Shared posts
01 Jul 19:19
Could We Really Terraform An Asteroid?
by Ria Misra
In Kim Stanley Robinson's novel 2312, people hollow out the insides of asteroids and terraform them. They use these "terrariums" as massive spaceship habitats. Here's the science that could make this possible.
25 Jun 16:11
RoadTrip Mixtape Adds Spotify to Its Travel-Friendly Playlist Builder
by Alan Henry
RoadTrip Mixtape generates playlists for your next trip by picking out bands from and songs about the places you're driving through. Now they've rolled out support for Spotify so you can build your playlists there and take them with you when you hit the road.
25 Jun 16:11
Another World 20th Anniversary Edition is Now Available on Xbox One
by Jeff Rubenstein
Check price and availability in your Xbox LIVE region
Game Description: Also known as Out Of This World, Another World is a pioneer action/platformer that released across more than a dozen platforms since its debut in 1991. Along the years, Another World has attained cult status among critics and sophisticated gamers alike. An immersive adventure with unique storytelling, Another World chronicles the story of Lester Knight Chaykin a young scientist hurtled through space and time by a nuclear experiment that goes wrong. A remastered presentation: a joint effort between visionary game-designer Eric Chahi and developer Martial Hesse Dreville, Another World is back in its 20th Anniversary Edition with Full High Definition graphics faithful to the original design.
24 Jun 03:37
Funko's Comic-Con Ghostbusters Figures Are Super (Disgustingly) Cute
by Rob Bricken
Despite the fact that they're either covered in slime or the visceral remains of a giant marshmallow man, you'll be hard-pressed not to want to get your hands on Funko's three hyper-cute, exclusive Ghostbusters sets from this year's San Diego Comic-Con.
23 Jun 16:21
A Mysterious "Magic Island" Has Appeared On Titan
by George Dvorsky
Saturn's largest moon is a very strange and truly alien place. Astronomers working on the Cassini mission recently observed the sudden appearance of a bright, mysterious object in one of Titan's northern seas — only to watch it disappear again. Uncertain as to what it is, the researchers have posited four explanations.
18 Jun 16:44
Teaching Creationism As Science Now Banned In All UK Public Schools
by George Dvorsky
In what's being heralded as a secular triumph, the UK government has banned the teaching of creationism as science in all existing and future academies and free schools.
Matt Skouras, Rosalind and one other like this
12 Jun 21:23
Can Rational Arguments Actually Change People's Minds?
by Tom Stafford
Are we, the human species, unreasonable? Do rational arguments have any power to sway us, or is it all intuition, hidden motivations, and various other forms of prejudice? The answer isn't simple, but we may not be irrational creatures after all.
Daniel, Jeanluc.potte and -1 others like this
12 Jun 16:37
Exclusive Look Inside Syfy's Post-Apocalyptic Angel Drama Dominion
by Meredith Woerner
JmicalWait, SyFy made a show based on the Heresy: Kingdom Come CCG?
Here is everything you need to know about Syfy's new, bloody angel series Dominion. Get a good look at post-apocalyptic wasteland that humanity clings to after a 25-year holy war, as well as the evil angels that have turned on humankind.
12 Jun 16:36
Chris Pratt Looks Absurdly Good On The Set Of Jurassic World
by Meredith Woerner
The first official image of Chris Pratt on the set of Jurassic World is out and wow. He looks good. Like, really good. Really, really, really good.
05 Jun 00:04
I want to tell you about an almost-happened trend that once seemed unstoppable and that might have changed everything, but that is now (strangely) almost-forgotten.
Also a remark about the cult of worship of Vladimir Putin, that is surging across the American right.
But first, I keep being asked for a CHART of American politics, as I see it. Let me start with something simple, based on the metaphor I despise most. The so-called left-right axis.
Want the thumbnail political bestiary? Because some of you asked for one… and fully aware that I often rail against oversimplification and the stupid, lobotomizing left-right "axis…" here goes.
(Note, I have an even better 3-D model here.)
They are not!
