Thoughty Thursday: Popping your mental corn, Jan 15-21, 2023

January 26, 2023January 22, 2023 / Melanie Marttila / Leave a comment

It is time, once again, to get your mental corn popping 🙂 Get your brain in gear for a creative weekend!

George Yancy: ableism enables all forms of inequity and hampers all liberation efforts. TruthOut

New fluorescent dye can light up the brain and help locate tricky tumours like glioblastoma. Rice University

Guy Kawasaki interviews Robert Waldinger about how to be happy. The Remarkable People Podcast

Richard Sima wonders, why do we get our best ideas in the shower? The Washington Post

Zarmminaa Rehman explains what happens when online fandoms go too far. The Walrus

Jennifer Chu: MIT engineers grow “perfect” atom-thin materials on silicon wafers (which may facilitate next generation transistors). MIT News

Billions of celestial objects revealed in gargantuan survey of the Milky Way. NoirLabAstro

Using paleogenomics to elucidate 10,000 years of immune system evolution. Institut Pasteur

Jan M. Olsen: Norway archaeologists find world’s oldest runestone. Associated Press

Sarah Gibbens explains why your recycling doesn’t always get recycled. National Geographic

Seth Borenstein: new ice core analysis shows sharp Greenland warming spike. Associated Press

Rachael Funnell: four key genes explain how the whales got so big. IFLS

Thanks for stopping by. I hope you found something to inspire a future creative project.

Until my next chapter weekly update, be well and stay safe; be kind and stay strong. The world needs your stories!

Thoughty Thursday: Popping your mental corn, Sept 4-10, 2022

September 15, 2022September 11, 2022 / Melanie Marttila

Tomorrow is Friday, and we’re halfway through September (!). Get your mental corn popping in time for the weekend 🙂

Jordan Laird provides a timeline of the Columbus police fatal shooting of Donovan Lewis. The Columbus Dispatch

Jamie Ducharme reports that US medical schools are struggling to overcome centuries of racism in healthcare. Time

Matthew Wills reveals the truth about Isabella Van Wagenen. JSTOR Daily

Lorenzo Tondo and Julian Borger: UN calls for demilitarised zone around Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant. The Guardian

Hanna Arhirova and Yuras Karmanau report that Ukraine claws back territory. Associated Press

China earthquake death count rises to 74 as lockdown anger grows. Associated Press

Two suspects sought for Saskatchewan stabbings now face charges, 10 dead and injured count rises to 18. CBC

Julie Steenhuysen and Jennifer Rigby reveal long covid’s link to suicide: scientists warn of hidden crisis. Reuters

James Gallagher: new malaria vaccine is world-changing, say scientists. BBC

Buckingham Castle announces that Queen Elizabeth II died on September 8, 2022. BBC

Clark Quinn recommends you test and tune your learning solutions. Learnlets

Derek Thompson: your career is just one eighth of your life. The Atlantic

Why you should daydream. Elizabeth Cox | TED-Ed

Simon Lewson explains what Canada’s largest art heist reveals about the art world’s shady side. The Walrus

Manuel Ausloos and Sybille de La Hamaide report that restoration of Notre Dame’s smoke-damaged stained glass begins. Reuters

Maggie Zhou: you’re not scared of failing, you’re scared of succeeding. Refinery 29

Guy Kawasaki interviews Cassie Holmes about applying the science of happiness to life. The Remakable People Podcast

Hasima Khatib tells you how to survive 2022’s third Mercury retrograde starting September 9^th. Vogue

Will Sullivan reveals that a lunchbox-sized device is making oxygen on Mars. The Smithsonian Magazine

Donna Lu reports that a new solar-powered invention creates hydrogen fuel from the atmosphere. The Guardian

Scott FaLee explains how changes in length of day affect the brain and subsequent behaviour. UC San Diego

Yvaine Ye reports that embryos with DNA from three people develop normally in first safety study. Nature

Brian Handwerk: the earliest known amputation was performed 31,000 years ago in Borneo. The Smithsonian Magazine

Yvonne Gordon wonders what ancient secrets lie beneath this little-known Irish bog? National Geographic

Bob Yirka reports that over 90% of identifiable trash in the North Pacific Garbage Patch comes from just six countries. And Canada and the US are two of them 😦 Phys.org

Clodagh Kilcoyne and Conor Humphries: Irish nuns bid to turn their convent green. Reuters

True facts: parasitic birds. Ze Frank

How tardigrades bear dehydration. University of Tokyo

Giulia de Amicis presents a fascinating infographic depicting 40 different animal sleep patterns. Visual Capitalist

Thank you for visiting, and I hope you found something to inspire a future creative project.

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

Thoughty Thursday: Popping your mental corn, June 12-18, 2022

June 23, 2022June 19, 2022 / Melanie Marttila

It’s thoughty Thursday, and you know what that means. It’s time to get your mental corn popping!

