i wish i could reblog all the i hate sex posts because they’re terribly funny but unfortunately it’s just not true. i don’t hate sex. i’m literally thinking about it while i’m on the clock. on the clock? i wish i was on the. well. i shan’t say
What’s a citizen science project? Basically, it’s crowdsourced science. In this case, crowdsourced climate science, that you can help with!
You don’t need qualifications or any training besides the slideshow at the start of a project. There are a lot of things that humans can do way better than machines can, even with only minimal training, that are vital to science - especially digitizing records and building searchable databases
Those are all on one of the most prominent citizen science platforms, called Zooniverse, but there are a ton of others, too.
Oh, and btw, you don’t have to worry about messing up, because several people see each image. Studies show that if you pool the opinions of however many regular people (different by field), it matches the accuracy rate of a trained scientist in the field.
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I spent a lot of time doing this when I was really badly injured and housebound, and it was so good for me to be able to HELP and DO SOMETHING, even when I was in too much pain to leave my bed. So if you are chronically ill/disabled/for whatever reason can’t participate or volunteer for things in person, I highly highly recommend.
Next time you wish you could do something - anything - to help
Remember that actually, you can. And help with some science.
Yup, these are actually *really* important. And a small bit of work helps, so it’s doable even if you’re snowed under with survival work or in too much pain to concentrate for longer periods.
It’s multiply-checked by more than one person, so don’t worry about fucking it up because your concentration is fucked. Your input is valuable but not the only input.
I find Zooniverse very good, and it does Citizen Historian work too - I spent time digitising concentration camp records because a) families still don’t know what happened to some of their loved ones b) this makes the records available for historians without travelling to archives in person, which I can testify is *invaluable* for disabled historians and helps cut the need for overseas travel to do vital historical work.
It unexpectedly helped me with learning how to decipher premodern handwriting too, which proved really useful in my academic stuff. You *will* pick up valuable skills doing this. Put it on your CV.
Other places you can go to do citizen science, from the notes
(Thanks to everyone who left these in the notes! If you know more, put them in the notes, and I might add them! And ty @enbycrip for the fantastic addition that covered a bunch of details I didn’t get to)
MapSwipe (collaboration between several Red Cross organizations and Doctors Without Borders, update vital geospatial data) Smithsonian archives (transcriptions, many subjects)
Cornell Bird Lab (birds)
FoldIt (folding proteins)
Fathomverse (sea animals)
Project Monarch (butterflies)
In person
Bioblitz (nature) Species watch (species) Audobon Society (birds)
Also:
Even if you don’t have time to spend, but do have some processor cycles to spare, check out the projects available at BOINC’s Compute for Science: https://boinc.berkeley.edu/
Hey guys, these projects make a HUGE difference for science. For example, I run bplant.org and iNaturalist is the #1 source of images in ID guides and articles and other educational materials I develop. The plant observations are also helpful for assessing plant ranges and how these ranges are changing with climate change. And it also helps me identify local seed sources for use in restoration plantings. Use of iNaturalist, even casual use like a random person uploading pics of plants they see growing in their yard, or a random parking lot they were in, or a random vacant lot, those observations are MAJORLY helping in (1) education (2) science (3) conservation.
This stuff makes a huge difference.
Also, if you want to make the biggest impact on these sites, release any material with the more permissive licenses, like CC-BY. If you add a NC or ND clause, for instance, your photos cannot be included on Wikipedia or bplant or a number of other educational sites, because those license restrictions are incompatible with combining with copyleft material.
But yeah, go do citizen science, please!!!
I thought I’d go back and repost this because there are probably a lot of people out there who, like me, reallllyyyyyy need something to distract them right now
So, hey. You. Stop doomscrolling. Take a deep breathe. And if you want, try doing some citizen science or citizen history instead
I’m also going to especially promote MapSwipe, for those who want to do something tangible to help people now.
In today’s technology-filled world, we have access to vast amounts of information at our fingertips. This includes geospatial data, which helps us understand places and the “where?” of things - a vitally important piece of successful humanitarian programs. It is important for getting from point A to point B as well as for coordination, understanding needs, tracking impact, identifying gaps, and a multitude of other concerns. For responsible use by humanitarians, this information must be assessed, refreshed, and validated as populations, infrastructure, and the surrounding environments experience the inevitable changes that occur as time, conflicts, and disasters unfold…
MapSwipe is a free open source mobile application available on iOS and Android that empowers anyone with a smartphone to make a meaningful impact contributing to global mapping efforts. MapSwipe crowdsources the review of satellite imagery to:
Btw given the context right now I do want to say this is specifically meant for people like me who can’t get out and do something in person/directly to help right now (too disabled, trapped at work, can’t go outside because they’re BIPOC and they might literally be kidnapped by ICE, quite literally cannot afford to get arrested, etc.)
It is not saying you should distract yourself from what’s going on right now.
It’s saying that if you are feeling despair, you will feel and do better if you channel that into something to help.
I especially want to highlight MapSwipe again.
Help make maps accurate so people in war zones, disaster zones, and remote locations can get medical attention, rescue, and hope - by making sure the disaster response and aid workers have good maps!!
you guys r loving me complaining lately so can i complain about a social media thing. the obsession on many parts of tiktok, instagram, etc. with “hygiene” is actually just an obsession with performing wealth and femininity. no you cannot smell the difference between a girl who exfoliates her arms and one who doesn’t. you are saying this to shame people who aren’t performing femininity as hard as you. no it is not necessary to have a ten step skincare routine with three different serums. you are showcasing your wealth and encouraging consumption.
like sorry but if i scrubbed and scraped myself half as much as you insist is Necessary to be clean i would be red and breaking out everywhere. different people have different needs. and nobody Needs to use a body scrub and a dry brush and a bar soap and a body wash and a body butter and a moisturizing oil every single day. nobody is going to get sick because they wash their body with their hands instead of a washcloth or an african net sponge or whatever other implement you’ve decided is necessary to get clean. human bodies do not need to smell like jasmine or vanilla or whatever 24/7 in order to be considered clean. like good fucking lord you people are just jerking off cosmetics companies and falling to your knees at the foot of the patriarchy saying i love youuuu oh my goddddd you’re so cool and correct and if i increase my shower routine to twenty steps instead of twelve can i please climb up a little bit and stomp on other women with you pleaseeeee
