Thoughty Thursday: Things that made me go hmmmm on the interwebz, Oct 26-Nov 1, 2014

Last week, it was the attack on Parliament Hill that was the big news. This week, and many would say even eclipsing last week’s drama, is Jian Gomeshi. If you’ve been living under a rock somewhere, I’ll just let you catch up.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/arts/jian-ghomeshi-host-of-q-no-longer-with-cbc-1.2813670

http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2014/10/26/jian-ghomeshi-cbc_n_6050220.html

http://sexgeek.wordpress.com/2014/10/27/poor-persecuted-pervert/

http://theovercast.ca/real-take-away-message-news-jian-ghomeshi/

http://ellebeaver.com/2014/10/27/how-not-to-react-to-jian-ghomeshis-pr-statement/

http://whatever.scalzi.com/2014/10/31/jian-ghomeshi-and-the-women-he-knew/


 

When reporting harassment, you are not the problem. Mary Robinette Kowal.

The secret dual lives of people with mental illness. Behold.


 

To counteract all that: The science of happiness. Soul Pancake.

 

Ursula K. LeGuin on aging and true beauty. Brainpickings.

The first taste of freedom of six animals caught on film. IFLS.

The World Trade Centre ship mystery solved. IFLS.

Debris from Amelia Earhart’s plane found. IFLS.

Notebook from the Scott expedition discovered and restored. IFLS.

Archaeologists discover mystery fairies and a buried pagan cross in Wicklow. IrishCentral.

What happens to blood when viper venom is added to it. Rare.

Can we get Ebola from dead bodies? Ask a mortician.

 

NASA spots jack-o-lantern in the sun in time for Hallowe’en. IFLS.

NASA 360 presents: from science fiction to science fact.

 

The warped astrophysics of Interstellar. Wired.

Michio Kaku talks about the possibilities of the future. YSNews.

Scientific explanations for monsters. IFLS.

The creepiest looking animals in the world. IFLS.

These are some creepy photos. Whether or not they are truly ghosts captured on film, well, I’ll leave that up to you.

Video of same:

 

The Celtic roots of Hallowe’en. Jodi McIsaac.

 

A squirrel drunk on fermented pumpkin attempts to climb a tree . . . Cottage Life.

Penguin bloopers 🙂

 

Daniel Radcliffe raps for Jimmy Fallon. Huffington Post.

Get thoughty with it 🙂

See you Saturday!

Thoughty Thursday

Thoughty Thursday: Things that made me go hmmmm on the interwebs, Sept 21-27, 2014

Fast Company presents this lovely infographic on humanity’s greatest architectural achievements since pre-history. Fascinating.

Geoglyphs found in Kazakhstan. IFLS.

How fire may cave shaped our preference for evening entertainment. The Economist.

Thirteen misconceptions about global warming from Veritasium.

 

The top ten unsolved mysteries of science. IFLS. Yes. There’s still stuff we don’t know 😉

The physics of space battles from It’s Okay to be Smart:

 

David Brin peers into the future of AI and robot brains. Contrary Brin.

Michio Kaku: Science fiction is becoming science fact. THOnline.com.

Scientists band together to Stand up to Cancer. Upworthy.

We’re getting closer to finding a solution to spinal cord injuries. IFLS. Today, rats. Tomorrow, the world 🙂

Your brain makes decisions while you sleep. IFLS. This explains the 3 a.m. epiphany 🙂

Madness and the muse from the Chronicle of Higher Education. Is there a real connection between mental illness and creativity, or are we focusing on the wrong data? As a writer with depression who knows other writers with depression, I’m predisposed to the positive correlation. As Mr. Science likes to remind me, however, correlation is not scientific proof, and the numbers can be manipulated to say just about anything the person collecting them wants. Keep that in mind when you hear about “the latest study on . . .” whatever. While math is the basis of physics, and therefore the hard sciences, statistics tends to be the basis for many of the so-called soft sciences (psychology, sociology, etc.). Numbers can be manipulated by the clever statistician. I’m not saying they always are, but it’s something to think about.

A blood test for depression shows that the disease is not a matter of will. The Huffington Post.

This has been all over the web in the last week: Emma Watson’s speech at the UN on achieving gender equality. #HeForShe

 

There are seven kinds of English surnames according to Ancestry.com. Which do you have? Though my surname is Finnish, there’s a town in Finland called Marttila. It means St. Martin. So I have a surname based on a place.

Over 25 applications that can make your life easier from the TED blog.

Three Clydesdales born at Warm Springs Ranch. KSDK.com.

And, kind of related, Budweiser’s latest anti-drinking and driving ad is a real tear-jerker. 93.1 WPOC.

This cat is an opera singer. Just add scratchies.

 

Batman Evolution from The Piano Guys. This is just cool. And it gave me the shivers.

 

Jimmy Fallon has so much fund with his guests. In this clip, the fabulous Robert Plant!

 

Sudbury has seen a lot of film crews in the last few years. Here’s a wee news clip about the latest shoot. CTV News Northern Ontario.

And that’s a wrap.

See you Saturday 🙂

Thoughty Thursday

Thoughty Thursday: Things that made me go hmmmm on the interwebz March 16-22, 2014

Thoughty ThursdayPinterest boards for writers. Do they inspire you? They inspired me to join Pinterest (finally).
http://thewritelife.com/20-inspiring-pinterest-boards-for-writers/

Inspiration can come from the strangest places:

Emily Hart addresses the issue of her depression.

46 powerful things Shane Koyczan wants you to hear:
http://www.upworthy.com/having-a-bad-day-heres-46-powerful-things-you-should-really-hear?c=tpstream

33 tips that will help you deal with stress.
http://www.positivityblog.com/index.php/2014/03/12/how-to-deal-with-stress/

10 simple habits that could make you happier …
http://www.spring.org.uk/2014/03/10-simple-habits-proven-to-make-you-happier.php

And if all that fails, try this cover of “Happy” by Walk off the Earth and Parachute.

Jimmy Fallon is a guy who really knows how to have fun … with Billy Joel:

And with Kevin Bacon:
http://www.nbc.com/the-tonight-show/video/kevin-bacons-footloose-entrance/2764458

How spouses can help with the research from Barbara Kyle:
https://www.goodreads.com/author_blog_posts/5957418-henry-viii-my-husband-and-the-pissing-drunkard

120 year old photos of Ireland, colourized.
http://mentalfloss.com/article/30263/fantastic-120-year-old-color-pictures-ireland

More photos, this time from the 1930s. Interesting indeed.
http://www.topdesignmag.com/20-very-interesting-photos-from-the-30s/

Why kids need pets:
http://hopeshared.com/22-photos-that-prove-babies-need-pets-number-17-especially/

Imogen Heap. Need I say more?

If you like that, just wait until you see what she’s working on now. I think you may want to visit Kickstarter 🙂
http://www.dezeen.com/2014/03/20/imogen-heap-funding-drive-for-gloves-that-turn-gestures-into-music/

And that’s a wrap!