{
    "type": "entry",
    "published": "2023-02-06T16:22:43+00:00",
    "url": "https://twitter.com/jgmac1106/status/1622631888522297344",
    "quotation-of": "https://twitter.com/NatalkaKyiv/status/1622027172335468547",
    "content": {
        "text": "what makes me thankful for #NAFO.\n\nfeeding wolves of victory primary goal.\n\nRussia sees victory as ultimate way to control information space and  information space as path to win\n\nFor a decade Russia has attacked truth across the globe to push interest in #Ukraine\n\nWe fight back",
        "html": "what makes me thankful for <a href=\"https://twitter.com/search?q=%23NAFO\">#NAFO</a>.\n\nfeeding wolves of victory primary goal.\n\nRussia sees victory as ultimate way to control information space and  information space as path to win\n\nFor a decade Russia has attacked truth across the globe to push interest in <a href=\"https://twitter.com/search?q=%23Ukraine\">#Ukraine</a>\n\nWe fight back"
    },
    "author": {
        "type": "card",
        "name": "jgregorymcverry.com",
        "url": "https://twitter.com/jgmac1106",
        "photo": "https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1617853032296759297/a0oAyyvh.jpg"
    },
    "post-type": "note",
    "refs": {
        "https://twitter.com/NatalkaKyiv/status/1622027172335468547": {
            "type": "entry",
            "published": "2023-02-05T00:19:48+00:00",
            "url": "https://twitter.com/NatalkaKyiv/status/1622027172335468547",
            "photo": [
                "https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FoKZHVEWAAII-IH.jpg"
            ],
            "in-reply-to": [
                "https://twitter.com/NatalkaKyiv/status/1622027164169244673"
            ],
            "content": {
                "text": "Since 2014 Ukrainians have been battling Russian disinformation alone. But thanks to all of you it\u2019s not the case anymore. \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6\u2764\ufe0f\ud83c\udf0e\n#NAFO #NAFOfellas #Ukraine #UkraineRussianWar",
                "html": "Since 2014 Ukrainians have been battling Russian disinformation alone. But thanks to all of you it\u2019s not the case anymore. \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6\u2764\ufe0f\ud83c\udf0e\n<a href=\"https://twitter.com/search?q=%23NAFO\">#NAFO</a> <a href=\"https://twitter.com/search?q=%23NAFOfellas\">#NAFOfellas</a> <a href=\"https://twitter.com/search?q=%23Ukraine\">#Ukraine</a> <a href=\"https://twitter.com/search?q=%23UkraineRussianWar\">#UkraineRussianWar</a>"
            },
            "author": {
                "type": "card",
                "name": "Natalka",
                "url": "https://twitter.com/NatalkaKyiv",
                "photo": "https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1616947053182976000/VRBV9R21.jpg"
            },
            "post-type": "reply"
        }
    },
    "_id": "34942377",
    "_source": "2773"
}

{
    "type": "entry",
    "published": "2023-02-06T16:07:35+00:00",
    "url": "https://twitter.com/jgmac1106/status/1622628077753737217",
    "content": {
        "text": "Hey @markscott82 do you know anything about the @RageAgainstWar_ event scheduled for DC.\n\nMight be something for @politico to look into?\n\nseem sus for @LPNational, communists, and conviced sex offenders to plan a rally together?\n\nCommunists and Libertarians? Cats and dogs next?",
        "html": "Hey <a href=\"https://twitter.com/markscott82\">@markscott82</a> do you know anything about the <a href=\"https://twitter.com/RageAgainstWar_\">@RageAgainstWar_</a> event scheduled for DC.\n\nMight be something for <a href=\"https://twitter.com/politico\">@politico</a> to look into?\n\nseem sus for <a href=\"https://twitter.com/LPNational\">@LPNational</a>, communists, and conviced sex offenders to plan a rally together?\n\nCommunists and Libertarians? Cats and dogs next?"
    },
    "author": {
        "type": "card",
        "name": "jgregorymcverry.com",
        "url": "https://twitter.com/jgmac1106",
        "photo": "https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1617853032296759297/a0oAyyvh.jpg"
    },
    "post-type": "note",
    "_id": "34942041",
    "_source": "2773"
}

{
    "type": "entry",
    "published": "2023-02-06T15:01:16+00:00",
    "url": "https://twitter.com/jgmac1106/status/1622611388312027136",
    "photo": [
        "https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FoSr6DjWYAAt6NI.jpg"
    ],
    "content": {
        "text": "For anyone who lies about the Minsk agreements. Claims #Ukraine must end the war and #negotiate with #Russia  \n\nYou can't tell a lobster they should be thankful for being freed from a trap while you throw them in the pot.\n\nThat is how Russia negotiates. \n\n#NAFO",
        "html": "For anyone who lies about the Minsk agreements. Claims <a href=\"https://twitter.com/search?q=%23Ukraine\">#Ukraine</a> must end the war and <a href=\"https://twitter.com/search?q=%23negotiate\">#negotiate</a> with <a href=\"https://twitter.com/search?q=%23Russia\">#Russia</a>  \n\nYou can't tell a lobster they should be thankful for being freed from a trap while you throw them in the pot.\n\nThat is how Russia negotiates. \n\n<a href=\"https://twitter.com/search?q=%23NAFO\">#NAFO</a>"
    },
    "author": {
        "type": "card",
        "name": "jgregorymcverry.com",
        "url": "https://twitter.com/jgmac1106",
        "photo": "https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1617853032296759297/a0oAyyvh.jpg"
    },
    "post-type": "photo",
    "_id": "34940763",
    "_source": "2773"
}

