ZambiaRoots

Christian, Soil Scientist, Root Enthusiast

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npub17qswe4qf4927cm5097ggegqgpp0era6t89x6hgpyd9au29vjfylsaq85py

Profile Code

nprofile1qqs0qg8v6sy6j40vd68jlyyv5qyqshu37a9njndt5qjxj779zkfyj0cpz3mhxue69uhhyetvv9ujuerpd46hxtnfduqs6amnwvaz7tmwdaejumr0ds76kpcu

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relay.damus.io

nos.lol

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npub17qswe4qf4927cm5097ggegqgpp0era6t89x6hgpyd9au29vjfylsaq85py

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Last Notes

2026-03-22 17:36:38 UTC

Zambias got the coolest #insects
https://blossom.primal.net/184f5c9d43bffe09240aa041bfb47d92e1772a4b877fdd8d589a428f47678116.jpg

2026-03-04 12:04:20 UTC

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Survivorship bias seems to be a problem with this chart. Where are the adoption curves for failed technologies?

2026-02-19 18:25:56 UTC

Some fun soil pit work today at African Christian University
https://blossom.primal.net/e14bc3c653f01d0a5d0f2e531ef9d80536f7f9f1d5bad0c7a649aeb6fd3cf263.jpg
https://blossom.primal.net/b8d65f1627cf4ed0d3f8c7cd40996114ea88dba42022385623b4a0f040c164f9.jpg
https://blossom.primal.net/46e526c87049010e3fd9ac32dc7e39715b30bd9eeed8795d6f49c3d28ec30362.jpg

2026-02-18 06:18:51 UTC

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Do you think he meant technology rather than science?

2026-02-07 08:58:55 UTC

Back in Zambia. #zambia
https://blossom.primal.net/04953ac114d3d41f4c48d5f6018cdc9d5351a659b1ed838b08cbbc978542da8b.jpg

2026-01-28 21:43:02 UTC

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I would think so, but there seem always to be excuses when I chat with most folks.

2026-01-28 19:27:28 UTC

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What about when Pharoah chases with chariots.?🤣

2026-01-28 19:23:31 UTC

Is it controversial to say you want your country to have secure boarders, enforce immigration laws, and law enforcement to be subject to the law?

2026-01-27 20:42:33 UTC

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Good point. It is pretty much just tied into energy prices.

2026-01-27 04:41:19 UTC

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Is love to see more ag inputs on here. Especially an input like urea. Urea is a useful one because unlike tractors there would be relatively nonexistent technology changes to the product.

2026-01-24 00:25:41 UTC

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Folks in other countries without the "global reserve currency get wrecked the worst.

2026-01-24 00:22:06 UTC

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Fascinating! I have small interest in either of these, but it is wonderful to see what folks are interested in.

2026-01-24 00:20:02 UTC

I've been looking for non Bitcoin podcasts and started listening to "My First Million. After a few episodes my initial thoughts are 1. It is a great source for opening up your mind about business. 2. It is sad how obsessed we can be with wealth and money. 3. I think I want to build something tangible and not for the consumerism culture. #podcast #nostrpad

2026-01-23 04:55:11 UTC

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Thanks for sharing

2026-01-23 04:54:41 UTC

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Printable vs unprintable

2026-01-23 04:33:47 UTC

What a crazy chart. GOLD $/gram
https://blossom.primal.net/34cd54c74da2aeed7d8552ed95bde4a06ac29a8ac3b7e2389c8c4bb2d2326454.jpg

2026-01-20 01:25:33 UTC

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It's hard not to in the winter

2026-01-19 16:15:26 UTC

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This has started me thinking. It seems there are social mechanisms for communicating trust, verification, and value within local communities. Maybe bitcoin can allow us to more easily communicate value between strong local communities?

2026-01-17 20:39:40 UTC

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I'd try out bookstr

2026-01-15 06:30:54 UTC

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Mobile money off ramps in Zambia

2026-01-14 05:26:20 UTC

The interesting thing about Trump Derangement Syndrome (TDS) is that you can have it in either direction. You can have TDS in which Trump is god or TDS in which you believe he is the devil. But they are both TDS.

