Thoughty Thursday: Things that made me go hmmmm on the interwebz, Aug 22-28, 2021

September 2, 2021August 29, 2021 / Melanie Marttila

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

Kristin Corry says that the new era of Black reality TV feels more like real life. Vice

Umme Hoque: the pandemic put adult pressures on many young girls. Prism

Ben Andrews: hundreds join the final leg of residential school survivor’s 79-day “Walk of Sorrow.” CBC

Elissa Carpenter reports that the former residential school sites at Piikani Nation are being investigated: “It’s not going to be an easy task.” CBC

Ryerson University to (finally) change its name amid reckoning with history of residential schools. But we’ll have to wait until next spring to find out what the new name will be. CBC

Kory Floyd explains why we missed hugs. The Conversation

Alain de Botton on existential maturity and what emotional intelligence really means. Brain Pickings

Why are so many autistic adults undiagnosed? Kip Chow | TEDxSFU

Christy Ann Conlin: the old lady who waits within me. CBC

A two-for from Livia Gershon. First: the changing meaning of “mysticism.” Then, she describes a holy trinity in ancient Egypt. JSTOR Daily

Jessica Stewart: Vermeer painting restoration reveals a cupid painting obscured for over 350 years. My Modern Met

Why we should be thinking about energy storage. Physics Girl

Alyse Stanley invites you to go on a panoramic video tour of Mars with the Curiosity Rover. Gizmodo

Tom Metcalfe reports that Hubble captures an “Einstein Ring.” NBC News

Kate Aranoff: is democracy getting in the way of saving the planet? The Guardian

Alex Young shares Nandi Bushell’s performance of “Everlong” with the Foo Fighters at the Forum. I’m not ashamed to admit, tears of joy came to my eyes when Nandi started playing. Consequence

The real reason dogs kick when you give them skritches. SciShow

Thank you for stopping by, and I hope you took away something to inspire a future creative project.

This weekend, I should be posting my next chapter update for the month of August.

Until then, be well and stay safe, everyone!

Thoughty Thursday: Things that made me go hmmmm on the interwebz, May 23-29, 2021

June 3, 2021May 30, 2021 / Melanie Marttila

Thoughty Thursday has arrived to get your mental corn popping! Enjoy 🙂

On the anniversary of George Floyd’s death, some consideration of the progress that’s been made since. Baby steps, yes. But steps, nonetheless.

Farnoush Amiri, Colleen Slevin, and Camille Fassett report that the Floyd killing prompts some states to limit or ban choke holds. Associated Press

Fadel Allassan: “Defund the Police” lives on as a local movement. Axios

Then again … 967 people have been shot and killed by police in the last year. The Washington Post

Two officers charged with Manuel Ellis’ murder. USA Today

Lisa Theodore-Vachon says, interracial couple representation in pop culture isn’t as progressive as we think. The Undefeated

Justin Dunnavant, Delande Justinvil, and Chip Colwell want to craft an African American graves protection and repatriation act. Nature

Grace Hauck: Jewish groups sound the alarm on the rise of anti-Semitic hate crimes amid tensions between Israel and Hamas. USA Today

The overlap of autoimmune disorders and mental health conditions. SciShow Psych

Can you be awake and asleep at the same time? Masako Tamaki. Ted-ed

Matt Egan and Alexis Benveniste report that activist investor ousts at least two ExxonMobil directors in historic win for pro-climate campaign. CNN

Rupert Neate reports that airships for city hops could cut flying’s CO2 emissions by 90%. The Guardian

Matthew Wills says that solar housing is actually kind of retro! JSTOR Daily

Christi Carras announces that a new rainbow set of Lego arrives just in time for Pride Month (everything is awesome!). The Los Angeles Times

The Curiosity rover captures shining clouds on Mars. “Viewed just after sunset, their ice crystals catch the fading light, causing them to appear to glow against the darkening sky.” NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Chelea Gohd wants to teach you (yes, it says your kids, but why exclude adults?) about the Super Flower Blood Moon. And, of course, it was overcast here … Space.com

Jess Romeo introduces us to Chien-Shiung Wu, the first lady of physics. JSTOR Daily

5 beautifully complex ways to fly. SciShow

Graeme Green: “huge surprise” as giant river otter feared extinct in Argentina appears. The Guardian

Charlie Campbell says that covid-19 has slashed Asia’s appetite for wild animals. Time

Thank you for stopping by. I hope you took away something to inspire a future creative project.

This weekend, I should be putting together my next chapter update for May 2021. Until then, be well and stay safe, my writerly friends!

Thoughty Thursday: Things that made me go hmmmm on the interwebz, July 31-Aug 6, 2016

August 11, 2016August 11, 2016 / Melanie Marttila / 2 Comments

Lots of thoughty to get that mental corn a-poppin’.

Someone asks for advice on how to deal with grief. This response nails it. That Eric Alper.

Michelle Steinke reports on stifled grief and how the west has it wrong. The Huffington Post.

Minda Zetlin: here’s why you must make a happiness list right now. Inc.

Elisha Goldstein shares five ways to increase happiness in daily life. Mindful

Eric Barker examines how to find happiness. Time

Angelina Zimmerman presents eight ways to make a positive impact every day. Inc.

How to get rid of a stiff neck in 90 seconds. Real Farmacy

Nicolas Cole lists twenty brutal truths all twenty-somethings need to hear. Frankly, everyone could stand to be reminded . . . Inc.

Abigail Haworth reports on the Tanzanian wives: why these straight women are marrying each other. Marie Claire.

Actresses over 60 are the new box office powerhouses. Mark Harris for The Vulture.

Rejected Princesses features Jeanne de Clisson (1300-1359).

The Bright Side lists eleven of the most breathtaking buildings humanity is building right now.

