smandersen.bsky.social · 19/11/2024

Organized my to-read pile (partial list)

Books on a black shelf. The titles are as follows: “Northanger Abbey” by Jane Austen,
“Little Women” by Louisa May Alcott,
“Wuthering Heights” by Emily Bronte,
“East of Eden” by John Steinbeck,
“Mary Tyler MooreHawk” by Dave Baker,
“On the Origin of Species and Other Stories” by Bo-Young Kim,
“Bloodchild” by Octavia Butler,
“Annihilation” by Jeff VanderMeer,
“This is How You Lose the Time War” by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone,
“The Deep Sky” by Yume Kitasei,
“Writing Down the Bones” by Natalie Goldberg,
“Teaching to Transgress” by bell hooks,
“The Last Stargazers” by Emily Levesque, and
“Cosmos” by Carl Sagan

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Syd Andersen @smandersen.bsky.social · 05/11/2024

Gonna just keep posting cat pics to self-soothe

A tortie cat lays on an orange floral quilt with one arm outstretched towards the camera. She has a blank expression on her face.

A tortie cat sits on a wood kitchen table, looking innocently up at the camera.

A tortie cat is curled up on a pile of laundry with an innocent expression on her face.

A tortie cat lays in a window bed curled up like a shrimp. She’s surrounded by two stuffed bunnies.

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Syd Andersen @smandersen.bsky.social · 05/11/2024

The family group chat follow up

A screenshot of an iPhone group chat named “Family Friendly Group Chat.” The picture from the previous post was set at 7:22 am with the text “she had [sic] no concept of what day it is or what elections are, I envy her.” The reply from Trevor is “Ignorance isn’t a choice, it’s the absence of one. Read to your cat, stay informed.”

A screenshot of the response to the previous text that says “Damn you’re right, I’ll fix that” and a picture of the same tortie cat still on the human bed, now pictured next to a copy of “Teaching To Transgress” by bell hooks.

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Syd Andersen @smandersen.bsky.social · 05/11/2024

She doesn’t even know what a ballot is, living blessed and unbothered

A tortie cat with a purple collar lies on a pillow with a white sheet. Her eyes are mostly closed and she’s laying flat

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Syd Andersen @smandersen.bsky.social · 26/10/2024

She wants to know what I’m reading

A tortoiseshell call looks at the camera with a worried and inquisitive expression. Her head looks big because of the angle

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Syd Andersen @smandersen.bsky.social · 16/10/2024

She woke me up at 5 am for food (reader, her bowl was full!)

A tortie cat’s face is tucked into her person’s hand. Her front paw is curled up, covering part of her sleepy face.

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Syd Andersen @smandersen.bsky.social · 04/09/2024

It’s Beebs’ world and we’re all just living in it (to give her treats and pets)

A tortie cat is laying in a windowsill. Her legs are splayed out in a V-shape and she’s looking at the camera.

The same tortie cat makes a scrunge face mid-yawn with her eyes open.

The same tortie cat is sitting on a kitchen table, looking up at the camera innocently. (She is not supposed to be there)

The same tortie cat sits at the kitchen table in a chair.

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Syd Andersen @smandersen.bsky.social · 15/07/2024

I’ve been with this girl for five years!

A tortie cat is sitting on a messy bed with a blanket obscuring most of her body, so only her head and part of her back are visible. She looks just past the camera with a blank expression.

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Syd Andersen @smandersen.bsky.social · 08/07/2024

Seattle Heatwave 2024 Day 2 - during which we learned that both bedrooms in our top-floor condo are on the same breaker and we can’t have AC in both at once.

A cropped aranet4 graph showing temperature over time. From 12 pm to 9 pm the temperature gradually increases from to 86 degrees Fahrenheit. There are three spikes missing from when the AC unit was on, dropping temperature by 3 to 5 degrees each time before climbing back up sharply.

