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This Guy!

December 8, 2023 by J.R. Johnson

I was feeling pretty not terrible about closing in on three years of daily posts here, but this guy! Writing, recording and releasing an album every day? Seriously impressive.

‘Like brushing my teeth’: how Michiru Aoyama writes, records and releases an album every day

For two years, the Kyoto musician has risen at five, watched football, then made an eight-track album of super-deep ambient music – while fitting in a two-hour walk.

I’m still feeling not terrible about my streak, but this gives me an extra dose of inspiration. Win win!

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Photo by Anna Shvets on Pexels.com

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Today’s Goal

December 7, 2023 by J.R. Johnson

Today’s goal: To be perfectly imperfect.

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Photo by Jackson Simmer on Unsplash

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There It Is

December 6, 2023 by J.R. Johnson

Truth is incontrovertible. Panic may resent it. Ignorance may deride it. Malice may distort it. But there it is.

— Winston Churchill

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Photo by JOSHUA COLEMAN on Unsplash

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Sound in Space, Alien and Otherwise

December 5, 2023 by J.R. Johnson

Why isn’t there any sound in space? An astronomer explains why in space no one can hear you scream

In space, no one can hear you scream.

You may have heard this saying. It’s the tagline from the famous 1979 science fiction movie “Alien.” It’s a scary thought, but is it true? The simple answer is yes, no one can hear you scream in space because there is no sound or echo in space.

I’m a professor of astronomy, which means I study space and how it works. Space is silent – for the most part.

University of Arizona Distinguished Professor of Astronomy Chris Impey explains the science behind the Alien tagline, showcases slinkies as sound waves, and discusses why humans can’t speak across space but phenomena like galaxies and black holes can.

Also, a fun fact I did not know: “The word vacuum comes from the Latin word for empty.”

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Photo by Susan Wilkinson on Unsplash

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Methane, Man

December 4, 2023 by J.R. Johnson

What’s the fastest way to slow global warming? Bill Nye has the answer. | Environmental Defense Fund

We asked Bill Nye The Science Guy to create a quick, easy-to-understand lesson on the fastest way to slow global warming: cutting methane emissions. 

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Photo by Jake Hawkes on Unsplash

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Going Far

December 3, 2023 by J.R. Johnson

“For me, I am driven by two main philosophies: know more today about the world than I knew yesterday and lessen the suffering of others. You’d be surprised how far that gets you.”

― Neil deGrasse Tyson

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Photo by Andrew Svk on Unsplash

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Wherever You Go, There You Are

December 2, 2023 by J.R. Johnson

So there we were, about to turn off the television when Mr Man and I realized that the actor on screen was David Elsendoorn, who played rude Dutch player Jan Maas in Ted Lasso. Upon closer inspection, we realized that the movie was a moderately well disguised promo for the lovely Unesco World Heritage city of Bergen in Norway. 

Having just discussed the clever and funny (and sadly not real) movie Dundee from Tourism Australia, we felt that this was an excellent use of a Hallmark-style movie. 

A moment later, a shot of the Bergen sign at the city’s airport popped up on screen. By Icelandic artist Ragnar Kjartansson, the sign has letters that are 5.5 meters high and weigh 2.5 tons, and is meant to be “existentialist and poetic.” Competition judges apparently had a healthy dose of Scandinavian wit, because the sign reads “Bergen?” 

Everyone can put what they want in the question mark, and there are no wrong answers

It certainly gave me ideas, the shortest of which is this six-word story:

Stupid unpredictable teleportation. Welcome to Bergen?

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Photo by Carlos Torres on Unsplash

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Nights on Earth

December 1, 2023 by J.R. Johnson

What’s happening in the night skies this month? I have no idea, actually, but this calendar does!

Astronomy Calendar for December, 2023 for Ottawa, Canada

Welcome to NightsOnEarth.com, a customizable, free astro-calendar to help you plan your stargazing, created by photographer Phil Mosby.

Click on any day and then on Settings to specify your location.

What’s this? The Pheonicid Meteor Shower will be visible starting tomorrow night and showcases meteors seemingly coming from the Phoenix constellation?

Cool cool cool. And what’s the Phoenix constellation? (Clicks on “learn more” and voila: Pheonicid meteor shower 2023).

Although that particular arrangement of stars isn’t saying phoenix to me so much as… curling stone.

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Photo by Sebastian Knoll on Unsplash

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Useful Today. Or Any Day, Really

November 30, 2023 by J.R. Johnson

From the annals of the “Thoughts that have been thunk many times before but are still sometimes good to think again” archives, I found this idea useful today:

When it comes to creativity, you can do anything if you don’t care if it’s perfect.

And you should.

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Photo by Susan Q Yin on Unsplash

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The Terminator as Art Critic

November 29, 2023 by J.R. Johnson

I found a picture that I drew of a dragon, lo those many years ago.

Dragon, by J.R. Johnson

Being the curious sort, I decided to see if AI was worth its salt by (obviously) uploading the image and asking it to animate said dragon.

I hoped for something cute and silly. 

(Well, actually, what I expected was for it to say, “Are you kidding, lady? And also, You call that a dragon? I could do better than that while managing air traffic control for LAX! Who drew this thing, a toddler?” Yes, more or less. No need to be mean about it.)

What I got was a canned reply on how to animate, plus this:

Dragon, by Bing’s AI. Showoff.

So, not my dragon and not an animation. Just a lot of “Ooh, look at me,” with a heaping dose of computerized side-eye.

Kind of the internet in a nutshell, actually;)

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