Thoughty Thursday

Thoughty Thursday: Things that made me go hmmmm on the interwebz, Dec 17-23, 2017

/ Melanie Marttila

It’s another tiny thoughty Thursday to finish off the year.

Steve LeVine compiles a list of the biggest AI stories of 2017. Axios

Patrick Caughill: SpaceX is leading the rise of an entirely new industry. Futurism

They escaped child marriage and now they’re speaking out. Kyle Almond for CNN.

Bill Donohue is seeking the lost art of growing old with intention. Outside

Anna Lovind: how to make darkness magical. Because we all need more magic in our lives.

Natasha Frost reviews the year in animal accomplishments. Atlas Obscura

Hope that was enough to get some mental corn popping.

Be well until the weekend!

thoughtythursday2016

Thoughty Thursday: Things that made me go hmmmm on the interwebz, Dec 10-16, 2017

/ Melanie Marttila

It’s time again to get the mental corn popping. In a small way.

I think I’ve figured out why my Thoughty Thursday curations have been suffering of late. 2017 has simply been an exhausting year. Though as a Canadian, I haven’t been in the thick of it, the madness is there, every day. It’s in the news, in the posts of friends and writers I follow, it’s EVERYWHERE.

There’s no escaping it.

And so I find myself shutting down. I don’t want to engage in all the sturm und drang. It makes my heart hurt. But it’s all important stuff. A lot of it needs to be shared. But I get selective. Because exhausted.

I seriously hope 2018 is a little lighter on the soul.

Salma Hayek: Harvey Weinstein is my monster, too. The New York Times

Courtney E. Martin: this isn’t about bad apples; It’s about our broken sexual culture. On Being

Why are America’s farmers killing themselves in record numbers? Debbie Weingarten for The Guardian.

The Boston Globe takes a hard look at its city. Boston. Racism. Image. Reality.

Christen Reighter: I don’t want children—stop telling me I’ll change my mind. TED Talks

 

Be well until the weekend.

thoughtythursday2016

Thoughty Thursday: Things that made me go hmmmm on the interwebz, Dec 3-9, 2017

/ Melanie Marttila

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

Yes, it’s another short post. I’ve been recognizing the trend recently.

Gillian Flynn: … I don’t feel triumphant. I feel humiliated and angry. Time

Chuck Wendig sounds off (in his inimitable fashion) on issues of consent and basic human decency. Dear mens: your greasy demon hands are in time out. Terribleminds

Jaela Bernstein reports on the massive, ice-age cavern found beneath Montreal. CBC

Anthony Wood lists ten of the world’s most creative cities to live, work, and play in. Creative Boom

Vsauce from last year . . . Mind Field: Isolation.

 

Brian Resnick: what would it take to kill all the tardigrades (the toughest organism on Earth)? Vox

Dom Galeon reports that artificial life just moved a step closer to reality. NBC

George Dvorsky shares a surreal (and beautiful) picture of Jupiter’s clouds. Gizmodo

Be well until the weekend.

Virtual hugs all around.

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Thoughty Thursday: Things that made me go hmmmm on the interwebz, Dec 1-2, 2017

/ Melanie Marttila

Thoughty Thursday’s here, and you know what that means—tomorrow is Friday!

Again, this is just a brief curation to restart the blogging engine 🙂

It’s time to get the mental corn popping.

Fan asks Dan Harmon about depression and he offers insightful advice. Bored Panda

Nothing But Thieves frontman, Conor, on his experience with depression and anxiety.

 

Jack Turban: nice brains finish last. Scientific American

ASAP Science: can you change someone’s opinion?

 

Rich Bellis explains how to design your ideal workday based on your sleep habits. Fast Company

The Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) reports that they’ll be able to extend the life of Voyager 1 (and possibly Voyager 2) by using thrusters that haven’t been fired in 37 years.

Nothing But Thieves – Broken Machine live for #IAMWHOLE

 

How’s that for a practice run?

Be well until the weekend!

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Thoughty Thursday: Things that made me go hmmmm on the interwebz, Oct 15-21, 2017

/ Melanie Marttila

Another small, but insightful batch of thoughty.

Julie Beck: imagining the future is just another form of memory. The Atlantic

Ryan Krull reports on homelessness in public libraries. The Millions

ASAP Science asks, why are you anxious?

