Thoughty Thursday: Things that made me go hmmmm on the interwebz, Aug 23-29, 2020

It’s time, once again, to get your mental corn popping.

Michael Tesler reports that support for Black Live Matter surged during the protests but is now waning among white Americans. FiveThirtyEight

Sarah Midkiff goes inside the Portland protests, separating fact from fiction. This is almost a month old. I think election hijinx are overtaking #BLM related news. Until this past weekend, when protests took precedence again. Refinery 29

Black lives matter: NBA walkout sparks historic sports boycott in US; Osaka withdraws, tennis halted. The boycott was short-lived, but sports teams are attempting to use their platforms to keep the message of #BLM front and centre. The Scroll

The national anthem protests, part 1, with Roger Goodell. Uncomfortable conversations with a Black man

And part 2.

Rebecca Ruiz explains why everyone should understand racial trauma right now. Mashable

N’dea Yancey-Bragg reveals five things you didn’t know about the March on Washington and MLK’s “I have a dream” speech. USA Today

Amy McKeever says that voter suppression has haunted America since its founding. National Geographic

Related: Matthew Wills reviews the suppression of Native American voters. JSTOR Daily


Jasmine Baker moved into her dorm at UNC Chapel Hill at the beginning of August. Two weeks later she, and just about everyone she knew, had covid-19. Slate

Matthew M.F. Miller explains how the pandemic has immeasurably altered our relationship with tech. Shondaland

Mary Mammoliti explains what it’s like to be blind in a socially distanced world. Refinery 29


Naomi Scherbel-Ball: Africa declared free of wild poliovirus. BBC

Katherine Ellison wonders who’s caring for the carers. Knowable

Zaria Gorvett explains why modern medicine ignores transgendered people. BBC

Abigail Bassett helps you determine whether someone is actually “toxic.” Shondaland

Is success hard work or luck? This actually plays into our perception (or lack thereof) of our privilege. Veritasium

Martha Mendoza and Frank Baker: massive northern California wildfires rage on. AP

Nell Greenfield Boyce: water, water, everywhere—and now scientists know where it came from. NPR

Joshua Sokol profiles the worst animal in the world: the mosquito. The Atlantic

Lesley Evans Ogden reports on the sea otter rescue plan that worked too well. BBC

Eva Botkin-Kowacki: herd community means there’s more to cows than we thought. Christian Science Monitor

Thanks for stopping by. I hope you were able to take away something to inspire your next creative project.

This weekend, I should be posting my August next chapter update. Until then, be well and stay safe.

ThoughtyThursday2019

Thoughty Thursday: Things that made me go hmmmm on the interwebz, March 26-April 1, 2017

All sorts of stuff to get your mental corn popping this week.

Tad Friend exposes Silicon Valley’s quest for eternal life. The New Yorker

Gillian Anderson and Jennifer Nadel talk perimenopause and menopause. Lenny

Alex Myles: how being an empath can lead to adrenal fatigue, insomnia, and exhaustion. Elephant Journal

Lori Day: aging while female is not your worst nightmare. Feminist Current

Gisela Wolf says that people who hit the snooze button are more intelligent, more creative, and happier. The Independent

Veritasium: The science of thinking. You won’t learn anything unless you’re uncomfortable.

 

ASAP Science: This does not equal that. Correlation vs. causation.

 

Your animal life is over. Your machine life has just begun.” Mark O’Connell for The Guardian.

Ryan F. Mandelbaum reports on a new theory that connects dark matter, black holes, and gravitational waves. Gizmodo

Joanna Moorhead rediscovers her wild child cousin, surrealist painter Leonora Carrington. The Guardian

The Economist: can we know what animals are thinking? Medium

Jordan Pearson presents some of the evidence that proves cats are actually nice. Motherboard

Overtone singing never ceases to amaze me. Anna-Maria Hefele

 

For your listening pleasure: Minds Without Fear – Imogen Heap

 

And that was your thoughty for the week.

On the weekend, I’ll be covering more WorldCon 2016.

Be well until then, my friends.

thoughtythursday2016