Tim McCormack
timmc@better.boston
<p>Gardener, software developer, and nature enthusiast.</p><p>I use hashtags instead of CWs for uspol (US politics).</p><p>I have other accounts, but this one tends to be more for Boston-area things, MA and US politics, and nature stuff.</p><p><a href="https://better.boston/tags/nobot" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>nobot</span></a></p>
Posts
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Post #4345543
I&#39;ve recently seen some people (presumably not from the US) express surprise and confusion that US cities can just... pass laws! Which I found funny at first, but on further consideration, there&#39;s an interesting question: What qualifies a local geographic region as being *able* to pass laws? I&#39;m not clear on whether every area in a US state is already in a local-governing body. What does it take for a portion of a state to organize into a place that can have local laws?
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Post #4345542
Looks like The Smog is coming back to the #Boston area tonight. https://firesmoke.ca/forecasts/current/ is a pretty great resource. #smoke
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Post #4345541
Good night to open the windows, I think. Smoke should be clearing away from #SomervilleMA in the next hour according to https://firesmoke.ca/forecasts/current/ and the forecast shows temperatures dipping to a pleasant 17°C, and not too humid.
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Post #2357452
Looking forward to this PorridgeFest tomorrow that people keep talking about. #SomervilleMA
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Post #2169121
Would I happen to know anyone in the Boston area who has a portable XRF analyzer? I&#39;m curious to see how it works for soil lead testing, but *also* to talk to someone about what the care and feeding of these analyzers is like in practice, and how feasible it might be to set up a program for helping people in the area test their soil, including raised beds. (I&#39;ve been thinking of buying one for this purpose, as prices are down a bit.) #SomervilleMA #CambridgeMA #BostonMA #chemi...
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Post #1798001
If anyone in Somerville wants milkweed seeds, there are still plenty on the plants in my guerilla garden. You can find it by going 1-2 houses west of Cedar St on the Community Path; the garden is on the north side, against the back of someone&#39;s garage and opposite the Blue Bikes. The milkweed have been expanding rapidly, and there are maybe 10-15 plants with seedpods. Help yourself to seeds, fluff, and fiber!
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Post #1545666
What&#39;s with these vehicle barriers deployed in #Boston at the intersection of Mass Ave and Commonwealth Ave?
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Post #1545665
More idle curiosity: Anyone know what kind of fish this is? Herring? There were three of these fish, dead on the walkways on the Charles River locks. Maybe 20-25 cm long. Two were close to each other, and the third was about 3 meters farther along. (Also, how the heck did they get there? I can think of several stories but none of them seem obviously correct.)
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Post #1545664
I got the FluoroSpec lead testing kit, which is pretty fun to use. First hit is a radiator air vent that I removed recently. Looks like it had lead paint. I should check the other radiator vents and paint. (The way this works is you shine the UV flashlight on the surface to get a baseline, spray/paint the surface with the liquid, then check for green (new) fluorescence.)