Sunspots 977

Things I have spotted that may be of interest to others.    

ZDNet reports that a study, by the BBC, about how good artificial intelligence (chatbots) do in summarizing news stories, showed that they don't do that very well.

There are still Brazilian tribes that are unknown by the rest of us, according to Gizmodo.

Gizmodo also reports on dating apps, finding that using one is a way for a female user to be raped, more often than other means of connecting. The report also says that the companies involved could do a much better job of removing dangerous users, but has chosen not to.

MSN describes the animals with the longest lifespan. (Thanks to one of my brothers for this information)

CNN lists a number of GOP senators who deny Trump's claim that the Ukraine-Russia was started by the Ukraine.

South American tapirs were thought to be extinct. They aren't!

Thanks for reading.

Geology and a world-wide flood (or not)

 I am not a geologist, but a recent article, written by a geologist, presents abundant geological evidence that the arrangement of rocks and fossils does not support the Young-Earth Creationist belief in a world-wide flood.

Thanks for reading.

Sunspots 964

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

A splendid essay on eight principles of sound Christian thinking.

A Conversation writer discusses treason and the 14th amendment to the US Constitution.

Another Conversation writer tells us that there are limits to the length of legal briefs, and some lawyers do their best to get around such limits.

Gizmodo has an article which tells you how to find out what model your phone is.

Heart, Mind, Soul and Strength considers demons, whether real beings or diseases.

Gizmodo reports that a woman has received a brain implant device that controls her OCD and bipolar disease.

Gizmodo also reports on a Russian man who found his wife using artificial intelligence.

LiveScience reports that blue whales, the largest animals on earth, have been mating, occasionally, with another species of whale.

NPR reports that gardeners can now grow purple tomatoes. The purple color comes from snapdragon flowers.

Thanks for reading!

Sunspots 947

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

Computing: Gizmodo tells us some interesting, and maybe useful, things you can do with Google searches.

Gizmodo says that dating apps may be preventing users from seeing their most likely partners.

Politics: The Conversation has posted an article which claims, based on the Constitution, that Donald Trump has already disqualified himself for appearance on the 2024 Presidential ballot.

Another Conversation writer discusses the use of "um" and "uh" and related sounds in a debate.

Health: A Conversation article on the importance of sleep. (Caffeine doesn't really make up for lack of sleep.)

Science: Birds and reptiles lay eggs with a yolk, which provides nutrition for the embryos until they leave their shells. Humans, and other mammals don't need a yolk for food. Science alert reports on the important functions of our embryonic yolk sac.

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

Thanks for reading.

Sunspots 764

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

Christianity: Christianity Today reports that evangelicals are receptive to prison reform, but that most of them haven't done anything to help prisoners.

Relevant reports on a letter from black church leaders, thanking Christianity Today for publishing a recent letter, calling for the removal of President Trump from office. The article says that his support among African-Americans is very low.

Computing: (and Christianity) A plea to pastors and theologians to be careful of what they say on social media -- check sources, and don't merely repeat what others who share your particular prejudices have posted, for example.

Humor: (and romance) Relevant reports on a dating site that requires agreement with a doctrinal statement. (A Calvinist one)


Politics: FiveThirtyEight has done a survey, which indicates that President Trump is less popular than Mike Pence, and almost as unpopular as Sarah Palin.

Pete Enns says that the word, or the country, America, is not in the Bible.

NPR says that there are a lot of border walls in the world, but Trump's wall is most expensive, and indicates why that is so.

Science: Gizmodo reports that a tiny parasite can affect the behavior of mice that are infected, including making them more likely to be caught by cats.

Gizmodo also reports on a flying robot, with wings from those of dead pigeons.

Listverse discusses 10 conspiracy theories put forth by President Donald Trump.

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

Thanks for looking!

Sunspots 763

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


Christianity: (and Politics) Relevant discusses the reaction to a recent Christianity Today editorial calling for the removal of President Trump.

Health: The Scientist reports that there has been a large increase in alcohol-related deaths, in the US.

The Scientist also reports that exposure to soil may help our immune systems.

Humor: (and romance) Relevant reports on a dating site that requires agreement with a doctrinal statement. (A Calvinist one)

Politics: NPR reports on a Pew poll that indicates that most people in other countries don't trust President Trump.

Christianity Today reports that 41 governors have certified that their states want to continue to accept refugees.

FiveThirtyEight reports on polling - we are ambiguous about what's been happening with Iran.

Science: Gizmodo reports on a new species of mantis, which impales its prey on spikes on its legs.

Gizmodo also reports on 5 newly discovered species of birds. This report has a couple of photos. The Scientist also reports on Indonesian birds, but mentions 10 new species.

Gizmodo also reports on the development of "robots" made from living frog embryo cells. These things can do various tasks, and, eventually, might be used to clear clogged blood vessels, and do other  medical jobs.

NPR reports on frigate birds, which can use clouds (!) to stay aloft for weeks at a time.

Sports: Congratulations to Vince Carter, who began playing in the NBA in the 1990s, and is still playing in the 2020s, as reported by FiveThirtyEight. 

(and race) FiveThirtyEight reports on the scarcity of non-white pro football coaches.

