Thoughty Thursday: Things that made me go hmmmm on the interwebz, June 7-13, 2015

June 18, 2015 / Melanie Marttila

There’s a little bit of somethin’ somethin’ for everyone 🙂

Here was the thoughty controversy of the week: Tim Hunt doesn’t want women in the lab. Why? Because they fall in love with their male coworkers, they distract their male coworkers, and they cry (there’s no crying in science!).

So, of course, after making the statement, Hunt quit. That didn’t stop these ladies from taking it out of him with #distractifyinglysexy 🙂

IFLS blogged it.
And here it is on attn: with a video compilation 🙂

Understanding the sensitive heart. The Elephant Journal.

This is for anyone who has had to watch a loved one die. There is something poetic about being there to witness the final struggle, even if the struggle is not a physical one. To sit with death. The Elephant Journal.

Sarah Knight left a job because happiness is more important to her than commitment. Quartz.

Which countries are the happiest? Find out in this article from 24/7 Wall St. Canada’s in there, but the Scandinavians rule (apparently)!

Indigenous cultures have less back pain. Why is that? NPR.

Baba Yaga’s House, a feminist alternative to seniors’ homes, opens in Paris. RFI.

Eight feminist lessons from Jane Austen. Bustle.

The psychology of inspirational women: Veronica Mars. Janina Scarlet for The Mary Sue.

Caitlyn Jenner got Vi Hart thinking about gender. Honest and awesome.

Sarah Jones delivers a sex talk from the future by way of six characters. Amazing TED Talk.

Margaret Atwood speaks out about Bill C-51. The National Observer.

The problem with patterns. The Creativity Post.

Find out more about the SEAL team that’s famous for taking out Osama Bin Laden. The New York Times.

The moon terminator illusion. Vsauce.

Did the dinosaurs really go extinct? It’s okay to be smart.

Eek! If a Boomslang bites you, you bleed to death (out of every orifice – ew). IFLS.

Here’s a little futuristic retro for you: This is what 1956 marketers thought 1976 roads would be like. Popular Mechanics.

13 rarely seen photos of Marilyn Monroe. Elle. She was such a beautiful woman.

This tribute to a beloved dog will have you bawling. But it is SO beautiful. Denali. Bustle.

So kawaii! A family of weasels scales a wall. The Telegraph.

And in case the song at the end of the Denali video got to you like it got to me:

Now go get that squishy grey thing of yours into gear 🙂

I’m off to get ready for the M.H. Callway workshop taking place in Sudbury this evening.

I will probably not post on Saturday this week because of Wordstock, but I’ll post Ad Astra and Wordstock reportage on Sunday. Ok? Ok. S’alright? S’alright!

Thoughty Thursday: Things that made me go hmmmm on the interwebz, May 31-June 6, 2015

June 11, 2015 / Melanie Marttila / 6 Comments

A little bit of interesting and a little bit of controversial this week.

Listen to the wisdom of trees. OM Times Magazine. I’ve done this. Yes, I’m paganish.

What it means to have the heart of an empath. The Elephant Journal.

How the highly sensitive person may be accessing clairsentience. OM Times Magazine.

We need to address the gap in medicare for patients with mental illness. The Globe and Mail.

This raised a few eyebrows among some of my friends who do not identify as feminist. I understand their position and defend their right to hold it, but I still think this rant from Mark Ruffalo is pretty awesome (no offence, ladies).

In that vein, here’s the trailer for Suffragette. This. Looks. AWESOME!

Jon Stewart makes a brilliant point about Caitlin Jenner that no one is talking about. News.Mic.

Former Prime Minister, Paul Martin, believes that indigenous thought belongs in the classroom. The Globe and Mail.

Truth and reconciliation may be progressing, but there are still issues that remain unaddressed in northern Ontario. CBC.

Residential school survivors and their descendants share their stories. The Globe and Mail.

Truth and reconciliation is not an aboriginal problem, but a Canadian one. CBC’s the Current.

Buffy Ste. Marie speaks out on the need for a new deal for Canada’s First Nations. CBC.

Science fiction author, Veronica Sicoe, wrote this lovely post on our failure to find developed, space-faring civilizations: Blowing up the Kardashev Scale.

Crazy facts about Japan. OMG facts.

Newfoundland’s fairy traditions. Canadian Living.

Want a cheap mansion? It’s haunted . . . CTV News.

For your musical enlightenment: Five new albums to try out on Spotify. The Guardian.

Your edutainment is served. You’re welcome 🙂

See you Saturday for more Ad Astra, and maybe I’ll have some good news on the home destruction front.

Oh, BTW, what do you think of the site revamp? Yeah, I finally did that shit.