2026-01-14 05:18:35 UTC

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Not sure of the source, but seems to align with CDC data here. Products - Vital Statistics Rapid Release - Provisional Drug Overdose Data https://share.google/SpeZTwM75zuB2LwoE

2026-01-14 04:57:13 UTC

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It is so tempting to become a luddite.

2026-01-14 04:55:15 UTC

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GM, we're back in the US right now, but if you are still around in Feb it would be great to meet up. I hope you enjoy. Your time in Zambia 🇿🇲.

2026-01-10 06:31:14 UTC

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Thanks for this. I tried to Zap you for it, but doesn't look like you've got that setup.

2026-01-10 06:22:05 UTC

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One of the best parts about getting away from cities is seeing the stars at night.

2026-01-07 22:10:20 UTC

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I tried to send a DM on nostr. Let me know if it cam through.

2026-01-06 14:41:03 UTC

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What alternative would you suggest? I mostly use Google docs, but I'm assuming it is just as bad or worse on the privacy side.

2026-01-03 18:10:14 UTC

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I've been thinking about this. It seems hard for Americans to imagine that a democratic republic isn't the best government form of government for everyone on the planet. I think the truth is many people prefer physical safety and security over freedom and representation.

2025-12-30 17:23:41 UTC

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Same here. I used to use it as an editor, but not so much anymore. My main use for it now is as a search engine.

2025-12-30 17:20:28 UTC

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Is this real or AI gen? I hope it's real.
#nevent1q…f6rk

2025-12-30 17:16:58 UTC

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I hate to admit it, but I've never read Sowell. So I might start there.

2025-12-29 22:35:50 UTC

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Investing, I'd love to hear more about that. I'm trying to find more resources on post colonial Southern Africa. A podcast interviewing folks who where there and watched things shift would be awesome.

2025-12-29 19:59:18 UTC

I just finished Listening to "Blood River" by Tim Butcher. It isnt the best wriiting in my mind, but it gave me some interesting insights on The #Congo and #Africa. Another general obserservation worth note, is how somewhere can have experienced technological advances railways, roads, communications, etc... But in the course of 50 years see an almost complete reversal.
https://blossom.primal.net/99666e10a02ead3ab515e50a821af5ed1f3745921107bc929cccd87cadbaa854.jpg

2025-12-28 19:04:55 UTC

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But the Zaps are real.

2025-12-28 17:39:11 UTC

Most modern church buildings are depressing. I was visiting a church for Christmas eve. While singing carols I looked toward the heavens and was not confronted rudely by giant speakers where I hoped to see vaults and stain glass drawing me heavenward.

2025-12-23 23:58:21 UTC

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And folks in the developing world are even further from the printer than workers in the US.

2025-12-15 17:57:40 UTC

Visiting #DFW for the first time in years and I don't get how anyone thrives in the urban jungle. I'm less than a week in and I feeling a bit of me is fading.

2025-12-12 16:45:48 UTC

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Thanks for the response. A book I have meant to read on this, but have failed to actually sit down and read is "The Drama of the Commons" by Ostrom. My understanding is that it critques the Tragedy of the commons and by extension Game Theory at the community scale.

2025-12-12 16:12:12 UTC

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🤣 I still think those 4 cylinder Toyota from the 90s are some of the best cars ever built.

2025-12-12 15:02:09 UTC

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Wealth doesn't solve our problems.

2025-12-12 15:01:23 UTC

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I love this unit. I like to compare myself to a medival war lord with 120 horses when I fire up my Toyota from the 90s.

2025-12-10 17:43:48 UTC

Getting to enjoy the Atlantic beaches today. The water was chilly.
https://blossom.primal.net/8850870374b0dc9ac3257fe8046bf7ff82e8c7930bc6c60ddeb5366307d7ecbc.jpg

2025-12-08 01:40:02 UTC

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Thanks for sharing!

2025-12-04 20:33:13 UTC

No place like #idahome
https://blossom.primal.net/1e5a00f842e33f6940663abb2ecc477b9bd7898f2c5537e2d113874245368df2.jpg

2025-12-04 15:31:09 UTC

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I would love to. Is there a link to the audio or video?

