Thoughty Thursday

Thoughty Thursday: Things that made me go hmmmm on the interwebz, Dec 15-21, 2019

/ Melanie Marttila

It’s Boxing Day! I got up early this morning to go shopping (my once annual spree) and am now ensconced for our family get together. Take some time to get your mental corn popping with these thought provoking (or just plain fun) links.

Juli Fraga wants to help you conquer your social anxiety over the holidays. NPR

Lisa Wood Shapiro recounts her quest for clean air. Wired

Andrea Romano explains how long you should take off work to feel productive again. Travel and Leisure

Matthew Gault: the best optical illusion of the year will mess with your head. Vice

Alexandra Ossola: can algae save the planet by changing the way we eat? Quartz

Jaymi Heimbuch shares macro photos of snowflakes that reveal impossibly perfect designs. Treehugger

PBS Space Time considers the validity of cosmological natural selection (i.e. that black holes create new universes).

The fuzzy origins of the giant panda. PBS Eons

Chris Baraniuk: corvids could be the smartest animals other than primates. BBC

Joshua Rapp Learn explains why birds sing to their eggs and how these songs might help their offspring survive climate change. Smithsonian Magazine

Find out all about Leonard, the mudskipper, with Ze Frank.

Thank you for taking time out of the holiday whirlwind to stop by and peruse the offerings.

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

ThoughtyThursday2019

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

/ Melanie Marttila

As we slide into the home stretch of the week, please take some time to get your mental corn popping 🙂

Because we’re getting around to that time of year … Sweden’s St. Lucia tradition.

Sesame Street puppeteer Caroll Spinney (Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch) dies at age 85. A sad day for all Muppet maniacs. MPR News

ESA shares incredible images of Mars’ Korolev crater. RT

Jenn Granneman declares, I’m an introvert, and this is just my face. Introvert, Dear

Julia Naftulin shares a study on narcissism showing that baby boomers are more sensitive than millennials. Insider

Dr. Becky explains why the speed of light is a constant and the upper limit of the speed we could possibly achieve.

Merrit Kennedy reports on a 44,000-year-old Indonesian cave painting that’s rewriting the history of art. NPR

Emma Taggart shares Anna Speshilova’s charming watercolour illustrations of women and their animal companions. My Modern Met

Old Dog Haven discusses dementia in senior dogs. It’s never easy to say goodbye to a companion, but there’s more than just physical health to consider.

Molly Frommer reports on the sad news that the Wild at Heart wildlife rescue and refuge facility is forced to close its doors. CTV News

Thanks for the visit and I hope you found some inspiration for your next creative project.

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, Dec 1-7, 2019

/ Melanie Marttila

It’s the first post-NaNo thoughty Thursday and the videos have taken over! Time to get your mental corn popping, people 🙂

Annalee Newitz explores the possible future of public spaces on the internet: nothing lasts forever—not even on the internet. The New York Times

Dr. Becky covers the history of how we discovered what the speed of light was.

Quantum physics simplified. Arvin Ash

Michael Greshko lists the top 20 scientific discoveries of the 2010s. National Geographic

Insulin should be cheap. Here’s why it’s not. Verge Science

SciShow Psych delved into Alice in Wonderland Syndrome.

Global News’ full coverage of the 30th anniversary commemorative ceremony at École Polytecnique.

Christian Yates explains why your dog may be older than you think. Quartz

Nick Dunlop shares the spectacle of the starling and falcon dance. Murmurations aren’t just mesmerizing, they’re defensive strategies, too!

Pets talk about the holidays. Ze Frank

Thank you for visiting. I hope you found something to inspire your next creative project.

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, Oct 20-26, 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, Oct 13-19, 2019

/ Melanie Marttila

And now, a small but intriguing set of links to get your mental corn popping.

Brown dwarfs are space’s strangely important oddballs. SciShow Space

NASA astronauts Christina Koch and Jessica Meir in all-woman spacewalk. BBC

Eve Conant shows us the best and worst countries to be a woman. National Geographic

The discovery of homo naledi changes the human story. It’s okay to be smart

Diana Beresford-Kroeger says trees hold the answers to many of life’s problems. The Globe and Mail

Jessica Stewart: the largest eagles in the world have talons bigger than bear claws. My Modern Met

Cecelia Rodriguez shares 20 outstanding wildlife photographer of the year 2019 images. Forbes

True Facts about the sand bubbler crab. Ze Frank

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you found something entertaining or interesting to fuel your next creative project.

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

ThoughtyThursday2019

Thoughty Thursday: Things that made me go hmmmm on the interwebz, Oct 6-12, 2019

/ Melanie Marttila

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

Brené Brown is doubling down on love. A guiding light, this woman.

