Glass Wings Blog: October 2017

Five women building peace that you should know

Sun, 1 Oct 2017 22:30:08 +1100

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

Andrew Pam
<https://medium.com/we-the-peoples/five-women-building-peace-that-you-should-know-44e1fde94639>

"These leaders are promoting gender equality and women’s rights all over
the world while advocating for a more peaceful community."

(More...)

“artists” and Artists

Sun, 1 Oct 2017 22:31:39 +1100

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

Andrew Pam
https://medium.com/@muse_9093/artists-and-artists-a0eef6e37dfc

"Art has on many occasions brought people to care and to act on the
behalf of what is most life-affirming. Uncle Tom’s Cabin, without
being a great book, nevertheless caused people to sympathise with the

(More...)

Human Population Growth and extinction

Mon, 2 Oct 2017 23:55:04 +1100

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

Andrew Pam
<http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/programs/population_and_sustainability/extinction/>

"We're in the midst of the Earth's sixth mass extinction crisis. Harvard
biologist E. O. Wilson estimates that 30,000 species per year (or three
species per hour) are being driven to extinction. Compare this to the

(More...)

What The Future Holds

Mon, 2 Oct 2017 23:55:50 +1100

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

Andrew Pam
https://medium.com/@muse_9093/what-the-future-holds-4317b32a514d

"These predictions have been made elsewhere. I am putting these in one
place in order to gain some clarity and insight. With insight I am
counting on people making better choices. Do I believe this chain of

(More...)

Spettacolo: Tension between tradition and the future take center stage in Italy

Thu, 5 Oct 2017 21:45:12 +1100

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

Andrew Pam
<https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2017/09/spettacolo-tension-between-tradition-and-the-future-take-center-stage-in-italy/>

"The early moments of Spettacolo, the latest documentary from the team
behind the acclaimed 2010 work Marwencol, may cause travel lust. As
the film gets underway, old brick buildings serve as a backdrop for

(More...)

Download "Theft! A History of Music", a New Free Graphic Novel Exploring 2,000 Years of Musical Borrowing

Thu, 5 Oct 2017 21:46:34 +1100

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

Andrew Pam
<http://www.openculture.com/2017/09/download-theft-a-history-of-music-a-new-free-graphic-novel-exploring-2000-years-of-musical-borrowing.html>

'From the team behind the 2006 fair use comic Bound by Law comes a new
fair use comic, Theft! A History of Music. Created by James Boyle and
Jennifer Jenkins, two law school profs from Duke University, Theft! A

(More...)

Short Trip

Fri, 6 Oct 2017 23:52:35 +1100

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

Andrew Pam
http://alexanderperrin.com.au/paper/shorttrip/

Beautiful!  A lovely interactive illustration.  Via Kam-Yung Soh.

(More...)

What Legal Personhood for U.S. Rivers Would Do

Fri, 6 Oct 2017 23:53:34 +1100

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

Andrew Pam
<http://www.yesmagazine.org/issues/just-transition/corporations-have-legal-personhood-but-rivers-dont-that-could-change-20170912>

"Indian Country could finally see an end to nonconsented infrastructure
projects if they follow New Zealand’s Maori in achieving legal
protection for natural entities."

(More...)

An Illustrated Periodic Table Showing How Chemical Elements Interact With Our Everyday Lives

Sat, 7 Oct 2017 22:30:52 +1100

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

Andrew Pam
https://laughingsquid.com/illustrated-periodic-table-of-elements/

"Retired Boeing software engineer Keith Enevoldsen created the
color-coded “Periodic Tables of Elements, in Pictures and Words” for
both kids and adults to help us all understand the chemical elements in

(More...)

Sharks longer in the tooth than we thought

Sat, 7 Oct 2017 22:32:00 +1100

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

Andrew Pam
https://phys.org/news/2017-09-sharks-longer-tooth-thought.html

"A James Cook University researcher has found that sharks and rays live
a lot longer than we thought - some twice as long as previously estimated."

(More...)

Camp Adventure Treetop Experience, A Gorgeous Circular Walkway That Rises Amongst the Trees

Sun, 8 Oct 2017 22:46:58 +1100

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

Andrew Pam
https://laughingsquid.com/camp-adventure-treetop-experience/

"Danish architecture firm EFFEKT has created an absolutely beautiful way
to experience the Gisselfeld Klosters Skove preserved forest with their
exquisitely designed “Camp Adventure Treetop Experience“, a 600 meter

(More...)