Leftists want to equalize *outcomes*. Liberals want to equalize the *starting blocks* so that all children get everything they need (health, food education) so that they can then... compete! As Adam Smith called for. There is a huge difference! And were Adam Smith around today today he would be a democrat.
Hah! I shall speak of this at Freedom Fest in July when I will stand up for Smithian/Heinleinian Libertarianism! If I am lynched or otherwise disposed of, you'll know how far the freedom movement has drifted...
It is almost forgotten today. But books and books were written about a "problem" when I was young. In the 1970s, capitalists were terrified by the fact that Union Pension funds seemed to be the main accumulating pools of capital -- and by 2020 workers would -- in effect -- own the means of production.
How weird that even top economists scratch their heads when I mention this… before a light of dawning memory shows in their eyes (the older ones, that is) and they say… "oh… yeah, that was something we used to talk a lot about, wasn't it!"
It was once topic #1, much discussed in the 1960s and 1970s. Now gone from the mind. Weird, huh?
You'd have to be unconscious not to have noticed the surge of admiring paeans to Vladimir Putin that have been surging across the punditry caste of the American right.
The goofiness of Putin-adoration was starkly portrayed by Doyle McManus in his LA Times op-ed "Putin, master player." This fetish to portray the Russian President as some latter-day Peter the Great, for having seized Crimea and defied western sanctions, while poking at some eastern Ukrainian cities, manifestly ignores the elephant in the room. Which is the Ukraine, itself.
What is fascinating? The frenzied efforts of Mr. McManus and others in media to divert attention from the big picture, stoking fear and bogeyman tensions and suppressing any talk of the upside of recent events. At best this is myopia.
A Thumbnail Political Bestiary -- and the right's bizarre Putin-worship
by David Brin
A Thumbnail Political Bestiary … and a weird, 1960s almost happened!
I want to tell you about an almost-happened trend that once seemed unstoppable and that might have changed everything, but that is now (strangely) almost-forgotten.
Also a remark about the cult of worship of Vladimir Putin, that is surging across the American right.
But first, I keep being asked for a CHART of American politics, as I see it. Let me start with something simple, based on the metaphor I despise most. The so-called left-right axis.
== litmus tests? ==
Can a machine tell whether you are liberal or conservative? A topic that's been much circulated, lately, including on this very blog, a few postings ago.
Want an even better way to predict political leanings? How about hypocrisy: many of the states that received the most federal recovery aid to cope with climate-linked extreme weather have federal legislators who are climate-science deniers. The 10 states that received the most federal recovery aid in FY 2011 and 2012 elected 47 climate-science deniers to the Senate and the House. Nearly two-thirds of the senators from these top 10 recipient states voted against granting federal emergency aid to New Jersey and New York after Superstorm Sandy.
Want the thumbnail political bestiary? Because some of you asked for one… and fully aware that I often rail against oversimplification and the stupid, lobotomizing left-right "axis…" here goes.(Note, I have an even better 3-D model here.)
All right. Sigh. Here goes. A True "Leftist" wants the world remade for the better… but primarily through allocation of resources by state bureaucrats. Coercion may be necessary. Cooperation = good, even if it must be enforced. Competition is inherently suspect.
A "rightist" wants the same coercive allocation of resources done by an even narrower clade of secretive "deciders"... aristocratic owner oligarch Lords -- the cartel of 10,000 golf buddies who appoint each other onto interlocking corporate directorates. Rightists ignore that owner-oligarchy oppressed humanity for 6000 years, crushing markets, freedom and competition in 99% of human cultures, far more often than bureaucrats ever did. If it's private, it must be sacred. Hence they, too, work against fair and flat and open competition, even despite claiming to love it! They are the truest enemies of open-fair markets.
I despise both kinds of competition-destroying tyranny. Americans used to be able to turn their heads and see Big Brother looming in varied directions… till culture war stiffened our necks to face only, insipidly, either left or right (take your pick: but choose only one!)
