Sunspots 937

 Things I have recently spotted that may be of interest to others*:

The Arts: Gizmodo argues that artificial intelligence is, so far, not creative. The article links to several types of artificial intelligence productions.

(or something) Gizmodo reports that production of the Barbie movie caused a shortage of some pink paint.

Education: (and Health) NPR says that medical students often don't attend classes.

Finances: A Conversation writer discusses work decisions among very wealthy US couples. Unlike in the general public, women in such families are not likely to work outside the home.

Humor: (or something) The Lego company has produced a Captain America Shield, with over 3000 pieces.

Politics: (or something) CNN reports that Japan and South Korea make better warships than the US.

Science: Gizmodo reports that ancestors of humans may have buried their dead and used symbols.

*I try not to include items that require a password or fee to view.

Thanks for reading.

Sunspots 910

Things I have recently spotted that may be of interest to others*:

The Arts: or something) Gizmodo reports on the tallest Lego model ever, of the Eiffel Tower.

Christianity: Christianity Today on the 200 millionth Operation Christmas Child gift box.

Computing: Gizmodo tells us how to make our phones less distracting.

Environment: Gizmodo reports on a study that found that honeybees are not living as long as they
used to.

Food: NPR reports on cultured meat (grown in vats). It's coming, like the idea or not.

(and computing) Subway has installed an automated food dispenser, including the AI-enabled ability to respond, on a college campus.

Health: NPR reports that the number of premature babies has been increasing.

Politics: (or something) Gizmodo reports that about 250 Texas prisoners died because of lack of air conditioning, over the last 20 years.

Science: A child has been treated with a normal gene, replacing one that produces an  enzyme that doesn't work properly, before her birth, according to The Scientist.

The Scientist also reports on progress in healing spinal cord injuries.

*I try not to include items that require a password or fee to view.

Thanks for reading.

Sunspots 867

Things I have recently spotted that may be of interest to others*: 

The Arts: Listverse tells us about 10 literary locations that you can actually visit, in the UK.

Computing: Gizmodo reports that Gettr, a social network that claims not to censor user's posts, is deeply connected to Facebook and Google.

Environment:  Gizmodo has posted a slide show of the 9 worst invading species in the US, including one plant.

Finances: ABC News reports that the 10 richest men in the world doubled their worth during the pandemic, while the rest of us mostly lost worth.

History: NPR reports that authorities may have finally discovered the name of the person who turned in Anne Frank and her sister and parents to the Nazis. For more on Anne Frank, go here.

Humor:  (or something) Lego has released a build-it-yourself globe that can spin, according to Gizmodo.

Politics: According to NPR, the Supreme Court justices aren't getting along very well, and there was a time in the past when they got along even more poorly.

Science: Gizmodo reports on analysis of horse bones from the Middle Ages, that indicates that war horses from that time were smaller than modern horses.

SciTechDaily reports that a huge fish nesting area (60 million nests, from one species, estimated) has been found near Antarctica.

The graphic used in these posts is from NASA, hence, it is free to use like this.

*I try not to include items that require a password or fee to view.

Thanks for reading.

Sunspots 862

Things I have recently spotted that may be of interest to others*:

Christianity: Christianity Today reports on a survey that indicates that most Americans don't believe that Christ existed before His birth.

Relevant on why many Christians do not follow the Biblical mandate to care for the poor.

Environment: Gizmodo summarizes the ways in which oil companies have controlled our thinking and actions.

NPR reports that temperature records have recently been broken, all over the earth.

Finances: Gizmodo describes a study that indicates that Lego sets are a better investment than gold or stocks.

Health: Gizmodo reports that a court decision has caused county health departments in Missouri to stop all work, and all restrictions, related to COVID.

Politics: FiveThirtyEight analyzes Donald Trump's endorsements. He's endorsing more people earlier, and, in some cases, endorsed Republican challengers to a Republican incumbent.

Science: Astronomers have discovered a very large planet in a nearby solar system, according to Gizmodo.

The graphic used in these posts is from NASA, hence, it is free to use like this.

*I try not to include items that require a password or fee to view.

Thanks for reading.

