N. R. M. Roshak (Natalka)
@nroshak.bsky.social
Canadian, author & reader, nerd, parent. She/they. SFWA, SCBWI, Codexian. Invisibly bi/pan 🏳️🌈 Proud member of 🇺🇦 diaspora in 🇨🇦. https://nrmroshak.com and https://rdbms-insight.com
Pinned
Forbes' 'Fictional 15' Richest Characters Topped By Smaug
Forbes' "Fictional 15" list compares the wealth of fictional characters.
abcnews.com
Back in 2012 Forbes worked out that Smaug's hoard would be worth about $62 billion, or about $90B in today's dollars. abcnews.com/blogs/busine... My boss observed that that doesn't even crack the top 10 list of billionaires today
So I think we should start giving billionaires' wealth in Smaugs
So I think we should start giving billionaires' wealth in Smaugs
Elon Musk's hoard is ~10 times the size of Smaug's hoard in The Hobbit
Warren Buffet is only about a Smaug-and-a-half!
Warren Buffet is only about a Smaug-and-a-half!
Back in 2012 Forbes worked out that Smaug's hoard would be worth about $62 billion, or about $90B in today's dollars. abcnews.com/blogs/busine... My boss observed that that doesn't even crack the top 10 list of billionaires today
So I think we should start giving billionaires' wealth in Smaugs
So I think we should start giving billionaires' wealth in Smaugs
Forbes' 'Fictional 15' Richest Characters Topped By Smaug
Forbes' "Fictional 15" list compares the wealth of fictional characters.
abcnews.com
September 2, 2026 at 6:16 PM
Elon Musk's hoard is ~10 times the size of Smaug's hoard in The Hobbit
Warren Buffet is only about a Smaug-and-a-half!
Warren Buffet is only about a Smaug-and-a-half!
Reposted by N. R. M. Roshak (Natalka)
Oh for fuck's sake, NOW WHAT?
🚀 NOTICE: Federal US website newly registered.
https://trumpjobs.gov
Action taken by the nan (Department of Labor) at or around 2026-09-02 10:54:21.
https://trumpjobs.gov
Action taken by the nan (Department of Labor) at or around 2026-09-02 10:54:21.
trumpjobs.gov
Federal US website registered. Content may not be visible yet.
trumpjobs.gov
September 2, 2026 at 6:05 PM
Oh for fuck's sake, NOW WHAT?
Back in 2012 Forbes worked out that Smaug's hoard would be worth about $62 billion, or about $90B in today's dollars. abcnews.com/blogs/busine... My boss observed that that doesn't even crack the top 10 list of billionaires today
So I think we should start giving billionaires' wealth in Smaugs
So I think we should start giving billionaires' wealth in Smaugs
Forbes' 'Fictional 15' Richest Characters Topped By Smaug
Forbes' "Fictional 15" list compares the wealth of fictional characters.
abcnews.com
September 2, 2026 at 6:09 PM
Back in 2012 Forbes worked out that Smaug's hoard would be worth about $62 billion, or about $90B in today's dollars. abcnews.com/blogs/busine... My boss observed that that doesn't even crack the top 10 list of billionaires today
So I think we should start giving billionaires' wealth in Smaugs
So I think we should start giving billionaires' wealth in Smaugs
Reposted by N. R. M. Roshak (Natalka)
In all this shit happening rn in Ukraine and the world, the only thing that is keeping me sane is news like this.
I'm so happy for our 103 defenders, who have finally returned home.
Welcome back 🫂🫶🏻
#Ukrainianview
I'm so happy for our 103 defenders, who have finally returned home.
Welcome back 🫂🫶🏻
#Ukrainianview
August 19, 2026 at 12:03 PM
In all this shit happening rn in Ukraine and the world, the only thing that is keeping me sane is news like this.
I'm so happy for our 103 defenders, who have finally returned home.
Welcome back 🫂🫶🏻
#Ukrainianview
I'm so happy for our 103 defenders, who have finally returned home.
Welcome back 🫂🫶🏻
#Ukrainianview
This is the phone I read your posts from
August 19, 2026 at 3:39 PM
This is the phone I read your posts from
#ottawa friends, pre-order this epic horror-fantasy from Perfect Books here: shop.perfectbooks.ca/item/4FwPA6M...
August 19, 2026 at 3:02 PM
#ottawa friends, pre-order this epic horror-fantasy from Perfect Books here: shop.perfectbooks.ca/item/4FwPA6M...
This was lovely!
The Kingdom She Carried by Jillian Schedneck is now FREE-TO-READ! Motherhood, portal fantasy, and watching the past inform the present ⭕ ⚔️ 🏰
The Kingdom She Carried
The Kingdom She Carried by Jillian Schedneck
www.heartlines-spec.com
August 19, 2026 at 2:59 PM
This was lovely!
Reposted by N. R. M. Roshak (Natalka)
A Freshwater Giant Living in the Great Lakes May Be Older than the United States
"scientists discerned that it’s more likely that lake sturgeon can live for over 400 years."
www.popularmechanics.com/science/anim...
