Reposted by SqrilBirch 🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️ @birchduck.bsky.social · 6hJust want things to go a little more smoothly? graphite is your mineral. Doesn't catch on fire the way *some* lubricants do #MinCup26 0112
Reposted by SqrilEle Willoughby @minouette.bsky.social · 5hTwo faves for both my art or physics voting scheme, but I have always been #TeamQuartz #MinCup26! Quartz has been carved, used in pigments & the preparation of canvases since antiquity. 20% of the crust & representative elastic moduli, piezoelectricity & its role in clocks, electronics, GPS! 1188
Reposted by Sqril🌌Forebodings of Éskʷətayit @joxter.bsky.social · 2hLove Graphite but #Quartz: •built Egypt! she made carving & chiseling the limestone monuments of antiquity possible. •teaches us about our water cycle. •wears every colour & happily displays the spectrum for us as prisms. •reference mineral surrounding all of us, wherever we are. #MinCup26 145
Sqril @sqril.bsky.social · 1h#MinCup26 Semifinals 2 There are so many great posts on both options! Team #Quartz bc GPS. Time is the 4th variable in GPS calcs so accuracy is impt. Quartz based GPS receivers (that can sync to atomic time) are cost effective options for navigation systems. www.cnlucki.com/how-precisio...cnlucki.comHow Precision Quartz Oscillators Improve GPS and Navigation SystemsLearn how precision quartz oscillators improve GPS and navigation systems through stable timing, accurate synchronization, and reliable frequency control solutions. 063
Sqril @sqril.bsky.social · 16hReading Agatha Christie’s Halloween Party (1969!) and the kids are playing Snapdragon - a game where you snatch raisins from a shallow bowl of burning brandy. I suspect this game wouldn’t go over so well these days — most kids don’t like raisins. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snap-dr... #spookyseasonen.wikipedia.orgSnap-dragon (game) - Wikipedia 000
Sqril @sqril.bsky.social · 29/09/2026#MinCup26 Ok all you strategic cuprite voters, we get it, you don’t want your beloved quartz or graphite to go head to head with the versatile #HALITE in the final ;) (But, you can technically lick both quartz and graphite wo/poisoning yourself, so there is that ) 063
Reposted by SqrilWeird Spy Satellite @weirdsatellite.bsky.social · 29/09/2026GEOINT #2169 from NROL-111 (UMBRA) 1. Pit of Reflections 2. Hollow Burrow of Dread 3. Static Lab 082
Reposted by SqrilMika McKinnon @mikamckinnon.bsky.social · 29/09/2026As if I could ever vote for anything but Fun & Interesting to Lick. #Halite I luv u 44113
Sqril @sqril.bsky.social · 29/09/2026#MinCup26 Semi-finals 1 No dithering today. A salty gal going for the most lickable mineral of all. Team #Halite ftw!! Plus, margaritas! Halite is a workhorse! 183
Sqril @sqril.bsky.social · 28/09/2026Hey @thedailybeast.bsky.social thanks for making The Cheat Sheet available again and not behind a firewall! 000
Reposted by SqrilMother Jones @motherjones.com · 28/09/2026NEW: After a week of intensifying public pressure and reporting from Cornell’s independent daily newspaper, prosecutors in New York have reopened a criminal investigation into the alleged 2024 gang rape of a former student at the campus’s Chi Phi fraternity house.motherjones.comProsecutors are revisiting allegations of gang rape at CornellIntense public outrage and reporting from the school's daily newspaper appear to have prompted the decision. 2122276
Sqril @sqril.bsky.social · 28/09/2026#MinCup26 Quarterfinal 4 I am going with the eminently unlickable, but environmental impactful #Pyromorphite #Graphite is amazing, but my heart is with the mineral that may be able to help us clean up some of the messes we’ve made on ol’ Gaia here. 1132
Reposted by SqrilVergil 🌋 @kleinergeologe.bsky.social · 27/09/2026If you vote Julianite based on color, reconsider. #Halite already covered your bases. 1197
Reposted by SqrilEle Willoughby @minouette.bsky.social · 27/09/2026Julienite is just blue. Halite (comes in different colours) is necessary to human life, used as art material: it’s carved, watercolour effects, salt prints, glazes, installations & more. As a marine geophysicist who does marine electromagnetic surveys depending on salinity: vote halite! #MinCup26 25015
Sqril @sqril.bsky.social · 28/09/2026@mineralcup.bsky.social Were there pinned quarterfinal 2 and 3 posts? Quarterfinal 1 is still pinned. Thank you for all the effort you have put in to do this and for routing out the troll!! 110