Thoughty Thursday: Things that made me go hmmmm on the interwebz, May 24-30, 2015

June 4, 2015 / Melanie Marttila / 3 Comments

Ready for the thoughty Thursday workout? Here we go in 3 . . . 2 . . .

This is awesome: Scientists unlock the biological secrets of creativity. The Globe and Mail.

This video made me cry, but it’s brilliant. And you all have to watch it. The Daily Mail.

The Huffington Post presents ten ways introverts interact differently with the world.

What’s the point of thinking about death? The Atlantic.

If you want your kids to do better in school, you need to get serious about mental health. Take Part.

Nigeria bans female genital mutilation. Finally! International Business Times.

A primer on rape culture (in case you needed one). While you were sleeping.

Why is Elizabeth I always depicted as grotesque? The Guardian.

17 R-rated history facts no one teaches you in school. Distractify.

How did the Vikings make this incredibly strong sword? i09.

This is beautiful. I want to start one up in Canada 🙂 Solar Sisters: how this “Avon” model of solar power distribution has taken off. Fast Company.

What are ice spikes and what are they doing in your freezer? Veritasium.

Writing and speaking are totally separate in the brain. Futurity.

The Big Bang Theory just did something awesome: they established a STEM scholarship for impoverished youth 🙂 Hello Giggles.

Full rainbow filmed at Niagara Falls.

This graphic of all life forms will make you feel tiny. Business Insider.

Ms Mr – Painted. I shared the audio only version the other week. I figured it was only fair to share this when it was posted 😉

Saturday will bring moar Ad Astra reportage and the next chapter. See you then!

Thoughty Thursday: Things that made me go hmmmm on the interwebz, May17-23, 2015

May 28, 2015 / Melanie Marttila

Thoughty Thursday has rallied this week 🙂

Two grade eight students explain why parents’ objections to the new Ontario sex-ed program are bogus. LOVE these girls! The Huffington Post.

The sad truth about college and getting a job. Will you think less of me if I say that this was my exact experience? Tickld.

Andrew Solomon speaks on the subject of depression: the secret we share. “The opposite of depression is not happiness, but vitality.” TED Talks.

How to brainstorm with introverts. TED blog.

I love this documentary (Embrace) and the movement behind it. Meet Taryn Brumfitt and the Body Image Movement.

Breathing is the key to falling asleep in under a minute. Higher Perspectives.

Watch this melanoma video, and then share it, for yourself, or someone you love. I’ve had malignant melanoma and I have the scar to prove it. Wear sunscreen and watch your moles! In all love.

The Paris Review presents a brief history of spacefarers.

The Washington Post’s Sarah Kaplan asks, could a trip to Mars fry astronauts’ brains?

I wasn’t sure where to put this! Mathematical modelling provides insight into the origins and evolution of folk tales. Seriously. Is this Writerly Goodness, or Thoughty stuff? Phys.org.

How America’s first female Pinkerton detective helped to foil an assassination plot. i09’s True Crime.

Look at these pictures of the ten most beautiful places to visit in Ireland. Irish Central.

And, just for some balance, here are 30 pictures that prove northeastern Ontario is the most beautiful place in the world.

The Huffington Post offers these pictures of America’s most stunning waterfalls.

Come back on Saturday for my next post of Ad Astra session notes and as I’m helping to organize a workshop for Jane Ann McLachlan on Sunday, I’ll probably report on that, too!

Thoughty Thursday: Things that made me go hmmmm on the interwebz, May 10-16, 2015

May 21, 2015 / Melanie Marttila / 2 Comments

This week’s a little light on the thoughty, but I hope it will still inspire some writerly ideas.

Thoughts on the creative life and well-being. The Creativity Post.

The Conversation illuminates the connection between bullying and suicide.

Victoria Weldon of the Herald Scotland writes about stamping out sexism in movies and television.

Tess Holliday is the biggest thing to hit modelling. BuzzFeed.

Breathtaking photos from the 2015 National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest. Quartz.

This time-lapse video of a thunderstorm supercell is awesome. IFLS.

Scientists discover anti-matter storms on Earth. IFLS.

I shared this lovely video about our solar system being a vortex. Then, it was pointed out to me that it’s a crap theory. So disappointed.

Phil Plait’s response. Slate.
And another from Jason Major of Universe Today.

Fearful memories haunt mouse descendants. Nature.

And now for a little fun from from Tumblr: Before and after pictures of pets with their favourite toys.

Come back on Saturday for more Ad Astra 2015 reportage.

Thoughty Thursday: Things that made me go hmmmm on the interwebz, May 3-9, 2015

May 14, 2015May 14, 2015 / Melanie Marttila / 2 Comments

I’ll start you off with a couple of northern pieces:

Disturbing local news: Body found in Junction Creek. Just to let you know, this kind of thing doesn’t happen up here in Sudbury a lot. The Northern Life.