"scientists discerned that it’s more likely that lake sturgeon can live for over 400 years."
www.popularmechanics.com/science/anim...
August 18, 2026 at 7:45 PM
A Freshwater Giant Living in the Great Lakes May Be Older than the United States
"scientists discerned that it’s more likely that lake sturgeon can live for over 400 years."
www.popularmechanics.com/science/anim...
"scientists discerned that it’s more likely that lake sturgeon can live for over 400 years."
www.popularmechanics.com/science/anim...
Signal boosting:
I hate that the 21st-century American safety net is @gofundme.com, but here we are. My friend @strangetree.maenad.club needs help staying in her apartment post-surgery until disability insurance comes through, so I have set up a campaign on her behalf:
gofund.me/5dec93780
gofund.me/5dec93780
Donate to Keep Emily Dare Housed Post-Surgery, organized by Marie Brennan
I'm Marie Brennan, and I'm asking for your help on behalf of a friend. Emily Dare,… Marie Brennan needs your support for Keep Emily Dare Housed Post-Surgery
gofund.me
August 18, 2026 at 8:26 PM
Signal boosting:
I'm excited about this book. The Holodomor (Stalin's genocide-by-starvation of Ukrainian peasants) isn't well-known in the West outside Ukrainian diaspora. To know the history is to understand why Ukrainians fought so hard against the 2022 invasion.
press.georgetown.edu/Book/When-th...
press.georgetown.edu/Book/When-th...
June 26, 2026 at 6:01 PM
I'm excited about this book. The Holodomor (Stalin's genocide-by-starvation of Ukrainian peasants) isn't well-known in the West outside Ukrainian diaspora. To know the history is to understand why Ukrainians fought so hard against the 2022 invasion.
press.georgetown.edu/Book/When-th...
press.georgetown.edu/Book/When-th...
Reposted by N. R. M. Roshak (Natalka)
Wonderful news 🥹❤️🔥
#UkrainianView
#UkrainianView
160 hearts are finally coming home❤️
Today, 160 Ukrainians were returned from russian captivity.
For 160 families, today is no longer just another day of waiting.
Welcome home, Heroes. Ukraine never stops waiting for its people🇺🇦💙💛
Today, 160 Ukrainians were returned from russian captivity.
For 160 families, today is no longer just another day of waiting.
Welcome home, Heroes. Ukraine never stops waiting for its people🇺🇦💙💛
June 26, 2026 at 1:01 PM
Wonderful news 🥹❤️🔥
#UkrainianView
#UkrainianView
Would love to see someone run a study on this & write it up
When utilized in literature review, LLMs consistently 1. fail to mention female authors in female-led literatures, 2. insist that men are more influential or more heavily cited when this is contradicted by objective citation counts, and 3. attribute women’s work to hallucinated male scholars.
June 17, 2026 at 1:28 PM
Would love to see someone run a study on this & write it up
Wow. Philip Morris' strategies for hooking kids on ultra-processed foods included "creating products that “produce a quick hit of reward that fades” so people will come back for more quickly."
When I was a kid, I ❤️ Lunchables, although they didn’t taste great.
But I got to squeeze chocolate frosting onto a “pizza!” For a kid, what could be cooler?
Philip Morris was using the same psychological techniques to hook kids on ultra processed foods it did for adults w cigarettes.
My latest.
But I got to squeeze chocolate frosting onto a “pizza!” For a kid, what could be cooler?
Philip Morris was using the same psychological techniques to hook kids on ultra processed foods it did for adults w cigarettes.
My latest.
Big tobacco uses cigarette playbook to help sell ultra-processed foods, journal reveals
New issue of the American Journal of Public Health focuses on parallels between marketing for cigarettes and UPFs
www.theguardian.com
June 4, 2026 at 3:41 AM
Wow. Philip Morris' strategies for hooking kids on ultra-processed foods included "creating products that “produce a quick hit of reward that fades” so people will come back for more quickly."
Reposted by N. R. M. Roshak (Natalka)
FFS.
🧪
🧪
White House reclassifies federal epidemiologists and other scientists from civil servants to “at-will” hires
The long-anticipated “Schedule F” order strips job protections meant to safeguard federal employees from political interference
www.scientificamerican.com
June 4, 2026 at 3:13 AM
FFS.
🧪
🧪
ICYMI, US science is getting political officers
🧵 Public science in the US has taken some heavy hits over the last year, but the White House OMB is proposing a series of changes that will result in a TKO for science as we know it unless we fight back. Here's what's happening, and why it matters. 1/n
June 3, 2026 at 8:55 PM
ICYMI, US science is getting political officers
Reposted by N. R. M. Roshak (Natalka)
“In organisms that sexually reproduce, scientists categorize the sex that makes the larger gametes as ‘female’ and the sex that makes the smaller gametes as ‘male.’ Therefore, we must use this same standard when [checks notes] deciding which human beings can use which restrooms." #ScienceSky 🧪
since apparently JKR is spouting nonsense about "gametes" again, here is my in depth primer on why anti-trans groups have become so obsessed with gametes & why the actual science does not support their claims (no paywall): juliaserano.medium.com/why-are-gend...
