Grant’s Hammer
@shimer.bsky.social
He/Him #Geology geologist somewhere in Utah. Will occasionally post dogs, rocks, and various other nature things, but mostly here to see what else is going on and learn cool new things/keep up with the horrors of authoritarian destruction.
Between the decline of students’ basic academic and social skills (coming from me, an awkward weirdo), and the state legislature and our administrators’ obsession with using their “business” genius to “improve” higher ed, this has been a challenging semester.
October 2, 2026 at 4:25 PM
Between the decline of students’ basic academic and social skills (coming from me, an awkward weirdo), and the state legislature and our administrators’ obsession with using their “business” genius to “improve” higher ed, this has been a challenging semester.
Underthrown PI is the worst play in all sports
September 10, 2026 at 1:06 AM
Underthrown PI is the worst play in all sports
Dog sniffed out this weird stick (it’s actually a lizard’s tail!) on this morning’s hike. First time I’ve seen one of these detached and just laying in the dirt.
September 6, 2026 at 4:13 PM
Dog sniffed out this weird stick (it’s actually a lizard’s tail!) on this morning’s hike. First time I’ve seen one of these detached and just laying in the dirt.
Student proudly wore his Utah Shakespeare Festival daggers to class today. I was fully on board until I realized they were actually steel and actually sharp. Now only kind of on board.
Small potatoes on a campus with a concealed handgun pretty much guaranteed within 100 yard radius at all times.
Small potatoes on a campus with a concealed handgun pretty much guaranteed within 100 yard radius at all times.
September 5, 2026 at 12:18 AM
Student proudly wore his Utah Shakespeare Festival daggers to class today. I was fully on board until I realized they were actually steel and actually sharp. Now only kind of on board.
Small potatoes on a campus with a concealed handgun pretty much guaranteed within 100 yard radius at all times.
Small potatoes on a campus with a concealed handgun pretty much guaranteed within 100 yard radius at all times.
On possible sinus and sore throat watch just two days into the semester. Not ideal, but OK timing with long weekend coming up.
Also, great to be back. First day was a little rusty, as far as teaching went, today seemed good. Hopefully feel good tomorrow and set a good tone.
Also, great to be back. First day was a little rusty, as far as teaching went, today seemed good. Hopefully feel good tomorrow and set a good tone.
September 4, 2026 at 1:21 AM
On possible sinus and sore throat watch just two days into the semester. Not ideal, but OK timing with long weekend coming up.
Also, great to be back. First day was a little rusty, as far as teaching went, today seemed good. Hopefully feel good tomorrow and set a good tone.
Also, great to be back. First day was a little rusty, as far as teaching went, today seemed good. Hopefully feel good tomorrow and set a good tone.
Second time in the last 8 years I’ve lived here that a deer has gotten a rear leg caught in the welded panel fence. Cut this one free by getting through the metal with a hacksaw. Deer definitely injured. Will see if it’s still in the neighbor’s yard and call the DWR if so when sun comes up.
August 26, 2026 at 12:35 PM
Second time in the last 8 years I’ve lived here that a deer has gotten a rear leg caught in the welded panel fence. Cut this one free by getting through the metal with a hacksaw. Deer definitely injured. Will see if it’s still in the neighbor’s yard and call the DWR if so when sun comes up.
