Anna Lovind

Thoughty Thursday: Things that made me go hmmmm on the interwebz, Jan 17-23, 2016

/ Melanie Marttila / 1 Comment

Oh noes! I’ve rediscovered YouTube and the videos have invaded . . .

Canada is named the second best country in the world. How Canadian 🙂 We’re excited about coming in second. Global News.

Some of our new Syrian friends enjoying tobogganing for the first time:

 

Peter Denton wonders, where have all the readers gone? The Globe and Mail.

Dear parents: Everything you want to know about your son or daughter’s university, but don’t. Michael Enright interviews Ron Srigley for The Sunday Edition on CBC.

Education is performance art. Penn & Teller share their thoughts in The Atlantic.

When Trent Hamm thinks of the times he’s been the happiest, he notices two common threads. The Business Insider.

The powerful benefit of exercise that’s rarely discussed. Guess I’d better get my ass in gear. Quartz.

Dinah Laprarie of NISA champions mental health in Sudbury. CBC.

Cyndi Roberts of The Elephant Journal shares seven steps to easing anxiety without a pill.

Anna Lovind finds her own way to divine guidance 😉

So now a new study says smoking pot doesn’t lower adolescent IQs. IFLS.

Watching a water bubble freeze (in Finland):

 

Space-X attempted another booster landing last Sunday. And then this happened. Phil Plait, Bad Astronomer, for Slate.

That weird star with the Jupiter-sized planet and the suspected . . . something else orbiting it? Well the more they learn about it the stranger things get. Slate.

A constellation has been named for David Bowie (though it’s not officially recognized yet). IFLS.

Check out this planetary alignment through February 20. IFLS.

Phil Plait features this alignment on his Bad Astronomy column too. Slate.

xkcd charts possible undiscovered planets.

Rick Mercer’s rant on anonymous comments:

 

Gypsy Vanner horses:

 

Ms Mr performs “Reckless.”

 

And that was your week’s edutainment.

Hope you enjoyed it.

See you on Saturday for more CanCon 2015 reportage.

Thoughty Thursday

Thoughty Thursday: Things that made me go hmmmm on the interwebz, Nov 22-28, 2015

/ Melanie Marttila

Not gonna give you my NaNo update this Thursday. You’re going to have to wait until Sunday and my epic Next Chapter update (October and NaNoWriMo). Also, I’m writing the draft through to the end, using my momentum to put this one to rest before the end of the year!

Andrew Rosenthal of The New York Times muses on fear and the high cost of terror.

As a final ‘f-you,’ the failing Harper government made 49 patronage appointments. iPolitics.

On that topic, here’s an infographic on logical fallacies.

Anna Lovind explores the roles we play and the freedom that hides behind them.

Arthur C. Brooks advises us to choose gratitude because it will make us happier. The New York Times.

If you get a PhD in Canada, don’t expect an income commensurate with your investment. In other words, you work for the passion, which, for many, is compensation enough. The Globe and Mail.

There’s a wrinkle in the frontal lobe that has been linked to hallucinations. BBC.

Scientists report that people who talk to themselves are geniuses. LifeHack.

These students planted 800 year old seeds and recovered an extinct variety of squash. Wimp.

The US Government is retiring all research chimpanzees. IFLS.

Michio Kaku wonders if déjà vu is caused by parallel universes. Open Culture.

Phil Plait celebrates two scientific anniversaries. Slate.

David Tennant celebrates 100 years of general relativity. Gizmodo.

Earthables shares 16 examples of fairytale architecture in Norway.

A neuroscientist-artist creates dazzling images of the brain. Live Science.

Take a look at this beautiful kinetic horse sculpture. Make.

Lightning at 7200 frames per second (FPS) is AMAZING. Emphasis on the ZING!

After six years and 720,000 attempts, this photographer captures the perfect kingfisher dive. Bored Panda.

Making art with fire:

 

Mashable presents this photo-essay on the North American Indian, 1904-1924.

Teddy Girls, the fashion subculture that time forgot. AnOther.

And yes, you read that right at the top of this post. Now that NaNo is over, I’m returning to Saturday posting 🙂 First is Next Chapter, which will be up Sunday instead of Saturday because of a family function this week. Then, I’m rewinding to CanCon 2015 and I’ll be sharing those posts into next year!

Lot’s of Writerly Goodness coming your way.

See you soon.

Thoughty Thursday

Tipsday: Writerly Goodness found on the interwebz, Nov 8-14, 2015

/ Melanie Marttila / 2 Comments

I’m a curating machine 🙂

Roz Morris discusses the differences between British, Canadian, and American English and why writers should know when to use each. Nail Your Novel.

Writer tech: How to storyboard in Scrivener. Matt Herron for The Write Practice.

