zianuray

A friend tipped me to this:

THE PLOTLAND HOUSES OF BRITAIN: HOW A 20TH CENTURY WORKING-CLASS HOUSING MOVEMENT WAS STIFLED

His piece of land cost him £10 in 1934. It is 40 ft wide by 100 ft deep. First, he put up a tent which his family used at weekends, and he gradually accumulated tools, timber and glass which he brought to the site strapped to his back as he cycled down from London. – Dennis Hardy & Colin Ward, Arcadia for All, 1984, p. 200

In the first half of the twentieth century, and particularly in the inter-war period, up to the 1947 Planning Act, the appearance throughout Britain of thousands of self-built shacks, chalets, recycled buses and railway carriages was considered by the powers-that-be as a terrible eyesore. Middle-class planners like Clough Williams-Ellis, architect of Portmeirion, the set of The Prisoner, considered them a ‘blot on the landscape’ that needed to be eradicated. But from another viewpoint, 80 years on, they look like the beginning of a postmodern urban vernacular. They were a new working-class architecture in the process of being evolved, that was brought to a halt through ignorance and class prejudice.

( Read more... )

If you're still shopping the half-price sale in Polychrome Heroics, now is the time to make your selections.

fuzzyred has sponsored "A Proper Community Is a Commonwealth," "Your Emotional Abilities," and "Aim a Little Above It" plus put $55 towards "Let's Go on This Journey Together" so that now needs $251 to be complete.

Einstein’s “wormhole” may actually reveal a hidden mirror of time

What if wormholes were never cosmic tunnels at all? New research suggests Einstein and Rosen’s famous “bridge” may actually reveal something even stranger: time itself could flow in two directions at once. Instead of connecting distant places in space, these bridges may connect mirror versions of time deep inside quantum physics, potentially solving the long-standing black hole information paradox and hinting that our universe existed before the Big Bang.

These are active communities in Dreamwidth from Winter 2025-2026. They include things I've posted, but only the active ones; the thematic posts also list dormant communities of interest. This list includes some communities that I've found and saved but haven't made it into thematic posts yet. This post covers J-Z.

See my Follow Friday Master Post for more topics.

( Read more... )

Today is cloudy and cool.

I fed the birds. I've seen a small mixed flock of sparrows and house finches.

I put out water for the birds.

EDIT 5/22/26 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

EDIT 5/22/26 -- I filled in the two big pots. I added 4 assorted coleus and 1 dusty miller to the grape pot. I didn't have time to pick up a white trailing filler like sweet alyssum this time, but the pot still looks pretty good and will look better once the small coleus grow out some. I added 2 blue lobelias and 1 dusty miller to the blue pot.

This would've been a lot easier if I could've bought everything for those pots at the same time, but it was a case of one place having nice accents but no fillers vs. other places having affordable fillers but not nice accents. *sigh* The lack of widely available fillers is a serious pain in the ass. I use those to unify the diverse plantings: dusty miller, white or colored alyssum, white or blue lobelia.

So I've got 6 dusty millers and 6 blue lobelias to mix and match with other things or find somewhere else to put. I've got 4 coleus left, which will make one or two pots depending on size. Progress! Finishing those two big pots was my top priority for today. \o/

Also I'm really loving the fan flower I tried new this year. It looks like half a flower with petals on only one side, and makes a great component in a mixed pot. It came in multiple colors; I got a white one. It's in a pot with a new spreading yellow thing that's also new, and a yellow-and-white nemesia. Nemesia is beautiful and comes in many colors, but it's a bit delicate and has died on me in the past. The ones I got this year are thriving though. These are all things I bought in individual pots. If I could get them in 4-packs, I could do more with them, but the higher price of individual pots limits what I can do.

I've seen a male cardinal at the hopper feeder.

EDIT 5/22/26 -- I potted up the remaining coleus in two medium pots, each with 2 coleus and 1 dusty miller. Those look pretty good.

EDIT 5/22/26 -- I planted 2 blue lobelias and 1 white impatien in the rain garden. I potted up the rest of the impatiens in two pots with a dusty miller each.

EDIT 5/22/26 -- I filled a trough by the new picnic table with most of the remaining flowers: 8 vinca in the middle (various shades of pink and white), plus each end has 1 dusty miller between 2 blue lobelias. The color combination is a bit odd, but hopefully it will attract more pollinators.