{
    "type": "entry",
    "published": "2023-02-06T13:56:59+00:00",
    "url": "https://twitter.com/jgmac1106/status/1622595209694511104",
    "quotation-of": "https://twitter.com/ToddHagopian/status/1622589401757896705",
    "content": {
        "text": "Hey #NAFO  treasurer of Libertarian Party has asked kindly for email inquires about concerns we may have that Rage Against the War event in DC with speaksers such as Max Blumenthal, Jackson Hinkle, and 2x convicted sex offender Scott Ritter.\n\nthink event sus please share concern",
        "html": "Hey <a href=\"https://twitter.com/search?q=%23NAFO\">#NAFO</a>  treasurer of Libertarian Party has asked kindly for email inquires about concerns we may have that Rage Against the War event in DC with speaksers such as Max Blumenthal, Jackson Hinkle, and 2x convicted sex offender Scott Ritter.\n\nthink event sus please share concern"
    },
    "author": {
        "type": "card",
        "name": "jgregorymcverry.com",
        "url": "https://twitter.com/jgmac1106",
        "photo": "https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1617853032296759297/a0oAyyvh.jpg"
    },
    "post-type": "note",
    "refs": {
        "https://twitter.com/ToddHagopian/status/1622589401757896705": {
            "type": "entry",
            "published": "2023-02-06T13:33:54+00:00",
            "url": "https://twitter.com/ToddHagopian/status/1622589401757896705",
            "in-reply-to": [
                "https://twitter.com/jgmac1106/status/1622582501766995971"
            ],
            "content": {
                "text": "Any inquiries on party financial issues can come through official channels:\n\nTreasurer@lp.org \n\nThank you!",
                "html": "Any inquiries on party financial issues can come through official channels:\n\nTreasurer@lp.org \n\nThank you!\n<a class=\"u-mention\" href=\"https://twitter.com/LPNational\"></a>\n<a class=\"u-mention\" href=\"https://twitter.com/NSBAAdvocate\"></a>\n<a class=\"u-mention\" href=\"https://twitter.com/jgmac1106\"></a>"
            },
            "author": {
                "type": "card",
                "name": "Libertarian-In-Chief",
                "url": "https://twitter.com/ToddHagopian",
                "photo": "https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1522689116760064003/7StRXSuD.jpg"
            },
            "post-type": "reply"
        }
    },
    "_id": "34939213",
    "_source": "2773"
}

{
    "type": "entry",
    "published": "2023-02-06T13:03:54+00:00",
    "url": "https://twitter.com/jgmac1106/status/1622581854002978816",
    "content": {
        "text": "Hey @ToddHagopian I did not realize we serve on @NSBAAdvocate #Leadership Council together\n\nCan you help clear things up @LPNational treasurer\n\nWho funds your Pro #Putin rally?\n\nWhen did libertarians and communists become best friends?\n\nSomething seems sus. Can you look at books?",
        "html": "Hey <a href=\"https://twitter.com/ToddHagopian\">@ToddHagopian</a> I did not realize we serve on <a href=\"https://twitter.com/NSBAAdvocate\">@NSBAAdvocate</a> <a href=\"https://twitter.com/search?q=%23Leadership\">#Leadership</a> Council together\n\nCan you help clear things up <a href=\"https://twitter.com/LPNational\">@LPNational</a> treasurer\n\nWho funds your Pro <a href=\"https://twitter.com/search?q=%23Putin\">#Putin</a> rally?\n\nWhen did libertarians and communists become best friends?\n\nSomething seems sus. Can you look at books?"
    },
    "author": {
        "type": "card",
        "name": "jgregorymcverry.com",
        "url": "https://twitter.com/jgmac1106",
        "photo": "https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1617853032296759297/a0oAyyvh.jpg"
    },
    "post-type": "note",
    "_id": "34938200",
    "_source": "2773"
}