2025-12-04 06:27:37 UTC

Looking at the deman side, but not the supply of dollar side.
https://blossom.primal.net/9d3a7a1b732243e5c795e6d039c88be220abd556f19b98f37606d149ed9f5cf7.jpg

2025-11-26 05:29:30 UTC

My shotgun skills are abysmal, but it was wonderful chasing chuckers in for a day. #hunting
https://blossom.primal.net/6efc29768851ea3c2c125771e370c3cb7b7e519bbe164784b6d2ad41f2e94f65.jpg

2025-11-25 00:47:48 UTC

Does #nostr activity go down when #BTC dips?

2025-11-24 17:11:29 UTC

#China helping out in Zambia. It think building infrastructure and treating Zambia as a legit trading partner is probably better for Zambia than Aid.
https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/china-signs-agreement-revamp-tazara-railway-zambia-2025-11-20/

2025-11-23 22:32:44 UTC

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Grok's best attempt at rendering my #overland #solar expedition.
#nevent1q…6z4h
https://blossom.primal.net/a357e1b202c54d3325bab9f5c30f9987765c0ffa78bf44346e4f3407c16871b9.jpg

2025-11-20 04:14:04 UTC

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Another fun brassica fact is that oleracea is a diploid but is most likely contributed chromosomes to its close tetraploid relatives B. napus and B carinata.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triangle_of_U?wprov=sfla1
https://blossom.primal.net/9e976eda1e8727eb047d088b0534d516b4c587bdec67b290a32262f50cee0b24.png

2025-11-20 04:01:48 UTC

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Beautiful. Do you have a link to the original paper? Looks like they were using GFP.

2025-11-20 01:47:55 UTC

At the Oregon coast today and found this cool mushroom growing out of the sand. #Fungi are amazing.
https://blossom.primal.net/25d3c66bdf11d3dacf5f780deb18cda1bd829890b3690bc9b5a9d36919ae91cc.jpg

2025-11-15 06:04:16 UTC

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The whole conversation on self custody and the privilege of self custody is so interesting. I don't know that I had thought of it that way before.

2025-11-14 18:19:55 UTC

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This was great. The conversation on the privlage of self custody was great.
https://fountain.fm/episode/b3wgP0vWQqWvihzUF77J
#nevent1q…wayg

2025-11-14 00:39:09 UTC

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I enjoy getting Peter's perspective on this sort of thing.
#nevent1q…qhxm

2025-11-13 18:39:26 UTC

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It would be awesome if there was a plug and play way to turn unused solar energy into hash. I've "wasted"some energy in this year because my batteries are verbally full by 10 AM and then just sitting mostly idle during the day.

2025-11-13 16:36:38 UTC

Own your own energy. #energy in hoping to get an electric or plug in hybrid soon to avoid being dependent on fossil fuel supply chains.
https://www.lusakatimes.com/2025/11/13/government-apologises-for-nationwide-fuel-shortages-cites-logistical-delays/

2025-11-10 14:34:21 UTC

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This is the problem, but at least we have Sam Altman and Worldcoin. He's totally trustworthy 🤣🤣🤣

2025-11-08 19:07:50 UTC

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Just this guy here? I'll give it a try. https://bitcoinknots.org/
Is best to run a node first and then try mining?

2025-11-08 19:04:11 UTC

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Interesting and good stuff, but I just can't past the issues of muzzle awareness in this photo.

2025-11-08 17:15:00 UTC

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How long did it take to setup? I'd like to set one up, but curious how much time needs allocated.

2025-11-07 13:30:09 UTC

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We are planning on coming back next year. Hopefully we can meet up then.

2025-11-06 06:16:01 UTC

Farwell for now Zambia. Can't wait to be back.
https://blossom.primal.net/47dc0471c480d0b6498bff3f2233ed77e72f4afd85bd53db7d8620a08be5fe71.jpg

2025-11-03 20:59:15 UTC

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Thanks for sharing this.

2025-11-03 17:03:34 UTC

Crazy looking mantis in the yard.
https://blossom.primal.net/658a71e7f2299aa6e68bbaa973140d8f573f6e2d9209a1c0a729e89dc02f5a89.jpg

2025-11-01 17:03:04 UTC

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Which airline is this on?

2025-11-01 13:34:51 UTC

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Lewis was a genius at understanding and articulating struggles like this one.