Me? I can turn my head. I despised communism and the USSR… and I worry about the seemingly inevitable return of truly massive left-wing radicalism…
Me? I can turn my head. I despised communism and the USSR… and I worry about the seemingly inevitable return of truly massive left-wing radicalism…
...but it is the return of feudal owner-lordship that's looming right now, with wealth disparities skyrocketing to French Revolution levels. And their propaganda machine smears anyone who opposes the current putsch, calling even mild objectors "leftist." Hence, they do not want anyone reading Adam Smith anymore, who denounced owner-oligarchy.
There are two other major zones in U.S. politics. "Liberals" are the true heirs of Adam Smith... (whom most historians rightly call "the first liberal")… though millions mistakenly believe liberals are "leftist-lite."
They are not! Leftists want to equalize *outcomes*. Liberals want to equalize the *starting blocks* so that all children get everything they need (health, food education) so that they can then... compete! As Adam Smith called for. There is a huge difference! And were Adam Smith around today today he would be a democrat.
Finally there are libertarians. But they come in many sub-flavors. I consider myself a Smithian/Heinleinian libertarian, who believes devoutly in individualism and creative competition on a flat and transparent playing field. But that makes me a heretic to the Rothbardist-Randian fanatics who have taken over much of the movement and who actually think that oligarchs are friends of flat-open-creative capitalism. Something that has never, ever been true.
Hah! I shall speak of this at Freedom Fest in July when I will stand up for Smithian/Heinleinian Libertarianism! If I am lynched or otherwise disposed of, you'll know how far the freedom movement has drifted...There. I gave it a shot. A capsule summary of why those denouncing the lying-evil treason being foisted on us by Rupert Murdoch are not "leftists." They are Americans. More can by found at: http://tinyurl.com/polimodels
In fact though? To hell with the lobotomizing "left right axis!" We should be negotiating with nuance, like adults.
=One of the biggest obsessions and might-have-beens that you never heard-of=
Now this is going to be obscure. I know lots of economists and such, and only the very oldest of them remember what was once the top concern discussed in every business journal, decades ago.
"Centralisation of the means of production and socialisation of labour at last reach a point where they become incompatible with their capitalist integument. Thus integument is burst asunder. The knell of capitalist private property sounds. The expropriators are expropriated." - Das Kapital
It is almost forgotten today. But books and books were written about a "problem" when I was young. In the 1970s, capitalists were terrified by the fact that Union Pension funds seemed to be the main accumulating pools of capital -- and by 2020 workers would -- in effect -- own the means of production.Even around 1965 there were countless papers declaring it "obvious." Amid much hand-wringing, the punditry caste - especially William F. Buckley - discussed how it seemed inevitable that corporate capital would thus be majority "owned" by the workers, though not via Karl Marx's revolution or expropriation. Rather, through an organic and natural process of regulated savings.
Some saw this as a good thing, potentially ending the class system forever! Especially since it would happen "fair and square," with all stockholders seeing their shares bought by those pension funds at fair market value, with no real losers. No expropriation of wealth from the already-rich. Just a working class getting steadily richer.
Others saw the prospect as a disaster… for exactly the same reasons... and began planning ways to change the rules and system, so that the looming threat would go away. They began by banning the pension funds from participating much in control over the companies they invested in, or unions from giving orders to their pension funds. There were some sound reasons… and others were just rationalizations to keep control in the hands of major individual stockholders.
Others saw the prospect as a disaster… for exactly the same reasons... and began planning ways to change the rules and system, so that the looming threat would go away. They began by banning the pension funds from participating much in control over the companies they invested in, or unions from giving orders to their pension funds. There were some sound reasons… and others were just rationalizations to keep control in the hands of major individual stockholders.
I believe much of the Reagan "revolution" was specifically targeted to end that dire threat… through the quelling of unions, the underfunding of pensions, the empowerment of nested shell-ownership, and the vast tsunami of tax largesse to the top aristocracy via "supply side" voodoo. And they succeeded, which is historically unsurprising.
