Thoughty Thursday

Thoughty Thursday: Things that made me go hmmmm on the interwebz, March 4-10, 2018

/ Melanie Marttila

It’s a very small Thoughty Thursday this week. I blame the travel and the illen. I hope to have a little more brain in coming weeks.

John Pavlovitz: acknowledging our grief anniversaries.

Nikhil Sonnad explains how the “forgetting curve” makes learning difficult. Quartz

Manisha Krishnan: dear white people, please stop pretending reverse racism is real. Vice

Lisa Odjig, hoop dancer. Elle Magazine, the movement.

 

An awesome resource: native-land.ca Ever wanted to know what indigenous land you’re on? Now you can figure it out. Includes North America and Australia.

I hope that something in this curation got your mental corn popping.

Be well until the weekend!

thoughtythursday2016

Thoughty Thursday: Things that made me go hmmmm on the interwebz, Feb 25-March 3, 2018

/ Melanie Marttila

I hope you find something that gets your mental corn popping in this small mixed bag of goodies.

Rachel Giese: why masculinity needs to be the next big conversation in the #metoo movement. Chatelaine

Dr. Brian Goldman interviews women in medicine about their experiences with sexual harassment. CBC’s White Coat, Black Art.

Sarah E. Baires: white settlers buried the truth about the Midwest’s mound cities. The Smithsonian Magazine

Matthew Schuler: why creative people sometimes make no sense. Yeah, it’s from 2013, but it’s interesting, no?

Tom Simonite reports on how an AI is being used to help stroke victims. Time is brain. Wired

Ravens are evolving, but not in the way you’d expect. Mr. Science has always told me that evolution is adaptation, but not necessarily improvement. What may be perceived as a negative, may actually be positive, though. Jason Bittel for National Geographic.

This made me happy-cry: humans reunited with dogs.

 

And that was Thoughty Thursday for the week.

Be well until the weekend!

thoughtythursday2016

Thoughty Thursday: Things that made me go hmmmm on the interwebz, Feb 18-24, 2018

/ Melanie Marttila / 1 Comment

Here are a few links to get your mental corn popping (making creative connections).

Anna Mehler Paperny begs your attention: no, Canada does not spend more on refugees than on its seniors. It’s a big misunderstanding that needs correction. Global News

Adam Gopnik: four truths about the Florida school shooting. The New Yorker

Ed Brayton says, the problem is toxic masculinity, not mental illness. Patheos

Peter Kruger cribs from The Princess Bride. Why does the NPR station have so much propaganda against Trump? Quora

Elizabeth Chuck reports on women, harassed in medicine, await their #metoo reckoning. NBC News

Olga Khazan examines a paradox: the more gender equality, the fewer women in STEM. The Atlantic

Rachael Stephen describes the cognitive behavioural therapy method in this next instalment of her series on mental health.

 

Phil Plait: Osiris-X looks home from far, far away. SyFy

An amateur astronomer spots a supernova, right as it begins. Ryan F. Mandelbaum for Gizmodo.

Megan Senseney surveys hygiene practices of the middle ages. Healthy Way

Anna Lovind writes an ode to winter.

Enjoy the evocative work of women artists of the Canadian Inuit. Women Arts Blog

Chris Wright wonders, can you hack coral to save it? Outside

John Vidal: a eureka moment for the planet; we’re finally planting trees again. The Guardian

Andy Coghlan reports how trees have been seen resting their branches while they “sleep.” New Scientist

Ephrat Livni: heart of barkness. Japanese “forest medicine” is the art of using nature to heal yourself, wherever you are. Quartz

Bored Panda shares Grace Gogarty’s hilarious guide to dog breeds.

Be well until the weekend.

thoughtythursday2016

Thoughty Thursday: Things that made me go hmmmm on the interwebz, Feb 11-17, 2018

/ Melanie Marttila

Happy Friday Eve! Here’s a little something to get the mental corn popping.

Sad stuff first …

Kyle Edwards: the Gerald Stanley verdict is a terrifying blow to reconciliation. McLean’s

Rachel Giese wonders why Colton Boushie’s mother has had to work so hard to prove her son’s humanity? Chatelaine

Tage Rai: the myth that mental illness causes mass shootings. Behavioral Scientist

Max Fisher and Josh Keller examine the reason there are so many mass shootings in the US. The New York Times

Sean Illing interviews Steven Pinker for Vox: the case for optimism.

Katherine Ellen Foley explains why we cringe when someone else embarrasses themselves. It’s all about empathy. Quartzy

Chuck Wendig offers some quick thoughts on managing anxiety. Terribleminds

Emily Hartridge gives us an update on her anxiety and how she deals.

 

SciShow Psych: myths about schizophrenia.

 

SciShow Psych: dissociative identity disorder.