K.M. Weiland offers six steps to create a fantastic narrative voice in her lessons learned from Storming series.

Katie then discusses the easiest character she’s ever had to write.

Lisa Cron gives us the inside story on what grabs readers. Writer Unboxed.

Sophie Masson helps us get the most of mentoring, from both sides of the fence. Writer Unboxed.

Christine Frazier shares ten traits of the mentor archetype on the Better Novel Project.

Kameron Hurley was never in this for the parties.

Then, she wonders if Goodreads ratings correlate to sales.

Next, she reassures us that everything is not awful.

Finally, Kameron explains why having a writing-related day job does not ‘ruin’ you for fiction. Silly rabbits.

Mary Robinette Kowal helps us discern when writer’s block is depression. And when it’s not.

Madeleine Dore shares fifty ways to take care of yourself in the arts. Performing Arts Hub.

Dan Blank discusses the three essential ingredients to creative success. Writer Unboxed.

Building a better world through science fiction: the new utopians. New Republic.

Carly Watters shares fifteen things she’s learned in her five years as an agent.

Declining ebook sales hit home with the big five. Publishers Weekly.

Erin Lindsey is in search of a more nuanced discussion of women and gender in SFF: When Mary Sue failed the Bechdel test. Tor.com.

Margaret Atwood addresses the lack of diversity in fiction: In Tolkien, there are hardly any women at all. The Guardian.

Buffy Ste. Marie recommends eight books she loves. CBC.

Neil Gaiman stops by Buzzfeed to offer writing advice.

100 pieces of writing advice from Chuck Wendig.

The Myers-Briggs types of 101 famous authors. BookRiot.

It’s going to be okay. I did not know this. The Oatmeal.

Judging medieval books by their covers.

Finding Dory’s going to be a-dory-ble 🙂 Space.

Krysten Ritter kicks all the butt as Jessica Jones. i09. <Starts this Friday, guys!>

Tor.com lists all the TV series and movie adaptations of SFF books in the works.

Ima check out SyFy’s new series The Expanse. Tor.com.

Come back next week for more Writerly Goodness.

Tipsday

Thoughty Thursday: Things that made me go hmmmm on the interwebz, Oct 25-31, 2015

/ Melanie Marttila / 2 Comments

Another short one this week. Hey, I went to a con. What can you do? Just a warning, November curations might tend to the small. NaNoWriMo takes precedence.

Anna Lovind wonders, what you would do if time wasn’t scarce?

Susan Lynn Reynolds shares the touching final days of her friend’s life. Janet dies at home. Conversations on dying. Phil Dwyer.

Guys, this is what it’s like to be a woman. Thought Catalog.

Buzzfeed presents 12 historical women who gave no fucks.

Why self-driving cars must be programmed to kill. MIT Technology Review.

What do you call the night before Hallowe’en? Lexicon Valley.

Mental Floss presents 10 graveside traditions at famous tombs.

Thought Catalog shares 10 delicious 14th century meals we should all try.

An ultra-successful mix of dog, wolf, and coyote, this new species is evolving right before our eyes. Now, technically, if the animals can procreate, they are part of the same species. So there may be a little issue with the terminology here. Raw Story.

Catch you next week.

Thoughty Thursday

Thoughty Thursday: Things that made me go hmmmm on the interwebz, Sept 27-Oct 3, 2015

/ Melanie Marttila

Somber and reflective tonight. I turned on the furnace for the first time this fall. *sob*

T squared is bringing the mixed bag. I was challenged to find some kind of logical organization. I kind of gave up. Sorry, but you never know, it might encourage those creative connections.

We have an election coming up in a couple of weeks. I’ve tried not to post too much political stuff, but this is an important issue in Canada, and one that many people still don’t fully understand. Federal NDP candidate, Tom Mulcair, wants scientists to speak their minds. The Toronto Star.

President Obama challenged the media to compare terrorism-related deaths and gun-related deaths. So, Vox did.

Last weekend, there was a supermoon eclipse, or blood moon. Of course, just at we were getting to the good part, it got cloudy 😦

Here’s my consolation: Gizmodo shares their best images of the supermoon eclipse.

And then, Sudbury got hit by a couple of earthquakes, which I didn’t experience at all. CBC.

The Good News Network reports that deforestation in the Amazon has dropped by 90% in the last ten years.

i09 lists the five scariest cults in modern history.

SciShow looks at the real world of forensics:

Red dresses focus attention on Canada’s missing and murdered indigenous women. The Huffington Post.

Other people’s reproductive plans are NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS. CBC.

Veritasium wonders, is glass a liquid?

Why Neil deGrasse Tyson is the smartest man on television. The Rolling Stone.

Vi Hart on “Happy Birthday” day:

Why self-care is central to Anna Lovind’s creative life. Annapurna Living.