Is The World Worth Saving?

Sun, 8 Oct 2017 22:47:41 +1100

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

Andrew Pam
https://medium.com/@muse_9093/is-the-world-worth-saving-ef29a0221b17

"I left the United States in 1989 after finishing a university degree,
because I felt the country was so mired in oppression that it wasn’t
worth my time. I saw close up how compassion was being crushed, as the

(More...)

The Coming Software Apocalypse

Mon, 9 Oct 2017 23:00:22 +1100

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

Andrew Pam
<https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2017/09/saving-the-world-from-code/540393/>

"It’s been said that software is “eating the world.” More and more,
critical systems that were once controlled mechanically, or by people,
are coming to depend on code."

(More...)

This Man Woke Up To A Strange Noise, Then He Saw This On His Porch (16 Pics)

Mon, 9 Oct 2017 23:01:34 +1100

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

Andrew Pam
https://www.boredpanda.com/lynx-porch-tim-newton/

"Earlier this month, we wrote about the most awesome “I woke up to this”
moments that have ever happened, and this story that happened to Tim
Newton from Alaska definitely belongs there."

(More...)

Ian Roberts weeps as working-class fans go wild for Macklemore's NRL show

Tue, 10 Oct 2017 23:05:07 +1100

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

Andrew Pam
<http://www.canberratimes.com.au/comment/ian-roberts-weeps-as-workingclass-fans-go-wild-for-macklemores-nrl-show-20171001-gys8gk.html>

"They stomp they cheer, they sing along, they turn the lights of their
iPhones on, and wave them in rhythm, instantly turning the arena into a
massive sparkling wonderland."

(More...)

Australia's refugee policy is a failure. This is not the time to shirk responsibility

Tue, 10 Oct 2017 23:06:05 +1100

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

Andrew Pam
<https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/oct/02/our-refugee-policy-is-a-failure-this-is-not-the-time-to-shirk-responsibility>

"Behind the policy of offshore processing are stories of genuine
tragedy. We need to let recognised refugees rebuild their lives here"

(More...)

Global Food Crops Also Face Earth's Sixth Great Mass Extinction

Wed, 11 Oct 2017 20:06:32 +1100

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

Andrew Pam
https://www.ecowatch.com/food-mass-extinction-2489790982.html

"Human civilization utterly depends on our precious food supplies, but
the planet's sixth mass extinction of plants and animals currently
underway is also threatening the world's food crops, according to a new

(More...)

New study highlights 'hidden figure' of sun-watchers

Wed, 11 Oct 2017 20:08:07 +1100

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

Andrew Pam
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-10/agu-nsh100217.php

"Few people have heard of Hisako Koyama, but the dedicated female solar
observer, born in Tokyo in 1916, created one of the most important
sunspot records of the past 400 years, according to new research."

(More...)

Astounding underwater photography contest winners

Thu, 12 Oct 2017 22:28:05 +1100

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

Andrew Pam
https://boingboing.net/2017/10/03/astounding-underwater-photogra.html

"Scuba Diving magazine announced the winners of its underwater
photography contest and the results are an awe-inspiring glimpse of
another world that exists within our own."

(More...)

Unconditional Basic Income is a Pigovian Subsidy for Unpaid Work

Thu, 12 Oct 2017 22:29:12 +1100

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

Andrew Pam
<http://www.scottsantens.com/unconditional-basic-income-is-a-pigovian-subsidy-for-unpaid-work>

"Everyone right now is benefiting from unpaid work. There is a ton of
unpaid work going on. With unconditional basic income there will be even
more unpaid work as that option opens up to many more people than those

(More...)

Governments are criminalizing homeless people to distract from their own failures

Fri, 13 Oct 2017 21:19:15 +1100

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

Andrew Pam
<https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2017/10/governments-are-criminalizing-homeless-people-to-distract-from-their-own-failures/>

"Homeless people worldwide have one thing in common: their human rights
are being violated"

(More...)

Explore the Secret Lives of Animals With These Marvelous Maps

Fri, 13 Oct 2017 21:20:05 +1100

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

Andrew Pam
<https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/explore-secret-lives-animals-these-marvelous-maps-180965070/>

"A new book considers how sophisticated tracking technology and the data
it collects can improve conservation strategies"

(More...)

