Sunspots 915

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

Christianity: (and Politics) A Christianity Today article strongly argues against Christian Nationalism.

Computing: (or Health) Gizmodo reports that Google is developing software to read the handwriting of doctors.

Education: (and Computing) NPR reports on ChatGPT, which will write your papers for you, among other things.

Environment: Coyotes almost never attack adult humans. There is now an explanation for the death of a hiker, by coyotes, on Cape Breton Island, according to Gizmodo.

NPR reports that Louisiana is about to replace land lost to washing away with sediment from the Mississippi River.

NPR reports on a mountain lion in the Los Angeles area, which has been there for about ten years. It was subsequently euthanized.

Humor: (and Weather) NPR reports on how some snow removal equipment is getting goofy names, and is being followed on-line.

Politics: The Conversation on bipartisan bills to upgrade the way elections are counted and reported.

NPR on how Russia has been trying to ingest Ukraine for a century.

Science: According to NPR, some scientists think that time is an illusion.

The Conversation discusses stuttering.

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

Thanks for reading.

 

Sunspots 896

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

Christianity: Ken Schenck writes about what the Bible says about gender and sex.

Education: A Conversation post on why there is a teacher shortage.

Food: (and Science) Gizmodo reports on developments in lab-grown fish sticks.

Health: (or something) Gizmodo reports that a surgery-performing robot is about to be tested in the International Space Station.

Gizmodo reports that UPS drivers are enduring dangerous heat. There's no A/C  in the trucks, and the rear part of the trucks (where most of the packages are) can get really hot.

Science: A Conversation writer tells us about coyotes in urban environments.

SciTechDaily reports that human genes have been transferred to yeast cells, and apparently work just fine.

Sports: C. Vivian Stringer, first African-American college coach to win 1000 games, has retired.

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

Thanks for reading.

Sunspots 629

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

Christianity: Christianity Today points out, with some examples, that spreading conspiracy theories and other fake news is, well, sin.


Education: Listverse discusses the origins of 10 widely used school supplies (such as backpacks and pencils).

Finance: (or something) Wired comments on the possible changes to the Federal Aviation Administration.

Health: Science reports that a new antibiotic, which may make it impossible for bacteria to develop resistance, has been produced. In tests, it seems to be very effective.



Politics: Scientific American fact-checks President Trump's speech on the Paris climate change accord.

Scientific American says that torture is not effective in extracting information.

Science: The Conversation says that killing coyotes does not make sheep and cattle safer, and explains why.

Scientific American reports on a long-term study of the social lives of wild horses.



Image source (public domain)

Coyotes in the San Diego area

Monday morning, I was sitting at the computer desk, in our daughter and son-in-law's home, quietly typing away, when the sensor floodlight came on, illuminating the driveway. It comes on a lot, especially when it's windy, so I didn't think much about it. Then I glanced out, and there was a coyote in the driveway. It wandered over near the trashcans (which were almost empty) as if it owned the place.

We are staying in one of San Diego's many suburbs. It is a thickly populated suburban area. We can throw a rock and easily hit at least a half dozen houses from our daughter and son-in-law's property, and we can see hundreds of buildings from a front window. Here's a typical view.

Our son-in-law had already gone to work, and had let out Jamba, the gray male cat, as he usually does. I saw the cat with his fur extended, and his tail up, so I went to the door. By that time, the coyote had apparently gone elsewhere, and Jamba expressed no interest in coming back in, so I let him stay out. (Our daughter and son-in-law previously had a house in San Diego, itself, and believe that one of their cats, which disappeared, was eaten by a coyote.)

I guess the coyote didn't get the message about Daylight Saving Time, which had changed the day before.

I thought it best to approach any neighbors I saw about the matter. One across the street, and one next door, expressed surprise. However, two other neighbors, on the next street over, were not surprised. Both of them had seen coyotes in the area, and one told us that he had heard them howling.

Thanks for reading.