Monday Links: Patrick Stewart, How to Use a Semicolon, and Being Wrong in Science

Anyone alive who needs convincing that Patrick Stewart is an amazing man is beyond hope. Anyone who doesn’t understand that men also have an obligation to stand up for the safety of women after watching Patrick Stewart say as much needs to watch more Star Trek: The Next Generation and make it so. It's not the only thing he says in the video, but it's a striking and true statement.

The sentence before last was certainly too long. When caught in a similar situation last week, I sought out a reference on how to use the fabled semicolon. After trudging through a waist-high swamp of pages on the mechanics of removing tumors of the intestinal tract*, I happened upon this lovely visual guide on The Oatmeal. Do not read if bears and dinosaurs co-existing on the same web page by any means offends you, though I cannot imagine how that would be possible.

And since that last paragraph acquired entirely too silly a tone, I shall round off this week’s links with an article by Ethan Siegel on Starts With a Bang about how all scientific theories are (at least partly) wrong, how most new ideas are completely wrong, and why it’s important to come up with them anyway.

What’s that, you say? Come now, you didn’t seriously expect some kind of Spanish Inquisition?

*This is no exaggeration; it is, in fact, entirely false.

Monday Links: Informal Segregation in Georgia, The Devil's Kimchee, and Star Trek Set Gags

This article on a high school in Macon, Georgia shocked me. Apparently, Wilcox County High School still has a "whites-only" prom, in addition to an integrated prom. They can get away with this, apparently, because the prom nights are arranged by the community and not the school itself. Nonetheless, it's frightening to see the vestiges of segregation persist today, and the school's failure to condemn the segregated prom amounts to tacit approval. This is an injustice the district should not condone.

On another subject entirely, I recently learned of another frightening matter: FOOF. Also known as Dioxygen Difluoride, or "the Devil's Kimchee," it's apparently the worst thing you can create with a pressure cooker. Also, even chemists don't want to work with the stuff, as the xkcd article will also tell you. Why is that? Probably because when it heats up above 90 kelvins (-180° C, -300 °F), it starts setting things on fire. What things? Everything. And I have every reason to suspect that Michael Bay is made of the stuff.

Lastly, Phil Plait brings up an interesting sight gag in an old Star Trek: Voyager episode. It's subtle by design, and a lot of production designers and workers on set add in hidden jokes such as these. Animators used to hide incredibly naughty jokes in their work (such as this NSFW example from The Rescuers) until VHS and DVD introduced concerned parents to the frame step button. The rest, of course, is history.

Monday Link: More Herman and Chomsky, the Fermi Paradox, and a Timeline of Food

In researching some of last week's posts, I happened upon this article reprinted on Noam Chomsky's website. I have yet to read the report in its entirety, but it is an interesting look at both criticisms and defenses of the Herman-Chomsky propaganda model of mass media. The author (who is not Chomsky or Herman) also clarifies some of the particulars of the theory in the process. If you have the time, I'd recommend the read, even though it's a very academic paper.

On a more science-y front, Ethan Siegel explains the difficulties in guessing at whether aliens exist on Starts With a Bang. The Fermi Paradox — the question "If alien intelligences exist all around us, why haven't we heard from them?" — has been a focus of searches for extra-terrestrial intelligences for decades. Siegel's piece is a concise explanation of why, with our limited knowledge, it's nearly impossible to provide even a tentative answer. My personal suspicion? We're either the first, or one of a very few firsts in the galaxy.

Finally, I leave you with a culinary curiosity in the form of a timeline of food I found while searching on Google. The design may not inspire confidence, but the timeline is comprehensive and thoroughly sourced. I expect I may refer to this timeline, or similar resources, frequently in times to come: when you're writing a book that takes place before European contact with the Americas, you have to be careful not to include foods that only developed after that interchange.

Bon Appétit!

This Week On Runicfire: March 25 – March 31

Monday sees two posts: a Space Edition of the usual links, and the piece on the effects of the Internet versus television as a medium originally scheduled for last Friday.

Wednesday continues the media focus as I delve into the unusual face of propaganda in the United States. Dinner is served with a side of Noam Chomsky with a dash of Fox News censorship.

On Friday, I take a brief look at the non-mainstream media and ponder the future, as I am wont to do.

Please stay tuned!