Guy Kawasaki interviews John Biewen, author, journalist, and documentarian, about the origins of racism. The Remarkable People Podcast

Jon talks with Isabel Wilkerson about white resentment. The Problem with Jon Stewart

Jazmin Graves Eyssallenne introduces us to Mumbai, where Indian Ocean diasporas and cosmopolitanisms meet. JSTOR Daily

Hans van der Burchard, Clea Caulcutt, Christopher Miller, and Jules Darmanin: Germany, France, and Italy back EU candidate status for Ukraine. Politico

Danica Kirka: UK cancels first flight deporting asylum-seekers to Rwanda. Associated Press

Marie Woolf reports that the “Whiskey War” between Canada and Denmark over tiny arctic island ends peacefully with deal. CTV News

Cameron Mclean reports that retired priest, 92, charged after decade-long investigation into residential school sexual assault. CBC

Peggy Lam reveals that specialized clinics to treat long covid are in demand, and physicians say they can’t keep up. CBC

Jessica Stilllman suggests you try this magic two-minute, research-backed trick for a better night’s sleep. Inc.

Romano Santos wonders, are you sleeping properly? Vice

Emily Graslie explains how shoulders took over the world. SciShow

Jessica Thiefels shares everything you need to be happier, according to science. Fast Company

Clark Quinn: critical instructional design (ID)/learning experience design (LXD) differences? Learnlets

Rachel Triesman advises the best way to was the Strawberry Full Moon (on June 14^th). NPR

Marcia Dunn reports that NASA launches study of UFOs despite “reputational risk.” Associated Press

Diana introduces us to a new phase of matter: 4^th dimensional time crystals. Physics Girl

Olivia Box: turf algae and kelp forests. JSTOR Daily

Katie Hunt explains why cats go crazy for catnip. CNN

Thank you for spending some time with me. I hope you took away something to inspire a future creative project.

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

Tipsday: Writerly Goodness found on the interwebz, March 14-20, 2021

March 23, 2021March 21, 2021 / Melanie Marttila

Spring has sprung, the grass is ris’, do you know where your informal writerly learnings is? Sorry. Old rhyme from childhood (if you substitute birdies for informal writerly learnings). I prolly should have left it there, eh?

Karen Abbott-Trimuel asks, are you happy? Vaughn Roycroft is waking from a dream. Then, Dave King shares another episode of the reality show. Stacey Allagood offers six writing lessons from an actual backyard gardener. Writer Unboxed

Does your book need a prologue? Reedsy

Janice Hardy shares four ways a strong point of view strengthens a novel. Later in the week, Bonnie Randall considers the intersection between cathartic writing and cathartic reading. Fiction University

What is a denouement and how do you write one? Reedsy

K.M. Weiland continues her archetypal character arcs series with part six: the crone arc. Helping Writers Become Authors

Self-care for writers. These are truly excellent. Shaelin Writes

Monya Baker offers six tips for writing in deep third person point of view. Then, Nancy Stohlman considers jealousy in the age of quarantine: the green-eyed monster. Jane Friedman

For St. Patrick’s Day, Emily Zarka looks at the leprechaun: from gold-loving cobbler to cultural icon Monstrum | PBS Storied

Julie Glover explains what happens when illness interrupts your writing. Writers in the Storm

Lucy V. Hay points out three things worth thinking about before you start your novel. Writers Helping Writers

WandaVision’s sitcom universe. The Take

Nathan Bransford recounts a year of covid.

Ambre Dawn Leffler recommends you sync your creative process with birdsong. Heather Campbell lists five ways writing a novel is like running a marathon. Then, Alexander Weinstein introduces us to 4^th person perspective: the we without an I. DIY MFA

The origins of the e-girl. The Take

Chuck Wendig tackles the craft question, should writers write every day? Terribleminds

Chris Winkle helps you understand conflict and tension. Then, Oren Ashkenazi is (facetiously) taking the politics out of six popular stories. Mythcreants

El Jones’ poem, “Glass Hands,” is everything I want to say about the pandemic. CBC’s “The Current”

Sierra Garcia: how early sci-fi authors imagined climate change. JSTOR Daily

Thank you for taking the time to visit, and I hope you found something to support your current work in progress.

Until Thursday, be well and stay safe, my writerly friends!

Thoughty Thursday: Things that made me go hmmmm on the interwebz, April 5-11, 2020

April 16, 2020April 12, 2020 / Melanie Marttila

This week’s curation is a mix of ways to entertain yourself, covid-19-adjacent articles, and general thoughtiness. It’s time to get your mental corn popping.

Sydney Perkowitz: how to see the invisible universe. JSTOR Daily

Jamie Cater says, your cosmic address is the trippiest thing you’ll learn today. Travel + Leisure

Space germs were a literal thing. Why the Apollo 11 astronauts were quarantined. Vox

Brian Ferguson reveals Scotland’s claim to fame as the birthplace of the f-word (and an interesting BBC documentary to watch if you have access). The Scotsman

Erin Blakemore explains why plague doctors wore those strange beaked masks. National Geographic

Arthur C. Brooks shares the three equations of a happy life. The Atlantic

Livia Gershon explains how people during the Depression managed to laugh. JSTOR Daily

Mary Alice Miller: digital burnout was coming, and the pandemic is expediting it. Vanity Fair

Jonathan Watts shares his journey into the Antarctic. The Guardian

Jessica Leigh Hester wants you to let your mind wander with these gloriously detailed maps. Atlas Obscura

Zoe Baillargeon recommends the best online cooking classes and tutorials. The Manual

Camryn Rabideau suggests six indoor gardening projects for *any* size of home. Food52

SciShow introduces us to the white smokers of The Lost City and how they may have had a role in the origin of life on our planet.

