vik_thor | Reading

This year I'm doing Community Thursdays. Some of my activity will involve maintaining communities I run, and my favorites. Some will involve checking my list of subscriptions and posting in lower-traffic ones. Today I have interacted with the following communities...

* "Books" in

history

* "Female Leads" in

hooked_on_heroines

* "Follow Friday Master Post" in

interested_in_that

Current Mood: busy

apod_feed

https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260415.html

Nope, that is not an alien spaceship landing on the Moon! This is an image of

https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260415.html

earthobservatory_iod_feed

Posted by Lauren Dauphin

https://science.nasa.gov/earth/earth-observatory/eyeing-the-richat-structure/

https://science.nasa.gov/?p=1212324

A large "bull's-eye" feature composed of concentric rock formations of various colors is imprinted on the edge of a dark plateau flanked by desert sands.

The Richat Structure appears as a giant “bull’s eye” on a plateau in Mauritania in this mosaic, composed of images captured by the OLI (Operational Land Imager) on Landsat 9 and Landsat 8 on March 5 and March 6, 2026, respectively.

NASA Earth Observatory/Lauren Dauphin

In a remote part of northern Mauritania on the Adrar Plateau lies a desert landscape rich in human history. This region of northwestern Africa is sprinkled with Paleolithic stone tools, Neolithic cave paintings, and the remains of medieval towns once used by caravans crossing the Sahara Desert.

When viewed from space, the landscape appears to be shaped most prominently by natural forces. Wind sculpted the seas of colorful sand dunes and scoured plateaus capped with dark desert pavement, while ancient flowing water carved valleys and networks of dried river channels.

But the region’s most eye-catching feature when seen from above is the Richat Structure—a large geologic formation made of concentric ridges on the eastern side of the plateau. French geographers first described the feature in the 1930s, calling it the Richat “buttonhole.” NASA astronauts Ed White and James McDivitt helped bring wider global attention to what became known as “The Eye of the Sahara” after photographing it during their history-making Gemini IV mission.

The 40-kilometer-wide (25-mile-wide) structure was initially thought to be an impact crater because large meteors can produce circular features on Earth’s surface. However, researchers later showed that it is actually a deeply eroded geologic dome formed by the uplift of rock above an underground intrusion of igneous material. Over time, differing erosion rates among rock types in the exposed upper dome led to the development of circular ridges known as cuestas. The orange and gray colors reflect differences in sedimentary and igneous rock types across the structure and the surrounding landscape.

NASA Earth Observatory image by Lauren Dauphin, using Landsat data from the U.S. Geological Survey. Story by Adam Voiland.

Downloads

March 5 and March 6, 2026

JPEG (9.03 MB)

References & Resources

Abdeina, E.H., et al. (2024) How old is the Eye of Africa? A polyphase history for the igneous Richat Structure, Mauritania. Lithos, 107698.
Abdeina, E.H., et al. (2021) Geophysical modelling of the deep structure of the Richat magmatic intrusion (northern Mauritania): insights into its kinematics of emplacement. Arabian Journal of Geosciences, 14(22), 2315.
The Debrief (2021, April 16) The Richat Structure: The “Eye of the Sahara” is One of Earth’s Strangest Marvels. Accessed April 8, 2026.
Géoconscience, Adrar Plateau. Accessed April 8, 2026.
International Commission on Geoheritage, Richat Structure, A Cretaceous Alkaline Complex. Accessed April 8, 2026.
Matton, G., et al. (2005) Resolving the Richat enigma: Doming and hydrothermal karstification above an alkaline complex. Geology, 33 (8), 665-668.
Matton, G. & Jébrak, M. (2014) The “eye of Africa” (Richat dome, Mauritania): An isolated Cretaceous alkaline–hydrothermal complex. Journal of African Earth Sciences, 97, 109-124.
NASA Earth Observatory (2022, July 10) The Eye of the Sahara. Accessed April 8, 2026.
National Archives (1965, June 4) Richat Structure. Accessed April 8, 2026.

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The post Eyeing the Richat Structure appeared first on NASA Science.

https://science.nasa.gov/earth/earth-observatory/eyeing-the-richat-structure/

https://science.nasa.gov/?p=1212324

offcntr

Had a woman stop in last Saturday, said she'd been by before, looking at pots, but never bought any, because there just wasn't room in her tiny apartment. But now she's gotten a house, just moved in. I have cupboards! she declared.