 

How Tim Lomas discovered there are (at least) 14 different kinds of love by analysing the world’s languages. The Conversation

Mireia Movellán Luis profiles the rise and fall of the mighty Minoans. National Geographic

SciShow: thunder snow. We have that up here 😉

 

Katherine Zuckerman thinks that if birds left tracks in the sky, they’d look like these amazing photos by Xavi Bou. National Gerographic

Check out this collection of leaf insects—love the ones that look like little flowers! Daily Motion

The BBC News reports on the fall of a 1,000-year-old tree in Wales.

Zoey Peresman reviews Kate Bush’s The Kick inside on its 40th anniversary. Stereo Gum

Be well until the weekend!

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Thoughty Thursday: Things that made me go hmmmm on the interwebz, Feb 4-10, 2018

/ Melanie Marttila

Thought Thursday is here, and you know what that means … tomorrow is Friday! Happy Friday eve!

This is why Uma Thurman is angry. Maureen Dowd for The New York Times.

Gemma Hartley says that the equal distribution of emotional labour is the key to gender equality. Harper’s Bazaar

Author Roni Loren writes a personal post about hormones, stress, and sneaky depression.

Ed Yong studied his own articles to improve the gender balance of his reporting. The Atlantic

John Pavlovitz: no, you’re not tired of being politically correct.

The Economist is thinking about natives in an era of nativism.

Hannah Devlin reports on the DNA analysis of Cheddar Man and the revelation that the first modern Britons had dark to black skin. The Guardian

Cleve R. Wootson: Maya civilisation was vaster than thought, as thousands of newly discovered structures reveal. The Washington Post

Phil Plait shares Mike Olbinski’s time-lapse storm video, Breathe. SyFy

Whistler Deep Sky II – David McColm Photography

 

Ashley Hamer: yes, a donut-shaped planet is technically possible. Curiosity

Tariq Malik reports on the SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket’s historic maiden voyage. Space

Andrea Morris introduces us to the woman teaching artificial intelligence about human values. Forbes

Rafi Letzter examines how an ancient virus may be responsible for human consciousness. Live Science

World War II spitfire pilot Mary Ellis from the Isle of Wight turns 100. BBC

Dangerous Minds profiles the Victorian woman who drew pictures of ghosts.

The astonishing science of what trees feel and how they communicate. Peter Wohlleben’s The Hidden Life of Trees. Maria Popova, Brain Pickings.

Hooria Jazaieri points out three things we still don’t know about meditation (and how to read studies critically). Mindful

Steven Parton explores the science of happiness and why complaining is literally killing you. Curious Apes

Mohammed Al-Mosaiwi: people with depression are more likely to say certain words. Quartz

Truth Potato tells it like it is. Bored Panda

Piper, a short film by Disney Pixar.

 

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

Be well until the weekend.

thoughtythursday2016

Thoughty Thursday: Things that made me go hmmmm on the interwebz, Jan 28-Feb 3, 2018

/ Melanie Marttila

Here are a few things to get your mental corn popping!

Michael Carroll: the richness of everyday life. Mindful

That F word. The state of feminism in the wake of Weinstein and the #metoo movement. CBC’s “Out in the Open” with Pia Chattopadhyay.

Annett Heide introduces us to Maxi Bauermeister, who lives as both a man and a woman. Zeit Magazin

A conversation with Native Americans on race. The New York Times Op-Docs season 6 by Michele Stephenson and Brian Young.

Miranda Larbi shares photos of 19th century interracial couples—incredible examples of love overcoming law. Metro

The Bell Let’s Talk Day impact video. I’ve participated/supported the event for years now.

 

Phil Plait: no, the eclipse and a planetary alignment will not cause massive earthquakes. Sheesh. SyFy

I’m an unapologetic lunatic, so the super moon/blue moon/eclipse/blood moon was kind of a big thing. Here’s a time lapse of the January 31st super blue blood moon over NASA’s JPL. I couldn’t see it here in the Sudz because it was overcast 😦

 

And the highlights from the Griffiths Observatory.

 

February first is St. Brigid’s Day. Here’s some Irish folklore and traditions surrounding the day. ‘Cause I’m paganish.

 

Conscious Reminder presents the evidence for dream telepathy. ‘Cause I’m a huge fan of dreams and various freaky parasomnias.

Vincenzo Pietropaolo writes about Toronto’s oldest tree. The Toronto Star

Nicola Davis reveals how orcas can imitate human speech. The Guardian

Minsmere murmuration:

 

Hope you found something to inspire your next great work.

Be well until the weekend!

thoughtythursday2016

Thoughty Thursday: Things that made me go hmmmm on the interwebz, Jan 14-10, 2018

/ Melanie Marttila

A few articles to get your mental corn popping.

