Veritasium

Thoughty Thursday: Things that made me go hmmmm on the interwebz, May 28-June 3, 2017

/ Melanie Marttila

Just a little thoughty this week.

Canada is not 150 years old. Greg and Mitch (ASAP Thought and ASAP Science)

 

Ossie Michelin explains how to talk about Indigenous people. CBC

 

Dan Van Winkle: at Cannes, Jessica Chastain calls out the real problem with how women are portrayed in film. The Mary Sue

Neuroscience reveals four rituals that contribute to happiness. Eric Barker for Ladders.

Bec Crew reports that only half of your friends actually like you. Science Alert

Natalie Zarrelli reveals the knitting spies of WWII. Atlas Obscura

Phil Plait: we thought Jupiter was weird; now we’re finding out just how weird. Blastr

Later in the week, Phil reports how astronomers may have seen a star collapse directly into a black hole. And then, two merging black holes, 3 billion light years away send ripples of spacetime through Earth.

Veritasium covers the two black holes merging, too.

 

Anthony Brooks reports on Brisco the pit bull, who rescued his owner’s neighbors from a home invasion. Good dog! The Miami Gazette

I hope something in that lot got your mental corn popping 🙂

 

See you on the weekend.

Be well until then.

thoughtythursday2016

Thoughty Thursday: Things that made me go hmmmm on the interwebz, April 2-8, 2017

/ Melanie Marttila / 2 Comments

It’s a mixed bag of thoughty inspiration and entertainment this week to get your mental corn popping 🙂

Everyone is born creative, but schools educate us out of it. Tham Khai Meng for The Guardian.

Self-described woodland hellbitch Rachael Stephen wants to become more informed (since the world is on fire).

 

Dhruv Khullar: how social isolation is killing us. The New York Times

Alex Pasternack examines the vast, secretive face database that could instantly ID you in a crowd. Fast Company

Andrew Rosenblum: the factories of the future could float in space. Popular Mechanics

Mike Wall reports on the new campaign that hopes to produce a picture of a black hole. Space

Canker sores are … ew. But the Sci Show has some tips to fend them off and make them go away more quickly.

 

Veritasium looks at the Bayesian Theorem and its applications (including spam).

 

Joobin Bekhrad looks at Zoroastrianism, the obscure religion that shaped the west. BBC

Ephrat Livni reports that the Japanese practice of “forest bathing” has been scientifically proven to improve health. Quartz

Kabul’s Wushu warriors.

 

Signe Dean: squid and octopus evolution is officially weirder than we imagined. Science Alert

Pentatonix covers Bohemian Rhapsody.

 

I hope something got the ideas pinging off the inside of your skull (mental popcorn).

Be well until the weekend. Virtual hugs.

thoughtythursday2016

Thoughty Thursday: Things that made me go hmmmm on the interwebz, March 26-April 1, 2017

/ Melanie Marttila

All sorts of stuff to get your mental corn popping this week.

Tad Friend exposes Silicon Valley’s quest for eternal life. The New Yorker

Gillian Anderson and Jennifer Nadel talk perimenopause and menopause. Lenny

Alex Myles: how being an empath can lead to adrenal fatigue, insomnia, and exhaustion. Elephant Journal

Lori Day: aging while female is not your worst nightmare. Feminist Current

Gisela Wolf says that people who hit the snooze button are more intelligent, more creative, and happier. The Independent

Veritasium: The science of thinking. You won’t learn anything unless you’re uncomfortable.

 

ASAP Science: This does not equal that. Correlation vs. causation.

 

“Your animal life is over. Your machine life has just begun.” Mark O’Connell for The Guardian.

Ryan F. Mandelbaum reports on a new theory that connects dark matter, black holes, and gravitational waves. Gizmodo

Joanna Moorhead rediscovers her wild child cousin, surrealist painter Leonora Carrington. The Guardian

The Economist: can we know what animals are thinking? Medium

Jordan Pearson presents some of the evidence that proves cats are actually nice. Motherboard

Overtone singing never ceases to amaze me. Anna-Maria Hefele

 

For your listening pleasure: Minds Without Fear – Imogen Heap

 

And that was your thoughty for the week.

On the weekend, I’ll be covering more WorldCon 2016.

Be well until then, my friends.

thoughtythursday2016

Thoughty Thursday: Things that made me go hmmmm on the interwebz, August 16-22, 2015

/ Melanie Marttila / 1 Comment

We’re starting out seriously. Such is the nature of thoughty Thursday.

Anna Lovind’s wish for us all: the year without rape.