Something has been eating the leaves off some of my marigolds. I have no idea what. Most insects avoid it because of the smell and taste.

Also earlier in spring, I built a large tomato cage from sticks. The tomato and peas in that one are dramatically bigger than the others. I may make more of those, although it does get in the way a lot more than the short metal cages.

It's spitting rain, but not enough to make me come in early.

EDIT 5/22/26 -- I did more work around the patio.

It's drizzling more steadily now.

EDIT 5/22/26 -- I did more work around the patio.

EDIT 5/22/26 -- I planted the last 3 red-and-yellow marigolds in the barrel garden.

I sowed zinnia seeds in the tulip bed, north notch of the prairie garden, and middle north-south strip. I sowed blanketflower seeds along the middle strip.

The rain seems to have let up.

I am done for the night.

Discovery overturns long-held assumptions about Earth's earliest complex lifeforms

Life on Earth became complex very slowly. Before forests, fish, or dinosaurs existed, tiny cells called eukaryotes appeared. These cells later gave rise to plants, animals, and fungi.

Scientists have long wondered where these early cells lived. A new study from Australia suggests they remained near the seafloor in oxygen-rich waters rather than floating near the ocean surface.


Note that this means "complex single-celled organisms" not "complex multicelled organisms."  The eukaryotes did eventually expand into larger creatures, and this does show some of the background behind clusters like the Ediacaran biota.

I stumbled across this post:

Essential Tips for Budget-Friendly House Construction in Pakistan

Building a dream house is a major milestone, but managing the construction cost in Pakistan can be highly challenging due to fluctuating material prices. Whether you are building a 5-marla or a 10-marla house, careful planning is the key to avoiding unnecessary expenses and staying within your budget.


So of course I got curious and had to look up what a "marla" was:

The Real Estate Puzzle: Understanding Marla Sizes in Pakistan

​In the intricate world of Pakistan’s real estate, few things cause as much confusion for new investors as the “Marla.” It is a term deeply rooted in the history of the subcontinent, yet its definition seems to shift depending on where you stand.

You might buy a plot believing you own a specific amount of land, only to find the calculations don’t match your expectations.
​Why is a Marla 272 square feet in one area and 225 square feet in another? Is it a scam, or is there a method to the madness?


It's fascinating to see how units of measurement relate to things that people consider important, which vary in different cultures. Add colonialism and that just complicates it further. But it's fascinating to explore.

Today is cloudy, breezy, and cool.

I fed the birds. I've seen a few sparrows and house finches.

I put out water for the birds.

EDIT 5/21/26 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

EDIT 5/21/26 -- I started cleaning up the goddess garden. I got about halfway around the outside, trimming grass around it and digging out weeds. Setting up this garden is today's main project. I need to finish the cleaning, reinstall the statue, and put in the new plants.

EDIT 5/21/26 -- I finished going around the outside of the goddess garden.

I've seen a male and and a female cardinal separately.

EDIT 5/21/26 -- I started working on the inside of the goddess garden.

EDIT 5/21/26 -- I finished weeding the inside of the goddess garden. Progress!

EDIT 5/21/26 -- I reinstalled the garden goddess in the center, then backfilled with a little compost. This is a ceramic statue of a woman's head and shoulders that I put out during the warm season, then bring indoors for winter.

EDIT 5/21/26 -- I planted two golden lemon thyme and one English thyme toward the front of the goddess garden. There is a little bit of surviving mother-of-thyme on each side. That leaves the back bare of thyme, but I may figure out a solution for that later.

EDIT 5/21/26 -- I planted 8 hot pink moss roses and 8 pale yellow moss roses in the goddess garden. I still want to go back and add more compost around things to make sure it's all covered.

EDIT 5/21/26 -- I topped off the goddess garden with compost, then watered the whole thing. Today's main project is done! \o/

EDIT 5/21/26 -- I planted 8 dianthus of assorted colors along the edge of the north notch in the prairie garden.

EDIT 5/21/26 -- I planted the Riddell's goldenrod in the prairie garden, along the south side of the east-west strip.

EDIT 5/21/26 -- I did more work around the patio.

I am done for the night.