The Rematriate campaign takes aim at cultural appropriation. The Northern Journal.

The May 4th full moon was in Scorpio. What this might mean (for those who entertain astrology): go big, or go home. Can I go big at home? Elephant Journal.

People who swear are happier, healthier, and, Distracify argues, hotter. Fuck that 😉

What’s a yoga body? These 21 images will help you redefine what that means. Lots of Yoga.

The science of red heads. IFLS.

Could we clone ourselves? It’s okay to be smart.

In this TED Talk, Tal Danino explains how he’s training bacteria to detect and fight cancer (awesome!).

If this Kickstarter is successful, we could all write like Albert Einstein 🙂

Astronomers reveal the most distant galaxy they’ve seen (so far). Wired.

Here’s how we’ll terraform Mars. Popular Mechanics.

Cancun’s underwater museum can only be visited with SCUBA gear. The Business Insider.

Stunning images of deep sea creatures captured off the coast of Puerto Rico. Epoch Inspired.

Kid President’s 20 things we should say more often. I love this kid 😀

Pure fun. Lindsey Stirling and Josh Groban sing “Pure Imagination” with . . . THE MUPPETS!

I’ll be back on Saturday with more Ad Astra 2015 reportage.

Thoughty Thursday: Things that made me go hmmmm on the interwebz, April 26-May 2, 2015

May 7, 2015 / Melanie Marttila / 4 Comments

Finally! Pakistan jails 10 of Malala Yousafzai’s attackers. BBC News.

Jon Krakauer: If you’re not a feminist, then you’re a problem. Penguin Random House’s Medium.

Teachers in the secondary school board are striking right now. Here’s a couple of posts that deal with the issues they’d like to see addressed.

11 ways Finland’s education system shows us that less is more. Filling my Map.

Schools should teach kids to think, not memorize. The documentary Most Likely to Succeed. Gotta watch this. The Huffington Post.

Ok. So, Sudbury was nominated the happiest city in Canada. Here’s 17 things you should know about us 😉 Buzzfeed. (Yes, we made Buzzfeed!)

Studies link social anxiety to empathic ability, high IQ, and sentinel intelligence. Spirit Science and Metaphysics.

The secret weapon that prevents anxiety and depression? It’s not what you think. The Creativity Post.
“When we attempt to divorce ourselves from pain, we end up feeling nothing pleasurable or meaningful at all. When we better understand, tolerate, and harness distressing thoughts and feelings, and become aware of the situations when they are helpful, we become empowered. We gain vitality. We become whole.”

Depression can alter your DNA (!) IFLS.

Veritasium: just knowing about learned helplessness can help you free yourself from its clutches. (Plus a bonus Sudbury tie-in with a mention of the Neutrino Observatory 🙂 )

LifeHack lists 20 signs that you’re succeeding, even if you don’t feel like you are.

Scientists turn pancreatic cancer cells into normal cells. Now . . . how close are they to releasing this treatment? IFLS.

Why are some people left-handed? (I like to say that we’re the only people in our right minds – LOL). IFLS.

Audi makes diesel fuel from water and carbon dioxide. IFLS.

i09 presents seven lesser-known but fascinating Victorian inventors.

A man knocked down a wall in his basement and discovered a hidden underground city. SlipTalk.

Here are the winners of the 2014 Smithsonian photography contest. Amazing and beautiful photos. The Atlantic.

And that’s your thoughty for the week.

Be well.

Thoughty Thursday: Things that made me go hmmmm on the interwebz, April 19-25, 2015

April 30, 2015 / Melanie Marttila

Not an overwhelming amount of thoughty this Thursday, but quality is the thing.

The tragic news of the week is the earthquake in Tibet. Zee News.

Before and after images of the devastation from Think Progress.

My thoughts and prayers, such as they are.

Last week I shared an article about how there are not enough psychiatrists and too many in need. This week: why Doctors don’t have clients . . . Psychiatric Times.

Your passion isn’t your bliss; nor is it your bitch. Justine Musk.

Sir Ken Robinson on how creative schools can transform education. CBS News.

Cancer research in Sudbury is making progress. Here’s the news article and the interview from Morning North. CBC.

Neil deGrasse Tyson’s ambition is to make science hip. LA Times.

Shedding light on dark matter and dark energy with Patricia Burchat. TED Talk.

Life in the deep ocean, a TED Talk by David Gallo.

North Brother Island: the last unknown place in New York city. Brainpickings.

More abandoned places. This time: Creepy brothels. Scribol.

When cancer in dogs isn’t just a matter of bad luck. Vet Street.

If I fits, I sits! Why cats (of all sizes) love boxes. IFLS.

Watch an octopus catch and eat a crab. Wicked! Geekologie.

Diving giraffes and bouncing elephants. Awesome animation on i09.