{
    "type": "entry",
    "published": "2023-02-06T12:57:14+00:00",
    "url": "https://twitter.com/jgmac1106/status/1622580174301671424",
    "quotation-of": "https://twitter.com/angela4LNCChair/status/1622543762848104449",
    "content": {
        "text": "organizing #Putin Rally in DC.\n\nThe #Patriots I know #BackTheBlue and not seditious criminals who attack the US Capitol  to stop the peaceful transfer of Power.\n\nDon't you think it it is sus for Libertarians to organize events with the Socialists?\n\nWTF is a #MAGA Communist?",
        "html": "organizing <a href=\"https://twitter.com/search?q=%23Putin\">#Putin</a> Rally in DC.\n\nThe <a href=\"https://twitter.com/search?q=%23Patriots\">#Patriots</a> I know <a href=\"https://twitter.com/search?q=%23BackTheBlue\">#BackTheBlue</a> and not seditious criminals who attack the US Capitol  to stop the peaceful transfer of Power.\n\nDon't you think it it is sus for Libertarians to organize events with the Socialists?\n\nWTF is a <a href=\"https://twitter.com/search?q=%23MAGA\">#MAGA</a> Communist?"
    },
    "author": {
        "type": "card",
        "name": "jgregorymcverry.com",
        "url": "https://twitter.com/jgmac1106",
        "photo": "https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1617853032296759297/a0oAyyvh.jpg"
    },
    "post-type": "note",
    "refs": {
        "https://twitter.com/angela4LNCChair/status/1622543762848104449": {
            "type": "entry",
            "published": "2023-02-06T10:32:33+00:00",
            "url": "https://twitter.com/angela4LNCChair/status/1622543762848104449",
            "content": {
                "text": "Well, obviously yes. They are paid to shoot people. They're certainly not paid to protect and serve.\ntwitter.com/TaraBull808/st\u2026",
                "html": "Well, obviously yes. They are paid to shoot people. They're certainly not paid to protect and serve.\n<a href=\"https://twitter.com/TaraBull808/status/1622353128321609728\">twitter.com/TaraBull808/st\u2026</a>"
            },
            "author": {
                "type": "card",
                "name": "Angela McArdle",
                "url": "https://twitter.com/angela4LNCChair",
                "photo": "https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/840668279043588097/rQx7-9aN.jpg"
            },
            "post-type": "note"
        }
    },
    "_id": "34938201",
    "_source": "2773"
}

{
    "type": "entry",
    "published": "2023-02-06T12:41:58+00:00",
    "url": "https://twitter.com/jgmac1106/status/1622576333145485312",
    "quotation-of": "https://twitter.com/jamessshires/status/1622554226000908294",
    "content": {
        "text": "For those who like the interesection of #cybersecurity and #internationalrelations a new book just came out.\n\nI have not read, not a recommendation, just a share...but I dig the authors\n\nIt's probably good.",
        "html": "For those who like the interesection of <a href=\"https://twitter.com/search?q=%23cybersecurity\">#cybersecurity</a> and <a href=\"https://twitter.com/search?q=%23internationalrelations\">#internationalrelations</a> a new book just came out.\n\nI have not read, not a recommendation, just a share...but I dig the authors\n\nIt's probably good."
    },
    "author": {
        "type": "card",
        "name": "jgregorymcverry.com",
        "url": "https://twitter.com/jgmac1106",
        "photo": "https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1617853032296759297/a0oAyyvh.jpg"
    },
    "post-type": "note",
    "refs": {
        "https://twitter.com/jamessshires/status/1622554226000908294": {
            "type": "entry",
            "published": "2023-02-06T11:14:07+00:00",
            "url": "https://twitter.com/jamessshires/status/1622554226000908294",
            "content": {
                "text": "1/9 It's out - entirely open access! Cyberspace and Instability, edited by @BobbyChesney @Maxwsmeets and myself. Very proud to have such an incredible group of scholars contribute to the volume - big thanks to them all. Download for free from @EdinburghUP edinburghuniversitypress.com/book-cyberspac\u2026",
                "html": "1/9 It's out - entirely open access! Cyberspace and Instability, edited by <a href=\"https://twitter.com/BobbyChesney\">@BobbyChesney</a> <a href=\"https://twitter.com/Maxwsmeets\">@Maxwsmeets</a> and myself. Very proud to have such an incredible group of scholars contribute to the volume - big thanks to them all. Download for free from <a href=\"https://twitter.com/EdinburghUP\">@EdinburghUP</a> <a href=\"https://edinburghuniversitypress.com/book-cyberspace-and-instability.html\">edinburghuniversitypress.com/book-cyberspac\u2026</a>"
            },
            "author": {
                "type": "card",
                "name": "James Shires",
                "url": "https://twitter.com/jamessshires",
                "photo": "https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1278297777395634176/n5D7yAVO.jpg"
            },
            "post-type": "note"
        }
    },
    "_id": "34937833",
    "_source": "2773"
}

