Thoughty Thursday: Things that made me go hmmmm on the interwebz, Oct 1-7, 2017

October 12, 2017October 8, 2017 / Melanie Marttila

Just a little bit of thoughty this week.

Julie Ireton: report says Phoenix was doomed from the start. CBC

What new Governor General Julie Payette’s coat of arms means. CBC

Sherri Borden Colley: after 200 years without a land title, Nova Scotia black communities offered hope. CBC

David Eagleman explores the impact of neuroscience on the criminal justice system: the brain on trial. The Atlantic

SciShow news: how to bring someone back from a vegetative state and generating energy from evaporation.

ASAP Science: how to learn faster.

Robert Wicks on the necessity of self-care:

I hope something in this mix got your mental corn popping.

Fare thee well until the weekend!

thoughtythursday2016

Thoughty Thursday: Things that made me go hmmmm on the interwebz, Sept 24-30, 2017

October 5, 2017October 1, 2017 / Melanie Marttila

It’s time to get your mental corn popping!

Ibram Kendi, one of Americas leading racism scholars, says that love and education aren’t the answer. Lonnae O’Neal for The Undefeated.

Reni Eddo-Lodge posted this back in 2014: why I’m no longer talking to white people about race.

The reaction to the post, both from people of colour who shared her experience, and by white people who were changed by the post and begged her not to withdraw from the conversation, led Reni to write a book of the same name.

Now that book is out.

Colin Grant reviewed Reni and her book for The Guardian earlier this year: why “racism is a white problem.”

And, just last week, she was interviewed on The Link.

Do we really have two brains? It’s okay to be smart

And, honestly, I couldn’t not share this one. SciShow answers the question, why do your farts smell worse in the shower? Oh yeah. They went there 🙂

SoulSpot presents the Native American version of the zodiac.

Yes. This is silly. But we all need some silly sometimes, amirite? If you feel sad, just remember, horses can grow moustaches. Bored Panda

A puppy’s life – 1 day per second. What a mush face!

And that was thoughty Thursday.

Be well until the weekend!

thoughtythursday2016

Thoughty Thursday: Things that made me go hmmmm on the interwebz, July 16-22, 2017

July 27, 2017July 23, 2017 / Melanie Marttila

At this moment, I’m somewhere over the Atlantic (I hope) on my way to Hamburg via Reykjavik. And so , yes, this will be your last dose of thoughty for a few weeks.

The CBC takes a look at how the Phoenix debacle has affected Sudbury’s public servants.

Melanie Lefebvre: it’s not my job to teach you about Indigenous people. The Walrus

Yvette Brend explains how Indigenous fire wisdom is the key to megafire prevention. CBC

Willie Drye reports that Blackbeard’s ship is now confirmed to be off North Carolina’s coast. National Geographic

Tom Spender: teleportation of photons today, humans tomorrow? BBC

SciShow: CERN’s new particle and the oldest form of (animal) life.

Brenda Knowles offers some tips for coping with social anxiety and how to build resilience. Space2Live

Mark Brown: report reveals that the arts help in recovery from mental illness. The Guardian

Peter Dinklage – light up the night

Emily Reynolds reports on ravens and their theory of mind. Wired

Bored Panda lists 50 of the happiest dog memes ever.

I hope to be back on the blogging horse on the weekend of August 19 with a post about the Writing Excuses cruise.

Be well until my return.

Thoughty Thursday: Things that made me go hmmmm on the interwebz, April 23-29, 2017

May 4, 2017April 30, 2017 / Melanie Marttila

Lots for the visual learner this week 🙂

I’ll just leave this here … Andrea Wallace shares her struggle with the failed Phoenix pay system. Medium

SciShow marches for science.

Deborah Tannen examines the (sometimes unintentional) subtext of digital conversations. The Atlantic

Why can’t you use your phone on a plane? SciShow

Rachel Ginder: introverts don’t hate people, they hate shallow socializing. Introvert, Dear

Veritasium looks at the sun sneeze gene (don’t know what that is? I didn’t either!)

Sandrine Ceurstremont reports that female dragonflies will fake sudden death to avoid unwanted male advances. This made me lolz. Way to go, ladies 😉 New Scientist

Dogs are doggos: an internet language built around love for the puppers. Jessica Boddy for NPR.

And speaking of dogs … kind of … this seal just wants a belly rub 🙂

Shel – Enter Sandman. Eerie and beautiful.

Now that your mental corn is popping (I hope) I shall leave you to your own devices until the weekend.

Be well until next I blog.

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Thoughty Thursday: Things that made me go hmmmm on the interwebz, April 2-8, 2017

April 13, 2017April 9, 2017 / Melanie Marttila / 2 Comments

It’s a mixed bag of thoughty inspiration and entertainment this week to get your mental corn popping 🙂

Everyone is born creative, but schools educate us out of it. Tham Khai Meng for The Guardian.

Self-described woodland hellbitch Rachael Stephen wants to become more informed (since the world is on fire).

Dhruv Khullar: how social isolation is killing us. The New York Times

Alex Pasternack examines the vast, secretive face database that could instantly ID you in a crowd. Fast Company

Andrew Rosenblum: the factories of the future could float in space. Popular Mechanics

Mike Wall reports on the new campaign that hopes to produce a picture of a black hole. Space

Canker sores are … ew. But the Sci Show has some tips to fend them off and make them go away more quickly.