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

Listverse tells us some popular and interesting misconceptions about colors.

Thanks for looking!

Sunspots 592

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

Christianity:A Christianity Today article on the pervasive role of coffee in many churches.

Christianity Today also has an article on reasons why we can't afford not to pray for each other.

A writer for Relevant points out three lies that churches often teach about dating.

A Christianity Today interviewee wants us to stop reading the Bible in little pieces.


Computing: Gizmo's Freeware points to a helpful article on how to sort, and how to find most anything in your gmail.

Education: A Scientific American contributor weighs in on whether tablet devices are a good teaching tool.
 
Politics: A Relevant writer says that "we" are not in a holy war with ISIS.

Science: Scientific American reports that people react differently to moral dilemmas when they hear about them in a language other than their native tongue.

Scientific American also reports that a bipartisan group of military leaders is urging action to prepare for climate change. (The Republican-controlled Congress has specifically barred the military from doing so!)

And, says Scientific American, there is an almost unknown group of soil microorganisms, the Cercozoans, that occur in immense numbers, and astonishing variety, and are important in soil ecology.


Sports: (or something) The Associated Press reports that an 800-plus pound alligator has been caught in South Carolina.

Congratulations to In Gee Chun (aka Chun, In-Gee) on arguably achieving the best score ever in a major tournament, by a golfer of either sex, in the recent Evian Championship. (ESPN; Wikipedia)





Image source (public domain)

Sunspots 588

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

Christianity: A Relevant columnist discusses her experiences with online dating.
 
Benjamin L. Corey re-examines Romans 8:28, the verse that seems to be saying that all things work together for our good.

Relevant tells us that being in the center of God's will isn't always safe.

Literature: Listverse notes 10 important works written while the author was in prison. (Not included: Revelation, and Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "Letter from Birmingham Jail.")


Politics: Relevant points out that "Jesus Never Worried About Politics."

Science: Listverse on ten animal species that show real intelligence.
 
Listverse also has an article on ten of the most important crop plants, that had their genomes changed significantly by ancient humans.


Wired reports that horse racers are using DNA testing in developing successful race horses.

Wired reports that there are underwater heat waves, and they are devastating to marine life.

DarkSiteFinder is designed to show us how well we can, or can't, see the stars at night, because of light pollution. It has a link to an detailed map.


Sports: Wired tells us that athletes in most Olympic events are helped by various equipment enhancements, and, actually, are cyborgs, rather than pure humans.


Image source (public domain)

Sunspots 561

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

The Arts: Gizmo's Freeware lets us know that the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra offers about 250 orchestral works for free streaming.

Christianity: Relevant tells us what the Bible says about dating. (Nothing direct, but there are some important principles.)

Computing: Gizmo's Freeware discusses an easy, and free, method of sharing information across computers. You can create, and/or share, code, sketches, lists, and other types of information.

Gizmo's also reviews free Windows firewall programs.

A Wired post argues that you should never delete a Facebook account upon the death of the owner of the account.

Humor: (or something) Listverse tells us the strange stories of the names of some candies, and also gives information on the "candy desk" in the U. S. Senate. Who knew?

Listverse also lists 10 common words, and gives their history -- they used to mean something quite different. The list includes "artificial," "nice," and "silly."

Politics: Sojourners discusses evidence that our political, and other, strongly held beliefs influence our perceptions of the facts. Surprise.

National Public Radio reports that the head of the government's interrogation program says that waterboarding, and similar strategies, do not work.

Listverse reports on 10 controversial statistics often used by advocates of one side or another in the culture wars -- on rape, suicide, and gun violence.

Science: Wired discusses some electric fish, some new to science. They can communicate electrically with each other.

NPR, and many other news outlets, report on the discovery of gravitational waves, predicted by Einstein, and giving more evidence that black holes really exist. Nature also has a report on this.


Image source (public domain)

Sunspots 364

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

Humor:  (and other grave subjects) Project Gutenberg has recently republished Curious Epitaphs, which was originally published in 1899. Here's a sample: 

Here lies, 

in a horizontal position, 

the outside case of
Thomas Hinde,
Clock and Watch-maker,
Who departed this life, wound up in hope of
being taken in hand by his Maker, and being
thoroughly cleaned, repaired, and set a-going
in the world to come,
On the 15th of August, 1836,
In the 19th year of his age.

We don't put nearly that much on a gravestone now.

Science: (and management, business, and dating) NPR reports on analysis of the use of the word "I," which reveals which person in an exchange of e-mails is of higher status. Analysis of pronoun use also predicts which speed daters will stick together.

(and politics, sort of) NPR also reports on the importance of Mangrove trees, and how Indonesian people are being persuaded to help conserve them.

Wired reports on the discovery of some amazing lava patterns on Mars.

 

The Arts: A young woman created a prom dress from corrugated cardboard and paper bags. (Warning -- for some reason, I could not see the picture, using the Windows Firefox browser. Internet Explorer and Google Chrome worked fine, though.)

Image source (public domain)

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December 8, 2012: I'm getting so many spam comments on this post that I'm turning off the comments on it. If you have a relevant comment, please put it on another of my posts. Thanks.