What I do find mind-boggling is that not even one pundit today ever mentions this reversal of what was once seen as an inevitable, unstoppable trend toward a Rooseveltean-style "soft socialism" that would owe zilch to either Marx or revolution, and that would be just as capitalist, only with worker ownership the norm.
How weird that even top economists scratch their heads when I mention this… before a light of dawning memory shows in their eyes (the older ones, that is) and they say… "oh… yeah, that was something we used to talk a lot about, wasn't it!"
It was once topic #1, much discussed in the 1960s and 1970s. Now gone from the mind. Weird, huh?
== Putin Worship ==
The goofiness of Putin-adoration was starkly portrayed by Doyle McManus in his LA Times op-ed "Putin, master player." This fetish to portray the Russian President as some latter-day Peter the Great, for having seized Crimea and defied western sanctions, while poking at some eastern Ukrainian cities, manifestly ignores the elephant in the room. Which is the Ukraine, itself.Putin is... a winner? He has lost the Ukraine as a pro-Russian puppet state, which it was, under ousted President Viktor Yanukovich. Now veering westward toward stronger ties with the west, Ukraine is no longer a pliant buffer state of the sort that all Russian strongmen have desperately sought since Ivan the Terrible.
We should not play that game, nor think of these events as a win for "our side" in some kind of new-coldwar contest. But you can be sure that is how most Russians view it. Vladimir Putin's nibble-back of Crimea - and possibly some portions of the Donbass Region - are not the moves of a "master player," but a politician striving hard to salvage something out of a strategic disaster.
.
.
...a collaborative contrarian product of David Brin, Enlightenment Civilization, obstinate human nature... and http://davidbrin.blogspot.com/ (site feed URL: http://davidbrin.blogspot.com/atom.xml)
Serafin.shane likes this
04 Jun 18:40
Depressed in Summer? It May Be Reverse Seasonal Affective Disorder.
by Annalee Newitz
JmicalYup, this is me.
Seasonal affective disorder, or SAD, is usually something that wrecks your mood during the dark, cold months of winter. But for some people, summer is the time they feel the worst. It's called reverse SAD, and neuroscientists are just beginning to understand how it works.
22 May 19:29
This Is The Darkest Place Ever Seen In The Universe
by Ria Misra
JmicalThis would make an awesome story.
When we look out over the universe, it's the bright spots that tend to stand out. But the darkness out there is also incredible, particularly in on spot 16,000 light years away, where scientists have recorded the deepest darkness ever seen.
17 May 15:10
Today, Google announced a new Hangouts plugin for Microsoft Outlook.
by Eric Ravenscraft
Today, Google announced a new Hangouts plugin for Microsoft Outlook. This plugin allows you to launch, schedule, or join Hangouts directly from within Outlook. Read more here.
17 May 14:47
Study of 1.3 Million Kids Reveals Vaccines Aren't Associated with Autism
by Jason G. Goldman on Animals, shared by Charlie Jane Anders to io9
A meta-analysis including nearly 1.3 million children posted online last week in the journal Vaccine has demonstrated, once again, that there's no causal link between vaccines and autism.
Corey likes this
16 May 20:26
My Little Girl Isn’t a Princess. She is a Human.
by Dr. Kwame M. Brown
Tweet
Dr. Kwame M. Brown doesn’t want his daughter to believe that her worth is determined primarily by how physically attractive she is; he wants her to think about her joy, effort, and contribution to the world.
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I don’t like people calling my daughter “a little princess”. I also do not like it when people inundate her with product advertisements, presents, and compliments all hell bent on getting her to think of herself as “princess” or “diva”. This sentiment garners a variety of responses. Some say, “right on”. Some say, “You jive turkey”. Just kidding, no one calls me a jive turkey. It was just too tempting to continue the 1970s motif.
I will be using the term princess as a sounding board of sorts here, but make no mistake. This is much deeper than the word princess or the color pink. This is about how we view our girls and their “value”.