 

Sunspots 841

Things I have recently spotted that may be of interest to others*:

Christianity: (and politics) Christianity Today has an article on how some charismatic leaders realized that they had been wrong about Donald Trump being ordained of God to be re-elected, Some of them confessed this wrong, but in some cases there was serious backlash about such repentance.

Health:  (or not) Gizmodo has prepared an exhibit, describing the seven worst charlatans of the pandemic.

Humor: (or something) A YouTube video, a minute long, showing an astronaut attempting to assemble a Lego object while in zero gravity.

Politics: FiveThirtyEight on the growing influence of news networks further to the right than Fox News, on Republicans.

Gizmodo reports that the government forgave some small business loans to organizations that spread anti-vaccination propaganda.

Science: A BioLogos writer examines reasons why we might want to colonize Mars, and finds them not sufficient.

Gizmodo reports that Chinese scientists have produced hair-sized (and shaped) ice fibers that are elastic -- they can be bent out of shape and return to the original shape.

Gizmodo discusses heat waves. An interesting fact (not the only one) is that there is no generally accepted definition of heat waves.

The graphic used in these posts is from NASA, hence, it is free to use like this.

*I try not to include items that require a password or fee to view.

Thanks for reading.

Sunspots 774

Things I have recently spotted that may be of interest to someone else: (No April Fools' jokes

here)

Christianity: Christianity Today discusses the impact of Corrie ten Boom.

Some churches are meeting during various varieties of shutting down, according to Christianity Today.
 
Computing: Gizmo's freeware recommends a note-taking application, which has several interesting features, and is, of course, free.

NPR discusses attempts to prevent false information on Facebook and other platforms. 

Education: A National Emergency Library will lend you over a million digitized books.

Health: (and politics) FiveThirtyEight on why we shouldn't "just try" drugs in the hope that some such will  be an effective treatment for COVID-19.

Humor: (and Engineering) Gizmodo put up videos of 11 really cool Lego creations, which, among other things, will vacuum up Legos, and sort them.

Philosophy: (And Science, and Christianity) Christianity Today has a fine article examining the possibility of a multiverse (or multiverses) and the implications thereof. Part of the impetus for the article was the Spider-verse movie.


Politics: FiveThirtyEight discusses remote voting by members of Congress.

Science: Gizmodo reports that some squid, living in darkness, deep in the ocean, apparently communicate by glowing.

Gizmodo also reports that seismic activity levels are down, because many of us are staying home.

Earther reports on a bacterium that consumes polyurethane, a plastic that is, otherwise, almost impossible to break down.

The graphic used in these posts is from NASA, hence, it is free to use like this.
Thanks for looking!

Sunspots 738

Things I have recently spotted that may be of interest to someone else:

Christianity: Christianity Today interviews Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. The State Department is hosting a major event, focusing on religious freedom all over the world.

More from Speculative Faith on engaging (or not) with the culture.

Computing: Gizmodo reports that almost all activity of users on pornography web sites is tracked by Google and other companies, including Facebook. The study did not answer the question as to what, if anything, that data is used for. The study looked at over 22,000 pornography web sites.

Health: NPR reports on a study, indicating that, world-wide, we don't grow enough fruits and vegetables for everyone to have recommended amounts of them.

An NPR writer tells us how to know if we really need surgery, and how to find the right surgeon, if we do.

NPR also reports on a study of teeth, around the world. We are eating way too much sugar, and not doing preventive practices.

Humor: (or something) Listverse tells us about some elaborate and amazing things made with Legos.


Politics: An NPR person thinks that President Trump's statements about certain House members should have been reported, but that calling them "racist" was opinion, not reporting. Not everyone at NPR agrees.

Catherine Rampell summarizes several recent actions, by the Trump administration, to make immigration from the South even more difficult. Most of these actions violate US and international law, she says.

Science: Gizmodo reports that the temperature at the northernmost settlement on earth reached 70 degrees Fahrenheit, for the first time ever, recently.

An environmental success story. Thanks to heroic efforts (and funding) from many people, the California condor population has grown from 20 or so to 300 wild birds.

