Reality Checks: Rain in the Atacama, a Signal from Opportunity, Private Firefighters, and Redefining the Kilogram
Sometimes water in the desert is a bad thing. (via D-brief) The Mars Opportunity Rover might be alive. (via Motherboard) Private firefighters, or how the rich can buy better services. (via The Atlantic) Redefining the kilogram. (via Vox) Featured image credit: Smcmurtrey via Wikipedia
Reality Checks: Toxic word of the year, Underqualified Cyber Ministers, Travel Ban in US Dampening Research, and Italian Supervolcano
Toxic is the 2018 word of the year. (via NPR) New Japanese cyber minister never used a computer. (via BBC) US Travel ban and its effect on science (via Ars Technica) Italian supervolcano may be waking up. (via ScienceAlert) Featured image credit:Lauri Helkkinen via flickr
Reality Checks: Chinese Re-education Camps, Breaking Stereotypes, Losing Star Fuel, and the “Homework Gap”
What it’s like to live in a Chinese re-education torture camp. (via NPR) How the first woman in space changed American stereotypes of women in the USSR. (via JSTOR Daily) The Small Magellanic Cloud is losing its star-making fuel. (via D-brief) Rural kids don’t have access to broadband internet, but …
Reality Checks: The Poison Squad, the First Americans, Mummified Cats, and Betrayed by White Women
It took a bunch of people voluntarily ate tainted food to usher in an era of consumer protection and health regulations. (via Gizmodo) New research indicate that the first people in North American spread out very quickly. (via D-brief) Ancient Egyptians love mummifying cats. (via NPR) Black women show up …
Reality Checks: Llamas vs the Flu, Groping Women and Violence, Against Spanking, and Video Games for Angry Men
Llama nanobodies can help with the flu (via Ars Technica) To no one’s shock, the man who shot up a yoga studio had a history of groping women. (via Huffpost) More evidence that spanking is bad. (via NBC) Video games for recruiting angry young men. Anita Sarkeesian is saying I …
Recent Comments
Let me make this clear, JOBS DAUGHTERS IS NOT A CHRISTIAN ORGANIZATION, nor is it "weird". What you have said about Job's Daughters is completely... – Apr 24, 7:48 PM
Check out <a href=https://letsencrypt.org>Let's Encrypt</a>. It's signing certificates have been accepted into Java since some recent-ish version of Java 8, and are becoming more widely... – May 14, 10:25 PM
Rich people are so weird, why the hell would you put a jade egg in your vagina??? – Jan 23, 2:07 PM
Regarding point 1: Your vote does count. But if you feel it doesn't, don't rely on others to work to make that change for you,... – Jul 26, 1:18 PM
By instead of I mean I live in Georgia. It may stop being a staunchly red state in my lifetime, but I'm not holding my... – Jul 25, 12:50 PM
Item 2 - volunteer for a campaign or candidate that you support. You will help enormously with getting that candidate or issue to have traction... – Jul 25, 12:34 PM
Science
Today I Made the World a Better Place
I got a flu shot. I made it slightly easier for people with compromised immune systems to exist in public spaces. Featured image credit Yaniv Ben Arie via flickr
Religion
The Qur’an: a Readthrough. Juz 1 and Surah 2, verses 30-72
Continued from here It’s been some time. Life doesn’t stop happening. At verse 30 of Surah 2 we have a mythological history of the world, sorta kinda similar to Genesis. But different. Starting out right away we have an argument between God and the Angels. Behold, thy Lord said to …
Skepticism
The Qur’an: a Readthrough. Juz 1, Sura 1 and part of 2.
I have a copy of the Qur’an, translated by Abdullah Yusuf Ali A billboard near my home was offering them for free, so I filled out a form and got one. The letter I received with it very politely asked me to treat it with respect, so I am going …
Feminism
Doctor Who is being played by a woman; Sci-Fi ruined forever
After 54 years of men exclusively playing the alien known as ‘Doctor Who’ Jodie Whittaker will be taking on the role as the first woman to do so. Predictably this has not gone down well. After the announcement the wave of hateful comments poured in, which is not to say …
