Submitted by Captain Qalypso on
"Suppose an event has two possible explanations. The explanation that requires the fewest assumptions is usually correct. Another way of saying it is that the more assumptions you have to make, the more unlikely an explanation."
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-68515515
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C7cgRMY4opc&ab_channel=80%27s90%27sMusic...
https://metamodel.blog/posts/texas-heat-wave/
10 Comments
'Resolutions'
Submitted by Captain Qalypso on
"More than 2.5 tonnes of food, clothing, equipment and scientific experiments are due to launch atop a SpaceX rocket from Florida at 16:55 local time (20:55 GMT).
On arrival, SEN's camera payload will be prepped by the station crew and then put through an airlock to be placed on the Bartolomeo deck - a piece of exterior structure connected to the European Columbus science module."
https://www.bbc.co.uk/future/article/20240308-talking-on-the-moon-the-qu...
"On 20 July 1969 an estimated 600 million people watched a live broadcast that was both out of focus and of extremely poor quality."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dOxMylotEZM&ab_channel=JohnPaulYoung
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-68579681
"Again, it's a mix of wide and narrow-angle views."
The Shackleton Crater.
"On the far side of the Moon, there is also the problem of maintaining communications with the Earth when it is no longer within line of sight. The only way to achieve this is via a relay satellite."
'Advanced Astronomy'
Submitted by Captain Qalypso on
"The prime locations are free from ground vibration, shielded from Earth’s noisy broadcast signals or profoundly cold – making them uniquely well-suited for sensitive equipment that could make observations impossible from elsewhere.
But the pristine spots, known as sites of extraordinary scientific importance (Sesis), are in danger of being ruined by an imminent wave of missions such as lunar navigation and communications satellites, rovers and mining operations, with experts warning on Monday that safeguarding the precious sites was an “urgent matter”."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZK_M_XhocXo&ab_channel=Lumen
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2024/mar/25/scientists-call-for-prot...
""You have to constantly talk, which isn't a problem for me," she said. "It's when your feet start to hurt and you rock side to side. But I absolutely love it.""
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-68631692
"So what are these ghostly particles and why was a new approach needed to detect them?
The current theory of particle physics is called the Standard Model. It says that everything in the Universe is made up of a family of 17 particles - well known ones such as the electron and the Higgs boson - as well as the lesser known but wonderfully named charm quark, tau neutrino and gluon."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cy47g4FtiSU&ab_channel=Happi3r
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-68653311
Meanwhile:
"Archaeologists have concluded that they could have been Amazon women who lived 4,000 years ago. These fearsome women were famed for their male-free society and their prowess on the battlefield, particularly with a bow and arrow."
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2024/mar/24/truth-behind-the-myths-a...
'Extreme Ends'
Submitted by Captain Qalypso on
"Sightings of marsupial moles usually occur only a few times each decade."
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2024/apr/09/silver-coin-boom-in-medi...
"The burrowing animals live within sand dunes in isolated deserts and spend very little time on the surface.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-L9gXDjQIY&ab_channel=Mis-Teeq-Topic
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-australia-68720246
""I go along to farmers' doors with my portfolio of previous finds and show them what I do and ask them for permission to detect on their land," he said.
"You try to make yourself presentable, you put gel in your hair and wash your car and turn up in nice clothes."
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/apr/09/can-you-smell-what...
"“Quite often they end up in museums very close to where they were discovered and that’s particularly important because it helps shed light on local history for people.”"
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-68659675
Ooops...
"Under the current definition, an item is treasure if it is at least 300 years old and made at least in part of precious metal, such as gold or silver, or part of a hoard. This will be amended to cover exceptional finds of at least 200 years old, regardless of the type of metal they are made of.!"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DIO6ZjlvvB0&ab_channel=NOWSCARING
Bugs Bunny.
https://www.gazetteherald.co.uk/news/24288508.keane-duncan-labour-slams-...
I particularly liked this bit ...
“This eye-watering spending spree, drawn up on the back of a fag packet, will leave a black hole in the mayoral budget and potentially bankrupt the new mayoral authority.”
'Pointless Posts'
Submitted by Captain Qalypso on
"The art installation – a depiction of a house tumbling into the sea – was created to highlight the threat posed by the climate emergency to British coastlines. But some residents have compared the piece placed on a lawn outside Salisbury Cathedral to a pile of fly-tipped debris or an unlit bonfire and called for it to be removed, saying it is spoiling the view of one of England’s most magnificent buildings."
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/article/2024/jun/19/stonehenge-spray...
"Walking is a low-cost, widely accessible and simple exercise that almost anyone can engage in, regardless of geographic location, age or socioeconomic status.”"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tMnGmoLS6zo
https://www.theguardian.com/society/article/2024/jun/19/walking-three-ti...
