Thoughty Thursday

Thoughty Thursday: Things that made me go hmmmm on the interwebz April 27-May 3, 2014

/ Melanie Marttila

Thoughty ThursdayThis week, a recipe for inspiration. For your consideration.

A pinch of introspection. How we know who we are. Joshua Knobe on BrainPickings.

A spoonful of introversion. 30 Problems only introverts will understand from Tickld.

A wee tipple of a comic on what to do when you’re feeling overwhelmed.

A taste of Neil Gaiman’s anti-bullying sentiments. Difference is magic.

A little edumacation on autism. What we know, and what we don’t know. Wendy Chung’s TED talk.

 

A smidgen of imagery. The 2014 National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest. The Atlantic.

A fair bit of travel. Distractify’s 25 cities your should visit in your lifetime.

Too much of one place I wouldn’t want to go. The forecast calls for spiders, from I fucking love science.

Some physical activity. Walking leads to increased creativity. The American Psychological Association.

A heaping serving of mortality. I guess I was feeling a little morbid this week.

And … to make it all better, and because I love you, a sweet bit of PUPPY STAMPEDE!

Mix it all together and what do we have? You tell me, folks 😉

It’s all Writerly Goodness.

Thoughty Thursday: Things that made me go hmmmm on the Interwebz April 20-26, 2014

/ Melanie Marttila

Thoughty Thursday

This week is video heavy. I think it just reflects my state of mind. Make of that what you will. *sits in corner drooling*

The ideal length for everything online from Buffer.

Hootsuite’s Game of Social Thrones.

Lindsey Stirling’s new video, Shatter Me, featuring Lzzy Hale of Halestorm.

Four Cats (as in Caterpillar heavy machines) playing Jenga from Boing Boing.

Cats + water = epic fun.

The 2013 Barkley dog family Subaru commercials. Giving the goggies equal time.

Thoughy? Meh. Inspirational? Not so much. Entertaining? I sure hope so 🙂

Every once in a while, you have to succumb to the brain candy.

Thoughty Thursday: Things that made me go hmmmm on the interwebz April 13-19, 2014

/ Melanie Marttila / 3 Comments

Thoughty ThursdayI’m going to try something just a touch different this week. I’m not just dropping links, but hyperlinking text. Experts say readers prefer it.

Let me know what you think, will you?

What students really need to hear from Chase Mielke. Affective Living.

How social media has affected our reading habits. From the Washington Post.

Grammar Girl Mignon Fogarty posted this fascinating article on the language of the minions. My interest in languages drew me in right away. LOVE.

Mindy Kaling featured on Upworthy. Backhanded compliments are so not.

Communication presented this bit of reverse psychology: 15 things highly confident people don’t do.

This post by Brenda Knowles on her introvert blog Space2Live was surprisingly controversial. At its core, it’s about the difference between being lonely, and being alone, but it sparked a small flurry of responses. Some people took exception to her association of decision-making with her masculine side and shopping with her feminine side. What do you think?

Upworthy presented Neil DeGrasse Tyson’s thoughts on marginalization in the sciences.

An amazing time-lapse video: the mountain.

Petflow.com share what a reporter discovered while filming beavers close to his house.

ViralNova’s 28 happy-making pictures.

Trending Monkey. Puppies cuddling stuffies. And get your mind out of the gutter! This is CUTE.

And that’s it for this week.

Off to watch Vikings—Rawr!

Thoughty Thursday: Things that made me go hmmmm on the interwebz April 6-12, 2014

/ Melanie Marttila / 4 Comments

Thoughty ThursdayShort weeks are often difficult. You seem to have to do your full week’s work in only four days. Hence the lateness of this post.

