Sunspots 792

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

The Arts: Speculative Faith has a discussion of how adapting a book to a movie can go bad, using The Voyage of the Dawn Treader as the main example.

Christianity: A Christianity Today article points out the importance of churches gathering together. (The article does not advocate unbounded opening under today's circumstances.)

A Relevant writer says that God isn't particularly interested in blessing America.

Computing: WindowSwap lets you look out someone else's window, and lets others look out of yours.

Gizmo's Freeware reports on Converter 365, which will convert many file formats to others. There's no need to sign up, and no charge. It works!

Environment: (and Ethics) Christianity Today has an article about the rights and wrongs of exploring other planets. Can we do so without altering any life that is already present there?

Gizmodo reports that places that were most polluted, 35 years ago, are still polluted badly.

All time heat records have recently been set in several locations in the Middle East, according to Gizmodo.

Gizmodo also reports that two long-standing ice formations, in Canada, have disappeared.

Health: USA Today reports that fly-by-night brokers are profiting massively from government purchases of anti-COVID supplies.

Relevant (and other outlets) report that a doctor from Houston, who recently was part of a presentation supporting President Trump's debunked views on COVID therapy, and other aspects of the Trump administration's handling of the pandemic, has some really strange views. (Demons can attack you through sex; reptiles are part of the government.)

Gizmodo has published some reflections on the idea of dying of old age (or at an old age).

History:

Humor: Gizmodo reports on an exploration of what would happen if a rifle barrel were bent back toward the stock, as in Bugs Bunny cartoons.

(Or not) Jalopnik reports that way too many pleasure boats showed up when the recent space vessel landed in the ocean.

Philosophy:

Politics: FiveThirtyEight on how Republicans have an advantage in the Senate, despite Democrats representing more people.

FiveThirtyEight also discusses our perceptions on crime. We think we are much more likely to be robbed than we actually are, and the crime rate (although it's hard to pin that down) has been going down, not up, for many years.

FiveThirtyEight also reports on three dozen recent state elections. Many of them were all mail-in, and voter turnout (or turn-in) was up significantly.

Science: Gizmodo reports that the source of most of the boulders at Stonehenge has been found, and it is 20 or so miles from the site.

Gizmodo also reports on a recurring cloud on Mars, large enough to be seen by ordinary telescopes on earth.

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

Thanks for looking!