{
    "type": "entry",
    "published": "2023-02-06T12:12:48+00:00",
    "url": "https://twitter.com/jgmac1106/status/1622568993830629376",
    "photo": [
        "https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FoSF5p9WIAAY3Ls.jpg"
    ],
    "content": {
        "text": "Please go on TikTok and spread your fake rage about the balloon\n\n#disinfo\n#china\n#cybersecurity",
        "html": "Please go on TikTok and spread your fake rage about the balloon\n\n<a href=\"https://twitter.com/search?q=%23disinfo\">#disinfo</a>\n<a href=\"https://twitter.com/search?q=%23china\">#china</a>\n<a href=\"https://twitter.com/search?q=%23cybersecurity\">#cybersecurity</a>"
    },
    "author": {
        "type": "card",
        "name": "jgregorymcverry.com",
        "url": "https://twitter.com/jgmac1106",
        "photo": "https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1617853032296759297/a0oAyyvh.jpg"
    },
    "post-type": "photo",
    "_id": "34937390",
    "_source": "2773"
}

{
    "type": "entry",
    "published": "2023-02-06T12:09:00+00:00",
    "url": "https://twitter.com/jgmac1106/status/1622568038544408576",
    "content": {
        "text": "linkedin.com/posts/aaron-br\u2026\n\nGood overview on why fake balloon rage is nonsense.\n\nTurn of Tucker.",
        "html": "<a href=\"https://www.linkedin.com/posts/aaron-brynildson-29586240_us-shoots-down-suspected-chinese-spy-balloon-activity-7027839994618662912-MnU7\">linkedin.com/posts/aaron-br\u2026</a>\n\nGood overview on why fake balloon rage is nonsense.\n\nTurn of Tucker."
    },
    "author": {
        "type": "card",
        "name": "jgregorymcverry.com",
        "url": "https://twitter.com/jgmac1106",
        "photo": "https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1617853032296759297/a0oAyyvh.jpg"
    },
    "post-type": "note",
    "_id": "34937391",
    "_source": "2773"
}

{
    "type": "entry",
    "published": "2023-02-06T02:30:23-0500",
    "url": "https://martymcgui.re/2023/02/06/023023/",
    "category": [
        "Caturday"
    ],
    "video": [
        "https://res.cloudinary.com/schmarty/video/upload/vc_h264/mmmgre/62/1d/d2/36/c6415c5cb8c513b10c662c4fd4710d894f101da70c0ed06b095344fd.mov"
    ],
    "content": {
        "text": "Do you prefer to stay undercover during eternal Caturday?",
        "html": "<p>Do you prefer to stay undercover during eternal Caturday?</p>"
    },
    "author": {
        "type": "card",
        "name": "Marty McGuire",
        "url": "https://martymcgui.re/",
        "photo": "https://martymcgui.re/images/logo.jpg"
    },
    "post-type": "video",
    "_id": "34935727",
    "_source": "175"
}

Doctors, please listen

{
    "type": "entry",
    "published": "2023-02-05T22:07:32-08:00",
    "url": "https://beesbuzz.biz/blog/7395-Doctors-please-listen",
    "name": "Doctors, please listen",
    "author": {
        "type": "card",
        "name": "fluffy",
        "url": "https://beesbuzz.biz/",
        "photo": "https://beesbuzz.biz/static/headshot.jpg"
    },
    "post-type": "article",
    "_id": "34932781",
    "_source": "2778"
}