Not that bad. Katy Kati Kate: momming your ass off

Jennifer Wright: women are afraid men will murder them. Harper’s Bazaar

Suzannah Weiss offers a psychological explanation for why compliments are so embarrassing. The Cut

Kaya Oaks shares what medieval women taught her about being 40. On Being

Judith Graham reveals the secret to keeping your brain sharp as you grow older. It may be simpler than you think. Business Insider

Anika Burgess: the secret paths that led Ireland’s Catholics to forbidden mass. Atlas Obscura

Nikhil Sonnad explains that it’s tea if by sea and cha if by land and why the world has two words for tea. Quartz

Paul Cooper expounds on the timeless allure of ruins. BBC

Jenn M. Jackson: Martin Luther King Jr. was more radical than we remember. Teen Vogue

The extraordinary life of Nikola Tesla. Richard Gunderman for The Smithsonian Magazine.

Is the interbrain a kind of human wifi? IFLS

Bored Panda features photographs from the world’s coldest village.

Monitoring the wildlife overpass on highway 69, March 20, 2017.

 

A close encounter between a fox and a snowy owl. CTV News

Be well until the weekend!

thoughtythursday2016

Thoughty Thursday: Things that made me go hmmmm on the interwebz, Jan 7-13, 2018

/ Melanie Marttila

This week was thoughtier than usual 🙂

Dana Goodyear: can Hollywood change its ways? The New Yorker

Joseph Shapiro exposes the sexual assault epidemic that no one talks about. NPR

Zdravko Cvijetic lists 13 things you must give up to live the life you want. Uplift

Judith Graham says that good friends might be your best brain booster as you age. Scientific American

Ed Yong pays tribute to the transgender scientist who changed how we understand the brain. The Atlantic

The benefits of deep sleep and how we can get more of it. Dan Gartenberg’s TED Talk.

 

Holly Butcher was diagnosed with Ewings sarcoma and posted an inspirational message on the eve of her death. BoredPanda

Mya Fourstar aims for college basketball and life beyond the reserve. Jesse Dougherty for The Washington Post.

Arthur C. Clarke predicts the internet in 1962.

 

Dave Mosher reports on the Jupiter probe’s latest mind-bending images of the gas giant. The Business Insider

Andrew Fazekas shares his top eight must-see sky events of 2018. National Geographic

NPR’s Skunk Bear explores the sci-fi sound of singing ice.

 

SciShow: Egyptian Blue. Modern applications for an ancient pigment.

 

Shake your silk-maker: the dance of the peacock spider.

 

The firefly experience.

 

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

Be well until the weekend.

Thoughty Thursday: Things that made me go hmmmm on the interwebz, Dec 31, 2017 – Jan 6, 2018

/ Melanie Marttila

Here’s some stuff that might just get the mental corn popping 🙂

More on the continuing Phoenix debacle: public servants have until January 31st to deal with 2017 overpayments. Matthew Kupfer for the CBC.

John Leland says, if you want to be happy, think like an old person. The New York Times

How society destroys your creativity.

 

Brenda Knowles: the biggest wound of relationships and how to avoid it. Space2Live

Eric Andrew-Gee says, your smartphone is making you stupid, antisocial, and unhappy, but why can’t you put it down? The Globe and Mail

Danny Vinik reports on the real future of work. Politico

Astronomy calendar for 2018:

 

Kemp Reweti – Maori harpist.

 

And that was your edutainment for the week.

Be well until the weekend!

thoughtythursday2016

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

/ Melanie Marttila

Here’s hoping this first instalment of Thoughty Thursday for 2018 gets your mental corn popping.

Erin Bunch suggests eight anti-resolutions that will make 2018 a happier year. Well + Good

It wasn’t all bad, says K.G Orphanides of Wired. Here’s a list of 17 things that made the world a better place in 2017.

Katherine Ellen Foley reviews where the major scientific discoveries from five years ago are now. Quartz

Michael Baumann: who gets to own outer space? The Ringer

Nicholas Casey profiles a Peruvian man who is the last speaker of his language. Heartbreaking. The New York Times

Nadra Kareem Nittle: what you should know about Kwanzaa and why it’s celebrated. Thought Co.

Harriet A. Washington thinks Hugh Jackman’s role as P.T. Barnum erased the showman’s violent racism. NBC

Olivia Goldhill: 30 years after the introduction of Prozac, we’re still buying the lie that depression is caused by a chemical imbalance. Quartz

Serena Daniari offers an immersive look into the transgender experience: walking while trans. Mic

Why we should celebrate the winter woodland, not just the Christmas tree. Robert Penn for The Guardian.

Wendy Berliner: why there’s no such thing as a gifted child. The Guardian

SciShow: why do we get colds when it’s cold?

 

Be well until the weekend, folks!

thoughtythursday2016