And bought a set of four soup bowls.

offcntr

My friend Jon was digging through his stuff, looking for baby pictures of his daughter Elizabeth, when he came across this pic.

That's me, sometime in the mid-1980's, in grad school.

So much hair.

offcntr

So I mentioned in the firing post that a good third of the kiln was work for my gallery in Olympia. It was an enormous order: 18 mugs, 12 soup bowls, a dozen serving bowls of various sizes, eight pasta bowls, three each colanders and honey pots. Way too much to pack and ship.

Time for a road trip!

Denise usually accompanies me on these expeditions. We trade off driving--I get us through Portland, she takes the boring stretches of central Washington, and we have a nice lunch at a restaurant near Childhood's End. This time, though, she's been having tendon pain in her left leg, so wasn't up for a long drive. I got to do the trip solo.

Well, except for my navigator. This is Brewer, the bear we found in a Milwaukee Goodwill. We braved the grey overcast, which, predictably, turned to torrential rains somewhere around central Washington. (It always rains in Centralia, for some reason.) Headed out early, got through Portland without slowing down, arrived at the gallery around 12:30. Unloaded the boxes, caught Chinese lunch in a little cafe next door--$15 for a small serving of Ginger Chicken, including tip. Quite tasty, though I could have done with less celery. Stopped at the Costco in Tumwater to gas up, and was back on the road by 1:00.

Stopped in at Georgies Ceramic Supply in Portland to buy a hole-cutter. I'd broken mine, couldn't seem to rig a replacement. I miss having their store in Eugene; I didn't use them a lot, but it was handy to have supplies available just across town. They've made a distribution deal with Wildling Studio Arts to carry their clay and a selection of tools, but it's by nature a limited supply.

3 pm meant afternoon rush hour traffic in Portland, things were stop-and-go until Wilsonville, but once past, the freeway was pretty clear all the way home. Arrived in Eugene a little after 6 pm, to a supper of leftover quiche, and spent an hour in the studio finishing or covering pots from Monday. And went to bed early.

notalwaysright_feed

Posted by Not Always Right

https://notalwaysright.com/accept-the-clock-or-clock-in/410600/

https://notalwaysright.com/?p=410600

Read Accept The Clock Or Clock In

The car ahead of me is ordering their food and starts to complain about the wait.
Customer: "Do you know how long we've been waiting?!"
The cashier smiles and wordlessly points to a sign on the window.
Customer: "Well… that's… not good enough!"

Read Accept The Clock Or Clock In

https://notalwaysright.com/accept-the-clock-or-clock-in/410600/

https://notalwaysright.com/?p=410600

ysabetwordsmith

Skills That Survived Every Economic Collapse in History

Every economic collapse in recorded history — from Weimar Germany to Argentina's default to Venezuela's currency crisis — followed the same brutal pattern: institutions failed, credentials evaporated, and the most "educated" people were often the first to starve. Doctors drove taxis. Engineers washed cars. PhDs traded cigarettes for potatoes.

So which skills actually survived? Not the ones you'd expect.

This video is an economic autopsy of seven major collapses across a century of data — drawing on NBER labor forensics, Bureau of Labor Statistics projections, World Bank research, and the real stories of Argentine mechanics, Cuban physicians, Russian dacha farmers, and Lebanese currency brokers — to identify the four structural categories of skills that have demonstrated resilience in every single collapse environment ever studied.

So let's take a look at what these are and how to use them...

( Read more... )

Current Mood: busy

notalwaysright_feed

Posted by Not Always Right

https://notalwaysright.com/always-meat-your-greens/410366/

https://notalwaysright.com/?p=410366

Read Always Meat Your Greens

Customer: "What do you recommend for a vegetarian BBQ?"
Me: "Did you want plant-based products that resemble meat, like burgers, or vegetables that are good for grilling, like mushrooms or capsicum?"
Customer: "What was that first thing you said?"