Choosing Learning Materials

{
    "type": "entry",
    "author": {
        "name": "Cathie",
        "url": "https://cathieleblanc.com/",
        "photo": null
    },
    "url": "https://cathieleblanc.com/2023/02/05/choosing-learning-materials/",
    "published": "2023-02-05T20:18:48-05:00",
    "content": {
        "html": "<p>I started in astrophotography about 6 months ago. I have consulted a lot of different sources to learn all kinds of stuff during this time. One of the most interesting places to learn has been online forums. There are a number of them on Facebook and on a site called Cloudy Nights as well as various other places. On Facebook, one of the forums is called Learning Astrophotography and another is called Astrophotography for Beginners.</p>\n<p>After 6 months, I\u2019m still learning from these forums but I am also beginning to see repetition, patterns in the kinds of posts there. For example, a couple of times each month, someone on one of these beginner forums makes some comment about wishing people would think before they post their (stupid) questions about some aspect of astrophotography. The people making these comments regularly get called out for suggesting that beginners should not use a beginner\u2019s forum to ask their questions. Sometimes, the person making these comments gets belligerent and doubles down on their opinion in an aggressive way. When this happens, the commenter might be banned from the forum. I think that\u2019s an appropriate response to someone who insists that beginners should look somewhere other than a beginner\u2019s forum for the answers to their questions before they waste the time of the members of the forum. I\u2019m genuinely confused by these comments. I don\u2019t understand why people would join a beginner\u2019s forum, a learning forum, if they think beginner\u2019s questions should not be allowed, that somehow beginners should be going somewhere else to get their questions answered.</p>\n<p>The other thing that happens a couple of times a month is that someone will suggest that certain types of photos are not \u201creal\u201d astrophotography and so shouldn\u2019t be allowed to be posted in these forums. The commenter typically says something like photos taken with phones don\u2019t count as astrophotography or photos taken with a basic DSLR when the photographers has no idea what they are pointing at don\u2019t count. Others typically respond with comments about the dangers of gatekeeping in a beginner\u2019s forum when people are excited to share what they have just discovered about the night sky. I again don\u2019t understand these comments about what counts as astrophotography and what doesn\u2019t. The commenters usually have some criteria related to effort or knowledge or types of equipment that they think should control what is allowed on these forums. But I don\u2019t understand who they think should decide what counts as the appropriate amount of effort or the right kind of equipment.</p>\n<p>Both of these kinds of conversations make me realize that people have misunderstandings (or at least ideas I disagree with) about what learning is all about and how it happens. The other place this comes up in these forums is when people ask for advice about books to read as a beginner. Such questions inevitably lead to lots of comments about books being out of date as soon as they are printed and that the person asking the question should look to YouTube videos in order to learn how to do astrophotography. I regularly use YouTube tutorials to learn new techniques about processing using various pieces of software on various targets. So I have nothing against YouTube videos. They are very helpful. But I do have a problem with the idea that books are automatically bad because they are out of date as soon as they are printed. It is true that certain kinds of books may not be as helpful as YouTube videos. If you want to learn how to use a particular piece of software, for example, a YouTube tutorial might be better than reading a book because the tutorial demonstrates where things are and, since software changes pretty frequently, is probably more up-to-date than a book that was published a year or more ago. But YouTube tutorials are often so focused on how to do things that they often neglect the why we do things. For me, understanding why we do certain things is a necessary piece of information for me to be able to transfer my knowledge from one context to another. Let me give an example.</p>\n<p>I have followed along with lots of tutorials about stacking images. This is a process in which we take multiple, nearly identical images (called subframes or subs) of the same target and then use software to combine them, one on top of the other. There are lots of software programs that will allow you to stack your subs, many of which are free. I have used Deep Sky Stacker (DSS) and SiriL and even GIMP to stack my subs and have followed along with tutorials for each. The first couple of tutorials I watched were good, showing me the details of DSS or SiriL or GIMP. But the tutorials didn\u2019t explain why we do this stacking. They only explained how to stack. I only learned why we stack by reading a book called <a href=\"https://www.firstlightoptics.com/books/making-every-photon-count-steve-richards.html\"><em>Making Every Photon Count</em></a> by Steve Richards. From Richards I learned that we stack because each individual subframe has a variety of kinds of noise and we want to reduce the level of noise in relationship to the amount of signal we have in our final image. Because our signal is relatively constant and noise is relatively random, software can determine which pixels in a subframe contain noise (and throw those pixels away) and which contain signal (and amplify those pixels). We stack subframes so that we can increase the signal to noise ratio. Knowing why we stack subs in astrophotography then helps me to understand some of the options in the software that the particular tutorials I watched didn\u2019t mention. In other words, the why helps me to connect concepts while watching tutorials about each individual issue makes it harder for me to make those connections. Don\u2019t get me wrong. The tutorials are helpful and I sometimes want to go directly to a tutorial to learn exactly how to use this particular piece of software to process my images for this particular target. But the more coherent, complete explanation of why we do what we do is also valuable, maybe even more valuable in the long run as software changes and new tools and techniques are introduced into the hobby.</p>\n<p>This makes me think about the learning materials I provide for students in my classes. One of the things I notice is that students sometimes skip the carefully curated materials that I provide to help them understand the theory, the why, of what we are learning. They sometimes want to jump directly to the assignments, to what they need to do, to those things that directly contribute to their final grade. I have <a href=\"https://cathieleblanc.com/2020/05/25/moving-from-file-repository-to-narrative-journey/\">written</a> about this issue <a href=\"https://cathieleblanc.com/2020/12/08/design-for-collaboration/\">before</a>. In those previous posts, I reflected on the lessons from the article \u201c<a href=\"https://journals.sfu.ca/jalt/index.php/jalt/article/view/215/191\">Introducing the Tri-layered Student Online Experience Framework: Moving from file repository to narrative journey</a>,\u201d by Eager, Lehman, and Scollard. The main idea I took away from this article is that, teachers, we need to help students understand what they will gain by reading/watching/engaging with the learning materials we have chosen to put in front of them. If an activity has a direct effect on a student\u2019s grade in the course, the gain they receive by engaging with that activity is immediately obvious to them. Helping students understand the longer term gains of engaging in activities that don\u2019t directly impact their grade helps them to be better learners and to get a deeper understanding of the material they are learning. Similarly, following a tutorial that immediately results in an astrophotograph is tempting when you are focused on the products of this hobby. But understanding the why of what you\u2019re doing in that tutorial will be more valuable in the long run as you think about and refine your astrophotography practice.</p>\n<p>As always, I am struck by how the things I\u2019m encountering while engaging in my astrophotography hobby relates to and shows me a lot about my teaching. I created the featured image on January 30 from five 2-minute subs captured on January 28. The image shows the Flame Nebula and the Horsehead Nebula.</p>",
        "text": "I started in astrophotography about 6 months ago. I have consulted a lot of different sources to learn all kinds of stuff during this time. One of the most interesting places to learn has been online forums. There are a number of them on Facebook and on a site called Cloudy Nights as well as various other places. On Facebook, one of the forums is called Learning Astrophotography and another is called Astrophotography for Beginners.\nAfter 6 months, I\u2019m still learning from these forums but I am also beginning to see repetition, patterns in the kinds of posts there. For example, a couple of times each month, someone on one of these beginner forums makes some comment about wishing people would think before they post their (stupid) questions about some aspect of astrophotography. The people making these comments regularly get called out for suggesting that beginners should not use a beginner\u2019s forum to ask their questions. Sometimes, the person making these comments gets belligerent and doubles down on their opinion in an aggressive way. When this happens, the commenter might be banned from the forum. I think that\u2019s an appropriate response to someone who insists that beginners should look somewhere other than a beginner\u2019s forum for the answers to their questions before they waste the time of the members of the forum. I\u2019m genuinely confused by these comments. I don\u2019t understand why people would join a beginner\u2019s forum, a learning forum, if they think beginner\u2019s questions should not be allowed, that somehow beginners should be going somewhere else to get their questions answered.\nThe other thing that happens a couple of times a month is that someone will suggest that certain types of photos are not \u201creal\u201d astrophotography and so shouldn\u2019t be allowed to be posted in these forums. The commenter typically says something like photos taken with phones don\u2019t count as astrophotography or photos taken with a basic DSLR when the photographers has no idea what they are pointing at don\u2019t count. Others typically respond with comments about the dangers of gatekeeping in a beginner\u2019s forum when people are excited to share what they have just discovered about the night sky. I again don\u2019t understand these comments about what counts as astrophotography and what doesn\u2019t. The commenters usually have some criteria related to effort or knowledge or types of equipment that they think should control what is allowed on these forums. But I don\u2019t understand who they think should decide what counts as the appropriate amount of effort or the right kind of equipment.\nBoth of these kinds of conversations make me realize that people have misunderstandings (or at least ideas I disagree with) about what learning is all about and how it happens. The other place this comes up in these forums is when people ask for advice about books to read as a beginner. Such questions inevitably lead to lots of comments about books being out of date as soon as they are printed and that the person asking the question should look to YouTube videos in order to learn how to do astrophotography. I regularly use YouTube tutorials to learn new techniques about processing using various pieces of software on various targets. So I have nothing against YouTube videos. They are very helpful. But I do have a problem with the idea that books are automatically bad because they are out of date as soon as they are printed. It is true that certain kinds of books may not be as helpful as YouTube videos. If you want to learn how to use a particular piece of software, for example, a YouTube tutorial might be better than reading a book because the tutorial demonstrates where things are and, since software changes pretty frequently, is probably more up-to-date than a book that was published a year or more ago. But YouTube tutorials are often so focused on how to do things that they often neglect the why we do things. For me, understanding why we do certain things is a necessary piece of information for me to be able to transfer my knowledge from one context to another. Let me give an example.\nI have followed along with lots of tutorials about stacking images. This is a process in which we take multiple, nearly identical images (called subframes or subs) of the same target and then use software to combine them, one on top of the other. There are lots of software programs that will allow you to stack your subs, many of which are free. I have used Deep Sky Stacker (DSS) and SiriL and even GIMP to stack my subs and have followed along with tutorials for each. The first couple of tutorials I watched were good, showing me the details of DSS or SiriL or GIMP. But the tutorials didn\u2019t explain why we do this stacking. They only explained how to stack. I only learned why we stack by reading a book called Making Every Photon Count by Steve Richards. From Richards I learned that we stack because each individual subframe has a variety of kinds of noise and we want to reduce the level of noise in relationship to the amount of signal we have in our final image. Because our signal is relatively constant and noise is relatively random, software can determine which pixels in a subframe contain noise (and throw those pixels away) and which contain signal (and amplify those pixels). We stack subframes so that we can increase the signal to noise ratio. Knowing why we stack subs in astrophotography then helps me to understand some of the options in the software that the particular tutorials I watched didn\u2019t mention. In other words, the why helps me to connect concepts while watching tutorials about each individual issue makes it harder for me to make those connections. Don\u2019t get me wrong. The tutorials are helpful and I sometimes want to go directly to a tutorial to learn exactly how to use this particular piece of software to process my images for this particular target. But the more coherent, complete explanation of why we do what we do is also valuable, maybe even more valuable in the long run as software changes and new tools and techniques are introduced into the hobby.\nThis makes me think about the learning materials I provide for students in my classes. One of the things I notice is that students sometimes skip the carefully curated materials that I provide to help them understand the theory, the why, of what we are learning. They sometimes want to jump directly to the assignments, to what they need to do, to those things that directly contribute to their final grade. I have written about this issue before. In those previous posts, I reflected on the lessons from the article \u201cIntroducing the Tri-layered Student Online Experience Framework: Moving from file repository to narrative journey,\u201d by Eager, Lehman, and Scollard. The main idea I took away from this article is that, teachers, we need to help students understand what they will gain by reading/watching/engaging with the learning materials we have chosen to put in front of them. If an activity has a direct effect on a student\u2019s grade in the course, the gain they receive by engaging with that activity is immediately obvious to them. Helping students understand the longer term gains of engaging in activities that don\u2019t directly impact their grade helps them to be better learners and to get a deeper understanding of the material they are learning. Similarly, following a tutorial that immediately results in an astrophotograph is tempting when you are focused on the products of this hobby. But understanding the why of what you\u2019re doing in that tutorial will be more valuable in the long run as you think about and refine your astrophotography practice.\nAs always, I am struck by how the things I\u2019m encountering while engaging in my astrophotography hobby relates to and shows me a lot about my teaching. I created the featured image on January 30 from five 2-minute subs captured on January 28. The image shows the Flame Nebula and the Horsehead Nebula."
    },
    "name": "Choosing Learning Materials",
    "post-type": "article",
    "_id": "34930957",
    "_source": "2782"
}