Shannon Odell looks at your brain on music. Inverse

Sara Barnes shares gravity-defying photos of determined dogs catching Frisbees in mid-air. My Modern Met

Maria Goodavage reports on the tech helping dogs learn to “talk” with humans. Wired

Researchers reveal that losing a dog can be as hard as losing any human loved one. Power of Positivity

Nathaniel Dove: bee populations recovering due to regenerative farming. Global News

Rebecca Seales researches tebori: the eye-watering art that thousands cross the world for. BBC

Lindsay J. Smith: envisioning and designing the floating future. UnDark

Ed Finn: algorithms are redrawing the space for cultural imagination. MIT Press Reader

Rob Stein shares how CRISPR therapy may help treat sickle cell disease. NPR

SciShow Space news reports on how the black hole at the centre of our galaxy “woke up” about 3.5 million years ago and the latest evidence from Cassini about the possibility of life on Enceladus.

Emily Chung announces that Saturn has just beat Jupiter for the title of “moon king” with 20 new moons confirmed. CBC

Thank you for visiting. I hope you found something to fuel your ongoing creative efforts 🙂

Until next time, 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 29-Oct 5, 2019

/ Melanie Marttila

A substantial curation of stuff to get your mental corn popping.

Claire Landsbaum interviews Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey on how far #metoo has yet to go. Vanity Fair

Teresa Write and Bob Weber: names of children who died in residential schools released in sombre ceremony. CTV News

Jason Lyons says that to pay attention, the brain uses filters, not a spotlight. Quanta Magazine

Chelsea Wald: why red means red in almost every language. Nautilus

Atossa Araxia Abrahamian says, the dream of open borders is real—in Svalbard. The Nation

Dan Charles: how Penn State is cutting greenhouse gas emissions and saving money. NPR

Brian Fagan recounts the bizarre 77,000-year history of the bed. Quartz

Ian Campbell reports on the continuing outrage that “hallway healthcare” continues at Health Sciences North. CTV News

Ashley Strickland has hope for the first all-female space walk scheduled for later this month. CNN

It’s black hole week on SciShow Space news: is the hypothetical “Planet 9” actually a primordial black hole? And … the assassin black hole (that’s not sinister at all, is it?).

Dr. Becky shares all of the latest discoveries about Jupiter’s aurora that Juno has facilitated. And the outtakes at the end are hilarious 🙂

And Physics Girl gets to see the world’s largest optical lens (going in the LSST).

Brendan I Koerner: how cities reshape the evolutionary path of urban wildlife. Wired

Kelly Richmond-Abdou tells the tale of a couple who spent 20 years replanting a forest for animals to return to. My Modern Met

Mario L. Major reports on the Australian stingless bees building stunning spiral hives (and no one’s quite sure why). Interesting Engineering

Jason Bittel lists five animals with amazing senses. Popular Science

Cats in therapy from the ever entertaining Ze Frank.

Thank you for the visit and I hope you found something to entertain or inspire your next creative project.

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 22-28, 2019

/ Melanie Marttila

Welcome back! It’s time to get your mental corn popping.

Michael Hobbes: everything you know about obesity is wrong. Huffington Post

Arvin Ash explains why we dream.

Erin Brunch explains how the “feelings wheel” reveals the complexity of your emotion. Confession: I was more interested in this for character development rather than personal development. Well and Good

SciShow Space news considered the impact (pun intended) of an ancient asteroid on Earth and the possibilities for feeding people on Mars.

Joe Pappalardo takes a squirm-inducing look at the parasites trying to control our brains. Popular Mechanics

Melissa Kent: Autumn Pelletier tells world leaders to “warrior up” to protect water. CBC

Paige Embry reports on the honeybee’s most fearsome enemy. UnDark

Michael S.A. Graziano considers the octopus: an alien among us. Literary Hub

Ze Frank gives us the True Facts of the ogre-faced spider.

A Space of Their Own, a New Online Database, Will Feature Works by 600+ Overlooked Female Artists from the 15th-19th Centuries. Open Culture

Thanks for stopping by. I hope you found something to inform or inspire you next creative project.

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 15-21, 2019

/ Melanie Marttila

It’s the usual mixed bag, this Thursday. I hope you find something here to inspire your next creative project.

Nina Munteanu shares five perspectives on humanity’s relationship to our forests.

Maya Wei-Haas: mysterious waves have been pulsing across Oklahoma. National Geographic

Matthew Green introduces us to three young women racing to defuse a carbon bomb in the arctic: the climate hunters. Reuters

Stephen Kinzer recounts the secret history of Fort Dietrick, the CIA’s base for mind control experiments. Politico

Sarah Harvey suggests trying Japan’s Kaizen method to cure insomnia and sleep anxiety. Stylist

Dr. Becky considers the engraved hourglass nebula.

Veritasium looks at the Planet 9 hypothesis.

And PBS Space Time weighs the possibilities for terraforming Mars.

Dave Linkletter reveals the ten toughest math problems ever solved. Popular Mechanics

Finally, SciShow introduces us to a snail that makes its own armour (!)

Sara Barnes shows how a natural phenomenon transforms Christian Spenser’s hummingbird photographs into rainbows. My Modern Met

Thanks for stopping by and popping your mental corn with me.

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

/ 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