Gizmodo reports on studies of the frequent volcanic activity on Io, a moon of Jupiter.

The graphic used in these posts is from NASA, hence, I believe, it is public domain. 

Thanks for looking!

Sunspots 713

Things I have recently spotted that may be of interest to someone else:

Christianity: A Relevant writer tells us about four ways in which the modern church is not like the early church.
A Christianity Today writer reminds us that the New Testament uses "in Christ" to describe salvation.

Humor: (or something) Jalopnik reports on a 2019 Chevrolet Silverado made of Legos.


Politics: Michael Gerson on the Trumpification of the pro-life movement.

S. E. Cupp considers Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

Relevant reports that four women who left water in the desert for immigrants may go to jail.


The graphic used in these posts is from NASA, hence, I believe, it is public domain.
Thanks for looking!

Sunspots 704

Things I have recently spotted that may be of interest to someone else:

The Arts: NPR reports on Antonin Dvořák's influence on American music, and how he tried to incorporate African-American music into mainstream classical music. Dvořák was a Czech, and he wrote the "New World" symphony.
  Ethics: A Chinese scientist claims to have altered the DNA of twin girls, so that they are less likely to succumb to AIDS, if they are ever exposed to it. Scientists and ethicists have had an almost entirely negative reaction to this news, for more than one reason, and there has been some skepticism that the result was as claimed. See here and here.

Health: (or something) Listverse describes 10 creepy things that bodies do after a person has died.

Humor: (or something) Gizmodo reports that it takes about 42 hours for an adult male who has swallowed a LEGO head to pass it through the gut. Really.

Science: Gizmodo reports that an elephant-sized mammal-like creature lived during the time when dinosaurs also lived.

Scientific American on the redefinition of the kilogram, and the likely redefinition of other measures, including the mole, the Ampere, and degrees Kelvin. This gets pretty geeky . . .


The graphic used in these posts is from NASA, hence, I believe, it is public domain.
Thanks for looking!

Sunspots 676

Things I have recently spotted that may be of interest to someone else:

Christianity: Paige Patterson, President of a Southern Baptist seminary, is getting heat from some Southern Baptist women over remarks related to sexual roles. Michael Gerson weighs in on this story, and points out how women were highlighted in the New Testament, although it was written in a far more male-dominated society than ours is.

Health: Gizmodo reports on the removal of a 132-pound tumor from a woman.

(and politics) Gizmodo reports that President Trump has appointed Dr. Mehmet Oz to a health advisory council. Gizmodo is not happy with this, and tells why.

Humor: (or something) Speeded-up construction of a big Star Wars Lego object.


Politics: Last week, the chaplain of the US House was asked to resign, by Speaker Paul Ryan. The chaplain has been restored to office, says Relevant.

Science: Earther reports that the highest-ever recorded temperature in April occurred in Pakistan last month.

Gizmodo reports on the longest straight path on earth, without coming on to land, and the longest straight line path on land.

Gizmodo reports on research indicating that plants can communicate to other plants that they are too close together, or have been touched.

Scientific American discusses the decline of the ability to learn new languages as we get older.

New Scientist, and other outlets, discuss findings that indicate that tourism is a serious contributor to global climate change.

Sports: Becky Hammon is being considered for a head coaching job in the NBA. (She is not the only candidate -- the rest are male.)

Thanks for looking!

Image source (public domain)

Sunspots 589

Things I have recently spotted that may be of interest to someone else:

The Arts: (Sort of) National Public Radio tells us that Nigeria has the best Scrabble players in the world.

Christianity: Speculative Faith points out that some Christians use magic spells.
 
Weekend Fisher has posted a fine essay on confessing sin.


Computing: Trend Micro is offering free tools for recovery from ransomware.

Education: A Wired columnist says that college won't train you for a job, but that's OK.

Humor: (or something) Relevant has posted a short video of a Lego construction that makes shadows that look like three different objects, depending on how the construction is rotated. Perhaps the coolest Lego creation I've ever seen.


Politics: FiveThirtyEight details the changes in the US welfare system (actually, it's now 50 systems) since the welfare reforms put in place while Bill Clinton was President. You will probably be surprised by what has happened.