{
    "type": "entry",
    "published": "2023-02-06T02:40:16+00:00",
    "url": "https://twitter.com/jgmac1106/status/1622424911347163136",
    "quotation-of": "https://twitter.com/GicAriana/status/1622423107104391170",
    "content": {
        "text": "Throughout history an invading military tries to destroy the culture of an enemy.\n\nRussia is no different.\n\nIn fact they have been trying in Ukraine for centuries.\n\nThis is not the first time Russia destroys Ukrainian literature.\n\nLet's make it the last."
    },
    "author": {
        "type": "card",
        "name": "jgregorymcverry.com",
        "url": "https://twitter.com/jgmac1106",
        "photo": "https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1617853032296759297/a0oAyyvh.jpg"
    },
    "post-type": "note",
    "refs": {
        "https://twitter.com/GicAriana/status/1622423107104391170": {
            "type": "entry",
            "published": "2023-02-06T02:33:06+00:00",
            "url": "https://twitter.com/GicAriana/status/1622423107104391170",
            "photo": [
                "https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FoQBN1GWIAAdlvt.jpg",
                "https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FoQBN1NXgAABOWx.jpg"
            ],
            "content": {
                "text": "Russian occupation forces are burning Ukrainian books in occupied Luhansk \n\nThey did this in Crimea in 2014 (pic) after invading Ukraine. They\u2019ve done it many times since in occupied UA.\n\nThis is a policy of culturecide, to destroy and erase Ukrainian national  cultural identity."
            },
            "author": {
                "type": "card",
                "name": "ArianaGic/\u0410\u0440\u0456\u044f\u043d\u0430\u0490\u0456\u0446\u044c",
                "url": "https://twitter.com/GicAriana",
                "photo": "https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1493097164704296964/nRkDJ31_.jpg"
            },
            "post-type": "photo"
        }
    },
    "_id": "34929918",
    "_source": "2773"
}