Amanda Palmer’s open letter to a fan on the topic of the choice to have a child as a working artist. Brainpickings.

Alison Bechdel gives credit where credit is due: please call it the Bechdel-Wallace test, thankyouverymuch. The Mary Sue.

Check out these anti-suffragette post cards from the early 20th century. Brainpickings.

Alan Watts speaks about death, in a beautifully animated short. Brainpickings.

The Canadian Medical Association is still polarized about doctor-assisted death. CBC.

I’ve just spent two and a half weeks in London, a city with the most wonderful, heritage buildings, well preserved by a concerned municipal council. So I wanted to share this post by Studio 123 that looks at how Sudbury is brightening up its downtown. [Mel’s note: The Forken Spoon is now a pizza joint O.o ]

Watch Jeff Bollow’s TED talk on how to expand your imagination:

Amazing photo captures a plane struck by lightning as it flies through a rainbow. What are the chances? IFLS.

Fire rainbows (actually circumhorizontal arcs) seen over South Carolina. ILFS.

The science of six degrees of separation from Veritasium:

An albino humpback whale! IFLS.

An Outlander post in the Thoughty Thursday curation? Yup. Cause its focus is on herbalism.

Tori Amos is one of my all time favourite musical artists. Silent all these years:

Have a fabulous Friday!

See you Saturday.

Thoughty Thursday

Thoughty Thursday: Things that made me go hmmmm on the interwebz, August 9-15, 2015

/ Melanie Marttila / 4 Comments

Lots of video fun this week 🙂

La Atwood’s hair-larious article in The National Post.

The article was pulled and then reposted, prompting this response in The Globe and Mail.

Professors exile laptops from the classroom. The Globe and Mail.

Buzzfeed presents seventeen graphs that perfectly describe being an introvert.

The lasting impact of natural disaster. The New Yorker.

Lakes across Canada face being turned into mine dump sites. Our water is a natural resource, too. CBC.

What happened when a girl was bullied for liking Star Wars. i09.

Have they found the ancient remains of a real life warrior princess? i09.

Nazi train loaded with gold reported found in Poland. CBC.

Photographer Kristy Mitchell’s “Wonderland” project and how her grief transformed into beauty.

Our greatest delusion. Veritasium.

Smoking vs. vaping. Is one better than the other? Smoker that I am, I think I have to concede that neither is part of a healthy living 😉 ASAP Science.

Were dinosaurs cold blooded, warm blooded, or something in between? SciShow.

Heart melting pictures of pets as they age. It’s the journey we accompany them on . . . BoredPanda.

One couple did a “newborn” photo shoot with their new puppy to keep everyone from asking when they were going to have a baby. Buzzfeed.

A bunch of burrowing owls are intrigued by a camera. Daily picks and flicks.

The walrus workout:

Horses having a ball:

Kate Bush’s “Running up that hill,” from The Dreaming.

And that was your edutainment for the week 🙂

Tomorrow is FRIDAY!

Have a great one.

Thoughty Thursday

Thoughty Thursday: Things that made me go hmmmm on the interwebz, Feb 8-14, 2015

/ Melanie Marttila / 3 Comments

Ten things that people who love their lives do differently. Higher Perspective.

Twenty beliefs happy people share. Lifehack. My favourite? #17: They comprehend that happiness isn’t everything.

How to live with mystery in a culture obsessed with certainty and definitive answers. Brainpickings.

RSA’s take on Susan Cain’s message on the power of introverts, plus a link to Susan’s TED Talk. Brainpickings.

The neuropsychiatric dimensions of movement disorders in sleep. Psychiatric Times.

The moon as you have never seen it before. NPR.

Veritasium interviews Commander Hadfield.

 

I love Vsauce rambles. It reminds me of being in university, when ideas ping-ponged off one another in my skull and inspired me:

 

What one artist is doing to educate us about everyday harassment (you know, cat-calls and wolf whistles?). UpWorthy.

Lauren Davis presents ten real-life female spies who deserve their own movies. Why not a novel? Giving you ideas with what Thoughty Thursday is all about! i09.

More training isn’t always the answer. Harold Jarche.

These kitsune (foxes) are so kawaii (cute) it’s kawai (scary). Foxes roam freely in the sanctuary of Zao Fox Village. My Modern Met.

Sister Rosetta Tharpe rocks Brainpickings 🙂

Sergei Polunen’s gorgeous interpretation of Hozier’s “Take me to church.” The Huffington Post.

See you again on the weekend!

Thoughty Thursday