Why Are “Gender Critical” Activists So Fond of Gametes?
plus my new video “Trans People and Biological Sex: What the Science Says”
juliaserano.medium.com
May 27, 2026 at 6:41 PM
“In organisms that sexually reproduce, scientists categorize the sex that makes the larger gametes as ‘female’ and the sex that makes the smaller gametes as ‘male.’ Therefore, we must use this same standard when [checks notes] deciding which human beings can use which restrooms." #ScienceSky 🧪
Reposted by N. R. M. Roshak (Natalka)
In normal times, the fact that government officials at HHS blatantly lied to the public and got caught would be a scandal of unusual size.
Everyone involved in this disinformation scheme against the people of the United States should be held accountable.
Everyone involved in this disinformation scheme against the people of the United States should be held accountable.
No child deaths definitively linked to Covid shots, FDA says
The agency’s analysis contradicts claims made by former vaccine chief Dr. Vinay Prasad.
www.nbcnews.com
May 23, 2026 at 9:30 PM
In normal times, the fact that government officials at HHS blatantly lied to the public and got caught would be a scandal of unusual size.
Everyone involved in this disinformation scheme against the people of the United States should be held accountable.
Everyone involved in this disinformation scheme against the people of the United States should be held accountable.
Accidentally left all your worldly belongings to your cat?
Will issue.
Will issue.
Your moonshine isn’t coming out right?
Still issue.
Still issue.
Your whale is hungry?
Krill issue.
Krill issue.
May 26, 2026 at 2:11 PM
Accidentally left all your worldly belongings to your cat?
Will issue.
Will issue.
Reposted by N. R. M. Roshak (Natalka)
Reposted by N. R. M. Roshak (Natalka)
Arm yourself with facts before you go into battle. US public health experts see a decline in quality of treatment for women having miscarriages in states with abortion restrictions. medicalnewsbulletin.com/mifepristone... 🧪 reprosky medskies medsky #healthequity #feministsky 🩺📊 🏛️ #SciPol
Abortion Restrictions Change Miscarriage Care | Medical News Bulletin
In US states with abortion restrictions, women having miscarriages are no longer receiving evidence-based medical care. Learn more with MNB
medicalnewsbulletin.com
May 20, 2026 at 5:47 PM
Arm yourself with facts before you go into battle. US public health experts see a decline in quality of treatment for women having miscarriages in states with abortion restrictions. medicalnewsbulletin.com/mifepristone... 🧪 reprosky medskies medsky #healthequity #feministsky 🩺📊 🏛️ #SciPol
Reposted by N. R. M. Roshak (Natalka)
Help health and wellness information avoid the AI doom spiral! google’s latest AI summary changes mean we are finding it harder to reach people than ever. If you are interested in health research the msm thinks is too obscure to report, why not give me a follow? 🧪 🩺
May 20, 2026 at 8:02 PM
Help health and wellness information avoid the AI doom spiral! google’s latest AI summary changes mean we are finding it harder to reach people than ever. If you are interested in health research the msm thinks is too obscure to report, why not give me a follow? 🧪 🩺
Reposted by N. R. M. Roshak (Natalka)
Just a little PSA- Neil Gaiman has reactivated his Bluesky account. Because he deactivated before a lot of people could unfollow him, and/or because Bluesky doesn’t remove you from a person’s followers when you block them, a LOT of you are still publicly listed as following him. You should check.
May 18, 2026 at 11:11 AM
Just a little PSA- Neil Gaiman has reactivated his Bluesky account. Because he deactivated before a lot of people could unfollow him, and/or because Bluesky doesn’t remove you from a person’s followers when you block them, a LOT of you are still publicly listed as following him. You should check.
Reposted by N. R. M. Roshak (Natalka)
Peer Review
"At its core, peer review faces an unsolved tension: Science advances by embracing uncertainty, yet institutions survive by minimizing it."
Insightful new work by @rebekkabrandt.bsky.social
🧵
"At its core, peer review faces an unsolved tension: Science advances by embracing uncertainty, yet institutions survive by minimizing it."
Insightful new work by @rebekkabrandt.bsky.social
🧵
May 17, 2026 at 6:08 PM
Peer Review
"At its core, peer review faces an unsolved tension: Science advances by embracing uncertainty, yet institutions survive by minimizing it."
Insightful new work by @rebekkabrandt.bsky.social
🧵
"At its core, peer review faces an unsolved tension: Science advances by embracing uncertainty, yet institutions survive by minimizing it."
Insightful new work by @rebekkabrandt.bsky.social
🧵
Reposted by N. R. M. Roshak (Natalka)
Who can tell me what this "Go live" button does?
May 11, 2026 at 4:21 PM
Who can tell me what this "Go live" button does?