My university wants to come up with an AI “North Star”, and since I am a cynical person O used Gemini intentionally for the first time to get this feedback:
August 21, 2026 at 5:12 PM
My university wants to come up with an AI “North Star”, and since I am a cynical person O used Gemini intentionally for the first time to get this feedback:
Reposted by Grant’s Hammer
MEGA🧵on prices: OIL is X but why is GASOLINE Y and DIESEL Z?!?! a thread on refining this summer and what's behind it, your questions answered in this thread (plz share!):
August 21, 2026 at 11:47 AM
MEGA🧵on prices: OIL is X but why is GASOLINE Y and DIESEL Z?!?! a thread on refining this summer and what's behind it, your questions answered in this thread (plz share!):
Got sent photos of a #fossil tooth a local kid found at around 8500 ft elevation in southern Utah. Could use ID help. My first thought was mastodon or something similar because of the cusps, but juvenile due to the small size? #geology #paleontology
August 3, 2026 at 2:09 AM
Got sent photos of a #fossil tooth a local kid found at around 8500 ft elevation in southern Utah. Could use ID help. My first thought was mastodon or something similar because of the cusps, but juvenile due to the small size? #geology #paleontology
Reposted by Grant’s Hammer
As *tech*, AI isn't exceptional. It's not exceptionally wicked. It's not exceptionally good. Take away the accompanying, galactic-scale stock-swindle, and we'd call AI's apps "plug-ins" and we'd use them and abuse them in the same way that we've used every other technology:
www.normaltech.ai
1/
www.normaltech.ai
1/
July 24, 2026 at 10:41 AM
As *tech*, AI isn't exceptional. It's not exceptionally wicked. It's not exceptionally good. Take away the accompanying, galactic-scale stock-swindle, and we'd call AI's apps "plug-ins" and we'd use them and abuse them in the same way that we've used every other technology:
www.normaltech.ai
1/
www.normaltech.ai
1/
One thing I noticed leaving Utah/Nevada for a while is the complete absence of side by sides and spent shell casings on public lands at the places I’ve been. And I’m not just in national parks!
That said, the parks sure make it seem like ecosystems are a lot healthier without all the damn cows.
That said, the parks sure make it seem like ecosystems are a lot healthier without all the damn cows.
July 20, 2026 at 3:12 AM
One thing I noticed leaving Utah/Nevada for a while is the complete absence of side by sides and spent shell casings on public lands at the places I’ve been. And I’m not just in national parks!
That said, the parks sure make it seem like ecosystems are a lot healthier without all the damn cows.
That said, the parks sure make it seem like ecosystems are a lot healthier without all the damn cows.
I might not be in Utah. There’s flowing water!
July 10, 2026 at 1:24 AM
I might not be in Utah. There’s flowing water!
Not sure why people haven’t recognized that McConnell was simply entering estivation due to the summer heat. It’s very dangerous to interrupt that, especially if you disturb the mucous cocoon.
July 7, 2026 at 1:27 AM
Not sure why people haven’t recognized that McConnell was simply entering estivation due to the summer heat. It’s very dangerous to interrupt that, especially if you disturb the mucous cocoon.
Reposted by Grant’s Hammer
Lawmakers in the U.S. represent more people than in almost any other country.
Each of the 435 voting members of the U.S. House of Representatives represents about 802,000 people. The median representation ratio among 106 democracies was about 31,000 people per lawmaker. #USDemocracy
Each of the 435 voting members of the U.S. House of Representatives represents about 802,000 people. The median representation ratio among 106 democracies was about 31,000 people per lawmaker. #USDemocracy
July 6, 2026 at 7:01 PM
Lawmakers in the U.S. represent more people than in almost any other country.
Each of the 435 voting members of the U.S. House of Representatives represents about 802,000 people. The median representation ratio among 106 democracies was about 31,000 people per lawmaker. #USDemocracy
Each of the 435 voting members of the U.S. House of Representatives represents about 802,000 people. The median representation ratio among 106 democracies was about 31,000 people per lawmaker. #USDemocracy
Reposted by Grant’s Hammer
The 2026 United States of Science Challenge starts NOW!
Each bubble represents classrooms we’ve matched with scientists this year.
This a competition to fill bubbles with $10 donations to support @skypeascientist.bsky.social
The first region to fill all bubbles wins.
👇🏻
givebutter.com/USS2026
Each bubble represents classrooms we’ve matched with scientists this year.
This a competition to fill bubbles with $10 donations to support @skypeascientist.bsky.social
The first region to fill all bubbles wins.
👇🏻
givebutter.com/USS2026
United States of Science 2026
By Skype a Scientist
givebutter.com
July 6, 2026 at 1:03 PM
The 2026 United States of Science Challenge starts NOW!
Each bubble represents classrooms we’ve matched with scientists this year.
This a competition to fill bubbles with $10 donations to support @skypeascientist.bsky.social
The first region to fill all bubbles wins.