Reposted by SqrilBkania @bkania.bsky.social · 27/09/2026Cheers! #Halite #MinCup26static.klipy.comCheers to That! Margarita ToastAlt: Cheers to That! Margarita Toast 131
Reposted by SqrilJBinnacle - A Travel Logbook @jbinnacle.bsky.social · 27/09/2026Too tired to come up with anything witty and a cool picture. But this morning, at the hotel breakfast, #halite was the mineral in the little shaker that I brought to the table. Here's to the most lickable mineral of them all. #MinCup26 0143
Sqril @sqril.bsky.social · 28/09/2026#MinCup26 Quarterfinals 3 Whew!!! In just under the wire!! Team #Halite !!!! Because salt is necessary and revenge voting against #Julienite 061
Sqril @sqril.bsky.social · 27/09/2026@thesauruswrecks.bsky.social These are my four for now: 1) If I Ever Return, Pretty Peggy-O by Sharyn McCrumb (if I can find a copy!) 2) The Whistling by Rebecca Netley 3) The Owl Service by Alan Garner 4) Scuttler’s Cove by David Barnett (I loved Wither Hill) 010
Sqril @sqril.bsky.social · 27/09/2026This guy has an amazing podcast called Darknet Diaries. My kid and I have listened to it for years. Looking forward to checking out this new, 5 part series. 000
Sqril @sqril.bsky.social · 27/09/2026I’m still not sure if this account is a bot monitored by a person but it posts a lot of very interesting, mostly ecological/environment based articles. I definitely recommend it. You don’t know exactly what you’ll get, but you’ll learn some new things. 000
Reposted by SqrilProPublica @propublica.org · 26/09/2026Hey, ProPublica reporter Jake Pearson here. I’m taking over the account to tell you about my new story. For months, I posed as a problem gambler on DraftKings to test the company's "responsible gaming" safeguards. Spoiler alert: They made me a VIP — and I lost $10K. Here's how it all went down. 🧵 19595893523
Reposted by SqrilWeird Spy Satellite @weirdsatellite.bsky.social · 27/09/2026Update #837 from GPS III-SV05 (NODIS) 1. Recovered Glacier Harbor 2. Explosive Uranium Hospice 3. Hyper-Regulation 0102
Reposted by SqrilAnimal Aspects (Art History Animalia) @animal-aspects.bsky.social · 27/09/2025For #InternationalRabbitDay 🐰🐇: Love the facial expression on this blue bunny, it just keeps getting funnier the longer you stare back at it😂 China, Qing dynasty, Kangxi period (1654-1722), porcelain w/ blue glaze, Newfields collection: collection.imamuseum.org/artwork/23070/ 13730264
Sqril @sqril.bsky.social · 26/09/2026I am officially a Skutterudite turncoat! Sorry!! Now Team #Quartz for it’s many, many uses (see link-which doesn’t even include artistic uses!) Question: Does #Quartz here include microcrystalline versions? Bc then you have flint/chert!!! Weapons! Fire! starlightminerals.com/quartz-appli...starlightminerals.comQuartz Applications & Uses In Different Industries | Starlight Minerals 121
Reposted by SqrilWeird Spy Satellite @weirdsatellite.bsky.social · 26/09/2026SIGINT #2555 from X-37B (CONFIDENTIAL) 1. Recovered Plastic Obelisk 2. School of Spice 0111
Reposted by SqrilFeminist Proper Gander @dappergander.bsky.social · 26/09/2026i'm serious, burn this 'industry' to the ground legislatively in 2027 www.propublica.org/article/draf...propublica.orgI Deliberately Bet Like a Problem Gambler. DraftKings Made Me a VIP.Amid growing public health concerns, operators like DraftKings have touted “responsible gaming” tools and prompts. But as I went off the deep end, I found they were no match for the incentives and pro... 0179
Reposted by SqrilWeird Spy Satellite @weirdsatellite.bsky.social · 26/09/2026OSINT #3117 from X-37B (UMBRA) 1. Emerald Parapet 2. Forbidden Pumpkins 061
Reposted by SqrilCraig Jorgensen @bowtiediene.bsky.social · 26/09/2026#MinCup26 Come on #skutterudite - discovered in Norway and loaded with arsenic. Not normally on team poison, but let's go team poison! 163
Reposted by SqrilBirch 🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️ @birchduck.bsky.social · 26/09/2026This is a very upsetting picture of a rock and I love everything about it Vote skutterudite #MinCup26 commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sk... 282
Sqril @sqril.bsky.social · 26/09/2026Gotta say @mineralcup.bsky.social, despite not being a geologist nor delving much into identifying the lbs of rocks I lug home periodically (along with the acorns), I am having a lot of fun with #MinCup26. Not sure how it showed up in my feed but I am glad it did! 1152