2025-10-30 12:01:37 UTC

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Interesting is there a link where I can read about this?

2025-10-30 11:12:13 UTC

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I used to actually collect soil and then pain with it. The colors of soil can make beautiful paintings.

2025-10-30 11:11:30 UTC

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It has mostly to do with iron oxides in the soil. I believe the clay adheres to the iron oxides helping it to keep the red appearance. Oxisols found in highly weathered environments can be much more red.

2025-10-30 11:08:47 UTC

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Yep, at least for the time being.

2025-10-30 11:06:06 UTC

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That can be an answer. This farm started as a cattle ranch and they integrate livestock, but they are still struggling with some bad compaction. Conversely, I have seen going from tillage to pesticide dependent no-till even without animals result in an increase of earthworms.

2025-10-30 10:37:28 UTC

This is from a few weeks back when we were looking at compaction issues on a farm. It is so fun to work learn and visit with farmers who get as excited as I do to see worms in the field. #agriculture #soilscience
https://blossom.primal.net/56ed358a65f85e1d4b6ff9dad3922af87cccf6a0edbe52701a7ee7e7f0ce7c42.jpg

2025-10-29 05:18:06 UTC

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I'll give this a listen.

2025-10-28 05:36:17 UTC

When will we get human/camera verified videos? Will each video camera have an nsec and sign videos as authentic. It seems that a lot of 'raw footage' you find on centralized social media is simply AI generated now. But it would be cool if devices could sign footage in a way to verify it is real.

2025-10-28 05:32:43 UTC

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This is a theme I've been thinking about a lot recently. It seems most people say they want Freedom, but they actually want security and to not have to take the consequences of their actions. There is a quote from Terry Pratchett that goes something like this, "In the end the only true freedom is the freedom to take the consequences." It is Lord V, and I can't remember which book, but it is such a good observation.

2025-10-28 05:27:10 UTC

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I love teaching. Especially getting to watch the students grow year after year. Which is why watching AI stunt the students growth is so difficult. Sometimes AI use is obvious, but sometimes it is quite a hard to detect. I use some detection software, but those give false negatives and positives. I teach in Zambia and some of the more clever students have actually prompted AI to use typical grammar patterns for Zambia.
I 100% agree on orienting the students toward the purpose of the assignments. I always tell them that if I want to read AI written papers I can write the prompts myself. I have also employed oral defense. Even without AI, I think it is good for students to have practice for students to defend their work verbally, but now it is a necessity. The difficulty becomes larger class sizes (>20 students). If there are around 20 students in a class I can spend a lot of time evaluating each student. At the moment, I am teaching 60 students environmental science, and I am sure I am not catching all of the AI cases.

2025-10-28 05:12:55 UTC

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Whenever I see anything like this Atlas Shrugged comes to mind.

2025-10-27 20:26:45 UTC

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Did you write this with AI🤣

2025-10-27 12:41:59 UTC

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I struggle with this alot as a teacher. I want my students to use AI, but I don't want them to simply copy and paste without any thinking. They mostly just copy and paste. I just had a student in my office who literally did not write a word of their paper.

2025-10-26 16:23:27 UTC

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In graduate school it was very popular to work 7 days a week. I was also. A friend called me out on this and I hink my overall productivity went up whe I started seriously taking a sabbath. Not everyone is this way, but it worked for me.

2025-10-26 16:20:07 UTC

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Cool! What client?

2025-10-26 16:17:06 UTC

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This is one of the things I miss about the US.

2025-10-25 11:57:16 UTC

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Gota have coffee! I love my little butane stove, I bought it for backpacking, but I've used it in so many settings.

2025-10-25 07:01:19 UTC

https://rooseveltinstitute.org/blog/can-china-break-nuclear-powers-cost-curse/
#nuclear
https://blossom.primal.net/607568703d29f67ba03078c9c389646b93b1487943f2257e4a4f8d5bce7eb557.jpg

2025-10-23 12:39:28 UTC

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Dang! Is this on a cruiser?

2025-10-23 06:03:59 UTC

I have a question for you Libertarians out there. How do libertarians generally think issues like non point source pollution (e.g. nitrate in causing dead zones) should be solved? Or is it simply not considered a problem?
#asknostr #asklibertarians #environment #libertarians
FYI: I never know where to categorize myself politically mostly because I don't spend much time thinking about it, but I like many libertarian ideas.