👇🏻
givebutter.com/USS2026
Each bubble represents classrooms we’ve matched with scientists this year.
This a competition to fill bubbles with $10 donations to support @skypeascientist.bsky.social
The first region to fill all bubbles wins.
👇🏻
givebutter.com/USS2026
It appears as though Recreation.gov has non-refundable reservation fees that I don’t remember. I assume those fees are a relatively new grift for the contractor on top of the already ridiculous nightly campsite fees that price people out of National Forest campgrounds.
Recreation.gov - Camping, Cabins, RVs, Permits, Passes & More
We're here to help you dream up your next trip, figure out the details, and reserve experiences at over 3,600 facilities and 103,000 individual sites across the country.
Recreation.gov
July 2, 2026 at 6:16 PM
It appears as though Recreation.gov has non-refundable reservation fees that I don’t remember. I assume those fees are a relatively new grift for the contractor on top of the already ridiculous nightly campsite fees that price people out of National Forest campgrounds.
Photos from yesterday afternoon’s smoke in Cedar City around 6:30 pm. It lifted by late evening and it’s relatively clear this morning. It smelled surprisingly pleasant compared to other wildfire smoke I’ve experienced. Maybe the mix of burning juniper, piñon, and sage is a nice potpourri?
June 24, 2026 at 2:06 PM
Photos from yesterday afternoon’s smoke in Cedar City around 6:30 pm. It lifted by late evening and it’s relatively clear this morning. It smelled surprisingly pleasant compared to other wildfire smoke I’ve experienced. Maybe the mix of burning juniper, piñon, and sage is a nice potpourri?
I usually avoid driving around in this formerly small town on a Friday afternoon but I ventured out at 1:30 pm today and good gravy, nonsense and traffic jams all around. All states have bad drivers but the three piece of UT, CA, and NV is a powerfully bad combo.
June 12, 2026 at 8:16 PM
I usually avoid driving around in this formerly small town on a Friday afternoon but I ventured out at 1:30 pm today and good gravy, nonsense and traffic jams all around. All states have bad drivers but the three piece of UT, CA, and NV is a powerfully bad combo.
As a fairly impartial NBA finals watcher, I’m not feeling Wemby activating SGA mode and the officials obliging. The Spurs are nailing shots, so it’s not all ref ball, but the refs have been pretty unbalanced.
June 11, 2026 at 1:23 AM
As a fairly impartial NBA finals watcher, I’m not feeling Wemby activating SGA mode and the officials obliging. The Spurs are nailing shots, so it’s not all ref ball, but the refs have been pretty unbalanced.
I hear “Uno, dos, tres, catorce!” and I’m instantly back in the Marshfield, Wisconsin Target in 2004. Stocked a lot of CDs that winter, though they were probably already declining with the spread of iPods. The Shinedown cover of Skynyrd’s Simple Man does the same thing.
every person who has ever worked retail for even a week has at least one song they can never hear again without being involuntarily transported back to the store
Don’t limit it to the 90s, they constantly played this song right up until their death. Like every other damn song over the store speakers…. I worked there almost 2 decades ago and I still can’t stop it from entering my brain every so often, so thanks for this.
June 9, 2026 at 10:12 PM
I hear “Uno, dos, tres, catorce!” and I’m instantly back in the Marshfield, Wisconsin Target in 2004. Stocked a lot of CDs that winter, though they were probably already declining with the spread of iPods. The Shinedown cover of Skynyrd’s Simple Man does the same thing.
Saw a few #Rivian R2 out in the wild today (a hotel parking lot in Cedar City as I drove past after a trail run). Special Illinois plates, so looked like test drives. One of the SUVs had the colorful dazzle livery. They look good. Somewhere between a Forester and 4Runner in external dimensions.
June 9, 2026 at 3:07 PM
Saw a few #Rivian R2 out in the wild today (a hotel parking lot in Cedar City as I drove past after a trail run). Special Illinois plates, so looked like test drives. One of the SUVs had the colorful dazzle livery. They look good. Somewhere between a Forester and 4Runner in external dimensions.
Some Great Basin things (mostly rocks).
June 6, 2026 at 2:01 AM
Some Great Basin things (mostly rocks).