Science: Space.com, and many other outlets, report that a nearby star has a planet that may be suitable for life.

Listverse reports on 10 discoveries of things preserved in amber, and what they tell us about the past.

Sports:





Image source (public domain)

Sunspots 513

Things I have recently spotted that may be of interest to someone else:
Christianity: Ken Schenck on what happens at the end. He says that Christians shouldn't argue over the millennium, or absence thereof, because it's mentioned in only one chapter of the Bible, and that chapter is probably highly symbolic. He doesn't know what heaven will be like, but doesn't believe it will be boring.
Literature: Rebecca Luella Miller, of Speculative Faith, writes about violence in (Christian) speculative fiction. As she notes, often Christian writers, publishers and readers don't like overt sex or foul language, but don't seem to have the same abhorrence for violence. Should we? As she points out, there is a lot of violence in Tolkien's works.
Christianity Today compares Laura Ingalls Wilder's "Little House" books with reality.
Politics: Election campaigns in the UK are remarkably quiet, and brief, compared to those in the US. National Public Radio tells us why.
NPR also reports on why it's difficult, almost impossible, for the poor to become part of the upper middle class.
NPR says that a Lego fan built Lego representations of the female Supreme Court justices, now and previously. She suggested that the company make it a set for use by (and sale to) others, but they rejected the idea as too political. The article pointed out that the Supreme Court was established, with the idea that it would be above politics.
And NPR lets us know why Congressional, and Presidential, budgets really aren't budgets.
Science:  BBC News reports that scientists have discovered that chameleons use a previously unknown mechanism to change some of their colors. I thank one of my brothers for bringing this to my attention.
NBC (and others) reports on Tonga, a new volcanic island in the Pacific.
NPR reports on research to use cockroaches as guided explorers in dark narrow places.


Image source (public domain)

Sunspots 401

Things I have recently spotted that may be of interest to someone else:

Humor: (or manufacturing) Wired examines the question of why LEGO sets are so expensive, and comes up with some answers.

Science:  Wired reports on a giant prehistoric swimming predator, with five-inch teeth.

Wired also tells us that Crows react based on what they think other crows know.

The Arts: Christianity Today has published its list of the 10 "most redeeming films" of 2012.

 

Christianity:  He Lives attempts to define faith. It's not easy.

Heart, Mind, Soul and Strength has been analyzing some of the books in the New Testament mathematically (frequency of words used). Her conclusions are interesting.

Image source (public domain)

Sunspots 396

Things I have recently spotted that may be of interest to someone else:

Humor: (or engineering) BBC News reports on how tall a Lego tower could be. I thank one of my brothers for the link.

Science: Wired has assembled the twenty best scientific figures -- charts, drawings, etc -- of 2012. (I know -- it's not over yet). I found all 20 of them to be just amazing. Note: For some reason, I was unable to view these using Firefox, my usual browser. I did see them using Chrome and Internet Explorer. Some of the diagrams showing climate change were really scary. I guess I liked the last one, showing how geese from Asia fly at great heights, the best.

Computing: Snapseed, an award-winning app for photo-editing, is now available free for iPads, iPhones, and Android cell phones and tablets.

Christianity: The Lausanne Global Consultation on Creation Care and the Gospel: Call to Action.

Angus T. Jones, the young star of Two and a Half Men has recently become a Christian. He has stated that the show he's on is "filth," and that people shouldn't watch it. Christianity Today has posted some reactions from Christians (some of them not totally supportive). There's also an interview with Jones, who calls himself a "paid hypocrite."

Image source (public domain)

Sunspots 362

Things I have recently spotted that may be of interest to someone else:

Humor: (or advertisement, or something) A company in Germany built a barrel organ that plays Star Wars music, out of Legos, as part of a promotion for the latest Star Wars movie release.

Science: How human activity is causing earthquakes in the US, reported by National Public Radio.

The Arts: 60 Minutes, the CBS News program, gives an uplifting video report on the world's only all-black orchestra. (Warning -- some commercials are included.)

Computing: Gizmo's freeware has some tips for searching for files on your Windows 7 or Vista computer.

Image source (public domain)