{
    "type": "entry",
    "published": "2023-02-06T02:31:19+00:00",
    "url": "https://twitter.com/anomalily/status/1622422657697452033",
    "photo": [
        "https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FoQAzjoaYAAw94G.jpg",
        "https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FoQAzjlacAEJcMT.jpg"
    ],
    "content": {
        "text": "Cardi B wore it better"
    },
    "author": {
        "type": "card",
        "name": "Lillian Karabaic",
        "url": "https://twitter.com/anomalily",
        "photo": "https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1455236306162761732/jPv9ROKG.jpg"
    },
    "post-type": "photo",
    "_id": "34929921",
    "_source": "2773"
}

{
    "type": "entry",
    "published": "2023-02-06T00:20:50+00:00",
    "url": "https://twitter.com/dshanske/status/1622389822139600896",
    "content": {
        "text": "Was busy on Thursday, so finally got around to my traditional Groundhog Day movie watching. I forgot the late Willie Garson had a small part in the movie."
    },
    "author": {
        "type": "card",
        "name": "David Shanske",
        "url": "https://twitter.com/dshanske",
        "photo": "https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1364752349512671235/CCKrafqf.jpg"
    },
    "post-type": "note",
    "_id": "34928522",
    "_source": "2773"
}

{
    "type": "entry",
    "published": "2023-02-05T21:17:50+00:00",
    "url": "https://twitter.com/jgmac1106/status/1622343766085455872",
    "photo": [
        "https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FoO4cpNWYAMECZ3.png"
    ],
    "content": {
        "text": "Finished my chapter on the NIST-SP-800-171 Domain and validating the evidence collected as part of an assessment of the trustworthiness engineered into the system\n\n#CMMC\n\nThese 6 practices easily automated but immature #cybersecurity orgs mess em up all the time",
        "html": "Finished my chapter on the NIST-SP-800-171 Domain and validating the evidence collected as part of an assessment of the trustworthiness engineered into the system\n\n<a href=\"https://twitter.com/search?q=%23CMMC\">#CMMC</a>\n\nThese 6 practices easily automated but immature <a href=\"https://twitter.com/search?q=%23cybersecurity\">#cybersecurity</a> orgs mess em up all the time"
    },
    "author": {
        "type": "card",
        "name": "jgregorymcverry.com",
        "url": "https://twitter.com/jgmac1106",
        "photo": "https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1617853032296759297/a0oAyyvh.jpg"
    },
    "post-type": "photo",
    "_id": "34925940",
    "_source": "2773"
}