Roll-Up Solar Panels Could Fundamentally Alter How We Power the World

Sat, 14 Oct 2017 22:32:15 +1100

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

Andrew Pam
<https://futurism.com/roll-up-solar-panels-could-fundamentally-alter-how-we-power-the-world/>

"Everyone knows that areas stricken with natural disasters take time,
effort, money and often depend on tedious political negotiations before
recovery becomes feasible. Restoring electricity in such areas is one of

(More...)

Marchers across the world demand justice for wildlife

Sat, 14 Oct 2017 22:33:15 +1100

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

Andrew Pam
<https://www.theguardian.com/environment/africa-wild/2017/oct/07/marchers-across-the-world-demand-justic-for-wildlife>

"The Global March for Elephants, Rhinos and Lions brings people in
cities across the world together to demand action to save threatened
wildlife from extinction"

(More...)

Power Broken

Sun, 15 Oct 2017 22:11:36 +1100

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

Andrew Pam
https://medium.com/@muse_9093/power-broken-af0ea250ff2e

"A dandelion is growing in your garden. If it spreads, it could choke
out your newly planted carrots and tomatoes. Cut off its head and
leaves, it will quickly grow back. Pull at it and break its root part

(More...)

Hammond XK-3c evening play 10/8/2017

Sun, 15 Oct 2017 22:12:17 +1100

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

Andrew Pam
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JJuIKU0DDLo

"Just chilling out and playing the Hammond organ on a Sunday evening."

It's Hammond organ time!

(More...)

Why calls for “free speech” aren’t the same

Mon, 16 Oct 2017 20:57:38 +1100

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

Andrew Pam
<https://extranewsfeed.com/why-calls-for-free-speech-arent-the-same-b19732511351>

"Speech restrictions have always been enforced in the US, and not in a
content-neutral way: speech perceived as threatening to those in power,
such as calling for checks on police brutality, has been met with force,

(More...)

Socialism with a spine: the only 21st century alternative

Mon, 16 Oct 2017 20:58:52 +1100

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

Andrew Pam
<https://www.theguardian.com/business/2017/oct/09/socialism-with-a-spine-the-only-21st-century-alternative>

"Soft neoliberalism has exhausted its appeal. The best progressive
alternative is an explicit embrace of socialism"

(More...)

Solving Google’s, Facebook’s, and Twitter’s Russian (and other) Ad Problems

Tue, 17 Oct 2017 21:30:10 +1100

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

Andrew Pam
<https://lauren.vortex.com/2017/10/10/solving-russian-and-other-ad-problems-google-facebook-twitter>

"Since the level of interaction granularity is so deep on major search
and social media sites, the precision ad targeting opportunities become
vastly greater, and potentially much more opaque to outside observers."

(More...)

‘Pokémon Go with a social conscience’ to fight homelessness

Tue, 17 Oct 2017 21:31:23 +1100

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

Andrew Pam
<http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/pokemon-go-with-a-social-conscience-to-fight-homelessness-460621.html>

"Social entrepreneur and urban planning expert Phillip Crowe has set up
Space Engagers — a platform that allows people to map Ireland online."

(More...)

How Hurricane Response Efforts Are Sorting People into Deserving and Undeserving Poor

Wed, 18 Oct 2017 21:51:53 +1100

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

Andrew Pam
<https://talkpoverty.org/2017/10/06/hurricane-response-deserving-undeserving/>

"Hurricanes Irma and Harvey delivered a devastating one-two punch to
Texas and Florida, forcing millions to evacuate and leaving thousands
displaced. Now, as emergency responders try to help hurricane victims

(More...)

What Facebook and Google Can Learn From the First Major News Hoax

Wed, 18 Oct 2017 21:53:31 +1100

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

Andrew Pam
<https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2017/10/facebook-google-fake-news-hoax/542406/>

"The original American penny press told readers that horny bat-people lived on
the moon. The year was 1835. Even in 2017, its lessons are more relevant than
ever."

(More...)