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Syd Andersen @smandersen.bsky.social · 01/07/2024

Still had a huge bump on my forehead for Pride (disclaimer! We were masked the whole time except when chilling in the park)

A person with teal hair in a sheer, sleeveless button up sits on a picnic blanket with a rainbow umbrella behind them. They are smiling but have a red bump in the center of their forehead.

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Syd Andersen @smandersen.bsky.social · 01/07/2024

Things are bad! Here’s my tortie 🍤

A tortie cat with white paws is curled up like a shrimp. She is laying on a window sill bed and has two, small stuffed bunny toys around her. She’s looks looking up at the camera with one eye and one ear visible.

A tortie cat with white paws is curled up like a shrimp. She is laying on a window sill bed and has two, small stuffed bunny toys around her. Her head is tucked into her legs.

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Syd Andersen @smandersen.bsky.social · 14/06/2024

My perfect little Angel Princess who only sometimes throws up all of her food (knock on wood)

A tortie cat is laying in a frog-shaped bed on a window shelf. Her eyes are just barely open and her chin is smooshed up against the bed.

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Syd Andersen @smandersen.bsky.social · 06/05/2024

Got stabbed by a doctor and won

A blue-green haired person sits on a hospital bed giving a thumbs up

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Syd Andersen @smandersen.bsky.social · 22/03/2024

Seeing my deductible has been met while my latest claim is still processing

A Simpsons still of Ralph sitting on a bus captioned “(chuckles) I’m in danger” in yellow

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Syd Andersen @smandersen.bsky.social · 01/03/2024

And my exoplanet travel bureau poster, a gift from my junior year roommate (who I miss dearly)

A framed poster leaning up against a shelf. It has a brown frame and yellow mat. In large, yellow text the poster says “Kepler-186f” and then “where the grass is always redder on the other side” in smaller text. Two people in space suits stand in front of a white picket fence and one point to a red forest in the near distance.

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Syd Andersen @smandersen.bsky.social · 01/03/2024

My latest money-spending hobby has been framing my posters to make them look classier - here’s my @astrokatie.com quote poster I’ve kept since undergrad!

A framed poster propped up against a blue desk. The frame is silver and it has a black mat. The poster has a black and white image of Saturn’s rings and the moon Daphnis and says: “This is Daphnis. Daphnis is only 8 km wife and orbits in a ring gap of 42 km. It uses its tiny gravity to disrupt Saturn’s nightly rings and make waves. Daphnis doesn’t let being a tiny, insignificant speck in a vast, uncaring universe stop it. Be like Daphnis.” In smaller text near the top, the text is cited to AstroKatie/Katie Mack, the design is cited to Miquai, and the image is cited to CassiniSaturn

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Syd Andersen @smandersen.bsky.social · 30/01/2024

She’s beauty, she’s grace, she wants to eat raw chicken off a plate

A tortie cat is loafing on a folded up bed frame and looking at the camera. There are boxes, a mattress and a poster in the background.

A tortie cat lays curled up on a floral blanket looking up at the camera.

A zoomed in picture of a tortie cat. Only her eyes, nose, and whiskers can be seen. Her pupils are dilated and there is not a thought behind them.

A blurry tortie cat stands on a kitchen counter next to a toaster oven and bags of hamburger and hot dog buns

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Syd Andersen @smandersen.bsky.social · 31/12/2023

The books I finished reading in the second half of the year (not pictured: a few more of the Murderbot Diaries because I borrowed them from a friend). I read over 20 books this year!

Two stacks of books comprised of:
The Disordered Cosmos by Chanda Prescod-Weinstein
The Milky Way by Moiya McTier
The End of Everything by Katie Mack
Astrotopia by Mary-Jane Rubenstein
Off-Earth by Erika Nesvold
Burnout by Emily and Amelia Nagoski
Autism in Heels by Jennifer Cook O’Toole
Unmasking Autism by Devon Price
All Systems Red by Martha Wells
The Locked Tomb series by Tamsyn Muir
Nimona by N.D. Stevenson

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