2025-10-23 05:44:20 UTC

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They say "sorry" as they invade they country.

2025-10-22 08:55:31 UTC

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Thanks for the thoughtful interaction. Conversations like these are why I love nostr.
The point on literacy is so important. I think one of the major points of decentralization in history was that of the commercialization of the printing press. It seems after the printing press there was radical decentralization (Reformation + 30 years wars) and then some return to something more centralized, but not quite as centralized as before. So that the overall trend of history (at least the last 500 years in the west) is toward decentralization with corrections toward centralization.
Have you read Niall Ferguson's, "The Square and the Tower"? I read it 5+ years ago and it helped me start thinking about this issue from a historical point of view.

2025-10-21 20:37:29 UTC

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Interesting, I will have to think about this a bit more. The time horizon aspect is interesting.
Balaji has his sort of theory of peak centralization and that we are in a period of decentralization. But then I look at the internet of the 90s vs the centralized internet of today and it makes me wonder. I think book "The Square and the Tower" also made me wonder if we are actually on a long trend towards decentralization or if we simply always fall back into centralization.
I know very little about Europe, but couldn't the EU be seen as a sort of recentralization after the reign of nation states?

2025-10-21 16:14:39 UTC

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This makes sense.
Inequality does seem to show centralization. However, I belive that you maybe better off (materially) in a centralized system than in an equal decentralized system.
Another interesting observation is that it seems systems tend towards centralization. I don't know if there is some reason for this. I've always wondered if there is some sort of gravitational pull towards centralization.

2025-10-21 15:47:24 UTC

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This is just what I can see about a kilometer from my house (Lusaka) and not an in depth study. Sanitation and water: you have to walk some distance to fill water and bring it to your home. You have a shared toilet. There is a chance you'll get cholera and your definitely going to get some bug from bad sanitation. Electricity: Sometimes there is power, but most of the time there is not. Transport: You are walking or get a bus if you can afford it. Nutrition: you might be getting enough calories, but it is mostly carbs.
People laugh, smile, and go on with their lives. It is hard to really capture it in a writing.

2025-10-21 11:20:01 UTC

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Living in the US and now Africa really has reset my perspective on poverty. It is just so sad to see folks in the US living on the streets. It is not obvious to me how the problem should be fixed. I grew up in Portland in the 90s and it had some rough spots then, but it is nothing to what it is now. Finding the best way to help those folks is so difficult, I've got to see some of it first hand.

2025-10-21 11:10:30 UTC

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Thanks for the input, the purpose of education is probably upstream of this conversation. I do not think of the purpose of education as finding a job or necessarily becoming marketable.
I am agreed on the indoctrination aspects of government schools. I was homeschooled (also a form of indoctrination).
The most valuable parts of my education were my homeschooling and graduate school. In homeschooling, I received the basics of the trivium. In graduate school I learned to apply the scientific method.
I definitely don't think most people should get tertiary degrees. I routinely try to talk students out of university.
The current iteration of universities is becoming obsolete, but I don't think they will be fully replaced by the internet. As a university lecturer I am very interested in being a part of what comes next.

2025-10-21 07:53:30 UTC

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This is really interesting. I'd be curious to see this also presented with how poor is poor in each country. For instance being bellow the poverty line in the US is terrible, but it is nothing like being poor in Zambia (which is better off than a many places). It seems like some combination of both metrics inequality and what poverty means would be helpful. And obviously the measuring stick would be useful. Maybe measure wealth and poverty in terms of access to energy?

2025-10-21 07:35:17 UTC

Is there a point to giving writing assignments in the age of AI? Prior to AI I used writing assignments to assess students ability to form complex arguments and help them develop the useful skill of writing. Now, it seems that most of my time is spent figuring out whether I am grading students or a bot. Any thoughts on this? Maybe humans aren't required to think anymore? #asknostr #AI

2025-10-21 05:09:54 UTC

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This is useful. Thank!

2025-10-20 05:18:23 UTC

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I'll be curious what you find. I tried Shakespear after first hearing about it on a podcase, but I never got it to run. I was also using Brave Browser so maybe that is the issue.