I’ve shared this before, but it’s just that awesome. Kale in the arctic: an igloo greenhouse that could inspire fresh food production in the north. CBC

Chinese Canadian and First Nations artists created huge prints in Chinatown. The Georgia Straight.

The CBC invites you to meet the five commissioners leading the missing and murdered Indigenous women inquiry.

Angelique Eaglewoman explains why the inquiry into missing and murdered Indigenous women must engage all Canadians. The Globe and Mail

Female genital mutilation has been banned in Nigeria. A triumph. Kimberley Richards for A Plus.

Ijeoma Oluo explains what those feel-good cop videos are really all about. The Establishment.

Jonna Ivan knows why Trump supporters chant his name. The Establishment.

A neuroscientist explains what’s wrong with Trump supporters’ brains. Bobby Azarian for Raw Story.

Foz Meadows makes a note on mansplaining. We all do it, if we’re honest.

Melissa Dahl discovers why reading makes you carsick: your brain thinks it’s being poisoned. Yup. Still gives me the queaze. Science of Us.

The science of emojis. ASAP Thought.

Open Culture presents an infographic of the tree of languages.

The Decolonial Atlas names the Great Lakes in Ojibway.

A dark ages has been discovered in Cornwall. David Keys for The Independent.

UpWorthy asks you to try not to jiggle as you watch these new, bladeless wind turbines.

Super cool: check out this prototype for China’s new elevated buses. Bored Panda

Jonathon Ramsey reports on how UC Irvine accidentally invented a battery that lasts forever. The Drive

Scientists discover light could exist in a previously unknown form. Phys.org

The Perseid meteor shower will peak on Aug 11 and 12. And wouldn’t you know it? It’s cloudy tonight 😦 Phil Plait for Slate.

The so-called alien megastructure just got even more mysterious. Maddie Stone for Gizmodo.

Every year, the Curiosity rover sings happy birthday. It’s kind of sad, actually. Curiosity

The Declaration of Arbroath has been awarded UNESCO status. BBC

Feeling wicked? Here are nine spooky spells from an Icelandic book of sorcery. HMB

The power of smudging: the different types of blessing herbs and their healing properties. Spirit Science.

Why Sudbury needs a busy hub for creators. The Sudbury Star.

See you Saturday!

Thoughty Thursday

Thoughty Thursday: Things that made me go hmmmm on the interwebz, Dec 7-13, 2014

December 18, 2014 / Melanie Marttila / 2 Comments

Why every year seems to pass more quickly than the last. The Mind Unleashed. An argument for remaining present in the moment if I ever heard one.

The CBC’s Anna Maria Tremonti interviews Bletchley Circle code breaker.

Albert Einstein wrote to Marie Curie and advised her to take heart and ignore the “trolls.” i09.

28 months on Mars. What Curiosity has taught us so far. The New York Times.

Two blue giants engage in interstellar merger. IFLS.

Is there a parallel universe that moves backward in time? IFLS. As one friend commented, science is finally catching up with Merlin (The Once and Future King, T.H. White).

One physicist has a groundbreaking idea about why life exists. Business Insider.

Are there still people out there that think climate change is a conspiracy? Ask them to watch this:

Images of Bhopal and its people, thirty years after the disaster. The Altantic.

Rinelle Harper calls for national inquiry into violence against aboriginal women. The Huffington Post.

What an x-ray reveals about the art of Artemesia Gentileschi.

How one boy responded when his friend came out to him. Elite Daily.

Amazing uncensored art reflects modern society. So bad, so good.

Here’s some inspiration for you: Why you will fail to have a great career. Larry Smith’s TEDxUW talk.

This is just fun: someone created a map of the UK with only the rude place names listed. *giggles* Buzzfeed.

Ok. Time to get a little weepy over our canine buddies. Why dogs never really die. Tickld.

And on that sombre note, Thoughty Thursday is adjourned.

See you Saturday for all things updatey 🙂

Thoughty Thursday: Things that made me go hmmmm on the interwebz, Aug 10-16, 2014

August 21, 2014August 21, 2014 / Melanie Marttila / 6 Comments

Of course, the big news of the week was the death of Robin Williams. I loved his work as a comedian and an actor. The circumstances of his death were tragic, but as a friend posted, so was his mental illness, the periodic substance abuse he engaged in throughout his life, and the effect that must have had on his family. The man touched me. He made me laugh. I’ll miss him. I’m just saying.

On that note, IFLS posted this on identifying and overcoming depression.

And my friend Kim wrote this lovely post. Seriously, one of the best I’d read on the subject.

The Globe and Mail’s offering: Thoughts on depression from an artistic mind, by Michael Redhill.

Shaking my head, not so briefly, to evict the maudlin.

This is verging on the Writerly Goodness, but I decided to put Justine Musk’s post, the art of being a heroine, in my Thoughty Thursday curation because it’s not so much about writing as about the intersection of myth and womanhood. Thoughty indeed.

Why we can’t catch our own typos, from Wired. Brain science explains why writers need editors.

Wired features Maryam Mirzakhani, the first woman to win mathematics’ most prestigious prize.

A video love letter to Curiosity from Neil DeGrasse Tyson.

How wolves change rivers. This is amazing. IFLS.

What’s the smallest thing in the universe? IFLS features Talk Nerdy to Me.

The “super moon” of August 10th, as seen from space. IFLS.

The Atlantic featured more photos of the super moon on its In Focus page.

Imogen Heap has to be my favourite musical artist. Just lurve her to pieces. So when CBC music featured her new release Sparks as a “First Play” selection, I had to tune in. I listened to the whole thing in one night. The video is a great look behind the scenes too. Heaven. Of course, Ima buy it too, but I couldn’t resist the awesome.

A couple of great covers from Walk off the Earth. First, Rude, by Magic!