Veritasium looks at the Bayesian Theorem and its applications (including spam).

Joobin Bekhrad looks at Zoroastrianism, the obscure religion that shaped the west. BBC

Ephrat Livni reports that the Japanese practice of “forest bathing” has been scientifically proven to improve health. Quartz

Kabul’s Wushu warriors.

Signe Dean: squid and octopus evolution is officially weirder than we imagined. Science Alert

Pentatonix covers Bohemian Rhapsody.

I hope something got the ideas pinging off the inside of your skull (mental popcorn).

Be well until the weekend. Virtual hugs.

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

April 28, 2016April 28, 2016 / Melanie Marttila

Lots of videos for your edutainment this week 🙂

Science confirms: men are terrified of smart women. I was sceptical. Not all men are like Phil, or most of the men I know, I guess. The Mind Journal.

Speaking of smart women . . . Melissa McCarthy can’t get respect. The Vulture.

Lolly Daskal shares seven rituals successful people use to de-stress and stay productive. Inc.

Jordan Gray asks four honest-as-fuck questions that we can use to chart our courses to bliss.

Money can buy happiness, but only if you spend it the right way. Quartz.

Tor Constantino helps us switch from pursuing happiness to being happy with these five tips. Entrepreneur.

James Webb writes about existential depression in gifted children. Creatives of any age tend to succumb to this. The Unbounded Spirit.

Time captures the aftermath of the recent Japan earthquakes.

Tesla unveils a new battery that can power your home off the grid. Eat Tomorrow.

NASA saw something come out of a black hole for the first time. Blastr.

On SciShow: Restless leg syndrome. It’s a thing. I have it when I get anaemic.

It’s okay to be smart looks at how slime molds are redefining our idea of intelligence.

ASAP Thought wonders, what makes tattoos permanent?

And . . . should you swear more often?

Ask a Mortician delves into a bog body murder mystery.

Patrick Lynch supplies proof that the Pythagorean Theorem predated Pythagoras. Phys.org

The White Wolf Pack shares some amazing photos of the Sami, Finland’s indigenous people.

If you like abandoned places as much as I do, you owe it to yourself to check out Iris van Wolferen’s site.

Dangerous Minds presents Herbert Baglione’s eerie shadow paintings in an abandoned psychiatric hospital.

Ten really weird crow facts. Aves Noir.

Beethoven’s 5th in the style of Chopin by Syd R. Duke.

Les frissons musicale! The Amalgamation Choir.

And, on that note (pun intended) I’m out of here until next Tipsday!

Have a fabulous weekend!

Thoughty Thursday

Thoughty Thursday: Things that made me go hmmmm on the interwebz, September 6-12, 2015

September 17, 2015 / Melanie Marttila / 1 Comment

Making up for last week (!)

And happy Friday (yeah, I’m posting this late . . .)!

Brené Brown writes about the physics of vulnerability and what resilient people have in common. Brainpickings.

How Katrina turned a psychiatrist into a coroner. The Atlantic.

Why some people are left-handed. Brainpickings.

Upworthy presents a comic that accurately sums up depression and anxiety and the uphill battle of living with them.

You are home. The Bloggess offers a lovely video and message in honour of World Suicide Prevention Day.

Bianca Sparacino explores how we ruin our lives without realizing it. Thought Catalog.

Everyday fantasia: the world of synesthesia. The American Psychological Association.

Your brain is particularly vulnerable to trauma at two distinct ages. Quartz.

Brainpickings shares Carl Sagan’s thoughts on the meaning of life.

Tornados on the sun? Yup. As long as they’re plasma tornados 🙂 IFLS.

The Daily Dot presents the twelve best science shows on YouTube. I follow several of these 🙂

Here are a couple of them now.

Is body shaming helpful? ASAP Thought.

And SciShow answers the question, why don’t spiders stick to their own webs?

Why people’s opinions of you aren’t real:

Homo Naledi, a new species in human lineage, is found in a South African cave. The New York Times.

The White Wolf Pack shares ten fascinating facts about ravens.

And my musical find of the week is Iron & Wine – Boy with a coin:

Have fun, and I’ll see you on Saturday.

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

August 27, 2015 / Melanie Marttila / 4 Comments

Lots of video fun this week 🙂

La Atwood’s hair-larious article in The National Post.

The article was pulled and then reposted, prompting this response in The Globe and Mail.

Professors exile laptops from the classroom. The Globe and Mail.

Buzzfeed presents seventeen graphs that perfectly describe being an introvert.

The lasting impact of natural disaster. The New Yorker.

Lakes across Canada face being turned into mine dump sites. Our water is a natural resource, too. CBC.

What happened when a girl was bullied for liking Star Wars. i09.

Have they found the ancient remains of a real life warrior princess? i09.

Nazi train loaded with gold reported found in Poland. CBC.

Photographer Kristy Mitchell’s “Wonderland” project and how her grief transformed into beauty.

Our greatest delusion. Veritasium.

Smoking vs. vaping. Is one better than the other? Smoker that I am, I think I have to concede that neither is part of a healthy living 😉 ASAP Science.