Monday Links: Mannequins, Higgs, Meteors and Martian Water

A clothing store in Sweden now features mannequins which represent the curvier (and more common) spectrum of the female figure. The reception of their decision is overwhelmingly positive. While I must comment on how the picture in the article appears to obscure the largest of the three mannequins in its photograph, I do believe this news, in itself, is a positive development. Representing the full range of human form can only be a good thing. However, I doubt the underlying issue of idealizing the female figure will vanish until we stop giving a damn about whether a woman is attractive or not.

On the science front, researchers have confirmed that the particle discovered last July 4th is indeed the Higgs boson, or a version thereof. Since it is cagey and rare beast, many more experiments are necessary to determine which theoretical conception of the Higgs this particle matches, if any. However, the article notes that the mass of this Higgs—about 126 times the mass of the proton—is enough to indicate instability in our universe on the billions-of-years scale. They do not specify whether or not this means the Big Crunch is in vogue again.

A post on Magpie and Whiskeyjack features the art of meteorites throughout the ages. It is a lovely record of our fascination with the heavens and their behavior.

Finally, Curiosity's examination of rocks on Mars leaves scientists optimistic that its ancient environment was friendly to life, and thus may have been home to some life forms. Apparently, the evidence indicates that any water that would have existed on Mars billions of years ago would have been potable. Of course, fans of Doctor Who know this to be a trap.

Monday Links: WiFi Paranoia, Positive Pessimism, and Ebert's Social Catholicism

Tinfoil hats, long life and prosperity, and cardinal contemplations feature on this Monday's links.

Wi-Fi signals are harmless to the human body, so far as we know. But they can make you ill—if you think they can make you ill. The whole story is on Neuroskeptic's blog at Discover Magazine.

A National Post article features research indicating that pessimism is good for your long-term health. That is to say, pessimism of a sort. Having lower expectations of your future wellbeing prepares you for the bad and leaves you happier when things go better than you expected. For the elderly, this means less stress, better health and longer life. On the other hand, obsessive catastrophizing still does nobody any good.

Earlier in the month, Roger Ebert posted this essay in the wake of Pope Benedict's retirement. It's a thoughtful examination of the development of one man's beliefs. I encourage everyone to read Roger Ebert's blog. I do not always agree with the man, but he expresses himself with clarity, consideration and poise. I respect that quality in anyone. Many of us could emulate Mr. Ebert more in that respect.

Enjoy the reads, and stay tuned for new posts on Wednesday and Friday!

This Week On Runicfire: March 11 - 17

This Monday's round of links talk about how thinking harmless things are harmful makes you sick, the upside of pessimism and one man's experience of growing up Catholic.

Wednesday's post will be partly about how culture affects sense of time, but mostly about how any one culture's understanding of being human is woefully incomplete.

And Friday I unleash my inner fanboy and tell you why you should watch Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood. Hint: it is the greatest television animé ever made. Yes, even greater than that one.

Stay tuned. I'll see you in the week!

Science Tidbits: Moon Colonies, Genetic Circuits, and Throwing Rocks at Earth

On Bad Astronomy, I found this video featuring Phil Plait and Dr. Karin Bondar. In the video, Phil speaks briefly on the possibility of applying 3-D printing technology to building settlements on the moon—an option actually under development by NASA. Karin follows up with an equally fascinating development: biologists are manipulating DNA in a manner that I can only describe as genetic computing.

To me, these developments are evidence that we already live in a science fiction world. Every day heralds new discoveries about the natural world, and more knowledge of how we can apply those principles to our technology. As someone who writes science fiction, this is good news for me.

I'll leave you with one last treat: an asteroid impact calculator from Purdue University's website.

This Week on Runicfire: Feb 18 – 24

Runicfire is entering its second week, and we have another roster of posts. Here's what to expect:

• Today, Monday the 18th, I reflect on the San Francisco Writer's Conference and the possibility of a second Renaissance.
• This Wednesday, the 20th, a brief post on recent developments in science.
• And for Friday the 22nd I explore the process of revising, including tips I picked up this weekend and some notes from my own experience.

Due to some limitations I have discovered with Blogger, I will be switching Runicfire over to Wordpress. The process will likely take a month, and involve a visual retooling as well. Don't worry: everything I have posted so far will transfer over, and the new site will be prettier, more useful and easier to use than before.

Here's to a good week!