"Taking regular steps also improved their quality of life, and the time they had to take off work almost halved, he added."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oG7jKUHsLfY
"Effective retention involves competitive benefits, a positive work environment, and growth opportunities."
'Elephant Island'
Submitted by Captain Qalypso on
"‘A wonderful evening. In the darkening twilight I saw a lone star hover, gem-like above the bay.’"
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cjr48y7n1r7o
"After the expedition, Quest was sold to a Norwegian ship-owner, returned to Norway for a re-fit in 1924 and used once again for sealing. The ship also went on to be chartered out for scientific and hunting expeditions in the Arctic. Quest survived World War II, working as a minesweeper, but was eventually sunk by ice in 1962 just north of Newfoundland, Labrador, whilst on a seal-hunting expedition."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XrGeb0ROTN4
https://www.historyhit.com/mrs-chippy-shackletons-seafaring-cat/
Thou must not Bark ...
"It seems that one of Mrs. Chippy’s nine lives was used up."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sEaSAJgaLtQ
https://www.thisisthecoast.co.uk/news/local-news/newby-and-scalby-reside...
'Aimless Passersby'
Submitted by Captain Qalypso on
"It’s instinct, of course, to make life smoother and easier – but the impulse to create boredom extends even into our fantasy futures. When we try to design perfect places – suburbs with their identical squares of grass, utopian new towns with their ideally spaced houses and wide, regular avenues – we end up in nightmares of monotony."
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/article/2024/aug/24/riots-shoo...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O0jBwk71Qcw
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/article/2024/aug/24/up-to-70mm-of-ra...
'Smart Masks'?
Submitted by Captain Qalypso on
"While politicians have shown that no one is above a night out, those seeking to avoid the glare of cameras in the foggy smoking area may be out of luck. Rayner’s lively getaway came as Keir Starmer signalled support for plans to restrict smoking outside pubs and restaurants, including in designated areas on-site and pavements."
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/article/2024/aug/30/angela-rayner-r...
The War of the Roses.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9WbvhTzitN4
"A number of independent experts have argued that the fiscal rules are not the best way to set out a path for government spending, and that the measures the government has to do to meet them are not necessarily the best decisions."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hvdv4pKU8Qw
Sugar Cubes.
A 'Bristle Cone' Pine
Submitted by Captain Qalypso on
"“The public has the right to express their views over how their money is spent. Gathering at a camp to express these views is not a crime. Police taking equipment to prevent this camp going ahead is an unreasonable restriction of free speech and is highly oppressive.
“The UK has seen 15 years of falling living standards, a cost of living crisis and decades of blaming migrants for the UK’s problems. But the real cause of our economic problems is the corrupt relationship between the state and corporations like Drax, who receive state support while profiting from sky-high energy bills, and who seem to be using the police as their own private security.”"
https://www.theguardian.com/business/article/2024/aug/25/police-acting-a...
"Even the needles on these fascinating trees live up to 30 years long. This allows the trees to conserve energy by not having to reproduce new ones. It takes about two years for the bristlecone pine cone to reach maturity, which is unique amongst trees in the conifer family. The bristlecone pine gets its name from the cones whose scales appear to have a claw-like bristle."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rUWPctuaXzA
https://www.treesatlanta.org/news/the-oldest-tree-in-the-world/
"Two possibilities sprang immediately to mind. One was the people who wrote the code – coders – long depicted in pop culture as a clan of vaguely comic, Tolkien-worshipping misfits..."
How Convenient.
“The subsidies for large-scale biomass generators will end in 2027 and we are reviewing evidence on potential support beyond this.”"
'Mini Moons'
Submitted by Captain Qalypso on
"“Under these conditions … the object may become a temporary moon of Earth,” he said, adding it would happen to the asteroid in question starting next week and last about two months."
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/sep/19/mini-moon-asteroid
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UlcFgg6fiU4
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/sep/19/evening-standard-l...
"The distant and cold Voyager 1 spacecraft did a clever thruster trick to help it phone home."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=99p35Dk8EV4
"Engineers at JPL plan to keep the Voyager twin spacecraft running until at least the 50th anniversary of the mission in 2027."
https://www.livescience.com/space/space-exploration/nasa-s-voyager-1-pro...
"Have you ever wondered how fast your daily ride is? Now is your chance to find out!"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sduM3VEhRcU
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2024/sep/18/huge-plasma-jets-spotted...
"Very soon the only constellations we will see will be human-made."
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cy4dnr8zemgo
'Terms of Endearment'
Submitted by Captain Qalypso on
"A noble mention as well to “pet” in the north-east. And don’t get me wrong, I’ll take any term of endearment from anyone, and be very grateful for it, but I’d rather be someone’s duck than someone’s anything else."
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cn8jdwxdl5no
"You can find them begging to turn back time, so that they can have a second chance to make things better. To do something relatively sane for the first time in ages."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ph-B_dLZhKM
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/oct/10/love-bab-pet-duck-...