I come to this issue from several different perspectives: as a fitness/wellness professional who has spent over 15 years finding ways to get boys and girls alike to be more physically active; as a developmental neuroscientist and psychology professor who has concerns about how environment affects brain development; as the husband of a dynamic and beautiful woman, and as the father of an amazing little girl.
Let’s first break down what about this princess thing truly bothers me, because there are three parts to it.
First: There is the obvious complaint that just because she’s a girl, people think she must be a princess. Do we really have to pick which archetype each child will live for the rest of their lives?
Second: The history of the whole princess thing disturbs me. The damsel waiting to be picked or rescued is certainly not what I want my daughter to identify with. Now, as I say that, there are a lot of princesses that we see on the big and small screen now that do their own rescuing, and take charge. This is certainly an improvement. But there is another problem…
Third: This is something important to me and my family. This would apply to any son of mine as well: “We’ll never be royals. It don’t run in our blood. That kind of luxe just ain’t for us.” ~ Lorde, singer. We want our child to think of herself as connected to everyone, not worshipped. We want her to think about her joy, effort, and contribution to the world.
“So, obviously you’re a tool, or just boring. You won’t even let your daughter play dress up and pretend she is a princess?”
I didn’t say that, dammit. People always think, with those of us that are wary of the “princessing” of our daughters, that we are uptight and restrictive. I am all for her pretending to be a princess if she so chooses. Hell, Daddy will pretend to be a princess. I tell kids I’m a princess all the time (seriously, I do). But I hope that this is one of many things we choose to pretend to be. I don’t want her to think that this is what she MUST pretend to be. Get it?
When we tell girls that they “are” princesses, because they are daughters, it just feeds right into everything else they hear about themselves. They are told by media, strangers, and later, peers that their real value is determined by how pretty they are. And yes, I am extra concerned because my daughter happens to be very pretty. She is her mother’s child, so she can’t help it. If my wife is reading this right now: It’s just a fact baby, I had to say it.
I wouldn’t want my daughter to believe that her worth is determined primarily by how physically attractive she is. I want her to recognize her beauty, and be comfortable with it, not ruled by it. Again, I would want the same thing for any son I have. I remember asking my father when I was around 14 if I was good looking. I was very concerned about this at that age. His response was: “Of course you are. You’re my son. Now would you like to talk about something important?” He was trying to get me to see that there were other things about me that were really who I was, not just my face.
So, I am not yelling at people. I am asking for your help. Please continue to be aware that when you call my little girl “Daddy’s princess”, that her Daddy does not call her that. Please realize that you are like, the grillionth person to say it. And while her femaleness and her prettiness may be the first things you notice, please don’t make them the last things you notice. Please notice how funny she is, and how kind, and how curious she is. Please notice how strong she is, and how she loves to climb on stuff.
What we do and say around kids shapes their brains and bodies. This is undeniable. Obviously, environment is not the only determinant. Each child is also born with their own set of characteristics that interact with the environmental influence. But environment is nonetheless incredibly influential. Let’s consider one glaring example. During an age when we have an issue with physical inactivity, teenage girls are the least active. Let’s talk about how African-American (which includes my daughter given her mixed heritage) and Latina girls are the worst off. I teach young African-American females every day as a college professor. When I ask them why they are not physically active, they tell me more often than not that they don’t want to look bad. This reason is often cited in the research on physical activity. My point is not to focus you on physical activity, but to show you the sheer power of the messages we send to our girls. You don’t think the whole “pretty princess” thing has an effect? It is precipitating a greater likelihood of disease, and preventing girls from enjoying the use of their own bodies…so that everyone else can enjoy their bodies instead.
This is not about my little girl doing “boy stuff” as some stereotyped rebellion. That’s just as trite as the princess thing, because it still restricts her to a two dimensional identity. It is about her doing what should be kid stuff, and human stuff, in the first place. We are not archetypes, and we’ll never be royals. My little girl ain’t no princess. She is a human.
Here is a video of us playing. I’m doing what I’m told, but not because she is a princess. Honest.
Photo provided by the author.