Human success at the expense of other species is “a pretty awful legacy”

Thu, 19 Oct 2017 22:42:46 +1100

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

Andrew Pam
<https://www.vox.com/energy-and-environment/2017/10/11/16457432/elizabeth-kolbert-biodiversity>

"As humans have grown and spread, they have jammed unfamiliar animals
and pathogens together in the geological blink of an eye, driving
countless species to extinction."

(More...)

State Borders

Thu, 19 Oct 2017 22:44:58 +1100

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

Andrew Pam
https://xkcd.com/1902/

"It was scary when the graphic designers seized control of the country,
but it turned out they just wanted to fix some things about the state
borders that had always bothered them."

(More...)

Nightmare at PDX

Fri, 20 Oct 2017 21:23:00 +1100

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

Andrew Pam
https://aclu-or.org/en/news/nightmare-pdx

"Cristina Alonso, a 22-year-old college student from Spain, planned to
visit Oregon for six weeks this summer. Instead, border agents sent her
to NORCOR jail in the The Dalles for two nights. Her friend, Professor

(More...)

2017 Nikon Macro Photo Contest Winners Show The World Like You’ve Never Seen Before

Fri, 20 Oct 2017 21:23:59 +1100

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

Andrew Pam
<https://www.boredpanda.com/nikon-small-world-photomicrography-competition-2017-winners/>

"Sometimes bigger is better, but other times it's all about the details,
and as you can see from the winners of Nikon's 2017 Small World
Photomicrography competition, it doesn't get more detailed than this."

(More...)

Neil Gaiman: "My friend told me a story he hadn’t told anyone for years"

Sat, 21 Oct 2017 23:05:06 +1100

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

Andrew Pam
<http://neil-gaiman.tumblr.com/post/166082106996/my-friend-told-me-a-story-he-hadnt-told-anyone>

"‘I met David Bowie once,’ was the thing that my friend said, that
caught my attention."

(More...)

Penguins starving to death is a sign that something’s very wrong in the Antarctic

Sat, 21 Oct 2017 23:05:54 +1100

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

Andrew Pam
<https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/oct/13/penguins-starving-death-something-very-wrong-antarctic>

"Overfishing, oil drilling, pollution and climate change are imperilling
the ecosystem. But ocean sanctuaries could help protect what belongs to
us all"

(More...)

Trump’s War on Knowledge

Sun, 22 Oct 2017 19:00:22 +1100

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

Andrew Pam
http://www.nybooks.com/daily/2017/10/12/trumps-war-on-knowledge/

"The date October 12  has been much on my mind this year. It was on this
day in 1936 that the fascist forces of General Francisco Franco
celebrated El Día de la Raza, the Hispanic world’s alternate version of

(More...)

10+ Times People Accidentally Googled The Wrong Thing, And The Results Were Hilarious

Sun, 22 Oct 2017 19:01:11 +1100

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

Andrew Pam
https://www.boredpanda.com/funny-accidental-google-searches/

"Grammar is tricky and we don't always get it right, but if we misspell
a Google search and hit 'Enter' before double-checking, funny things can
happen."

(More...)

A Fire Story

Mon, 23 Oct 2017 21:15:33 +1100

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

Andrew Pam
https://brianfies.blogspot.com.au/2017/10/a-fire-story-complete.html

"It's a first-person report from the front line. They're not always pretty."

A deeply personal comic from the author of the Eisner Award winning

(More...)

Man’s best friends

Mon, 23 Oct 2017 21:16:30 +1100

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

Andrew Pam
https://www.1843magazine.com/culture/the-daily/mans-best-friends

"A beautiful new photo-book about endangered animals comes with a
wake-up call – but not for the obvious reasons"

(More...)

Why you shouldn’t unlock your phone with your face

Tue, 24 Oct 2017 23:53:10 +1100

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

Andrew Pam
<https://medium.freecodecamp.org/why-you-should-never-unlock-your-phone-with-your-face-79c07772a28>

"At time of writing, nobody outside of Apple has tested the security of
FaceID. So this article is about the security of facial recognition, and
other forms of biometric identification in general."

(More...)

Universal Paperclips

Tue, 24 Oct 2017 23:59:40 +1100

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

Andrew Pam
https://plus.google.com/+YonatanZunger/posts/i8gtqwSX9NC
http://www.decisionproblem.com/paperclips/

"A few weeks ago, I posted an article about the Parable of the Paperclip
Maximizer — what happens when an AI has clear goals and no sense of

(More...)