In light of the Amazon expose, IKEA and Facebook are looking at a shorter work week. CNN.

Ask a Mortician takes a look at medieval zombies:

Here’s a fun bit of satire from The New Yorker: Earth endangered by a new strain of fact-resistant humans (!)

Have you been inspired? If so, I’d love to hear about it in the comments 🙂

See you again on Saturday!

Thoughty Thursday

Tipsday: Writerly Goodness found on the interwebz, Sept 27-Oct 3, 2015

/ Melanie Marttila

This week’s offerings:

We all “know” we’re supposed to be honest in our fiction, but what does that really mean? K.M. Weiland.

Katie features One stop for writers, by Angela Ackerman, Becca Puglisi, and Scrivener’s Lee Powell, on her personal blog. We have to wait until October 7 to sign up, though. (Hey! That’s TOMORROW!)

Then, Katie offers two warning signs that you’re starting your story too early in her Friday vlog.

Bonnie Randall is back with another great post on Janice Hardy’s Fiction University: Getting psyched out.

C.S. Lakin gives us a list of ten questions that will help check our stories for underwriting. Live, write, thrive.

Every journey starts with a first step. Every story begins with the first word. About gittin’ ‘er done. BookBaby blogs.

Cathy Yardley asks, is your story complex, or overly complicated? How to build complexity without confusing your reader. Writer Unboxed.

Nicole Winters writes about how she kicked research in the butt. Writers in the Storm.

Canadian small press Bilblioasis is doing great things (with three books on the Giller long-list). The Globe and Mail.

Now is not the time for realistic fiction, says Margaret Atwood. NPR.

Elizabeth Gilbert warns of the perils of ignoring your creative self on CBC’s Q.

Eleanor Arnason guest posts on the Women in Science Fiction blog.

Chuck Wendig asked a few cool people to write guest posts on his Terribleminds blog. First, Stina Leicht offers her thoughts on message fiction in SFF. The S.L. Huang defends escapist, blow-shit-up-hell-yeah, popcorn entertainment. Then, editor John Adamus explains why getting an independent and professional editor to review your work is so important.

Anna Lovind explains why she ditched her beautiful career in publishing. Annapurna Living.

“If you’re being rejected 90% of the time, you’re actually incredibly successful.” Dan Blank interviews Eric Wert on We Grow Media.

Check out this historical fiction: The incredible expandable book. Medieval Books.

Put these ten ultra-weird science fiction novels on your reading list. i09.

Mental Floss presents 11 unusual books stores you can visit.

Hope you found something useful. If you did, I’d love to hear from you in the comments.

Hang in until Thoughty Thursday.

Tipsday

Thoughty Thursday: Things that made me go hmmmm on the interwebz, September 20-26, 2015

/ Melanie Marttila

Strap your thinking caps on people!

Anna Lovind asks, what fears do you have to face to commit to making your dream a reality?

Sir Ken Robinson explores creativity in teaching. Mind/Shift.

Elizabeth Gilbert on the connection between creativity and curiosity. The Science of Us.

The Canadian Supreme Court rules that we have the right to doctor-assisted suicide. A victory for compassion. The Globe and Mail.

One scientist proposes that starting work before 10 am is tantamount to torture. Personally, I’d be inclined to agree, but from the comments when I posted this to Facebook, everyone has their peak times, and many people start their work days early. The Plaid Zebra.

Four ways to recognize gaslighting. Everyday Feminism.

Why your new mantra for inner peace should be “I don’t care.” Elephant Journal.

The one practice you need to be truly happy. MindBodyGreen.

99u presents the four productivity styles.

Music from Anne Boleyn’s songbook is performed for the first time in 500 years. itv.com

A whale fossil was discovered in the mountains. How cool is that? i09.

The secret lives of horses. Scientific American.

How the Dark Net is going mainstream. Jamie Bartlett’s TED Talk.

More proof presented that galaxy-spanning super civilizations do not exist in the local universe. i09.

Hubble captures an incredible image of an exploding star. IFLS.

Cyanobacteria could be the key to colonizing (and terraforming) Mars. Gizmodo.

It’s always good to keep your scientific terms straight. Hypothesis, theory, and law. It’s Okay to be Smart.

Creativity is about seeing interesting and unexpected connections between apparently disparate things. I’ve given you the raw material. Now get thoughty with it.

See you Saturday!

Thoughty Thursday

Tipsday: Writerly Goodness found on the interwebz, September 6-12, 2015

/ Melanie Marttila / 2 Comments

May I present your Writerly Goodness for the week:

K.M. Weiland continues her most common writing mistakes series with part 44: too many participle phrases.

Katie encourages writers to let Toy Story show you the key to subtle character development.

Vaughan Roycroft has series aspirations and looks at Robin Hobbs’ Assassin series in this post: Drawn to the long arc.

