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Western Wood-Pewee! A first for us. Spotted at the Pine Creek Unit of the #SacramentoWildlifeRefuge #WesternWoodPeWee #Fujifilm

Auto-generated description: A small bird is perched on a bare tree branch against a clear blue sky.

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Windows 11 Thoughts

I have Windows 11 on my work PC now.

What does not work for me:

  1. File Explorer's simplified right-click context menu where useful file interaction & application extensions, like Box, are hidden under a More button (UGH). Fix by pressing Shift when right clicking. I’m not yet sure if I like the copy/paste buttons. Guess Microsoft wants to turn Windows into Teams and make finding necessary features really difficult.
  2. Taskbar is glued to the bottom of the screen -- I need it on the left! I have all the display width and not much display height. I don’t like hiding the taskbar.
  3. Audio system is garbage. I mute system audio but Teams keeps making noise. AirPod sound output is garbled. The mixer interface is a mess and I got applications really mixed up with audio output.

Always end on a good note! So a few things one thing works for me:

  1. Named virtual desktops & persistence across reboots.
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It is hilarious to me, but not surprising, that my AirPods only work properly with the web-based version of MS Teams. Their app on my Windows 11 work computer produces garbled audio,

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It is super cool that Flame Skimmer dragonflies are spending time in our backyard. This one was stationed on that stick nearly all day. And then there’s the much more active one that you can see as an orangish blur flying behind the stick. #Fujifilm A close-up of an orange dragonfly perched on a vertical tree branch, with another blurred dragonfly in the background. The background is out of focus, featuring green and brown hues.

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Lots of Pipevine Swallowtail butterflies feasting on purple thistle flower nectar at a wildlife refuge today. #PipevineSwallowtail #Butterfly #Fujifilm

A black and yellow butterfly with tattered wings perched on a blooming purple thistle flower, surrounded by green foliage.

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 From last weekend at the refuge: a Bullock's Oriole in a Willow tree. #BullocksOriole #Birds #SacramentoWildlifeRefuge #Fujifilm

A yellow and black bird perched on a branch amidst green leaves in a tree, with a clear blue sky in the background.

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NO Pedestrians Beyond This Point: Black Phoebe enforced #Birds #Fujifilm #SacramentoWildlifeRefuge

A Black Phoebe is perched at the top right corner of a road sign is posted among greenery indicating NO PEDESTRIANS BEYOND THIS POINT, with a natural, lush background. A dirt road peaks into view.

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At the refuge yesterday, pretty certain I saw and photographed a Western Kingbird vomit up a stone or something‽ #SacramentoWildlifeRefuge #Fujifilm #Birds #WesternKingBird A yellow breasted bird perched on a branch against a clear blue sky, with bare branches and another bird in the background. A small black object is flying through the air and the bird’s beak is open

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Sometimes unintentional photos are the best. Today at the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge south of Willows:A rustic scene is captured with tall grass in the foreground, a field of grass and reeds in the middle, and a small brick barn partially obscured by trees and flora under a clear sky.

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Aurora in Northern California ☺️ Good night, folks! A night sky with visible stars and vibrant aurora borealis streaks above silhouetted foliage.

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Tonight with aurora potential in Northern California, there’s opportunity to run three cameras tonight to see who wins the light gathering war. I’m betting the 100V at F/2 vs my fastest X-T5 lens at F/2.8. But my iPhone may well steal the show with its insane processing. Two Fujifilm mirrorless cameras on a wooden surface, with X-T5 having a black lens attached and the silver X100V.

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As I understand the Chestnut-backed Chickadee, it being upside-down in the trees is pretty typical. It was a frenetic bird and at the time I had no idea what it was. I was lucky to have it in a frame somewhere!

A bird is perched upside down on a branch amidst vibrant green leaves, partially obscured from view.

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This is a vicious scam. Chase Bank needs to fix that app prompt ASAP to make it clear they’re confirming YOU initiated the call, not the other way around

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One of very many Western Blue Birds at Lynch Canyon Open Space Park, Northern California. Lots of Blue Bird nest boxes there! A bluebird perched on an orange wooden post in a green grassy field.

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In Tonopah, NV, they have a Hometown Pizza and two classy looking hotels 📷 #MBApr A street view showing a small town with historical buildings, including the Mizpah Hotel and the Belvada Hotel, cars on the road, and various business signs under a partly cloudy sky.

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On our hike last Saturday, a few drifting swarms of bugs were along the trail. Probably mosquitoes but I didn’t dare walk through them to find out 📷 #MBAprA swarm of small insects flying just above the ground with blurred people walking in the background.

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One year ago today: spotted three of the California Condor community in flight at Pinnacles National Park. Stunning birds & park 📷 #MBApr Large vertical rock formations with three California Condors in flight.

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On today’s 3 mile hike at the Lynch Canyon Open Space Park in California ‘s North Bay, we were surprised by a garter snake actively hunting in the tall grass 📷 #MBApr A snake peeking through tall green grass with its tongue out

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Poor critter lost its tail! This was also the first lizard I’ve seen this year so it has had a rough start after hibernation 📷#MBApr A lizard without a tail on a wooden fence.

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I’ve had a lot of gardening to do with sharp implements so finally got my TDAP booster. I’m ready for a sore arm.