she thinks she's smart; she's just curious

rainbowrowell:

(via ‘Star Trek: Into Darkness’ teaser trailer released: Benedict Cumberbatch’s villain shows Khan-do attitude - NY Daily News)

I can’t stop thinking about Star Trek. 

About 50 percent of my thinking is raging against the machine. (I’m upset about the plotting and characters.)

The other 50 percent is just daydreaming about this trenchcoat/turtleneck/scarf/hoodie thing that Cumberbatch was wearing.

Costumers do give the man great coats.

Don’t read the comments. Never read the comments.

literaryreference:

You know how it is, right, ladies? You know a guy for a while. You hang out with him. You do fun things with him—play video games, watch movies, go hiking, go to concerts. You invite him to your parties. You listen to his problems. You do all this because you think he wants to be your friend.

But…

mr-derp-herpin:

blua:

What the city is missing: Thierry Cohen photographs cityscapes and then photographs deserts at night, combing the two to show us what our cities would look like with the lights off. The stars are not enhanced, they are actual photos from relative latitudes that would expose the same starry sky view if it weren’t for light pollution. Click on each photo to see which city it is.

Light pollution and pollution in general

(via n-a-s-a)

jtotheizzoe:

climateadaptation:

These channels are failing the spirit of conservationism and education. They are failing inspiring awe in young people. Failing much needed inspiration in a very confused and conflicted world.

These shows are failing their core values, their main purpose, which is leadership in environmentalism and cultural education. Far worse, they are failing millions of young people - millions - who look up to them.

Please join me in asking Discovery, Animal Planet, and the History Channels to stop, apologize, and correct.

That’s an important read up there, folks. These “reality” shows are feeding an outdated and unscientific view of predator species. These are channels founded on principles of education and conservation (TLC, of course, left the building years ago). Are they willing to sacrifice that for what appears to be gratuitous bloodsport?

Like any media, you can vote with your eyeballs. And if you support any kind of rights for wild animals and natural spaces, you can not support these programs. If the account above is true, shame on these networks.

It speaks to part of a larger issue with nature films. The amazing footage we see in shows like Africa, Planet Earth, and Frozen Planet is rarely the result of serendipity. It involves years of careful research and preparation to maximize the chances of capturing nature’s majesty on camera, and what is captured is highly edited to create story, drama and emotion. These are uniquely human interests, and nature doesn’t include them in her original script.

That’s not to say we are being fleeced all the time. People like Sir David Attenborough take these concerns very seriously, and constantly strive to find the balance between entertainment and true nature in every varying instance. What we watch is real. But is it REAL?

I wonder how many people realize that, for instance, the famous polar bear birth scene from Frozen Planet was filmed in a zoo? Disney’s adorable Chimpanzee movie was not a documentary, but rather spliced together to create an emotional tale of adoption. Jason Goldman put together a great collection of opinions on the matter.

How far can we take allowances to deliver good edutainment before we are delivering bad science? The “reality” shows surely fail the test. But the others? What do you think?

smithsonianmag:

Molting Cicada GIF

The cicadas of Brood II are starting to emerge after 17 years living underground and feeding on tree roots. Shown in this GIF is the molting process of a cicada as it turns into an adult with wings.

GIF courtesy of T. Nathan Mundhenk / Wikipedia

Ed note: The cicadas are coming, and so are the terrifying spores that eat them alive.

Would you seriously eat one of these things?

cumberbatchcoffeeklatch:

gallifreyan-consulting-auror:

*poof* ovaries gone.

You people know damn well that I would HAVE to reblog this one. And WHY

(via evolgurl)

I outed myself on the social anxiety thing a while ago, and now I’m wondering if I should out my Other Major Issue. Not because I think anyone who reads this gives a shit, but because secrecy typically means shame.

I’m not ashamed of my Other Major Issue. I just don’t talk about it much to people who aren’t Husband or my PCP* because zzzzzz…

Funny thing about saving to draft and coming back later. Sometimes relevant news items come to your attention: http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2013/05/psychiatry-allen-frances-saving-normal-dsm-5-controversy

So I guess I am supposed to be ashamed, or at least feel bad, about being on an antidepressant because it was prescribed by my PCP and not a psychiatrist. But I don’t.

Looks like I outed my Other Major Issue. Oh well.

* Primary care physician, not phencyclidine. Zzzzzz…

(Source: safercampus)

Parks 6–8 on our quest to see a game at each of the 30 MLB parks: Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, Oriole Park in Baltimore, and Nationals Park in Washington, D.C.

Parks 1–5 are Wrigley Field and Comiskey Park (fine, U.S. Cellular Field) in Chicago, Miller Park in Milwaukee, Safeco Field in Seattle, and Tropicana Field in Tampa.

If things go according to plan, park 9 will be Target Field in Minneapolis.

Odd thing I noticed after park 8: we haven’t seen a home team hit a home run since Seattle, which was a walk off in the bottom of the 12th.

Very, very well done.

thehawkeyeinitiative:

I recently received an email from an anonymous fan sharing how she pulled a Hawkeye Initiative themed prank on her CEO to illustrate a problem with some artwork.
My personal compliments to her and her accomplice on a mission well done; they perfectly took the concept of The Hawkeye Initiative one…