The 12 most pervasive lies about creativity.

http://12most.com/2014/04/07/12-pervasive-lies-creativity/

Sleep your way to success (get your mind out of the gutter).

http://goodvibeblog.com/sleep-your-way-to-success/

20 magical tree tunnels.

http://www.boredpanda.com/magical-tree-tunnels/

Northumberland’s cup and ring rock art.

http://www.thejournal.co.uk/news/north-east-news/national-recognition-northumberland-ancient-history-6933058#.U0fJa1QoNSd.facebook

Rachel Sussman on the world’s oldest living things TED talk.

http://www.ted.com/talks/rachel_sussman_the_world_s_oldest_living_things

This professor says he’s photographed fairies. Do you believe?

http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/fairies-john-hyatt-rossendale-valley-6909619

Smart ways to beat social media burnout.

http://rebekahradice.com/social-media-burnout/

Yes, this is a commercial, but it’s still a good message. Just ignore the last few seconds.

http://blog.petflow.com/this-3-minute-video-made-me-cry-and-i-never-cry-must-see-for-everyone/

If social networks were the Game of Thrones houses.

http://mashable.com/2014/04/06/game-of-thrones-social-networks/#:eyJzIjoiZiIsImkiOiJfOXdtemp5aG94a2gxZDZzNCJ9

A doggy reunion. Just for the feels.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/04/04/dog-reunited-with-family-17-months_n_5092228.html

I may have shared this before, but it’s just so cute, I couldn’t resist. Puppy cover of Pharrell’s Happy.

http://blog.theanimalrescuesite.com/happy-puppy-cover/

And that’s a wrap, folks.

Have a happy Easter, everyone!

Thoughty Thursday: Things that made me go hmmmm on the interwebz March 30-April 5, 2014

/ Melanie Marttila / 2 Comments

Thoughty ThursdayOn Thursdays, I share things that might be good for the idea file, research, or improving your life in some way. Also funnee stuff 😉

6 abandoned places that will haunt your dreams:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/03/29/abandoned-spaces_n_5051030.html

Beautifully expressive dog photos and how you might be able to take some your own self:

http://www.fastcocreate.com/3028174/get-down-on-your-knees-or-stomach-and-more-tips-on-taking-gorgeous-dog-photos-like-these#1

How the world’s most creative people scheduled their time.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/03/29/brilliant-people-schedules_n_5055953.html?ncid=fcbklnkushpmg00000063

The key characteristic that all creative people share:

http://blog.chasejarvis.com/blog/2014/03/the-key-characteristic-shared-by-all-the-most-creative-people-i-know-andres-amador-interview/

Flow states: answers to the three most common questions about optimal performance:

http://www.forbes.com/sites/stevenkotler/2014/02/09/flow-states-answers-to-the-three-most-common-questions-about-optimal-performance/

Control your emotions with tai chi:

http://www.pickthebrain.com/blog/soft-overcomes-hard-control-emotions-tai-chi/

9 stoic principles to remain calm amidst chaos:

http://99u.com/articles/24401/a-makers-guidebook-9-stoic-principles-to-nurture-your-life-and-work

How to be an imperfectionist:

http://deepexistence.com/how-to-be-an-imperfectionist/

Evanescence – Everybody’s fool.

Last week saw the two year anniversary of this wonderful video by the cast of The Guild:

Jim Cummings, the voice of Winnie the Pooh and Darkwing Duck, voices scenes from Star Wars.

Baby elephant’s polo playtime. Just. Too. Cute.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/03/30/baby-elephant-at-columbus-zoo-video_n_5059328.html

And on that note, I’m a-toddling. Training day tomorrow.

Thoughty Thursday: Things that made me go hmmmm on the interwebz March 23-29, 2014

/ Melanie Marttila / 2 Comments

Thoughty ThursdayIt’s an eclectic collection this week. A bit imagistic, an iota of cute, a tad astronomical, a titch creative, a little kindness to yourself and others, and a couple of really awesome musical covers.

Enjoy!