Read Always Meat Your Greens

https://notalwaysright.com/always-meat-your-greens/410366/

https://notalwaysright.com/?p=410366

notalwaysright_feed

Posted by Not Always Right

https://notalwaysright.com/when-only-one-person-can-inform/410259/

https://notalwaysright.com/?p=410259

Read Wheñ Oñly Oñe Persoñ Cañ Iñform

One day, the Senior Editor burst out of her office and asked:
Senior Editor: "Is [Other Editor] around? I have a question about language."
Me: "Maybe I can answer it. I studied Spanish linguistics as an undergrad, and now I'm in grad school, working on my thesis."
Senior Editor: "No, you wouldn't know."

Read Wheñ Oñly Oñe Persoñ Cañ Iñform

https://notalwaysright.com/when-only-one-person-can-inform/410259/

https://notalwaysright.com/?p=410259

notalwaysright_feed

Posted by Not Always Right

https://notalwaysright.com/the-wine-does-not-need-to-chill-the-customer-on-the-other-hand/410287/

https://notalwaysright.com/?p=410287

Read The Wine Does Not Need To Chill, The Customer On The Other Hand…

Customer: "Where is the bucket with ice that always comes with it?"
Me: "You mean the cooler? We only give that with white/rose wines as they have to be kept cold. Red wine has to be room temperature."
Customer: "Well, they always bring me the cooler with any wine I order."

Read The Wine Does Not Need To Chill, The Customer On The Other Hand…

https://notalwaysright.com/the-wine-does-not-need-to-chill-the-customer-on-the-other-hand/410287/

https://notalwaysright.com/?p=410287

ysabetwordsmith

Queer Artists and Artworks We Love for World Art Day

Happy World Art Day! Our rec lists tend to be a bit book-centric, so we thought this’d be a great chance to share some artists and artworks we love.

Current Mood: busy

notalwaysright_feed

Posted by Not Always Right

https://notalwaysright.com/boss-level-dad-jokes/410177/

https://notalwaysright.com/?p=410177

Read Boss-Level Dad Jokes

Our manager comes into the office early, so leaves early. He always exits the office with a one-liner:
Manager: "If anyone wants me, I’ll be very surprised."

Read Boss-Level Dad Jokes

https://notalwaysright.com/boss-level-dad-jokes/410177/

https://notalwaysright.com/?p=410177

ysabetwordsmith

March heat in the U.S. was the largest temperature anomaly ever recorded

Heat usually doesn’t define March, a month that still carries a hint of winter’s last breath. This year, it felt more like a preview of late spring, and sometimes even early summer.

Across the United States, temperatures didn’t just creep up. They jumped far beyond what anyone would expect for that time of year.

The numbers tell a blunt story. The average temperature for March hit 50.85 degrees Fahrenheit. That is 9.35 degrees higher than the 20th-century average.

It is not just a record for March. It is the largest jump above normal for any month ever recorded in the Lower 48 states.

Daytime highs pushed even further, running 11.4 degrees above average, nearly matching what people usually feel in April.

Ya THINK? It hit 89 fucking degrees here in central Illinois. REPEATEDLY. We're also in drought conditions. I've had to water things already planted so they don't die, in what should be the wettest time of year. >_< I really don't want this to be another year of eight months watering.

Current Mood: frustrated

notalwaysright_feed

Posted by Not Always Right

https://notalwaysright.com/the-void-does-not-care-about-stock-levels/410592/

https://notalwaysright.com/?p=410592

Read The Void Does Not Care About Stock Levels

Customer: "But your website says you have it!"
Me: "That's a popular sale item. It's likely they're in someone's cart in the store, and they haven't been checked out yet. The online system can be delayed sometimes."
Customer: *Grinning.* "What if I order it for curbside pickup?"

Read The Void Does Not Care About Stock Levels

https://notalwaysright.com/the-void-does-not-care-about-stock-levels/410592/

https://notalwaysright.com/?p=410592

xkcd_feed

https://xkcd.com/3233/

It's not as big a loss as it looks, because now I have leftover supplies, which will help me talk myself into doing this all over again with a new project!

https://xkcd.com/3233/

ysabetwordsmith

Today is cloudy and mild. It has been spitting a few drops of water now and then, but the promised storms have not arrived. :/

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

I put out water for the birds.

EDIT 4/15/26 -- While we were out at Whiteside Garden, I picked up a generous clump of wild ginger. :D I also saw a red-headed woodpecker.