Atlas Obscura shares images of Puzzlewood, the inspiration for the Lord of the Rings movie.

Corinne Segal shares this livestream of the bird library for you and your cat(s) to enjoy. Literary Hub

Jonna Jinton – The Wolf Song

Thank you for stopping by. I hope you took away something to inspire your next creative project, or just to fill the well until inspiration strikes.

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

ThoughtyThursday2019

Thoughty Thursday: Things that made me go hmmmm on the interwebz, Oct 20-26, 2019

October 31, 2019October 27, 2019 / Melanie Marttila

Happy Hallowe’en! It’s all treats and no tricks here—time to get your mental corn popping.

Gideon Lichfield: has Google achieved quantum supremacy? MIT Technology Review

Sarah Todd extols the metaphorical power of NASA’s all-woman space walk. Quartz

Fiona Macdonald: for the first time, scientists have observed a giant magnetic bridge between galaxies. Science Alert

It’s okay to be smart considers what plants might look like on other planets.

Neurologist Caroline Shannon Karasik shares the five things she does to keep her brain healthy. Well and Good

Claire Bugos explains what millions of books have taught us about 200 years of happiness. The Smithsonian Magazine

Hari Sreenivasan: how Sesame Street is still supporting families, 50 years after its debut. PBS

Waylon Lewis: Fuck minimalism. Fuck modernism. Give me joyously cluttered, antique, upcycled, and repurposed. The Elephant Journal

The remnants of Queen Elizabeth I’s sole surviving dress found in rural church. CBC’s “As it Happens.”

Geology In looks at fulgurites: when lightning strikes sand, magic happens. Actually science. Science happens 🙂

Justine Hunter reports: BC introduces legislation to align its laws and policies with the UN Indigenous rights declaration. The Globe and Mail

Kyle Chayka says Iceland’s tourism boom isn’t a boon. Vox

Stephen J. Bronner reports that lab-grown meat can not only fight climate change, but it can also offer other benefits. Inverse

Chelsea Papineau: two white “spirit moose” seen at the side of northern Ontario highway. CTV

Dina Templeton-Raston says that elephants under attack have a new ally in AI. NPR

Tioga takes us inside the mind of a very good boy. Outside Online

Related: Ze Frank offers insight into dogs in therapy.

Thanks for the visit. Hope you found what you need to make your next creative project scary-good!

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

ThoughtyThursday2019

Thoughty Thursday: Things that made me go hmmmm on the interwebz, Sept 8-14, 2019

September 19, 2019September 15, 2019 / Melanie Marttila

And now … it’s time to get your mental corn popping.

Erika W. Smith reveals the spiritual reason Friday the thirteenth is considered unlucky. Refinery29

Cassie Shortsleeves explains why being near water really does make us happier. Conde Nast Traveler Magazine

Rod McCullom reveals how bullying may shape adolescent brains. UnDark

SciShow Psych looks at the varieties of bipolar disorder.

Sophia Chen: Sean Carroll thinks we all exist on multiple worlds. Nabbed his book, Something Deeply Hidden, on the strength of this article. A little mind-blowing 🙂 Wired

Gabriel Popkin explores soil’s microbial market and the ruthless side of forests. Ties the “wood wide web” to the Gaia hypothesis—awesome stuff. Quanta Magazine

David Gelles: Jane Goodall keeps going, with a lot of hope (and a bit of whiskey). The New York Times

Physics girl looks at the surprising ways Mars is hostile to life.

Dr. Becky answers the question, if the universe is expanding, why do galaxies collide?

Andrew Lasane introduces us to the “Universe of Words” installation by Emmanuelle Moureaux. This is Colossal

Jessica Stewart shares 15 powerful finalists for the 2019 wildlife photograph of the year contest. Warning: though compelling, several of these photos are uncomfortable, if not outright disturbing. My Modern Met

Thanks for visiting. I hope you found something to inspire your current or next creative project.

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

ThoughtyThursday2019

Thoughty Thursday: Things that made me go hmmmm on the interwebz, Jan 27-Feb 2, 2019

February 7, 2019February 3, 2019 / Melanie Marttila

Time to tickle those neurons and get your mental corn popping!

Ashley Whillans looks at what time poverty is doing to us: time for happiness. The Harvard Business Review

Amanda Kooser reveals how NASA watches the wild polar vortex from space. Cnet

SciShow Space explains how the collision that created the moon could have provided Earth with the elements of life and how stellar occultation can help us figure out how the collisions that originally formed the planets of our solar system happened. Whew!