Thoughty Thursday: Things that made me go hmmmm on the interwebz, Feb 14-20, 2021

February 25, 2021February 21, 2021 / Melanie Marttila

Happy Friday eve 🙂 Fortify yourself for the weekend to come by getting your mental corn popping.

Brakkton Booker reports that Amy Cooper, better known as the Central Park Karen, has her charge dismissed. NPR

Taylor Moore profiles the Chicago plant that sparked a hunger strike amid environmental racism claims. The Guardian

Melissa Quinn: NAACP and Democratic congressman sue Trump and Giuliani over Capitol assault. It ain’t over yet. CBS News

‘Dark’ origins, decentering romantic relationships, & my best & worst Valentines Day | Khadija Mbowe

Ellen Feingold says, a Harriet Tubman $20 is just the beginning. Politico

Jenna Kunze wants you to meet the Inuk woman giving youth daily “reasons to stay alive” through social media. Native News Online

Terry Gross: almost a year into the pandemic, working moms feel forgotten. NPR

Ian Austen reports that delays turn Canada’s vaccination optimism into anxiety. The New York Times

Brooks Fallis: Canada is sleepwalking into a third wave, and it could be the worst one yet. What have I been saying? The Globe and Mail

Sean Davidson reports that Ontario moves 27 regions from stay-at-home order to reopening framework effective Feb 16. CTV News

Steve Almasy, Jason Hanna, and Madeline Holcomb: officials slam grid operator as dark comes and millions go without power. CNN

Oliver Milman: heating arctic may be to blame for the snowstorms in Texas, scientists argue. The Guardian

Experts identify a variety of cotoneaster that absorbs roadside pollution. The Guardian

Ashley Strickland reports that the Perseverance rover (Percy) has successfully landed on Mars and sent back its first images. CNN

Joe Hanson (channels the Smiths): when is now? It’s okay to be smart *For more on this, read Dean Buonomano’s Your Brain is a Time Machine: The Neuroscience and Physics of Time

Emma Taggart: photographers gain access to a traditional African village where every home is a work of art. My Modern Met

Mead Gruver introduces us to Elizabeth Ann, the black-footed ferret cloned from 30-year-old DNA. Associated Press

Richard Luscombe shares video of nearly 200 manatees basking in the shallows with frolicking dolphins. Because peace and joy. The Guardian

Thanks for stopping by, and I hope you found something to inspire your next creative project.

Until next tipsday, be well and stay safe, be kind, and stay strong. The world needs your stories.

Thoughty Thursday: Things that made me go hmmmm on the interwebz, Aug 11-17, 2019

August 22, 2019August 18, 2019 / Melanie Marttila

Looking for something to trigger your next creative project? Here are some resources to get your mental corn popping.

Liam Tung: the US Navy is ditching touchscreens for physical throttles on their destroyers. Technology isn’t always our friend. ZDNet

In SciShow Space news: dark matter may have originated before the big bang. Also, what’s a neutron star glitch and what does it tell us about how the universe works?

Dr. Becky considers the “WTF” star (AKA Tabby’s star) and why its strange dimming remains a mystery.

Merrit Kennedy reports on experimental shorts that are really an exosuit that boosts endurance on the trail. NPR

Rachel Hartigan Shea take us inside Robert Ballard’s search for Amelia Earhart’s plane. National Geographic

Adrian Blomfield: Ebola has killed 2,000 people in the last year—why is it back? The Telegraph

Rachel Sugar says, in a world of chaos, escape rooms make sense. Vox

Kevin Loria: how to eat less plastic. Consumer Reports

E. Jamieson and Sadie Ryan explain how Twitter is helping the Scots language thrive in the 21st century. Because language! The Conversation

Annie Zaleski calls Kate Bush at 60 an exquisite pop genius whose influence endures. Salon

Erica Tennenhouse reports on a dolphin who adopts a baby whale and cares for it for three years. National Geographic

Nick Haddad relates the mysterious fate of the world’s largest butterfly. UnDark

Ben Hoare introduces us to seven of nature’s more colourful show-offs. Science Focus

Thanks for stopping by.

Until next tipsday, be well, be kind, and stay strong. The world needs your stories.

Thoughty Thursday: Things that made me go hmmmm on the interwebz, Oct 9-15, 2016

October 20, 2016October 16, 2016 / Melanie Marttila

Time to get your thoughty on!

This is the only post I’m sharing on the Trump thing from last week: every woman in America knows Donald Trump and Billy Bush. Erin Gloria Ryan for The Daily Beast. Seriously, after hearing him say that rapacious shit—I have no words.

Michelle Obama had plenty, however. I’ll let her speak for the outrage we should all be feeling right now:

John Ralston Saul on the CBC’s Unreserved: indigenous peoples don’t need your sympathy. They need you to take action.

And though he’s dying of brain cancer, this man is acting: watch Gord Downie’s Secret Path on CBC, October 23, 2016. It should be streamed on their web site, too, in case you’re not in Canada.

Colin Schultz remembers the day Canada burned the White House. The Smithsonian Magazine

The Roma in Peterborough. John Tyler Lyon for Canada’s History.

Medievalists.net lists ten great Anglo-Saxon girls’ names.

Marianne Ailes shares new Charlemagne research for the Medievlists.net.

This is what 18th century Paris sounded like. Erin Blakemore for The Smithsonian Magazine.

Lindsay Baker looks at the 20’s, the era that changed the way we dress. BBC

Meet the woman correspondent who scooped the world. Dominique Rowe for Time.

You know how much I love abandoned places and urban exploring. Sarah Laskow of Atlas Obscura takes us on a tour of the New York public library’s last, secret apartments.

Is there a limit to how long humans can live? Richard Faragher for Quartz.

Omid Safi states that being busy is a disease. On Being

Annette Heist looks at living with anosmia. NPR

Rose Eveleth reports that people put too much emphasis on Myers-Briggs Type Inventory results. The Smithsonian Magazine

Conversations with dolphins. CBC‘s The Nature of Things.

MIT creates a world of eternal May to help save bees. Mark Wilson for Fast Company.

The colonization of Mars could put astronauts at risk of chronic dementia. Victoria Woollaston for Wired.

Neil de Grasse Tyson and Bryan Cox debate the physics of lightsabers on StarTalk. National Geographic Channel

The good people of Minute Physics explain time’s arrow. Phil Plait for Slate.

Will you become a citizen of Asgardia, the first nation state in space? Nicola Davis for The Guardian.

And if you want to find out more, here’s the Asgardia web site.

Marcel Schwantes lists twenty ways to reduce your stress. Inc.