 

Natasha Frost: before mace, the humble hatpin was the unescorted lady’s best defense. Atlas Obscura

Mattie Kahn interviews Gloria Steinem about Harvey Weinstein’s fall, Hugh Heffner’s death, and the patriarchy’s endless last gasp. Elle

Lyndsey Matthews wonders, is Ikigai the new Hygge? With Venn diagram 🙂 Country Living

Walk Off the Earth covers Hey Ya!

 

I hope something there got your mental corn popping 🙂

Be well until the weekend’s writerly news post!

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Thoughty Thursday: Things that made me go hmmmm on the interwebz, Oct 8-14, 2017

/ Melanie Marttila

Something in this grab bag should get your mental corn popping 😉

Julie Ireton continues her investigation: chaos inside the Phoenix pay centres—is anyone’s pay right? CBC

Shaun King: the airport bomber from last week you never heard about. The Intercept

Phil Plait shares Juno’s latest images: Jovian chaos. SyFy

SciSchow news: new confirmation for the “warm little pond” theory of life; helpful tumours.

 

ASAP Science presents scientific tips for surviving the apocalypse.

 

Living with high functioning anxiety. Jordan Raskopoulos TEDxSydney.

 

Benoit Denizet-Lewis: why are more American teenagers than ever suffering from severe anxiety? The New York Times Magazine

Ashley Rogers: consent, intent, and problematic convention behaviour. Nerd Caliber

Karla Lant reports on a new drug that fixes cavities and regrows teeth. Futurism

Ancient Egyptian treasures found at the bottom of the ocean. Daily Berries

Claudia Roth Pierpont exposes the secret lives of Leonardo da Vinci. The New Yorker

Kelly Faircloth shares an oddly compelling video about how medieval people used to walk. Jezebel

Hannah Rose-Yee: Swedish death cleaning is the morbid new way to de-clutter your life. New York Post

Jane Carr reports on female code breakers for CNN.

And that was your Thoughty Thursday for the week.

Be well until the weekend!

thoughtythursday2016

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

/ 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, Sept 17-23, 2017

/ Melanie Marttila

Last week’s technical difficulties meant fewer thoughty posts than usual.

Geoff Johnson reveals the threat of the great nutrient collapse. Politico

Sam Dylan Finch lists five ways to lovingly support someone who has C-PTSD. Let’s Queer Things Up

Numbers ‘were my mother tongue’: how autistic savant Daniel Tammet sees language. CBC’s “The Current” with Anna Maria Tremonti

This amazing tree shows how all languages are connected. Bored Panda

Brenda Knowles explains the trouble with over controlling our emotions. Space 2 Live

This artist draws her cat in 12 different styles. The Best Cat Page

I hope there was something in this small offering that got your mental corn popping.

Be well until the weekend.

thoughtythursday2016

Thoughty Thursday: Things that made me go hmmmm on the interwebz, Sept 10-16, 2017

/ Melanie Marttila / 2 Comments

Time to get your mental corn popping.

Sarah Knapton: depression could be a physical illness that could be treated with anti-inflammatory drugs. The Telegraph

Zoe Plait (Phil’s daughter) recommends counting your passions if you live with depression. Miss Misery

Adam Beach explains why casting others in Native American roles is so harmful. Deadline Hollywood

Mayim Bialik – Minority from day one

 

Kristen Dold: the silent majority (or why we have to stop silencing victims). Women’s Health

The Tracey Ullman Show – What were you wearing?

 

Eliot Stein introduces us to the last surviving sea silk seamstress. BBC

Kristina Killgrove reports on the DNA confirmation of the first female Viking warrior. Forbes

Then, Holly Norton explains how the female Viking warrior was written out of history. The Guardian

Mike McRae: Vikings really could have used “sunstones” to navigate dark seas. Science Alert

Zaria Gorvett reports on the mystery of the lost Roman herb. BBC

On the eve of Cassini’s demise, Phil Plait shares a gallery of the best images it’s sent us. SyFy

George Dvorsky reports: we finally know why birds are so freakishly smart. Gizmodo

I just really like the Wonder Woman reference 🙂 Beck – Up all night

 

Be well until the weekend!

thoughtythursday2016