Hard Things

Life is full of things which are hard or tedious or otherwise unpleasant that need doing anyhow. They help make the world go 'round, they improve skills, and they boost your sense of self-respect. But doing them still kinda sucks. It's all the more difficult to do those things when nobody appreciates it. Happily, blogging allows us to share our accomplishments and pat each other on the back.

What are some of the hard things you've done recently? What are some hard things you haven't gotten to yet, but need to do? Is there anything your online friends could do to make your hard things a little easier?

Teach Them to Eat Them

I was reading a magazine article about spotted lanternflies, an invasive species, and I thought of a new approach to fighting invasives. Teach other species to eat them. I've fiddled around with this a bit regarding Japanese beetles, but I was doing it with magic, basically telling insectivores that these are insects and as such edible. I've had non-zero success with this. It occurred to me that we could be doing something similar with science, and in fact, some of the steps are so simple that anyone with a yard could probably do them.

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The Most Ridiculous Rubik's Cube

 ... designed for Super-Intellects with deep pockets.

Birdfeeding

Today is partly cloudy and mild.

I fed the birds. 

We burned off the firepit. 

EDIT 9/23/20 -- Round Two, I went back to stir up the fire.  Most of it has burned down by now.

EDIT 9/23/20 -- Round Three, I stirred up the fire again.  Not much left but one stubborn log, a few stubs, and leaves around the edges.

EDIT 9/23/20 -- Round Four, I trimmed grass around the burn barrel and golden raintree.  I also watered plants.

Creative Uses for Invasive Species

Never doubt humanity's ability to destroy things.

It occurred to me that many of the anthropogenic extinctions have come about because humans wanted a species for food, fashion, or some other purpose. Now if we could harness that greed and gluttony for a constructive purpose, that would be awesome ...

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