We stopped at Home Depot and bought 12 concrete blocks, the kind with two holes, and water sealer. I'm going to make a planting bench with the solid-top pallet that we obtained earlier.

EDIT 4/15/26 -- I planted the clump of wild ginger at the east end of the savanna where moss is growing. I'm going to try establishing a woodland garden there.

EDIT 4/15/26 -- I did some work around the patio.

EDIT 4/15/26 -- I planted the mountain mint in the wildflower garden. This looks similar to the mystery wild mint that I had before, which is among the most popular pollinator plants. If so, that boosts genetic diversity.

EDIT 4/15/26 -- I did more work around the patio.

EDIT 4/15/26 -- I did more work around the patio.

I hauled 6 of the 12 concrete blocks out of the car. For some reason the guy putting them on the flatbed trolley gave me two different kinds; some have flat ends and some have ridges sticking out, and these aren't the kind of blocks meant to interlock.

I am done for the night.

Current Mood: busy

notalwaysright_feed

Posted by Not Always Right

https://notalwaysright.com/to-the-new-guy-good-luck-and-were-all-counting-on-you/410175/

https://notalwaysright.com/?p=410175

Read To The New Guy: Good Luck, And We’re All Counting On You!

Tech Guy: "You put in a ticket about your work phone autocorrecting words it shouldn't be?"
Coworker: "I did?"
Tech Guy: "Uh, yeah. I got the ticket right here."
[Tech Guy] shows the ticket, and [Coworker] laughs.

Read To The New Guy: Good Luck, And We’re All Counting On You!

https://notalwaysright.com/to-the-new-guy-good-luck-and-were-all-counting-on-you/410175/

https://notalwaysright.com/?p=410175

notalwaysright_feed

Posted by Not Always Right

https://notalwaysright.com/an-even-harder-manhattan-project/410282/

https://notalwaysright.com/?p=410282

Read An Even Harder Manhattan Project

Customer: "Can I get a non-alcoholic Manhattan?"
Me: "Uh, not really, no. That cocktail isn't really viable as a non-alcoholic version."
Customer: "I see, it's my fault as I phrased it like a question. I want a non-alcoholic Manhattan."

Read An Even Harder Manhattan Project

https://notalwaysright.com/an-even-harder-manhattan-project/410282/

https://notalwaysright.com/?p=410282

scalziwhatever_feed

Posted by John Scalzi

https://whatever.scalzi.com/2026/04/15/view-from-a-hotel-window-4-15-26-atlanta-metro/

https://whatever.scalzi.com/?p=60207

A very arboreal view today. It’s a little misleading, since if you look left from here you’ll find a not unbusy street. Still, it would be churlish to complain about a bit of green in one’s window.

I’m in the area for an event tomorrow in which I am in conversation with Brandon Sanderson, prior to him spending time at JordanCon, and me at the LA Times Festival of Books (which will not be in the Atlanta area, but in Los Angeles). Our event is already sold out, so if you missed getting tickets, I’m sorry. Perhaps there will be a audio or video recording of it at some point.

And what about today? Well, I have a hotel room to myself and no one expecting anything of me until tomorrow afternoon around this time. I think I’ll take a nap and then see where the day takes me.

— JS

https://whatever.scalzi.com/2026/04/15/view-from-a-hotel-window-4-15-26-atlanta-metro/

https://whatever.scalzi.com/?p=60207

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Vik-Thor

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Vik-Thor's Journal

The Occasional skribblings of a cat'taur

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Community Thursdays

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Eyeing the Richat Structure

Downloads

March 5 and March 6, 2026

References & Resources

You may also be interested in:

Discover More from NASA Earth Science

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Earth Observatory Image of the Day

Earth Science Data

Room enough, and time

Hairy potter

Playing to the gallery

Accept The Clock Or Clock In

Survival Skills

Always Meat Your Greens

Wheñ Oñly Oñe Persoñ Cañ Iñform

The Wine Does Not Need To Chill, The Customer On The Other Hand…

Art

Boss-Level Dad Jokes

Climate Change

The Void Does Not Care About Stock Levels

Make It Myself

Birdfeeding

To The New Guy: Good Luck, And We’re All Counting On You!

An Even Harder Manhattan Project

View From a Hotel Window, 4/15/26: Atlanta Metro

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