Reposted by Sqrilsgrd @selveste.bsky.social · 02/09/2026And after voting #skutterudite, have a look at the rich collection of stories from the archive of Norwegian cobalt (80% of world's production at one point!?), expertly written in Norwegian but, regrettably, machine-translated to English here: Waffles! Toilets! Ore theft! Arsenic as food additive!blaa.noHistorier fra arkivet - BlaafarveværketLes historier fra arkivet som vår museumspedagog Lasse H. Bjørnland har skrevet. I vårt rikholdige arkiv kan man følge enkeltpersoner. 092
Sqril @sqril.bsky.social · 25/09/2026“The staffers are seeking to have a chatbot be the main way people interact with America.gov, a feature already used for customer service by many businesses.” Yeah, chatbots that are useless 98% of the time and make everyone’s bp rise while pounding out “LIVE AGENT PLEASE” on our keyboards.newrepublic.comDOGE Staffers Are Back—and Leading AI Takeover of Government ServicesThe DOGE goons who drove federal agencies into the ground last year are back, including that dude who goes by “Big Balls.” 100
Reposted by SqrilVicky Veritas @vickyveritas.bsky.social · 25/09/2026This was a tough decision! I love the triangular facets/chip on both samples (look close!), but ultimately I love the cubic #Cuprite which reminds me of my favorite mineral. #MinCup26 ⚒️ sci-fi 🧪 🖖🏼 scifi Geosciences #WomenInSTEM geology #geosky #GIS 🍎 🪐 🔭 🌋 📚 🌿 1112
Reposted by SqrilFernando Salvaterra @salvaterra.bsky.social · 25/09/2026Quarterfinal 1 sphalerite VS cuprite #mincup26 #minerals 2509
Reposted by SqrilCRB @crossbaumann55.bsky.social · 25/09/2026Cuprite, Cuprite, Cuprite! That is all. 041
Sqril @sqril.bsky.social · 25/09/2026#MinCup26 Quarterfinal 1 I’m going with #cuprite because of the pigment/art thing, potential electronics applications, & this neat article I found about remote sensing and cuprite (3rd one down). www.sciencedirect.com/topics/engin... And bc I found this other cool site! thediggings.com 142
Sqril @sqril.bsky.social · 24/09/2026#MinCup26 Round 2, Match 8 What a pair! One is plain old carbon; made of a single element. The other is made from a whole bunch of crazy, interesting cool elements. I’m feeling productive today so I’m gonna go with #Graphite bc it has so many everyday uses. (Gadolinite-(Y) is def v interesting!!) 072
Sqril @sqril.bsky.social · 23/09/2026#MinCup26 Round 2 Match 7 #Halite There are so many uses, idioms, phrases referencing salt - the world over. Tequila Shots Salary Salted Caramel Salty Dog (person, not drink) Salt of the Earth A covenant of salt Salting as a preservation method. Take this with a pinch of salt 🤣 0114
Reposted by SqrilElwyn Rain @elwynrain.bsky.social · 22/09/2026Pyrromorphite is cool but nothing better than discovering a mineral that can actually be cylindrical ! #MinCup26 0297
Reposted by SqrilEle Willoughby @minouette.bsky.social · 22/09/2026It's cool that a fungus, Paecilomyces javanicus can make bio minerals of Pyromorphite (sometimes an ore of lead) in lead-polluted soil, & lead has been used in pigments since antiquity. Now sold as a resin art pigment. So it gets my art vote over Cylindrite with its cool crystals. #MinCup26 #artHist 0277
Reposted by SqrilEos @eos.org · 22/09/2026Another #MinCup26 matchup, another contender that looks like a mineralized version of a marine creature. This time it’s #pyromorphite that gets our vote with an admirable impression of a spiny sea urchin. 0197
Reposted by SqrilSomersetWhovian 💙 🇺🇦 @clairecopperman.bsky.social · 22/09/2026It looks like a green sea urchin and can clean up lead-contaminated soils? No contest, I'm afraid: vote #Pyromorphite in today's #MinCup26 2186
Sqril @sqril.bsky.social · 22/09/2026#MinCup26 Round 2, Match 6 Sticking with #Pyromorphite because of its uses in geochemistry. Plus, that apple green version is cool! The linked page has a lot of good info, esp the graphic about formation. www.fossilera.com/pages/pyromo...fossilera.comPyromorphite: Mineral & Crystal GuidePyromorphite is a striking lead phosphate mineral known for bright green crystals. Discover how it forms, its history, uses, and notable locations. 172
Reposted by SqrilThe Intellectualist @theintellectualist.bsky.social · 22/09/2026The Trump administration sold thousands of federal wild horses and burros for as little as $25. Some were later sold to buyers linked to Canadian slaughter plants. theintellectualistofficial.substack.com/p/under-trum... 192