{
    "type": "entry",
    "published": "2023-02-05T19:29:00+00:00",
    "url": "https://twitter.com/anomalily/status/1622316377196621824",
    "content": {
        "text": "Live now on youtube! youtube.com/watch?v=op_wah\u2026",
        "html": "Live now on youtube! <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=op_wah6SBjs\">youtube.com/watch?v=op_wah\u2026</a>"
    },
    "author": {
        "type": "card",
        "name": "Lillian Karabaic",
        "url": "https://twitter.com/anomalily",
        "photo": "https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1455236306162761732/jPv9ROKG.jpg"
    },
    "post-type": "note",
    "_id": "34924005",
    "_source": "2773"
}

{
    "type": "entry",
    "published": "2023-02-05T19:00:00+00:00",
    "url": "https://twitter.com/anomalily/status/1622309080940380171",
    "content": {
        "text": "Live in 30 minutes over on youtube! donut looks good, future of online layaway looks sketchy youtube.com/watch?v=op_wah\u2026",
        "html": "Live in 30 minutes over on youtube! donut looks good, future of online layaway looks sketchy <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=op_wah6SBjs\">youtube.com/watch?v=op_wah\u2026</a>"
    },
    "author": {
        "type": "card",
        "name": "Lillian Karabaic",
        "url": "https://twitter.com/anomalily",
        "photo": "https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1455236306162761732/jPv9ROKG.jpg"
    },
    "post-type": "note",
    "_id": "34923483",
    "_source": "2773"
}

{
    "type": "entry",
    "published": "2023-02-05T17:58:57+00:00",
    "url": "https://twitter.com/jgmac1106/status/1622293718458834944",
    "photo": [
        "https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FoOLictWAAMNihl.jpg"
    ],
    "content": {
        "text": "Going through the closet... Finding some oldies..."
    },
    "author": {
        "type": "card",
        "name": "jgregorymcverry.com",
        "url": "https://twitter.com/jgmac1106",
        "photo": "https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1617853032296759297/a0oAyyvh.jpg"
    },
    "post-type": "photo",
    "_id": "34922594",
    "_source": "2773"
}

{
    "type": "entry",
    "published": "2023-02-05T16:51:18+00:00",
    "url": "https://twitter.com/jgmac1106/status/1622276690859761665",
    "quotation-of": "https://twitter.com/andrewhoyer/status/1622096882616143873",
    "content": {
        "text": "This will break everything.\n\nEverything\n\nThe change is so devastating and fast I wonder if profits are only margins.\n\nWill key boundaries around the world be threatened as no company can securely change integrations in seven days?\n\nWas this a deliberate move?\n\n#cybersecurity",
        "html": "This will break everything.\n\nEverything\n\nThe change is so devastating and fast I wonder if profits are only margins.\n\nWill key boundaries around the world be threatened as no company can securely change integrations in seven days?\n\nWas this a deliberate move?\n\n<a href=\"https://twitter.com/search?q=%23cybersecurity\">#cybersecurity</a>"
    },
    "author": {
        "type": "card",
        "name": "jgregorymcverry.com",
        "url": "https://twitter.com/jgmac1106",
        "photo": "https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1617853032296759297/a0oAyyvh.jpg"
    },
    "post-type": "note",
    "refs": {
        "https://twitter.com/andrewhoyer/status/1622096882616143873": {
            "type": "entry",
            "published": "2023-02-05T04:56:48+00:00",
            "url": "https://twitter.com/andrewhoyer/status/1622096882616143873",
            "photo": [
                "https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FoLYUZbagAAs9x2.jpg"
            ],
            "content": {
                "text": "Twitter API devs, I've made a helpful countdown clock you can set up on an external monitor for handy reference. #TwitterAPI \n\ncountdown.andrewhoyer.com/twitter-api/",
                "html": "Twitter API devs, I've made a helpful countdown clock you can set up on an external monitor for handy reference. <a href=\"https://twitter.com/search?q=%23TwitterAPI\">#TwitterAPI</a> \n\n<a href=\"https://countdown.andrewhoyer.com/twitter-api/\">countdown.andrewhoyer.com/twitter-api/</a>"
            },
            "author": {
                "type": "card",
                "name": "Andrew Hoyer \ud83c\udde8\ud83c\udde6",
                "url": "https://twitter.com/andrewhoyer",
                "photo": "https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1443301874560557062/BESo2Jaq.jpg"
            },
            "post-type": "photo"
        }
    },
    "_id": "34921105",
    "_source": "2773"
}