The hidden meanings of logos.
http://www.buzzfeed.com/video/dimitri/change-the-way-you-look-at-logos

The top photos of 2013:
http://dailynewsdig.com/top-photographers-photos/

There was another cool post about surreal places that really exist, but the link seems to be corrupted 😦

If you want to take better pictures, start with these five design elements:
http://photofocus.com/2014/03/26/5-design-elements-for-better-pictures/

They had me at sleep.
http://blog.bufferapp.com/creativity-methods-more-ideas

What a neuroscientist says about the benefits of meditation.
http://www.trulybuddha.com/how-meditation-changes-your-brain-a-neuroscientist-explains/

Defining bullying.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/signe-whitson/bullying_b_2188819.html

Things to stop doing to yourself. Just stop.
http://www.lifebuzz.com/just-stop/

How to keep quiet and carry a big telescope. #scienceiscool
http://www.wired.com/2014/03/secret-bicep-inflation/

Pet shaming. Because hilarious.
http://blazepress.com/2014/03/35-hilarious-pet-confessions/

What a dachshund did the first time it was allowed on the bed.
http://blog.petflow.com/a-tiny-puppy-was-allowed-on-the-bed-for-the-first-time-look-what-he-did/

Musical discovery of the week, thanks to new Twitter friend, Mark Hanson.

Two cellists rock cover of ACDC’s “Thunderstruck.”
http://www.sharedots.com/2-men-with-their-cellos-produce-most-incredible-song-cover-ever-this-will-blow-your-mind-122.html

And that, my friends, is all I shared.

Thoughty Thursday: Things that made me go hmmmm on the interwebz March 9-15, 2014

/ Melanie Marttila

Thoughty ThursdayJust so you’ll have this straight, Tipsday is for writing-related finds and Thoughty Thursday will be for other interesting stuff. It’ll be a mix of science articles, health articles, and other stuff that might be cool for inspiration or research. Info of the public service announcement variety may appear here as well (I have my causes). Occasionally, there might be a music or other fun video in there, ‘cause you know, we all love the YouTube 😉

Oh, and BTW, happy spring, though up here in Sudbury, we’ve just had 10-15 cm of snow 😦 This is what the first day of spring looks like up here:

 

First day of spring in Sudbury

So here we go in 3, 2, 1—

Otters are bad-ass:

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/03/140306-otter-alligator-florida-predator-photos-wildlife/

David Brin shared this next amazing blog post and video.

Mr. Science, A.K.A. the hubbie, informs me that the ribosome moves around far more chaotically, directed by something called Brownian motion and bumps into the transfer molecules until it finds the one it needs for the sequence.

Still, this is supposed to be “real time,” so imagine how quickly everything is moving about in the stew that is you 😉

http://www.npr.org/blogs/13.7/2014/03/04/285414954/watch-and-be-amazed-by-the-machinery-of-life

I love genetics.

One of the places I’d love to spend a month in someday. ‘Twas a lead-up to St. Patrick’s Day.

http://www.irishcentral.com/roots/travel/Stunning-travel-video-of-7-Days-in-Ireland.html

Clara Hughes, multi-Olympic gold medal winner in both summer and winter Olympics embarks on her latest journey to bring awareness to the issue of mental health. I admire this woman so much.

http://fullcomment.nationalpost.com/2014/03/14/claras-big-ride/

The overwhelmed employee is foreseen as one of the new crises of the modern workplace. This is hard, researchy stuff, but it’s actually pretty fascinating. From the day-job file.

http://dupress.com/periodical/trends/global-human-capital-trends-2014

The health hazards of sitting. I’m still researching a reasonably-priced standing desk solution for my office.

http://apps.washingtonpost.com/g/page/national/the-health-hazards-of-sitting/750/

Felicia Day tweeted something. And then she had to write this post.

http://thisfeliciaday.tumblr.com/post/79718617942/tiger-lily-doesnt-equal-human-torch-plus-a-very-long

And this was just fun. Ooh-la-la!

The Benny Hill soundtrack just makes this one shine. Oh, no, he di’n’t!

http://blog.petflow.com/this-dog-is-not-allowed-on-the-bed-this-is-what-he-does-when-his-owners-are-away-hilarious/

Until next week, my wise and witty friends!