The post My Little Girl Isn’t a Princess. She is a Human. appeared first on The Good Men Project.
13 May 16:05
Christopher Columbus's Flagship, The Santa Maria, Has Been Found
by George Dvorsky
In what's being heralded as one of the most significant underwater discoveries in history, the wreck of Christopher Columbus's flagship, the Santa Maria, has been discovered lying at the bottom of the sea off the north coast of Haiti.
Tertiarymatt likes this
12 May 16:26
Watch Darren Aronofsky Mix Science And Religion In One Creation Clip
by Meredith Woerner
Behold Darren Aronofsky's gorgeous recreation of the Book of Genesis. Taken straight out of his latest movie Noah, it's almost easy to believe that this entire film may have been conceived just so Aronofsky could illustrate the Biblical version of the big bang.
07 May 16:08
GIF-Enhanced Movie Posters Bring New Meaning To The Term "Action Film"
by Mark Strauss
The poster for Alfred Hitchcock's Rear Window is motionless, until Grace Kelley suddenly tilts her head to gaze at James Stewart, who lowers his camera, as if he knows he's been spotted. It's a tense scene before even seeing the film. Such is the magic of animated movie posters.
Corey likes this
06 May 19:52
NASA Is Now Accepting Ideas For A Mission To Europa
by Shannon Hall — Universe Today
With its subsurface ocean and active plumes, Europa is one of the best candidates for life in the entire solar system. NASA recently announced that it wants to organize a robotic mission — and the space agency is now ready to hear your ideas.
06 May 16:42
Kentucky Route Zero Act 3 is finally here!
by Steve Marinconz
Kentucky Route Zero Act 3 is finally here! The long-awaited third installment to the mysterious supernatural adventure game just popped up on the game's site. Go play it, or catch up on the previous acts if you haven't already.
05 May 03:51
The Pocket Guide to Bullshit Prevention
by Michelle Nijhuis – The Last Word on Nothing
Here for sharing far and wide is a handy guide to stemming the flow of nonsense in your daily life. Originally written by science writer Michelle Nijhuis for the outstanding science blog The Last Word on Nothing, these words have the power to make you a more discerning consumer – and sharer – of information. No bullshit.
filhodoraio, Arnvidr and 4 others like this
02 May 16:32
Compare The Sizes Of Fantasy Dragons With This Handy Chart
by Lauren Davis
Who are the largest dragons in fantasy? Be warned, this chart contains dragon size-related spoilers for A Song of Ice and Fire.
01 May 17:42
The British Museum Is Crowdsourcing The Bronze Age
by Mark Strauss
If you've ever wanted to be an archaeologist or a museum curator, now is your chance. A new open source crowdsourcing platform, called Micropasts, is asking the public to help catalogue more than 30,000 prehistoric artifacts discovered over the past two centuries.
29 Apr 16:05
Hellboy As A 16-Bit Game
by John Struan on Screenburn, shared by Mike Fahey to Kotaku
Hellboy by Drew Wise, who has created many video game t-shirt designs, including one celebrating Twitch Plays Pokemon:
29 Apr 16:02
Sorry Bill Nye, This Is The Science Vs. Religion Debate We Need
by Mark Strauss
While the recent smack down between Bill Nye and Ken Ham grabbed all the headlines, the scientific community was far more captivated by a debate featuring physicist Sean Carroll and theologian William Lane Craig that explored the existence of God in light of contemporary cosmology.
what0080 likes this
28 Apr 16:36
These Are the TV Shows That Microsoft Is Creating for Xbox
by Evan Narcisse
Oscar-winning documentary filmmakers. Legendary soccer players. The guys who make Robot Chicken. These are the people that Microsoft's throwing money at to help them make TV shows.
19 Apr 14:31
The Curiosity Rover's Tracks Across Mars, As Seen From Space
by Mark Strauss
The Curiosity Rover keeps on trekking. An image captured by the NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter offers a spectacular view of Curiosity's journey of discovery as it winds its way across the Red Planet.
Paul Castillo likes this