New Whistleblowers Highlight How Russia's Information War On U.S. Was Larger Than Initially Reported

Wed, 25 Oct 2017 19:45:38 +1100

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

Andrew Pam
<https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20171018/10051238430/new-whistleblowers-highlight-how-russias-information-war-us-was-larger-than-initially-reported.shtml>

'A few years ago, Russian whistleblowers like Lyudmila Savchuk began to
reveal that Vladimir Putin had built a massive new internet propaganda
machine. At the heart of this machine sat the "Internet Research

(More...)

City of Angels - Fursuit Music Video #6 - Willion

Wed, 25 Oct 2017 19:46:58 +1100

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

Andrew Pam
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xGxjBlGRbQ

"In this video, the fursuiters are angels, who try to protect their
human in every way they can. But one of them has a hard time accepting
his human because he seems so... well...not a good guy."

(More...)

Robert Scoble and Me

Thu, 26 Oct 2017 22:38:30 +1100

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

Andrew Pam
https://medium.com/@quinnnorton/robert-scoble-and-me-9b14ee92fffb

"I’ve watched this toxic dynamic play out in my life and others since I
was a child. This is the first reason I became a fan of restorative
justice. Not because I am some kind of soft-on-crime libtard, but

(More...)

Economy’s End

Thu, 26 Oct 2017 22:39:34 +1100

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

Andrew Pam
https://medium.com/@muse_9093/economys-end-f7332f8f0739

"I am going to suggest something radical. I am going to suggest
something that hasn’t but should be on the international table. And I am
going to do this by busting through a few illusions."

(More...)

Cookie Monster Is Getting His Own Cooking Show

Sat, 28 Oct 2017 22:55:22 +1100

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

Andrew Pam
<http://www.myrecipes.com/syndication/sesame-street-cookie-monster-cooking-show>

"It would be difficult to overstate the unsullied, undiminished, even
after 48 seasons, charm of Sesame Street’s Cookie Monster. He is a
passionate, but simple, man (animal? Creature?), and his obsessive, near

(More...)

Scientists investigate why crows are so playful

Sat, 28 Oct 2017 22:56:49 +1100

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

Andrew Pam
<https://arstechnica.com/science/2017/10/scientists-investigate-why-crows-are-so-playful/>

"Crows share an interesting set of behaviors with humans: they like to
play, and they often use tools."

(More...)

Raccoons Pass Famous Intelligence Test—By Upending It

Sun, 29 Oct 2017 22:52:43 +1100

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

Andrew Pam
<https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2017/10/animals-intelligence-raccoons-birds-aesops/>

"The notoriously clever mammals had their own approach to the Aesop's
Fable experiment."

(More...)

A Yale psychologist's simple thought experiment temporarily turned conservatives into liberals

Sun, 29 Oct 2017 22:54:03 +1100

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

Andrew Pam
<https://www.businessinsider.com.au/how-to-turn-conservatives-liberal-john-bargh-psychology-2017-10>

"Social scientists have long known how to turn liberals into
conservatives in the lab — all they have to do is scare them."

(More...)

Ser Brony: PARÓDIA Trem Bala - Casal BRony

Mon, 30 Oct 2017 22:55:47 +1100

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

Andrew Pam
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rhjQnsanJb8

'Dia 10/10 foi aniversário de 7 anos de My Little Pony. E aqui está o
nosso "presente" (um pouco atrasado, mas o que vale é a intenção né?).
Uma pequena paródia sobre o que é ser brony para nós. Esperamos que gostem.'

(More...)

Engare review: The geometry of Islamic art becomes a treasure of a game

Mon, 30 Oct 2017 22:56:39 +1100

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

Andrew Pam
<https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2017/10/engare-review-spirographs-math-and-islamic-art-blend-for-quite-the-game/>

"Delightful math-art puzzle game for adults and children alike."

Oooh! Lovely! Shame there's no Linux version.

(More...)

The World’s Spookiest Math Stories

Tue, 31 Oct 2017 22:47:49 +1100

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

Andrew Pam
<https://mathwithbaddrawings.com/2017/10/25/the-worlds-spookiest-math-stories/>

These are pretty good!  Via Valdis Klētnieks and Irreverent Monk.

(More...)

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