Porter Anderson refers to Roz Morris and Joanna Penn’s posts in this piece for Writer Unboxed: Looking for truth in the time of hype.

Writing begins with forgiveness: Why one of the most common pieces of writing advice is wrong. Daniel José Older for Seven Scribes.

The creative life interviews: Laura Belgray and talking shrimp. Anna Lovind.

New Zealand bans award-winning teen novel after outcry from Christian group. Really, Kiwis? I thought we were past this kind of stuff. The Guardian.

Then again . . . Henrietta Lacks biographer, Rebecca Skloot, responds to concerned parent about ‘porn’ allegation. The Guardian.

A new Author’s Guild survey reveals that the majority of authors are earning below the poverty line. Publishers Weekly.

Mike Hernandez writes about constructing cultural taboos in this helpful worldbuilding post for Mythcreants.

Helen Maslin presents her top ten literary castles and country houses. The Guardian.

Hope the week started off well.

I’ll see you with a load of thoughty videos on Thursday 🙂

Tipsday

Thoughty Thursday: Things that made me go hmmmm on the interwebz, August 16-22, 2015

/ Melanie Marttila / 1 Comment

We’re starting out seriously. Such is the nature of thoughty Thursday.

Anna Lovind’s wish for us all: the year without rape.

Amanda Palmer’s open letter to a fan on the topic of the choice to have a child as a working artist. Brainpickings.

Alison Bechdel gives credit where credit is due: please call it the Bechdel-Wallace test, thankyouverymuch. The Mary Sue.

Check out these anti-suffragette post cards from the early 20th century. Brainpickings.

Alan Watts speaks about death, in a beautifully animated short. Brainpickings.

The Canadian Medical Association is still polarized about doctor-assisted death. CBC.

I’ve just spent two and a half weeks in London, a city with the most wonderful, heritage buildings, well preserved by a concerned municipal council. So I wanted to share this post by Studio 123 that looks at how Sudbury is brightening up its downtown. [Mel’s note: The Forken Spoon is now a pizza joint O.o ]

Watch Jeff Bollow’s TED talk on how to expand your imagination:

Amazing photo captures a plane struck by lightning as it flies through a rainbow. What are the chances? IFLS.

Fire rainbows (actually circumhorizontal arcs) seen over South Carolina. ILFS.

The science of six degrees of separation from Veritasium:

An albino humpback whale! IFLS.

An Outlander post in the Thoughty Thursday curation? Yup. Cause its focus is on herbalism.

Tori Amos is one of my all time favourite musical artists. Silent all these years:

Have a fabulous Friday!

See you Saturday.

Thoughty Thursday

Thoughty Thursday: Things that made me go hmmmm on the interwebz, August 9-15, 2015

/ Melanie Marttila

Getting thoughty with it 😉

Anna Lovind shares her thoughts on the self-talk that can make or break you.

Susan Cain is interviewed on the CBC’s Q about the quiet revolution.

The kindness of strangers connects a poet to her grief. NPR.

The touching advice given to a young man in mourning. Tickld.

You’ve got this. On depression and hope. Be brave, and talk.

The science of being happier. Next Avenue.

Mindy Kaling’s guide to killer self-confidence. Glamor.

Jonathan Fields interviews Debbie Millman on what it takes to design a good life. Brainpickings.

Mary Engelbreit started drawing anti-racist illustrations for children’s books and some of her fans took exception. Buzzfeed.

Rose McGowan: Hollywood whistle blower. Buzzfeed.

Wasn’t sure where to put this . . . Irish Central shares some of the advice that was given to 19th century Irish women.

Eleven things introverts want you to know. The Elephant Journal.

How to get more sleep. Brendan Burchard.

Where do we draw the line between appreciation and appropriation? CBC’s Q.

Sudbury cancer researcher makes promising discovery. The Sudbury Star.

Space lettuce! Gizmodo.

How Minority Report predicted the future with surprising accuracy. Outer Places.

Why smart objects might be a dumb idea. The New York Times.

New report scorches Stephen Harper’s democratic record. Rabble.ca

Federal cuts to MD/PhD program will hamstring research. Just another underhanded move by the Conservatives. CBC.

Rick Mercer: Either Harper was in on it, or he’s psychotic.

Harper’s even made The New York Times: The closing of the Canadian mind.

Strandbeests. Strange and wonderful. The New Yorker.

This new New York carousel puts riders in the middle of a swirling school of mechanized fish. The New York Times.

Have a great weekend. I’ll be back next week with more Tipsday and Thoughty Thursday, and then next weekend, I’ll be back to my weekend posting habits. It’s been a long couple of weeks away from home. Looking forward to getting back to my usual, quiet life.

Thoughty Thursday